Kate opened her door to find him in a tuxedo, holding a bouquet of roses.

His eyes got wide.

"Wow."

She bit her lip, watching as he stared at her. Her face got warm.

"You look stunning, Kate."

The dress wasn't hers. It was a rental. But it was tight and short and so not what she normally wore (her wardrobe stayed bland, black, and stage-appropriate) that she was having trouble accepting it herself.

"Do you mind?"

Kate didn't get it, but she let him take her hand as he stepped back to glance over her appreciatively. Lanie hadn't let her back down. The dress was a skintight little blue number, practically painted on, the neckline cut down much further than she would ever have picked for herself.

She was preparing herself for some witty comment, a teasing remark containing the words short or tight or easy to remove, but he surprised her.

He just smiled and offered his arm.

"Renee! Joyce! Dmitri! Simon! Diana! How is everyone? You started without me?"

The VIP lounge was crowded, noisy and buzzing. Kate looked around and died inside, watching all of her favorite singers waving at them. Every opera star she'd seen at the Met in the past two years. And they were Richard Castle's friends.

Oblivious to her little moment, Castle just tugged her hand to pull her with him. "Guys. This is Kate Beckett, my new collab. You should have heard her play for Alexis. Phenomenal."

She joined the crowd with him, smiling and shaking hands, pointedly aware that Rick Castle was walking her straight into his world.

The opera was perfect. Manon had long been one of Kate's favorites, and the gala performance was a beautiful new production.

After the final bows, it was back to the glittering crowd, more champagne and wine. Kate curled her fingers around her glass, leaning on the railing overlooking the front windows. The chandeliers were glittering fiercely, bright crystal stars, and the fountain outside arched gracefully, surrounded (as always) by crowds of tourists.

"Am I interrupting?"

She turned to find Castle beside her, watching her inquisitively. "You are. But I don't mind."

"Good." He leaned on the railing beside her. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad to hear that." He took a long sip from his champagne flute.

"Castle. Rick." She suddenly wasn't sure what to call him. "Thanks for - this. For bringing me tonight."

He looked down for a moment, like he was looking for words. "I want you to feel like you belong. Here. With this crowd. And for the record, everyone likes you."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah." He grinned. "Simon said to tell you whenever you get tired of me, he's - I think his exact words were, 'open for business.'"

Kate choked a little on her champagne. Castle nudged her with his shoulder.

"Better make sure you don't start roving. I'd hate to have to break in a new pianist."

As the towncar pulled up to her building, Castle turned to her. "For the record, this is the nicest night at the opera I've had in a long time."

"What about when you're performing?"

"Okay, yeah. That's fun too." He grinned. "But I like this company better."

Her face got hot.

He insisted on walking her to her door ("just to ensure your safety, Miss Beckett"), and as they crossed to the elevators, she saw him eyeing her building more closely. The apartment had been in her family for a long, long time; the building was quite a bit nicer than she'd normally be able to afford.

Her hallway was empty, as usual. As she fished her keys out of her clutch, she was hyperaware of him, standing beside her - close, not hovering, his cologne wrapping her in subtle warmth, and the champagne and sparkle of the evening and En fermant les yeux was still swirling in her ears.

She turned back to say good night, but that wasn't quite enough.

So instead of saying it, she set her hand on his shoulder, leaned in, and kissed him on the lips.

The kiss was long and slow and drugging, his fingers tangled in her hair, and her whole body was a live wire, alive and buzzing against his.

The kiss finally ended, and she sucked in a shaky breath before looking up. He was staring at her, his blue eyes bright, his expression dazed. He looked thoroughly, adorably kissable.

So she stole one last kiss and opened her door.

"Good night, Rick."

His mouth turned up in a smile, and that's it – that was a bit more like the charming Rick Castle she'd expected.

"Till tomorrow, Kate."