3x03 - Under The Gun
She's arresting Royce and Rick sees the pain flash across her face as she slaps the cuffs on him, the furrow in her brow. He feels for her because she's hurt and betrayed, but so is he. When Kate took her training officer out for drinks, she said it was just as friends to catch up. That's it. But then he heard her on the phone with Royce after she discovered his betrayal.
Mike. I was in love with you.
Rick won't bring it up. Not yet at least. Won't bring up the fact that she told him she feels nothing for Royce when she gave her TO the words that Rick has been yearning for. Granted, he hasn't told Kate he loves her either, but he's been tossing the words back and forth in his brain for at least a month, finding subtle ways to ease variations of the three words into his vocabulary when he's talking to her.
He hasn't said them because he's afraid it's too soon, but now that he heard her tell another man she loves him he needs to get them out, needs some sort of confirmation that she's with him now and for the long run, because his heart is in too deep. There's no turning back.
He doesn't bring it up until they're back at his place. She's curled up beside him in bed, wet hair soaking through his t-shirt from their shower to wash all the dirt from their treasure hunt away.
"Kate?"
"What?" she mumbles. He sits up, hears her grunt as she brushes her hair off of her face and stares at him through heavy eyelids. "I was almost asleep," she all but whines.
"I'm sorry. I just- I need to talk to you."
He watches her yawn in the moonlight, leaning over to turn on a bedside lamp and blinking away the unfamiliar light.
"What is it?" she asks softly.
"You told Royce you love him."
"It was to get a trace-"
"Kate. The boys got the trace about thirty seconds before you said that and you know it. You told him you love him. But when I asked about you two going out for drinks you told me that he's just a friend and it means nothing."
"It does mean nothing to him. Doesn't matter."
"To him?" Rick asks, brow furrowing. "What about you? What did it mean to you?" She hesitates so he asks, "What if it did mean something to him? Then what, Kate?"
"What do you mean then what?"
"What about me?"
"What about you? What do you mean, Rick?"
"You love Royce, and if he felt that too, where would that leave me?"
"It wouldn't change anything," she tells him, eyes a little wide. "You really think that I would just up and leave, no questions asked?"
"No. I don't know," he says honestly. Her shoulders slump and she looks away, biting her lip. "I love you," he blurts. "That's why I'm bringing this up. I love you and I need you to know that."
She's on him in an instant, dropping a leg over his lap so she's straddling him, mouths fused together.
"I love you, Castle," she says, foreheads pressed together, eyes shut. "More than anybody else. I wouldn't do that to you. Okay? I promise. I'm in this."
He sighs, pressing his lips to hers again before pulling away to look her in the eye. She grins at him, and all of the tension he's felt from the arrival of her training officer has disappeared.
The next morning, he wakes up completely sated. Kate's dragging her fingernails up and down his chest slowly, a habit she picked up early on, finding it one of the easiest ways to wake him. His eyes stay shut, but he grabs her hand, tangling their fingers. She chuckles, smudging their lips together.
That makes him peek his eyes open, finding her face hovering above his. She gives him a sweet smile.
"I've got plans for us today," she says.
"Plans?"
"Mhm."
"What kind of plans?" he asks on a smirk, hands wandering under the sheets, finding her breasts, and then lower.
She swats him away.
"Not those kind of plans. C'mon, get up and get dressed."
"Beckett," he whines. "Kate."
"Uh-uh, get up. The faster you get ready the sooner you'll find out."
He groans, climbing out of bed. She's right behind him, goes for the closet where a lot of her wardrobe has migrated to, but he pulls her into his embrace, lips finding her neck.
"I think we need another shower," he mumbles against her skin. "Just to make sure we got all the dirt off."
She rolls her eyes at him, about to tell him no, when he squeezes her behind, pulling her lower half against his. She lets out a soft gasp, pressing her lips to his.
"You might be right," she whispers, pulling him towards the bathroom instead.
Almost an hour later they're climbing into a cab. Kate manages to give the driver the address before Rick climbs in. The drive is quiet, his large hand enveloping hers. He's still buzzing with energy, eyes watching the city pass by.
The taxi pulls up to the curb and she sees his brow furrow. He looks at her in confusion, but she just nudges him onto the sidewalk, handing some money to the cab driver before following.
"Uh, Beckett? This is your building."
"I know," she tells him, taking his hand and pulling him inside.
"This is your surprise?" he asks, when they get into the elevator.
"You'll see."
She unlocks the door to her unit, telling him to wait in the living room. When she comes back out with two motorcycle helmets, his eyes widen.
"Kate?"
"Want to go on a ride?"
"Yes!" he exclaims, taking a helmet from her. He pulls her in for a tight hug, almost knocking her down. She laughs, wrapping her arms around him to keep them from tumbling over. "Love you," he tells her.
She pulls back and presses her lips to his. "Love you back."
I wrote and re-wrote this at least five times and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Sorry it's been a while since my last update. I went home for winter break and between seeing all my family and friends, I had an internship. It was a pretty busy month. I just got back to school last night. Updates should be more frequent (hopefully). I really appreciate all of your reviews, follows, and favorites though. So thank you for sticking with me.