This one will be AU because I said so.

Pairing: Caskett

Prompt: The case in 'Always' had nothing to do with Johanna Beckett's murder so Castle and Beckett didn't fight, no secrets were revealed, and they kept their date.

"I am in love with your eyes."

She'd fallen in love with his eyes when she was about nineteen years old, less than four hours after her father returned from identifying her mother's body and her whole world came crashing down around her feet. Her father had refused to sleep in his bedroom, refused to believe that he would be able to sleep alone. It was the first night that he fell asleep with a bottle of whiskey in his fist.

Kate on the other hand…she found comfort in the scent of her mother's perfume on the pillow. She curled up on her side of the bed, still unmade from her rush to get to work that morning, and pressed her face into the dark purple pillowcase. She'd been with her mother the day she bought it, when Johanna had insisted that she join her on her Sunday errands instead of lounging around the house all day, eating junk food and watching Temptation Lane reruns.

"I knew I'd regret getting you into that show," she'd muttered, hitting Kate with a pillow once. The teen had just grunted at her and Johanna laughed, dropping onto the couch next to her. Kate had acted like she was annoyed when her mother pulled her in for a cuddle, but honestly she loved that her mother was still so affectionate and warm and loving with her. It made her feel warm inside, not that she'd ever admit that.

That night, Kate fingered the lace edges on the pillowcase and let her eyes wander around the room. There were a lot of books scattered around, on every surface. Kate was overtly aware that she'd inherited her mother's love of books and had begun reading on her own when she was four. Johanna and her were always trading and arguing over who had actually purchased that copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. It was a constant struggle.

Well, Kate thought bitterly. I guess they're all mine now. The thought brought tears to her eyes and she sat up, rubbing them away with the heels of her hands. She wasn't going to cry again. Not tonight, at least. She was already in for a bad case of dehydration when she woke up from all the tears that had fallen from her eyes.

So she turned to her mother's end table. Johanna always had a short stack of books she was planning to read when she had the time. On top of that pile was something called, Flowers for Your Grave by Richard Castle. Her mom had gushed about him once or twice. Usually along the lines of, "If I was just ten years younger…" to the unamused glare from her father. Kate remembered laughing at that. Turning the book over now, she could see exactly what her mother was talking about.

At an estimated decade older than Kate, the young man was tall, broad-shouldered, and ruggedly handsome. His charming grin—complete with dimples—and oceanic blue eyes immediately drew her eyes. There was something about the way he was looking straight at the camera, like he was seeing her, searching her gaze for…something. It was unnerving and no small bit interesting. And, to be quite honest, it was probably what prompted her to crack the thing open and start reading.

She found herself enthralled by the story-telling, her fingers running over the tight scrawled notes in the margins. Her mother's notes. This was obviously a well-loved book, which made it even more important for Kate to make it all the way through. And she did.

The sun was rising as she fell back to the pillows, the book right next to her face. Richard Castle smiled right back at her, those blue eyes seeming to sparkle. When hers finally shut, Kate dreamed of those blue eyes.

That never stopped. Not when she met him and thought him to be such an ass—which he was. Not when he infuriated her by constantly hitting at her, making jokes, and then delving into her mother's case even though it was the only thing she expressly forbid. Not when she cried the night he left for the Hamptons with his ex-wife, or for the whole summer thereafter. Not when she met a brown-eyes doctor who was sweet and charming and intelligent—but wasn't him.

She dreamed of those eyes all throughout her recovery. If she were being honest with herself, it was the only thing that kept her going. Being shot in the heart had…changed her. For a while, anyhow. It made her thoughts take decidedly darker turns and reminded her of the period of time directly following her mother's death. When she would consider just quitting and joining Johanna wherever people went after they died. At least they could be together.

Her father had stopped her that time. The knowledge that losing her after already having lost his beloved wife would only drive him further into despair and pain is what kept her alive, as well as the desire to solve her mother's murder. She knew that she had too much to live for back then, no matter how much she hurt.

And every time she found herself thinking of…that, she would close her eyes and there his would be, the skin around them crinkling in amusement or affection. She would hear his declaration of love in her ear, only different. It was no longer a desperate plea for her life, but a soft whisper against the shell of her ear that she could almost feel. When could make it, she would sit at the end of the long dock right in front of her father's cabin, dip her toes into the cool water, and close her eyes, imaging that he was right there with her, holding her hand and forcing her to look into those gorgeous baby blues and he repeated the phrase, "You've got this," over and over again.

It broke her heart to see them so filled with hurt when she saw him for the first time after that. He was guarded for this whole last year, but still pouring out his heart to her via his eyes at the same time. He was her shoulder to cry on, the whispered words of encouragement all year long. Whenever she needed strength, she just looked at him and stared deep into that gorgeous blue eyes of his—when he was looking at the murder board or at his phone, but sometimes when he looked at her too—and found it.

And now, finally, they were going on their first date.

Okay, well not exactly. He'd invited her to his place for a movie night. Which they'd done before. With Martha and Alexis. Whom, tonight, would be completely absent from the loft.

Butterflies fluttered in Kate's stomach as she stood in front of her closet. It was still a full twelve hours until she'd agreed to be at his place and she couldn't force herself to sleep in. Their most recent case had been the basic open and shut. Angry wife caught husband cheating and confessed the second Kate flashed her badge. Nothing to it, really; she'd finished the paperwork before she even had to clock out the night before and Castle had bid her farewell long before that.

But now…it was just past six in the morning and she couldn't, for the life of her, figure out what to wear. Back when they'd first met, her closet had been pretty much bare; only the basic work suits, simple blouses, skinny jeans, and a dress or two taking up residence. But Lanie had insisted on shopping trips more regularly after he showed up, despite Kate's insistence that she was so not interested.

Now she was thankful for those trips because it had become a habit to walk into a department store or boutique anytime she found something remotely interesting in the window and because of that, she had a wardrobe that any woman in this city would kill for. (And judging from some of the murders she saw daily, that was so not an exaggeration.)

But that still didn't help her figure out what to wear to Castle's place. Considering it was really only a double feature at his place, could she get away with wearing one of her old pairs of skinny jeans or even a pair of sweats? Or did she want to dress up a little with a nice blouse or maybe a dress. No, a dress would be going to far. She never wore dresses except for special events, like Ryan and Jenny's wedding, and even that dress hadn't been overtly dressy, but still.

No dress.

So then a t shirt or button up? Maybe a flannel. She liked the flannels she got from the men's side of the store. They were thick and warm and if she let them hang open, her curves were still visible and actually accentuated. She could wear a light tee underneath that and it would probably be fine. Casual, yet fun. And definitely comfortable. A pair of skinny jeans would be okay, too, since she just knew that Castle loved the way her ass looked in them. She no longer blushed at that thought because it was as obvious as her name now.

So that would be good. But…what about underwear. Kate didn't want to be presumptuous and wear her Victoria's Secret stuff (of which she had been collecting for the last four years, though she refused to voice exactly why, since she'd never bothered with expensive lingerie before) or just stick with the cutesy matching cotton bras and boy shorts she was used to. Either way, it wasn't exactly a given if anybody else would be seeing them and it was probably better to be comfortable if that was the case, right?

She picked out a simple deep purple bra with white polka dots and a black bow, then reached for a pair of blue and white striped boy shorts. She didn't care that they didn't match; maybe Castle would find it endearing. That is, if they went there, which still wasn't a given. She couldn't suppress the ever present hope that it was, though. Oh god she hoped it was. She was finally ready to take that step and get lost in the ocean of his eyes.

And now she sounded like some cheesy romance novel. Just fantastic.

She shook off the poetic thoughts and made her way into the kitchen to make coffee, deciding that it was better to have a nice breakfast and get her thoughts off of her non-date tonight, when her phone rang on her night stand. She practically broke her neck running towards it and prayed that it wasn't the precinct calling her in for another murder. It would be just her luck if Ryan called her in with a cockblock murder.

Her prayers were answered when she saw it wasn't Ryan, or Esposito, or Lanie, or even the Twelfth Precinct. It was Castle.

She swallowed thickly and her heart raced as a million thoughts ran through her mind. Was he canceling their date? Had something come up? Was he finished waiting for her? Was he okay? Was Alexis? Martha? Only one way to find out.

She pressed 'Accept' and pressed the phone to her ear. "Beckett," she answered.

"Hey, Kate!" Her heart bounced in her chest at the use of her first name in that happy tone and she could practically see the skin around his eyes crinkling in that adorable way.

"Hey, Castle," she replied softly. She couldn't call him Rick; that would make it too serious. "What's up?"

"The sky," he replied, cheekily. "There's a few clouds, some pigeons, a plane just flew overhead…"

"Shut up, smartass," she snorted. She could hear the deep rumble of his chuckle over the phone and her heart fluttered like she was a fifteen year old girl again, talking to her crush on the phone. Only this time she wouldn't get tangled in the cord. "Seriously, what's up? Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Castle replied. "Well, except…"

"Except what?" Kate asked.

Castle sighed. "Meredith can't make it to Alexis's graduation."

Kate's eyes widened at that. To be honest, from what Castle had told her, Meredith wasn't exactly an all that "present" parent as it was, but to miss her own daughter's graduation, well…

"I hope she has a good reason," she said, unable to keep the anger out of her voice. Alexis was literally the perfect child and yet Meredith still canceled repeatedly on her and took her for granted. She better have a damn good reason.

"Her flight was delayed until further notice," Castle informed Kate. "And don't worry, I checked. It's legit. And, besides, even if it were to leave right now, she wouldn't be here by noon in time for the ceremony. She promised she'd try for a flight out by tomorrow morning but that's about the best she can do."

"Is Alexis okay with that?" Kate asked. "I hope she doesn't get too upset on her graduation day."

She could practically hear his smile as he said, "That's real sweet of you Beckett, but she's doing fine. To be honest, I think she almost expected something like this. Meredith missed her middle school graduation too, because she was working on location in Dublin or something. It's kind of sad, but I'm just happy she's not letting it ruin her day, you know?"

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "I get that, but, uh, what do you want from me?"

"Oh, well we have an extra ticket now," Castle said, "and it would be a shame if it went to waste, so I was wondering…would you maybe want to go to the graduation?" He phrased the question slowly and cautiously, as if speaking too fast would make her hang up on him.

No chance of that. "Seriously?" she asked. "You…you want me to go to your daughter's graduation? Is…is Alexis okay with that?"

"Are you kidding?" he laughed. "She adores you! She's the one that insisted I invite you."

"She is?" Kate asked, her eyes widening. She didn't think Alexis liked her all that much; not since the bank incident.

"Of course!" Castle said. "Well, at first she said we should invite Lanie, but she's kind of backlogged."

"Oh, so I'm plan C, then?' Kate teased.

He snorted. "Third time's the charm, right?" They both laughed at that. "So what do you say?"

Kate took another long look at her closet and sighed. "Do I have to wear a dress?" she asked.

"Anything you want, provided that it's appropriate for high school and doesn't have flashing lights."

"Darn, and I had the perfect outfit too," she joked. He let out a louder laugh at that. "Sure," she said, softer this time. "I'd love to come."

"Awesome!" Castle exclaimed, then cleared his throat. "I mean…cool. I'll, uh, pick you up at 11:30, provided my mother is ready by then."

"I heard that!" Kate heard Martha yell in the background.

"Can't wait," she said softly, biting her lips. "See you later, Castle."

"Later," he replied. She could hear the smile in his voice.

Turning back to her closet, Kate sighed and trudged back towards it.

Goodbye, comfortable underwear, she thought as she pulled out dress after dress and laid them on her bed. None of them were compatible with boy shorts and she practically pummeled the voice in her head—which sounded like a combination of Lanie, Maddie, and her mother—that told her that was a decidedly good thing.

-O-

She'd decided on a deep purple halter dress and put her hair up in a mess of curls that floated down to frame her face. It looked a lot more complicated than it was to actually do and she wondered if it would make her look too dressed up for a high school graduation. She hoped the way her dress flared out at the hips until it hung loosely around her legs gave off the casual summer look, like it was supposed to. She considered downplaying her makeup, but eventually decided that the thick eyeliner and purple eye shadow would better complement her outfit. She finished off the look with a pair of silver gladiator sandals with a heel that was shorter than usual but looked better than her usual ones with this dress. Kate smiled shyly at herself in the mirror when she thought Castle's face when he saw her.

But, then again, she could answer the door in a hoodie and ripped jeans, with absolutely no makeup on her face and her hair a mess, and he would still give her that look of his; like a lovesick puppy with his tail wagging happily. To be honest, she loved the way he looked at her, when their eyes met and locked for what felt like hours—but was really only seconds—until either one of them looked away or somebody interrupted—lately, the latter was more frequent than the former and she wondered what that meant for them.

The knock at the door came before she knew it and she felt like a teenage girl about to be picked up for her first date. Only this time, her father was there to intimidate the boy so bad he refused to so much look at her all night long. Kate rolled her eyes at the memory as she strolled through the apartment to answer the door, her face immediately lightening when she saw the bouquet of daisies covering his face.

"I don't remember ordering any flowers," she mused and Castle's deep laugh came from behind them, the flowers shifting to the side to reveal his handsome, smiling face and those deep blue eyes.

"They're complimentary," he replied, presenting them to her. "Some lady followed us for three blocks until I purchased them from her."

"Well, she looked like she could use the money," a voice behind him said and Martha appeared from behind him. "Hello, Katherine, darling," she greeted, opening her arms for a hug. Kate didn't even hesitate before stepping into them. Martha honestly gave the best hugs since her mother—maybe it was just a mom thing. When they pulled back, the redhead was beaming at her. "You look lovely, dear!" she exclaimed. "That dress is a wonderful fit for you and just perfect for today. Don't you think, Richard?" She turned to Castle with a knowing glint and he nodded, giving Kate 'that look'.

"You look beautiful," he said, reverently, and she blushed.

"Thank you," she murmured, looking down at the flowers in her hand. "Um, I'm just gonna go put these in some water and then we can go." She didn't wait for his reply before heading off into her tiny kitchen.

She had three vases. One was from her Aunt Theresa, who'd got it on sale somewhere and decided that she couldn't keep it because one of her many, many cats might knock it down and break it. It wasn't special and it was literally made of fragile glass, so Kate had to keep in wrapped up so it didn't crack randomly. The second was some clay thing her cousin's son had given her for her birthday years ago. It was glazed and painted all kinds of colors, but she never used it because of the hole in the side that had water spilling out of it. But she kept it because it was something special from her family. Speaking of family, the last vase was her mother's. It was tall and blue and had waves and seashells painted on it. Kate remembered the day they got it, in some furniture store on the Jersey shore when she was about 13 years old. Her mother had fallen in love with it and there was a constant stream of flowers coming into the apartment to keep it in use and out on the center of their kitchen counter, where all could see it.

And it was Kate's favorite. Her father had insisted she take it with her when she moved out. He told her that it was inevitable that she would have suitors who would bring her flowers and that her mother would want her to keep this vase for exactly that. It was ridiculous and maybe he was half-drunk when he said it, but Kate didn't try to argue with him. She loved that vase because every time she looked at it, she saw her mother tracing patterns on it with her fingers, telling Kate stories about how when she was little, she used to roll around in the sand and giggle like a maniac. And how she was determined to learn how to surf when she was five, but instead ended up with a mouth full of sea water and a starfish stuck to her butt cheek, which made both of her parents laugh.

Kate smiled at those memories as she pulled the vase down from a high cupboard and set it in the sink. She filled it halfway with water and set the bouquet, sans the wrapping paper it was wrapped in, inside, pressing her nose to the flowers for one last sniff.

"You ready?" Castle's voice said in her ear and she turned, finding him alarmingly close to her, those blue eyes practically staring into her soul and making her heart stutter. Their noses were an inch apart and all she would have to do was lean in and…

"For all the yelling you did about me making us late, Richard, you'd think we'd be on the road by now!" Martha's voice floated through the apartment and Castle sighed while Kate chuckled, instinctively leaning into him. His lips brushed against her forehead; accidentally, at first, but then she could feel him press a firm kiss to her hairline and she, in turn, buried her nose in his shoulder, smiling against his shirt. They stayed like that for another moment, before he pulled away and offered her his arm.

With a shy grin, Kate took it, grabbed her clutch from the counter, and allowed him to guide her out. She pretended not to notice the knowing glint in Martha Rodgers' eyes as she took her son's other arm and they were off.

-O-

Alexis's graduation was interesting…

Kate knew that she was the only person who wasn't related to her graduate in any way (even thinking of Alexis as "her" graduate was kind of weird.) but Castle made her feel right at home with his arm slung casually over the back of her chair as he leaned in every so often to whisper a tidbit about the kids he remembered growing up with Alexis. Like Thomas, the boy who once pulled her hair so hard that a chunk of it came out and Alexis cried the rest of the day. Or Andrea, who was Alexis's best friend before Paige, but then went full Goth and they drifted apart for a while. They were friends again but not like before, which seemed to sadden him.

When Alexis approached the stage for her speech, he stopped talking and sat up perfectly straight, those blue eyes riveted to his redheaded daughter. She'd never seen him so focused on anything in his life and it was almost hilarious; how much attention he was capable of paying to something despite being the so oft described "nine-year-old on a sugar rush." Kate pulled out the camera—which she only saved for very special occasions—and snapped a few pictures of him, of that laser focus. Then she turned her camera to Alexis and smiled as the girl spoke loud and proud, her voice not trembling even once as she recited the speech Castle told her she'd spent many hours stressing over.

At the end, Alexis found them in the audience and beamed into the camera, giving Kate a little wave in the older woman waved back with one hand while the other snapped a quick photo and then she, Castle, and Martha started to clap with everybody else. She felt tears well in her eyes and her heart filled with a ridiculous sense of pride given that she wasn't even this girl's mother. But she didn't care too much about that because, dammit, she had watched Alexis grow into a beautiful, intelligent young woman and she was proud as hell.

So she clapped and whistled and acted like a total dorky mom like all the rest of the women sitting there with her. She could feel Castle's eyes on her the entire time, but she didn't turn to meet them, too embarrassed of what she might find if she did.

When they met the teen outside of the auditorium afterwards, she was practically bouncing on her toes with pride and excitement. "I did it!" she squealed in lieu of greeting and Castle picked her up in a tight bear hug and spun her around.

"Yes you did!" he exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you, Pumpkin!" Alexis laughed and hugged him back before he placed her back onto her feet and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then she turned and got a huge hug and kiss from her grandmother.

"Europe," Martha said, her hands cupping the girl's round cheeks. "Starting next week, we will be taking a tour of all the most magical cities, from Paris to Rome—all of them. Just you and me."

"What about the Hamptons?" Alexis asked, but her voice was full of wonder and Kate could tell that she was conflicted. But Castle just smiled at her.

"We'll take a trip up the weekend before you go off to college," he promised. "You should be back by then, right?"

Alexis nodded, her face splitting into a large grin as she threw herself back into his arms. "Thanks, Dad!" she murmured into his neck and he pressed a kiss to her forehead, before letting go.

Then Alexis turned to Kate, who'd watched with a soft smile of her own. "Congratulations," she said, after a moment of silence. Alexis smiled shyly at her.

"Thank you, Detective Beckett," she said.

Kate rolled her eyes. "You can call me Kate, Alexis," she said. "I'm not on duty right now."

Alexis laughed. "I know," she said, "but it just feels so…strange to call you Kate. You've always been Detective Beckett to me."

"Well, hopefully that changes soon," Kate said, chancing a quick glance at Castle, whose eyes flashed with something she couldn't name, before she reached into her clutch and pulled out a green envelope. "Here," she said, handing it to Alexis. "Happy graduation."

The girl's eyes widened as she gingerly took the envelope from the older woman's hand. "You didn't have to get me anything," she said, softly.

Kate shrugged. "It's kind of customary to gift a graduate," Kate said. "Especially one who's about to spend a ton of money on her school of choice."

Alexis smiled at her and opened the envelope. Inside was a card with a funny, pop-out message, and an Amazon gift card for "Three hundred dollars?!" Alexis gasped, looking up at her.

"For textbooks," Kate explained. "I remember how much mine were and that will just barely cover one, if you're lucky."

The next thing she knew, her cheek was pressed into a crown of red hair and Alexis's arms were around her waist, cap knocked askew on her head. Castle snatched it before it could fall off and Kate just stood there, paralyzed for a moment, before her arms came up to wrap themselves around the shorter girl.

"Thanks, Kate," Alexis murmured into the crook of her neck and the detective smiled.

"You're welcome," she said, softly, then pulled back to look into Alexis's eyes—which were lighter than Castle's, but still held that youthful, affectionate energy. "I'm very proud of you," she said, feeling a lump form in her throat. The memory of her mother's voice saying those exact words echoed in her ear and she could see tears flooding Alexis's eyes as she beamed up at her. A flash of sadness in those same eyes—assumedly as she thought of her own absent mother—and then she nodded, clearing her throat.

"Thanks," she said again. Kate's smile widened and she impulsively kissed the younger girl's cheek, then slung her arm around her shoulder as they turned back to Castle and Martha, who were both smiling brilliantly at them. "What?" the girls asked simultaneously.

Castle's smile widened, but he shook his head. "Nothing," he said, then cleared his throat. "'How about we go grab a bite to eat before your party begins and Gram has to leave for her vacation, huh?"

"Remy's?" Alexis asked, hopefully.

"Is there anything else?" Castle snorted. "Come on, pumpkin; milkshakes all around, on me."

"Isn't that kind of messy?" Kate teased, blushing slightly as his hand brushed against hers on Alexis's back.

"Hardee har har," Castle replied, wrinkling his nose at her. Kate and Alexis both snorted and Martha gave a cackle as she grabbed her son's arm and the four of them headed out of the school.

-O-

Later, after a lunch full of jokes, laughter, and more eye rolls than she ever remembers giving him (with a little help from Alexis, who seems to have developed the bad habit—Castle blames her for this), he walks her to her apartment. It's just after two in the afternoon and they only have about four hours until their movie date—because, for the life of her she cannot think of a better word that doesn't sound completely lame—is set to begin.

He lingers as she pulls her keys out of the clutch purse and sets to unlocking the door, standing closer to her than usual. When she turns back to say goodbye, he's as close as he was before, in her kitchen; closer even. Their noses are practically brushing and his eyes are noticeably darker, glancing down at her lips before rising to meet her eyes.

Suddenly her throat is dry and she swallows thickly in an attempt to clear it, her tongue poking out to swipe at her bottom lip and his eyes darken further, causing her breath to stutter slightly and her head to lean forward slightly, unable to resist their draw. This seems to be all the permission Castle needs as finally close the gap between them.

When their lips touch, it's more tentative then she'd thought would be. She was expecting the fire that had encompassed their first kiss over a year ago in that alley. The kiss that had taken her by surprise in more ways than one. But, instead of that blazing inferno, it was more like a slow burn that took over her body inch by inch. His hands on her hip and the curve of her cheek, pulling her into his body, left embers in their wake. Her hands, in turn, wound around his neck, the clutch and keys dropping from her hands to wind in his hair, her lips gliding softly against his.

The word—or rather phrase—that had repeated and echoed over and over in her brain the last time they'd kissed was, "holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck," until she'd lost nearly all brain function from the feeling of his lips on hers. At least, until she'd forced her eyes open and pistol-whipped that guard and walked away, stumbling with Castle on her heels. She couldn't even look at him back then.

But now he's all she can see as she closes her eyes, focusing her attention on the shivers that run through her entire body as his lips brush hers, again and again. She just barely registers her front door connecting with her back, because his body feels like the sun against her front, pressing himself as tightly against her as possible, as if trying to force their bodies to fuse together. She doesn't mind, though, her hands clawing at his back and one coming back around to pull at the blood red tie he's wearing, her lips pressing insistently to his.

It's a kiss that she'll remember later, when she's alone in her apartment, still catching her breath as she readies herself for their date. He'd practically fallen back from her when his phone rang, nearly tripped over his own two feet to answer it, leaving her in a puddle against the door.

"Hello?" he'd said, clearing his throat. His face turned beet red in the next second as he turned back to her, his eyes now only half as glazed as hers, his lips covered in her lip gloss. The sight of him made her want to laugh, but she didn't have the breath for it. "Hey, Alexis," he said and she matched his shade of red. "Yeah, I'll be right down. Tell the cabbie to keep the meter running. Okay. Bye, pumpkin." He hung up the phone.

"You're not staying?" she'd asked before she could stop herself. She bit her lip as she waited for his answer and received a large grin in return as she leaned back into her, his forehead pressed against hers and their noses brushing. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling him as she let a smile tug at the corners of her lips.

"I would love to stay," he said. "But I have to go home and blubber for a little bit over my daughter's graduation." She chuckled at that and opened her eyes to see those baby blues staring back at her, shining happily. "But, uh," he said, swallowing thickly, "I'll see you later?"

"It's a date," she said, and she could feel his breath stutter against her lips as he took in the weight of her words. She chuckled and shook her head. "Castle," she breathed, "we just made out against my door; that's not nearly as shocking as—"

He'd cut her off with another earth-shattering kiss, hands cupping her cheeks and tongue sweeping over her lips. She was about to grant him access into her mouth when he pulled away, suddenly, breathing heavily as he bent over for her keys and purse. He held them out to her, standing nearly two feet away. She reached out for both with shaky hands and chuckled as he pretty much backed away the second they were in her grasp.

"I'll, uh, I'll see you later, Be—Kate." He smiled that bright smile at her and didn't even realize when he hit the wall at the end of her hall. The smile never left his face though; not even as he turned and sprinted to the elevator. She watched him with a smile of her own and sighed as she turned back to her door, unlocked it, and stepped inside.

The second she was in, she fell back and let out the squeal that had been threatening to break free from her lips since the second he kissed her forehead hours earlier. Then she slid down the door to the floor and fell sideways with a girlish giggle. Sometimes it was good to feel like a teenage girl.

Especially one whose blue-eyed crush kissed her back.

I worked two days on this (on and off because I had theater auditions—I got the part—and work to do. I also started my own theater company with a new friend and had to sit with my grandpa through his physical therapy so it's been a busy week so far) and there's a possibility for a continuation in the next Caskett chapter I do because I really like the idea of this being their first date. Next, however, is a Becalexis chapter, so give me your thoughts on this one in the REVIEWS. Thanks for reading guys!