A/N 1: I haven't had the time yet to reply to each review but will catch up with it as soon as I can. It's either updating, or answering reviews LOL… I thought you might prefer the update. Ain't I right?
A/N 2: Rating – slightly PG-13 in my POV
Chapter 12
"Well, home sweet home." Castle exhaled before turning off the engine once the car was parked in front of the five storey building Beckett lived.
Systematically her eyes went up the building as a soft smile grew on her face.
"Thanks a lot", she literally beamed all over with a tad of blush on either side of her cheeks.
Beckett nervously pulled one lost strand of hair behind her ear. She didn't want to feel like a teenager again, but with Richard Castle sitting right next to her, that was easier said than done. The fact that he also had reached out to hold her hand during the movie had given her chills all the way through her body, and every time she felt him shift next to her elicited new butterflies in the pit of her stomach. She had managed to keep herself cool, but now, with the impending end of the evening, the same emotions came back to surface.
A yawn involuntarily slipped from her mouth. This was Castle's cue as he opened his door, got out and skipped to the passenger's door to help Beckett out of the car. He safely locked the vehicle before they entered the residency. On the fourth floor they stepped out of the elevator and silently walked up to her door. The closer they got, the more nervous Beckett felt. She was very well aware that by now she would be beet red.
"You okay?" Castle pondered out loud when Beckett was unable to meet his eyes.
She nodded but didn't say a word. With the tip of his fingers Castle lifted her chin, moved his face so their noses were almost touching and kissed her gently when she didn't flinch. Her lips were wet and soft against his. Castle longed for more. He wanted to taste more of her, so he opened up and brushed his tongue tentatively over her lips. When their tongues touched, a sweet moan escaped from Beckett. Her entire body was covered in goose bumps right away as they slowly touched, felt and got to know one another's moves. Beckett was sure that she had never been kissed that way before. A while later they parted in need for air with their foreheads leaning against one another.
Beckett couldn't help biting her lower lip since she still had that tingling feeling of his tender lips against hers, and she missed it already.
"Wow" Castled murmured still fighting to catch back his breath. He couldn't quite believe that a kiss made him feel the way he did right then. His thumb caressed her lower lip she just bit. "That was…. amazing, Kate." he breathed huskily.
His hands unconsciously moved down onto her hips, he gently held her in place and went for a second kiss. When he felt Beckett's hands slip around his neck, he went deeper into the kiss. He was hungry for her, for more. He feared that if he stopped, he would never taste the cherry on her lips ever again. He wanted this kiss to last forever.
All of a sudden they were both abruptly brought back to reality when the scream of a baby filled the air. Castle and Beckett both knew it was Charlie on the other side of the door. Seconds later Beckett felt her phone vibrate.
She fetched it out of her pockets, "Alexis?" The girl spoke to the woman, "I'm in the hallway. I'll be right there." she said as fast and low as she could and hang up. "Charlie…"
But Castle didn't need any further explanation and took a step away from her, so they could enter her flat. The second Charlie spotted his mother, his cries increased as he leant forward with arms flailing above his head, making it hard for Alexis to hold him still. Beckett didn't hesitate and lifted her son up into her arms.
"Shhh baby… mommy's here", she soothed, rocking him softly against her chest, but Charlie kept crying and sobbing. She picked a paper tissue out of the dispenser and tried to clean his nose but he was so wrapped up in his agony that Beckett knew it would take more than a couple of seconds to calm her son down.
"He was sleeping just fine until fifteen minutes ago." Alexis tried to give as much details as possible to her friend, "He'd lost his pacifier so I gave it back and stayed with him, but he didn't go back to sleep. Instead he started crying. I lifted him out of the crib and paced up and down, but he kept on crying."
"It's okay Alexis, don't worry."
"He's been crying ever since. I didn't know what else to do."
"It's okay. It really is." Beckett softly spoke to the girl with reassuring words.
She was the mother and it was right for Alexis to call her if her son had been crying for that long already non-stop. Beckett knew the girl all to well by now. Alexis was worried and she wanted to do her job right, which she always did. Beckett was very lucky to have found her as her new sitter. There was nobody else in this world whom she trusted her children more than with Alexis.
"He's running a fever…" Beckett said expertly once she registered her son's rising body heat and rosy cheeks. "I think we're set for some more teeth, huh?" she spoke softly, still soothing her son. Alexis had left the room and returned with some medication for Charlie. "Thank you!"
Castle watched as Beckett quickly administrated the meds to Charlie before cradling him up against her chest. There was only so little he could do. Beckett's ever soothing hand caressing her son's back calmed him somewhat. His cries had ceased but he was still sobbing and grumpy. She hoped for the meds to work fast and they did. Sitting on the couch with her son in her arms, she briefly let her eyes slip shut. A minute or two ticked by and the room was filled with silence again.
"I'm so sorry…" Beckett whispered across the room to Castle. Alexis gazed between the pair.
Her father got out of his haze, "Oh don't worry. I was just… you know… I…"
A shy smile grew on Beckett's face.
"I'll wait for you in the car", Alexis jumped in, grabbed her father's key cars and was gone right away. Castle was glad when she was gone. There were still things he wanted to straighten out with Beckett. He didn't get the chance to tell her that…
"She knows…" Beckett admitted candidly, before gazing dreamingly down at her sleeping son.
Castle returned her smile, "She's smart… ", purposefully leaving out the fact that it was all part of her plan. It didn't matter to him anyway because he happened to like Kate Beckett a lot.
"She's a wonderful girl. You did well raising her."
"Thank you, I'll take this as a compliment."
Castle slowly walked up to the couch and sat down next to her. He was torn between his feelings of letting her go for the night and wanting to stay forever by her side. He hadn't had that feeling in a very long while. He felt like he had known Kate Beckett for all his life. It was a very strange feeling, so unknown to him.
"How's the little one?" he whispered and Beckett could sense Castle's hot breath against her cheekbones. Her anxiousness grew all over again.
"Asleep… finally", she hushed, placing a mother affectionate kiss to Charlie's soft dark layer of hair. "I wonder for a long…"
Castle felt with her. He laid his right hand over hers that were covering her son's back to hold him in place. He gently laced one of her hands with his fingers before bringing it up to his lips where he planted several gentle kisses against her knuckles. His warmth made Beckett shudder beneath his touch. He felt it. When she turned her head, he kissed her again. He couldn't help himself. He was caught in this delicious moment where he wanted to be all alone with her. He cared more for her than he had ever cared for any woman who had shared his bed. He was a guy of action. He didn't like to wait long to cross a certain line, but he instinctively knew Kate Beckett to be a different woman. So he needed to do the right thing, take it slow, breathe, and think about any move before making them. He wanted this to work. Besides Kate Beckett came in a package. There was more than only one heart he could break. Her sons seemed to like him so far and he also liked them. It would take longer this time to get to know each other. This wasn't going to be like one night stand or some crazy frolicking about. He knew this was something serious. He was scared… probably because he was aware that the future was unknown.
"Kate… I…" His breathing was heavy again when they parted. Her lips were swollen and Castle longed to kiss them all over again. Kissing her was intoxicating… she was dangerous territory. Every time Beckett bit on her lower lip the urge to kiss her harder amplified. He found that simple gesture so enticing. "Don't do that…" he hummed closing his eyes to regain some self control.
"Rick…"
Beckett was stopped in her words when Charlie switched in her arms, his head now turned towards Castle as the little guy made a tiny snore and let out a long sigh, before sucking on his pacifier again. Castle chuckled to himself. That was the cutest thing he had ever heard.
He dared to caress a kiss onto the tiny baby fingers, "Night little man. Let mummy have some sleep, okay?" he whispered and then rose to his feet, motioning to Beckett to remain seated, but she got up anyway.
"I'm going to put him down." At Castle's hesitation, she gave him the sign to follow her. He trotted right behind her and watched as she lay him ever so careful back into the crib standing beside her king sized bed. There wasn't much room left for anything else but a wardrobe and a dresser. When Beckett spun around, she could hold it no longer and instantly pulled Castle's head down to her lips for one last smouldering kiss.
"We have to stop doing this…" Castle hissed when they broke up for air again.
His piercing blue eyes were glistening down into her greens.
"You're so beautiful Kate and there are things I want to do to you… I just…" he groaned sweetly. "I can't… I mean, we can't… not yet. I want to get this right." Castle babbled trying to look into her eyes but they were downcast. He tilted her chin again. He heard Beckett sniffle, "Don't… please don't… Look at me." When she did, he dried the couple of rolling tears away with his thumbs, "I know this might sound weird to you, but I'm crazy about you… Utterly crazy… I…. so please don't cry. Okay?" he felt her vaguely nod in his hands. "I have to go, but I promise to call you tomorrow, all right?"
She nodded and he placed one last kiss against her lips. He wanted to stay longer. He wanted to hold her in his arms tonight, but he couldn't. His daughter was waiting for him in the car. Both knew that and reluctantly had to let go of each other.
Just like the last time he whispered a soft, "Good night Kate" before leaving the room.
Stepping out of her apartment that very night was the hardest Castle had to do in a long while. He leaned up against the wall once outside and first needed to take a couple of deep breaths. Closing his eyes helped him to do that. When he finally felt ready to let go, he heard the door being locked. He had never acted that over protective in his life, except when it came to his daughter. The feeling was there and he couldn't erase or ignore it. The neighbourhood wasn't the worst the Becketts lived in but neither was it the best. He wanted and needed to know them home safe, and they were now. It was time to let go….
tbc
A/N: *sniff*
