Again, for Diane, the muse extraordinaire! for providing smiles, joy, reassurance, friendship and info about all things i ask!
Disclaimer: i own nothing except the desire for a time machine to make it Castle o'clock!
She had closed the case pretty quickly but Ryan and Esposito had insisted she leave before them because of the take down, it hadn't been easy.
She hadn't been convinced until Gates ordered her home, then she had been even less convinced, but she'd gone.
"Twenty-four hours Detective" Gates had said "you're not working if there is even a chance of concussion."
She had argued, a lot, turned away, rolling her eyes at the Captain and then she stormed off.
Her hand darted to her cheek, feeling the skin under her eye and scrunching her face. She was going to have a wicked bruise.
She smiled, it was a good thing Castle had left early otherwise she would be filling out paper work for why he had punched a murder suspect.
She had been clearing a room and missed a hiding place, which meant she was taken by surprise, the suspect had shoved her from behind as he ran around her, out into the hall and straight into the path of Esposito.
She counted herself lucky it was just a push and nothing worse, but it had sent her sprawling head first into an open door.
So cliché she had a black eye from walking (well being shoved) into a door. She wasn't going to live it down. The boys had already started cracking jokes.
So she had left the precinct, having been cleared to leave alone and having filed her forms, and she had driven straight to the loft. She had smirked as she drove, driving with supposed concussion, yeah, Gates was out of her mind. Though twenty four free hours…
She was standing now, in the hallway, outside of his door. Staring at the key in her hand. She couldn't quite force herself to use it, she wanted to, it was the most…she wasn't going to say romantic…she wasn't, but it was big. She wanted to use it, but once she had, it would be done and something she did all the time and right now it was new and she liked new!
That was how he found her, as he approached his door, standing in the hallway with the key held in her hand, staring at it.
At some point after he had left she had taken her hair down because it now fell in dark curtains either side of her face as she leant forward. He stopped in his tracks watching her, waiting for her to use the key.
He waited for a few minutes before he gave in, needing to know what she was doing.
"You know if you put it in the lock and turn it, it actually magically opens the door."
She jumped and dropped the key, whirling to look at him.
"God, Castle you scared me" she laughed.
She looked up at him, remembering everything she had said to him in the precinct and that he had sent her a key by courier.
He started walking towards her smiling "What were you doing?"
She waited until he was just in front of her before flinging her arms around his neck and laughing.
"Hey!" he said catching her. He wound his arms around her waist pulling her close.
"Hi, you sent me a key" she heard the happiness and awe in her own words as she spoke them.
He laughed but it turned into a squeak as she pinched him on the back of the neck
"We said no grand gestures!"
"No, actually you said no grand gestures and if you don't want it I'll take it back."
"Nope," she squeezed him tighter as he tried to set her down, she exhaled deeply, burrowing herself into his neck.
"Nope?" He laughed, dropping her back onto her feet but keeping tight hold of her.
"You cant have it back its mine."
"You're a complete contradiction, you know that don't you?"
"Yes" she squeezed him tight again.
He laughed, pulling her loose, brushing the hair from her eyes as he spoke.
"Kate are you ok? You sound…"
His mouth dropped open and his eyes snapped wide as he finally caught sight of her face, the colour drained from his.
He pushed her back holding her by the shoulders.
"What the hell happened to your face?" he reached out his hand cupping her cheek and ran his thumb lightly over the ugly red and blue mark that was getting angrier by the minute. He felt her flinch under his touch and pulled back but she caught his hand and held it.
"I forgot." she said shaking her head.
"Kate…what happened to your face?
"I walked into a door." she smiled at him lightly.
"That's not funny!"
"No it wasn't" she said holding his gaze "not at all."
"Kate you better start explaining or I swear…"
"What?" she said anger rising within her "What are you going to do Castle?
"Tell me what the hell happened to your face Kate." he yelled.
"I'm not doing this in the middle of your hallway."
"Fine" he said "open the door," he bent down picking up her key from where it had fallen and held it out to her.
She snatched it back from him.
"No way."
His mouth dropped open.
"I'm not using my key in the middle of a fight Castle use yours."
"No."
"Well then we're stuck here I gue…"
He reached forward and grabbed her, pulling her hard against him, a hand at the back of her head and around her waist, he felt her hands clamp to his shoulders and for a second he wondered if she was going to push him away, but she just gripped him tight.
He pulled her head toward him and their lips met, hard and angry, eyes wide as they stared each other down. She gave in first her eyes fluttering shut as they continued to attack each other. His fingers coasted through her hair and he felt her flinch as he skimmed another bump in her hair line, near her temple.
He drew back looking at her, her eyes tight, she looked like she was in pain.
He had enough.
He dropped his hand from her waist and reached for her arm on his shoulder grabbing her wrist where she held the key and spun her around, guiding the key to the lock and made her turn it, she didn't resist but he could tell she wasn't happy.
He flung the door wide, pushed her inside and turned, slamming the door shut and dragging her back, pinning her to it.
"Tell me what happened to your face Kate" he said it again, quietly, his hand resting on her shoulder as he stared at the mark on her cheek.
She sighed and he realised she looked tired. He felt bad for hounding her but he still wanted to know. He needed to know, if they were together, he had a right to know. She should understand that, and if she wouldn't tell him…
His train of thought was interrupted as she gripped his hand hard in hers and started talking.
"I got jumped by a suspect." She said watching his face for a reaction. He maintained the stern look, lips pressed into a thin line as if he was holding back words. He nodded for her to continue, taking a step back.
"He pushed me into a door."
He understood now what she meant when she made the joke about walking into one. He nodded again.
When he still didn't interrupt she started talking quickly filling him in on all the details of what had happened.
"…and Gates told me to take a day in case of concussion," There was a flicker across his face "I don't have concussion." She shook her head quickly trying to negate any panic that the words had caused.
He took a deep breath when she had finished, watching her sigh and scrunch her eyes together clearly waiting for some explosive reaction from him.
"Ok!" he said simply, walking towards her and pulling her into his arms. He felt her resist at first, stiff and confused, as he folded her against his body, cupping her head against his chest, resting his head on top of hers. He was gentle and mindful of her bruises, but she still flinched as she rested her head on him, before she exhaled and leant in properly.
"Ok?" She asked, her words muffled by his chest "That's it… ok?"
"Yeah, What did you expect?"
"I dunno…more, something…you're not angry?"
"Yes I'm angry," he squeezed her for a second.
She sighed again, she knew he was.
"Not with you, never with you for this," he ran his finger along her uninjured cheek.
He had felt her body tense the moment he said he was angry so he started talking fast.
"Its not your fault Kate, these people…ugh!" he shook his head, "they make me sick, but you getting hurt I wouldn't be angry with you for that."
"Are you…you're not going to suddenly beg me to quit my job are you?" She felt ridiculous saying it but she needed to know.
He laughed, but it was hollow sounding, not his normal laugh.
She pushed back and looked up at him.
"Kate I watched you get shot and flat-line right in front of me and I never even contemplated asking you to quit, you think this…" he pointed at her face "would push me over the edge…" he stepped back and looked at her "please, I've seen worse."
He grinned at her.
She gaped at him in shock before she smacked him hard in the chest.
"Hey it still hurts you know."
He rolled his eyes and her mouth dropped open incredulously.
"Well if your not bothered by it," she sneered at him "what the hell was all the yelling for in the hallway. You tainted my key!" she said glaring at him
"Yelling in the…I did what to your key?"
"Tainted it!" she said glaring again "You used it first, no wait worse than that you made me use it in the middle of a fight!"
"You're…you're completely insane." he said stepping back smiling at this side of her he had never seen "Are you sure you haven't got concussion?
"I DO NOT have concussion," she walked past him, further into the loft.
"Got a bit of a temper though" he said quietly, not quietly enough as she turned back and stared at him.
She closed her eyes, reigning in the anger, and rubbed at her face, it was actually starting to pull, it must be swelling.
He watched her suddenly feeling awful for yelling at her, and laughing at her.
"Next time" he said capturing her hand and stopping her rubbing at her face. "Just tell me what happened when I ask please!"
"I did" she said as he pulled her to the kitchen.
He pushed her into a bar stool and walked to the fridge.
"You said you walked into a door!"
"I did…" she looked at him as he raised his eyebrows "sort of."
"Mmm" he murmured not happy, he walked back to her holding an ice pack, "I'm allowed to worry Kate, I did before anyway but now we…"
He looked at her and she nodded. He could see she got what he meant, now they were together, he needed to know the specifics.
"Thank you," she said grumpily as he lay the ice pack across her cheek making her flinch again. "But Castle can I …please…?"
"What?" he looked at her confused.
"Can we just forget about this so I can take my shoes off, my feet are killing me."
He smiled stepping back as she dropped the ice pack onto the counter and standing, kicked off the heeled boots and dropped down a few inches in height.
He laughed again
She tilted her head "Why is that funny?"
"I always forget how short you are when you take your shoes off."
She poked him.
"Hey now I am not short…shorter…not short!"
He grinned "Do you represent the lollipop guild?"
She scrunched her eyes and pursed her lips "Shut up!"
"Are you terrified of the wicked witch?" he laughed again backing up as she started walking towards him.
"I geddit" she said sarcastically "I am so very short I'm one of the munchkins from The Wizard of OZ…ha ha."
The back of his legs hit the seat of the couch and he sat down heavily.
"Does that make you Dorothy, Castle?"
"Hey!" he said frowning as she moved to stand between his legs leaning over him.
"You'd have to be Toto right…or" she laughed, her eyes lit up "…oh you are so the Scarecrow" she laughed again and sung the line
"if you only had a brain."
"You're not a munchkin" he said glaring at her "you're one of the witches."
"You're definitely not the tin-man" she said countering him, ignoring the insult and smiling.
"Aww because I already have a heart?" he smiled reaching for her.
She grinned evilly "No, because your mouth would never ever rust shut!" She laughed then at his face as his eyes went wide.
"COME here" he yelled making her laugh and shriek as he tried to grab her.
He jumped up sending her reeling backwards, she flailed her arms trying to catch her balance, but she couldn't and he grabbed her hand pulling her forwards to steady her.
"Are you sure you don't have concussion? he asked smiling at her.
"That was your fault!" she said letting go of his hand, stretching her arms above her head and yawning, he could see she was clearly uncomfortable, achy and exhausted.
"Ok, you need to de-stress and we can start date night, here…" he reached forward and starting unzipping her jacket, as he did he realised she was still wearing the shirt with ripped off buttons, his mouth dropped open as she stood before him with no shoes, her shirt gaping straight down the middle and an ugly bruise on her face.
He shook his head.
"Did you take down a suspect wearing that." he pointed to her shirt.
She smirked "Obviously!"
"That's…" his eyes started to dance and he smiled "that's so hot!"
She laughed "You like that huh?"
He nodded.
She twisted, dropping her jacket on the floor at her feet.
"We alone?" she asked.
He nodded again.
"We staying that way?" She raised her eyebrows thinking back through the amount of times they had been caught together or overheard in the three short days they had been together.
"Yes."
She smiled.
Pulling her shirt slowly she slipped her arms out, watching as his eyes darkened, before she dropped it to the floor next to her shoes and jacket.
"What is that!" he said pointing to her.
Not altogether the reaction she was expecting when standing in front of him stripping.
She looked down at her body where he pointed.
"It's a bruise Castle." she turned, showing him her side more clearly, pointing it out, just above her waist. "Just a bruise, like this is just a bruise." she pointed to her face.
He reached out and pressed his fingertips lightly to the mark above her hip.
"He did this too?" The anger was back suddenly as he thought about someone putting their hands on her and leaving a mark, and it didn't help when she laughed.
"No, this," she pointed to her side "I did to myself when I fell out of your bed."
She reached for him.
"Look, you have one too" she said pulling up his sleeve she found the bruise just below his elbow, darker now than when she had found it in bed, whilst he was asleep.
She placed her thumb over the mark and gaped a little as she realised she must have given it to him. The bruise was the exact replica of her thumb.
"You bruised me!" he said in mock horror as he looked down and saw how her fingers fit perfectly into the pattern on his arm.
"I don't…how?" She didn't look happy.
"Well the amount of times you have hit, pinched and poked me in the last three days, I'm surprised I don't require medical attention."
She reached for his arm again rubbing her fingers over the mark. Her brow was furrowed.
"When did I do this?" she asked.
"Err…" he squinted his eyes trying to work it out "I think this is from…" he grinned "yeah, ok, this is from throwing you over my shoulder and making you have breakfast with us yesterday."
She smiled lightly then "Ah, so you totally deserved it."
"You know what I don't deserve?" he said pulling her in close.
She shook her head as he leant forward.
"I don't deserve you!"
She rolled her eyes but grabbed his face and looking at him seriously said "You deserve better than me."
He shook his head at her like she was crazy but he didn't want to argue with her anymore.
"How about a compromise? he said looking into her eyes "We'll just say we deserve each other and kiss"
"Good plan!" she laughed and pulled him down (ok maybe she was a little bit short) so she could kiss him properly.