I DREAM of you...
Summary: "Oh God, no! Don't die, Kate! Please, don't do this to me. Don't die!" Rick cries out into the night, holding the woman of his dreams close to his chest. The woman who filled his nights finally made it into his days and now he was going to lose her. Forever. *AU*
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters; they belong to the fabulous A. W. Marlowe and ABC.
A/N: So, guys, here's the 'real' chapter 14. I hope you enjoy this one, too!
I wanted to take a moment to thank all those anonymous reviewers again, because I can't thank you personally. Your reviews are as appreciated as the other ones! Thank you!
And now I tell you openly, you have my heart so don't hurt me.
You're what I couldn't find.
A totally amazing mind, so understanding and so kind;
You're everything to me.
(The Cranberries ~ Dreams)
The Quiet Before The Storm
Rick sits on the comfortable buckskin-couch and awaits anxiously her answer. He sends another text when nothing comes back, hoping she got the joke in the first one.
Already afraid that he chose the wrong words, he stands up and walks up and down before the couch, running a hand through his hair nervously. Maybe she's sleeping? Or didn't hear her phone? Should he call her? No, if she's sleeping, he really doesn't want to wake her. She needs the rest. But he longs to find out if she's okay.
The relieving 'ping' from his phone comes when he just wants to put it away and makes him jump in surprise. A goofy smile forms on his lips while he reads her text.
"Hi Castle, I'm fine, thank you. How are you doing? If you miss your cell so much, I think I can arrange something. KB"
Yes! She got his joke. Good, good. He really likes this side of her and her text made him smile even wider. His fingers fly over the keyboard and he's a little surprised about his sincerity.
"How are the investigations going? Ryan told me you're part of it now. Any news? KB"
Uh. That's a change of subject. How awkward. What shall he answer to that? Isn't she with Lanie anyway? The pretty M.E. with the dark, piercing eyes that doesn't miss a thing and with the wide, contagious smile. He immediately liked her when they met at the precinct three days ago and had a little chat. So why does Kate not just ask her?
"No, she doesn't tell me much. Why aren't you not allowed to help anymore? What have you done now? ;-) KB"
Ah, okay. That's why she asked him. Clever girl.
And although he really likes it that her playfulness is back in this message, it makes it even harder for him to give her an honest answer to her questions. He doesn't want to dampen the mood. With a sigh he lets himself fall on the comfortable couch again and closes his eyes for a moment. What shall he tell her? After all they've been through – the truth. Definitely.
When he closes his eyes again, after sending the text, he can almost see her angelic face. And the gorgeous smile on her lips that fades while she reads his text. He does hope that this nightmare will be over soon. And maybe they can spend some time together then and he can see more of her playful side.
"Yeah, me too. Gotta go now, dinner is here. Take care, writer-boy."
He sighs. She wants to end their conversation after his last message. He feared she would.
But wait – what? Writer-BOY? He didn't really see this the first time he read her message. Huh. He wonders how she got the idea to call him this? The joy about the fact that his Kate gave him a nick-name is a little damped by the 'boy' in 'writer-boy'. He doesn't like the sound of that.
Pleased with his reply, he presses the send button on his phone, while stretching himself out on the couch contently. A wide grin spreads across his face while all his nerves are tingling with excitement for her answer. He doesn't have to wait long.
"Thanks. And Castle - I don't have proof of that, writer-boy. :-)"
God, what a woman. Only the thought of giving her proof for that makes his pants uncomfortably tight. What is this wonderful, gorgeous and funny woman doing to him? It's only a damn text, she hasn't even touched him and yet his body is reacting to her. He can't remember if there was any woman in his life yet – not even his ex-wives – his body showed such a reaction to.
Well, time to pay her back. Two can play this game.
When he doesn't get a reply from her - he didn't think he'd get one anyway – he rises from the couch and walks over to the little room where his laptop rests on the large desk. The furniture is made of dark wood, just like the floor, and the little couch beneath the window has a nice cream colour, just like the desk chair. He sits down, contemplating about getting such a chair for his loft, and turns on the little desk light as it is already darkening outside.
He opens his laptop and his eyes fall on the document he didn't bother to close the last time.
Storm fall.
Since he got here almost a week ago, he hasn't been able to write anything. He just couldn't concentrate on it. He wonders if he can do it now, after those texts he exchanged with his Kate, after discovering her flirty side. He fondly calls her the 'Beckett-onion' and wonders how many layers he has still to find.
Ha, he knew it. How the hell is he supposed to kill Derreck Storm when all he can think about is her? Gina said something about his eyeballs and fire ants, he didn't really paid attention when he read her mail. Kate's life is in danger – and his too – his book is the last thing he currently thinks about. But Gina insisted that he mustn't stop writing now, the press shouldn't find out about his current situation. And it would give him something useful to do. Pah!
But maybe she was right, it could be a good distraction. He doesn't know how long he will be trapped here after all. Opening his 'writing-playlist' and turning the speakers of his laptop on, his fingers start flying over the keys of their own accord.
And then Derreck Storm is dead.
Shot in a dark alley and bled to death in Clara Strike's arms. Rick saves his document and takes a deep breath before he's going to reread what he's just written. He has an unpleasant feeling about all this. Is it really a good idea to kill Storm? He was so sure about it being the right thing to do, he was bored with his character and everything just became too predictable. But now that he's actually written it down, he's not so sure about it anymore.
Then he realises that the dark alley and the gunshot matches the situation when he first met the woman of his dreams. Somehow his subconscious mind brought it into the book. Strange.
But when he thinks about it, it actually could have played out this way with his Kate, too. If he hadn't gone to the alley at just the right time, she would most definitely have been shot to death. And even if he went there, but hadn't been on time, only a few minutes late – like Clara – the beautiful brunette Detective would probably have bled to death in his arms, too.
He cannot just let it stay this way.
"Lanie, I really don't think - "
"Kate, I will tell you this one last time. The two of you need to talk. I'm gonna take you to him now and then if you think after half an hour everything is said and you want to come home again, just give me a call. I won't be too far away."
"But I could've just called him. Get to know him a little. And then, maybe in a few days – or when all of this is over - "
"What are you waiting for, girlfriend? Sometimes you just have to jump at the opportunity. None of us know when our time will be up, especially at times like these, so why do you want to waste it?"
Kate only stares out of the window, contemplating what her best friend just said. Is she right? Does she really waste so much of her life? When her mum died she thought so, too. There are so many things she wanted to tell her, so many missed opportunities – maybe it really was time to head in another direction to avoid making the same mistakes all over again.
"Kate, did you listen to me?" Lanie's voice rips her out of her thoughts.
"Uhm, no, sorry."
The black haired woman just shakes her head and smiles at her friend. Only now Kate realises that they're no longer driving.
"I just said, that I'm gonna park the car here. Castle's flat is in the brown building down this street, apartment no. 3. I'll just head into this coffee-shop and buy two drinks for those two lovely officers on the other side of the street. And while I have a little chat with them, you can slip into the building." Lanie explains.
"And how am I supposed to 'slip' into it? I've got a cast Lanie. Even a snail can move quicker than me right now."
"Leave it with me." the M.E. says with a wink and leaves the car.
That's it! What if Clara isn't too late? What if she saves Storm, just like Kate was saved by himself. Could it be so easy? It's his book after all, he can do whatever he wants. But does he really wants this? Should he give Derreck Storm another chance?
He is so absorbed in his thoughts that he hears the bell only at the third ring.
Who could it be? Ryan? Esposito? Why didn't they call to tell him they want to come over?
He looks through the little door viewer and sucks in a sharp breath.
Kate!
No, he must be mistaken. He risks another look.
Still Kate!
He feels the nervousness building up in his body, while running over to the mirror. His hair is a mess and there are dark circles around his eyes. And he isn't even wearing a shirt, only a dark blue tee and some pale, tatty jeans. So much for making a good impression. But he doesn't have time to change, she's ringing again. He's just glad that he took a shower two hours ago.
He can't fight the urge to look once more through the peep-hole of his door – she's really there – and then he opens it quickly, before she turns to leave again.
"Kate." he murmurs, just when one of his current favourite songs - Dream Of You - begins to play.
I've been here all the time
as far as I know doing right
I've always waited for the moment
that you would come through my door
"Hi Castle." Kate answers with a soft smile. "Am I disturbing you?"
"No – No, please. Uhm, come in." Rick stutters, closing his eyes. How embarrassing. He really needs to get a grip and control his nervousness. He takes one step aside to let his Kate in, still not able to grasp that she's really here. In his apartment. With him. Alone. Oh God.
"It's a nice apartment." the woman of his dreams states slowly, looking around.
"Thanks. I think about keeping it. I mean... after all... this."
Kate hums in response, looking at him expectantly. Her eyes roam over his body, letting a shudder run through him. The air is sizzling with sexual tension, although she literally just entered the room.
"So, how are you? How's your leg?"
Kate just rolls her eyes and looks away. Shit! Wrong question. Noted.
"I'm fine, Castle." she states, looking annoyed.
While she stares out of the window and avoids looking at him, he takes some time to look at her. Really look at her. He hadn't had any opportunity yet to really take her in. Of course, he saw her in all of those dreams, but initially he didn't even know that she was really somewhere out there and always thought she was a product of his fantasy. And when he finally met her, there was always imminent danger, so he had no time to really look at her.
But now he was able to admire her freely, her auburn tresses falling softly around her shoulders, her slim figure and her incredibly long legs. Even this walking cast cannot lessen her beauty. She is simply perfect.
"You know that it's kinda creepy to stare at people, don't you?" she says, without turning around.
"Uh... Uhm... Sorry. Do you – want something to drink?" Rick asks, remembering his good manners.
"Yeah, sure."
"Please, sit down. I'll go get something. Wine?"
"Do you have something stronger?"
"Uhm, sure. I've got some scotch, bacardi, vodka - "
"Vodka sounds good."
"Okay, vodka it is. You sure it harmonizes with your medications?"
"I don't care, Castle. I'm not a little kid."
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." Rick answers a little offended, holding both hands up in the air.
"No, Castle, I'm sorry. It's just – everyone asks me if I'm okay, if everything's alright, if I'm in pain or if I took my pills... I... It's just - "
Rick makes a step towards her – to tell her that everything's fine – and takes her hand. When their fingers tough, Rick has the feeling that there was a spark between them. Kate looks up, surprise in her eyes.
"Did you feel that, too?"
"Yeah, must be static charge or something."
"Yeah, of course." Rick smiles goofily and turns to get their drinks. Of course it wasn't anything like that. He felt it since she entered the room. Even the air between them is sparkling.
He comes back into the living room and sits beside her on the couch, keeping a respectable distance, but when he hands her the glass with the vodka and their fingers brush, the spark is back again.
He's not sure if she felt it, too, but he can see that she's shifting on the couch.
"Cheers!" Rick exclaims a little too loud, making her jump.
"Cheers, Castle." she answers with a soft smile on her lips, looking at him through her long, dense lashes. He almost gets a heartattack.
"I'm so glad that you're better again. To see you lying on the ground in your apartment like that... I – I thought I was too late."
Kate slowly closes her eyes. Damn. Why does his mouth always runs away with him like this lately?
"I'm glad you weren't. Thank you. Again." she murmurs, laying her hand on top of his.
They just look at each other, the drinks completely forgotten on the couch table. Rick has the feeling he might combust with all the sexual tension between them.
And he can see that her eyes darken, too, they're like a dark brown abyss he would happily throw himself into.
He moves his hand from under hers and stokes up her bare arm – she only wears a black tee now that she took her jacket off – tracing invisible patterns, fascinated by the trail of goosebumps caused by his touch.
She shivers beneath his fingers and closes her eyes, but she doesn't take her arm away from him. Her content sigh is all he needs to be sure that she's enjoying this as much as he is.
"Can I ask you something?" she asks in a low voice, opening her eyes again.
"Sure." Rick whispers, because he doesn't trust his voice right now.
"What – I mean... Where... Was this a dream?"
She doesn't need to explain what exactly she mean, of course Rick knows perfectly well what she's talking about.
"Yeah. I think so. I mean, sort of. I don't know for sure, these kind of – uhm, let's just call them 'dreams' – are pretty new for me, too. So – you really remember it?" he answers, his hand stopping on its way up her arm, his mouth suddenly dry. What else does she remember?
"I do. And I remember two more of these... dreams." she states, shifting a little on the couch towards him.
"Which ones?" Rick asks, although he thinks he already knows the answer. But he needs to hear it from her.
"I remember you staying behind me at a crossroads. And I remember - "
"Yeah?" Rick lets his hand wander – oh so slowly – again, up her arm and over her shoulder, finding the soft skin at her collar bone. She lays one hand on top of his and for a terrible second he thinks she wants to remove it, stop it from continuing to caress her.
He couldn't have been more wrong. Her hand just rests on top of his, her fingers tracing little circles around his knuckles. She faces him now, just like he faces her, and their knees are touching gently.
"I remember a second... dream... you were there and held me and we - "
"We almost kissed." he murmurs, losing himself in her eyes again, his face drawing nearer to hers of its own accord, their noses almost touching.
"Yeah... And then there was this last dream. When you found me in all this fog and held me. When you told me I had to wake up." she says slowly, looking shortly to his lips and then deeply into his eyes again. It makes him crazy.
"I am so glad it worked."
"Me, too." she smiles, looking down onto her lap.
He brings his other hand up to her chin and uses his thumb to make her look up to him again.
"It felt so real, Castle." she continues a little breathless, biting her lip. Rick knows that she's no longer only talking about the dream.
"Like this?" he asks and closes the few inches between them, touching her lips with his oh so very gently.
Kate suddenly breaks the kiss, looking at him a little surprised, but comes back to him with more force. Their lips crash onto one another, teeth clattering, while she buries both of her hands in his thick hair. His hands rest on both sides of her hips, urging her closer to him.
And then time stands still for them.
He takes her lower lip between his teeth and bites down softly, eliciting a low moan from her.
It's the sexiest sound he's ever heard.
Caressing the bruised spot with his tongue, he doesn't wait long to bite down on her lip again, desperate to hear her make that sound again. She doesn't disappoint him.
But when she tugs at his hair a little to have better access to his mouth, he's the one who moans and when her tongue enters his mouth, it increases to a deep groan coming from a low point in his throat.
The need for oxygen becomes obvious all too soon and he breaks the kiss softly, leaving both of them panting and smiling at each other.
A/N: Soooo, no cliffhanger this time. :-) I had written a cliffy at the end of this chapter originally, but I have decided against it because I'll go on a skiing holiday tomorrow and won't be able to continue this story for the next two weeks. So I just didn't want to leave you with yet another evil cliffhanger.
Well then, have a great time all of you! Bye for now. :-)