A/N: Another one shot!
Disclaimer: Not mine, just the plot...sort of.
Beckett's sort of POV
"I was so in awe of him, Castle," Beckett said, leaning her head on her fingertips, "when I first met him. I just hung on his every word," she let the memory overtake her, and smiled faintly. "And then later I realized he was just making up stories to mess with me." The memory faded and she laughed softly, letting the smile slowly fall. "I can't believe I'm never going to see him again."
Castle leaned back on his arm and looked up at her. "You know what I thought when I first met you?"
Beckett, a bemused look on her face, shook her head slightly. She picked her head up, feeling nervous. He looked more serious than she had ever seen him, and she felt the atmosphere change.
He continued, "That you were a mystery I was never going to solve."
Confused, Beckett narrowed her eyebrows, but didn't interrupt. "Even now, after spending all this time with you, I'm still...amazed." She blinked. "At the depths of your strength, your heart," she smiled, and looked down. "And your hotness."
Her eyes shot up to his, and she let a smile grace her lips. Typical Castle. "You're not so bad yourself, Castle," she let the words fall from her lips before she could stop herself. She wasn't lying, far from it, she knew as she looked into his baby blues. She waited for his witty remark, but none came.
In the silence she let her eyes roam and hungrily surveyed his face, from the playful smirk on his mouth to his gorgeous eyes. She knew he was doing the same to her. She locked on to his eyes and didn't let go, letting all the feelings she had for him pour out of her gaze. He returned it easily, and the passion made her shiver. His smirk was gone now, replaced with a look of awe and trepidation. He felt what she was feeling, that much was certain. And all of a sudden, it all crashed to a halt.
She was afraid. She knew what she wanted right here, right now, but she was scared. Absolutely terrified. She blinked and looked away. "I should go, it's late." She stood and eased her way around the couch, feeling his eyes on her as she fled. She waited for him to call her back, but no words stopped her. It wasn't until her hand was on the doorknob that his voice reached out for her. "Kate."
But she was retreating, and the shaking of her hands couldn't be steadied. "Good night, Castle," she said quietly, shutting the door behind her.
Castle's sort of POV
"I was so in awe of him, Castle," Beckett said, leaning her head on her fingertips, "when I first met him. I just hung on his every word," Castle watched as she remembered, and smiled softly at the unguarded nostalgia on her face. "And then later I realized he was just making up stories to mess with me." The memory faded and she laughed softly, and the smile was gone. Castle felt the undeniable urge to put it back on her face. "I can't believe I'm never going to see him again."
Castle leaned back on his arm and looked up at her. "You know what I thought when I first met you?" She looked up, and he could see the alarm in her eyes. He had to tell her this, even if it scared her; he felt like his chest would explode if he didn't. She didn't always feel like Nikki Heat, the savvy detective that Castle always pictured her to be, and he wanted her to know that even on her worst days, he saw her as perfection.
He continued, "That you were a mystery I was never going to solve."
Beckett narrowed her eyebrows, but didn't interrupt. "Even now, after spending all this time with you, I'm still...amazed." She blinked, and he smiled. "At the depths of your strength, your heart," she smiled, and looked down. "And your hotness." There was the smile he wanted, appearing when he attached brevity to the serious conversation.
"You're not so bad yourself, Castle," she replied. Castle felt a pang in his chest, knowing that she was reciprocating what he said, that she was thanking him for believing in her, for understanding her, without really saying it. That was Beckett, after all, the queen of subtext.
She radiated it now, as she waited for his witty retort. He had one, on the tip of his silver tongue, but bit it back. Right now, all he wanted to do was look at her. He let his eyes fall to her lips, where he so wanted to kiss, and back up to her depthless beautiful eyes. She was doing the same to him, and he felt her gaze warm him all over. She was appreciative, she was enticed by him, and he was even more enticed by her. He steeled himself to lean in for a kiss, when she looked away, and the room was suddenly burdened with air.
"I should go, it's late." Castle paused, unsure of what to do. If he had his way, he would grab her and kiss her, and all would fall into place, and they would stay together that night, if only to hold each other as she struggled with the fact that her mentor was dead. She was afraid, he knew, but he had no idea how to stop her without making things worse. He wanted a foolproof plan that could not backfire, and as he thought, she was fleeing.
"Kate," he called out, hoping the use of her first name would stop her.
But she was retreating, and even the shaking of her hands couldn't be steadied. "Good night, Castle," she said quietly, shutting the door behind her.
Beckett's sort of POV
Beckett leaned against the closed door, taking heaving breaths of unchallenged air, trying to fill her lungs with all the breath Castle had taken away. She buried her face in her hands and ran them through her hair. She took a deep breath, pausing to consider what she was about to do. She held out her hand for the door...
And it opened, revealing Castle on the other side. He looked like he had done the exact same thing she had; his hair was disheveled, and he looked terrified. He placed one hand on her cheek and the other on her waist, and looked down into her eyes. He was tall when she wasn't wearing shoes.
"Kate," he whispered, and his breath tickled her face. "Do you really want to be alone tonight?"
Beckett, captivated by his closeness, struggled against the lump in her throat. She nodded her head, and in a whirl of movement, Castle had her back against the door, and was leaning down to look into her eyes.
"I don't believe you," he whispered. "Now," he leaned even closer, his lips just barely brushing her hair. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I just want to be here for you."
Her hand came to life at her side and grabbed his chin. He let out a small squeak of surprise as she pulled his lips to hers and kissed him feverishly. He ran his hand through her hair and paused at the nape of her neck, letting her cherry scent overtake him. She had both hands on his face, and pulled him back, her lips a little darker than before.
"Stay with me tonight, Castle," she said softly.
"I would never want to be anywhere else," he replied. She smiled, and kissed him again, locking her fingers behind his neck.
"I'm glad you're here," she said. "I'm glad I don't have to do this alone."
Castle lowered his mouth to her neck and kissed her once, on the spot where her neck met her shoulder. "You never have to be alone, Kate."