AN: So, here's the next chapter. Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews for this story. I really appreciate them! Also, Happy Mother's Day to those celebrating it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.
Rick enters the bathroom just in time to spot Beckett disrobing in front of the good-sized claw foot tub she possesses. When he'd visited the first time and used the facilities, he'd been astonished at the size of it, curious as to why she'd have a tub so big. Now he knows.
"I thought about doing this at the beach, but with the summertime..." she says, shrugging at the unspoken danger.
"Right," he replies, licking his lips at the sight in front of him. Kate Beckett in nothing but a blouse and black boy shorts. In her bathroom no less.
"Focus, Castle," she gently scolds, unbuttoning her shirt and throwing it to the floor, leaving her only in a white bra. She raises an eyebrow, smirking as she stands, hands on her hips. She's a vision, with nicely toned abs and legs, narrow hips, perfect breasts, from what he can see, and one sexy smile.
"You're making it extremely hard to," he mutters. His focus isn't the only thing becoming strained. If Beckett notices, and he's certain she does, she doesn't comment. Instead, she steps closer to the bath.
"Ready?"
"Yes!" His tone shifts to that of a little kid on Christmas.
Rolling her eyes, she lifts one tentative leg, dipping her foot into the tub. With more confidence, she adds the other foot and a minute later, she immerses herself in the water. He approaches the tub and sees the water shimmer, almost glow, around her legs. The shine moves along until it reaches her neck and stops, slowly fading. As it does, he realizes her body has grown longer, her upper body pushing farther upward.
His gaze moves toward her feet again, and sure enough, she's sporting a fin.
"Hold on," she says, gesturing for him to move aside. Then, with impressive arm strength, she pushes her body out of the bath and plops herself down on the toilet lid. From this vantage point, he's able to examine her new form more closely, and no surprise, she's enchanting.
A gossamer fin tip flicks around as he observes her, the ends brushing the floor tile. The translucent tips feed into one long, gorgeous, almost glittering, purple tail that finishes around her hip, pieces of the same material as the ends surrounding her waist. Her torso is pretty bare, with the exception of a shell-shaped black brassiere.
"So?" she quizzes with a smile, tail swishing playfully.
"You're beautiful," he breathes, eyes roaming her shape. Unable to contain himself, he asks, "Can I touch it?"
She chuckles. "Sure."
Placing one hand on the tail, he gently rubs it. To his surprise, it doesn't feel too scaly, more smooth, almost like...satin?
"It's part of the allure," she explains, sensing his confusion. "They're scales, but to humans it feels nice and soft." She wiggles the appendage.
He gently strokes, moving his hand up and down, enjoying the sensation of her lightly shaking her tail. It appears she's relishing in the massage as well as her head leans back, eyes closing, a carefree smile on her face.
"I've never had someone touch my tail before," she admits with a hum. "It's nice."
Her tail twitches again, seemingly in happiness. Hmm, interesting. He makes a mental note to revisit that later.
"Okay, that's enough." She sits up. "Can you please toss me the towel so I can dry off? You can cook us dinner while you're waiting." She gives him a full on grin, and he chuckles as he hands her a cloth. Something tells him he'd never say no to anything she asks.
"Okay, okay, but I still have questions."
"Of course." She nods, shooing him away.
He shuts the door on the way out to give her some privacy.
Now, time to cook some dinner.
Kate stares at the towel in her hand, her mind still processing what just occurred. She begins to dry herself off, her brain going into overdrive. Castle just saw her in her mermaid form.
And is fine with it.
Okay, well, the him being fine with it doesn't really shock her. It's more of the fact that he was so gentle about it and respectful. She's heard tales over the years of what has happened when a human sees a mermaid in their true from for the first time. The person is usually shocked and then is overcome with lust and attempts to pursue the mermaid. It apparently has to do with the type of pheromones merpeople give off or something. However, Castle did none of that. What it means, Kate has no idea. All she knows is that she likes him touching her tail and wouldn't mind if he does it again.
As she finishes drying, her tail disappears, legs replacing it. She kicks her feet, happy to have them back. While she doesn't hate her mermaid form, she's more comfortable with her human parts.
Walking into her bedroom, she combs through her dresser until she finds something cozy to wear. As she throws on a pair of yoga pants, her nose catches a whiff of something from the kitchen, hints of oregano, garlic, and other ingredients swirling in the air. Mmm, smells delicious.
She pads into the kitchen, stopping and taking in the sight in front of her. Castle is moving around the space as if he belongs there, stirring something in a pot before opening the oven.
"Hey," he greets. "I settled on chicken parmesan, if that's okay with you."
"It most certainly is," she replies, taking a seat at the counter. Raising her eyebrows, she smirks. "So, come on, I'm sure you're exploding with questions."
He pouts playfully, digging out some plates from her cabinet. "Does it hurt?"
She shakes her head. "Nope, never has. It's pretty uneventful, with the exception of the glow." One of the thing she's thankful for, particularly since she shifts so often.
"You said no one's touched your tail before, so does that mean no one else has seen it?"
She sighs. "Yeah, only my parents and you know what I am. No one else has ever seen it." She always ensured that any guy she'd been with, the few that there were, left before she cleaned herself up.
The mischievous smile on his lips hints at his next question. "What happens with your clothing?"
She snickers. "It comes back," she responds as he serves her a plate. She inhales, almost moaning at the smell. "Why, I don't know. But it does make it more convenient to change back." Running around New York City naked is not her ideal way to spend time. She may be soaking wet when turning human again, but at least she's clothed.
She notes a flash of disappointment in his eyes, but it vanishes. She rolls her own, before asking, "So any other questions, or can I eat?"
"I'm done...for now," he teases.
She snorts, taking a forkful of the dish and bites. Mmm, it tastes as divine as it smells. Oh, which reminds her, she should probably mention that other little factoid.
"Also, my senses are a little heightened," she says. "Not a lot, but for example, I can smell some of the different ingredients in the sauce and I can hear your heartbeat, but it's muted."
It surprises her, how easily the information spills from her lips. It doesn't bother her to share all of this with him, but it should. She internally groans at the thought. The elders are going to have a field day with this the next time she sees them.
"That's so cool!" His eyebrows furrow. "But wait, if your senses are are higher than a human's, how come you didn't react to the hot coffee?"
"If my body senses something dangerous, it dulls my feelings and attempts to protect me from it. Its usual reaction is to just absorb it."
"Huh." A contemplative look crosses his face and then he shrugs. I
They eat in silence for a few minutes, both polishing off their plates quickly.
"Wanna watch a movie?" he asks. He doesn't seem to want to leave, and if she's being honest with herself, she doesn't want him to.
"Sure."
She rifles through her sparse DVD collection and finally picks a movie.
"John Woo?" he questions, his tone conveying surprise and joy.
"Yep! Glad to see you're a fan too."
Given her lack of a television, they settle for viewing it on her laptop. It requires close quarters, with them almost snuggled up to each other, but neither complains.
The day catches up with her eventually, her eyes slowly fluttering closed in the middle of an intense action scene. Her head leans into Castle's shoulder and soon, she's fast asleep.
She thinks she hears him chuckle.
About an hour later, the credits roll on the screen. Castle sighs, closing the laptop, his free hand gently stroking the ends of Beckett's hair, reveling in the softness of it. She must sense his touch because her eyes open halfway, her expression groggy. It's adorable.
"Hey," he murmurs. "I think it's time for me to head out."
"Okay," she grumbles, getting up. He swears she pouts, but it disappears.
"Thanks for having me over," he says as she follows him to the door.
"Well, you are persistent," she jokes.
"Mmm hmm," he hums. He won't even deny it at this point. "Well, until tomorrow." He glances at her for a moment before slowly leaning in, his lips ready to press a chaste kiss against her cheek. However, she must have other ideas since her head turns, causing his lips to touch gently against hers, their mouths moving in sync.
It only lasts for a moment, but the feelings the kiss evokes in him are indescribable. Dare he say it, magical. He craves more, but doesn't want to overstep.
"Goodnight, Detective." He steps away, his body flooding with warmth.
"Night, Castle," she replies, a smile on her face, eyes dancing with mirth.
He opens the door and steps out, his fingers touching his lips as he walks down the hallway. He can't believe he did that, not that he regrets it. Also however brief, his lips had caught a taste of something sweet, but he can't put a finger on what it is. Regardless, he desires more.
Hopefully, Beckett does too.