He gets a call late that afternoon while he's writing, still in his robe despite the hour. Eh, he'll call it a lazy Sunday. Her face lights up his screen and the pen he has sandwiched between his lips clatters to the desk. He frowns, can't remember when he put it there to begin with.
Dang, he really was lost in the story.
He lifts the phone to his ear with a grin. "Why, Detective Beckett, did you miss me already?" he asks, waggling his brows.
"You called the mayor today, didn't you?" she asks, ignoring his question.
"Well, hello to you, too."
"Cas -"
He cuts her off. "Yes, I did. Is everything okay?"
He hears her sigh. "It's fine, except Gates just called to ream me out. She didn't appreciate getting a call from the mayor on a Sunday. I'm surprised he didn't wait until the morning."
Castle winces. "Weellll, I sort of asked him to call her today."
"Castle!" she says sharply.
"I'm sorry! I was just excited to come back and I got carried away. I wanted to be able to be there bright and early without having to worry about if I was already cleared to come back." He swallows hard. "I'm sorry?"
"You know, I don't really feel like you are." He can practically see her eyes rolling into the back of her head right now.
"You're right. So does this mean I'm cleared to be your partner again?" he asks impatiently.
She chuckles. "Yes, Castle. Don't be surprised if you get an earful from her tomorrow, but your chair will be empty for you and Ryan and Esposito will eagerly await your arrival," she teases.
He sucks in a breath. "And you?"
She's silent for a moment. "Of course me, Castle," she says softly. "I'm looking forward to it."
He smiles so hard he thinks his teeth are going to fall out. "Me too. See you then, Kate."
"Until tomorrow, Rick." The use of his first name and his preferred goodbye stuns him for a second and he stays on the line until the line goes dead.
Until tomorrow, indeed.
He's up earlier than he would be on a Monday morning, but the good nerves swirl around in his belly and he just wants to be with her, again. It's been nearly four long months since they've been side by side, fighting criminals, taking names, saving the —
Okay, he's getting a little carried away.
He stops off at their favorite coffee spot and decides to spring for a dozen donuts, a treat he can share with not just her, but the boys, too. Maybe it'll even soften up Iron Gates, if she has a sweet tooth…
Ha, doubtful. He's not sure of anything that would soften those prickly edges. He shudders just thinking about it.
He selects a few with chocolate frosting, a couple of glazed, a few cream-filled, a Dutch crumb, and a couple with peanut butter frosting. He shoots the cashier a grin before he's practically skipping out the door, box in one hand, coffee carrier in the other. Nothing can dampen his good mood.
He makes it out of the elevator in time to see her shrug her coat off and drape it over her chair. Damn, he made good time today.
...Hopefully she doesn't get used to it.
She's gorgeous as usual, clad in dark jeans and a black turtleneck, her hair cascading in waves down her shoulders. God, he wants to kiss her again.
She doesn't see him until he sets her coffee down in front of her. She doesn't do anything for a moment except wrap her fingers around the cup, the rest of her completely still.
Then she looks up at him, eyes wide in wonder, a soft blush staining her cheeks. "You're here," she says quietly.
"I am." He sits down in his chair, keeps the box of donuts in his lap for now. She hesitates, almost looks like she wants to kiss him before she thinks better of it.
She lets out a breath and slides her hand over to his, wrapping her fingers around his hand to give a gentle squeeze, her gaze intent on his. He nods and squeezes back, knows everything she isn't saying. He feels it too.
All too soon, her hand is back atop her desk, wrapping around the long beverage before she takes a long sip. "Hmm," she hums, eyes slipping closed. "It's perfect, thank you," she says gratefully.
"Of course."
"Did you get there before they opened?" she teases him with a twinkle in her eye.
He narrows his eyes. "No, I was not up at that ungodly hour, thank goodness." He taps the box in his lap. "Speaking of goodness…" he trails off, eyes waggling as he lifts the lid. "Care for a donut?"
She laughs. "Maybe later, Castle. Why don't you just put them in the break room for right now?"
"Okay, but there might not be any left later," he shrugs, closing the lid.
She groans, proffers her hand. "Good point."
He springs the lid open again. "I'm going to guess you're in a...Dutch crumb kind of mood?"
She snags said treat and raises it to him in thanks. "You're good," she says, lifting the sugary snack to her lips and taking a generous bite. "Ugh, and so are these." she moans, smacking her lips.
He swallows hard, exasperated with himself that the little sound is all it takes before he's imagining her writhing in his bed, her legs wrapped like pretzels around his, her skin a little slick under his hands.
Shit, he needs some water.
He snaps out of his thoughts to find her gaze on him, the knowledge of what she's doing to him written in the lift of her brow and the soft smirk around her mouth.
He points over his shoulder. "I'm just gonna take these in there, maybe, uh, get some water or something.
"Might be a good idea. You're looking a little flushed, Castle. You feelin' okay?" If he hadn't spent the last 3 years following her, discovering all her tells, he'd think for a second that she was actually concerned for him.
But he knows better.
That's a Kate Beckett glint in her eye if he ever saw one.
It's been kind of a slow day in the precinct so far and he can't decide if he's upset by that or grateful for the ease back into it. It's a little boring, but kinda nice to be back in the bullpen again, especially without Gates lurking around. It's a couple of hours away from quitting time and she's still nowhere to be found, stuck in meetings with 1PP all day, Kate says.
"Don't go celebrating too much there, Castle. She might be gone all day today, but that means she'll be in an extra special kind of mood tomorrow," Kate says with a frown.
"Does it ever occur to you to not rain on my parade, Beckett?"
"Nah. It's what my dreams are made of," she throws back.
"Well, that's incredibly disappointing, detective," he husks out.
She rolls her eyes. "Somehow I think you'll survive."
He steps away for a few minutes in the late afternoon to give Jen a call and float the idea of a joint therapy session by her. The anxiety tumbles low in his stomach and he wonders how unprecedented a request like this is.
He knows couples counseling is a fairly common thing nowadays, but asking two different mental health professionals to team up for the task sounds a little odd, even to him. He breathes a little sigh of relief when he hangs up, though. She didn't laugh him off the phone.
He has to tell Kate.
"Hey," he bounces into the break room to find her stirring a cup of coffee.
"Um, hi," she says with a little laugh. "You're looking a little antsy. Did you decide now that you're bummed we don't have a case?" she jokes.
He makes a face. "Still undecided about that," he confirms. "But, I did just get off the phone with...my therapist."
"You can say her name Castle," She huffs out, indignant and adorable, taking a long drag of her coffee.
"Anyway," he breezes over it, eliciting an eyeroll. "She said that as long as it fits in her schedule and she can chat with Dr. Burke about it first, that she doesn't think it will be a problem."
Kate flashes him a genuine smile. "That's good news. I'm gonna give him a call here soon."
"Awesome!" he says, a little too brightly.
Kate tugs at her bottom lip. "You're nervous, aren't you?"
"So nervous," he says through a small, manic laugh.
"Me too," she admits on a sigh.
His heart pounding, he reaches over and covers her hand with his. "We can do it," he whispers.
"Yeah," she breathes out. "We can."