I just got my computer back (again) and I am sooooooooo happy! So here's a new chapter. Enjoy!

High School—Freshman Year—September

Her Smile

Kate's mouth felt odd—lighter, somehow, if that made sense. Without the metal in her mouth making everything tighter and more uncomfortable, she felt…strange.

It was a good kind of strange, though, Kate thought. She's been waiting to get these braces taken off almost since she got them and finally, after three years of torture and self-consciousness, her mouth was free from its constraints.

She couldn't wait to show Castle.

But that would take a while, she supposed. She'd skipped her morning classes to go to the Orthodontist to have him remove the braces and check out her teeth and was just now getting to school after grabbing lunch with her mother at a nearby Diner (food somehow tastes better when you don't have to worry about it getting stuck in the metal on your teeth).

Now, she walked through the halls, straight for the main office, with a letter in her hand to excuse her absence and nearly bumped into a muscular chest on her way.

"Sorry," Kate mumbled, blushing furiously as she looked up into a pair of deep brown eyes.

Josh Davidson grinned back at her, his handsome face stunning her for the first time in nearly three years—her crush on him had waned when she realized what a womanizer he was. But suddenly she felt the air leave her lungs as he focused on her with those brown orbs of—

No, Kate reminded herself. You have a boyfriend—one that you love very much, who is currently miserable at some boarding school, wishing he were with you. Kate steeled herself against Josh's flirty smile and excused herself, walking around him and into the main office, praying he wouldn't follow.

He didn't. And she was glad. And somewhat disappointed. But she shook that off, cursing internally as she handed the secretary her note and received a pass in return. She smiled in thanks before heading off to fine Miss Gleason's math class.

X_X

"Damn, girl!" Lanie exclaimed as she walked up to Kate's locker, later that day. "You lookin' good with those things off your teeth! Give me a smile." Kate smiled brightly at her and Lanie grinned back. "Gorgeous!" she exclaimed. "Castle is gonna love them."

Kate blushed, smiling bashfully. "You think?" she asked.

Lanie nodded. "Oh yeah," she insisted. "That boy loves everything about you already, but I bet it'll be nice to see your old smile back, new and improved." Kate chuckled, nudging Lanie's shoulder with her own.

"So how's ballet going?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Pretty good," Lanie said, "auditions for The Nutcracker are next week, so I gotta be on my toes for the next couple a days—literally." Kate snorted, shaking her head.

"Hey, Casey!" somebody shouted. Kate ignored them, talking on with Lanie about their homework assignment, before feeling a tap on the shoulder. She turned to see Josh standing there, grinning dashingly down at her. "Hey, Casey," he greeted, locking those gorgeous brown eyes on her.

But they didn't seem to have the same effect as they did a few hours ago. "My name is Kate," Kate informed him, hands on her hips. "You should know that, seeing how we've been going to school together for the past nine years." Josh's smile fell and he blushed.

"Oh, well, I—" he stammered.

"Save it," Kate said, rolling her eyes and putting up one hand. "I already have a boyfriend. And even if I didn't…" she didn't even finish her sentence, just dragged Lanie away, making their way towards the entranceway, where they were supposed to meet the boy.

"Jeez, girl!" Lanie exclaimed, laughing. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd turn Josh Davidson away!"

"Yeah, well," Kate said, "he's not exactly my type, anymore. Besides, like I said, I've already got a guy."

"And I hope that boy knows how lucky he is to have you," Lanie said, proudly, hugging her friend.

Kate chuckled. "Me, too," she said, smiling.

X_X

Castle hated this school. He hated it more than all of his worse nannies combined, multiplied by ten.

And that was saying a lot.

But he had no friends here, and the teachers were all strict and no nonsense and he was almost certain that his history teacher was itching to club him over the head with one of her textbooks (you make one stupid joke about Soviet Russia!)

All this and it had only been two weeks!

The highlight of this day was a text from Kate and their nightly Skype date, which thoroughly annoyed his snooty roommate, Hunter Bixley the Third (or something like that).

But he didn't care. It was the only time he really got to see her beautiful face and he treasured every second of it. Sometimes he would just stare at her the entire time while she told him about her day at school and what assignments she was working on, then about the boys and Lanie and what was going on in the city…

And she'd barely even notice that the only words he said were hello and goodbye and I love you. But he didn't mind. Her voice was as pleasing to listen to as her face was to look at.

God, he was such a sap.

And tonight she said she had a surprise for him and he perverted fourteen-year-old brain came up with a multitude of possibilities, all of which she would slap him for if he voiced them out loud. But it didn't hurt to hope, right?

He could barely focus on his lessons as he thought about Kate's surprise, thinking about all the things that surprise might entail.

That night, thankfully, Hunter had left the room to get some dinner in town with all of his friends—all of whom openly shunned Castle, simply because he was there on scholarship and didn't come from money like the rest of the—so he wouldn't bother Castle with his incessant nagging about wanting to get some sleep. And, for that, Castle was grateful.

He was idly typing up a story he was thinking of submitting to the school magazine when he got the call. Kate's smiling face showed up on his screen and he immediately clicked 'Accept.'

The window opened, but all he could see was Kate's slightly messy room.

"Kate?" he asked, confused.

"I'm here," she replied, her voice sounding a little nervous. "I just…give me a minute."

"Is…is this part of my surprise?" Castle asked.

Kate laughed. "Uh-huh," she said. "One minute….are you ready?"

"Born ready," Castle replied. Kate laughed and suddenly she was on camera, her bright green eyes shining through the screen at him, her mouth open in a wide grin and—

"Oh my God," Castle gasped. "Kate, your teeth…they're perfect."

Kate laughed, blushing slightly. "You really think so?" she asked.

Castle nodded. "You're smile…it was always gorgeous, but now…now it's even more gorgeous! Frankly, I didn't even think it was possible."

Kate laughed, blushing again and looking down. "Thanks," she said, shyly.

"How does it feel?" Castle asked.

Kate looked back up at him, a lopsided grin on her face. "Liberating," she replied.

Castle shivered. "You know how it makes me feel when you use big words," Castle replied.

Kate laughed, before leaning towards the mic and whispering, huskily, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

Castle's eyes rolled back into his head and he slid off the chair, making Kate burst into hysterics. The sound was like music to his ears.

Getting back into his chair, Castle grinning lovingly at her. "I love that laugh," he said, honestly. Kate stopped laughing to grin back at him.

"Really?" she asked. "What else do you love?"

"Your eyes," Castle replied, playing her game, "your rosy cheeks, your soft hair, your soft skin, your soft lips, that cute button nose, and that gorgeous, gorgeous smile…and everything else about you. Including that brilliant, sexy mind of yours." Kate blushed again, giggling slightly.

"And that," Castle replied, "the fact that you still do that every time I pay you a compliment, as if I'm just saying it to be nice, when, in reality, everything I say to you, every compliment I give you, is 100% true fact. You are beautiful, Kate Beckett, and I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

"Me too," Kate replied, gazing into his eyes; "Me too."

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