The prompt, from inkycoffee: "Post-"The Limey", Jacinda and Castle, and Kate and Colin, wind up at the same establishment. It's super crowded and they're forced to share a table. Bonus points for Jacinda and Colin getting together ;-) they're both headed to the airport after all."

"As long as you don't mind going there in a police cruiser," said Kate as the elevator doors opened.

"No worries," said Colin, both in her phone and from ten feet away.

She'd changed her mind, called Colin, and caught him before he left the building, offered him a ride to the airport, and he'd asked if he could take her "for a bite" before he had to catch his plane.

"Burgers and shakes?" she asked as he offered her his arm. "Or fine dining?"

"Oh, burgers, absolutely," Colin replied. "Something authentically New York?"

"For that, we should get pizza - we're famous for our pizza wars - but I have this place I love that makes the best burgers."

"Lead on, then."

Kate drove them to Remy's, of course, and as it was a busy Friday night, she parked in a green zone, not willing to either walk ten blocks or give the valet her keys to her cop car.

"Misuse of department resources? Detective Beckett!" Colin teased.

"I'm entertaining a foreign dignitary," said Kate.

"Dunno how dignitary I am, but I'll take it."

This was refreshing. Colin was a working cop, like herself, he was dedicated, like her, and he was, well, damned handsome and flirty. And one thing he was not was anything like Richard Castle.

Fun and uncomplicated? She could be fun and uncomplicated.

Colin's arm was around her waist as they made their way to the door of the establishment, where there was an actual line to get in.

"I should have known they'd be busy on a Friday night," she lamented. "Maybe we *should* go for pizza."

"We're here now," Colin protested. "I don't mind waiting a bit. Besides," he drew her closer as they were jostled by people exiting the place, "I've got you to entertain me."

Kate almost beamed. Meaningless sweet talk - when was the last time she'd indulged in that? With Castle around, everything always meant something. Even when he was babbling weird theories, she was trying to figure out where in his labyrinth of a mind that had come from.

She'd seen what she needed to see of Colin's mind. (And of his assets, when that towel fell off…) Enough to know that he wasn't after anything serious, either - he was literally leaving town in a few hours. Leaving the country. Talk about no strings attached -

So she teased and flirted and let Colin snuggle up to her, getting bold with innuendo, until finally they were at the head of the line.

"We're kind of swamped," said the host apologetically. "As you can see. If you want to sit right away - "

"We do," said Colin firmly.

" - I can seat you at one of the larger tables - there's a couple sitting on the other side but you can just ignore them - "

"A grand New York City tradition," Kate murmured to Colin.

" - they already said they didn't mind sharing. Right this way, then."

They made their way through the crowd, to a table in a corner where Kate had never been seated before. It was indeed a fairly large table, but there was only one person sitting there, a blonde with a strawberry milkshake in front of her. She looked vaguely familiar to Kate, but then half the population of New York City probably looked familiar to her by now.

Colin pulled her chair out for her and then took his seat next to her.

"What's good here, then?" he asked.

"Everything. D'you like onion rings?"

"Depends," said Colin. "I might want to kiss you, later on."

Yep, that was a nice little shiver that ran up Kate's spine.

"Well, I guess it's both of us order them, or neither," she said with a smile. "Just in case."

She was distracted by the return of the second member of the other party, who was apparently returning from the restroom and who slid onto the chair across from Kate and made a remark to his companion in a low voice. The companion giggled, the other man turned and made eye contact, and the shiver that ran up Kate's spine this time was anything but nice.

"Castle?!"

The stunned expression on Castle's face would have been memorable, had Kate not been busy trying to keep her own face from twisting into a frown.

"Fancy meeting you here," said Colin heartily. "And who's this lovely lady?"

"I'm Jacinda," said the blonde, shaking his hand. "And you?"

"Colin," said Colin. "And have you met Kate?"

Kate felt unreasonably annoyed that Colin was being nice to this woman. But then, he had no idea what this woman represented to Kate - not that Kate fully understood that, herself. She shifted her chair closer to Colin's and looped her arm around his, smiling at Castle all the while.

"I'm treating Colin to a bona fide New York City dining experience," she said brightly. "Castle and I come here a lot, at the end of a long day. It's my favorite place for burgers."

Castle was no longer looking stunned, but he didn't look very happy, either. He had on that fake smile that he used with papparazzi and suspects. Kate had never seen it turned her way, and it made her even more annoyed.

"I thought you had a plane to catch," Castle said to Colin.

"In the wee hours," said Colin. "Plenty of time for a bite and a drink. Share some onion rings, maybe."

He winked at Kate and she felt her annoyance ebb just a little. She was not going to let Writer Boy spoil her no-strings-attached uncomplicated evening with a hot Brit with whom she seemed to be on the same page.

"I'm surprised to find you here, Castle," said Kate. "Thought you'd be taking Jacinda someplace swankier."

"Good to know I can still surprise you once in a while," said Castle.

"He's just full of surprises," Jacinda grinned.

That's not all he's full of, Kate thought. Aloud, she said, "This isn't your first time in New York, is it, Jacinda?"

"Oh, no, we have layovers here all the time," said the other lady. "I'm a flight attendant," she explained to Colin.

"Are you the one who deciphered that label for us, then?" Colin asked.

"For you? You mean the courier label Rick was asking me about?"

"I was part of the investigation that Kate was leading, into - well, I can't divulge any details," he said modestly. Kate gave him virtual brownie points for not mentioning Castle.

"How exciting," said Jacinda. "Are you a detective, too?"

Between orders being made and served, Kate studiously did not avoid Castle's gaze - there was no way she could; every time she glanced his way, his eyes were fixed on her face.

"What? Do I have lettuce in my teeth?" she hissed at one point, under cover of Jacinda laughing at Colin's joke.

"Why, are you uncomfortable, Beckett?" he replied. "Embarrassed to be seen speaking to me?"

"Just wondering why you keep staring at me," she snapped. "You should know this face well enough by now."

"I thought I did."

She was startled; Castle's voice was soft, almost sad.

"Castle, what - "

"Here's something of a coincidence," said Colin, getting Kate's attention. "Turns out, Jacinda's going to be one of the attendants on my flight back to London."

"Wow, small world," Kate observed.

"Isn't it, though?" said Jacinda. "I told Rick yesterday that I was transferring to the intercontinental route. No more Vegas hops for me. More pay, and the passengers are more likely to sleep and less likely to be hung over."

"Nice to have choices," said Colin.

"Well, in some ways it's about seniority…"

Jacinda prattled on. Kate ate her hamburger. Colin made inroads on his own meal, including the onion rings, for which Kate had lost her appetite.

The one night she wanted to enjoy herself (and Colin) without letting Castle so much as cross her mind - and here he was, crossing her path. Practically blocking her path. Resolutely, Kate finished off her burger and dropped some cash on the table.

"I think we're done here," she said, politely but firmly. "Nice to meet you, Jacinda. Drive safely, Castle."

Colin said some hasty goodbyes and followed her out of the restaurant. Once on the sidewalk, he took her hand and started walking toward her car.

"Great food," he said. "Funny bumping into Castle there. What are the odds?"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," said Kate. "Are you checked out of your hotel?"

"I am, but my bags are still there. D'you want to come back for a drink?"

"I'd love to."

She drove Colin to his hotel and they sat in the bar and talked. They were on a small sofa in a dim corner, and eventually Colin's arm found its way around her again, and her hand was on his knee, and when he leaned in to brush his lips over hers she leaned up to meet him.

"Wish I hadn't checked out," he murmured after some more exploratory kisses and a snuggle or two. "Could use a bit of privacy just now."

"We could go make out in my car," said Kate with an exaggerated eyebrow waggle.

"Been a while since I steamed up anyone's windows," Colin laughed. Then he straightened up, looking toward the main foyer. "Isn't that - ?"

It was. Castle, and Jacinda. They walked up to the front desk and spoke to the concierge for a minute while Kate tried to use Jedi mind tricks to keep them from seeing her and Colin. Obviously her Jedi skills were rusty; when they'd completed their conversation, Jacinda turned and spotted them and waved.

Colin waved back. Kate didn't want to make any move to suggest that they come over, but they did anyway.

"This is getting creepy," Jacinda giggled. "Is this where you were staying, Colin?"

"Creepily enough, it is," said the gentleman as he stood. "Was. I've checked out, just whiling away the time with my lovely companion here."

"Time flies when you're having fun," said Castle without a trace of sarcasm.

"Oh, well, I was just about to catch the shuttle to the airport," said Jacinda. "I left my bag in a locker there. Ready to go. Why don't you ride along?"

"Save Kate the drive," Castle put in.

Kate shot him a look, but after almost four years he'd built up a nominal resistance to her looks; he just stood there, infuriatingly relaxed and smiling, chatting with Jacinda and Colin.

Colin seemed to have caught her look, even though it hadn't been aimed at him; after a few minutes of small talk, he said, "Would you excuse us for just a moment?" and took Kate's arm, guiding her around a corner into a hallway, out of sight of the other two.

"Listen," he said softly. "I can tell that you and Castle have some kind of unfinished business to attend to, with each other, and I think I'd better just clear off."

"Any business that we *might* have had is finished," Kate countered. "You don't have to disappear on that account."

"I think I do, actually," said Colin. "It's been a lovely evening, Kate, and I do appreciate everything you've done - professionally and personally. Let's just leave it at that, all right?"

She allowed herself to pout for a moment, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.

"It *has* been lovely," she told him. "Safe travel."

Colin smiled and left her in the hallway; she heard him say to Jacinda, "Well, let's be off then."

Only then did she realize that she didn't know where Castle was, and that she might have to find a way out that didn't take her through the foyer. She told herself firmly that she was not twelve years old and that she had every right to walk wherever she wanted, Castle or no Castle.

She'd taken one step back the way they'd come when a familiar form came striding around the corner, coming right at her with a determined look on his face.

"Castle - what do you - "

That was as far as Kate got before Castle's mouth covered hers, and as her lips were already open, he dove right in, tasting and exploring and caressing and owning. His hands were on her hips and hers were grasping his shoulders, and when he let her pause for breath he did not back down at all.

"You heard me," he growled. "In the cemetery, when you were shot. You *heard* me."

The growl didn't scare her. It lit her on fire. She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and hauled him back down for more kissing, her other hand tugging at his belt until she was pressed between the wall and Castle's solid frame.

Their lips parted again and Kate whispered, "I did. I heard you. I chickened out. Can you forgive me for that?"

"What did you chicken out of, Kate?"

There was that growl again.

"Telling you," she said, her heart pounding. "Telling you that - I love you."

Castle's eyes widened - in surprise? How could he not know that she -

"I love you," she whispered. "Do you still - love me?"

His face went from surprise to elation in a split second.

"I do," he said, no growl this time, just a sweet, dark, low voice, full of promise. "I love you, Kate. Can we get out of here?"

"And go where?"

"Anywhere," he said as he kissed her forehead. "Anywhere with you."

He took her hand in his, as if unwilling to let go of her.

Kate smiled a bit giddily and said, "Let's go steam up the windows in my car."