Shout out to Trinxy who gave me this item suggestion a few months ago.

All typos belong to me… that is all.

Chapter 11 - "Finding Peace"

The delectable aroma from the caramelizing onions filled the apartment as Beckett tended to the red wine reduction that was simmering on the stovetop. The pork tenderloin in the oven was almost ready, and the radicchio and endive salad was mixed. She only needed to add the diced artichoke hearts.

After an exhausting week and an emotionally draining case, Beckett suggested they unwind with a quiet, home-cooked dinner, but since Martha had hijacked the loft to host an interactive workshop about how to present mimed performances in the style of Theatre of the Absurd, the partners decided that their safest bet was to escape to TriBeCa for the evening.

They'd been spending so much time at the loft lately, they'd almost forgotten how comfortable they both were in the solitude of Beckett's small apartment.

It felt like home to them just as much as the loft did.

But that had nothing to do with the decor or the square-footage. Home would be wherever they both were. Together.

And tonight, together was a peaceful evening without the company of Hurricane-Martha and thirty of her closest thespian friends.

Beckett loved Castle's mother and how welcoming and affectionate the diva has been since she entered her son's life… but sometimes she just wanted to embrace a sense of quiet domesticity with Castle.

And tonight, cooking was - coincidentally - on the menu.

She stirred the reduced sauce slowly once more as Castle busied himself setting the table. He'd already taken the plates into the dining room, but his attention was drawn as he crossed back towards the kitchen, pace slowed as he gazed over at her front door, back arched slightly.

"What's wrong, Castle?"

"Hmm?" He snapped out of his trance, facing her inquisitive stare. "Nothin'," he replied in his most innocent tone of voice.

"You sure?" she prodded, grinning slightly.

"Uh…" he muttered, getting utensils from the drawer, "Yeah."

Beckett raised one of her eyebrows and shook her head slightly as she gave him the benefit of the doubt, putting on her oven mitts. "Ohh...kay…"

Removing the meat from the oven, she looked up to see Castle placing the forks and knives beside the plates as she put the hot creuset on the countertop.

His nervous movement caught her attention once again as she - from the corner of her eye - watched him peer around the wall as if he was in a spy movie. Something was definitely of interest to him.

"What?" she insisted.

He glanced up at her quickly, caught completely off-guard. "What what?"

Her curiosity was whetted. She tossed the oven mitts haphazardly onto the counter and padded to the middle of her hall in order to get a clear look at the doorway.

Her eyes scanned the entrance area intently, giving it a quick but thorough once-over.

Nothing was out of the ordinary. Everything was where it should be… nothing out of place.

"What's so interesting about my front door, Castle?" she huffed as she returned to the kitchen, shutting off the stove's gas burners.

"Nothing," he remarked off-handedly, eyes wide.

"Then why do you keep staring at it?" She tossed the chopped artichokes into the salad and drizzled the balsamic vinaigrette over the contents of the bowl.

Castle traipsed across the room and picked up the dish. "It's… it's not the door…" he mumbled sheepishly as he carried the salad into the dining room, putting it down next to the open bottle of Sancerre.

"Well, if it's not the door, then wha-"

"The Buddha," he blurted, cutting her off.

"Huh?"

She floated over to stand beside him, shoulder to shoulder between the kitchen and the dining room, gazes locked on the large wooden head of the Buddha sitting beside her front door.

"I've had that for three years, Castle," she challenged. "Why so curious about it now?"

He paused for a moment before humming, "Well…. it's…. um…."

"Big?"

"Creepy."

She pursed her lips together to repress the chuckle that building in her throat, but her eyes betrayed her amusement nonetheless.

"It's not creepy, Castle," she giggled, holding up an open palm to halt his impending protest.

Her palm found its way to his chest as she turned towards him. "C'mon," she smiled cajolingly, patting her hand lightly against his quivering pectoral muscles. "Let's get some food. I'll tell you about it over dinner."

"So?..." he hinted, wiping a serviette across his mouth.

She looked at him inquisitively as she speared a few leaves of radicchio with her fork.

"Big, brown Buddha head?..." he elaborated.

Kate smiled as she watched the wordsmith lean to the left marginally, still seated in his chair, peeking another glance at the large wooden bust next to her front door. "Found it at the Golden Buddha a few years ago," she noted as she savoured the tart flavours of the salad.

"Golden Buddha..." he pondered aloud, narrowing his eyes as he returned his attention to the detective. "Why do I know that name?"

"It's a little book store and tea shop next to Terrific Authentic Nick's pizzeria."

"Ah..." He paused a moment before adding, "Never pegged you as the type to hang out at a religion shop."

She furrowed her brow lightly, shooting him a piercing glare. "I find your lack of faith... disturbing."

He was momentarily taken aback by her comment, voice slightly defensive and apologetic. "Well it's not like-"

He cut himself off mid-thought, caught suddenly by the sly grin teasing at the edge of her mouth. "Wait... Did you just quote Darth Vader?!"

She eyed him mischievously, pursing her lips together to suppress a taunting, impish smile.

"...sexy..." he breathed, his whisper heavy and flirtatious.

Beckett shook her head slightly, rolling her eyes, amused by how easy he was as a mark. Adorable. She took a sip of Pinot Noir as she refocused her thoughts.

"What do you know about Buddhism, Castle?" Her voice was honest,serious.

"A little..." the author smiled. "Founded in the mid-fifth century B.C.E. by Siddhartha Gautama who later became known as The Buddha, or 'The Enlightened One'." He canted his head, taking a moment to read her face. "Teaches that through meditation, non-violence and good works one can travel the path to self-improvement as the way to achieve enlightenment."

She nodded as he spoke, impressed. "Book research?"

"Thought of writing a warrior Buddhist Monk character for one of my early Storm books… tossed that idea when I discovered it was contradictory concept," he shrugged, a small grin tugging at his lips as he reached for his wine glass.

She beamed at him, indescribable hues of yellow and red reflecting in her eyes. The dancing flame - from the single candle which sat between them on the table - flickered, enhancing the ambiance of the dimmed space.

"Know anything about Siddhartha himself?" she asked, voice soft.

"Other than the fact that he grew up as a Hindu prince? Not much... no," he admitted, setting his fork down on his plate, prepping himself for whatever tidbit she was about to share. What layer she was about to uncover.

"When Siddhartha Gautama was young, he was pampered, spoiled," she began quietly. "He wanted for nothing... but he was unhappy." She glanced up at the writer whose eyes were intensely focused. "He was living a toxic life from which he wanted to escape, but he didn't know how."

Kate toyed with the food in front of her, poking at it gently, eyes glazing over. Allowing the full weight of her statement to permeate his mind, Castle leaned forward, attention rapt as he rested his hands on the table in front of him, fingers laced together.

Her voice was somewhat hypnotic as she continued. "One day, he saw a man tuning a sitar... too tight and the chords would snap... too loose and they'd flop." She lifted her gaze to watch the flickering candle, mesmerized. "Realized that to achieve inner-peace, you have to find balance in your life."

Waking from her reverie, she lifted her eyes to meet his. She saw nothing but adoration all over his face.

"He called it The Middle Way," she stated with a light smile, pushing her chair away from the table as she placed her fork on her plate.

Rising from the table, Beckett picked up both plates and walked them over to the kitchen, depositing them on the counter next to the sink while Castle refilled their wine.

She padded over to the living room, settling herself into the corner of the couch as Castle followed her lead, sitting down beside her, handing her one of the glasses. Beckett sipped at the rich, red liquid, daintily tracing the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip, eyeing her glass as she savoured the flavours that were tickling her palate.

"So?..." the writer pressed, clutching the bowl of his wine glass with both palms.

She took a deep breath, prodding deliberately at the Union Jack throw pillow that sat beside her. "After my apartment..." She choked slightly on her words. Clearing her throat, she began again. "After my apartment... exploded... I started to think about my life. What I was doing. What was important..."

Castle canted his body towards her. Her eyes met his in a fixed gaze. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she wordlessly observed his arm reaching forward, his fingers gently wrapping around the stem of her wine glass as he removed it from her grip, gingerly placing both glasses on the coffee table.

She averted her gaze briefly, looking across the room at the Buddha sculpture for a brief moment - the flickering light of the candle in the dining room spreading an ethereal glow across her line of sight - before returning her attention to Castle who was now kneeling on the floor directly in front of her, sitting back on his haunches, one of her hands enclosed within his left palm as he delicately tucked a few stray tendrils behind her ear with his other hand.

Her eyelids felt heavy, closing instinctively as his warm palm cupped the side of her face, the pad of his thumb brushing slow, soft lines back and forth along her high cheekbone. She opened her eyes after a few minutes of peaceful, reflective silence - rich hazel twinkling as they stared into the watery depths of deep blue. Her left palm came up to her cheek to meet his hand, enclosing itself overtop, their soft fingers linking together as the rhythmic palpitations of their hearts beat as one.

She smiled warmly, her fiancé beaming back at her.

"And?..." he whispered, fingers toying delicately with the silky, chestnut hair that was framing to edge of her jaw.

"I was that sitar chord for too long," she sighed emphatically, closing her eyes again. "Too wound up… too high strung… too tight... unbalanced."

She exhaled softly, opening her eyes slowly, before adding, "I was so close to snapping and I didn't even realize it."

Castle opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by two of her fingers tenderly pressing against his lips.

"Captain Montgomery was right…" she breathed quietly, voice calm, sincere. "I wasn't having any fun until you came along… spent too long chasing ghosts… living life with one foot out the door..."

He brushed a gentle kiss to the tips of her fingers that were still resting against his mouth, but he remained silent - quiet eyes speaking volumes as they glistened with pure adoration for the woman sitting in front of him.

"Buddhism is all about letting go of desire… the desire of always wanting more," she explained softly as his left hand began to skate along her thigh, smoothing along the side of her slim waist. "It's about looking at what you already have… appreciating what's right in front of you."

Her eyes locked with his, a smoldering abyss of emotional depth gazing back at her, as her fingers released his lips, open palm smoothing along his cheek, caressing the side of his face.

His hand reciprocated her fiery touch. Mirroring her action, his warm palm kissed her cheek, fingertips skimming the length of her jaw, thumb tracing the edge of her tender lips.

"I can't believe it took me so long to see what was right in front of me for years…" she muttered to herself, almost inaudibly.

"People see what they want to see," Castle whispered, echoing his own words from years ago.

Kate's hand stilled momentarily as she allowed the profundity of his words to suffuse her mind. He rose slowly on his knees - the need to be closer to her impossible to ignore - as her palm trailed around his head, finger tangling with the soft hairs on the back of his neck. His thighs pressed against the front of the sofa, her legs straddling his, their bodies drawn magnetically towards each other - the gravitational pull overpowering and intense. Faces inches apart, they silently breathed the same oxygen - the air sweet and heavy.

Beckett's eyes swept over Castle's face, his expression tender - but he said nothing, allowing her the peace of the moment. Giving her whatever time she needed to meditate upon her thoughts.

She studied his features intently, fingertips memorizing the edge of his ear. Her other hand smoothed across his strong chest, up his neck, cupping his jaw as her thumb traced the length of his satiny lips.

His arms snaked around her svelte waist. Creeping their way under the hem of her cotton t-shirt, his large palms splayed against the small of her back, pulling her to the edge of the couch cushions. The searing heat of his body pressing against her own encouraged her to say the words that had been caught in her throat.

"You, Castle..." she whispered softly, ghosting a kiss on the corner of his mouth before leaning back to meet his scorching gaze once again. "I see you."

xxxxx

Happy New Year, everyone!

Thought I'd start off the year with an 'awwwwwww' and go from there. ;)

xxxxx

In case anyone is curious, 'The Golden Buddha' is, in fact, a store next to the pizza shop. It was seen in the background of the first murder scene in "Kill Shot".

xxxxx

My wish for all of you in 2014 - I hope you find your new dream.

(yes, I just quoted Tangled… :D )

Judge away. :)