The words on the page bleed together; the carefully spaced lines of black stretching and morphing in front of her tired eyes. Kate blinks and leans back in her chair, yellow highlighter clasped loosely in her closed fist as she raises her arms over her head in a vain attempt to stretch out the knotted tension in her shoulders. Rolling her head from side to side, she nearly groans in pleasure when her neck cracks, the loud pops drawing the attention of a passing uniform. He nods at her and she notices the bags under his eyes, the thin line of his mouth, the rigid set of his spine. She tosses him a return nod and something she hopes looks at least vaguely like a smile.
Settling back over her desk, Kate shifts in her chair, leaning back and forth as she bends her legs, searching for a painless position. She knows she won't find one; the chair stopped being comfortable about five hours ago. Giving up, she trains her eyes on the open file, determined to find something, anything, of value in the stacks of so far useless data.
Four days. Four days, five bodies and absolutely no leads. No connections between the victims other than the way in which they were killed. The entire precinct is on this one, every available detective and uniform working around the clock. She hasn't been home in forty-eight hours, hasn't seen anything other than the inside of the Twelfth in eighteen. She's running on fumes, subsisting on massive amounts of caffeine and the take-out Castle keeps having delivered at regular intervals.
Castle.
Running a hand through her hair, Kate looks up, seeking him out. She'd stopped trying to send him home after the fifth time he'd flat out refused, his eyes dark and serious when he told her that he was on this, in this, as long as she was. All she could do was nod and hand him a stack of financials, sending him off to join Ryan in the conference room. That's where she finds him now, his back curved into a twisted S as he hunches over the table, eyes glued to an open file eerily similar to her own. She can see him scraping the side of his thumb nail over the edges of the papers, a nervous habit that used to annoy her to no end. She's gotten used to it over the years, the once grating sound fading into the background, white noise that she now finds oddly soothing. It's a constant. Something she knows she can rely on. However small it may be, it's solid and unwavering, a static point in an otherwise chaotic situation.
Kate drops the highlighter on her desk with a sigh and pushes back, the wheels of her chair rolling smoothly over the clear plastic mat. Legs tingling, she stands, her spine creaking as the vertebrae try to slide back into place. Her fingers hesitate on the handle of her coffee mug, the porcelain cool against her skin. Gazing back through the glass, she watches Castle for another moment, trying to really see him. His hair flops down over his forehead and she aches to run her fingers through it, to watch his eyes slip shut as she smoothes it back, nails scratching over his scalp. The lines bracketing his mouth are pronounced, deep crevasses that make her worry. She has no idea when he last slept but judging by the dark circles under his eyes it's been longer than it should be. She watches as he scrubs a hand over his face, can almost hear the harsh rasp of his stubble against his palm. Tapping her nails against the rim of her cup, she makes a decision.
Castle jumps when she places a hand on his shoulder, her hip pressing into the back of his chair. "Hey." She smiles gently at him, thumb rubbing circles over his scapula. "Let's get out of here for awhile."
"We have a lead?" The question is quiet and raspy, his voice full of gravel from hours of dormancy.
Kate shakes her head. "No. Nothing new. But I think we both could use a little fresh air."
He peers up at her tiredly, the whites of his eyes stained pink. "Yeah," he agrees, the legs of his chair scraping loudly against the floor as he stands. Lacing his fingers together, Castle stretches his arms over his head and arches his back, groaning softly. She wants to step into him, wrap her body around his. Wants to let his arms fall down over her as she burrows into his chest, her nose pressed to his neck and hands fisted in the back of his shirt. Dropping his arms, Castle gives her a smile that falls far short of his eyes. "You ready?"
They head toward the elevator together, steps in sync and the backs of their hands brushing with each swing of her arm. Gates has known about their relationship for months, long before they ever confessed, and has made it more than clear that she'll tolerate it as long as they keep it well outside the workplace. Normally she'd insist on distance to avoid even the slightest hint of impropriety but today Kate just can't be bothered to care. She needs this. Him. The solid bulk of his body next to hers, comforting her with his mere presence.
The elevator opens on the ground floor and Castle guides her out, his broad hand splayed heavily across the small of her back, the heat of his skin seeping through her blouse and warming her aching muscles. His hand slides up her spine as they head away from the precinct, fingers wrapping around her shoulder when they round the corner. Kate leans into him, left arm lifting to curl around his waist as she sighs.
"You making any progress with the phone records?"
Kate shakes her head against his shoulder. "No case talk," she says, looking up at him and squinting against the glare of the bright spring sun. "For the next fifteen minutes, I just want this. You and me. Okay?"
Castle smiles and this time it reaches his eyes. "Okay." He kisses her softly, hand squeezing her shoulder. "I can do that."
They stroll down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, bodies pressed tightly together from shoulder to hip. Kate starts to relax, the combination of his touch and the warm afternoon softening the steel bands of her muscles. Closing her eyes, she orients her face toward the sky, lets the sun beat down on her skin, humming contentedly.
"You want some coffee?"
Kate hooks her thumb through his belt loop and shakes her head. "Iced tea?"
"Green?"
"Yeah, that sounds good."
Castle aims them toward the little independent coffee shop he knows she likes, his steps steady and sure. She lets him lead, happy to let go of responsibility for a few minutes, to just be. He orders for both of them, adding in a bag of pastries for the boys. She kisses him on the cheek for that, her heart clenching tightly. The depth of his compassion and generosity will never cease to amaze her. His hand slides to her neck as they wait, thumb dipping under the collar of her shirt, digging into the tense muscles. Kate pinches his waist, drawing his attention.
"I missed you."
"I haven't been more than thirty feet from you in three days," he says, eyes lighting up at her confession.
Kate lifts her free hand to his cheek, directing him in for a tender kiss. Her thumb sweeps over his bottom lip as she pulls away, tracing the curve of his smile. "Doesn't mean I didn't miss you."
The barista passes their drinks over the bar, the ice rattling against the plastic cups. Castle hands Kate hers before taking his own, the top of the pastry bag folded over his pinky, trapped between his hand and the cup. They head back toward the precinct, sipping their drinks in a comfortable silence, the white noise of the city sweeping them along.
Just before they round the corner, Castle stops walking, his hand tightening around her neck. Kate turns to look him, barely making out the smile dancing in his eyes before his mouth settles over hers. She pushes up on her toes, matching the intensity of his kiss, her tea trapped between their chests and her free hand lifting to his neck, fingers running through the fine hair at the base of his skull. Castle nips playfully at her lips, his sweaty glass bumping against her hip.
"I missed you too."
Running her hand around the side of his neck, Kate smiles at him, eyes tracking greedily over his face. She knows it will be hours, maybe days, before they have another moment like this. Another moment to enjoy the simple pleasure of just being together. She soaks it in, storing the feeling deep inside her chest, filling herself up with the smile on his lips and the love in his eyes. Leaning in, she presses one last quick kiss to the corner of his mouth, fingers toying with the placket of his rumpled shirt. Kate steps back, her hand lingering on his chest for just a moment, palm brushing over his heart.
"Come on, Castle. Let's go solve a murder."
Retrouvailles (French): The happiness of meeting again after a long time.