Game night - actually done now.

She approached the body, no coffee in hand, no Castle by her side. She felt... empty. And to think, just a few weeks ago she thought she was finally getting her shit together.

"What have we got?" She asked, squatting down beside Lanie to join the examination.

"I can tell you what we don't have." A certain writer boy... Her tone was one Beckett was familiar with. Disapproving. Beckett matched her energy, shooting a warning glare. She wasn't in the mood to talk about it, so Lanie continued with case-related facts. "Victim is Kasey Vance. ID was in her pocket. Thirty-eight, from Nashville. Cause of death is most likely blunt force trauma." She moved the victim's fringe - sticky and stained red - from her forehead, exposing a deep gash across her hairline.

She studied the face of the lifeless woman in front of them, something she tried to do with every victim, to connect. "Even the most naïve tourists know the risks of Central Park at night. What was she doing here by herself?"

"I don't know. Isn't that part your job?" Lanie snarked, sending Beckett's heart sinking to the pit of her stomach.

"Are you actually mad at me?"

Lanie took a deep breath, simmering her attitude. "No. Sweetie, I'm not mad at you. I just want you to sort this out instead of avoiding it."

"I'm not avoiding it. I just..." she looked over Lanie's shoulder, seeing the boys approaching them. "I have a job to do."

"Still no Castle?" Esposito asked once he had taken position near their victim. Ryan stepped up beside him, shaking his head at the audacity his partner had to be so blunt. "It's been weeks." He shrugged, as if that made any difference.

Beckett rolled her eyes, rising from her squatting position to be at the same level as the boys. "Jogger found the body?" She asked, having seen them talking to a man in running gear.

"Yeah. He usually does two laps of the track. Doesn't remember seeing the body on the first lap, but he can't say for sure she wasn't there. If she wasn't, that gives us about a twenty minute window."

"Time of death was between four and six this morning, so that could fit." Lanie joined in the conversation, starting to write her notes down on the forms clipped to her clipboard.

"That's... cocky. Killing someone by a popular running spot during the first rush of early morning runners." Ryan added.

"Get in touch with next of kin, find out why she was in the city. She might be visiting someone. If so, they might know what she was doing in the park."

"On it." Ryan tapped his pen to his notepad, turning to leave with Esposito.

"And Espo?" She called, waiting for his attention to be on her. She wanted this message to be clear - she was done with their not-so-subtle commentary and snide remarks. "It's been a week. One. If you miss him so much, maybe you should call him... and give me a break." She walked away, making a beeline for the CSU team leader.

"I think I might call Castle. About time I thanked him. Bro was working overtime keeping her in a good mood, no wonder he snapped."

"I thought you were team Beckett." Lanie teased, not bothering to look up from her clipboard.

"I was. Until whatever the hell that was." Espo defended.

"I have three sisters. Even I am terrified by whatever that was." Ryan added, his wide eyes following Beckett.

"She broke up with Josh." Lanie explained, finally giving them her undivided attention. She watched them as they looked at Beckett, jaws slack and brows furrowed. They really had no idea.

"Wait, is she actually into Castle?" Espo asked.

"And you call yourselves detectives."

Once she finished up at the crime scene, she headed back to the precinct to catch up with Ryan and Esposito. She had to apologise to Esposito. She knew he - like the others - was just concerned. This affected them too. It wasn't their fault they got dragged right into the middle of it all. And her confusion wasn't their problem... she shouldn't have taken it out on any of them.

The elevator doors opened and she strode into the bullpen purposefully. She made a beeline for Esposito's desk, but he wasn't there. Her eyes drifted around the bullpen, seeking him out. Ryan wasn't anywhere to be seen either.

She walked to her desk, still looking around at the faces that surrounded the room as she slowly sat in her seat. It was only then that she noticed the coffee cup and small white box on her desk. She knew who it was from, of course. She lifted the lid of the box, revealing a small assortment of pastries. A note, taped to the underside of the lid - written in a handwriting so distinctive there was no room for doubt that this was a gift from Castle - read 'Happy Monday. Call me when you have a chance, we need to talk.'

There was a part of her that wanted to call right away, just to hear his voice.

I ruined this?

His question echoed in her subconscious. She had said it was never meant to be... but she didn't believe that. He knew she didn't believe that, even before she did. He knew that there was something about this, about them, that was inevitable.

She wished she was ready to just dive right into this, to be with him in the way they both wanted... the way they both deserved. But she still had so many reservations. So many feelings she had to recognise and deal with before diving in.

But, for now, she had a case to focus on. She put the lid back on the box of pastries and pushed it aside, trying not to draw parallels.

With Alexis and his mother out for the night, Castle had to plan the perfect "don't dwell on this Beckett mess" night in for himself. A movie marathon, endless supply of snacks and - most importantly - no thinking about Beckett. It was already late, but sleep had evaded him most nights lately. He set up the white sheet, draping it across the bookshelves that partitioned his office from the living room, and loaded the movie reel into the projector.

He tipped the popcorn kernels into the machine, grinning with a childlike fascination as they began to bounce and pop before his eyes. He grabbed soda and chocolates from the fridge, dumping them on the coffee table before heading back to check on the progress of his popcorn. Once ready, he slid the 'catching bowl' from the machine and placed it on the coffee table beside the rest of his movie-night goodies.

He started up the projector, ready to begin his marathon when he heard a knock at his front door. He rolled his eyes at the timing, flicking off the projector and hoping whoever was interrupting wouldn't keep him too long. Popcorn was, after all, best enjoyed while still warm.

He swung the door open, surprise painting his face. This was a real hitch in the "don't think about Beckett" part of his plan.

"Beckett?" Was all he managed to get out. His palm, still clutching the door handle, grew clammy as his heart raced. He didn't think he would be this nervous.

She smiled the instant she saw his face. "Hi."

"Hi." He shook the dumbfounded look from his face. "I, uh, I wasn't expecting you."

"I was going to call first but... I was in the area and I thought." She paused, looking down the hall toward the elevator. It was tempting to run... to go back to avoiding. She looked back at Castle, still trying to mask his confusion. "I'm sorry. I should have called first."

Doubt clouded her mind and the small amount of confidence she had managed to muster on the drive across town - no, she wasn't in the area - was fading quicker than ever. She took a step back. Just a small step, but he noticed.

"No." He stepped toward her. Just enough to close that tiny amount of space she had created between them. "I'm glad you're here."

She was too. It had taken a lot to get this far. The walk from her apartment to her car had taken almost twice as long as usual. And she lost count of how many times she lapped his block before finally parking. She had only sat in her car for twenty minutes before making the journey to his door. To her, that seemed like progress.

"Come in." He stepped back into his loft, allowing room for her to follow. She stared at the floor as she did, avoiding his eyes, avoiding the loft.

"I got the pastries." She mentioned as she passed him, turning on her heel to face him again. "Thank you."

"Yeah... a peace offering, I guess. I ducked into the precinct hoping to catch you. LT said you got a case..." his smile dropped, but he caught himself before the expression reached his eyes. "When you didn't call... I thought maybe you weren't ready to see me yet."

"If I'm being totally honest, I don't think I am ready. I take my time with these things, you know? I don't like to have these conversations until I'm really... sure." She tried to swallow, but her throat felt dry.

"What aren't you sure about?" He dared to ask, but he wasn't positive he wanted her answer.

His eyes on hers was too much. She looked to the wall, her focus sharp on the picture that hung there. She tried to gather her thoughts. What aren't you sure about? Well, she didn't know where to begin. Her whole life seemed to be unexpectedly flipped upside down. Right now, she didn't even know which way was up.

"I could have loved him. We could have been happy... got married, had kids." She forced herself to look at him, to watch as he processed her words, to know that he understood she wasn't lying to him that night... she really believed this. "Because you were with Gina. And I was... moving on."

He couldn't ignore the fact that she spoke in past tense. That her words, her tone... they mourned for something that was lost. "But... not anymore?"

"Do you believe it's possible to love more than one person?" She didn't. At least, she never used to. But now, she wasn't so sure.

He shook his head. "No. I don't believe it's possible. Not real love."

"You asked me 'what are you not sure about?' and... truthfully, there is so much. But one thing that I am sure of is... this."

"This?" He waited for an explanation. For her definition of what this was. Because, so far, he wasn't entirely convinced they were on the same page.

"You." She clarified.

He could see she was searching for more, her mind working overtime to sort the chaotic thoughts, calm them enough to voice them.

"I don't know what this is, Castle. A week ago I was blissfully unaware of your feelings and now... it's all I can think about." She took a deep, steadying breath. All of the details fell under that 'unsure' category. She didn't know how to explain that to him. "All I know is that I'd chose this over anything else."

"Okay..." he wished she would just say the words, one way or another. She would choose this, sure. But what did that mean?

"Josh is gone." She confessed, as if she could read his mind. The words he had been waiting for. The words that mirrored his own confession.

He fought the urge to celebrate the victory. She wasn't a prize, some trophy to claim... and even if she was, he was far from winning. But he sure as hell was a lot closer than he thought he was before she showed up on his doorstep.

"And... this?" This meaning them... as something other than partners... friends. Them, a couple. "You're not ready."

"It isn't just about me, though, is it?"

"I guess not." He replied, but he knew the ball was in her court. If she wasn't ready, what could he do?

"You're not saying much." Silence coming from a man who often talked too much, was a whole new level of unsettling. She had more or less said what she needed to say. She hoped he would take his turn.

But he wasn't sure what to say. The thoughts that ran a muck in his head were all needy, desperate. I want you, Kate. But he had already said that. I love you, Kate. No, he couldn't say that. "I don't want to scare you away."

She shrugged, "I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yes you are." He smiled. They weren't in this alone anymore. One way or another, they had each other. Somehow, they would move forward... together.

They fell into silence, both of them processing... trying to figure out exactly where it was that they stood right now. There was something here, they had agreed on that much. He wanted her, she wasn't ready for him. They had reached a stalemate, neither one of them entirely sure on how to move forward from here. There were no promises made and yet there was something hopeful.

"Do you like The Godfather?" His voice pulled her from her thoughts, back to reality. His eyes on her, hopeful.

"What?"

"The Godfather. The movie." He pointed behind her. She turned to see the projector set up that she hadn't even noticed when she entered. She turned back to him, still confused. "I was going to watch movies. Stay? If you don't like The Godfather, we can watch something else."

"No." She stopped his rambling. His face dropped, assuming she was declining his invitation. "The Godfather is... good."

"Good." His smile grew and he grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the setup.

He all but pushed her into the couch, chuckling as she flopped down into the cushions.

"What would you like to drink?" He started to walk toward the kitchen, stopping after just a few steps. "I would offer wine but maybe we should stick to soda tonight, yeah?"

She laughed, rolling her eyes. Of course he was making jokes already. "Good idea. Soda sounds good."

He flicked the switch on the projector on his way past, passing her the can of drink as he made himself comfortable on the cushion beside her. He placed the bowl of popcorn between them, resting against both of their legs. He leant forward again, grabbing the chocolate bars from the coffee table and passing one to her.

"Wow, you've got quite the set up here."

"I take my movie nights very seriously. I hope you've remembered to turn your phone off."

"I have an active case, Castle. No, my phone is not off."

"Okay... but if it goes off during a vital moment..." he shook his head, dramatically. "I'm sorry, but I'll be forced to revoke your invite for future movie nights." His warning was playful, but she mulled over his words.

"Okay, okay!" She surrendered, pulling her phone from her pocket. "I'll put it on silent." She placed it in the coffee table.

"I supposed that will suffice." He stuffed a few pieces of popcorn in his mouth, turning to face the sheet as the movie started to play.

She smiled, settling into the couch. Everything seemed normal again. Normal was nice... for now. But she wanted him to know that this wouldn't last forever, to push the boundaries, start a new normal.

"Be bold." He voiced, sensing her eyes on him. "Tell me what thoughts are occupying your mind." He peeled his eyes from the movie, daring her to share with him.

She seized the moment, taking his hand in hers and resting her head against his shoulder. "Watch your movie, Castle."

"Yes ma'am." He tilted his head, pressing his cheek softly against the top of her head.

She woke to the ringing of her phone, silenced to a simple vibration, rippling against the coffee table. Castle let out a gentle snore as she removed his arm from around her waist. She slid from her comfortable position, tucked safely between his body and the back of the couch, and crouched in front of him so she could guide his head down onto the cushion.

She wasn't sure when exactly she had drifted off to sleep, but she had no doubt that he would have stayed here so that he didn't wake her.

She brushed back the lock of hair that had fallen over his forehead, tickling against his closed eyelid. He looked so peaceful asleep. She leant forward, pressing her lips to where she had just brushed away the hair before standing to leave.

"Sneaking off so soon?" He mumbled, eyes still closed.

"I have to go home." She whispered, in hopes she wouldn't draw him too far out of his slumber.

"Mmm..." His fingertips reached for her, falling short and dropping as his wrists went limp.

She combed her fingers through his hair again, smiling at his sleepy attempts. "See you at the precinct tomorrow?" She asked, hopeful.

"I'll bring coffee." He shifted himself on the couch, nuzzling further into the cushion she had placed his head on.

"Thank you, Castle." For coffee, for patience, for everything...