It was a well after 12 when Beckett looked back at the clock. Time flew by and she sighed. Why were there only twenty four hours in a day? And why couldn't she spend more of them with him? He saw the look on her face and looked at the time. She had work in the morning. Well so did he, but he didn't have to be in at a specified time. As much as she had to go he wished she could stay forever. He knew that wouldn't happen. She wouldn't let it. She stood up and he shifted his weight to the other foot. "I should probably head home." She said it so it sounded more of a question then a statement. He gave a small smirk and walked with her to his door. She turned around at his door as he opened it. "Thank you. For everything. I think the dinner was excessive." She said with twitch of the corner of her mouth.
"Always." She hadn't realized she was looking down until he said it. She had only fingertips on the door handle. She looked up at him and smirked seeing a look in his eye she hadn't seen before. She didn't have her heels on so she had to stand on her tippy toes to just to meet his eyes. She balanced on the ball of her foot and smirked at him. She ever so slightly brushed her lips to his and it sent a shiver down her own spine. She stepped back down smiling.
"Just so we can even that up." She grabbed the door handle and walked out smiling at the ground as she turned away. She shut the door as quietly as she could. She stayed in front of the door looking at the ground condensing her smile to a smirk. She couldn't believe she just did that. How could she just act unlike herself? He was still staring at the spot where she stood. He put his hand on the door knob. He wasn't going to let her slip away like when they were in Los Angeles. He opened the door and she was still standing there. She turned around at the feeling of the door opening and looked at him.
"I would feel better if someone was at least in debt of the other." He had a tight grip on the doorknob; thinking that if he let go she would leave him there with nothing but his own words hanging in the air. She slowly blinked; almost afraid to, that as if when she closed her eyes he wouldn't actually be there, standing in front of her. She managed a smirk and he gently reached a knuckle from his free hand to her chin tilting it upward to face him. She didn't need any more leg twisting; she reached up on her tippy toes again and braced her lips with his. Lightly as though if either of them pushed too hard the world would fall around them and the ground would split between them and they would be lost from each other forever. His knuckle never moved from the spot on her chin. They both tasted of hops, him a little more than she. Beckett's hand felt as though they had a mind or their own. More like a mind they hadn't been able to use in a long time. They broke apart briefly for air. He looked around briefly. Mainly at the stairs.
"They are asleep."
"Ninja ears." She smiled at him, although she didn't catch on, as he pantomimed what Alexis had done previously. She kissed him again to shut him up because the look on his face suggested he was going to continue. It was sweet. A kiss full of emotion. The love for each other wrapped into one kiss. He pulled her closer and she held her hand to his chest. she pushed him back.
"No. We can't." He had his hand on her back still. He wanted to whine and stomp his feet in protest, but he didn't think that would get him anywhere. He only closed his eyes briefly and let out a sigh.
"Okay." He let her go regretfully and she grabbed for his hand squeezing it tightly. She turned around and walked to the elevator. He watched her until she walked in. She gave a sad smile as the doors closed and he hit the door jamb with his fist. So close. He shut the door and quiet footsteps came down the stairs. Martha stood in sleep worn clothes and bed head.
"What the hell was that?" She said lifting her eye shield over her head. The eyes appearing over her head gave a weird look to her purple rode. He shook his head as he clenched his fist. The door jamb wasn't a smart idea. Martha strode down to him. "That was not nothing, tell me."
"I can't." He said frustrated.
"Why because I'm your mother? Richard..." She trailed off seeing the pained look on his face. "Her wall is coming down. More now then ever." She patted the side of his face and walked back up the stairs. Castle sighed and cleaned up the kitchen. He threw the glasses away and headed to bed. Dealing with that detective was like working with a stone wall sometimes. But Martha was right. It's almost gone. But like when they were stuck with that tiger and they had to tear down the wall between them and the man eating mammal, they were both afraid of what would come from the other side of that wall once it was completely down.