I say this every time because its always true, reviews would be amazing (good or bad), I genuinely need the feedback 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle


Chapter 3: I'm going to get to you

Kate and Lanie spent the next hour fussing over each other's hair and makeup. The time seemed to pass quickly and after what seemed like no time at all, Lanie was ready to go. She was leaving an hour earlier in order to attend the before party. The women were each other's perfect counter parts. Kate's hair was curled to perfection where Lanie's was pin straight; Kate's makeup took on a smokey theme where Lanie went for a natural look. Though the women had dressed completely opposite to each other, they were both stunning nonetheless.

Kate walked Lanie and Esposito to their cab, all the while holding one for herself. She said her goodbyes and finally she was on her way back to her apartment.

Kate knew she had an hour to kill, but she had no idea what she was going to do. She mentally cursed herself for being so stubborn and refusing to go to the before party with her friends. At least then she would have had the chance to warm up to the atmosphere… now she was going to draw more attention to herself by arriving late.

She was ashamed to admit it, but Kate spent the better part of that hour staring at herself in the mirror. She truly felt beautiful, but at the same time she couldn't stop herself from worrying that Castle wouldn't like it. He had, after all, picked out her dress… what if she didn't meet his expectations? She knew she was being ridiculous, fussing over Castle like this, but the man made her feel things that she had never felt before. Listen to yourself, Kate! You're flailing over him like a school girl with her first crush! Pull yourself together.

Buzzz! Kate jumped at the sound that filled her apartment. She laughed at her anxious self… she really needed to calm her nerves. "Ms Beckett, there is a limo here waiting for you." She heard her doorman through her intercom. Kate took a deep breath and headed down to the lobby.

She should have known Castle would get her a full-blown limo. It had to be the longest limo she had ever had the chance to ride in, and she'd be riding by herself! So much for not wanting to make a scene! She thought to herself as she stepped inside the vehicle. She nodded at the driver to indicate that she was ready to go.

The ride was not a long one. For a Friday night in New York City, traffic wasn't too bad. Before she knew it, her limo was pulling up to the red carpet where dozens of photographers greedily waited. With every flash that went off, her heart rate spiked a little higher. She hadn't even gotten out of the limo yet and they were already taking pictures.

Finally she saw his face. He somehow emerged out of the huge crowd of photographers, how he did it without being noticed, Kate didn't care. She was just so happy to see him standing there, ready to open her door and escort her to the screening.

Even though the windows on the limo were tinted, Castle smiled at her through the glass and gave her a slight nod as though to say "I'm going to open your door now, don't freak out." Closing her eyes, Kate took a deep breath. When she exhaled and opened her lids she saw Castle smiling down at her and holding out his hand for her to take, and for a moment everything was silent and they were the only two people in the world.

The moment was over too soon. Before she knew it, she was taking his hand and he was gently lifting her out of her seat. She let go of his hand and took his arm. She gave him a smile filled with thanks and gratitude then finally turned to face the cameras.

Paparazzi was everywhere, screaming, jumping, and taking pictures. Kate smiled through her nerves and moved along the carpet on Castle's arm. She was grateful to him for not stopping for any interviews, they hardly even stopped to pose for pictures. With him there, the walk wasn't as horrid as she anticipated it would be. With him there, she felt like she could take on anything.

"See? That wasn't so bad!" Castle turned to her once they were finally off the red carpet and inside the building. "If you don't mind me saying, Katherine, stunning can't even begin to describe the way you look tonight."

Kate's heart fluttered at his use of her full name. She had never liked the name 'Katherine' but he made it sound like a lullaby, and all she wanted was to lose herself in it. She took his hand without meaning to. "You look pretty handsome yourself, Mr. Castle. Thank you for helping me through that." She nodded toward the doors that hid the paparazzi behind them.

"Anything for you." To say he was aware of her soft hand inside his would be the understatement of the year. He was forced to peel his eyes off his detective when the sound of her colleagues drifted toward his ears. Giving her hand a squeeze, he let go of her. He knew how embarrassed she would be if their friends caught them like this.

"So, Castle! Was I right, or was I right?" Kate heard Lanie say before she could actually see her. Castle turned toward her friend. "You, Lanie Parish, were right." He put an extra emphasis on the word 'right'. Kate stared back and forth between the two. They were both staring at each other, Lanie with a smug look on her face, and Castle with a look of gratitude and a little embarrassment.

"Am I missing something?" She asked wanting in on the joke they seemed to be sharing. Lanie broke her gaze and turned to her friend. "Oh nothing, earlier I was just telling Castle about some things he had to look forward to." She winked, and Kate's cheeks flamed red.

Esposito, Ryan, and Jenny found them then. Kate decided that moment was perfect to break away from Castle and Lanie. "Hey guys!" She said walking over to greet them. "Boys, you clean up nicely, and Jenny you look beautiful!" She gave Jenny a quick hug.

Castle chose that moment to leave their little group and mingle among his other guests. This night was, after all, partially about him and his work. Kate attempted to appear indifferent to his presence, but she constantly found her eyes slipping away from the group and wandering the room searching for the writer.

"—So do you agree? Or should I have handled it differently?" Kate had been so busy searching for Castle that she had completely zoned out and not heard a word of Jenny's story. Not wanting to offend her co-worker's fiancé, she just nodded and said, "You were completely right." She hoped that was an appropriate answer.

Kate felt a hand touch the small of her back. Finally. She thought and smiled. She turned around to face the man whose hand had claimed her. She was shocked, however, to find that those hands did not belong to her writer.

"Hello, My name is Preston. May I just say, you are the most stunning woman here tonight." His hand moved from the small of her back to her hip, keeping her at a closeness that she did not feel comfortable with. Not wanting to cause a scene, she just smiled and acted friendly, pretending to not notice the hand he had on her. "I'm Kate." She said attempting to step out of his grasp, but he apparently wouldn't have that.

Across the room, Castle was speaking to the movie directors. They were complaining about how long it was taking to open the doors to the theatre. Castle was having a hard time following their conversation when his mind was constantly on Beckett. Her hair, her body, her smile, her eyes, and her essence consumed his mind and made it very hard to concentrate. Finally he spotted her behind the heads of the people he was speaking to. He was annoyed to see that she was talking to another guy… a guy who had his hand on her hip. "I'm very sorry, you'll have to excuse me." He said, interrupting the director's sentence.

He pushed out of their way and slowly walked toward the detective and the man she was speaking with. He was angered to realize she was smiling and allowing him to touch her. She was here for him! Why would she talk to this man? Upon studying the two further, he began to notice subtle hints Kate was giving off that indicated her discomfort. Her hands were balled up and placed uncomfortably at her sides, but occasionally, they would come up to touch her face, or rub her arms. She did not want to talk to this man, and he would not subject her to that any longer.

Walking with purpose now, Castle strode straight up to the two and planted himself behind Beckett. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he planted a light kiss on her cheek. "There you are, honey. I was beginning to worry I had lost you!" He said loud enough for the man she was speaking with to get the message. Castle had expected Kate to turn around and smack him, but instead she leaned into him and sighed. "Babe, I was just talking to this nice man Preston. He was just talking about how successful his business is!"

Castle could not believe she was playing along with him. Caught up in the moment, he decided to push his luck. He unwrapped his arms from Kate's shoulders and placed one hand around her waist. "Did you tell him your boyfriend's successful book inspired the film he came out to see tonight?" He felt her reach a hand up towards his shirt and begin to play with the buttons. "I was just about to." She said, making his heart race a mile per minute. Preston looked extremely uncomfortable, and Castle was struggling to contain his laughter. The man seemed to realize it was time to retreat and mumbled "I'm going to go find my friend."

As soon as he was gone, Kate unattached herself from Castle (much to both of their displeasure). "Thank you." She was staring at him like she was drowning and his eyes were a life preserver. "Wouldn't want any strange man hitting on the beautiful woman I escorted here."

Kate couldn't bring herself to break his gaze. They stood there, in the middle of the room staring at each other for what seemed like eternity until they were interrupted by the intercom that filled the room. "You may now find your seats in the theatre, the film will be starting in 10 minutes."


Authors Note: Oh god… I honestly can't tell if that was good or bad. I seemed to lose a little of my creative imagination in between chapters 2 and 3. I hope you guys liked it, and I'm glad to see so many people signing up for story alerts and making my story a favorite! You guy's rock, and some reviews (especially for this chapter) would be great.