Dislclaimer: I own nothing of Castle or its characters :( i wish i did ;D
Chapter 2
She heard the faint ringing of her phone in the distance. Lifting her head groggily from her pillow she looked at the clock. 5:45 am. She dropped her head back into the pillow and moaned. The night before she had not been able to shut her brain off. Thinking about all the little ways to show Castle that she loved him.
She had finished her bath and applied her favorite lotion, the scent of Shea butter filling the room. Then she had climbed into her favorite pjs, a oversized NYPD T-Shirt and a pair of yoga pants. Set her alarm for the morning 7:00 am, and climbed into bed. Resting into the covers of her down comforter and her 4 pillows she kept on the bed to cushion her neck and to lull her to sleep with the softness of a tender caress.
She had finally fell asleep at 1:30 am. Smiling and telling herself that there was plenty of time to think of things to drive him insane and to show him she loved him all at once.
She heard her phone again, realizing that she hadn't answered it the first time. She put her head back up and reached blindly to her night table. She groaned as she hit her hand on the hard wood table. Finding her phone she hit the send button and answered.
"Beckett." She said trying to sound more awake.
"Yo, Beckett, it's Esposito. Gates just called me we got a body. It's at a little coffee shop on West 76th and Amsterdam."
"Ok I will be there as soon as I can. I will let Castle know."
"Ok, see ya there."
With that she hung up the phone and got out of bed to get ready.
30 Minutes later she had showered and put on a pair of dark wash jeans, loose fuchsia button up blouse and black with grey pinstripe blazer and her black 4 inch knee high boots. She went to her jewelry box to put on her mother's necklace with her wedding ring and her father's watch. But as she opened the box she just looked at the pieces.
Since she started working with Castle she had needed to wear them less and less. Since her shooting and getting Castle back in the precinct she had barely had to wear it at all. Now all she needed was to look at the objects and remember the happy people that they used to belong too. Thinking of her mother's laughing face as she looked lovingly into her father's eyes was enough for her.
Today would be a good day, today she didn't need her mother around her neck reminding her that she needed to be remembered and justified. Today was about her and Castle.
She called him ready to leave her apartment now.
"Castle" He said.
She could tell she woke him up, and thought of how cute he must look in his pjs in his bed with his hair all messed up from sleep.
"Hey, we have a murder. Would you like me to pick you up? It will give you time to get ready since I'm ready now and leaving my apartment. It's about minute drive from your loft to the crime scene." She said nonchalantly, secretly a 10 hoping he said yes and not that he would just meet her there.
"Um, yeah ok I need a few moments to wake up anyway."
"Ok, great I will be there in 20 minutes."
Perfect. #1 on showing Castle she loved him. Buy HIM some coffee and a Bear Claw.
She walked into the coffee shop around the corner from his building 10 minutes later and ordered her coffee. Venti Non-Fat Latte with Sugar Free Vanilla. She went to order castles coffee and thought 'Crap! I don't know what he drinks!'
"Venti Latte with Regular Vanilla and a Bear Claw." She kept it simple.
Although, now that she thought of it although her plan was sweet she may be paying for it later. She thought of Rick Castle on a sugar high from pastry and delectable frou-frou coffee. Then again, what was she kidding, he always acted like he was on a sugar high.
10 minutes later she was in the elevator of his building heading up to his loft with the two coffees in hand and his bear claw in a bag. The elevator dinged for his floor and she got off and strolled almost humming to his door. Ok, she was way to chipper at 6:35 am, normally she would still be home sleeping, but it's what he did to her. He made her happy.
She cheerfully knocked on his door and waited for him to open it.
He opened the door.
"Good Morning Castle!" She said as she flew past him into his loft.
"Um, well good morning to you too, Detective." He said closing the door way looking a little stunned at how chipper she was.
Usually she required caffeine and sugar this early in the morning. Oh, he noted the cup in her hand that she had lifted to her lips; she already had had some this morning. He frowned, getting her coffee was one of the things he enjoyed immensely, and said, "Well I can certainly tell you have got your caffeine and sugar fix." a little too somber.
"Yeah, I went to the coffee shop around the corner from your building." She noted the obvious disappointment in his face. Wow, he really did like getting her coffee in the morning...
Wanting to make him smile because the look of disappointment was almost too much for her to bear she said, "AAAAnd I brought YOU coffee too. And a Bear Claw!" She said whipping the coffee and the paper bag out from around her back and set them on his kitchen counter.
"Tada!" She smiled beautifully and then went to sit at one of his bar stools. By that time he had joined her in the kitchen and was standing next to her looking at her in amazement.
"You brought me coffee?" He smiled.
"Well you did tell me a month ago that I owed you about a hundred of them. Sooo, one down ninety-nine to go." She said smiling at the twinkle in his eye. He remembered that moment in the 12th precinct the day they had caught the sniper and the day Kate had finally admitted to the effects of her PTSD.
"Plus I figured you would want to have your coffee and breakfast before we got to the crime scene. I have a feeling that you won't be in the mood for coffee for at least a little while after this body. So I suggest you finish it before we get there." She said to him putting her hand on top of his and patting it. Her touch shooting waves of electricity up his arm.
"Why? What do we got!" the disappointment clearly gone from his features. Disappointment had turned into excitement after he had remembered why she was in his apartment in the first place.
" Well this one is definitely different. I still suggest you eat and drink that before we leave, so come over here and sit next to me." She said pulling him towards the counter with the hand she still had her hand resting on.
"Ok. Thank you by the way. And um question…" He said looking at her as he sat down and took a swig of his Latte.
"Yeah?"
"How did you know I Love Vanilla Lattes?" Rick said closing his eyes and smiling as he savored the taste of the sweet yet warm taste of the vanilla, the bitter yet robust flavor of the espresso all topped with the perfectly steamed whole milk with just the right amount of foam dancing at the top in the fun design of a rosetta.
"Oh.." she looked at him smiling, a little embarrassed to have to tell him that she merely guessed. Also noting that again they had a small but significant thing in common. Whether it was sugar free or not and her milk was fat free they still both loved the simple beauty of a Vanilla Café Latte.
"I guessed.." She laughed slightly looking at him under her long lashes hoping he wouldn't note the embarrassment in her voice of not truly knowing how he took his coffee after 4 years of being partners.
He saw the slight embarrassment in her eyes even though she was desperately trying to hide it. He thought it was adorable. How she tried this hard to do a measure towards him only to feel like she short changed it. He smiled, and then reached up to her chin. He knew he would probably get smacked for this gesture but he need her to know he genuinely appreciated it so that maybe she would continue it.
He tilted her face up to look at his with his hand lightly pressing on her chin. Their eyes locked, he smiled. Trepidation and shyness crept into the outskirts of hers before they warmed into a sense of courage; as she looked into his eyes almost as if challenging him.
"Thank you. It is delicious. And you guessed right. No need to get your panties in a twist." He said lowering his hand from her face and smirking at her like he often did when he made a joke that he found quite amusing. The smirk reaching and melding with the mirth that swirled in his cerulean irises.
"You're welcome Castle…" she said laughing and smacking him in the arm.
"Just for that…" she trailed off as she ripped a piece of his Bear Claw off and shoved it in her mouth.
"HEY!" He said looking down at his pastry and then looking back up at her.
"Whaa.." She said looking all innocent with a mouth full of almond pastry muffling her word.
"Ok well we really need to get going, I told Esposito we would be there as soon as we can and that was 5:45 and it is 6:45 now so let's go Castle." She said getting up from her bar stool and heading towards the door to the loft.
"Hey wait I still have to finish getting ready! I need to put my shoes on and wash my hands and wipe my mouth!" He said jumping up after her.
"Just grab your shoes and let's go you can put them on in the elevator and I have hand sanitizer."
She was halfway between his loft and the elevator now. "You coming Castle?" She yelled from the hallway.
He ran out the door and locked it and huffed over to the elevator as she got in as well. He stood next to her after he had put on his shoes. She looked at his mouth out the corner of her eye. She saw her next move, and it looked quite similar to and almond sliver.
"Oh you were right Castle, you did need to wipe your mouth.. Don't worry I got it." She said smiling as she licked her thumb and wiped the corner of his mouth where there was a little bit of pastry filling and an almond sliver stuck to his skin.
"Mmmm yum. I think that coffee shop has the best pastries I've ever had." She said as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. She strolled out to her car without even looking back at him, a joyous smile lighting her face.
He stood there for a few seconds trying desperately to understand and figure out at the same time what had happened to Beckett in the last 10 hrs. Well whatever it was he thought shrugging he liked it. Realizing she was yet again waiting on Him, he hurried out of the elevator trying to mask the huge grin on his face.
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