DE-LIGHTED with response to last chapter. Thank you all so much. It took a while to get to the plot but I did it! Hurrah!
Hopefully I can keep it somewhat believable now. Note: I'm not sure what way Internal Affairs in the US or anywhere for that matter, works. Probably a suspended cop being investigated would remain so or if they'd resigned they'd remain so but hey it's fan fiction and it's my story!
ELEVEN
Castle and Beckett hung around just long enough to make conversation with Ryan and Esposito before deciding that there was no point in doing a post mortem on what had happened inside. The fact that their captain seemed to be on side with them was vital and Beckett trusted her to come up with a strategy for them. There was nothing for them to do but go home.
She caught Castle's eye and signalled toward the elevator and he nodded. They bid their goodnight to the other two, who seemed to be back on talking terms at least and headed for the elevator.
As the doors closed, she let out a loud sigh and dropped her head on his shoulder.
"Internal Affairs," she said wistfully, "Unless Gates comes up with something big, we're screwed." He didn't know what to say, so he just turned his head and planted a soft kiss in her hair.
"It'll be fine Beckett, we'll get through this," he tried to sound as strong as he could be she looked up at him.
"Castle, they're going to start investigating and these guys are going to come for me. How can we get out of telling them that?" she was shaking her head and he could see the panic in her eyes. He took her face in his hands and planted a soft kiss on her lips.
"Kate, listen to me. I am not going to let anything happen to you, I promise. They can try but they are not taking you away from me, you understand?"
She knew it was all words and tough talk, knew that if she couldn't fight these guys Castle definitely couldn't. But it didn't matter. It was the emotion behind the words that got her and she found herself maybe not believing him but feeling more reassured and she nodded her head.
"Ok," she said softly and he kissed her again.
CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE
They had dinner later that evening with Martha and Alexis and settled down in front of the TV with both to watch trashy shows with popcorn and make jokes. Alexis was already getting excited for university despite the fact that terms didn't start for another couple of months.
"I've got to start planning what I want to bring and when I'm going to move all my stuff to my dorm and there's just not enough time…" Alexis was saying and Beckett was smiling at the enthusiasm of the teenager sat in front of her.
"Alexis, calm down! You're moving a few blocks away. It's not as if you can't come home if you forget something!" he smirked and she threw him a dirty look.
"Dad, I told you, you're not allowed to get possessive. I need my space and you're so not allowed to drop in uninvited," she said suddenly with a look of horror on her face such that Beckett curled her knees up to her chin and chuckled.
Castle pouted before sitting back in his seat, shoulder brushing off Beckett's. He looked at her, made a comment about 'after all he'd done for his daughter' and feigned a puppy dog style sad face. Alexis stood up and walked over to the couch, leaning forward to place a kiss on her father's forehead.
"You'll get over it Dad."
"I don't think I will," he said sniffing and Alexis stood back.
"Well if you're sure nothing will help then I'm taking the last of the ice cream from the fridge…" As she moved to walk away, Castle reached forward and grabbed her, pulling her back down onto the couch next to him. Beckett laughed as the teenager landed between her and Castle, shrieking as she did. Martha shook her head, raising her eyes to heaven as she stood.
"I'm not sure which one is the bigger kid, him or her."
"Him. Definitely him." Becket responded as Alexis managed to pull out of her father's grasp, bidding him goodnight as she did so. She wanted to go Skype a friend in her room and then she was going to get some sleep. Castle smiled and nodded to her. Martha followed after her, leaving the two alone on the couch, the TV long since muted in front of them.
"You want to stay up a while?" he asked, his arm reaching around her, fingers drumming some unknown rhythm onto her shoulder. She looked at him and smiled before shaking her head.
"No. I actually, I just want to curl up in bed with you and forget all about this day," she said softly and he smiled before thinking about earlier that morning.
"All of it?" he asked quickly and she chuckled as she stood.
"Maybe not all of it, it started off pretty well," she corrected, walking towards his room. He switched off the TV and followed her.
CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE
She hadn't been joking. She'd literally gone into the room, brushed her teeth in his en suite bathroom. Then, while he'd been in there, she rummaged through his wardrobe and found a t-shirt of his to wear and crawled into bed.
When he returned, the image of her curled up in his bed in his t-shirt warmed his heart and he stripped to his boxers and climbed in behind her, spooning her, his lips automatically finding a spot on her neck to kiss.
"You ok?" he said softly and felt her nod her head in front of him. He tightened his grip around her and pulled her close to him, "You sure?" He knew by her, even already, that she was worried. Hell, he was too. She turned in his arms, slipping a leg in between his two.
"I'm kinda freaking out, Rick," she said, slotting her head in beneath his chin and he swallowed, bringing a hand up to the back of her head, his fingers in her hair.
"I know. I am too," he said, knowing that it was better to be honest with her at times like this than to try and be flamboyant and tell her everything would be fine. It was what she needed to hear earlier on in the elevator but now, when it was just them, he knew he could tell her the truth.
She sighed against his chest and the warmth of it tickled his skin. He placed a soft kiss on her head and tightened his grip on her. She didn't say anything more and he couldn't bring himself to continue on that line of conversation. He shifted slightly next to her so that they were face to face. Her eyes were closed but he knew she was still awake.
"I like it when you say my name," he said softly and her eyes opened, a smile reaching all the way from her mouth to the creases of them.
"Yeah?"
He nodded his head, letting his hand run down her side onto her thigh. She smiled and edged closer to him.
"I like it when you say mine too," she said almost shyly.
"Really? Whenever I say it you always shoot me a look," he said, his thumb tapping out a rhythm on her thigh which he had pulled up over his hip to get closer to her. She had smirked when he did, her lips coming within an inch of his.
"That's because you'd say it in front of Gates or the boys and they already thought something was going on!" she chuckled, resting a hand on his cheek. He turned his head and placed a kiss on her palm.
"Well, they were right. You just couldn't see it," he teased.
"I could. I just…well, you know all of this…" she trailed off and he smiled so she continued, "Castle, there were so many times in the last year that I wanted to tell you I loved you but…I guess at the end of it all, there's nothing like falling off a building to give you some encouragement…" she stifled a laugh and he leaned forward, kissing her softly, turning her so she rolled onto her back, letting him settle above her. He balanced on one elbow above her while his other one roamed over her body, softly.
"You can tell me as often as you like now, I won't get tired of hearing it," he whispered against her lips before kissing her again.
CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE
Beckett woke sometime later that night and sat up. She looked over at the clock beside his sleeping form. It was 4am She sighed and flopped back down, her head hitting the pillow. His arm was laced around her waist and she smiled at how cuddly and territorial he was. She'd never expected anything different.
But she couldn't get back to sleep and soon her squirming around roused him from his own slumber.
"Kate?" he said sleepily, "are you ok?" His eyes hadn't yet opened and she felt really bad for waking him now. She sighed.
"Sorry, I can't sleep," she whispered quietly before running a hand across his cheek, "You go back to sleep, I'm fine." He shook his head without opening his eyes.
"Nah-uh, tell me what's wrong."
She chuckled.
"Castle, it's 4am. I'll tell you tomorrow,"
"You won't sleep if you don't talk out what's bothering you," he said matter of factly and she groaned as she burrowed back into the bed covers next to him.
"Ok. When I was…are you even awake?" she said suddenly, noticing that he still hadn't opened his eyes. She poked him in the shoulder and he smiled back at her, eyes still closed.
"Yes I'm awake but if I open my eyes the sight of you in my bed will just distract me…" he grinned and she shook her head, chuckling.
"God Castle, I didn't realise you found it that hard to control yourself around me…" she teased, pushing her body up against his and running a hand over his bare stomach. He moaned softly.
"Four years Kate, four years. That's all I'm saying,"
She chuckled and settled down against his chest, his arm wrapped around her. He squeezed her softly as a reminder that she was going to talk about something. She sighed.
"Rick, I know I asked you if it bothered you that I wasn't a cop and you said it didn't, right?"
"Correct."
"Would it bother you if I told you that, actually, despite everything, I still do want to be a cop? I know I told you I'd resigned and I didn't need it but…I do. It's part of who I am, Rick and I know I can separate myself from all the horrible things, I know it won't be easy but…"
He interrupted her before she could finish. He had opened his eyes and was smiling at her as she babbled.
"Kate. I never asked you to stop being a cop and I never would. If that's what you want to do, I'm right behind you. I told you already, whatever you need me to do I will do. Except let you lose yourself. That promise remains, whether you're a cop or not," his voice had turned to a whisper and she smiled as he leaned forward to plant a kiss on her lips.
She smiled into the kiss, not caring that it was 4 o clock in the morning and that they had to be up in a couple of hours. She suddenly realised something that had taken her four years. The only thing she'd been missing for them was him. The thought suddenly made her very afraid of what was going to happen in the coming days with Internal Affairs. She broke away from him, vocalising that very thought. He held her close.
"How about we cross that bridge when we come to it? Come on, let's get some sleep," he said softly and she nodded, turning away so that he could fold his body around hers, his hand coming to rest over her heart. She smiled and brought her own hand up to cover his.
CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE
Ok, bit of a random chapter there. I had intended to drop another bombshell towards the end of this one but it wasn't reading right so I saved it for someplace else. Hope everyone is still enjoying. There's a lot of fluff but it's just so much fun to write! More soon.
