Disclaimer: I had this dream last night...but then I woke up. The answer's still no.
Improbable Cause
Chapter 7 – Coming Clean
When Kate emerges from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, another one in her hands to squeeze water droplets out of her hair, Castle is hovering in front of the full length mirror holding up two freshly laundered shirts on wire, dry-cleaners' hangers, the plastic still layered over the top.
"Which one says innocent to you?" he asks her, turning to face Kate with a serious, worried, pinched expression on his face as he holds up the two shirts for her to look at, accompanied by a rustling of plastic and crinkly paper.
"You say innocent to me," she says, standing on tiptoe to press her mouth against his in a firm, confident kiss, grasping hold of his well-defined biceps to steady herself.
"Kate," he whines, still wanting her to choose for him evidently.
"Okay, this one," she says, pointing to the rich, periwinkle blue dress shirt with the spread collar and French cuffs. "Brings out your eyes," she adds, getting a groan in response. "It's not a beauty pageant, Castle," she reminds him, patting his chest and giving him an affectionate smile.
"No, but if there's a line-up or a perp walk, I want to look my best. Should I wear a suit?" he asks her, and Kate has to cover her mouth with her hand and turn away.
Because while none of this is funny, she finds her boyfriend's antics just so endearingly 'Castle', so over-dramatic, that she might bust out a grin anyway.
"Wear your lucky cufflinks," she says instead, running a hand down his arm and squeezing his wrist before she goes back into the bathroom to dry her hair.
Kate is dressed and ready to go. She has already cleared their breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, wiped down the counter, and now she's hovering by the island in the kitchen trying to focus on this morning's New York Times, still standing while she waits for her partner.
She's wearing a white silk shirt, the collar cut high enough that her bruise is covered, and a black pants suit with black heels that she hopes makes her look super professional. She's trying desperately hard to keep her nerves at bay and hidden from her partner. They need this to go well this morning so that they can move on with their lives and get Castle out from under this cloud of suspicion and back into the Precinct, whatever else happens with the case.
Five more minutes pass and when he doesn't appear, Kate gives up waiting and decides to go and hurry him along. When she reaches his bedroom she finds him seated on the end of the bed she just helped him make up, one cuff flapped down over his hand, the other one folded back, his cufflinks poised between his fingers, and a face like he's given up.
"Castle?" she says quietly, sitting down beside him, jostling him slightly as they bounce on the bed until she settles. "What's…? We're going to be late. What's wrong?"
He holds up the small silver cufflink – the nib of a fountain pen – looking a little helpless.
"Couldn't get this to go in," he says, lifting his arm to indicate the one cuff he has at least managed to fold back.
"And you couldn't call me?"
"I didn't want to…uh…"
Castle sighs, drops his head, runs a hand through his hair, and then turns his head to glance at her. "I feel like I'm screwing everything up for you, Kate. That I'm nothing but trouble for you…at work…"
"Okay, now I've heard it all. Give me the cufflinks, Castle, and let's get this show on the road."
Kate holds out her hand for the decorative silver pen nibs. When Castle doesn't move to give them to her she gently takes them from his hand, and then turns his wrist around so that she can begin fastening the cuff together for him like a patient mother with a docile child.
"Why do you put up with me?" he asks her, when she's finished fixing his shirt for him, holding onto her arm to stop her leaving before she can get up off the bed. "I…I mean I cause you trouble at work all the time, the Captain hates my guts, I never help with paperwork, I don't listen when you ask me to stay in the car, and…"
"And my life would be so much duller without you in it, Castle. Simple as that. I stopped not wanting you around a long time ago. You do drive me nuts sometimes, that is true. But those irritating little habits of yours became so much less irritating when I fell in love with you. So, can we just go now, please? Get this sorted out? Hmm?"
"Kate…?" says Castle, gently brushing across the soft, bruised spot on the inside of her wrist with his thumb before he lets her go. "I love you too."
When they enter the elevator at the Precinct, Kate can feel the tension coming off her partner in waves, and in a strange way it helps her to feel how nervous he is; it makes her step-up, be the strong one, take charge of this situation on both their behalves.
"Here," she says, nudging him as the doors close, "take my hand."
"Wh…what?" he stutters, glancing down at the hand she has outstretched towards him like he has no idea what to do with it.
Kate smooths her fingers across his palm, tightening around his hand until they are joined, side-by-side, as the elevator begins to rise.
When the doors open on the Homicide floor, Kate squeezes his hand once more before letting go.
"Just imagine I'm still holding onto you while we're in there. Because that's what I'll be doing," she tells him, stepping off the elevator and walking confidently towards the bullpen with Castle keeping pace by her side.
They encounter the boys first.
"Yo, Beckett. What's he doing here?" asks Esposito, pointing to Castle.
"Yeah, Beckett. Gates'll freak if she sees you with him. He's still the main suspect in our case."
Ryan at least looks a little apologetic, and he turns to Castle and says, "Sorry, man."
Esposito just glares at the writer, his chest puffed out, macho style.
"Actually, we're here to see the Captain," Kate tells them, dropping her bag and jacket off by her desk, and then indicating for Castle to take up his regular spot, since he's currently hovering like a lost soul off to one side as if he doesn't belong here anymore. "We have a meeting with her in oh…ten," says Kate, checking her dad's watch.
"Plea deal? His lawyer coming in?" asks Esposito, jerking his head toward Castle, and then looking towards the elevator as if he expects some high-priced suit to step out at any minute.
Castle is squirming in his seat, looking like he might run given half a chance, so Kate lays a hand on his shoulder to settle him, and then she turns to glare at the guys, her eyes narrowing.
"Seriously, guys?" she says, singling Esposito out for a particularly vicious stare. "He's your friend. Don't forget that."
Ryan and Esposito gape at her.
"I'm going to get coffee. You comin' Castle?" she asks, before walking away, just assuming that the writer will follow her.
"They hate me," he hisses, once they're alone in the break room.
"They don't hate you. But they are behaving like a couple of first rate jerks," says Kate, filling the coffee machine with grounds and then tamping them down vigorously.
"They think I did this," he squeaks, pacing up and down the room.
"No. They…" Kate shakes her head, but the rest of the denial dies on her lips, because it's pretty clear that they do think he's guilty, and it would be insulting to Castle to deny it.
He stops pacing to look at her.
"Okay, so maybe they do. But, we just have to ignore them. Gates is all that matters right now. Those two will keep," says Kate, feeling an intense urge to fiercely defend her partner.
When their coffees are made, they make their way back out to Kate's desk, and settle down in their usual positions. Castle keeps shifting in his chair as if it's laced with nails, while Kate tries repeatedly, and fails, to concentrate on the forensics report that first placed Castle's fingerprints at the scene, looking as hard as she can at the data for a feasible explanation. In fact, any explanation, feasible or not, will do at this point.
"Detective Beckett? And Mr. Castle," sing songs Gates, her arms crossed over her chest, sober grey suit brightened up by a vivid, red satin blouse.
As the Captain's rich voice resounds across the bullpen, all four heads shoot up from behind computer monitors and one newspaper to look at her.
Kate rises from her chair and calmly slips on her suit jacket, studiously ignoring the stares of the two male detectives, and then she waits for Castle to get up too. He looks so pale and serious that she thinks he might be sick, so she grasps hold of his elbow and propels him ahead of her towards Gates' office.
"Just remember, my hand in yours this whole time," Kate whispers in his ear as they walk the few yards to the Captain's door, feeling the burn of Ryan and Esposito's eyes in their backs all the way.
"So, Detective. Mr. Castle. You asked to see me this morning. I'm intrigued. What is this all about?" she asks, looking from Kate to Castle and back again. "Because as lead Detective on this case, and with Mr. Castle as the prime suspect, I know you know that you shouldn't even be talking to one another without his lawyer present," she says to Kate.
"Sir, I…about that," says Kate, not sure where to begin really, other than to jump right into the puddle with both feet and make the biggest splash possible. "Mr. Castle and I…" she turns to give Castle a sideways glance, and finds his eyes on her - expectant and apologetic. He also looks terrified, for Kate or himself, she's not quite sure, but she pushes on regardless. "Rick actually has an alibi for Friday night."
"Oh really? Care to explain why this information is just coming to light now?" asks Gates, archly.
"Because he…uh…" Kate swallows, and then straightens up in her chair, thrusting her chin out defiantly as she says, "He was with me, Sir. Friday night, Castle was with me," she repeats clearly, and Gates' eyes widen in surprise, whether at this piece of information, or at the fact that Kate is openly declaring it in front of her, she's not certain.
"I see," comes the slow, terse reply, accompanied by the trademark pursing of lips. "And by with you…?"
"I mean that he was…at my apartment. All night. He spent the night…with me. We…uh…we're together, Sir. In a relationship. We have been for a few months now."
Kate pauses briefly to glance at her partner. Castle gives her a beautiful, encouraging smile that makes her heart flip before she continues.
"We wanted to keep it out of the Precinct, separate from the job. But with this case, and Castle's supposed involvement… Well, I'm sure you can see why we couldn't keep quiet about his alibi any longer."
"I do see that, I do," agrees Gates, steepling her fingers, obviously still digesting this little bombshell that has just been so neatly lobbed at her feet by her best detective.
"The planting of Castle's fingerprints at the crime scene and the faking up of that security footage, Sir, we have to…"
Gates holds up her hand, halting Kate's flow.
"Just a minute, Detective. You are aware that workplace relationships within the NYPD are strictly frowned upon?"
"Yes, Sir. Yes, I am. But if I may, Sir? Castle is an unpaid consultant to this Precinct, so strictly speaking…"
"You are not co-workers," fills in Gates. "Yes, I see your ploy."
"My…my ploy?" says Kate, her voice rising at the implied slur.
Castle is tempted to reach out and touch her, to lay his hand on her arm to prevent her from rising to Gates' little jibe. Because any suggestion of insubordination would only play into the woman's hands right at this moment.
However, he manages to remain mute and keep his hands to himself for a few minutes longer, trusting Kate to handle this alone for once.
"Sir, Richard Castle has put in countless hours of his own time over the last four years, invested his own money, and risked his life on many occasions to help this department solve cases. Surely that has to count for something?" she all but begs. "You must have some leeway with regard to the rules, the authority to make an exception perhaps in this case?"
"Detective, there are always options," Gates tells her cryptically. "And while it is no secret that I am not Mr. Castle's biggest fan," she says dryly, "I am also not blind to the…somewhat unique, unorthodox perspective he sometimes brings to a case."
She looks at Castle when she says the next bit.
"Well done, Mr. Castle. Bravo! You have my congratulations."
Castle and Kate watch the Captain warily; both pretty certain this little congratulatory speech isn't at all what it sounds like.
They're not disappointed.
"So, it seems that you did the time and it paid off in the end, Mr. Castle. You won the girl. But let me tell you, if I see any hand holding, or so much as a lingering glance inside my Precinct, from either of you, you will be out on that sidewalk so fast your head will spin. Do you understand me?" she barks, narrowing her eyes at the writer just to make sure he gets the message.
"Yes, Sir," they both chorus.
Kate breathes out, sagging back in the chair as she does so, more relieved that she thought she'd be that Castle seems to have been granted a free pass to stay on as her partner for now.
Keeping their hands to themselves will be the next challenge.
"So, the charges against Castle…?" says Kate, keen to keep up the momentum they seem to have gained while Gates is in a cooperative mood.
"Firm up on that alibi, update your DD5, and then hand the case off to Detective Ryan to run from here. Is there anyone who can corroborate your Friday night plans?" asks Gates' wincing a little as she asks the question.
"The…the delivery guy. The one who brought over our Chinese," says Castle eagerly, and Kate bites her lip, embarrassed at having to let the Captain into their domestic setup like this.
"And you think he'll be able to give a statement to that effect, Mr. Castle? Some…some random, spotty, teenage delivery boy?" she asks with surprising sarcasm.
Castle looks at Kate in confusion. Her eyes are wide and her lips are pressed together trying to hold in a smile.
"No…no, it's Mr. Huang. Li Huang," repeats Castle. "He's like, what, Kate…fifty? Fifty-five?"
Kate nods silently, her cheeks sporting an attractive pink blush.
"He knows us. We order from there all the time," blurts Castle, and Kate so wishes that she could gag him right now.
"Of course you do," notes Gates dryly, shaking her head. "Then get his statement, and let's move on with this," she tells Kate, waving her hand in a dismissive manner.
"What should we…uh…the boys, Sir? We have to tell them something. What would you like us to say?"
"About you two?" asks Gates, in surprise.
"Mmm-hmm," nods Kate, biting her lip again.
"Are you trying to tell me that those two detectives out there know nothing about your little…arrangement?" asks Gates, suddenly looking very amused.
Kate and Castle both shake their heads.
"As I said, we wanted to keep it quiet at work."
"Then I'm impressed. If those two don't know, you've done a good job of hiding it. Maybe there's hope for you after all."
"So, what do we tell them? We don't want to keep it from them forever. We work so closely together, they're our friends, and this case…"
"Your friends seemed pretty intent on locking up your partner, Detective," Gates reminds Kate, and her comment really stings because it's true.
"They're all about the justice," Castle says, generously defending the boys, though he too had felt that they were being a little over-zealous in going after him.
"Let's hope you're right, Mr. Castle."
She turns back to Kate.
"What you tell them is your business. I, however, do not want interpersonal relationships breeding like rabbits in my precinct, do you hear? So ask them to keep the information to themselves. And whoever wins that damn office pool…" she adds, as an afterthought. "They do not get to crow about it. Understand?"
"Pool?" Castle starts to ask, but Kate's already on her feet, keen to make a break for it while they're ahead.
She takes Castle by the elbow, breaking the 'no contact' rule right away, and steers him to the door.
"Thank you, Sir," says Kate, pushing Castle out ahead of her. "You won't regret this, I promise," she assures her boss, hurrying out backwards.
"Make sure of it, Detective," says Gates grudgingly, waving impatiently for Kate to close the door behind her.
They head for the break room immediately; both of the same mind. When they get inside and close the door, they both double over in a fit of hysterical, nervous laughter, clutching onto one another to stay upright. Neither of them can speak, their breaths comes in suppressed, wheezy, hiccupping giggles, and it's only when the door swings open and they freeze in horror that they manage to get control of the hysteria and stand upright again.
"So, your meeting with Gates must have gone well then," observes Esposito, eyeing the two people in front of him suspiciously.
"We…uh…" Kate flounders, not having had time to prepare anything for her colleagues just yet.
And when she looks at Castle and sees his wide, happy grin, another helpless snigger bursts out of her mouth, setting him off again too.
"For the love of…what the heck is going on in here?" asks Ryan, appearing at Esposito's back to peer into the break room over his partner's shoulder, observing Kate and Castle's peels of laughter and doubled-over stance with wide-eyed surprise.
Castle, astonishingly, is the one to get himself under control first.
"We have something to tell you," he says, sobriety descending as he searches for the right words. Because they only get one shot at this. Once it's out there, it's out there.
And…nope. He's got nothing.
"Kate, perhaps you'd like to…do the honors," he says, trying to look as if he's deferring to his girlfriend and partner in her place of work, but not really having a clue how to begin to tackle this.
It's like having 'the talk', only with his boys, his homies, and suddenly it just feels too weird for him to even attempt it.
"Did Gates get you a deal? Cause the way you two are behaving, looks like the writer just got off a murder rap with a slap on the wrist," says Esposito, frowning.
Kate sighs, fed up with this macho routine.
"Javi, I told you…he didn't do it, and he's your friend. Ever heard of loyalty?"
"Beckett, you were there for the arrest," Esposito reminds her. "Didn't see you protesting when we slapped the cuffs on him."
Kate looks supremely uncomfortable, and she glances up at Castle, shooting him an apologetic look, and then to everyone's surprise, she moves closer and takes his hand.
"I know, and I was so very wrong. Castle already knows how sorry I am," she says, and Castle puffs out his chest in pride, thinking, 'yeah, deal with that boys!'
"So, how did you clear this up?" asks Ryan suspiciously, staring intently at their joined hands, unable to tear his eyes away.
"Castle had an alibi for Friday night all along. He just wouldn't reveal where he was because…he was trying to protect me," she says, shrugging her shoulders as if this should explain everything.
The two blank stares she gets back tell her that it clearly doesn't.
"He was with me," she says, obviously having to spell it out for them.
Ryan looks way less puzzled than Esposito, only surprised that she's admitting to it.
"What…like you were working on the case or something? On a Friday night, dude? Don't you two have anything better to do with your time? No hot chicks looking to have their chests signed these days, bro?" asks Esposito, all cocky and sarcastic as he playfully punches Castle on the shoulder.
Ryan shifts a little uncomfortably, and then he turns to his partner when Esposito goes to say something even more damning.
"Javi. Javi. Javier!" he cuts in loudly, to shut him up. "I think what they're trying to tell us is that they…um…did have something better to do on Friday night…with each other."
Esposito rears back away from them in horror, suddenly staring at their joined hands with a terrible, dawning realization.
"No!" he says, looking first at a nodding Kate, and then at a grinning, nodding Castle.
"Sorry, man. But it's true," says Castle, accepting Ryan's fist bump.
"How long?" asks Esposito.
"Not…a few months," admits Kate.
"Months? And you kept it from us?" squeaks Esposito.
"We wanted to tell you. But we couldn't risk getting Castle kicked out."
"So, what'd Gates say?" asks Esposito.
"We have to keep it discreet at work, and, Ryan, you're taking over this case."
"So, no making out in the supply closet, bro," Esposito tells Castle, seeming to come round to the idea.
"Yeah, none of that," agrees Castle chuckling, giving Kate an adoring look.
"Jeez, none of that either," complains Esposito, wrinkling his nose.
"What?" asks Castle, clueless about what he's doing.
"Making goo-goo eyes at Beckett, bro," explains the detective.
"Oh, that," smiles Castle. "Sorry. Can't promise anything there, Javi," he teases, looking at Kate again, affectionately bumping her with his hip as they smile at one another, all the tension they've been carrying around, along with this secret, now gone.
"Well, you'd better. 'Cause we already promised Gates," Kate reminds him.
"Seriously, you two. Congratulations. It's about time," says Ryan, finally speaking up.
"Yeah, what took you so long, bro?" teases Esposito, pulling Castle in for a man hug.
"Thanks, guys."
"Oh, and just a friendly warning, Castle. You hurt her and we hurt you, bro," he adds, miming 'I'm watching you'.
"Eh, I'm pretty sure I could take all of you," says Beckett, shaking her head at the testosterone flying around the room.
A little later, while Castle and Esposito are re-examining the jewelry store security footage, Kate finally gets a quiet moment alone with Ryan.
"You knew all along, didn't you?" says Kate quietly. "How?"
For a fraction of a second, he looks as if he might deny it, but then he comes clean, tired of secrets.
"Weekend you guys went out to the Hamptons…"
"It was Aaron Learner, wasn't it?" hisses Kate, while Ryan grins and nods back at her. "That pompous son of a…wait? And you didn't tell anyone?"
Ryan shakes his head shyly.
"You found out who my boyfriend was, and you told no one?" Kate repeats, stunned by the loyalty Ryan has displayed. "Not even Javi? Or..or Lanie?"
Again he shakes his head.
"What's not even Lanie?" asks Esposito, coming up behind them.
"Nothing!" they both say, sharing a conspiratorial grin while Esposito glares at them, disgusted at being kept out of another secret.
"Seriously, bro? I can't even look at you right now," he huffs, stalking away to find Castle.
"Thanks, Kevin. Appreciate it," says Kate, nudging his arm.
"Just returning the favor," says Ryan. "Like you did for me and Jenny with that whole Michael Bailey business before our wedding."
"Yeah, but Jenny told you herself."
"She's my wife. We don't have secrets. And take it from me, Beckett, that is a good way to be," he says, winking at Kate, as she gives him a blushing smile. "If you want it to last, that is."
And, oh how she wants this to last.
A/N: And so we reach the end of this tale, guys. I'm really looking forward to the actual show. It'll hurt for a bit, I think, but then I'm sure they'll be stronger by the end. Thank you for all of your kind, enthusiastic reviews and follows. Can't believe another one-shot ended up taking seven chapters to complete! Liv