-Beckett's POV-

"No."

"Hmm, what?"

He unfolds his newspaper from in front of his face. I look at him suspiciously, but he just crooks an eyebrow and ignores me. A rare sight if you think about it. I can tell he's hiding something. (Engage suspicious/persuasive maneuvers).

"Castle. You know what." I pull down his newspaper and lean across the desk. He smiles- he's intrigued. I lean closer, but he doesn't even blink. Shocking… really any close encounter with him would have Castle blurting out whatever it is in a moment. "Hmm?"

"No."

"I still don't know what you've saying no to-"

"Yes you do-"

"No, no I don't and I appreciate your-"

"It's just no, and there's-"

"Fine."

He's going to give up… Score one for me.

I glance back at him, and poise myself.

Hey batta' batta' hey, she bears the bat ferociously…

"What?"

"Fine. I won't."

I stop. What?

"But you just said you didn't know what I was-"

And Kate Beckett swings the bat…

"I sort of did."

"Then what?"

"Hmmmm nothing." He teases.

"What?" I protest, but it's too late. Castle's got me locked in a deathly murderous/adorable look. I can't look away… too magnetizing. Must look away, must look away. He slowly pulls the newspaper back in front of his face with his eyes squinted at me, and I can't help but laugh.

Time to hit a home run…

Castle's phone beeps like mad and he takes it out, still hidden by his 'very stealthy' trusty newspaper. He glances back at me behind the paper, a cat's eye glance and then flips back to his phone. I creep slowly to his side of the newspaper, and lean down beside him. Slyly I glance down at the phone, just for a peek.

And there it is… my proof.

"I knew it!" I grab his phone and jump up and down, unknowingly bringing everyone's eyes on me. I glance around, and jump to my seat.

"Hey! Theft over here, theft!" Castle yells at one of the rookies getting coffee. Behind him I make a cutthroat sign and she backs off; chuckling along the way.

He turns around; I smile defiantly.

"I got proof."

"Of what? God, Beckett I still don't know what you're talking about."

"One room in the Hilton Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico-" I read, whisperingly off the web page on his phone."

His face sinks, he's been caught; might as well cuff him now…

Home run!

"I know what you're trying to do. And frankly I find it very creepy."

"It's not creepy, I can't afford two rooms anyway."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Castle, you live in an expensive Manhattan penthouse apartment-"

"Which you have an open invitation to anytime-" He interrupts, Cheshire smile intact.

I glare, "Not amused- I think you can afford two rooms at a hotel."

"I can. I just don't want to." He raises his eyebrows suggestively.

Man, where my tazer when I need it?

"I'm going to pay for my own room. A floor away from you, by the way."

"You don't have to." He adds once again with the eyebrows. "Remember, I resemble a puppy at times. Cuddly-"

"-Castle, I sleep with a gun. I'm a cop… you try anything shady out there you-"

"I get my ass, legally kicked. I get it."

As I walk away, kidnapped phone in hand, I can feel his silly look following me out of the room.

He's snickering behind me, it echoes on the concrete floor as I click away.

Seriously anything out of the ordinary, and I'm shipping him straight back to Manhattan- in his puppy crate.

Hahah, he probably is cuddly. Damn it Beckett, stop it. Stop it, stop it…

-Castle's POV—

Ha. Ha ha. My evil plans will soon commence. She will fall in love with me… mwhahhah.

I hope so. It's strange she's the only woman I've ever met whose been so impossible. Maybe that's a good thing. But right now it feels like a really bad thing. For me at least…

A suggestive eyebrow wiggle can take any women's cares (I believe) but sometimes you need to take different more abrasive actions.

This would work better if she didn't leave me waiting. Not just romantically but right now.

She's late!

I stare at my fingers, unsatisfied by the fact I haven't had my morning fix of Beckett. She's not a drug or something, more like nicotine. Harmless in one instant but overtime deadly addictive.

But when the call beckons, I feel like Batman. Beckett's my Robin- my very very hot Robin. Who doesn't happen to ride in a sidecar or wear a cape...

But wouldn't that be cool?

I think I'm going to buy her a cape for her birthday… she'd like that. Or maybe not.

""Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da BATMAN!" I whisper to myself while staring at the whiteboard.

"Castle… what-what are you doing?" Beckett inquires, perplexed and slightly pleased. It's early; I haven't brought her coffee yet.

I stop short. "I'm looking at the whiteboard, Detective. They're some kind of new law against it? Gotta cuff me?"

"No- not that. You were humming something."

"No. I don't believe I was."

"Hmmm. Yes you were-"

"-Nope."

She narrows her 'pretty little eyes' at me as she slowly exits, keeping tabs on me as she departs. Just to mess with her head I pass by her desk and whisper as I go: "Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da BATMAN!" I pass again with her morning coffee, she turns around mob-boss style eyeing me.

"Happy Thursday Detective."

"Yeah, yeah." She adds still giving me a death stare.

Beckett's POV -

"Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da BATMAN!"

He cooes as he passes me leaning over his shoulder to grab a muffin from the break room. I sneak away from my desk when no ones looking and following him, hoping to catch him in his naughty(and annoying) act. I lean across the door frame hoping to see him humming but-

Oh my god.

"Oh- my god… are you?"

Deer in headlights, he replys: "No- I wasn't."

"I'm a detective and from the evidence here, Mr. Richard Castle. You were-"

"-This doesn't, mmmhm this isn't what it looks like."

"I believe it is." I wag my finger at him.

"I whmsn't dwnacing mmm." He says holding up the mini muffins basket in surrender. A muffin in mid-chew, he's trying to mumble a defense but it's no use.

"I swmeear."

"Castle. I believe what you were doing there was dancing."

"-Gulp- No I wasn't… it's a new exercise."

"Really?"

"Mhhhm."

"You were dancing with the muffin basket."

"No! O.K.-"

"-Nope. There's no denying it. You were just waltzing with that muffin basket."

"Oh. O.K. Fine. Yes. Will you stop-"

"No. Why were you dancing with a muffin basket?"

"I'm not telling- I don't muffin-dance-and-tell."

I laugh. "You were trying to see if you remember how to dance weren't you?"

He takes a breath. "I haven't danced, with a woman.. Like the whole wedding dance thing. For a while…and according to Alexis. I-I how do you say it?"

"Suck at it." I finish. He nods. "I don't wanna look like an idiot. I'm taking a beautiful woman to a wedding and- I can't dance."

"I bet you can." I encourage, touched and charmed that he called me: beautiful.

"Care to join me?"

"Sure muffin boy."

"Hey. That nickname better not stick." He teases, cocking an eyebrow.

"I'm not promising anything." I smile.

Castle wraps his arm around my waist, waltz style and I take his hand. I fold my hand into his, and lean just close enough.

"That hand better get a little higher or my heel might just come in contact with your foot."

Castle adjusts his arm but keeps it at my lower back: giving me goose bumps.

A/n: I hope you liked this… I loved writing it. I wanted them to get closer without any :9 stuff… that's for later. Rest of the 'dancing in the break room scene' in next chapter. The wedding is coming up! I'm so happy to have so much support, you readers are really awesome.

Much Love,

K.H.

PS: Who else is excited for the L.A. episode!