Here it is, for all of my fellow Caskett shippers… the first of a few scenes that will focus entirely on Castle and Beckett... As much as I've surprised myself by actually having fun with writing the case into the story, my heart is still very much committed to writing the relationship part of the storyline above anything else. This is the kind of material that I thoroughly enjoy writing, and I just hope you all enjoy reading it!
As always, reviews are welcome, whether good or bad! I've gotten a lot of great encouragement and also some wonderful insights and suggestions from people so far, so I just want to say that I appreciate all of it!
Without further adieu…
Chapter Eight
It was a beautiful night in the city as Castle and Beckett left the precinct and headed off towards her apartment. They walked in silence for a few minutes, taking in the crisp air. There was a tension between them that both could feel, yet it wasn't an awkward one for either of them.
Castle noticed that Beckett was different outside of work. On the job, she took the lead and walked with a determined step. Here, she walked at a much more leisurely pace, letting Castle stay by her side and almost enjoying the quiet stroll. He found himself thinking that he liked this other side of her and was determined to see it more often.
Beckett's mind had been reeling all day, trying to piece the puzzle of the case together, and she found it a nice change of pace to not be thinking about it now. She was so used to being consumed by her work, and although she wasn't sure how Castle was able to offer her such a wonderful distraction from that, she was thoroughly enjoying it.
"So, detective," Castle started, breaking the silence. "Did you miss me this summer?"
Beckett smirked and looked over at him. "Why, Castle, did you miss me?"
Castle grinned. "I asked you first." He replied, not letting her turn the tables on him so easily.
Beckett thought about how to answer that. Of course I did, she thought to herself. Instead of admitting that, she opted for her usual brand of sarcasm. "Well, it was a lot quieter." She started. "And I didn't have anybody around to annoy me all day…"
Castle winced and Beckett decided to give him the answer he was looking for. "Honestly, Castle…" She began, pausing slowly before she continued. "It really wasn't the same around her without you."
Her comments earned a glowing smile from Castle, and she realized she liked having that effect on him.
"The cases simply weren't as fun." She added. "It just kind of felt like work again."
Castle's smile grew.
Beckett laughed. "Plus, Ryan and Esposito acted like they'd lost their puppy. It was really quite sad." She finished, smirking at Castle by the end.
Castle laughed. "Well, I missed them a lot too." He paused, making sure he could watch her expression as he added, "And you, of course."
Beckett did her best to contain the smile that spread across her face and turned her gaze to the ground. She hesitated before she replied, "You must have had a great time in the Hamptons, though." She kept her eyes focused straight ahead, not sure she could look at him when he gave his answer.
"Actually," he started. "It wasn't as much fun as you'd think." Beckett turned her attention back to him, thrown by his response.
Castle looked ahead as he continued. "I mean, it was nice to get back to writing every day, like I used to. It's just…" He paused, trying to find the answer in his mind.
Beckett kept focused on Castle, her brow furrowed as she waited for him to finish.
"It felt more like work. Writing used to be everything to me, my way of living in whatever world I wanted to." He continued, turning his gaze back to Beckett as he added, "I guess I just realized how great this world really is, how much I wanted to be back in it again."
The two kept their eyes locked on each other for a moment. His words had clearly affected her, and he was more than a little surprised by that.
Beckett was the first to tear her gaze away, composing herself before asking the question she had been dying to know the answer to all summer. "Well, at least you got to patch things up with your ex-wife, right?" She held her breath as she waited for his response, not sure if she would be able to hide her disappointment.
"Gina?" Castle replied, thrown off by Beckett's question at first, but then realizing she obviously didn't know. He laughed. "Trying to patch things up with Gina is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline… it's not actually possible, and you just end up getting burned."
Beckett laughed, now quite at ease. "Was it really that bad?" She asked.
Castle put his hand on Beckett's arm to stop her in her tracks as he turned to face her, trying his best to maintain a serious look on his face. "Have you ever seen those nature shows where the snake swallows a mouse whole?"
Castle used his hands to imitate a snake devouring a mouse, making just the right facial expressions and sound effects to earn a genuine laugh from Beckett. He couldn't help but smile at her reaction and they both started walking again.
"Well, I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, Castle." Beckett replied, sincerely.
Castle looked over at her. "Thank you." He replied.
They walked on in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Her mind was now reeling at the knowledge that he was no longer with Gina, and his was working just as hard to figure out whether or not to bring up the subject he'd be waiting all night to ask her about. After another minute of silence, he decided to take his chances.
"Listen, Beckett, I'm sorry about Demming." He started, watching her closely to gauge her reaction. "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have brought it up, I swear."
Beckett's brow furrowed, stunned at what Castle had just said. How did he know? She thought to herself. She tried to reply, but couldn't find the words.
Castle continued. "And I'm sorry that it didn't work out between you two."
"How…" Beckett stammered, still unsure of what to make of this unlikely turn in the conversation.
"Ryan let it slip." Castle admitted, now feeling guilty for bringing it up again.
Beckett nodded and clenched her jaw, obviously annoyed. "And what exactly did he tell you?" She kept her gaze looking ahead, not wanting to make eye contact with Castle, fearing how much he knew at this point.
Castle looked slightly puzzled as he replied. "Just that you two weren't together anymore." He paused, watching Beckett's face relax a little. He decided to press on. "Listen, if you want to talk about it…"
Beckett smiled at his the sincerity in his tone. She did her best to avert her eyes from his, forcing herself to look away when she felt her gaze return to him for a moment every now and then as she spoke. "There's not much to talk about. He's a great guy and I liked him a lot, but…" She trailed off, not sure how to continue. She wasn't ready yet to admit her real reasons to him, but she also didn't want to outright lie to him either. "I just realized he wasn't really what I wanted for myself."
Castle remained focused on Beckett as he did his best to control the smile that was threatening to come out. He knew this was difficult for Beckett to do, to be so honest about herself, and he didn't want to ruin the moment.
"Well, sometimes it's tempting to settle." Castle started. "But you, Kate Beckett, you deserve everything you could ever want, and you shouldn't settle for anything less."
Beckett smiled, working hard to hold back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. That may have been the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me, she thought to herself.
The two locked eyes once again, almost basking in the moment together.
"Too bad, though…" Castle started, breaking the silence. "I really liked that guy…"
Beckett laughed. "Really?" She asked, sarcastically, as she raised her eyebrow at him.
Castle shook his head in defeat. "No, I didn't…"
They shared a laugh together before Beckett stopped walking and looked up at the building they had come to.
"This is my new place." She said, motioning to the apartment building, suddenly feeling tense again. She almost didn't want him to go, enjoying this time they were spending together outside of work. Still, she didn't dare extend an invitation to him to come in, even just for a casual coffee.
Castle felt rather disappointed, knowing their late-night stroll was now officially over and he would have to wait until morning to see her again. Despite this, he felt happier and more at ease than he had in months, just being able to talk to her like this and be close to her again.
The two remained silent for a minute or so, neither wanting the night to end yet neither being able to take it further.
Castle was the first to break the silence. "Well, it's late, detective, and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
Beckett nodded. "Right. So I'll see you in the morning?"
Castle smiled. "Yes you will." He paused, keeping his eyes fixed on hers. "Until then, detective."
Beckett grinned right back at him. "Goodnight, Castle."
She watched as he turned and started to walk away. Before he could get too far, she called out to him. "Castle?" She asked.
He turned back around to look at her.
"I'm glad you're home." She said, grinning.
Castle returned the smile and replied, "Me too, Beckett, me too."
He watched as she turned around and unlocked the lobby door, disappearing into the hallway. Castle beamed from ear to ear as he started on his way home.
