A/N: Ok, we're getting further and further from the real show universe and into one I've created in my own mind. But it's a pretty cozy place I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a side of Beckett that we don't get to see very often in the show but I think it's very real and does exist. I think this is what I would do if I were in Beckett's shoes and I think we actually have a lot of similar personality traits. So I hope that this feels in character. But I'd love to hear what you think!
Chapter 9
"Can I shower first?" he asked her, looking innocent enough. She almost cracked a smile but instead she rolled her eyes.
"After I've had mine." She said pointedly at him and went off in the direction of the bathroom.
"If you need any help washing your back, just yell." He said with a huge boyish grin on his face. "I'll be there in a flash."
"I'm taking my gun with me." Her voice rang out from the bedroom but he could tell she was smiling as she said it.
"Party pooper." He replied and continued to eat his cereal while he glanced over the paper. He heard he water start running and he tried valiantly NOT to think about Beckett taking her clothes off. Then he tried equally hard NOT to think about Beckett in the shower, running her hands over herself as she soaped up. Well, he did TRY.
It wasn't long before he heard the water turn off in the shower and he stood up from his place at the table. He put away both their bowls and was heading in that direction when suddenly and very scantily clad Beckett appeared in the doorway.
His eyes took in her bare skin above and below her towel and he swallowed hard. He met her eyes, expecting anger at his lingering stare. Instead he found amusement, the kind that said she was enjoying the fact that she actually had total control over him at the moment.
"I'm done. I think the clothes you left the last time you slept here are in the closet." She said and lead him into her bedroom.
A fully clothed Castle eyed Beckett as she sipped the last of her coffee, leaning against the counter in the kitchen. "Where are we going exactly?" she just smiled with her eyes over the top of her mug.
"Somewhere very peaceful, Castle." Was all she'd say.
"You should know you're making me very nervous. There will be people to report me missing if you kill me." He pointed out, leaning against the opposite counter.
"Castle, I'm not dumb enough to spend a life in prison over YOU." She said, though the smile on her face said she didn't really mean the insult. "Come on then." She said, putting her mug down. She grabbed her leather jacket from the closet, putting it over her white t shirt and jeans. She held his jacket out to him. "You're gonna need this." She said. She went to the side table where all of her stuff lands when she gets home every day. She holstered her gun in the small of her back. Her badge went in a coat pocket and her phone in the other. She grabbed her keys and motioned to Castle to follow her out of the building.
He followed her out of the building and down to the sidewalk but he stopped when she passed her cruiser. "Umm, Beckett. I think you're forgetting something." When she turned on her heels, he pointed to the car with his thumb. His eyes looked wary.
"This is not an official trip Castle. We're not taking the cruiser." She said and turned again and continued walking. He scampered after her, hot on her heels.
"What do you mean? Where are we going?" he asked when he reached her side. All she did in lieu of an answer was cut her eyes at him. He was getting nothing out of her.
She led him a few blocks away to a parking garage. Thoroughly confused, Castle followed, silent for once. When they'd climbed the stairs to the third landing, he noticed a sparkle in her eye. She walked to a set of lockers that adorned one of the walls and pulled out her keys. He leaned against the lockers as she opened it, feeling lost and a little annoyed. Suddenly she was handing him a helmet, with a blank face. He just stared at it for a moment.
"Well you can't come if you don't take it." She said to him, grabbing her own helmet from the locker. A slow grin spread across his face as realization dawned on him.
"Seriously?" he asked, still not taking the helmet from her.
"Don't make me regret this." She said and he finally took the helmet from her, a dopey smile still on his face. As she walked away from him, he couldn't help but notice a little extra swing in her step. He followed her to a space where her Harley Softail was parked and he stood back in awe as she looked it over. She slid on the helmet before she threw her right leg over the bike to straddle it. He just stood there with the same stupid look on his face when she turned to meet his gaze.
"Well get on or I'm gonna leave you." She said.
"Sorry, I'm just trying to remember this forever." She rolled her eyes at him as he slid his helmet on. He threw his leg over, getting settled behind her on the bike.
"Have you ever done this before?" she asked him over her shoulder.
"Never." He said, still smiling. She surprised him by grabbing his hands and placing them firmly on her waist.
"Put your feet up and hold on. When I lean, you lean. Got it?" she asked over her shoulder. He moved his fingers slightly on her sides, finding a comfortable position.
"Yep."
"Good." She said and cranked the bike up. It roared to life and she bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling too big. She maneuvered the bike out of the parking garage slowly and onto the street. She aimed the bike in the direction she knew would have the least traffic to get them out of the city. It was slow going while in the city limits but once they crossed over, the lanes opened up. Biting her lip again, she eased the bike into a much higher speed, loving the way the wind blew through her hair. She felt Castle's hands grip harder on her sides out of surprise. She felt his body lean in closer to hers and she smiled again.
They continued on the highway for a few miles until she took an exit onto a country road that would lead them to the same place. But it would be more fun. She was pleasantly surprised at how well Castle read her bodily cues, leaning into curves with her effortlessly.
Twenty minutes out of the city, his hand slipped from their perch and slid around her waist. There wasn't a whole lot she could do about it at the time. She thought for a moment and decided she really didn't care.
She urged the bike up in speed again, feeling a little reckless. This is what she did to feel better. Actually this, and sex, is what she did to feel. It got her adrenaline pumping and her head buzzing. She loved it.
Castle, to his credit, was rolling with the new fearless Beckett he was encountering. He loved it, not to mention the current positioning of their bodies. And the fact that he got to see Beckett straddling her beloved bike. It needed a name, he decided.
Another thirty minutes went by and the two were still just enjoying the sensation of almost flying. Occasionally around a stiff curve he hung tighter to her waist and he never seemed to release that added tension. At one point she would have sworn he was smelling her hair. His head came up to rest on her shoulder, watching everything around him. He stole several glances at the pure glee on her face. It made him happy.
As they neared their destination, Beckett felt at ease with life. The turmoil in her mind about the case had subsided and she felt the weight of it lift marginally off her shoulders. She'd accomplished her goal and cleared her head. As she turned the bike up a gravel drive at a crawl, she expected Castle to lean back and release her but he remained exactly where he was. She smiled.
She caught sight of a man walking around the house in work boots and overalls. A huge smile split her face and she raised her hand in a wave.
