Disclaimer: I do not own 'Castle' etc etc etc.

Richard Castle was on the way to his high school prom; well that's how it felt! Sweaty palms, nervous laughs and restless legs; still, at least the acne and the mullet were all but a distant memory. He'd hired a limo to take her to a new restaurant that had only just opened in Manhattan. He knew it had been a mistake when a bright purple one turned up instead of the generic black. She hadn't said anything when she'd walked out of her building but he could see that she had been dying to. The way she had pursed her lips to suppress a smile reassured him that she found it amusing but there was no way he would be forgetting about it anytime soon.

He hadn't realised that her dress had a split down the side until she had crossed her legs in the car. He was almost certain that she could hear his heart furiously pumping the blood around his body. He immediately found something interesting out the window but it was too late, the image of her leg was burned into his brain and visions of said leg wrapped around his waist were causing the blood to head south, quickly! Shit! This wasn't good. He tried to fill his head with baseball, Star wars, even Golf; it seemed to be working but.. oh.. No.. oh her hand was on his leg. HER HAND WAS ON HIS LEG.

"Relax Castle." How could he relax! No man in their right mind would be able to relax if Kate Beckett was looking at them like that, wearing that, smelling like that, oh god he was done for….and her hand was still on his leg!

"Champagne?" He managed to croak out when he noticed that she had an empty glass in her other hand, the hand that wasn't on his leg! She must have noticed the effect she was having because he felt the warmth that her hand was creating disappear. He turned to the champagne bucket and pulled out the bottle. He had already popped the cork before he'd picked her up. As romantic a gesture as it was, spending their first date in the ER because he'd taken her eye out did not appeal to him. He poured out two glasses and was reassured that she downed her glass just as quickly as he did. It made him feel better knowing that she was probably just as nervous as he was.

"So where are we going?" He contemplated not telling her but he was too excited.

"Bigoli. You know it?" He tried to say it with an air of nonchalance but his eyes betrayed him. He had overheard her talking about it with a Lanie last week. She spun her head round, mouth agape.

"Didn't that place just open?" The smile on her face was contagious.

"Let me guess….You know a guy?"

"Let's just say that Alessandro and I go way back." He laughed but didn't elaborate. The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable but Rick was desperately trying to think of something to say. Geez normally she couldn't shut him up but tonight, he was lost. Luckily she spoke first.

"Did you think it would be this awkward?" The air whooshed out of his lungs and he laughed, more out of sheer relief than humour. She laughed too and there was her hand again. This time he covered it with his own and laced his fingers between hers, he was met with no resistance. He saw her visibly relax and he was sure she moved closer.

"Kate….."

"We're here Mr Castle." Rick looked out of the window, they were right outside the restaurant and a crowd was starting to form.

"Is there something going on here tonight?" He was genuinely confused.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with the bright purple Limo?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Ah. Yes" He smiled apologetically but made no move to exit the car.

"Come on Castle, I'm starving!" She had already opened her own door before he or the driver had time to open it for her. He noticed many of the crowd turn away when they realised it was no one they recognised, it didn't bother him, it wasn't about the books tonight, in fact he couldn't now remember a time with her when it had been about the books.

The restaurant was packed, it had only been open two weeks and it was the place to be, well for this week anyway. Their table was situated in the corner as per Castle's request. He could just make out the voice of Andrea Bocelli above the hubbub that was humming round his ears. The waiter came quickly and took their order, he noticed that Kate just ordered water, he followed suit, he imagined that she wanted a clear head and he had to admit that wasn't an altogether bad idea.

"So, here we are." Her smile lit up the dark corner they were in.

"Here we are." He smiled back and he absentmindedly reached for her hand. She took it.

"I can't believe we're finally here."

"Well it took you long enough Castle!" She scolded him playfully.

"What? Hey, my cards were on the table the day we met."

"Of course Castle, how could I forget? You 'invited' me to be one of your conquests. Wow, I felt so very special." He had often wondered how different his life would be now if she had taken him up on his offer. The thought that he probably wouldn't have been such a big part of her life made him shudder.

"So how often do you think about it?" The question caught him off guard.

"About what?"

"Our kiss." Oh. Wow she must have more champagne in the car than he'd thought.

"Uh…"

"I think about it every day." She had finally done it; she had finally rendered him speechless.

Of course he thought about their kiss. If it was even possible, he could still taste her on his lips, could still feel her fingers clawing at his scalp and the feel of her body practically melting into his own made his skin tingle. Oh he had to have that again. This time though there would be no pretence and no bad guy to beat down. He cleared his throat ready to speak when the waiter appeared out of seemingly nowhere with their drinks. He gulped down half of his water in an instant which earned him a raised eyebrow. Screw it he thought, he was done playing around. She already knew how he felt.

"Me too." He finally answered, sincerely. "But most of all, I think about our next kiss?" He hadn't meant it to sound like a question but he didn't want her to feel under any kind of pressure.

"Only our next kiss Castle? That's very restrained of you. I have read your Nikki Heat novels; I know how your mind works." The look in her eyes was unmistakable; it was pure, unbridled lust. Castle suddenly became very brave.

"Oh Kate, what you've read? Is nothing on what I'm going to do to you." He leant back in his chair, pretty satisfied with his answer, now it was her turn to be riled.

"Oh yeah Writer boy? Prove it."