Wow ! Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed and/or 'favored' the story. Let me tell you, I'm feeling the pressure. :-) I hope this is up to par!
Castle arrives at the precinct earlier than usual. With two coffee in hands. He slows down, suddenly unsure when he sees her bent over her desk, doing paperwork. He puts her cup down in front of her and slumps in his chair.
"Hi." He doesn't remember the last time he felt so nervous.
She looks up at him and he's relieved to see apprehension in her eyes. Good apprehension, not the panicking kind. But the 'I hope he likes me too kind'. They stare at each other like hopeless teenagers, small smiles playing on their lips. He suddenly wishes he drove to her place this morning to kiss her and maybe do something more. Adult things more. Because now, they're stuck. They are in the middle of the precinct and she will kill him if he tries something here.
"Hi." Beckett notes that he's dressed to impress, in a dark suit and a white shirt. She bits her lower lip as she checks him out, discreetly.
Taking a decision on her own, she gets up. She takes a pile of folders with her and heads towards the evidence room. He's puzzled since those folders have nothing to do in the evidence room. Then, his brain catches up. He hurries behind her. She stops when they reach the deserted area and turns to him.
"Hi." They seem to have lost the ability to form sentences. Maybe they did say all they had to say on the phone. She's smiling brightly. As brightly as she did when she found him in the bank. Which means... Her earlier words replay in his head : 'I was going to kiss you. In the bank.' He smiles back as he leans in, slowly, savoring the moment. Committing to memory the way her eyes flip from his eyes to his lips, the blinking of her eyelashes against her skin, the way her mouth slightly opens, the pink of her cheeks, her heavier breathing. Everything. He's trembling with anticipation. She is too.
"Yo! Beckett ! A body dropped in the park. A VIP."
Esposito is running past them. Ryan's on the phone next to him. Castle and Beckett freeze then jump apart. The two men stop to look at them.
"I hate when we interrupt something," Ryan tease, addressing his partner.
"Let's go," Beckett cuts him off in her most professional tone.
The case is grueling. Famous people are difficult. Murdered ones are worse. There is the press leaking every lead and even pictures, the mayor breathing down their neck and grieving hysteric fans. It doesn't help Beckett that Castle isn't here for most of it. There are negotiations underway, about an extension on his book deal. Paula insists that he sits in the meetings. Beckett knows he is miserable and would prefer to be in the precinct, mostly because he calls and whines at every break he gets.
In the end, they catch the killer, the manager, at the airport, trying to flee the country. She calls Castle but has to leave a voice mail since he's still stuck in a conference room somewhere.
"Hi. It's me. I just wanted to tell you we caught the manager at the airport. So... hum... I'm gonna go home soon. If you want to call, or come by, or something. You know. Well... hum... bye."
She hangs up and curses at herself for being that girl. She finishes her paperwork and goes home.
It's a little after 9 when Castle knocks on her door. When she opens it, he takes in her long casual t-shirt over worn jeans, her bare feet, her hair tied in a messy knot. She's been home for a while. She's also smiling.
"I came by," he says, stepping in. His arms move to encircle her waist but he stops himself just in time. From the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a man sitting on her couch. Her dad.
"Your dad's here," He tries to mask the annoyance by surprise.
"Yeah. impromptu visit," she's facing away from her living room so she can throw Castle an apologetic look.
"That's nice. Good evening Jim," he waves at him and the older man gets up to shake his hand. Castle gets his attention back to Beckett, realizing he now has to find an excuse for showing up. "I should have called. Anyway, just wanted to tell you that I got a deal for two more books."
"Congratulations. That's great," Kate says.
"You think so?"
"Of course."
"Good."
The conversation is strained. They are both way too aware of her dad watching them, even if he has walked back to the kitchen. Her mind is screaming at her to kiss Castle and to hell with her dad. The writer's is in overload thinking about all the things he wants to do with her, that no dad should ever know about their daughter.
"I should go. Let you celebrate," Jim says eventually in a knowing tone that brings Castle back to his senses. It's her dad. She doesn't see him that much.
"No, Jim. Please. I need to go back to Alexis anyway. It was nice seeing you. Beckett, see you tomorrow? You can tell me all I missed on this case." he grins at her.
"Until tomorrow, Castle." He walks away, looking back all the way to the stairs. She stays in the threshold to watch him, not eager to face her dad and his, no doubt, amused smile.
TBC.