A/N: You guys are in for a treat.
Previously...
Josh picked up his stuff, and is now out of Kate's life. Castle and Beckett are going undercover as a married couple.
Chapter 12
Outside the restaurant, Beckett was briefing Esposito about their plan to get Collins. "You and Ryan are going to be in the van recording the conversation. As soon as we make the deal, come in and we'll take him down."
Ryan held out his hand holding the ear pieces to Castle and Beckett.
"Got it." Esposito nodded his head as he stepped inside the van, after Ryan.
With the door still open, Ryan turned around with a sly grin, "Have fun you two."
Beckett slid the door shut, before he was able to get another sentence out. She looked at Castle and saw him smiling.
"Let's get this over with, please. I need this night to end." Beckett said, grabbing his arm.
"Whatever you say, dear." Castle added, as he offered her his arm in a more subtle way "So, what are our cover names? I can't say I'm a writer."
"You don't have to say your last name, you can stick to just Richard."
"Oh come on, where is the fun in that?" He whined. "I want the full experience of going undercover."
She rolled her eyes, "Fine. What name do you want."
"I was always a fan of the name Peter."
"Seriously?"
"What is your name going to be?" Castle asked, facing her.
"Why do I need to change my name?"
Castle stared at her.
Shaking her head, she chose a random name. "Elizabeth."
"Thank you. That is all I ask, after you my lady." Castle said, opening the door.
They walked through the doors of the classy, five star restaurant that Collins chose. They heard a band, playing soft music. There was a bar to the right of the entrance. The rest of the restaurant was filled with tables occupied by well dressed businessmen, and wealthy couples.
Still holding on to "Peter's" arm, she was looking at all the possible exits Collins could take. There was only logical escape route he would take, and that was the front door. It would be too much of a hassle to exit through the kitchen.
"Keep a look out on the front door." She muttered to Ryan and Esposito.
Castle walked up to the host, and gave him the name Collins told them to go by.
"Hello, my good man." Castle greeted. "Do you have a table under the name Bennet?"
The host looked at his book, "Yes, your table is ready. Right this way."
"After you, Elizabeth." Castle grinned, letting Beckett walk ahead of him.
The Host turned around and led them to their table, which was in a secluded corner. It had a direct path towards the front entrance. Beckett made a note that Collins was prepared for a quick exit. Therefore, she had to be more than ready for any mishap that may happen.
They sat down in the two chairs that were next to each other. There was an empty seat across from them. They waited for close to five minutes, when Castle gasped, "We don't have a background story. What if he tries to catch us with off hand questions. We are so not prepared for this."
"Castle.."
"Shh, it's Peter." Castle said looking around, checking if anyone heard her.
"Peter," Beckett began. "We have known each other for three years. I know you just as well as you know me. I think we will be able to handle anything he throws at us."
"But we don't know each other as a married couple. What side do you sleep on? DO you talk in your sleep? What do you wear to bed?" Castle asked the last question with a little hope in his voice.
Beckett glared at him, "You're a writer, use your imagination."
"Whatever you say, Lizzy." Castle smiled.
Beckett narrowed her eyes at him.
He tore his eyes away from hers, long enough to see a man in a suit, walking towards them. He unconsciously took Beckett's hand in his, and intertwined their fingers. Beckett looked down and was about to pull away, when he squeezed her hand gently. She lifted her head, and followed Castle's gaze to see Collins making his way to the table.
When he arrived, Castle stood up and offered to shake his hand. Beckett noticed Collins was hesitant, but he ended up taking it.
Castle introduced her, "This is my beautiful wife, Elizabeth."
Beckett stood up, taking Collins hand to shake. She could tell he was sizing them up. As they were in the process of sitting down, Beckett turned her head so Collins wouldn't see her whisper in Castle's ear.
"He's suspicious. Try to sell it." She cleared her throat, and faced Collins.
"So you want a baby?" Collins wasted no time.
"Yes, Lizzy here just isn't able to...you know." Castle wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Reproduce?" Collins finished.
"Well, honey, we would have a better chance, if you had any juice left." Beckett shot back.
Castle's face straightened as he released her hand, "Oh, I have plenty juice left, baby." He leaned an inch closer to her.
"Guess you just don't know how to use it, then." She also leaned in a bit as well.
(Esposito and Ryan, who were listening the whole time, looked at each other.)
Beckett was in the middle of staring Castle down, when she heard Esposito's voice in her ear.
"Uh guys, sorry to interrupt, but we are trying to catch a murderer, who is sitting two feet away from you. Can we try to stay focused. You can continue your little talk about each other's juices, later."
Castle had to suppress a laugh. He faced Collins, "We would love to have a baby."
Collins shifted in his seat, "How long have you been married?"
"Three years. Feels like thirty." Beckett answered, with a bit of honesty. She felt like she had been working with Castle for way more than three years. This man helped her through so many tough moments in her life. Whether it was her mother's case, or almost being blown up, he was there.
"It will be, someday." Castle said softly. He moved his hand back to it's original spot, holding hers.
Beckett froze. She did not miss the sincerity and sureness in his voice. The waiter came to their table and asked what they wanted to eat.
Collins was fascinated by this couple. Usually, when he met with potential buyers, they would act so desperate to please him, that they did not even seem like they loved each other. These two were different. He saw it in their eyes, the way they looked at each other. It was like looking at a couple, who just started to realize their infinite love for each other.
His curiosity was eating at him. "How did you propose to her?" Collins always asked this question. Even if it does not matter to him, a part of him loves to know how creative a man can get for the woman he loves.
Beckett was caught off guard. She did not think he would ask something like this. A murderer cares about the money and the kill. She was going to say something simple, but Castle started answering before she had a chance.
"Well it was not easy." Castle began. "Me and my brilliant mind, wanted to take hers off thinking that I would propose to her. I was hoping it would be a surprise when I finally did it. So what do I do? I made her believe that I never wanted to be married."
Beckett was listening intently. She forgot that she should know this story already, seeing as how they were "married".
"That sounds like a terrible idea." Collins said.
"It was." Castle took a sip of his water. "Turns out Lizzy felt very strongly that if I was not going to take this relationship to the next level, we should end it." He looked at Beckett, who was sitting a few inches closer to him.
"So, how did you get her back?" Collins was very into the story now. He had not heard anything like this yet.
"My friends told me she took her bags moved out of our apartment. I thought my life just came crashing down. Talk about a backfire. I went home, where I found the apartment lit by candles on every surface, throughout the living room. The radio was playing a song, "Can't Help Falling In Love", by Andrea Bocelli."
"Classic. Then what happened?" Collins said, intrigued.
Castle chuckled. In a lower voice, he said, "I walked into the living room and I saw Lizzy standing in the middle, her hands clasped together. She was nervous. All she said to me was "You wanted it to be a surprise." First of all, my heart sank. I thought I would never see her again." Castle turned his head back to Beckett, "Do you want to tell him the rest?"
She attempted to continue, but ended up mixing her words up. "Why don't you just tell it. You do a way better job than me."
"Yea, I do, do a better job than you." Castle joked.
Beckett smacked his arm. "Focus."
Castle faced Collins and spoke softly, "Lizzy walked up to me and knelt down. She began talking, but became real emotional. She was mid-sentence, when she started crying."
Beckett narrowed her eyes, "Really. I guess theres a reason why girls don't do that."
"I had to put you out of your misery." He faced Collins again. "I knelt down as well, and took her hands in mine. I looked into her eyes." Castle turned his head back to Beckett. "And I said, Elizabeth, I have known you for three years. You became my best friend.I have never met someone as amazing as you. You are the love of my life, and I don't ever want to live it without you."
Beckett was staring into his deep blue eyes. She was imagining herself, kneeling on the floor with Castle, as he was bearing his soul to her. She started to feel tears swell in her hazel eyes.
Castle was losing himself, as he told the story. The only terrible thing about it, is it had not happened. He saw her watching his every move. She was fixed on his eyes.
Without blinking, he continued, "WIll you marry me?"
Beckett was so caught up in the moment that she did not realize she was smiling. Tears were threatening to escape her eyes. She took a deep breath, and cleared them away.
Back in the van, Ryan looked at Esposito, "Dude, are they married or are they undercover?"
Esposito spoke into the mic, "You guys did a great job selling it, now can we make the deal already, before I die of all this mushy stuff."
Beckett gathered herself. "Then he got all choked up and I had to comfort him. The end."
"Wow, I can see why you do not tell stories." Collins said. "Ok, I like you guys. I may be willing to give you a discount."
Beckett sharpened her focus. She sat up straight, "How much are we talking?"
Collins took out a pen, from the inside pocket of this suit's jacket, and wrote on a napkin his desired amount. He slid it to Castle.
Castle held up the napkin, so Beckett could see as well. His eyes widened, "That's the price for a baby?"
Beckett could tell Castle would lose it soon. She squeezed his leg to get his attention. She did not want him to get out of hand. Beckett brought her eyes back to Collins. "We'll pay."
"Great. Do you have any preferences? Race? Ethnicity?" Collins raised his eyebrows.
Castle narrowed his eyes, and through gritted teeth, he said, "Just an average child will suffice."
Collins was looking down, so he did not see Castle's facial expression. "How would you like to pay? I take cash or credit."
Keeping up the facade, Beckett asked, "Did you bring the credit card, hon?"
"Yes, dear, I did." Castle reached into his pocket, and pulled out the card the precinct gave him, in case they needed one. He handed it to Collins, who reached under the table and brought out a credit card machine.
Beckett watched him maneuver it, then handed the card back.
"I think you two will be fine parents. You're so in love." Collins smiled. It was almost as if he did not realize, he was a cold blooded killer. "You can pick up your baby at the corner of 67th street on Park avenue."
"Where do you get these babies?" Beckett asked innocently, trying not to spook him.
Collins paused. "Let's just say, they would grow up in a broken home, if it weren't for me."
Esposito voiced in, "We got enough Beckett. Let's take him down now."
The radio went dead, as Beckett stood up and flashed her badge at Collins. "Neal Collins, you are under arrest for the murders of Walter Johnson, Theresa Harding, and John Seymour."
Castle was on his feet, as well. He was slightly distracted, due to the fact he was trying to figure out where she was hiding her badge. She did not have any pockets on her snug dress.
Beckett was in the middle of reading him his rights, when Collins bolted from the table. Beckett immediately whipped out her gun, when she saw him point a Revolver at her. She saw him cock it back, causing her to fire off one shot. Castle and Beckett both watched as he fell to the floor. Soon there were screams, echoing throughout the restaurant.
Beckett saw Ryan and Esposito making their way through the crowd, finding Collins on the floor. She turned to Castle, "Are you okay?"
He gave the 'okay' gesture and she turned around to join the Detectives.
When she reached them, she saw Ryan handcuffing Collins. Esposito turned to her, "Hell of a shot, Beckett. You hit his gun."
"Yea, and you nearly broke my wrist." Collins spat.
"Unfortunately, you'll live." Beckett retaliated. She faced Ryan and Esposito. "Let's take this scumbag downtown." Beckett said, smoothing her now scrunched up dress.
...12th Precinct...
Castle walked up to Beckett, who was watching the uniforms take Collins in. "To think, he only killed single parents because they were not worthy enough to take care of a child. That is just..." He could not think of a clean way to end that sentence.
"Sad?" Beckett finished.
"To put it nicely, yes." Castle said. A moment passed, as we watched her step in front of him, only a mere foot separating them. "What?"
"You had that proposal story ready to go." She paused. "Did you just pull it out of thin air, or did you actually plan that?" Beckett was curious.
"I like to imagine the different possibilities." Castle smiled. "I was thinking..." Still standing in front of her, he shifted his eyes to look behind her, and to his left and right. Noticing no one was going to interrupt him, he brought his eyes back down to Beckett. He saw the anticipation on her face, so he continued. "I was thinking, maybe we should have dinner sometime."
"And what? Debrief each other?" Beckett joked.
Castle half smiled, "I was hoping for more of a personal setting. A candle lit dinner, discussing anything, but dead bodies. You can finally hang those cuffs up for a night."
She chuckled. "Like a date?"
"You can call it what you like, but I am going to take you to dinner on Friday." Castle was not blinking.
He saw her mentally debating, whether it would be a good idea or not. She finally spoke, "It is not a date."
Castle relaxed a little bit, "So, is that a yes?"
She nodded her head with a smile, and turned around. "Pick me up at 8. Don't be late."
Castle turned around and started walking in the other direction,towards the elevators, with a large grin on his face.
The next few days were a blur. Neither Castle nor Beckett talked about their 'non-date' on Friday. Beckett would feel Castle watching her from time to time, but she did not pay any attention to him. She also noticed he was closer to her than usual. They would brush hands, when passing each other files, or bumps knees, when they were sitting.
Friday night at a nice restaurant.
Beckett was looking at the menu, when she realized Castle was watching her. She kept her eyes down, "Unless you see a list of very pricy food written on my forehead, you should be looking at what you want to eat."
Not surprised that she noticed him watching her, without even shifting her eyes, he added, "Maybe I just like the view."
She glanced up, "Is this how you woo all of your dates?"
He grinned, "I thought this was not a date."
Crap. "It's not." Beckett said looking back down at her menu.
"You look exquisite, tonight." He said, smiling at his menu.
Beckett was thankful that he didn't see her blush slightly. The waiter came asked what they decided on. Castle ordered lobster, while Beckett ordered pasta with Alfredo sauce. Their waiter gathered their menus, poured a very expensive bottle of wine, and made his way to the kitchen.
Castle took a sip of his wine and placed the glass on the table. "I have something for you."
Beckett looked at him curiously.
Castle said, hesitantly. "Remember that little disagreement me and Josh had last week?"
"How can I forget? I have dealt with murderers with more manners than the two of you."
"The two of us?" Castle sat back in his chair. "I was defending you. If he can't keep it in his pants, then he does not deserve to be with a woman, such as yourself. I am sorry, but he was loser."
Beckett was stunned at how blunt he was being.
His face and voice softened. "Anyway, I was trying to say that I believe I broke one of your picture frames that night. So..." Castle reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a small wrapped box. He reached across the table and handed it to her.
She stared at his hand.
"It won't bite." He nudged it on her arm.
Giving in, she took the box, and unwrapped it. Her eyes widened, as she revealed a silver picture frame. Just by the look of it, she knew it must have cost more than her weekly salary. Paying more attention to the picture, in the frame, she noticed three familiar faces. She looked closer and saw the exact picture that was in the broken frame. It was of her father, and mother holding her, when she was a baby.
"Wow." She was breathless. "Castle, how did get this?" Beckett looked up. She did not see notice him take anything from her apartment for the small amount of times he was over.
"Do you like it?" Castle asked.
"What kind of question is that?" She looked back at the frame. "Its beautiful, you didn't have to do this. You weren't the only one in that fight."
"I wanted to."
Beckett could not believe he did something like this. Josh had never gotten her anything, and he was her so called boyfriend. He was the one that caused the picture frame to break, not Castle. She placed the frame on the side of the table, so Castle and her can both see.
Just then, their food came. They ate quietly, revering in each other's presence. It was the most comfortable they have felt all week. There was no talk about bodies. They have seen enough of that. There was no more discussion about Josh. They were done with him. Even better, there was no threat of imminent danger. All there was was laughter.
After taking their time eating, they finally finished. Castle was looking at Beckett in a whole new way. He sees that she can be free from worry, and he likes it. He wants to see it everyday, knowing he can provide her the happiness she deserves. Making up his mind, he decided he wants to ask her out, before the night is over. Before he misses his chance. Again.
They walked out of the restaurant into the cool night, and waited for a cab. Beckett noticed Castle looked uncomfortable. If the light hit him just right, she could see he was sweating.
"Castle, do you feel ok?"
He brought his focus back to her. He was nervous about asking her out. They never fully talked about what they were, so he did not know what to expect.
"Yea, yea. I'm fine." Castle shrugged.
"Are you sure?" Beckett raised her eyebrows. He did not look fine, so to speak.
Castle took a deep breath, "I had a really great time tonight." He felt his stomach twisting. His nerves were getting the best of him. This was it. "How would you like to.." All of sudden he realized his stomach was not twisting from his nerves. He stopped speaking and ran to the nearest garbage can, and emptied his stomach contents.
Beckett hurried next to him and started rubbing his back, as he continued to keep his head down. Once he got his breath back, he lifted his head. Under the light Beckett saw his pale face.
"What was in that lobster?" Beckett felt his forehead. "You're warm. Let's get you home."
Castle nodded with dreary eyes.
Castle stumbled a bit, as he and Beckett walked inside his loft. She turned on a few lights, dimming them, in case Castle had a headache. She took her heels off and set them aside.
"I'll go get you a little bucket. You should lay down on the couch."
Castle was way ahead of her. He plopped down on the couch and kicked off his shoes, as he waited for her to come back.
Beckett came back with some Tylenol and a glass of water, along with the bucket.
"Here take these." She handed him the pills, and set the bucket on the floor next to him. He was sitting upright, his head leaning against the back of the couch with his eyes closed.
"Castle?"
"Hmm." He lifted his head. "Oh, thank you."
"Where's Alexis and Martha?" She said looking around.
"They went to the spa for the weekend." He swallowed the pills.
"So you're alone?" Beckett asked concerned. He should not be alone, when he is this sick.
"Yup."
"Lay down, you'll feel better with your feet up."
Castle slowly obliged. Once he was settled lying down on his side, Beckett sat down on the floor near his head.
"You don't have to stay, you know." Castle said gently.
Beckett turned her head slightly, "You are sick, I am not going to leave you alone."
"Fine, but only because I'm too tired to argue." He looked down at the bucket. "This was so not how I wanted this night to end."
She chuckled, "Well, nothing ever goes the way we want it."
"Why are you sitting on the floor?"
Before Beckett could answer he grabbed her arm, forcing her to stand. He sat up a bit so he can pull her down. Then he rested his head on her lap. She looked down and saw he had a school boy expression plastered all over his face.
He closed his eyes, "See this is more comfortable. Now, if I have to upchuck, I won't get anything on you."
"How thoughtful of you." She shook her head, smiling.
A few minutes passed. Castle was drifting when he felt something on his head. Beckett was running her fingers through his hair. It looked so soft, she could not resist. She the felt something tickling her knee. She looked down, and saw Castle going over her knee with his fingertips.
She let out a sigh, and let her eyes close. She could stay like this forever.
"Castle?" She said in a low voice.
"Mm."
"What were you trying to ask me earlier?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
"Come on, you can tell me." Beckett did not like to beg, but from the look on his face, she wanted to know what he had to say.
Castle turned so he was lying on his back and looking up to Beckett. He let out a breath, "I wanted to know, if you would like to go out with me?"
Beckett was taken aback. She definitely was not expecting that.
He continued, "There is nothing getting in the way this time. No Demming, no Josh..."
"No Gina." Beckett added.
"Touché." Castle sat up and turned to face her, tucking one leg beneath him. His face was completely serious. "Kate. I want to do this. We have been beating around the bush for three years. Believe me, I am thrilled we had those years to get to know one another, but, I want more. I don't want to see you with another guy if he's not me."
Beckett did not say anything. She was trying to let it all sink in.
"Look, think about it. There is no rush, just don't turn me down without thinking of the possibilities." Castle got up and took the bucket to the bathroom.
Beckett was sitting there in a daze. She heard faint sounds of Castle vomiting, but pushed it aside. Her mind went back to the undercover dinner. He said hopefully they would have thirty years together. Maybe he was in it for the long haul.
Castle came back into the living room, "So, you're staying here tonight." It was not even a question.
"I don't have any clothes here." She stood up.
"Beckett, I live in a house with two very stylish women. I think we can find you something." He paused before adding, "Of mine."
"Nice to see food poisoning is not affecting your ability to be a jackass." She narrowed her eyes.
"Ouch." Castle chuckled.
"You should go to sleep. You'll feel a lot better in the morning, if you get some rest."
He sighed, "Fine. You can sleep in the guest room you had last time. It's clean and all fixed up."
"Thank you."
"Now do you prefer boxers or briefs?" Castle raised an eyebrow as Beckett rolled her eyes.
Castle woke up to a haunting aroma that floated in his room. He opened one eye at a time, and lifted his head. Testing his boundaries, he shook his head back and forth to see if he was still sick. He definitely had a headache. He stood up and put his robe on then padded to his bathroom to fix himself up. Once he finished he left his bedroom and went to the kitchen. There he found Beckett making bacon and eggs.
"You know this is becoming a regular thing with you?" Castle said loudly, startling her.
She almost dropped the pan, "Castle, what the hell? Don't sneak up on me like that. Next time I'll smack you with this frying pan."
Castle smiled, "Looking forward to it, Detective."
She put the breakfast on a plate for Castle. He walked over to her still a little sleepy and took the plate from her.
"Thank you, so much." He leaned in a bit, and kissed the corner of her mouth. He pulled away and his eyes widened, when he realized what he did.
He was about to apologize to her, when he saw her eyes flicker to his lips. He opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced when he felt a pair of lips come into contact with his. It took him only a second to see that she did not trip and fall into him. She purposefully went into to kiss him. Not a second went by, when she felt him kiss back. Castle, somehow, placed the plate of food on the table. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, not wanting to ever let her go. She put her arms around his neck, tightly. This kiss soon turned deep, when they had to come up for air.
Still hugging her close to him, he looked down and smiled.
"Does that answer your question?" Beckett looked into his eyes.
Castle responded with another kiss, then added, "Thank God, I brushed my teeth."
A/N: Please tell me what you thought of that chapter. It took a while to write. But hey, its the longest chapter yet. I hope I spotted all the grammar mistakes, I apologize if i missed a few, or a lot. Show me some love and review :)
Did any of you see that promo? whew!
We will be nearing the end of the story soon .. yes yes its very sad ..
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