Okay, to clear a few things up: This story is purely AU. I'm aware that Beckett never got stabbed by Maddox on the show. That's why it's fun to write about it. Oh, and I know the whole impromptu surgery thing is unlikely but just... bear with me. Trust me, it'll get better. And for the record, that whole going-behind-each-other's-back-to-investigate-her-mother's-murder-thing that went on in the show? Yeah, I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole. If you are wondering what season this takes place in, it's season 4-ish.
Also, if this hasn't been made clear yet, Castle and Beckett are not together yet. But they will be :)
For those of you that reviewed, followed or alerted, thank you to each and every one of you. Really. Now, on with the show!
Early morning sunlight streamed in through the dark curtains, illuminating the inside of Beckett's living room. Snoring on the couch was Castle, bare-chested and only wearing a pair of his boxer shorts. Castle groaned at the sunlight branding his eyelids and sleepily blinked. It was morning. He was half sprawled on Beckett's couch, a downy comforter pooled near his feet and a throw pillow fitted under the curve of his neck. He had to admit, Beckett had a very comfortable couch.
Speaking of Beckett…
He blinked his ocean blue eyes open, swinging his feet to the ground with a heavy thud, and wiped the sleep off his face with one hand. Glancing around, he appeared to be alone. He heard no sizzling of breakfast, or the pitter-patter of water in the bathroom, or the quiet rummages in the bedroom. A quick overview of the house confirmed his suspicions.
"Kate?" he called out. No answer. Just as he was starting to be slightly concerned – his thoughts immediately went to a scary kidnapping or a sudden bullet to the heart, thanks to his years as a volunteer assistant homicide detective – his eyes fell upon the yellow square Post-it note stuck to the kitchen counter.
Castle,
We caught a case. By the time you wake up, we'll probably be at the precinct. Come by if you want but feel free to take the day off.
- Kate
P.S. – If you do come by, bring something to eat since there's nothing for breakfast and I'm starving.
A grin curved the corners of his mouth. Of course, she would be hungry. He didn't have to check to know her fridge was absolutely barren as a desert. Besides, they both knew he would come in.
It took him less than ten minutes to get dressed. His clothes were neatly folded on the coffee table in front of him, courtesy of Kate. He was buttoning up his shirt when it hit him – leaving Post-it notes for each other, leaving a small stack of folded clothes for him, bringing a meal in case the other got hungry? It felt… domestic. Like an old married couple. Strangely enough, the thought brought a smile to his face.
"Holy crap, if it isn't the ghost of Richard Castle!" Ryan pretended to fall off his chair as he grinned with delight. The familiar figure of certain famous writer entered the doors of the 12th Precinct. Esposito came to stand next to his partner, his Hispanic features expanding into a wide grin.
Javi clapped his hands together in a slow rhythm as Castle came closer. "The prodigal son comes back! Missed us?"
"Not particularity," Castle smirked as the two men stood staunchly in front of him.
"Oh, or course. You missed Beckett, right?" Ryan smiled cheekily at him.
"Of course he missed her." Esposito immediately picked up the line of teasing as he remarked innocently, "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but you missed her so much, you broke into her apartment at two in the morning, is that right, Castle?"
"Hey, I didn't break in.I had a key." Castle argued. "How did you know, anyway?"
"She just said that she didn't sleep very well because someone broke into her place in the middle of the night. We just thought, geez, who would stupid enough to break into a cop's place? Our first thought was you." Ryan shrugged modestly.
"I'm flattered you think so well of me."
Esposito stifled a grin. "Don't sweat it, bro. I think that's a great way to pick up chicks."
Cue the sarcasm. First day back from a two month long book tour and he was already getting sweated out by the guys. Hoping to escape with some shred of his dignity left, he glanced around. "Where's Beckett?"
"She's in the break room." Esposito jerked his thumb over his shoulder where they could see the faint outline of Kate bending over the espresso machine, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Espo clapped him on the shoulder, fighting back a laugh. "Go get her, man."
Castle, clutching a paper bag of pastries as a tightly as a life line, knocked on the break room door and held his breath when she whirled around. It was worth it, he thought. It was worth it to endure all the teasing from the boys to see her hazel eyes light up with joy simply because of his presence.
"Hey." She said.
"Hey," he said, slightly unsure of what else to say. Every time she looked at him like that, shy and coy and a little bit eager, he was transported back to fifth grade when he'd had his first crush – a girl named Andrea Puget – and could barely stutter out a reply when she would ask him a question. Twenty years and countless number of women later, and he felt the same. Like she was his first crush.
The feeling only intensified as Kate moved closer to him, their fingers brushing as she took the bag of pastries from him. "How'd you sleep?"
"Pretty well." He watched as she dipped into the paper bag and pulled a sticky bear claw, licking the icing off her fingers before she took a bite. She sighed with pleasure and took another bite, this time not bothering to chew properly before she'd finished off the whole pastry.
"Hungry?"
"Just a bit," she said casually before taking a swig of her coffee then digging around in the bag for another pastry. "I forgot to ask you yesterday. How's Alexis and Martha doing?"
Castle lounged on the plush couch of the break room and smiled at the mention of his only daughter. "They're doing great. At least, that's what Alexis told me when she and I talked the other day. She and Mother are on a college trip."
"I remember doing that when I was her age." Kate sat down next to him, cradling her hot coffee in her hands. "I did it with my dad. The whole time, I was living on Wetzel's Pretzels and Ramen. Good times."
A loud laugh escaped him as he pictured a teenage version of Kate straggling along next to her father, living out of a suitcase. "Alexis seems to be having a nice time. She called me at the airport yesterday. Told me to sleep off my jet lag so that I don't do anything creepy and freak out the neighbors."
Kate took a gulp of her coffee. "She's right. Are you sure you don't want to sleep in today?"
"Sleep the day off or help solve a gruesome murder?" Castle raised both arms like a scale, lifting it up and down, and grinned. "Such a difficult choice."
That elicited a startled laugh out of her. "This is why I keep you around."
"Because of my roguish charm and razor-sharp wit?"
"Because you make my job fun."
He gazed at her, his ocean blue eyes steadfast and unwavering. "It's fun because I'm with you."
For a second, she didn't have an answer. She broke his gaze and looked down at the floor, studying the pattern of the carpet with unnecessary concentration. "That's really sweet," she murmured.
He simply nodded, looking casually at her before clearing his throat. "How's the case going?"
"We might have a lead on a potential suspect." Relieved at the change of topic, she motioned at their murder board. "Go look at the crime scene photos. I'll be over there as soon as I finish this," she gestured towards the bear claw held in her hand.
"Don't eat too fast." Castle left the room and headed over to their murder board. The second he departed, Kate stopped laughing and instead doubled over in pain.
The stab wound was only a couple weeks old so it still tended to throb with pain from time to time. Usually when she changed the dressing, the pain would fade but she had already changed it this morning. Lanie had done an excellent job but Kate was starting to worry about the risk of infection. She had never, after all, gone for a check-up to the hospital, purely because of the fear that Maddox would be waiting for her. A logical fear.
After her impromptu operation, Kate had sworn Lanie to secrecy. The ME had simply believed that Kate was too embarrassed to talk about her 'mugging' and had readily agreed to her wishes. But Kate knew the less people knew, the less the chances were of people finding out what really happened to her.
It killed her to lie to people like this, especially Castle, but she had to.
God, when he looked at her like that… her breath still hitched in remembrance.
She gingerly placed a hand on her abdomen, her fingers grazing over the gauze bandage. Inhaling and exhaling controlled breaths, she waited until the aching throb diminished to a dull twinge. Then she took an extra deep breath for good luck, pieced together her composure, and took another gulp of her espresso.
Esposito popped his head in. "Hey, you comin'? Irish might have a lead." Then he glanced at her strangely, noticing how her features appeared haggard and drained and how her hand was braced against the countertop with the other cradling her torso. "You okay, boss?"
She straightened up immediately. This was her secret. She had to keep it. "I'm fine."
She really had to get her lying under control.
This chapter was a lot more light hearted than the previous one. I was hoping to inject some humor into this story to balance out the gravity of the first one. As always, thank you for reading!
