Wow! The reaction I got for the first chapter really blew me away. You guys are the best! It's amazing if something you've worked so hard on gets to be received so well. Especially this story, because I wrote a big part of this during my final exams and this was a way to relax in between all the studying. So I've lived with this story for over a month so to see that it gets so much amazing attention is so awesome, just mind-boggling, jaw-droppingly awesome! So thank you so much!
I know that this kind of story has been done a thousand times before and I'll try to make it as original as I can.
The first chapter used to be much longer so I cut it in two, Here's the second part.
So much LOVE! K.
Enjoy!
When she woke up Kate's head pounded and she couldn't recall what had happened the night before. She struggled to sit up and was surprised to find herself on the couch instead of her bed.
She tried to remember how she got there but it was no use she had no recollection whatsoever of last night. It had been a long time since she had been so drunk that she couldn't remember what had happened the night before.
The last thing she remembered was Lanie taking her home after they had hit a bar. Judging by the glasses that still sat on the coffee table and the empty bottle on the kitchen island, she assumed that they had opened another bottle of wine.
She groaned as she got up and stumbled across the living room towards the bathroom, in search of some aspirin. Her headache made her dizzy and she had to hold on to the back of the couch so she wouldn't fall over. When she finally made it to the bathroom, she opened the cabinet and took out two aspirins. She filled a glass of water and downed it all in one smooth move. She leaned back against the sink heavily, waiting for the painkillers to kick in.
After what seemed like forever, her head got clearer and it was easier for her to think. Maybe Lanie remembered what had happened last night. She could call her, ask what had happened even though she wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Somehow she felt lighter than she had in a long while and she doubted if she wanted to know the reason for that yet. Slowly, she picked herself up and took a quick shower before heading into work.
The precinct was already buzzing. She'd closed a case yesterday so all she had to do today was paperwork. She hoped there would be no murders today so she could get home early.
Passing Ryan and Esposito's desks, she greeted them. As she walked by, she could feel their eyes on her. Just like every day since he had left. She'd stopped reprimanding them for it. It actually made her feel a bit better to know that they cared about her.
Today, she almost felt normal, apart from her hangover, and she still wondered why that was. She missed him just as much as yesterday, if not more, but it seemed more bearable. As if she knew that he might come home soon. Of course that was just ridiculous. The guy left with his ex-wife for the summer and even though he'd told her that he'd be back in the fall, she didn't really believe him. Anyway, it was still a long time until the fall.
"You okay, Beckett?" Espo asked across the bullpen, when she had been staring at her elephant parade for over a minute. He had liked her elephants, she was sure of it. Even though he'd never said as much.
"Yeah, fine," she replied almost immediately and without thinking. She shot Espo a sideways glance and saw that he didn't buy it but let it go. He knew that she wouldn't talk about it anyway. She saw him share a look with Ryan but then he shrugged and concentrated on his paperwork again.
She brought her attention back to her computer screen and checked if she had any e-mail. She didn't expect any, because she didn't have any open cases at the moment, but you never knew. There was one from Madison, some kind of invitation to a benefit night at Q3. She wasn't in the mood so she forwarded it to Lanie. Maybe she and Esposito wanted to go. Not that they were dating or anything. Sure, Lane.
She sighed and rested her head in her hands. Her head pounded and her throat was dry as sandpaper. Swallowing started to be painful and she had just decided to get some soothing tea in the break room when her Captain's voice startled her.
"Beckett," Roy Montgomery's voice sounded through the bullpen and she looked up towards his office. He stood in his doorway and beckoned her closer. "A word please," he said.
She hesitantly got up, wondering what he wanted to talk about. It couldn't possibly be anything bad, all she'd done these past weeks was close cases.
"Close the door, please," Montgomery told her and he mentioned for her to sit, which she did, suppressing a sigh. It wouldn't be easy to hide her hangover from her Captain and sighing as she sat down definitely wouldn't help.
He looked at her for a long time over his clasped hands. Kate tried not to shift too much in her seat but her Captain's scrutiny made her uncomfortable.
"You look like hell, detective," he eventually said. How do you respond to that? She suppressed the urge to thank him sarcastically and stayed still, waiting for him to continue. "I think you need to take some time off."
"Sir…" Beckett started to object.
"No, Beckett. You've been working non-stop. You're tired, you're agitated. You're not bringing your best game if you don't take a break." It was clear that his suggestion hadn't really been a suggestion but a kind way to say that he wanted to kick her out for a while. So Beckett didn't object any further, knowing that it wouldn't do her any good and she didn't have the energy to argue anyway.
"Okay, I'll finish my paperwork and head out," she muttered.
"Good," Montgomery said and she started to get up.
"Thanks," she said out of obligation.
"Kate," he continued and his voice had grown softer. "You know I'm not doing this to punish you, right? I care about you and I hate to see you drive yourself into the ground over him."
She stopped breathing. Why was he bringing this up? Wasn't it enough that he had kicked her out?
"I'm not…" she started but it was weak and she didn't finish.
"You miss him and I get that but you can't drink yourself into oblivion to forget about him. I shouldn't have to tell you, of all people, that alcohol isn't the solution."
Suddenly, his desk was very interesting as she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes. Of course he knew. He wouldn't be her captain if he didn't. Yet she still felt the need to explain herself. To make him see that she hadn't been drinking because of Castle. "Sir, I was out with a friend last night and we just had a bit too much wine. Castle has nothing to do with this."
Roy considered her for a second, then gave her a look and let it go. "Okay," he said. "Guess I'll see you in two weeks."
"Yes, sir," Kate muttered and she left his office, closing the door behind her. She went straight for the break room to pour herself some coffee. Ignoring Castle's expensive espresso machine she forced herself to swallow the cheap, cop-made sludge. It really did taste like a monkey peed in battery acid. She scrunched her nose and walked back to her desk.
"What's up?" Espo asked her as soon as she sat down.
"Nothing, Espo," she sighed, his constant worry got on her nerves. She would have to tell them that she wasn't going to be there for the next two weeks eventually but she delayed that until the end of her shift so she wouldn't have to endure another day of their staring.
She saw the look Esposito was giving her. He wasn't taking her avoidance anymore so she murmured, "Bad coffee," without thinking. Then she realized what they could make of that and rolled her eyes. "Why can't we just have decent coffee?" That wasn't any better.
"You can use Castle's espresso machine, you know?" Ryan said. She didn't wince at the sound of his name but she could hear Esposito slap him. With a quiet "What?" Ryan finally understood what he had said.
Beckett sat down and tried to finish her paperwork as fast as possible so she could just get out of there.
(…)
He woke up with the sun streaming through his windows. Despite the little sleep he had gotten, he didn't feel tired at all. In fact, he felt more energized than he had in months. He jumped out of bed and hit the shower. He had a lot to do today.
He made Gina a simple breakfast and then saw her out. She kissed his cheek and wished him good luck. She didn't seem even a little bit resentful, which made Castle like her a bit more. After that he cleaned the house, he hadn't done anything but trying to write the last month so the place wasn't as clean as he'd like it to be.
Gina didn't clean, she only whined that he should hire someone to do it but that wasn't what Castle did. He didn't like to hire people just because he could. After he had written his first book and received his first check, he had but he had realized that it made him act spoiled. And that wasn't him. He liked to do things himself, that's how Martha raised him and that's how he raised Alexis.
The cleaning cleared his mind and he could think. He tried to think of a way to convince Kate to take time off and come with him. He searched for the right words. There were too many wrong options, too many variations that would make her run.
The morning flew by and by the time everything was as good as new it was midday already. Castle made a sandwich for himself and realized that his cupboards were stuffed with the things he and Alexis liked but he didn't know if Kate liked them. He should at least get some vanilla creamer so she could have her coffee the way she liked it. He could always run to the store if necessary.
When he was pleased with everything he took his car and drove back to the city. He hoped that she would be home already. He didn't want to burst in on her at the precinct when everybody could listen in. He also wasn't looking forward to waiting by her door until she got home. She might have caught a case and she would be at the precinct until very late.
When he drove past her building he was lucky enough to spot her walking on the curb, towards the building. He decided to give her some time and wait. He didn't want it to seem that he followed her there.
He parked a block from her apartment and went to a coffee shop around the corner. They didn't have her usual but he hoped that caramel and a promise to do better next time would be okay too for a peace offering. With the coffee in hand he walked to her building and nodded at the doorman.
Before he knew it he was stepping out of the elevator and he had to take a deep breath to keep himself calm. He reminded himself of his plan and knocked.
It seemed to last forever for her to open her door. When it finally swung open he came face to face with a very surprised Beckett. "Castle?" she exclaimed.
"A sight for sore eyes," he said. Half joking, half very serious, hoping to break the ice.
For a second all her emotions were on her face, ready for him to read, surprise followed by a sliver of happiness followed by regret and then the wall shifted firmly back in place and his stare was met with an ice cold glare. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.
Hearing the distance in her voice was like she kicked him in the gut. He realized immediately that she didn't remember their phone call. He hadn't expected to be received with open arms but this wasn't what he had planned for. Her glare didn't waver and he struggled to find the words he had prepared earlier that day.
"I came to apologize," he finally said and her glare seemed to soften, or maybe he imagined it because less than a second later it was back in full force. He tried again. "I… can I come in, please?"
Her eyes searched his face but eventually she stepped back and let him in. "I'm sorry, I should have called," he started.
"Yes, you should have," she countered, her voice like blades. He wasn't sure if she meant earlier in the summer or for tonight. It didn't matter anyway.
"I'm sorry," he said again. Seeing her again made him speechless. He had missed her so much that she took his words away from him. All he could muster up was, "How are you?"
"I'm fine, Castle," she replied, turning around and walking into the kitchen.
She definitely was not 'fine' and his ability to speak came rushing back, along with some kind of lost fire. "You say that, but then you call me in the middle of the night. Drunk off your toes!"
She sharply turned back to him, her surprise had made her wall disappear and her emotions ran free over her face again. She looked so utterly and completely lost that his heart sank. "What?" she breathed.
"Last night," Castle explained more deliberate, "you called me, to tell me you missed me. We talked for a bit." He wasn't sure how much he should tell her but judging by her face the entire conversation was a big blank.
"We… talked?" she almost whispered and he nodded, carefully taking a step closer.
"I also came to tell you that I missed you too," he told her softly and she looked up. Her eyes were suddenly filled with unshed tears. It surprised him that she didn't try to hide them from him but when didn't she surprise him.
"What about… your ex-wife?" she asked, uncertain.
"These last few weeks have been a repeat of our marriage. It was fun, at the beginning, but it got more and more like it had been right before we got our divorce. She left this morning."
Kate still seemed out of it. She sagged against one of the stools by the counter and bit her lip. "What did I tell you?" she asked. "On the phone?"
"You told me that you'd broken up with Demming and that you wanted to accept my offer to come with me for the weekend," he told her. "You were also very convincing when you claimed that you weren't drunk." She groaned and raised a hand to cover her eyes. His eyes sparkled as he realized that the worst had passed.
"What else?" she asked so softly he hardly heard her.
He hesitated, he wanted to convince her, not drive her away even more. But he wanted to be honest with her so he wracked his brain and said uncertainly, "You called me Rick, said you should call me Rick more. Then you told me that you like it when I call you Kate."
"I did not!" she exclaimed and he saw her blush slightly.
"Then you mentioned that you didn't like Gina because she interrupted your speech," he continued, softer and surer this time, more like he was teasing her, and she groaned again. "You're very funny when you're drunk, Kate."
"Embarrassing," she muttered.
"Cute," he countered.
"Really? You think it's cute when I act like a five-year-old?" she asked him incredulously.
"Very," he told he and he felt himself smile.
"Oh, right, I'm asking the nine-year-old," she mumbled and he laughed. His laugh seemed to tease the smile out of her that she always gave him when he brought her coffee in the morning and he felt his heart warm. The thought reminded him of the cup in his hand and he offered it to her before sitting down next to her.
"It's probably cold by now but it was supposed to be warm. And I was hoping you'd forgive me?" He gave her his puppy-dog-eyes.
She laughed and took the cup, immediately taking a sip. "Caramel?" she asked.
"They were out of vanilla," he explained, remorseful.
"It's fine. And stop looking at me like that, Castle," she told him. "You're already forgiven. Who kicks out his girlfriend and comes straight back to the city after one drunk phone call?" She bumps his shoulder with hers.
"Me, apparently," he muttered. "Listen, I wanted to tell you that the offer still stands."
She looked down, he saw the radars in her head turn, almost heard them.
"I understand if you can't come with me right now because of work but maybe you can get some time off soon?"
She still didn't answer, her finger traced the rim of her cup as she thought.
(…)
He confused her. Suddenly he was there again, after a month of silence. It had taken a drunk call from her to make him get his ass back to her. But she felt whole again, for the first time since he left and she didn't have to ask herself why that was because she knew the answer. Because all it had taken was one phone call. Just like he had said at the door, seeing him was a sight for sore eyes. He was here and he had brought her coffee. It didn't matter that it was the wrong kind and cold, it was the thought that counted.
Just like him, the offer to accompany him to the Hamptons seemed to come out of nowhere. Of course she wanted to go with him. There was nothing she'd rather do with her time off than spend it with him but last time she wanted to accept his offer he bailed on her. Well, not really, she waited too freaking long to tell him and the whole situation became a mess.
"Actually, I would love to come with you now. Montgomery kicked me out for a couple of weeks so I've got nothing but time," she told him and his eyes lit up with surprise. Like he hadn't expected her to accept. "What? Did you think I'd decline?" she asked.
"I don't know. I don't think I came with expectations. I didn't think it would be so easy, though," he told her with a huge grin.
"Well, I'm tired and still a little hungover so…"
"Right," Castle said and he was quiet for a second.
"So do I pack my back now and just jump in your car or do you have some kind of a plan?" she asked him.
"Actually, this was as far as my plan went but it's not that late. Have you had dinner yet?"
"Castle, I just got home, of course I haven't had dinner yet."
"Okay, I know a cute little restaurant on the way where we can eat," he said enthusiastically. She had actually been planning on taking a long bath with one of his books before even thinking about dinner but his offer suddenly sounded very appealing.
"I'll go pack my bag. Shouldn't take long but make yourself at home," she told him and jumped off the kitchen stool and stalked towards her bedroom, wondering if she could trust him alone in her living room.
She grabbed a suitcase and started to throw in clothes at random. When she arrived at her lingerie drawer she paused. What was this? Was this a friendly getaway with no ulterior motive. She didn't think so. Before she could think about it too much and back out again, she grabbed both sexy and comfortable underwear and dumped it in her suitcase.
In record time, she was back in the living room and to her surprise he was sitting on the couch flipping through the paper she had left on her coffee table. Huh, maybe she could trust him to not go snooping around.
"Ready?" she asked him and she smirked as he jumped with a small screech.
"Yeah, you're a fast packer," he said as he put the paper down and got up. He moved towards her to take the suitcase from her, but she gave him a look telling him that she could handle it. Without much of a reaction he changed course and opened the door for her.
Thoughts?
I'm going on a camping trip for a couple of days with school, so it may take some time for me to reply to your messages! I do really love them! Xx