December 23, 2011
Kate caught Ryan's eye from across the bullpen, smiling secretly when he gave her a discreet nod. She relaxed in her chair and reflected over the past couple of days. Yesterday (Thursday) had been rather uneventful, business as usual at the precinct, despite the events that had transpired the previous night in Castle's loft. After work, Rick had needed to go home and help Alexis wrap presents, a task he informed her that she was not allowed to participate in since her own presents were on the gift-wrapping agenda. So, she'd been forced to return home for a hot bath, an array of candles, a good book, and her memories of the 21st.
Wednesday night … wow. Wednesday night with Castle had been a calamity of errors that had somehow transformed into the best sex she'd ever had. Kinda like their relationship, she mused with a quiet chuckle. The once rather dysfunctional dynamic between them had developed into the best relationship of her life – which probably had something to do with how mind-blowingly amazing their intimacy had been. She'd never been one to call it 'love-making' but truly – with Castle – there was just no other way to describe it.
A surprise kiss to her cheek startled her from her reverie, and she turned to set hungry eyes on the man who had been at the forefront of her thoughts for the majority of her week. He handed her a hot cup of coffee from the café he frequented near the precinct and quirked a grin at her as she took a grateful sip. "Good morning, my heart," he whispered, his voice warm and husky – sending delicious tingles down her spine.
"Castle…" she breathed in warning, though the affectionate gleam in her eyes downplayed her disapproval of his flirting.
"Right. At the precinct." He sighed heavily and plucked the coffee out of her unsuspecting hands. "I'll start over."
She watched him, stunned, as he left the bullpen and pivoted in the hallway to head right back inside the large room, eyes intent on her desk. He handed the coffee to her, a twinkle in his gaze despite his sincere attempt to remain aloof and detached. "Good morning, Detective," he amended with a wink and seated himself beside her desk after folding his coat and scarf and laying them across the back of his chair.
Suddenly unconcerned about whomever might observe them, Kate leaned forward, face shining with love, smile wide and brilliant. He almost (almost) reached for her, but restraint kicked in and held him back. "Good morning, Castle," she murmured.
At least that's what her voice said; her entire demeanor instead echoed his earlier words of "Good morning, my heart". They stayed like that for who knows how long – saying with their eyes and with the subtle nuances of their facial expressions what they couldn't vocalize here in front of their coworkers. The buzzing of Castle's and Kate's phones simultaneously broke the duo apart, and almost in unison both pairs of eyes swung to where Esposito and Ryan sat at their own desks. The other detectives smirked knowingly into their own phones, and Kate fidgeted in self-irritation as all four of them hung up and resumed their normal duties.
"Was that Espo on your phone?" Castle asked her sheepishly.
She grimaced and nodded. "Ryan on yours?"
He mimicked her response to his question. "Yeah… he said that we needed to quit having eye sex in front of the entire 12th precinct if we wanted to spare ourselves from a Gates inquiry."
"Espo said pretty much the same thing," Kate growled, clicking away at her computer – not really doing anything productive, just needing to do something to distract herself from the embarrassment and desire and awkwardness and love that all seemed to be competing for dominance in her soul.
"I thought we were being pretty stealthy," Rick pouted, drawing Kate's attention to his face.
"Yes, well… clearly we weren't fooling anyone after all."
Their eyes held for a fraction of a second before Rick and Kate burst into quiet laughter that grew louder than they'd intended. "I – I don't think – we ever –really – fooled anyone," Rick gasped out between spasms of amusement, his arm clutching at his abdomen.
"Shows – how – smart –we – are," Kate agreed between her own bouts of laughter. She fought to regain control, not missing the way people were starting to stare at the two of them. "You know what we should do? We should totally just start making out in the middle of the bullpen. See how fast the bet money starts switching hands."
Castle's eyes flashed in approval at her suggestion. "I have some mistletoe in my coat pocket."
"I was kidding, Castle."
"Right." He sank into his chair and took a sip of his own coffee. "I knew that."
Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Esposito walk back in from the break room and hid a grin as he waggled the roll of Christmas paper in his hand. They had been cutting it close with Castle's gift – the one from the three of them – and Kevin's earlier nod had indicated that it had finally arrived. Javier must have just finished wrapping it (he took great pride in his gifting skills), and Kate felt herself visibly sag with relief that it had all come together in the end. He was going to love this – she couldn't wait!
"So – need a ride tonight?" she asked Castle, her eyes on her computer, appearing nonchalant as she finished an email to Lanie.
When he sputtered in reaction, spraying coffee dangerously close to her sleeve, she realized (belatedly) what she had just said and how it must have sounded to the adolescent branch of his mind. She winced in mortification and rubbed her hand over her face with a rueful groan. "To the Old Haunt. Do you need a ride to the Old Haunt?"
"Oh – for the little impromptu Christmas gathering for the four amigos?"
She crinkled her nose at him, and he chuckled under his breath. "The cuatro musketeers?"
Rolling her eyes, Kate muttered, "Oh, Castle…"
"Hmmm," he mused. "I seem to remember you saying that with a slightly different tone to your voice the other night."
"Castle!" she hissed, swatting at his shoulder and shooting him a glare that was, to be truthful, much softer than he was used to seeing from her. "Would you please try and behave yourself? Just for today. After this, I'm off work until the 26th – and at some point during that time we need to figure out how we're going to handle this," she gestured between their bodies, "while we're here."
He raised his hands in surrender. "You're the one who offered to give me a ride. I was just…"
"Castle…"
"Beckett," Castle drawled, casually crossing his left ankle over his right knee. "Have I ever mentioned that I think you're adorable when you're steamed at me?"
She sighed, knowing her attempts at reining him in were a lost cause. "No. But it explains why you seem to go out of your way to tick me off all the time." Her soft smile warmed him, and his eyes creased with affection as he studied her.
"At any rate," he went on with a slow, easy grin. "I will gladly accept your offer of a ride. To the Old Haunt… and any other kind of ride you want to give me."
At her growl of half-hearted frustration, he took an innocent sip of coffee and observed (with pleasure) that her breath had gone imperceptibly shallower. Smirking, he stood – under the guise of refilling his coffee – and leaned over to murmur against the gentle slope of her ear, "I know where your mind is, Kate."
He straightened but couldn't resist one parting comment, his hand lightly on her shoulder, "I like that it's with me."
Drinks and laughter were both flowing liberally at the Old Haunt that night, particularly from a corner booth filled with three of NYPD's finest and the writer they claimed as their own. Christmas paper and bows littered the floor around their table, and it was finally time for the gift Kate had been waiting to give. She hoisted the package from the floor and handed it to Rick with an eager smile, mirrored by the other two detectives seated in the opposite side of the booth.
"We took a vote," she began, looking to Ryan and Esposito for confirmation.
"Unanimous," Esposito interjected.
"We decided it was time, bro," Ryan finished for the three of them, and all eyes shifted to watch Castle open his gift.
He slid his fingers across the snowman paper and searched their faces for some clue as to the gift's contents. When none was forthcoming, he popped the layer of tape that bound the seams together and tore the paper from the box underneath. Shaking the box, he was no closer to figuring out what was inside.
"Castle!" Kate sighed impatiently with a laugh, her smile nearly ear to ear. "For Pete's sake, open it!" Turning to Esposito and Ryan as he began to lift the lid, she added, "I swear, he's worse than a child sometimes."
Javier's slight chin nudge in Rick's direction had her focusing on Castle just as he removed the tissue paper that shrouded the Kevlar vest they had been waiting on for weeks. They had done it, Kate thrilled, with a look to his face. They had rendered Richard Castle speechless.
"You know," he finally managed, his words thick with emotion, his Adam's apple bobbing as he tried to verbalize the rest of his thoughts. "My 'writer' vest still works just fine. Mint condition."
Esposito cleared his throat. "We'll keep it for the next writer that elbows his way in to the precinct. You've earned this new one."
"Yeah, Castle," Ryan agreed. "We don't see you as just a writer tagging along anymore. We – all – see you as our partner."
Kate leaned in so her shoulder brushed against his, her hair falling across his jacket. Squeezing his hand, she attempted to speak around the lump in her own throat. There was so much she wanted to say. "One of us more than others."
It would have to do for now. The rest of the words and phrases and disjointed sentences of expression that were tumbling through her mind could wait until later – when they were alone.
Castle ran his hands over the blue Kevlar, his fingers paying special attention to the white letters that boldly declared his position in their lives. Where 'WRITER' had been emblazoned across the vest he'd ordered himself, this one – the one they'd had specially made for him – this one said 'PARTNER.'
Partner.
His eyes met Kate's, and her heart shone back at him. He took her hand and raised her fingers to his lips, placing a trembling kiss where he hoped to one day put a ring. Looking at Esposito and Ryan, he worked his vocal chords and tried once more to say something that came close to expressing how he felt in this moment.
"Thank you," he finally choked out. "Seriously. From the bottom of my heart, thank you." Glasses were raised, a toast was given to partnerships, and the four friends resumed their customary banter. All seemed back to normal, except for the clasped hands held lovingly at Castle's knee, hidden from prying eyes by the table.
To partners, indeed …
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