Pit Stop
Esposito found an empty waiting room down the hall so that Kate could sit. Her
confrontation with Fournier had left her shaking. He grabbed a soda from a
vending machine in the corner of the room and brought it to her.
"Here, drink this." He handed her the cold can.
She took the can from him and held it against her cheek for a moment before moving
it to rest against her forehead.
"You gonna be ok?"
"I'll be fine, I just need a minute."
He sat down next to her to wait. After a few minutes of watching her sip from the soda
can, his need to know got the better of him and he took the chance of incurring her
wrath to ask her a question.
"So, did you really mean what you said in there?"
"Hell yes. I'll toss him to the Russians in a heartbeat if it comes to it."
"No, not that."
"What then?"
"What you said about you being in love with Castle."
Kate didn't reply right away, and then he noticed tears beginning to form in her eyes.
Damn, why in the hell did he have to open his big mouth? He had to fix it.
"I'm sorry, I…"
"No," she reached up the back of her hand to wipe away an errant tear that had slipped
down her cheek. "…I just…"
To hell with it, he jumped back in.
"Come on Kate, you can't keep denying it."
"I'm not denying it. It just…it scares me."
"What! Badass Beckett, scared of being in love?" The statement earned him a glare.
"I'm not scared of being in love. I'm scared of what it's doing to me. I've covered up an
attempted murder and I've threatened a suspect; my moral compass has gone out the
window on this, and I'm scared to think what else I might do to try and protect him."
"The world's not just black and white Kate, there's a lot of gray in it."
"Yeah, well I like black and white; it's less complicated."
Esposito shook his head at her reply. "Well I've learned that you better get used to gray
if you ever want to have a lasting relationship."
"When did you become Dr. Phil? I can manage my own relationships, thank you."
"Oh yeah, I can see how well you've done so far."
She'd heard enough.
"I gotta go." Kate quickly left the waiting room and headed down the hall with Esposito
on her heels.
"I'll walk you to your car."
She never replied, but she never said no, so he kept on following. They walked on to the
parking garage elevator, neither one speaking. Kate mashed the button and they waited. When
it arrived they had to wait as a large family exited carrying armloads of flowers and a
bouquet of helium filled balloons that exclaimed We Miss You! and Get Well Soon!; the
balloons became snagged along the top of the elevator.
"Sorry," someone apologized before they managed to tug them free.
Stepping into the empty elevator, Esposito put his hand to the panel and looked over to Kate.
"What level?"
"Six."
He pressed the button and as the doors slid shut, he took the opportunity of having her
trapped to risk speaking again.
"Have you told him yet?"
"Told him what?"
Esposito shook his head and executed a perfect Beckett eye roll. Talking to her was like
pulling teeth sometimes.
"Have you told Castle that you love him yet?"
She stood there, silently wishing this conversation would go away, but she knew it wouldn't.
"No."
"Why not? You waitin' for him to make the first move? You've got the man walking on so many
eggshells around you that he'll never say anything."
"He already has."
"What, when?"
When I was shot. He told me that he loved me when he was holding me."
"And you two haven't jumped between the sheets and done the hot and nasty yet, what is
wrong with you two?"
"Jesus Esposito, you're starting to sound like Lanie. Do I need to tell you to shut up too?"
The elevator stopped and the doors slid open.
"Hey, I'm just sayin'."
Kate stepped out of the elevator and put her hand on Esposito's chest when he started to step out.
"I got it the rest of the way." The door started to slide shut.
"I don't get you two?" He had to add a parting shot as the doors closed.
He could have sworn he heard her say, "shuuutt uuup!" as the elevator started back down.