Authors Note: Well, just wow.... I really am so gratified at the response of the first post... I really didn't know where I was going with it (not sure I know now *smacks head* ) I didn't want to force it (them) too much, so hopefully y'all like this next step as much as the first... ;-)

Late the next day, Beckett sat at her desk finishing out paperwork; lips pursed and face scowling.

Across the room, Ryan and Esposito sat watching her…

"There bro… She did it again. You see that?" Ryan quipped.

"Yeah I saw."

"She fight with Demming?"

Esposito shrugged. "Don't know. Doubt it."

"Ahh… Writer boy then."

Esposito nodded sagely.

Both detectives heard the elevator doors and there it was again; the tightening around her mouth; the quick swallow; the eyes flickering to the hall. Kate Beckett was nervous.

Nervous.

Kate Beckett was never nervous.

Esposito nodded at Ryan, then stood and sauntered over to her desk. "You have an appointment with someone?"

Kate jumped slightly and glared at Esposito, who was smirking down at her.

"No" she clipped out. "Why?"

He made a shrug with his face and plopped into the chair next to her desk…Castle's chair.

"You just seem interested in the elevator doors…figured you maybe had an interview."

She watched him warily. "No, no interview."

"Ah" he nodded.

"What…ahhh?"

He could hear the exasperation in her voice and he pushed his lips out to keep from grinning. "Nothin'"

"Hey Castle" Ryan called out loudly from across the room; voice light with amusement.

Beckett's head snapped around so fast that Esposito just couldn't keep the smug smile from forming on his face.

Castle could hear the suppressed laugh in Ryan's voice and see the eager anticipation on Esposito's. He shifted warily… expecting to get blind-sided by something or someone.

He kept his eyes moving between the two smirking detectives and slowed his walk.

"Good Day all" he drawled casually, finally letting his eyes come to rest on Beckett…who was staring at him through wide 'deer-in-headlight' eyes. What the heck?

He came up short and let himself shoot a glance at the breakroom looking for Tom Demming. He let himself breathe again when he didn't see the dashing detective anywhere around the espresso machine.

"Am I missing something?"

Kate's heart was pounding again… she was off-balance and unsure of herself; two things that Kate Beckett hated more than anything. "No"

She shot a heated glare at her two detectives and snapped "Don't the two of you have something to be doing?"

Esposito stood up and moved quickly towards Ryan, who was quickly gathering up a few files…neither had stopped smirking however. Ryan made mutterings about some filing and checking on some forensics…and both fled the office.

Sometimes the better part of valor involved harassing your boss at a later time… Castle was on his own. "See ya Castle."

Castle watched them go and then sat down in 'his' chair. Castle was watching her carefully for any sign that she'd opened the box he'd brought her, but he was feeling just a touch too vulnerable to bring it up himself.

"Um, there are no dead bodies today you know… just that silly paperwork that you hate."

He shrugged lightly. "So"

"Soooo…?" she drawled back.

"So, I had to drop something off downtown and figured I'd stop by" he challenged.

He watched her reach automatically for her coffee cup then grimace at its contents.

Reaching out he took it from her without permission and walked towards the breakroom. He could feel her eyes boring holes into his back.

Kate wanted to jump up and refuse his coffee; wanted to smash the cup to the ground; wanted to grab the cup from him and do it herself; show him that she didn't need him…

What she wanted was to step up to him and bury herself against his chest; wanted to be held against him; wanted to feel the amazing sense of security she felt around him…she just wanted. Him.

She had her eyes closed gathering control by the time he returned. She smelled the heavy aroma of rich fresh ground coffee as he sat it in front of her.

"Thank you…"

Castle frowned as he walked from the breakroom and observed Beckett chewing on her lower lip eyes closed. Something was wrong and he didn't know what…it made his stomach flip in that odd way it did when he saw Demming.

He almost didn't hear the soft spoken words.

When he did, he shrugged; "Oh no problem… yours was cold, I wanted a cup…win win right?"

"No." She opened her eyes and faced him. His breath caught.

"No. I meant thank you… thank you for the books; for signing all of them; for them being your own copies. You didn't have to… it just…thank you."

He blinked. She was wound tight, he could tell. He wasn't expecting the obviously sincere, yet flustered thank you. He wasn't expecting the hint of brightness in her eyes…tears?

Unable to stop himself, he reached out and ran the pad of his thumb below her eye, allowing a gentle smile to lift his lips. His eyes bored into hers for a moment longer acknowledging the emotion between them.

"Just don't get these blown up…they are worth a fortune" he finally drawled.

She blinked; then laughed, drawn out of the odd intensity that had held her in its grasp. For a moment longer she allowed herself to lean into the palm of his hand before pulling away.

"I'm hungry" she announced suddenly. Castle leaned back in his chair and stretched his feet out. He raised his brows "I thought you had paperwork?"

Beckett pulled on her jacket… "It can wait. Remy's?"

He swallowed. "Don't you have plans or something?"

She caught the meaning loud and clear, but rather than rise to the bait she met his gaze steadily "Yeah, with you…buying me lunch at Remy's."

Castle was on his feet in a flash grinning "Oh, well how silly of me…let's go."

Nothing more was said, but they walked close together towards the elevator brushing arms. Neither even remembered the fresh coffee still cooling on her desk…