Yay! Faster update! And only one more week 'til a new episode! :)
Two Easter Eggs in here from movies that I like. Brownie Points if you can find them! :D
I really don't have anything else, so I'm afraid, without any ado whatsoever... Chapter 9!
(ooh, if you count that one, ^^ then there are three XD)
Enjoy :)
Oh, got no reason, got no shame,
Got no family I can blame,
Just don't let me disappear,
I'ma tell you everything, I swear...
A month had gone by in honeymoon-phase bliss. After they had told Alexis and Martha, Kate had been spending a considerable amount of time at the Castle loft, sharing dinner, movies, and conversation. It seemed natural, and it fit perfectly into the lives of all involved. Alexis already thought of Kate as a role model and someone she trusted. Martha felt like Kate was the daughter she never had, and worried over her as much as her own son when cases got dangerous.
Rick and Kate were just happy to be spending more time together, because time at work seemed to be not enough recently. Kate was still gun-shy about telling her co-workers at the precinct, so it became a place of zero-tolerance for PDA. Although it was here that the main portion of their day that they got to spend together occurred, they were not able to enjoy it to a full extent, which made the days crawl.
Nights, however, could not go faster. Every time they settled in for a movie, or even some off-the-clock theory building over cases, the clock seemed to skip a few hours, and the next think they knew, it would be time for one of them to leave. Goodbyes lengthened from a peck on the lips and an "Until tomorrow" and a "Night", to long, languid kisses where they both got so lost that eventually one of them had to shake the fog from their heads and break the moment before things got out of hand.
There was nothing about this that they wanted to rush, so for the whole month, there had only been two sleepovers. Once, because Kate insisted he stay after downing a decent amount of beer after a particularly trying case, and twice because he begged her to stay with him when she was so tired she could barely lift her head off his shoulder at the end of a movie. These sleepovers consisted of just sleeping, and maybe a few cuddles because Rick was too good at making his puppy dog eyes for Kate to say no. Her heart would melt as she scooched closer to him, feeling his strong arm wrap protectively across her waist.
One night was a particularly late one at the precinct. A victim had shown up the day before, shot to death with a Glock17; a nine millimeter handgun. The case had been driving them in circles, and the pair was both on edge.
"Glock17's are standard issue handguns for almost every NYPD precinct. I don't know how we can possibly narrow it down. Plus, that means we've got a hell of a lot of cops as suspects." Beckett said with a livid edge to her tone.
"But you never know, someone could have ganked it. Or they could have one of their own. We have to find that weapon." Castle countered.
"But we have to start somewhere, considering we don't even have a crime scene!" Beckett was nearly shouting now. The body had also been moved, so it was unclear even where the vic was murdered. She was so frustrated. "I hate this case!" She growled, a favorite line for times like this.
Castle replied with his own favorite quip, "I know! Isn't it great?"
Beckett glared at him. "Castle, I don't need this right now. I have a potentially dirty cop on my hands, and all you can do is make jokes. Go. Home." Her words bit at him, but he brushed it off.
"Not a chance, detective. You can't get rid of me this easily." He moved to stand directly in front of her. "C'mon. We can go home and order in. I know neither of us has eaten much today. We can get a fresh start tomorrow." He reached for her hands, trying to get her to stand up to put on her coat.
She smacked his hands away. "Not me. You. I am going to keep working." She did stand up, but instead pushed past him and walked briskly to the break room.
Rick stood there a second, a little shell shocked. Sure, she had kicked him out before, but that was before they were... well, whatever they were. He half jogged after her. She was getting a cup coffee, with her back turned. She felt his presence, but decided to ignore it, hoping, foolishly, that it would drive him away. Instead he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He was just about to nuzzle into her hair when she slammed down her cup and turned in his grasp.
"Rick, I'm not playing around here!" She hissed. "And get your paws off of me. We're at work!"
Rick looked at the ground, knowing he had broken a rule. "I just thought..." he started.
"Don't think! Just leave!"
The words stung. He backed away, with an incredulous look on his face. "This is about more than just the case, isn't it? It's got to be, because there is absolutely no one else here. Look. I know you're tired, but that doesn't give you the right to yell at me!" He was almost yelling back. Lowering his voice he added, "If you're that ashamed to be with me, then..."
"God Rick, you are so obtuse sometimes! I just need to work, and yes," she hesitated for just a moment, lowering her voice. "I might need a little space."
"I just know there is something going on deeper here, Kate. You always trusted me before... Let me in. Please?" When she just stared at him with an unrelenting look on her face, he sighed. "Fine. How much space?" He asked, knowing he had gravely misjudged last time he was ordered to give a woman her space.
"Just go home tonight. I will see you tomorrow," she said in a softer tone, thinking she had finally won. She turned back towards her desk with a flourish.
Rick sighed. At least she hadn't asked for more time without him around. He looked through the window to where she sat, writing furiously. He figured she was just writing a request for a warrant, and although he was curious, he knew now not to push it. Sometimes Rick Castle didn't know when to stop, but with Beckett, he was learning, and he was learning quickly.
He returned to her desk only to pick up his coat, and to utter a quick "sorry" and a "night" before he was off. She nodded once, and went back to the murder board.
It wasn't until he reached to get his keys that he found a folded up scrap of paper in his coat pocket. It was from Kate, and it read:
Rick-
I am sorry. I had no reason or right to snap at you. This case just is biting at me. And you'll know why soon enough. Please know that I am not ashamed of you. I'm just not there yet. Maybe it's because you are more important than any of my exes ever were. I tend to not be great at this kind of stuff, and I don't want to mess this up... Not this time. I may want space... but don't let me disappear completely, okay? I know that I have made a habit of that in the past.
-Kate
There was a part of him that was utterly surprised that she actually wrote those things down, and another part that expected her not to be able to express something like that out loud. He smiled slightly, taking the last line as a challenge. Yes, she could have space, but there wasn't a chance in hell that he would let her slip away.
Finding that despite not eating much all day, he wasn't very hungry, Rick decided to not call and order in like he was planning to do if Kate had come with him. Unlocking the door, Rick stole into his silent apartment, as to not wake his sure-to-be-sleeping daughter. He kicked off his shoes, hung up his coat and padded to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of wine. He took a long sip before he even re-corked the bottle and exhaled slowly. Nothing decompresses quite like red wine, he thought. Shaking his head slightly, remembering the last time he decompressed like this, he corked the bottle and headed to the couch. He picked up the book he was nearly finished with, and settled in for read for an hour or so before trying to go to bed. He knew he had to get his mind off of Kate, or else he would never sleep.
Not even thirty minutes into his chapter, he heard the softest knock on his door. He had to stop reading and process what he thought he heard to even realize that it was in fact a knock. Setting down his wine glass, he went to the door and found a slightly sheepish detective on the other side.
"Couldn't stay away, could you, detective?" He smiled genuinely as to not change her mind by being too impish.
Seeing the sincere look in his eyes, Kate held up a bag of food, with the word 'sorry' written on the slightly crinkled white paper. "I thought you might be hungry."
He grinned and let her inside, not hiding the fact that he was absolutely enthralled that she had shown up. Settling in with their burgers and shakes, which Kate had ordered flawlessly, knowing his order by heart, he said,
"Now here I was, thinking I was going to have to dig you out of your hole, and here you are."
"Well you can put down your shovel, but don't walk to far from it," she chuckled in between sips of her shake.
"What do you mean?"
"Rick, I know I am not the easiest person to get close to. Things have been really great but... I can't help feeling a little crazy now and then. There is not much you can do about it, and I am trying to work on it... But it's just my little broken back story rearing its ugly head."
He gave her a small smile of understanding, and she went on.
"I have a great time when I'm with you, even before we started dating. I don't want to lose that because I have... well, baggage." She hesitated. "I don't usually tell people that, but you... you know so much already that I feel like I have to say it, even though I know that you know." She stumbled through her sentence, trying to line up what her heart was saying with how her voice was expressing it.
"I do know." He gave her a warm smile, telling her he understood what she was going for.
"I'm assuming you read my note..." He nodded a little, wanting to thank her, but he let her get everything out. "I meant it," she continued. "Don't let me block you out as I am likely to do." She wrapped up the trash from her meal and rearranged herself so she was facing him. "This could be complicated." She said at last. "You know, on the first one, I crashed and burned."
"And the second?" He said, wrapping his arms around her middle and pulling her into his arms.
She smiled, tossing her head back just a bit. "Mmm... I don't know... but it's looking good so far."
Kate leaned into him, hovering her lips above his. He reached up, gently twisting his hand into her hair, and pulled her the rest of the way to him, capturing her lips with his. She smiled into the kiss, catching his upper lip between her teeth softly, earning an almost inaudible growl from deep in his throat. She let her hand that was pressed against his shoulder slide down, pulling the rest of her body flush on top of his. He responded to the contact by tightening his grip in her hair and around her waist, locking her securely to himself. She sighed, reeling for a moment as she always did at the pure electricity that buzzed between them intensifying as they got closer together. She felt him pressing up against her, trying impossibly to draw her nearer. He nuzzled her cheek to the side, planting kisses down to her neck and shoulder and nibbled gently on the soft skin there, causing her to produce the sweetest sound. He gasped, feeling the shock of her moan rip through him. He reluctantly pulled his lips from her silky skin when she reached down and lifted his chin. His complaint was lost as she pressed her lips once more to his, once, then twice. Hovering over him once more, she was beautifully breathless, and he took a second to memorize the moment.
"Hey," he said softly. "I thought you were hungry." He didn't want to stop for anything in the world, but he knew better than to push it, or to get in the way of his food-deprived Kate.
"Mmm... I am. But what do you say to having a backwards meal?" She smirked, cryptically.
"Backwards meal?"
"Yeah, it means we get to eat dessert first."
Yes yes, I am evil for breaking it at this point. Don't worry, we are kicking it up to 'M' next chapter! :D
Reviews are lovely!
