So hear it is! As promised, the next chapter in Filling in the Gaps. As I was writing this I noticed that the chapters seem to be becoming progressively longer (this day was only supposed to be covered in 1 chapter, not 3), which makes me think this is going to be a long story. My goal now is to have her gone and in the Hamptons missing Castle by chapter 5. Of course all your lovely reviews and alerts help me along with my writing, so with those still a comin' so too should these chapters!
Anyway, let me know what you think. This one is definitely pure fluff, and with a hinting of lemony goodness, just a small one though. I'm not planning on uping the rating until chapter 10ish, if I get that far. Chances are looking pretty good though, so we'll see! Thanks for all the love guys! Keep it coming :)
Disclaimer: i dont own these characters or this lovely show.
"Ok fine. One of those decorative statues they sell of like dolphins and seals and things?" Castle's grin got a little bigger, knowing he was that much closer to his prize.
"Sorry, detective, another no. You're getting warmer though."
She was getting warmer? How the hell is a statue of animals getting warmer? Oh wait, that's it! Animals! Stuffed animals! With all the confidence she had she took her final guess. "A stuffed animal."
Castle's face quickly fell, showing his disappointment at losing the game and therefore not getting his prize. Handing over the bag he sighed, "Yes. You win, here you go."
Kate couldn't help but squeal with delight over her victory. Though she lamented briefly on now having no reason to kiss Castle, knowing her detective skills had not failed kept her smiling. She eagerly claimed the plastic bag and reached inside, her hand producing a fluffy white object. Castle had purchased a fluffy white baby seal stuffie, with big blue eyes and a little stitched-on grin. Calling it cute was definitely an understatement. "Awww Castle it's adorable! Thank you!" She quickly reached up to wrap the writer in a hug, still clutching the stuffed animal as she did so.
"I thought you might. After what you said about seals, and knowing you were going to be alone for a while I thought a furry friend might be just what you needed." Leaning in closer, still in her arms, he added the last part in a softer tone, "hopefully it will help keep those nightmares at bay."
Kate leaned back, keeping her arms wrapped loosely on his neck. She could feel the moisture pooling behind her eyes, but was refusing to let it get to her in a public place. Placing her empty hand against his cheek, she stroked it gently, looking intently into his baby blues. "Thank you Castle. That means a lot." Smiling slightly she leaned in and placed a lingering kiss on his cheek, knowing she was pushing it, but wanting to do it all the same. Finally pulling away, just their hands now touching, she saw how happy Castle looked. The kind of happiness that crinkled the skin around his eyes, the kind she hadn't seen since the accident. Seeing this side of Castle made her realize just how much she appreciated certain things about him; his ability to make her laugh, his wild theories usually involving the CIA, his dimples, that boyish charm, his butt. All these little things, things that made him Castle, made him unique, contributed to why she liked him so much, possibility even loved.
"What's this? I lost and I still get my prize? I must have been a good boy." She couldn't resist rolling her eyes at him, just like Castle to add humor to a rapidly turning emotional moment. She left his question unanswered and instead pulled him out the main entrance into the brilliant sunshine. "So detective, were to next? I promised you lunch were ever you want in the city, so what will it be?"
"Remy's of course!" she cried, giggling with excitement as she hailed them down a cab. Castle had decided to leave his car at her place, just in case the night ended with drinks. Slipping into the cab they gave the driver the address and settled in, a comfortable silence falling between them.
Kate couldn't believe how much fun she was having with Castle. She had known the man for three years, so she knew he was fun, but had never really had the whole Castle package. Oh sure, they had been out with one another for non-work related stuff before, but it was usually after a case which meant one or both of them was bone tired. Even though they had only accomplished the aquarium so far, she had thoroughly enjoyed their time together. Risking a glance at the man she noticed his relaxed posture, his softened gaze silently watching the city pass them by. She wondered if this is what being in a relationship with Castle would be like. All day dates where he carted her around the city to wherever she liked, presenting her with little gifts and teasing her relentlessly. She had to admit, if their relationship ever did reach that level, and that was what it was like, she'd certainly have that chance at happiness Josh mentioned.
Arriving at their destination, Castle threw the cabbie some bills and escorted Kate inside the restaurant. Seeing as they were regulars, they waved hello to the wait staff upon arrival and settled themselves into their usual table. When the waitress came over with a sweet smile on her face, the couple informed her of their usual offer and she bustled off to put it in.
"So Kate, are you enjoying yourself so far? I know we've only done the aquarium, but it's already lunch, so I want to make sure the first half of your day was too your liking."
"Yes Castle, it's been marvelous. Thank you again for doing this, you really didn't need to."
"Nonsense, I wanted to." Seeing the waitress approaching with their orders out of the corner of his eye he continued. "Looks like the food is almost up, start thinking about what to do next while we eat ok?" Kate nodded in agreement, smiling thanks to the waitress as she was presented with her cheeseburger and chocolate shake. They spent the first part of the meal in comfortable silence once more, enjoying one another's company but not feeling the need to speak. Eventually Castle's attempt to steal a fry led to a conversation about muse thievery and they had a good laugh remembering Castle's reaction to Alex Conrad. In no time their plates were wiped clean and Castle was laying down money for the bill. "So detective, have you decided?"
Feeling the warm sunshine streaming through the windows Kate decided to take advantage of the warm weather. "How about a walk through central park?"
"Sounds delightful." Getting out of the booth and offering her his arm he continued, "Shall we?" Much to his delight she happily linked her arm in his and they made their way to the park, one of the entrances being only a few blocks from the restaurant.
The day was just right for such an activity. The sun gave off a warm inviting glow, coupled with a light breeze that kept it from being too hot. The grass in the park was a brilliant emerald green, well trimmed, but long enough to properly cushion bare feet. As they strolled through the park's paths they watched as the birds chirped happily among the trees and children giggled as their dogs bounded around them in hopes of a game of fetch. Soon enough they had encountered a long row of benches where a small elderly woman sat, surrounded by pigeons pecking away at the grain she scattered. Halting their forward progression Kate spoke for the first time since they began their walk. "Castle look! It's a bird lady! One of those women who comes here every day to feed the pigeons with day old bread and nuts and stuff, like in the movies. It's so cliché we have to do it!"
Castle couldn't help release the chuckle he had been holding in. Kate turned to give him a look which only added to his mirth. "You sound so much like me it's hilarious. I would never expect you to get excited about feeding the birds." At this he held out his hand in the classic feed the birds gesture that him and the boys seem to love so much. Kate didn't give him the satisfaction of completing the gesture and instead pulled him along while giving him a shake of the head.
"Excuse me?" Kate asked, peering at the little gray women before her. She waited until her eyes meet hers before continuing. "Do you mind share a bit of that feed? We would love to feed the birds with you." The woman quietly studied the couple for a moment. Noticing the smiles on their faces, their hands lightly clasped, the emotion in Castle's eyes as he gazed down at the detective. Deciding that they seemed nice enough she nodded and held out the bucket for them to take a scoop. Kate smile gratefully before letting go of Castle's hand to take a generous scoop of feed. Castle then did the same and they made their way to the adjoining bench.
Careful not to spill their piles, they began to litter the ground with the tiny seeds, drawing several of the peckers from the first group over, as well as a few new passerbyes. The spent a good 15 minutes just mindlessly scattering seeds and talking about the birds. Noting how the charcoal gray and pink flecked one always bobbed her head three times before actually picking up anything. Or how the big, standard looking pigeon at the front of the pack liked to attempt to catch seeds as they flew through the air to the ground, thereby impressing both the couple as well as his fellow bird mates. Once the feed was gone they watched for another few more minutes until waving goodbye to the bird lady and continuing their journey through the park.
Noticing the ice cream vendor up ahead Castle deciding to play another game. "Tell you what detective, we are going to go and get a couple of ice cream cones from that vendor over there to help us enjoy such a beautiful afternoon. I'm going to try and guess what your favourite ice cream flavor is before we get there. If I get it right you owe me a second scoop. If I lose, I'll buy you another scoop, deal?"
Kate eyed him suspiciously, wondering if there was more to this game then he was letting on. Castle's games always seem to involve a catch, or have something to do with teasing her. Kate was more than willing to play another game with her favourite writer, after all they were pretty fun, but she wanted to ensure she came out the winner, even if she lost. Quickly devising a plan, she agreed to Castle's little game and opened the conversation up for guesses.
"Hmm, okay first guess, cookie dough."
"Nope. Good choice though, a favourite of almost everyone. I however, have a slightly more eclectic taste." She practically purred the word eclectic, beginning her plot to secretly drive Castle crazy.
Swallowing a little harder than necessary Castle continued. "Rocky Road? Mint chocolate chip? Cappicino? Peach cobbler?" All nos. They were dangerously nearing the cart and Castle was out of ideas. Taking a moment to breath, his nose picked up on the subtle scent that was Kate Beckett. A scent that was uniquely her own, that drove him crazy on a daily basis and made it nearly impossible to think of anything else when he saw the fruit. Wait! That's it! He thought. Cheeries.
"Give up Castle?" They had reached their destination and Castle was out of time.
"Never detective. Last guess, Cherries Garcia." Beckett startled some, surprised that he had guessed it, since it was her favourite, but also a rarity now in most ice cream shops. Quick to not let her loss phase her, Beckett congratulated Castle on his win before handing over the bills for his extra scoop. The delight in hearing that the vendor still carried Cherries Garcia nearly diminished any feelings of loss.
Having retrieved their scoops and taken a seat on the grass beside a big oak tree, Kate began to put her plan in action. Making sure Castle was watching, she began to take long, leisurely licks from her cone, allowing soft moans to escape once in a while as she enjoyed her cool treat. She turned the cone this way and that, causing her to use her tongue differently showing its flexibility. Glancing over to see that she had the writer perfectly enthralled, she put in motion her 'cherry on top', pun intended. "Castle…" she moaned taking another lick from her cone. She noticed Castle's eyes widen in shock as he shifted uncomfortably, clearly trying to hide his arousal. "this ice cream is divine."
Giving her full attention to the man sitting next to her she chuckled to herself inwardly, seeing just how much an effect she had had on him. His ice cream hadn't been touched in the last few minutes causing it to begin to melt, and Castle was now sitting with his legs slammed shut in an attempt to hid his growing erection. "Castle…" she purred again, leaning in closer. "Your ice cream is melting."
Castle heard her voice speaking to him, but he was too wrapped up in his fantasies of her tongue and its abilities to register what she was saying. She heard him calling his name once more and reluctantly allowed himself to resurface from his daydream. "Hmmm? What was that?"
Kate's grin was devilishly wide as she repeated herself. "Your ice cream is melting." Finally Castle registered what she said and looked down to see his hand now becoming covered in sticky chocolate ice cream. Attempting to bend down and lick the melted goop off his fingers he tilted his cone in the process, allowing a large melted blob to fall onto his crotch. Feeling the cool, sticky substance hit him in the place causing him the most discomfort at the moment, Castle blushed furiously. Kate laughed as she watched him franticly search around for napkins to clean himself up, until she realized she was the one holding them all. Realizing this only a moment after she did, Castle's eyes met hers, wondering what to do next.
Kate's mind began to race, knowing she could always just hand over the napkins and he could deal with the stain himself, but also knowing that this situation could be taken in an entirely different direction, one she wasn't sure she didn't want. Kate's eyes flitted over the mess on Castle's pants, hoping she had looked quick enough that Castle hadn't noticed her looking at his crotch. His slowly growing to an impressive size, crotch. She closed her eyes, hoping to focus some and make a decision, only to be bombarded by images of her rubbing him teasingly and him moaning her name before capturing her lips in his. Popping her eyes wide open to stop the progressively steamy images from coming, Kate blushed a furious crimson and thrusted the napkins at Castle, turning away slightly to hide her reaction and to give him some privacy. Lord knew, if she didn't she was going to have a hard time resisting her urges to take over the cleaning process.
Clearing his throat to signal he was done, he dumped his cone in the nearest trash bin and rinsed his fingers off at the water fountain. Turning back to see Beckett finishing her cone, he decided on an activity that should, hopefully, limit the possibility of such awkward thoughts arising again.
"How do you feel about going to see a movie?" he asked, not really caring which one. Kate, thinking along much the same lines, agreed quickly. They exited the park at break-neck speed and jumped into the nearest cab rattling off the address of the Megaplex and retreating to separate sides of the backseat, Castle looking up movie times on his phone.
Sooooo opinions? Did you like the teasing? Was it realistic? Should I just end this day already and get a little more angsty? Opinions please!