Disclaimer: 'Castle' is (sadly) in no way, shape or form my property.
Previously on 'Down the Road':
Castle pulled the moving van in front of his apartment building, ensuring that he met his doorman's eye.
"Dude," Esposito sniggered at Castle, "I think you drove to the wrong place by mistake".
"Geez, Castle," Ryan added, "Maybe this is why Beckett doesn't let you drive".
Castle didn't say a word, just exited the van and headed toward the loft. Beckett exited the car as well, and without giving the guys a second glance she followed Castle. They sat for a moment, frozen in their seats.
"Welll," Ryan said tentatively, "That was weird".
Esposito shrugged, opening his door and unbuckling his seat-belt, "Guess we'd better see what this is all about".
He had to control the urge to draw his gun as he trailed after his friends.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Castle would have liked to imagine that it was his (and Beckett's) speed and agility that allowed them to reach the loft before the guys, but that would have been a lie. The fact that they reached his apartment's front door ahead of Ryan and Esposito was more likely due to the look of shock that had been etched on both of the guys' faces.
Castle grinned triumphantly at Beckett as she rounded the corner seconds after he'd unlocked the door.
"And what are you smiling about?" Beckett raised an eyebrow at him, almost perfectly mimicking Castle's typical roguish attitude.
"You," he said simply as he walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
He bent down and kissed her softly, before leaning back, arms still clasped at her hips, "Just you being you".
"Sappy much?" She complained, even as she grinned back at him.
He yanked himself away from his contentment to focus on the issue at hand.
"How do we want to play this next part?"
She shrugged, "Well, I kind of assumed that at this point the guys would find out about us".
"Beckett!" He pulled away from her and gesticulated wildly, "You're just going to tell them? That is in no way exciting! Don't you want this to be any fun?"
She laughed, "Right, I forgot that this whole thing was for your own personal enjoyment".
He scowled and said with a whine, "Well, it should be".
She laughed again. Then she walked through the loft's main door, making sure to sway her hips as she went. That had always worked as a good distraction tactic in the past.
"Becketttt," he groaned, head titled slightly sideways as he watched her performance.
She didn't reply, just flung herself onto his couch, kicking off her shoes.
He didn't even get a chance to enter his own loft before the guys arrived at the front door.
Esposito rounded the corner first with Ryan right behind him. Both of them froze in the doorway, eyes darting between Beckett and Castle. They'd both made assumptions in the minutes it had taken them to get from the van to the loft, but they didn't have any idea if those assumptions were accurate.
"And," Esposito thought to himself, "If what I'm thinking is true when the hell did it happen? Cause last I checked they didn't even like each other".
Castle walked into the apartment and both Ryan and Esposito trailed in after him.
As Castle shut the front door, Kate casually sat up and looked towards her boys, "So do you guys want a drink or something before we get started?"
Ryan just stared at her, completely flummoxed. But understanding dawned on Esposito's face.
"Seriously!" Kate huffed with an annoyance that she didn't feel, "I thought we were over this and that you'd agreed to help".
"But…" Ryan started before trailing off. His eyes shifted around the loft.
Kate couldn't help but pause for a moment because his flustered state was a little…adorable. Huh. That really was the only word for it.
Castle just grinned from the barstool where he'd perched. He didn't speak. Keeping silent normally caused him a lot of discomfort, and the only reason he typically did so was when he was trying to do someone a favor. Beckett largely suspected that for once silence was causing him a lot of pleasure. He was getting a kick out of watching the guys' flounder.
Kate decided that her current tactics were working fine, and that they were also in some bizarre way fulfilling Castle's desire for this to be "fun", so she continued using the voice that she usually used at the precinct when she needed to make them snap to attention and get things done: "Are you guys helping me move or not?" She glared at them.
They tentatively looked at each other, before Ryan piped up apologetically, "Yeah, Beckett, sorry, we just—"
Kate interrupted him, "Apologies are unnecessary. Let's just get this show on the road before it's pitch black outside".
"Sure Beckett," Esposito said calmly.
He was a lot more comfortable with the situation because he was pretty sure he'd figured out what was going on. It didn't hurt that he knew the whole thing was driving Ryan crazy.
Despite Ryan's confusion, Esposito's amusement and Castle's high distractibility they finished moving Kate's boxes into the loft fairly quickly.
Kate was also fairly confident that Esposito hadn't had time to text Lanie. Mainly because she knew that if Lanie had the slightest idea about what was going on she'd have barged into the loft long ago.
Castle said goodbye to the guys as quickly as possible while trying to be moderately polite. After all, they had just lugged Kate's belongings into and out of the elevator. Esposito gave him a saucy grin as he tugged Ryan behind him into the hall.
As Castle swung the door shut he heard Ryan stage whisper, "Did Beckett just move in with Castle?"
Letting out a huff of relief, Kate flopped backwards on Castle's couch. It was fast becoming one of her favorite spaces in the loft. She admitted to herself, with almost no trace of embarrassment, that Castle's bedroom was her favorite area. But the couch came in second…not, she berated herself, because they'd had sex there (which, okay, they had) but because she could just relax there and watch the activity of the loft rotate around her. Mornings spent curled up on that couch let her watch Alexis' morning routine and greet Martha when she finally came home. Plus Castle seemed unable to resist cuddling up next to her whenever he caught her sitting there.
It was silly really, but that couch made the loft feel like a home. More importantly, it made her feel as though she was home. As though this was her family. She hadn't had a family like this in a long time. Sure she'd lived with her dad for a while after her mom had died, but something had always been missing. This casual relaxation, the simple joy of being completely at ease around the Castles', was new and a little uncomfortable, while at the same time being the best decision she could have made.
Castle smiled as he exited the kitchen and caught sight of Kate leaning against the arm of his ("No," he corrected, "their") couch. The smile slipped off his face as he saw hers. Her face was blank and she was staring into nothing.
"Kate?" He asked softly as he sat down next to her. He was suddenly really worried that they'd been moving too fast, that he'd forced this move on her somehow. He sincerely hoped that she didn't regret it.
"Hmm?" She turned and looked at him, her face as emotionless as her voice.
He was even more concerned by her minimal reaction.
He head-butted her, nudging her shoulder to try and get her attention.
Castle felt a wave of relief when she responded, gracing his with a small smile as she jokingly berated him, "Castle! Are you a man or a goat?"
"Honestly Beckett," he grumbled unable to even attempt to hide his grin, "You know the answer to that. You've seen me naked".
She chuckled at his bluntness before they dropped into silence again.
"Seriously Kate, are you okay?" Castle asked again after a few minutes.
"Yeah," she whispered, exhaling softly.
"Really?" He spun her slightly while simultaneously turning his own body…he wanted to be face to face for this conversation.
She looked surprised.
"Really. Why?"
She crinkled her nose slightly in confusion and he had to work hard to suppress the urge to kiss her puzzlement away.
He shrugged, "Just…you're different somehow…I don't know. Like when you just said you were okay, it wasn't a very Beckett answer. It was…God Kate, I don't know how to explain this better, you'd think I wasn't a writer," he chuckled a tad sardonically, "I just need to know that you're okay. That we're okay".
"I'm not okay," she said slowly, shaking her head and meeting his gaze.
He felt his breath catch in his chest, but then she continued:
"I'm more than okay. Castle, I'm…happy".
She said it so softly he almost didn't catch it, was sure he'd misheard.
"Happy?"
She laughed, "Yeah. Happy!"
He laughed back at her, "Jesus Beckett, no need to be so morose about it! You do know the definition of the word 'happy', right?"
She rolled her eyes and shoved his chest, pushing him hard enough that he landed on his back on the couch with a wheeze of surprise.
"You seem to really like me on my back Beckett," he said saucily.
"Mmm," she licked her lips as she gazed down at him, mainly because she knew it drove him crazy.
She was right if the sudden tightness of his pants was any indication.
Kate placed one hand on each of his shoulders, leaning forward and provocatively brushing her body up and down his. Castle was unable to control himself, whimpering each time her body rubbed his crotch.
"Kate," he groaned, his eyes begging her to just touch him already.
His hands had found their way to her sides, and he was stroking every part of her that he could find, sliding his hands under her shirt to touch her back.
The second she heard Castle beg she gave in, sinking down on him and grinding against him. It was no fun teasing him when she was being teased just as mercilessly.
Kate swallowed his moan with her mouth, kissing him deeply.
She'd never been so relieved that they were alone in her life. She'd have to thank Alexis later for joining so many clubs, remind the girl that motivation was always a good thing.
And in this case Kate Beckett was highly motivated.
"Castle, pants, now," she panted parting her lips from his just long enough to get the words out.
He lifted her off him with one hand as he struggled to get his pants down.
She whined at being separated from him, moaning in relief when he succeeded in yanking down his pants and sliding into her.
They had just started to establish a rhythm when they heard the doorbell.
"Ignore it," Castle insisted, thrusting into her.
"No problem," Kate grinned for a moment before rotating her hips in a way she knew drove him wild.
He countered with his thumb, touching her exactly where she wanted.
Their competitive give and take only increased during sex.
The doorbell rang again.
"Fuck," Kate exhaled in annoyance.
"Kinda doing that Kate," Castle raised an eyebrow at her without breaking his stride.
She laughed at his response, her amusement distracting her just long enough for his sudden thrust to take her by surprise.
Her orgasm flooded her senses. Her head was thrown back and her eyes closed as she continued to ride him, slower now, her movement controlled by his hands on her hips.
Their front door swung open.
"Castle?"
He froze when he heard his name, ignoring Kate's whimper as he stilled her hips.
"Shit," he whispered as he pulled Kate on top of him, grabbing a blanket off the back of the couch and throwing it over their naked bodies.
He glanced down at Kate as he heard the footsteps approach. Her head was resting on his chest, her eyes still glazed, pupils dilated.
"Hey Castle".
He stroked a hand down Kate's back, his movement hidden by the blanket.
He calmly looked up at Lanie.
She was looking down at them with a huge know-it-all grin on her face.
"Hi Lanie," he chuckled, grinning back at her.
"Lanie?" Kate's head snapped up in surprise. Castle tightened his hold on her to stop her from rolling over and exposing them both.
"Castle," Kate grunted in annoyance, tilting her head at an awkward angle to try and see if her best friend was really in the room. She really, really hoped that if Lanie was there she'd arrived after…the main attraction.
"Hey girl," Lanie said, laughter evident in her voice.
"Shit," Kate groaned, burrowing her head into Castle's chest in embarrassment.
"Lanie?" Castle still sounded incredibly calm, and Kate was a little annoyed that he wasn't more embarrassed. She really hoped this didn't mean that he'd been walked in on during sex so many times that it no longer meant anything to him. Though, she supposed, his mother was his mother so it was possible—
Castle's voice distracted her thoughts, "Lanie, why don't you go out in the hall for a second. Let us pull ourselves together, then you're welcome to come back in".
"Sure," Lanie grinned, "Go ahead and…pull yourselves together".
She laughed again, the sound only slightly masked by the slam of the front door.
Kate groaned into Castle's chest. He chuckled and sat up, lifting her into his lap.
"Come on Kate," he gestured toward the floor, "I think your clothes are over there".
"Castle," she groaned again as she glanced at their clothes scattered all over the floor, "Could we be more obvious?"
"Kate, I somehow think the clothes were the least of our problems. Us on the couch? Naked? Kind of a dead giveaway".
"Yeah, yeah," she hopped up and started to dress.
He watched her, head tilted slightly to the side, distracted by his detective.
"Castle!" She threw his shirt at him, hitting him in the face.
"Okay, Lanie," Beckett said hesitantly as she opened the door to the loft, "You can come in".
She met her friend's gaze defiantly, threatening her to say anything about what she'd just walked in on.
Of course, Lanie wasn't one to go down without a fight.
"Sooo…" Lanie began, "I see the rumor that you've moved in with Castle may be real".
"Yeah," Kate admitted.
"And you're not," Lanie continued with a smirk, "'just roommates' as Ryan suggested".
"He what?" Kate exclaimed in surprise, before finally smiling at her friend, "No. Not just roommates".
"Yesss, I saw that".
"Lanie!" Kate crossed her arms and glared at Lanie.
Lanie just laughed and strode past Kate, walking into the kitchen and sitting down on a barstool. She thought that, for the time being, it was a better choice than the living room.
Kate followed her wondering belatedly where Castle had gone.
"Wait!" Kate realized something suddenly. "How did you get into the apartment?"
"Oh, that," Lanie looked slightly apologetic, "Castle gave me a key".
"Why would he do that?"
"When he told me he needed a copy of your key "for emergencies" I told him someone should have a copy of his key as well. He wanted to give it to you, but since you didn't know he had yours…and he thought you would overreact to the gesture…he gave it to me instead".
Kate nodded slowly, that actually made sense.
"He also thought that if anything important was happening you'd let me know. And then I could give you the key. Of course," Lanie glared at Beckett, "it seems you don't always tell me important things".
Kate opened her mouth but was interrupted before she'd even said a word.
"And don't you dare tell me this isn't important!"
"No," Kate shook her head, "It is important".
"Woah!"
"What?" Kate looked puzzled at being interrupted again.
"You just admitted I'm right! You…Kate Beckett…just admitted that I'm right!"
"Shut upp," Kate rolled her eyes at Lanie, "All I'm saying is yes, I'm with Castle, and I'm happy".
A soft smile graced Lanie's face, "I'm glad Kate. Really".
Almost as though he'd been listening (which he probably had been) Castle chose that moment to enter the kitchen.
"Hey Lanie," he greeted the M.E. again.
"Hey Castle," she grinned back at the author, pleased that she hadn't seen anything she'd have to work hard to forget.
"Are you staying, Lanie?"
"Nah," she shook her head, "I have a date".
Lanie stood up and prepared to leave the loft.
"Maybe you can come over for dinner sometime next week?" Kate suggested, tentatively looking at Castle since this was the first time she'd invited anyone over. He just grinned at her happily.
"Sure, that'd be good," Lanie walked toward the front door spinning on her heel and pointing at Castle, "You take care of my girl, you hear?"
The grin didn't leave his face, "Not a problem," he promised.
Lanie nodded. She didn't think it would be.
"Bye guys!"
The front door closed behind her, the noise reverberating around the now silent apartment.
Beckett and Castle turned and looked at each other.
"Now what?"
~FIN~
AN: I just wanted to thank all of you again for your lovely comments. This is the first thing I've ever written. At four months and over 85,000 words I can confidently admit that I would not have done it without you guys.
In particular I'd liked to thank FanFicFan39, Tony7323, renegade05, jennkyle, CastleCrazie, & fbobs for commenting on almost every chapter.
Of course, the rest of you are marvelous too. Thank you!