GoTChapter6
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Kate strolled home and decided to spend the rest of her afternoon relaxing on the couch while watching her favorite movie. She needed this time for herself before the inquisition from Lanie started later. It's not that she didn't want to tell Lanie everything but some times it was better to leave matters of the heart between the two hearts involved. Kate decided the exact details of what happened at the art exhibit would remain between her and Castle. It was a special and revealing private moment between two people. Unfortunately, Lanie usually had her own ideas about what did or did not need to be shared.
It was close to six in the evening when she heard a knock on her door. Taking a deep breath, she got up off her couch and thought right on time as usual. She went to the door and looked through the peephole to see Lanie on the other side. Much like herself, Lanie wore some worn down jeans and scoop neck shirt in anticipation for a night of long awaited girl time.
"Thanks for coming tonight."
"You know I wouldn't miss this, especially if it involved details from family night."
"I don't know how much detail you are going to get but I will tell you it wasn't boring...either last night or this morning. " Kate smiled and let the statement hang in the air as she went to a cabinet and pulled two glasses down before grabbing the bottle of bourbon from the table.
"Oh no, honey, you're not getting away with that statement without giving me more details."
"I don't know what you are talking about..."
Lanie just stood and gave her a look that meant she wasn't going to give up easily and Kate knew it. She might as well start talking.
"Let's just say family night didn't quite end the way I imagined and this morning, well, I'm not exactly sure what got in to me... " Kate realized how that could be taken and it seemed like Lanie had, "Get your mind out of the gutter. We were with his family the whole evening... well, almost the whole evening."
"Wait. Wait just a minute, what do you mean most of the evening? Start from the beginning."
"Okay," Kate said and paused to gather her thoughts. "I got there and somehow got roped in to choosing the movie. Out of what I saw, I thought a con movie would be fun. Alexis left to get us some drinks while I let it slip to Castle that I had already run a background check on her boyfriend"
Lanie raised an eyebrow at Kate and said "A background check. You have never done that before without being pestered by Castle first. I got to know. Why now?"
"I have to look after my partner and that included my partner's family." Kate said with a shrug
Looking back on it she now understood why Alexis had offered to get the drinks. It had given her the time to get back and claim the chair before either of them could. Kate shook her head with a small smile. "Ya know she is a very smart girl for her age but not too subtle. The flirting between us had already fallen into a natural rhythm at that point but Alexis's own comments seemed to magnify everything."
"So far this all seems relatively boring but something must have happened to get you all riled up." Lanie said, and Kate knew she wasn't going to let it drop anytime soon.
"After the movie ended, Alexis gave me a surprise hug and disappeared into her bedroom to do homework. She may have really had homework but I think it's more likely she wanted to give her dad and I some time alone. She wasn't fooling anyone, but neither of us were going to complain."
"I knew I liked that girl." Lanie chuckled. "So what happened next?"
"Well, here is where it got... interesting. Castle and I got into a bit of a discussion, what it was I'm not even sure at this point. It doesn't matter. Anyway, what I do know is that everything meant much more than the words we said and we both knew it. "
"At some point we started to move closer to each other to the point that our hands were touching and ended up with a kiss. " Kate said with a faraway look in her eye. She couldn't help but remember the feel of his lips and the emotions it evoked.
"A kiss would definitely make the night more interesting. You kiss him, or did he kiss you?"
"He did actually. I made some remark about if he knew anyone that had done something stupid lately. He came back with 'stupid like this' and leaned in to lightly kiss me. I can't say I wasn't surprised by the move but it was...nice."
"That's my girl and boy. It's about time you two started figuring stuff out. Did things move along from there?" Lanie asked in a voice that Kate thought sounded almost hopeful.
"Well, after the short kiss, I noticed how late it was and decided to call it a night. We teased each other as he walked me to his door and this time I leaned in and kissed him good night. We left it open as to when we would see each other again. "
"Tell me how you're really feeling right now, Kate. I know you and I know how your brain works. Something scared you so spill." Lanie said as she eyed Kate and poured them both another glass of bourbon.
"Not sure if scared is the right word, at least not for movie night. I thought I would be uncomfortable around Alexis but it wasn't really. Things seemed almost like they were before the complications set in between her dad and myself." Kate paused for a second to really think what the issue was.
"I guess it's more me questioning if I should continue down this path or if I will just get hurt again." Kate said tentatively.
"And why wouldn't you continue? You two are made for each other and we all know it so what exactly are we talking about here?" Lanie asked with a curious look on her face.
"It's just that I went out for coffee this morning and ran into Castle. After coffee I thought it would be fun to challenge him a bit so I asked him to take a walk with me. I left it up to him as to where since he seemed to think he knew me so well. He didn't disappoint and actually surprised me a little with where he lead me." Kate said unsure exactly how to put the morning into words and not really wanting to share too much.
"A walk to the coffee shop this morning where you happened to run into Castle..."Lanie said and seemed to take a moment to keep herself from laughing. "Girl, you have it bad for him. Good to keep the guy on his toes though with the walk, where'd you finally end up?"
"A park, but I'm not exactly sure which one. I was kind of lost in the conversation and my own thoughts to really know where we went. I just know it had an outdoor art exhibit and things got a little intense discussing it. Before you ask though, I am not going to go in to any more details other than it was a needed conversation. I think it helped us start to get back on track, at least I hope. " Kate said with a look in Lanie's direction, trying to get across that she wasn't going to budge.
"I get it. I'll give you a pass for now, but I have noticed as confident as you are on the job, when it comes to guys, you are just as insecure as the next woman. Probably more so knowing your past. "
"Why wouldn't I be a little cautious when it comes to Castle? Lanie, he left with his ex wife for a summer in the Hamptons. I'm not even taking into account the other notches on his bedpost in the past year. Yes, we have aired some stuff out over our letters, but that doesn't take away the hurt. Speaking of letters, how were you involved exactly? " Kate said as she turned the conversation back to Lanie so she could get her emotions under better control.
"I already told you, so don't try to change the subject here. Kate, the guy left with Gina because he didn't have another option. He asked you first, and when you lied to to him about your plans with Demming he tried to move on so you would have a chance to be happy. You have to get that through your head. The actions may have been way out of line but what choice did he have at that point."
"He could have stayed and fought for me instead of running away..."
"You're right. He could have stayed and fought but what incentive did he have? Think about it and be honest with yourself. "
"What about all the times we went out to Remy's after a tough case or played poker at his loft? What about the countless times we would finish each other's sentences or flirt with each other. He practically stumbled over his words when I showed up at one of his book readings once so I gave him every opportunity to make his move. I'll admit I played it a little cool but most women would in my situation." Kate said exasperated.
"You aren't most woman though Kate. Castle is well aware of that fact and knows he can't approach you like most women. Let me throw this question out at you: How many times have you all gone out after a case or played poker since Demming came along? Sure the flirting was there and you still finished each other's sentences but at what frequency?"
"We went out and I'm sure we played poker at some point." Kate stammered suddenly unsure of herself.
"When, Kate? Putting aside the times he hurt you, how much time have you spent time with him just bullshitting? I understand you wanted him to fight for you but wasn't that what he was doing when he sent you that first letter, movie night or y'all's walk in the park. " Lanie pushed,
Kate took a long drink, sighed and shook her head. "I didn't set out to hurt Castle or myself really. I can see your point though of Castle fighting for me but doing so in his way. Who knows, maybe the letters sent between us were the only thing that would have reached me at that point."
Kate didn't even give Lanie a chance to respond before she continued her thought. She was on a roll and needed to get it off her mind before she lost her courage or gained back her sanity.
"After the case with Maddie, I was afraid to put my heart on the line for someone I couldn't be sure wouldn't break it. I made the safe choice and tried to be happy with it."
"How did that work out for you because from what we all saw, it didn't work out too well. Let me fill you in on a little secret my mamma used to tell me, life will throw you for a loop some times and try and lead you in ways you could never imagine. If you just trust your heart, everything else will fall in place." Lanie said while she reached out to touch Kate's arm.
"Funny, Castle said something similar to me once. What if I get hurt again? How do I know we could make this work?"
"You don't know and I am not going to pretend to tell you everything will always be smooth for you. You know that better than anyone." Lanie paused, looked at Kate square in the eye and continued, "Sweetie, you both hurt each other in ways that is going to take time to get over. Take that time with each other, with Alexis and start to rebuild but be honest with each other. If you have to fight it out or take it out in the gym, do it. You two are good for each other but you already know that or you wouldn't be talking to me about it now."
Emptying her glass, Kate sighed and said, "I guess I just want to be sure I'm doing the right thing. You know I told Castle during our walk that actions will speak louder than words when it comes to us. Maybe it is time I start believing what I say..."
Lanie shook her head at Kate and said, "It's definitely a start. Should be fun to watch both of you in action. I'll be here to back you up every time and set you straight when you try to run because you're freaked out."
"It'll be interesting for everyone involved. Enough about me though, I want to hear about this new man in your life you have been hinting about and how you seem to know more about Castle's motives than you are letting on..."
Castle chuckled as he watched Kate walk back toward her apartment wondering what she meant exactly by participating. It was a start for sure with flirtatious comments returning. He took a gamble with the art exhibit and would have to remember to thank Lanie for telling him about it later. Taking a moment longer to watch her, he sighed and walked back toward his own place.
As he turned the key and opened the door, he was greeted by a very excited Alexis.
"Hi Dad! How was your morning with Beckett?" She said with an innocent look on her face.
"I never said anything about meeting up with Beckett. I just went out for coffee, " he said eyeing her suspiciously.
"You keep telling yourself that. We both know you set out to run in to her. Based on what I saw last night, I would bet she thought the same thing about coffee. Anyway, I told Paige I would meet her at Union Square Park to check out this new outdoor art exhibit. " Alexis said and she waved as she walked out the door.
"Have fun sweetie." Castle yelled out and then turned his attention to getting another cup of coffee before settling down to write for the afternoon. The guys would be here soon and he had no intention of getting behind on his next book. The farther away he kept Gina from himself and this new situation, the better.
Castle looked up at his clock to see that he had about an hour before the guys were set to arrive. Putting out basic snacks on the counter and checking to make sure the controllers for the xbox360 actually had a charge, he began let his mind wander back to the last 24 hours with Kate. He knew he would get ribbed for not contacting them over the summer but he wasn't sure how much he wanted to share exactly.
Something in Espositio's eyes made him think they were on to something between himself and Kate so he knew tonight was going to be quite the ride. The movie night went better then he thought it would. The walk to the park was even better. He didn't think much of it when Lanie suggested it, but it worked out amazingly.
What Castle did know though was what happened at the park was just too private as were the letters shared between them. He knew that in order to gain Kate's trust again, he would need to play it close to the vest. He needed to show her he was serious about putting things back on track and sharing every detail about their time together wasn't going to cut it.
He had Madden up and running, and played through a quick game as he waited for the guys to show up. Surprisingly his NY Jets actually creamed the other team, maybe he wasn't as rusty as he thought. He was just about to go into another game when there was a knock at the door and he sat the controller down.
"I'm coming. Hold on a second!" Castle yelled as he walked over and opened the door.
"Hey Bro. Why the hold up? You got a girl hiding in here or something? " Espositio said as he took a sweep of the loft.
"Nope, no girl. Hasn't been a girl over in quite a while as long as you don't count Alexis." Castle carefully said.
Ryan chimed in. "Give the guy a break man. At least he's finally turning his eyes on Beckett or that is what it appeared like at the precinct today."
"You have your work cut out for you though, Castle. She's hard as nails, especially after this summer." Espositio said with a smirk on his own face.
"I hear ya and let's just say I'm up for the challenge." He motioned to the kitchen. "Snacks on the counter, beers are in the fridge. You all ready to play or we just going to stand around all evening and gossip?" Castle said with a smirk.
"Game on bro. Once you get your ass handed to you in Madden, I'll take you on in Halo." Espositio challenged.
Several hours later after playing Madden and Halo, Castle had managed to beat both guys into submission. They were all gathered around the kitchen bar when the conversation turned back to Castle.
"How'd you manage to beat us both tonight, man. I figured you would have been rusty after your summer finishing your book and all the distractions on the beach I know there must have been some fine ladies walking around." Espositio said.
"Yes, there were some very nice looking ladies on the beach but not as nice as some others I know. I thought I mentioned that I have a system set up at my house in The Hamptons. Since I did say I would be back in the fall, I needed to keep up my skills You really think I would let myself get out of practice? Practice does make perfect." Castle quipped with just a hint of a challenge in his voice. He knew what the boys were after and was curious just how far they were willing to go to get the goods.
Ryan added, "Are you saying all you did this summer was work on finishing your book and occasionally looking at the ladies on the beach?"
Not willing to give much more Castle tried some humor to get them off his tail "It's hard work being a best selling author. I know I make it look easy but it's more then just putting words on paper. Got to keep myself looking good and feeling good for all my fans. "
This got both Ryan and Espositio to laugh but not necessarily give up. Taking a glance at each other, they seemed to have decided to give up on Castle's summer activities and change tactics.
"So, Castle, I saw you leave with Beckett last night. You man up and actually ask her out on a date?"
"Possibly. Depends on what you call a date. I did ask her over for family movie night and she accepted. Not a big deal though." Castle said, hoping this would satisfy their curiosity and whatever bet the two probably had going.
"Come on Castle. We're friends... details." Ryan said with a smirk on his face.
"You want details? Okay. We ate pizza, watched a movie with Alexis and chatted afterwards. It got late so I walked Beckett to the door and said good night. That's about it. Nothing too exciting."
"You mean to tell us you didn't even try to kiss her good night? A hot chick like her, what is wrong with you? " Esposito said.
"If she heard you right now you would be dead. You know that, right? Besides, I never said I didn't try and kiss her. Even if I did, whose to say she would let me?" Castle said with a smile.
"Oh, she'd definitely let you. You've had the hots for each other since the day you met. Nice to see one of you finally made a move." Ryan said
At this point Esposito's cell started to ring. "Esposito. You do know we are not on call this weekend... Yeah, ok. We'll be right down." He hung up and tapped Ryan's arm. "We're needed at the station. Thanks for beers and what not, Castle. "
"Sure, next time we do this at Ryan's place. Maybe a change in scenery will up your game." Castle said while he watched them walk toward the elevator.
"Nah bro. I'm not playing anything sitting on his red couch. Ask him some time where he got it." Esposito called just as the elevator doors closed.
Castle looked around his living room before starting to clean up. Just as he was done putting the dishes in the sink he heard his cell phone ring.
A/N: As usual, this story would not be what it is without the help of my beta Xonze. I appreciate the insight. Also need to thank DetectiveBeckett85 and rkcaskett for answering my random Castle questions while encouraging me during the writing process.