"How did you guys make out this afternoon?"
Castle followed Beckett into the depths of the bullpen, heading straight for Ryan's and Esposito's desk with their latest camera image in hand.
Beneath her lean silhouette was a sense of urgency, of unyielding professionalism that left no room for half-hearted chauvinistic comments…from his side…at least this time around.
Always alert, always thinking of her case and whichever many puzzle pieces it would take to make the truth rise from the ashes; Kate Beckett was a crusader, a trailblazing genius when it came to sucking the facts out of the sticky mud of half-truths presented to her on a daily basis.
She was a person of authority in her field, a leader and team player. To some, she might even be a role model to look up to.
Then again, it was just one more reason he lov-
"Castle, would you mind getting me some coffee?", she asked genuinely, the slightest sense of exhaustion shining through on the edges as she glanced back at him cautiously.
"Sure thing.", he replied sheepishly before making a sharp right turn in between two desks to head for the break room, leaving her to brief the boys.
While he readied the cups and added more water to the espresso machine, Castle let his eyes drift past the ajar door and over to her, watching her every move as she began an animated discussion about the camera footage with Ryan and Esposito, her hands gesturing wildly between the murder board and the city at their feet.
Here she was, a young woman with a mind brighter than most people he'd ever come across and a heart so caring it got her into trouble a lot more times than most people as well.
But it was a combination that made her so much more irresistible.
A Sergeant walked by in undisguised tension, looking around the bullpen before heading straight for Beckett, saying something about unis having found an eyewitness from the latest killing that had been sent to the sketch artist downstairs.
At least that was a start to their painstaking research.
On autopilot, he pressed a few buttons on the expensive machine, one ear cued to the noise of deliciously hot coffee making it through the pipeline, the other one listening to the trio continue their discussion after the police officer left.
It was a beautiful thing to watch, an open conversation held by three very different individuals who shared the same goals and passion when it came to solving crimes at the highest, most dangerous level there was in the police force.
It made Castle feel a faint sense of pride for being allowed to be part of such a unique team, the authenticity that seeped out of every word, every interaction amongst them so much more amazing than the best of words he ever managed to string together.
In the end, maybe Martha had been right when she said that fate had a way of bringing great people together.
