Hey y'all, this is just a little brain fart I came up with. There may be more, there may not be. But I hope you all like it!
Also: I don't own anything about Castle.
"Another one in the books," claimed Castle, with only the smallest amount of bravado. "Although I will admit, this was a fairly disappointing case. You would think a prom murder would be more fun, but catching the whole act on camera takes all the intrigue out of it."
"Well, not every case can be a showstopper. And the easy ones mean an early night for us." Castle glanced over to Beckett out of the corner of his eye, and caught her stifling a smile. Despite what she may claim, his antics were growing on her.
"Well not that early," mentioned Castle, looking at his watch. "Nearly 11:30. If I leave now I can catch Alexis for a late night snack before bed. Aw, who am I kidding, she's been in bed for half an hour already."
"A high schooler in bed before 11?" exclaimed Beckett. "Alexis really is a gift from God."
"Yeah," sighed Castle. "I'm thankful everyday that she's her, and not more like me."
Castle felt a rumble in his stomach. He hadn't eaten since his lunch at 1, right before heading to the fateful high school crime scene. Maybe he would stop by the Old Haunt on his way home. While their food wasn't great, it was fast and, at least for him, free. Being the owner had its perks.
Bracing his hands on the arms rests of his chair, Castle prepared to head for the exit. He looked back at Beckett. She had her hand on her stomach, and a contemplative look on her face. Suddenly she looked up at him and said, "I'm, uh, gonna go grab some dinner at Remy's. I'm in the mood for a burger." She hesitated, and then blurted out, seemingly before she could stop herself, "wanna come with me?"
Castle froze, midway through standing up. The word 'yes' jumped to his throat, but he managed to squash it down. Be careful here bud, he thought to himself.
If he was honest with himself, there was nothing more in the world he wanted to do more than spend time with Kate Beckett. She was the reason he dragged himself out of bed each morning, and was able to fall asleep each night, Just the prospect of being alone with her, in a diner, just them two, a pair of burgers, and a couple of beers seemed like paradise.
In fact, ever since the incident with the dirty bomb he had been craving her, more than usual. The problem was that ever since the dirty bomb incident, Kate and Josh, her boyfriend, had been closer than ever. Castle had caught them several times, in the break room or outside the front door, whispering gently in each other's ears and standing too close together.
"What? No Dr. motorcycle dude date tonight?" quizzed Castle, putting on a smirk to stall for time. Because while he wanted nothing like a dinner date with Kate, nothing would hurt him quite as much. The problem was that he didn't want her for the night, but for every night. Not just a date at Remy's with burgers, but also a Valentine's day dinner at a fancy restaurant, a romantic walk in the park, even a night in with a bottle of wine. And maybe without clothes, mused Castle, before he could stamp down the wisps of lust drifting into his psyche.
"No," said Beckett with a chuckle and a blush, averting her gaze away from Castle. "He's on call tonight and can't be… distracted." Jealousy flared through Castle's chest like a match being struck. And while he tempered it, the burning persisted. This confirmed it. It would be too painful to be stuck alone with her. He would politely but firmly refuse, and just head home. Forget the Old Haunt. I think there's some leftover pasta in the fridge. Being alone with a beer and Patterson's new novel would be the perfect distraction. Nothing like poor writing to get my blood pumping, in a non-sexual way.
"Look, that sounds great," said Castle. "But I've still got a chance to catch Alexis tonight. Also I have a deadline coming up. I really should get some writing done." These were mostly just excuses of course. Alexis was long asleep, being the standup student she was. And while he did indeed have a deadline soon, he never really paid attention to those.
As if she read her mind, Beckett interjected, "Deadlines?! You haven't met a deadline since I've known you." She met his gaze with a smile, then seemed to falter a little. "Please Castle? It'll be fun."
And that's what it really came down to. It hurt like the devil being around her. He could spare himself so much trouble and hurt by cutting his losses, and not just on this night. He could end this pointless "relationship" with Beckett, stop tailing her and continue with his life. It would be so easy to find a new muse, one who didn't make his heart flutter every time he saw her.
He could open a new chapter in his life. Alexis would leave for college. He could give his mother the loft and move, to LA, or Vegas, or even Alaska. That would make a great story. Author moves to far out wilderness to escape his past.
But he kept coming back to the same thing. It was so damn fun. Playing cop. Interrogating perps. Joking with Ryan and Esposito. Befriending cops, meeting thugs, and getting in shootouts.
But most of all, there was Kate. Bringing her a coffee every morning. Teasing her incessantly. Catching the smile she tried to hide when he ranted a crazy conspiracy theory. Even the glare she would give him when he did something stupid and rash. It was too damn fun.
And while Castle was a writer, he recognized that it came down to simple math. Did the pleasure and happiness he got from being Beckett's partner in crime outweigh the pain of being around her everyday?
"Alright fine. But you're buying."
Of course it was. Always.
Probably a bit of a cheesy ending, but hopefully you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!