Season 5

His meeting had not gone fast enough for his liking. He had Kate all to himself while she was on suspension, while Alexis and his mother were traveling, and their serenity had been interrupted by Paula and Gina's repeated calls. He'd forgotten he had a meeting coming up with them to discuss the book tour for the new Heat and Storm books.

Kate had said she'd go back to her own place while he was busy but he didn't want to be apart from her now they were finally together. He knew it was silly but he'd planned to cook her dinner.

"Tell you what, I'm gonna go home and do some laundry and check my post, maybe call my Dad and let him know I'm okay," Beckett tried to soothe his pouting. "Come to mine when you're done and we'll pick up where we left off this morning." She promised, hand stroking up his arms, squeezing a little. She'd been doing that a lot lately, joking that it was a shame he'd hidden them from her under those shirts and jackets this whole time.

For the first time Castle wasn't so excited about the press he was going away to do. He couldn't help but think back to the Summer he'd spent in the Hamptons, away from his muse, and how different she'd been when he came back. Granted, they weren't a couple then but he didn't want to give her a chance to wonder, to reconsider, to evaluate. Maybe she'd want to come with him. A little vacation for the two of them.

He walked into her apartment, she'd left the door open for him after he'd sent her a text to say he was on his way and it made his heart sore. How different things were. He remembered knocking in the past and the worry that she'd send him away, that she'd rather spend time with her boyfriend then hearing his theories or accepting his company. Now he was the boyfriend. It was no secret that she wanted to spend time with him, that they loved being in each other's company. She'd leave the door for him, wait for him. He entered her kitchen with a smile when he saw her sitting at the counter with a glass of wine and a book waiting for him.

"Hey."
"What? No, 'honey I'm home'?"
He laughed, surprised at the tease.
Wrapping his arms around her, he leant down to kiss her. He'd missed her today.
"Never gonna stop making fun of me for that are you?"
"That you wrote about nights spent together in my apartment? Nope."
She poured him a glass of wine and passed it to him.
"Don't worry. I actually think it's sweet."
"So much better in reality though," he acknowledged as he slid in the seat next to her. Everything about them was so much better in reality. This whole new side of her was incredible and he really relished the chance to experience a relationship with her.
"I just get kidnapped a lot less than Nikki seems to," she teased again.
He laughed.
"So, you really are my biggest fan. You can admit it, Beckett. You're CastleFreak1212 right? I won't tell anyone."
She just rolled her eyes at him. He loved this. Their teasing had taken on a new level. She would thank him for the dedication in his books, for his kind words. She'd tried in the past to tell him she wasn't worthy of such praise and that she wasn't anything like Nikki but he'd seen his books lining her shelf. She called it being a supportive friend or professional curiosity but despite her claims to the contrary, knew she'd read them and knew she enjoyed them. Hell she would throw out one liners from the pages. And that one time she had flipped him the bird in gest the way Nikki would. It made going into this relationship with her so much sweeter because now he didn't have to hold back, didn't have to hide behind the pages of a book and hope she'd figure this all out. Nikki and Rook had been a love letter to her he was writing before he truly knew what he wanted, now he knew what they could be and it was more than anything he could have written for the whole world to see. They were so much more.

"How was your day?"
"Better now," He replied honestly, taking a sip from his glass. The smile she gave him then, he would never get tired of. Unrestrained and light. He'd done that.
He'd talk to her about the book tour after dinner, but right now he was happy to be with her.
"I believe you were was promised dinner by your favourite writer," Castle reached out to take her hand, a little thrill running through him that he could do it without restraint now. He could hold her hand. He could hold her.
"Patterson is coming over?"
Castle playfully glared at her, tugging her hand a little and pulling her towards him for a kiss.
"Patterson wishes."
She smirked. She grabbed her glass, drinking from it and sending him a flirtatious glance as he watched the way she licked her lips after..
"After you've made dinner, maybe I'll let you break out the tequila and limes," she teased.
Castle gulped, jumped up to raid her fridge and she laughed at his eagerness, setting down her glass and moving to his side to help.

AN: Happy National Wine Day... I love the idea of Beckett teasing Castle about all the relationship stuff he wrote between Nikki and Rook in the first few books before they got together.