WAITING

"Waiting" is set right after episode 3x11 Nikki Heat and before 3x12 Poof You're dead. It's also kept true to the original plot of the show so keep in mind this is set before Castle decides to end things with Gina and before Castle and Beckett have their first kiss in 3x13 Knockdown ;)

Beckett reached down and pressed the elevator button. As she stood waiting for the ping of the doors to open she wondered where Castle was. The detective was already on her way to question a suspect and it was unusual for him to show up this late for a case. Even though she hated to admit it to herself it felt strange whenever the mystery writer wasn't there by her side. She got this unnerving empty feeling almost like a part of her was missing and it was confusing because usually she was completely comfortable to just focus on her work and get the job done.

Beckett looked at her phone and wondered if she should send him another text. Better not, don't want to seem too keen. Then he would know how much she liked having him around and she'd never hear the end of it from him. Still looking down at her phone Beckett heard the doors open and began making her way into the elevator. She was completely lost in a world of her own thoughts but was suddenly interrupted when she crashed into someone.

"I'm so sorry!" Beckett looked up apologising only to find Castle's face was staring right back at her. She noticed he looked shocked from the collision too but slightly overjoyed to see Beckett this up close and personal. A smile appeared across his face "No need to come find me. I'm right here." he teased pulling his arms out to the side presenting himself to her.

Beckett went from startled, a little mesmerised, to quickly unamused by him. "Shut up Castle come on." she tugged at his arm and continued into the elevator pulling him in the same direction. "Where we going?" Castle asked trying not to spill the coffee he was holding in each of his hands.

The elevator doors came to a close and Castle was already handing Beckett her drink. She glanced over at him and took her coffee and as she brought the cup close to her lips she had to slightly move her face in the other direction out of Castle's sight because she couldn't help crack a little smile to herself as she took the first sip.

….

Castle and Beckett waited together in the elevator as it passed each floor and Beckett was still curious why Castle had arrived so late. "You weren't at the crime scene this morning. Everything okay?" Beckett quizzed him as he seemed to be in a world of his own too. "Oh. Yeah. Gina and I just got into a huge argument about yo…" suddenly realising who he was talking to Castle looked at Beckett and changed what he was about to say. "About...Yoo…hoo. We got into an argument about yoo-hoo". He nodded trying to be as convincing as he could in the heat of the moment.

Beckett looked at him confused "You got into a fight about yoo-hoo?" This is Richard Castle I'm talking to he could be telling the truth here.

"Yeah" Castle continued with his not so convincing story "She drank all of my yoo-hoo from the fridge and well… that's just a big no no in my house. I once had to ground Alexis 2 whole months because of that…" he could clearly see Beckett wasn't buying any of what he had to say which resulted in him starting to mumble the rest of his words and quickly change the subject. "So Murder! What's the case this time?"

Beckett looked at him for a second almost studying the weirdness. It amazed her sometimes just how much he could entertain, confuse, and fascinate her all at the same time. "A woman was found this morning down…" just as Beckett started to explain the case the lights began to flicker, loud creaking noises and jolting motions filled the space around them interrupting their attention.

The elevator came to a sudden halt. "What was that? Did the elevator just stop?" Castle asked looking worried. He was stood frozen with his free hand gripped tightly around Beckett's forearm which made them both glance down at it before looking back up at each other. Castle slowly released his hand and Beckett walked over to the elevator control panel to try pressing a few button. "I think we're stuck." Beckett declared before turning back round to face Castle. He looked a lot more freaked out about the situation than she did.

…

"You do know that if the elevator falls, we're supposed to lay on the ground" Castle informed her looking very serious about it. Beckett let out a little chuckle "Stop it. And I'm not laying on the ground with you Castle." she smiled rolling her eyes. Beckett placed her coffee cup on the floor and reached into her coat pocket to pull out her cell phone "Hang on I'll ring one of the boys and see if they know what's going on."

Ryan and Esposito made their way back to their desks after they had been interrogating another potential suspect over in the interrogation room. Ryan reached down for his cell phone ringing in his trouser pocket and saw Beckett's caller I.D displayed on the screen. "Hey Beckett what's up any news on the case?" he answered sitting down at his desk.

"Not exactly." He heard through the phone. "I'm stuck in the precinct elevator with Castle." As Beckett spoke to Ryan on the phone Castle's face was up close behind her still looking panicked. "Castle can you not breathe down my ear I'm trying to hear." Beckett ordered which made Castle take a step backwards. Ryan listening noticed the line wasn't too clear and repeated back to confirm what he heard "You and Castle are stuck in the elevator?" he looked over in that direction causing Esposito to do the same.

Beckett pushed her hair back from her face and continued the conversation on the phone while Castle was pacing from side to side behind her "Yeah. Do you think you can find out what's going on and maybe get us some help out of here?"

"Yeah sure thing Beckett. Hold on I'll see if…" the line suddenly became crackled with noise and Beckett was unable to hear what Ryan was saying before the call dropped. Letting out an annoyed sigh she pulled the phone away from her ear "It cut out. The signals not great in here." Beckett sounded a bit stressed which made Castle stop pacing. "Well at least they know we're in here. So it won't be long before they get us out." he reassured both of them.

Castle was in a much calmer state now and leaned back against the side wall of the elevator. Beckett still standing close to the control panel watched and moved over to do the same. As she leaned back and stood directly across from him she watched as he took a sip of his coffee. She thought if anyone could make being stuck in an elevator a little less daunting and a little more fun…it was probably Castle.

…

Castle looked over at Beckett his gaze catching hers and he thought of all the people in the precinct he could have become trapped with inside such a small confined space. He was glad it was with her. Watching her stand there in front of him he started to feel a lot more positive about the whole situation. Maybe this was a good thing. No interruptions from Ryan and Esposito or those frustratingly unexpected calls she kept getting from Dr Motorcycle boy lately. Just the two of them. Together.

Beckett still looking back, noticed his eyes were now locked onto hers and for some reason she began to think back to a couple weeks ago when she caught actress Natalie Rhodes kissing him in the very spot she was standing in. She remembered how mad it made her just the sight of him kissing someone else and as she continued to think about it she couldn't help look down at his lips.

She was telling herself not to but for some reason couldn't help it and for a split second wondered what it must have been like. Felt like. To be that close, feeling the heat of his body as the softness of his lips pressed against hers. Realising what she was thinking about she quickly looked back up at his eyes. I have a boyfriend what am I doing? What is he doing?! Just say something and end this!

Beckett's lips parted and just as she was about to say something a siren did the job for her. The loud ringing of the precinct fire alarm quickly brought them back to reality again and focusing on the situation around them. "What is that?!" Castle shouted above the noise stepping forward away from the wall. Beckett doing the same yelled back "Sounds like the fire alarm!" She looked at her surroundings not sure what their next move should be. "What the hell is going on out there?!"

…

Castle and Beckett stood centred in the elevator the alarm still ringing. "Maybe it's a drill?!" he shouted. Shaking her head Beckett yelled back to him "Fire drills are on Fridays. It's a Monday! And it would have stopped by now!"

They both continued to look around them trying to figure out what to do. "Well if it is a fire! Who better to get us out of here than the fire department right?!" Castle joked giving her a little smile. After 3 years working together Beckett noticed that the more serious a situation got, the more Castle somehow found a way to look for the positive side. But that still didn't help her forget that there could be a fire in the same building they were both trapped in right now. "Yeah that's if we don't burn to death first!" She shouted back checking for signal on her phone.

"Is there any signal on your phone Castle?!" She yelled. Castle pulled his cell phone out from his coat and looked at the screen. "No!" Shaking his head he put it back in his pocket. He watched Beckett as she paced from side to side of the small space. "But hey!" Castle reached out for Beckett's upper arm bringing her to a standstill "Ryan and Espo know we're in here! Whatever's going on I'm sure they'll be doing something to get us some help!" He tried to reassure her.

Beckett made a slight nodding gesture in agreement "They've probably had to evacuate out the building with Montgomery and everyone too so we'll just have to wait it out!" As Beckett shouted her words the alarm suddenly came to a stop causing the end of her sentence to become much louder than she intended it to be. So loud that it made a small echo. She looked awkwardly at Castle and he smirked back at her slightly raising an eyebrow. He kind of loved to see Beckett embarrassed as it wasn't very often he got to see that kind of adorable vulnerability from her. They paused for a few seconds taking in how silent it had become. So quiet that it caused Castle to almost whisper his next words.

"It's stopped. Can you hear anything?" Beckett listened for a moment and whispered back "No." Castle walked to the front of the elevator and stood next to Beckett. He leaned forward placing his left ear on the doors hoping to catch a glimpse of anything that could be going on from outside. Caught off guard by how cold the surface of the metal doors was he quickly pulled his face away making a tiny shrieking sound as he did. Beckett standing over by the control panel with her hand on her hip watched and smiled in amusement. What an idiot. She thought shaking her head.

Castle quickly defended his reaction "They're cold!" he complained rubbing the side of his face before placing his ear back to the doors. Beckett started to look eager as she waited for a response from him "Anything?" her fingers were rested lightly on her mouth tapping each fingertip against her lips in turn with anticipation. She noticed a deep look of concentration fall upon Castle's face, his mouth slightly agape as he listened closely. "Actually yeah." Sounding surprised his eyes moved in Beckett's direction "I think I can hear people talking?" He paused. "Find…the…body?" Castle whispered to Beckett looking puzzled.

"Come on!" Beckett not sounding convinced didn't believe him and was sure he was just trying to mess with her. "I'm serious!" Castle insisted "I heard something about a body." As he appeared to be telling the truth Beckett had to hear for herself and stepped forward to place her right ear against the doors.

Castle and Beckett stood facing each other and continued to listen. They could hear the faint sounds of someone talking in the distance "Does it sounds like people arguing to you?" Beckett asked shifting her head over trying to find a better hearing spot.

"Yeah it does. It's hard to hear what they're saying though. It's really muffled." As Castle replied he couldn't help notice how close Beckett's face had become. With only the line of the two closed doors between them, he tried to focus on the voices outside but instead began to gaze intently at her. His eyes started to explore and inspect each and every one of her facial features. He noticed the wave of a piece of hair as it rested on her left cheek bone. The way her eyes glistened against the dim lighting of the elevator. The way the subtle hint of gloss she was wearing gently glimmered on her lips.

Beckett was completely unaware how fixated he had become as her own eyes were slightly off to the side. Still deep in concentration she was listening for any more sounds from outside the doors. Castle looked down at her mouth and noticed how perfectly smooth and supple her lips appeared and being this close he could see every single tiny movement they made and it only made them much more enticing. He suddenly felt this overwhelming urge to lean forward and taste them and it was taking every last drop of self-control in his being not to. All he wanted to do was bring up his right hand push his fingertips through the soft curls of her hair and pull her in for a long slow kiss.

Beckett's eyes shifted back in Castle's direction. It was as if she was listening so hard that she heard what Castle was thinking. That's when she noticed a look of desire across Castle's face. Desire so strong she was sure she could feel a lustful force of energy radiating from his body. Energy that was firing across towards her own and it felt powerful. Almost infectious. The more Beckett gazed back into his eyes the more she was being taken over by an intense urge to move her body over closer to his. The sudden craving she had for him right now was strong but she had to fight it. There was too much on the line. Our friendship, our partnership. We could lose everything we have together by giving into this one moment. Not to mention their own relationships she thought.

"Castle I..." Beckett spoke gently before being cut off by Castle. "Blood!" he blurted out as his eyes moved off to the right. The look of desire suddenly vanished from his face looking more concerned instead. Beckett's brows furrowed in response "Blood? I didn't hear anything about blood." She replied her voice much louder now. "No. There's blood on your shoulder." Castle informed her. He moved his head and body away from the doors to take a closer look of her shoulder which prompted Beckett to do the same. Tugging down at the material of her coat she strained her head to the left to get a better view. "What the…how could there be blood on my coat?" Beckett asked but Castle looked just as confused about it as she did.

Another drop of blood hit the arm of Beckett's coat catching Castle's eye as it fell which caused him to immediately lift his head and look straight above them. Beckett wondering what he was looking for lifted her head up too. That's when they both noticed the dark stain of blood seeping through a couple of the ceiling tiles, it appeared to be dripping between the gap of two panels. They looked back down at each other in complete disbelief at what they were seeing.

…

Beckett started to unbutton and remove her coat while Castle who was still curious about the blood continued to inspect the ceiling "You know I think the tiling looks damaged. Maybe if we could get up there we could try lifting one and take a look." Castle suggested to Beckett as she folded her coat in half and placed it on the ground next to her now very cold coffee. As she listened to Castle talking behind her she continued to remove her boots. Castle was turned in the opposite direction his attention still on the ceiling so was completely unaware what Beckett was already doing.

"Then we could let some air in here too." Castle continued "It's getting…" Castle turned around mid-sentence and to his surprise found himself standing right behind a bent over Kate Beckett, her butt was pointed straight up in the air towards him. "Hot in here!" He exhaled the last of his sentence out before taking in another deep breath. Castle almost in a trance like state and with not much room to manoeuvre wasn't sure what to do with himself or where to focus his eyes. He briefly looked around the elevator before continuing to stare down at his partner's assets.

Beckett finished removing her shoes and stood back up. As she turned around the speed of the movement caused her hair to whip across Castle's face startling him in the process. Bringing up a hand he brushed his face from the impact and was completely disorientated from the whole ordeal but tried to keep his composure the best he could. Meanwhile Beckett had no idea the effect she was having on him.

Castle now feeling hot and flustered removed his own coat but as he started to bend down to place it in the opposite corner to Beckett's coat he suddenly stopped. Remembering what he just witnessed he quickly stood back up straight and awkwardly dropped the coat down before turning back around to face Beckett. Beckett who was watching the entire thing looked over completely baffled by his odd behaviour.

"What?" Beckett asked. "Nothing." Castle replied trying his best to play it cool which only made him look even more suspicious to the detective. Beckett squinted her eyes at him. Once she got over wondering what the hell he was doing Beckett moved forward and stood in front of him. Both centred in elevator Castle was stood directly in front of the left door and Beckett the right as she wrapped her arms around Castle's shoulders.

Castle noticed how much smaller Beckett was without her heels on and as she bounced up and down on her tip toes a few times he was suddenly taken back by his overwhelming feelings for her again. All he could focus on was Kate's arms wrapped around him, the softness of her sweater brushing the sides of his neck, her petite body pressed up against his, under the crisp burgundy shirt he was wearing.

Castle became completely lost in the moment. So much so that he forget where they were or what they were meant to be doing and placed his hands on either side of Beckett's body. It was like time had slowed down as he softly rested each hand right above each one of her hip bones, his face looking slightly nervous as he did. Beckett not expecting that reaction from him her attention was instantly drawn to the feeling of his hands wrapping firmly around her sides. The contact sent a sudden bolt of electric shooting up through her body. A feeling which made Beckett instantly stop moving and become still perched up on her tip toes in front of him.

"Castle?" Beckett asked softly as she looked at Castle not realising she just bit her lower lip. "Yeah?" Castle responded his voice now husky and deep as he just witnessed Beckett bite her lower lip. '"You have to…" Beckett began her sentence moving her face slightly in closer to Castle's. As she did she felt a gentle firm squeeze of Castle's hands cupped around her sides which only made concentrating and trying to finish her sentence even harder. "You…have to boost me up." Beckett slowly raised her leg and waited for Castle to snap out of it. "Up! Boost. Right."

Castle was back focused again. He removed his hands from Beckett's waist and grabbed her raised foot lifting her up as he tried to keep his balance. Beckett climbed up his body and rested her knee on his shoulder before continuing up to a standing position. Castle grasped at her legs to keep her steady as she did. "We'd have a lot of explaining to do if the elevator doors opened right now." Castle thought out loud. "Hold still Castle!" Beckett demanded.

Now she had finished struggling and was in a steady position Beckett placed both her hands onto the panel above her head. It was a few along from the stained ones towards the front of the elevator. She began to push upwards and as the tile lifted she slid it across to her left. As Beckett continued to move it she was quickly stopped as a hand fell into the new opening of the ceiling causing it to hang directly in front of her face.

Beckett shocked in horror by the unexpected appearance of a hand yelled with fright and jolted backwards causing Castle to nearly lose his balance and grip of Beckett above him. "What! What is it!?" Castle asked panicked at her reaction as he fought to keep them both upright. "A hand!" Beckett said trying to catch her breath at the same time. "A WHAT?!" Castle shrieked the word what coming out extremely high-pitched for his voice. Beckett started to recover quickly after all she had witnessed much worse in her line of work as a homicide detective over the years.

Beckett lifted herself up and placed her head up into the elevator shaft and as she turned her head to the right that's when she saw the body of a man laid out on top of the elevator. Beckett looked horrified by what she was seeing but also concerned for the man as she continued to inspect the body the best she could from her current position. She saw he was laid distorted on his back with his head turned away so couldn't get a good look of his face. However she could see he was wearing a blue uniform. The same blue uniform she had seen maintenance staff wearing many times around the precinct. She could also see a tool-belt wrapped around his waist.

"Castle. There's a man up here. Looks like he's from maintenance." Castle listened to the echo of Beckett's voice coming from above and continued to keep them both stable in place. Beckett not having any crime scene gloves to hand yet pulled the sleeve of her blue cashmere sweater down and wrapped it over her hand and kept it in place with her fingers. She reached over and nudged his head in towards her direction to get a better look of his face. The man's eyes were open and he definitely appeared to be dead she thought. Beckett continued to move his head and that's when she saw it. A screwdriver was sticking out from the right side of the man's neck and it was clear now where all the blood had been coming from. Beckett sighed not looking impressed with the discovery "And I think he's been murdered."

Next chapter of Waiting is coming soon :)

*Never really been much of a writer before (more into fanvidding - TVCastleAlways) so this is the first time ive wrote anything like this and would love to hear your thoughts on the first chapter :) Still miss this show all the time so hope this brings some new Caskett feels your way too. BigHugs TVCastleAlways