A/N: thank you for all the feedback, I really appreciate it.

That's downplaying it, for real. Your comments leave me ecstatic! Between you guys and the people who follow me on tumblr, I've been smiling at my phone like an idiot for days now. I'm so truly shocked that anyone actually reads my stuff... let alone enjoy it! Thank you.

Because a few people were so enthusiastically encouraging... here's part two!


Part II

In this moment, she was sure of one thing: there was before, and there was after. And right now, in the dawning of what was after, she had never felt so certain.

Yesterday felt like a lifetime ago. The stress and strain of a turbulent few weeks seemed no longer relevant. She was lighter, rejuvenated... happy.

She had been so unsure about taking this step... about crossing so many lines that couldn't be uncrossed. There was no going back now. And that used to terrify her, but now she was excited to see where this would take them. She was... hopeful.

She rolled her eyes in the mirror, irritated by the fact that she just couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Hopeful, how pathetic. K-Bex would be ashamed. She had practically pushed him out the door - a last-ditch effort to not embarrass her inner high school self that was way too independent to ever fall so hard and fast, some feeble attempt to not show him that she was rapidly losing her 'cool' - but he wasn't buying it. He said his goodbyes with a smirk plastered on his face.

Her eyes drifted down the length of the mirror, taking in her reflection, the marks he had left on her. She brushed her fingertips across her collarbone - the soft pink spots that remained but would soon fade - down to the deeper red markings that would inevitably bruise and leave her body bejewelled by him for weeks.

Even in his absence, she could feel him all over her. His hands traipsing over her, fingertips burning every detail of her skin to his memory. His breath tickling against her neck. The warmth of him enveloping her. His lips on her... bruising and possessive, slow and romantic... she loved it all.

Her eyes shot back up, staring herself down in her reflection. That thought had been too close to too much. Too close to sending her flying off the edge of the cliff and into a spiral.

Don't rush in, Kate. Stay guarded.

The all too familiar voice had returned. But those thoughts had no place here anymore. She had let him in and he hadn't run. In fact, he had only been gone for a little over ten minutes before messaging her about the dinner she had promised him. Planning a date... that doesn't sound like a man thinking about a way out.

She moved to her wardrobe, needing a task to keep her mind busy for a few moments while she fought off that inner voice, that unnecessary doubt that she knew would eventually creep in. She wouldn't let it win this time.


She pulled into the parking lot behind the cafe, claiming the free space beside the familiar Mercedes. It was an almost twenty year old car... and nothing special. She wasn't sure why her father never updated... but it was kind of nice, in a way. Some things never change.

She pushed through the door of the cafe, scanning the building for her father. She smiled once she found him, sitting in the corner, waving to gain her attention. She navigated past the crowded tables, wrapping her arms around Jim as soon as she reached him. Having been so busy at work, she had to cancel their last lunch together. It had been almost two months and she had missed him terribly.

His bear hug could have crushed her. He's missed her, too. She made a mental note to not let it go this long again. No matter how busy life got... she had to make time for him. They both needed it.

"Hey, Katie." He greeted, kissing the side of her head as he reluctantly released her from his hold.

"Hey dad." She smiled, taking her seat across the table from him. "Sorry, I didn't expect this place to be so busy."

"That's okay." He was certainly growing to appreciate the calm and quiet more as he aged, opting to get out of the city more and more, but in this moment he was just glad to see his daughter again. "How are you?"

"I'm good." She beamed.

A waitress approached their table with a mug and a fresh pot of coffee. She placed the mug in front of Kate, filling it before offering a top up to Jim.

"Thank you." They said in unison.

"So... how are you?" She asked, bringing the coffee to her lips and carefully sipping on the hot liquid.

"Better now." He quipped with a smile that warmed her heart. "I have to say, when you called and asked to meet today... we'll, I was a little worried. You didn't seem... yourself."

Her stomach tightened. She knew that her job had caused her father unnecessary stress over the years, but that wasn't something she would ever feel okay about. "I'm sorry. It's been... chaotic. I've been pulling a lot of overtime at work..."

"I hope you're not overdoing it." He interrupted.

"I'm not." An incumbent lie. For the sake of her father's well-being.

He looked at her, unconvinced. If his daughter was anything, it was tenacious. Her needs often came second to the job, he knew that, he tried to accept it.

"I have the whole day off today." She explained, as if one day was enough to make up for weeks of over exertion. "And for the next two days, other teams are prioritised for cases. If we can make it through two days without a case, I have a full weekend off and then I'm back into my usual roster."

But he still wasn't sold.

"You know what it's like, dad. You paid your dues, you pulled your overtime. It has to be done, sometimes."

"I know. I just..."

She could sense a lecture, suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling she hadn't experienced since she was much younger. "You just what, Dad?"

"For the toughest years of my career... the years that I had to pay my dues and pull my overtime... I had your mother to keep me grounded. I had support." She rolled her eyes, but he pressed on. "I know you've got people around you. I know you have great friends that are there for you. And I don't try to push my opinions on your personal life... I'm just saying it's nice to have someone to come home to at the end of a long day."

"I know. I promise you, I'm fine." She reached out and placed a hand over his. She couldn't fault the man for not wanting her to be lonely.

He squeezed her hand and smiled. "I know you are."

They sat together in silence for a few minutes. It was something she always appreciated about her father - he never felt the need to fill the silence. Some days they would sit, for hours, not speaking a word... just enjoying each others presence. She could read, or watch TV... and he would fill in a crossword or sudoku puzzle... and they would just be.

"How is Rick?" His question pulled her from her thoughts. "Is he still hanging around the precinct?"

Her grin grew tenfold. "You're shameless."

His little speech about having someone to come home to suddenly didn't feel so... random. He had dropped hints in the past, not-so-subtly questioning the motivation behind the writer's observing her at work.

"I don't know what you mean?" He pulled his hand from hers, lifting his coffee to his lips.

She rolled her eyes at her fathers attempt at playing dumb. "What's new with you? How's Doug?"

He placed the mug back on the table in front of him. "You didn't answer my question."

"And I don't plan on answering it." She shook her head emphatically, repeating her question. "How's Doug?"

"Doug is good. We were just planning a trip, actually. Probably just to the cabin, do some fishing."

"That sounds nice."

"Should be." He sipped on his coffee again, draining the remnants of the mug. "Do I get an answer now? You don't usually have a problem with me asking about him. In fact, I don't usually have to ask about him. Usually you don't stop talking about him."

"I've been here for five minutes, I've barely had a chance to talk about anything yet!" She defended playfully. "And you don't usually dive right in after highlighting the importance of having a significant other." Added for emphasis.

"That was pure coincidence, I assure you." The grin on his face said otherwise.

Her eyes rolled, "Sure."

"So..." He prompted, and she relented.

"Castle's good. Yes, he's still hanging around the precinct. He's... finding his feet. Thinking like a real cop. It's... strange, actually. He'll seem completely himself one second... spouting off his outlandish conspiracy theories and then all of a sudden he's got some totally reasonable explanation that... makes... sense." She slowed her pace as she noticed her father was staring at her, looking rather smug. "What?"

"Nothing."

She dipped her head, trying to hide the flush of pink that rose to her cheeks. Her father, much to her dismay, could read her like a book.

"What did you think, when you met him?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"He's taller than I thought." He knew what she meant, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to stir her a little.

"Seriously." She said, almost pleadingly. "Did you like him?"

"Do you?" She shot back without hesitation.

She looked at him, silently encouraging him to give her an honest opinion. It mattered.

"I only want the best for you. He's a public figure... you're a very private person. That concerns me. And..." he took a deep breath, "No father would like the idea of their daughter hanging around the poster boy for 'party boy that never grew up'. Especially with your job. I didn't like the idea of you being in any more danger than usual because you had to babysit him."

She felt defensive. She wanted to tell him that Castle isn't actually like that. That there's a side to him that contradicted Page Six. But she kept quiet... she did, after all, want his opinion.

He continued, "But I know as well as anyone... everyone has a past and some of us are doing our best to... be better."

She nodded her understanding. Her father had always believed that people were capable of change... if they really wanted to, they would.

And she believed that Castle wanted to.

He watched as his daughter contemplated his words. Right now he knew he was tiptoeing the line between encouraging and pushing too far. "He cares for you, Katie." He risked with bated breath.

"I know."

"What's holding you back?"

Her eyes shot to his and he held contact, trying desperately to read her expression. After a few moments of consideration, she smiled.

"Nothing." Not anymore.

Her answer took him by surprise. "Nothing?"

"Things are... changing."

He considered her words for a moment, letting their potential meaning sink in. Changing. That could mean so many things... "And you're okay with where it's headed?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

A smile curled on his lips. "Good." He relaxed, leaning back in his chair. "You hungry?"


He sat at the island counter, drinking his coffee, waiting for Alexis to get off the phone with her mother. She had called him earlier and asked if Alexis was free to come and visit her in Los Angeles for a few days. It had been months since they had seen each other, so of course he had agreed. But now that Alexis was excitedly chatting away, planning her trip, he was growing anxious. Meredith had a history of... disappointing.

Alexis dragged her suitcase downstairs, placing it on the couch and opening it up. Without a word, she ran back upstairs, bringing down piles of clothes and dumping them beside her bag.

"I have no idea what to pack." She complained.

He rose from the counter stool, walking toward the newly created pigsty in his lounge room. "You're going for four days. It can't be that hard."

"It's mom. I have no idea what she has planned and she's determined to keep it a surprise."

He grimaced. A Meredith surprise was always... unpredictable. "I'm sure she's planning on keeping it casual. She just wants you to see her new place... spend some time there." Lie. A blatant lie. Nothing with Meredith was casual.

Alexis sighed, relaxing a little.

Starting to feel a little bad about potentially sending his daughter into battle unprepared, he quickly added, "But maybe have one or two spectacular outfits, just in case."

The tension returned to the pit of her stomach as she flopped into the pile of clothes on the couch. "I don't have spectacular!"

"Sure you do." She grumped. The countless shopping sprees his mother had taken her on over the years should have assured spectacular. His credit card statement sure implied it. "Anyway, giving your mother an excuse to go shopping is never a bad idea."

Alexis huffed and he wanted to insist that he knows her mother... very well, but decided against it.

A knock at the door interrupted the frustrated silence coming from his daughter. He walked to the door, peeping through the small glass hole. He smiled when he saw Beckett on the other side, nervously playing with her hair.

"Miss me already?" He queried as he pulled the door open.

She shrugged, nonchalantly. "I was in the area."

"Well, come on in." He stood aside, allowing her to enter the loft. "You can help me reassure Alexis of her fashion choices."

"Were they ever in question?" She walked toward the redhead who was pulling herself from the pile of clothes with a sigh. She smiled her greeting to the obviously frazzled girl.

"I'm flying to LA to spend time with mom." She explained, turning to face her options. "I just don't know what to expect."

"Usually the case with Meredith." Castle muttered under his breath but, unfortunately, still loud enough for his daughter to hear and shoot him an icy glare.

"What exactly is the problem?" Beckett asked, hoping to defuse the tension between the pair.

"I just don't know how to be prepared for anything without packing my entire wardrobe." Alexis admitted.

"There's an easy solution: jeans. Black, dark denim and a light colour. Two shirts for each pair, one that dresses them up and one that keeps it casual. Boots, a nice pair of heels and a pair of flats. And then as many accessories as you can fit, because that's what will make your outfits really versatile. Include a nice dress, something that could work in a restaurant setting or a club..." from the corner of her eye she saw the look of horror on Castle's face. "Not a club... but another setting, perhaps. A swimsuit. And there, you're prepared for anything." She corrected, eliciting a smile from his daughter.

The smile quickly faded, though. "I don't have nice dresses."

"You have plenty of nice dresses." Castle argued.

"That green dress you wore to Claire's birthday dinner was gorgeous." Kate added.

Alexis' eyes lit up. "That's perfect." She ran upstairs to grab the dress.

"How did you do that?" Castle asked, voice hushed, once his daughter was out of earshot.

"Sometimes, the problem is too many options. We need someone to help narrow it down a bit."

"I tried that." He frowned.

"Yeah, but you're her dad. No one wants their dad's opinion when it comes to clothes."

"No... that's not it." That couldn't be it. His opinion would always be relevant. Right? "You're magic." The only logical explanation. He leant in and kissed her. He could feel her smile beaming against his lips. Reluctantly, he pulled away. "What happened to your plan of doing nothing today?"

"Just finished lunch with my dad and was on my way home..." she reached out, taking his hand, watching as his fingers wrapped around hers.

"But you missed me too much, obviously."

She looked at him through her lashes. "A little, maybe."

He leant in and kissed her again, placing his free hand on the side of her face. Alexis came bounding down the stairs, excitedly holding up her dress. Beckett stepped back, dropping Castle's hand, after hearing the approaching footsteps.

"Oh... sorry, I-"

"I should get going." Kate announced to the room, no one in particular, before addressing Castle directly. "Call me later?"

He nodded and she offered Alexis a soft smile before leaving.

"I'm sorry." Alexis said again, after Beckett had left.

"Nothing to be sorry about." He explained, still looking toward the door for a moment before turning back to his daughter.

"I scared her off."

"It's Beckett... always expect skittish. PDA makes her nervous."

"When did this happen, though?" She asked as she walked down the last few steps.

Last night. "It's new."

"You didn't tell me?"

"Very new." Translation: he has no idea what is going on yet and didn't want to jinx it. "And you've got a lot on your mind right now."

"Stupid things." She tossed the dress over the back of the lounge, before giving her dad her full attention. "Dad, this is huge news."

She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight.

"Thanks, Pumpkin."

She pulled away, keeping her hands steady on his shoulders. "Now... don't mess it up."


He leant back in his office chair, phone in hand, propping his feet up on his desk as he tapped his thumb on the call now button under her name.

"Hey, Castle." Her voice was low, breathless, and a myriad of lust-fuelled thoughts temporarily distracted him. "Hello?"

"Say my name, again."

She laughed, knowing that his mind was in the gutter. "I'm at the gym."

He deflated. "What happened to not doing anything all day?"

"I had energy to burn off." She tossed her towel and water bottle into her gym bag, zipping it shut and throwing the strap over her shoulder.

"Well, I could have helped you with that." He joked... sort of.

"Mmm, could have. But I figured you'd want to spend time with Alexis before she leaves." She pushed through the door, stopping to hold it open for a small group of people entering the building.

"I appreciate that. But it turns out she would rather spend her evening with her friends... leaving me all alone." He tried to make that sound less pathetic than it felt.

"Ah, I see. So you've decided to annoy me, instead." She didn't mind, though.

He fiddled with the pens on his desk. "Apparently hanging with dad isn't as cool as it used to be."

She shook her head, imagining her partner sitting there sulking. "Welcome to the teenage years, Castle. I thought you'd have figured that one out by now."

"Just to prove a point, I asked mother if she wanted to go out somewhere for dinner. And she said no. My own mother is too busy for me."

"So, what? Am I the back up back up plan?"

He paused, sitting upright as he realised his mistake. "I would have loved to have dinner with you but you ran out of here so quickly before, I wasn't sure if maybe this was moving too fast for you."

"Oh god, I'm so sorry about that." She could have cringed at the memory. She tossed her gym bag into the trunk of her car.

"It's okay... I don't want you to feel rushed." As much as he hated the idea of taking a step back, he would do it in a heartbeat if that was what she needed. He'd rather cool things off than call things off.

"I... you're not rushing me." She explained. She sat in the drivers seat, setting her phone in the handset and putting it on speakerphone. "Was Alexis okay?"

"She's fine. She's a big girl, she's seen people kiss before."

"I know... I just," she paused... why did she get so flustered? She started her car. "I want her to like me." She confessed.

Her confession had left him confused. "She does like you." He stated, a matter of fact, not perception.

Her voice quietened, doubtful. "That was before."

"I promise you..."

She reflected on his words as she pulled out of the car park. His daughter - and therefore her opinion - meant everything to him. And that was an unnerving thought. The idea of a third party having so much influence over their relationship...

"You want to come over?" She asked on a whim. "I'll be home in 15 minutes."

He was out of his seat before she could finish her sentence. "I'll be there in 25."


He got the her place in record time, New York traffic seemingly being on his side for once. He considered sitting in his car a while longer... playing it cool, he supposed. But when had he ever restrained his enthusiasm?

He knocked on her door, marvelling at the fact that his stomach was in knots. He wasn't one to get nervous like this... only for her.

The door opened revealing a slightly dishevelled Beckett, still dressed in her gym wear, locks of hair falling from her loosened braid. The emerald green tank top accenting the flecks of colour in her eyes. That knot in his stomach tightened.

"Hey."

"Hey." She smiled stepping aside to let him in. "You got here quick."

"Sorry, traffic wasn't as bad as anticipated." After taking a few steps into her apartment, he turned back to face her.

She closed the door, turning and leaning back against it. "Don't be sorry." She said with a sweet smile. She pushed off from the door, maintaining eye contact as she stepped toward him.

Her gaze was inviting and he stepped, too. Meeting in gentle collision, their mouths united greedily. Her hands braced him, resting either side of his face. His held her close, one on her hip, the other at her back.

They pulled away, only when the need for breath was too much, and leant their foreheads against each other.

"We need to talk about this, don't we?" He wrapped his fingers around her hand, bringing it from his cheek to his lips, and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

"Yeah." She sighed.

A part of her wished they had more time, just the two of them. Time to find to their way, before having to face the outside influences and opinions. But they needed to talk before tomorrow, make sure they were on the same page before having to face their friends.

"Over dinner? I can take you anywhere you want to go."

"I appreciate that, Castle. But I need to shower."

He was going to make a joke about being rejected for a third time that evening... but she had a fair point. She'd spent god knows how long at the gym. And knowing her, it wasn't a light workout. He wouldn't feel like going out anywhere either.

"How about you go shower, I'll head down to the Thai place down the road and get us dinner."

She smiled. "That sounds great, actually."

"Perfect." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before heading toward the door.

"Hey, Castle?" He stopped, hand on the doorknob. "Thank you."

"Always." He smiled.

Half an hour later they were sitting cross legged at the coffee table, backs leaning against the front of the couch, unpacking the styrofoam containers.

She hadn't realised how hungry she was until the aromas filled the apartment.

"I wasn't sure what you felt like so I ordered a little bit of everything." He explained, biting into a spring roll.

She opened the lids, one by one, taking in the variety of options she had available to her. "Is everything you do so excessive?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing?"

She shook her head, amused. Definitely not a bad thing. Just something she was yet to get used to. "There's enough food here to feed an army."

He shrugged, "You'll have leftovers."

He passed her one of the plates before starting to dish some food onto the other for himself. They worked together, scooping small portions of everything onto both plates until the each had an extravagant feast in front of them. They settled back against the couch and began to eat.

She grabbed the remote and switch on the TV, flicking through channels until she found something for them to watch.

"I haven't seen this movie in years!" His voice pepped up, obviously pleased with her viewing choice.

They ate their meal in relative silence, simply enjoying the movie and each others company. But she couldn't keep her mind quiet. Tomorrow was approaching so quickly, she just wanted to slow down time a little bit.

They had been so unabashed at dinner. Lanie knew something had happened. Espo had watched them slink out of the cab together, rushing through the rain with Castle's arm wrapped around her protectively. She wondered what tomorrow would bring. Would their friends bombard them with questions? Or would they sit back and wait... watch this all unfold before them. She knew they cared... at most, this was two of their friends finding happiness with each other. And at the very least, it was an opportunity... something new to tease them about.

She looked to Castle, who was fixated on the TV. Was he already so comfortable that rejoining the real world didn't fill him with the same anxieties it did for her?

"Do you think it's going to be weird?" She voiced, barely audible over the TV.

His focus broke, eyes drifting from the TV to her. "What do you mean?"

"At work. We have a... dynamic. Do you think that will change?"

"We have a dynamic?"

She looked at him, frustrated, taking a deep breath.

"I don't think it will be weird." He finally joined the conversation. "I don't see why our dynamic would change."

His confidence didn't convince her. "What makes you so sure? What if we fight? You're telling me you can separate that from work?"

"Wha- hold on! Why are you imagining us fighting already?"

"Because we always fight." She scoffed.

He had to admit, she had a point. But he wouldn't concede to her anxious thoughts. "And we always manage to sort it out."

"It's different now."

"The situation is. But we aren't."

He placed his plate onto the coffee table, taking hers from her hands and doing the same. He turned his body into her, making sure she knew she had his full focus and hoping she could offer him the same level of attention. She did, turning in to him and placing a hand over his.

"We've been pretty consistent for quite a while now." With an elbow propped on the couch behind them, he dropped his hand, letting it rest behind her head. He slowly combed his fingers through her hair as he continued his train of thought. "And, in these past twenty-four hours, my feelings for you have not changed. The way I care for you has not changed. My respect for you has not changed. My admiration for you and the way you do your job has not changed. The way I see it, the only thing that has changed is how much time we're spending together outside of the precinct."

She smiled, allowing his words to settle deep, smothering her anxieties with reassurance.

"And what we're doing in that time." He added with a suggestive wriggle of his eyebrows, eliciting an eye roll in response. "I know how important your job is to you and I know that you try to keep your work life and your personal life separate. I have no intention to make that difficult for you."

She rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling into him. "How do you always know what to say?"

"Honestly... I'm just making this up as I go and hoping for the best."

She laughed, shaking her head because she knew that wasn't true. She knew he had meant every word he had said. She knew that he would move Heaven and Earth for her if she needed him to.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Will tomorrow be easier for you if I'm not there?"

"You're going to leave me to fend off the wolves by myself?"

"Never. Although..." He sucked a sharp breath between his teeth. "I do have to take Alexis to the airport in the morning so I'll be in late."

"I suppose I can excuse you for that, Castle." She smiled.

"I'll bring you coffee." He promised with a kiss.


She was the first of the team to arrive at the precinct. She settled into her chair, preparing herself for a long day of paperwork.

Ryan and Esposito walked in together about twenty minutes later, talking about some video game she had no interest in.

"Morning, Beckett." They greeted as they passed. She replied with a warm smile, before they disappeared into the break room.

Her phone started to ring and, for a short moment, she hoped they had a case. Anything to avoid this paperwork.

"Beckett." She answered without checking the caller ID.

"You've been avoiding me!" The voice on the other end of the line accused.

"I haven't been avoiding you, I've been busy." She probably should have tried to sound more apologetic, but her friends mild annoyance was kind of entertaining.

"Oh, things went that well, did they?"

She ducked her head down, hiding her blushing cheeks from anyone who may have happened to look over. Doing her best to remove the grin from her face, she rolled her eyes and thanked the heavens that Lanie couldn't actually see her right now. "I spent some time with my dad. I hadn't seen him in a while." She excused, knowing that there was no point in lying... but she could defer the conversation.

"Girl, I know you're holding out on me." She could almost feel the burning glare through the phone speaker.

That grin returned with a vengeance, there was no removing it now. "I'm working." She replied in a sing-sing tone that highlighted just how much fun she was having with this.

"Boooooooo!" Came the childish retort.

Beckett rolled her eyes, again. "Why don't you come over tonight? We'll have dinner... and I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Anything?"

"Please don't make me regret it." She joked.

"Deal."

She ended the call, putting her phone down on the desk. She knew it would be tempting... and having her phone within sight would ultimately lead to her being distracted by it, but she was really struggling to get motivated today.

They boys exited the break room with their freshly made coffees. Espo holding one mug, Ryan holding two. They walked toward her and Ryan carefully placed the navy blue NYPD mug in front of her. She looked at him sceptically.

"No Castle today?" Esposito asked, trying to sound casual.

"Uh, no." She answered, accepting their gift and taking a sip of the coffee. "Thank you."

She turned in her chair, trying to focus on her computer screen, but the boys lingered. She smiled, shaking her head slightly.

"He's taking Alexis to the airport. He'll be in later." She explained. They looked at one another, nodding and seemingly accepting her explanation. She rolled her eyes. "I'll be sure to let him know you missed him." She jested.

"Didn't miss him." Espo stated. "Need to kick his ass."

That piqued her interest. "What for?"

"Ryan bailed on Halo night to spend time with Jenny."

She looked to Ryan, who just shrugged.

"Which is fair." Esposito continued to explain. "I mean... after being holed up here for long I get it, he wanted some time with his wife."

She nodded. "Very understandable." She said with a smile, still not quite understanding why Castle was owed an ass kicking.

"Your boy promised me an afternoon of beers and gaming." He paused, gauging her reactions. "And then bailed. No warning."

"I'm sure he had his reasons." She shrugged.

"Oh... I know his reasons, Beckett." He looked her up and down, in a playfully disapproving manner and the burning flush returned to her cheeks.

Her eyes flicked to Ryan, who was trying to hide his smirk behind his coffee mug, and then back to Esposito. The corner of her mouth twitched, a smile tugging threateningly as she stood from her seat. She knew there was no gaming session planned... Castle would have mentioned it. They were fishing... interrogating her.

"What can I say? Maybe he got a better offer."

They obviously hadn't expected her to bite... to join in on their game. They were thrown, and neither one of them knew where to go next - evident by the blank stares they shot each other.

She smiled, relishing in her easy victory, rolling her eyes as she picked up her coffee and walked away, leaving them there just as clueless as they had been before.


She had arrived home a little after five, having excused herself from work earlier than usual to beat the evening traffic. She had stopped at the grocer on the way, picking up fresh ingredients to make a lasagna for dinner.

Right on 6pm, there was a knock at the door. She smiled at her friends punctuality, sliding the dish of layered pasta and ragu into the oven. She hustled toward the door, opening it with a smile.

"Hey." She greeted, wrapping her arms around Lanie and embracing her. When they pulled apart, Lanie dug through her bag, pulling out a bottle of wine.

"I brought the good stuff."

"Excellent." She took the bottle and turned to walk toward the kitchen, "Come in."

She dug through the drawer, looking for the corkscrew she knew she had in here somewhere. Lanie grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet and placed them on the counter, taking a seat on one of the stools under the island bench.

"We getting right into this or do you need to warm up a little first?" Ah, never one to beat around the bush.

Beckett laughed. "I'm ready when you are." Finally, she found the corkscrew. She stuck it into the top of the cork and began working on opening the bottle.

"So... you and Castle..." Lanie started cautiously.

Beckett's smile was huge, beaming, and Lanie was filled with so much happiness for her friends.

"Me and Castle..." she repeated slowly, as if she needed time for the words to really sink in.

She pulled on the corkscrew and the cork came out with a loud pop! She poured the wine into the two glasses and they clinked them together.

"I need you to go all the way back to the beginning because I know this didn't just start at dinner. What happened during the lead up? I need details!" She abandoned all reservations, diving right in.

"I don't know... It's weird. I feel like everything just happened so quickly and yet so slowly. Like we've been working toward this for so long... but there's also that slight fear that maybe we're rushing things."

"Rushing things?"

"I've fallen hard, Lanie. Like I've had all these feelings just sitting there, waiting to be let out and now that I've opened that door I just can't keep any of it in anymore. And I don't do that. I like to go slow. It's all very conflicting and confusing."

"Fallen hard? All these feelings that you just can't keep in anymore? What has happened to you?" It was a lighthearted tease. In reality, she was thrilled to see this more vulnerable, sappy side of her friend was making an appearance.

"I know! It's pathetic."

"You're smitten."

Beckett hung her head, her eyes burning into the countertop as a wave of heat flushed her cheeks. Smitten... that's one way to put it. She chewed on the inside of her bottom lip, a smirk tugging at her lips. Smitten...

"I'm surprised I'm even here right now." Lanie pulled her from her thoughts. "I figured it would be weeks of you guys locking yourselves away every spare moment."

Beckett rolled her eyes and laughed. "We're not animals, Lanie."

"I don't know... he's got quite the reputation, according to Page Six."

She screwed up her face. "You believe everything you read in Page Six?" She joked.

"Hey," Lanie threw her hands up defensively. "Can't blame a girl for being curious as to whether or not he lives up to said reputation."

Beckett took a long sip of her wine. "Let's just say I had high expectations... and I was far from disappointed."

"Rich, handsome and good in bed. Girl, keep him." She laughed, adding "Forever." for emphasis.

Her phone vibrated against her thigh. Pulling it from her pocket, she smiled at his name lighting up her screen. She unlocked the screen, reading the message:

I hope you're having fun, but I miss you already.

She tucked her phone back into pocket and looked back to her friend, who was wearing a grin from ear to ear.

"I might just do that..."