Yet again, thanks to each and everyone one of you for your praise, support and reviews in general. I am so grateful! I hope you are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it, and here you have it -- another chapter. Hopefully it lives up to your expectations, and keeps you interested. Please let me know what you think, whether it be positive or negative! Also, as always, Castle is owned by ABC, and nothing is mine!

Chapter 4 -- Midnight Bottle

His mirthful eyes held captivated by the movement of a distressed female detective, Richard Castle couldn't help but feel secretly pleased by the night's turn of events. Hands grasped loosely behind his back, he watched with curiosity and amusement as the decidedly quirky yet enchanting woman rubbed her temples for a good half-minute, then turned on her heel and strode purposefully toward the window. He laughed heartily, calling out to her, "What, you don't believe me? As much as I do enjoy your company, Detective, even I wouldn't dream up such lies to make you stay." Shaking his head in disbelief as well as admiration, he continued to studiously observe her entertaining spectacle.

Pretending not to have heard his words, Kate thrust open the glass structure, and had the wind knocked out of her as a burst of sweltering humidity assaulted her. She felt as if her skin was literally melting away from her bones, and even just in the thirty seconds she stood there taking it in, beads of perspiration formed on her forehead. "Holy shit," the detective exclaimed, slamming shut the window and turning back to face a smirking Rick. "It's a downright furnace out there, and the streets are deserted. Looks like you were right. My congrats." A pause, in which she endured his suffocating self-aggrandizement. Then, unable to resist, she added slyly, "Kitten."

Rick shot her a black look, narrowing his eyes although incapable of preventing a smile from tugging at his lips. "You bring out the worst in me, you know," he stated, in a hit-and-miss attempt at a foreboding demeanor. He was surprised, however, when she threw her head back and let out a bout of disbelieving laughter.

"Right. Good one, Castle." Kate bit her lip to suppress a grin, as a bemused expression clouded his features. Clearly, he was debating whether to be flattered that she actually merited his humor with a reaction, or insulted by her apparent sarcasm. Deciding she would break it down for him, she elaborated, "The villain in you..." Pausing, she strode forward a few paces to punctuate her words with a poke at his chest, "is about as sinister as a labrador retriever puppy." She then crossed her arms over her chest, awaiting his reaction with admitted interest.

Gazing at her fixedly for a few moments, Rick let her words hang in the air, before he abruptly side-stepped her and walked away, taking the flashlight along with him.

Kate listened as the rhythmic cadence of his footsteps faded and then died out, leaving her utterly alone in the black. The only remaining sound was that of her measured inhale and exhale, which resulted in a feeling of unease forming a knot in her stomach. Clearing her throat, she shifted her weight and murmured, "Castle... If you're planning some juvenile reenactment of of 'An American Haunting', I think I'll take this opportunity to remind you that I am wearing a gun." She halted in her speech, anticipating a reply. However, when none came, she added, "And when I said earlier that it was too dark for me to shoot... Well, I lied." She then fell silent, and wrapped her arms around herself. It was something she'd done as a kid to comfort herself, and seeing as it was pitch-dark, she saw no harm in doing so. It wasn't as if Castle or anyone else was around to ridicule her for it.

With a resigned sigh, Kate was just about to take back her earlier statement comparing Castle to a puppy, when she felt a warm hand rest on the back of her neck. Inhaling sharply, she reflexively whipped around, arms flailing blindly to gain leverage over her 'attacker.' However, when she heard the deep, familiar chuckle of a playful mystery writer, her previously flapping limbs dropped limply to her sides. Flipping on the flashlight, Rick grinned from ear to ear, having successfully duped the mistress of pretense. His apparent pleasure did not falter as the detective glowered at him, and as she agitatedly flicked bangs from her face, he stated, "Since you seem to be doubting it, I have made my mission tonight to prove to you that my badassness much surpasses that of a labrador puppy." His grin only widened as the woman before him snorted, clearly skeptical.

Undeterred by her doubtfulness, Rick continued agreeably, "But first, I have to soften you up a bit. Get you to loosen those buttons..." His eyes raked over her figure in the most lecherous manner possible, combing over every curve, every inch of revealed skin. And when she simply arched a brow in response, lifting her chin the slightest bit while resting her hands on her hips, he added, "And so, in the spirit of this, I have but one honest inquiry." Revealing what he had been hiding behind his back, the mischievous author dangled two bottles of wine before her with a flourish. "White or red?" He had somehow managed to grasp two glasses in the same hand, and balanced them with a true connoisseur's ease.

Smirking in a way that seemed to say, You really are shameless, Kate tilted her head a bit, pretending to consider her options. Then, having made up her mind, she seized the uncorked bottle of cabernet and grasped the neck of it between two fingers. When Rick offered her a glass, she uttered a short bark of laughter, and scoffed, "Oh, puh-lease." When he stared at her questioningly, she shook her head as if ashamed of his lack of knowledge. Leaning forward a bit, as if letting him in on an age-old secret, she murmured in a spellbinding tone, "Glasses," she paused, to tilt her head back and take a luxurious swig from the bottle, "are for stiffs."

At first, there was nothing but unbridled shock on Rick's face. After a moment or two, however, he was eyeing her with the same appreciation as he had earlier. "Full of surprises, aren't we, detective? Although I have to say, I suspected you to be more of the type to go for a Merlot, as opposed to Chardonnay or Riesling." His eye were twinkling, as he added impressively, "I, too, prefer a good Pinot noir more than anything."

Kate remained expressionless for a moment, as if considering his words with great intensity. She then thrust the bottle toward him expectantly, swaying it gently back and forth before his eyes. When he made no move to accept it, she said impatiently, "What, you afraid of catchin' my cooties, Castle?" And watched him with appraising emerald orbs. A nagging, incessant little voice in the back of her mind was telling her that her actions so far certainly did not suggest a platonic relationship. Though at the moment, she was enjoying herself too much to heed its warning. Baiting the man who was constantly at her heels was quite satisfying to her, and she planned to milk the moment for all it was worth.

Letting loose a rich chuckle, Rick's voice was considerably huskier than before as he replied, "Hardly my concern at the moment." He then withdrew the bottle from her hand, his fingers caressing hers in the process. He never allowed his eyes to stray from hers, as he took a long and drawn-out swallow of the wine. There was a sweetness to it that he knew was not from the liquid, but rather from her moistened lips, which she now unconsciously ran over with her tongue.

Eyes still locked with Kate's, Richard punctured the heady atmosphere by saying, "Are you up for a little game, detective?"