Kate couldn't contain her smirk in response to the look on Castle's face. It was the perfect mixture of excitement and trepidation. He looked like a nine year old who'd just been given the keys to the candy store but didn't know what to do with them.
"Come on, Castle. Come and sit down." Kate said, gently.
She'd grabbed the two books in the bag at the last second that morning. She hadn't been sure at the time she would have the courage to share them with Castle. But, he'd handed her the perfect opportunity on a silver platter. She led the way to the couch with Castle following close behind. Kate folded herself into the corner, while Castle perched on the end of the chaise.
"I probably should have shown these to you a while ago. The timing just never felt right. But now..." Kate's voice trailed off as she pulled the two novels from the green bag. She handed them both to Castle and watched as his eyes flickered from the titles back to her face.
"These are mine." he breathed. His eyes fixed on Kate's begging for explanation.
Instead of elaborating, she said simply, "Open them."
Gingerly, Castle opened the front cover of In Hail of Bullets." His eyes grew wider and he glanced back at Kate.
"That one was my mom's." she said.
He closed the book and opened the cover of Storm Warning. This time, his jaw dropped.
"And that one is mine."
Castle tore his eyes away from his, no her, books and stared at Kate, open mouthed.
"I really need you to start explaining now. Please, Kate."
Kate smiled softly at him. "I was going to tell you about this on your sleeve this morning, but I thought it would be more fun to show you instead. And I was right." Still, Castle did not speak. He simply stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "You pegged me for a fan from almost the moment we met. What you didn't know was how I came to find your books. You knew I read your books, but you never knew why. I can't believe, given all the time we've spent together, you never pressed for the story."
Castle looked a little taken aback at this comment. He swallowed and said, "I didn't think you would tell me if I just flat out asked."
Kate chuckled at this admission. "You're probably right. But I'd like to tell you now, if that's okay." Castle just nodded eagerly. So Kate continued. "My mom liked your books first. She thought they were exciting. She also found them a very effective way to disengage her brain. She told me once that she liked your books because she didn't have to think too much about them." She grinned at Castle's affronted look and carried on. "I think she meant it as a compliment. She could dive into one of your books and not worry about being disappointed by the ending. She loved them because you wrote deep and deeply flawed characters, because the plots were just complex enough to hold her interest, and because the good guys won in the end."
"Wow." Castle exhaled.
"She had a hard job, Castle. You know that. And I think your books were an escape from a world where the good guys rarely win. In Hail of Bullets was her favorite. My dad and I teased her relentlessly when she decided she was going to one of your signings, but she would not be deterred."
"Sounds stubborn. Like someone else I know." Castle interjected.
Kate beamed at him. "I get it honestly. From both sides. Trust me." They both laughed. "Anyway, she stood in line for two hours. I think it was around the time the second Derek Storm book was coming out. Apparently you were only supposed to be signing copies of the new book, but you signed hers anyway."
"I can't believe I met your mom. I wish remembered her." Castle murmured, looking down at the book in his hands.
"Rick, please don't beat yourself up over this. She went to that signing two years before she died. There was no possible way you could have known who she was."
"What about you, though." Castle pleaded.
"There's no way you could have known who I was either. As much as my dad and I teased her, I picked up that book after she was gone and I immediately understood what she saw in them. Her assessment was spot on and I came to love them for the same reasons. I came to that signing two, almost three years before I met you. It was right after I made detective. Will teased me about it for days and I remember thinking that I knew how my mom must have felt."
"Still wish I could remember." Castle muttered.
"I don't need you to remember, Rick. I just need you to know that your books gave me a way back to my mom that wasn't through her murder. And they allowed me to escape a world where I was drowning most of the time. I need you to know that your books matter to me and they mattered to my mom."
Rick didn't say anything when she finished speaking. He just stared at her with an awestruck look on his face. Rather than waiting to find his voice, Castle reached across the distance between them and drew her into a hug. She rested her chin on his shoulder and breathed him in. He pressed his lips to her temple and whispered, "I don't think I've ever been given such an incredible gift. Thank you."
Pulling back to look at him, Kate simply grinned and felt her cheeks flush.
"Although," Castle continued, smirking slightly, "if you had told me all that on a sleeve, it would have been one hell of a coffee shaped wrecking ball."
Kate laughed at this, a full, open mouthed, bright laugh that caused Castle's already wide grin to take over his entire face.
"Still had the desired effect, I hope." Kate said, tentatively.
Castle made to lean into her again. "Oh yeah. Walls are rubble. How about you?"
Kate decided she'd given a lot of words in recent weeks, but she was still more comfortable with actions. So, rather than answer him, Kate closed the remaining distance and kissed him.
She meant to keep it soft and brief, but Castle had other ideas and she was more than happy to follow his lead. When she tried to pull away from him, he brought his hands up, one to tangle in her hair and the other to hold her, firmly, in the center of her back. His tongue ran along the seam of her lips and she opened with a sigh. It occurred to her in that moment that she would not mind one bit if they spent the rest of the day engaged in some serious necking.
Eventually, cooler heads and an extremely loud throat clearing from Alexis brought them back to reality. Castle had the good grace to at least look sheepish while Kate was mortified. Alexis seemed not to be phased. She simply asked them to take it in the office next time. With a laugh and a wave, she shouldered her bag and departed.
After walking Alexis to the door, Rick returned to the couch, where Kate remained frozen with embarrassment. "Kate," Castle said, gently. "It's okay. From the sounds of your conversation this morning, you and Alexis are on good terms now. And she's had time to mentally prepare for the sight of us kissing. She knows that was always my endgame when it came to you."
His words brought Kate out of her reverie. "Really?" she asked with a quirk in her eyebrow. "Kissing me was your endgame? That's where your plans ended?"
"Do you really want me to answer that question?" Castle shot back, his voice dropping an octave and his eyes darkening a fraction.
Kate swallowed and suppressed a shiver. "Eventually, yes. I really do want to hear what your endgame is for us. But for now, would it be okay if we took this thing one step at a time?" She saw the curtain of doubt fall across Castle's face and hurried on. "Please don't misunderstand me. I want to dive into this with you, I just need to learn to tread water first. Or maybe I need to learn to swim. I'm not sure. This metaphor is making less and less sense."
Castle laid a hand on her arm and her voice trailed off. "I get it." he said, softly. "I think we're on the same page. I want to be careful with this, do it right. So if slow is what you need right now, then we can go slow. I think that's a good idea."
Kate beamed at him. "Not too slow," she blushed and then her face became, suddenly, very serious. "You're still going to bring me coffee, right."
"As long as you're bringing mine."
Kate beamed at his response and once again closed the distance between them and pressed her mouth to his.
A/N: I know... it's cliché. Hope it's not too over the top for anyone. I also hope no one needs a trip to the dentist after all this fluff. It's funny, I felt a week ago like this story was almost over. Now I almost feel like I'm just getting started. I hope you enjoy. As always, reviews and feedback are always welcome.