Sorry for the delay! No one suggested this "first", but I thought it would be fun: the first time Castle sees Kate drunk. I actually hope this happens on the show at some point. I can't even imagine how hysterical that would be. And hopefully adorable, too.
—
Castle walks into the bar and scans the crowded room for Kate. He sees Lanie first, the one who actually texted him. She's standing next to the bar, her hands on the shoulders of a clearly inebriated woman who's tilting precariously on her stool.
He stops suddenly, tilts his head to the side. He's crazy, he must be, because if he didn't know any better he'd say that woman was—
"Castle!"
Kate. Drunk Kate. So he was right after all. Huh.
He watches as she practically falls off her stool and lurches in his direction. Lanie reaches out to stop her and only succeeds in snagging her jacket. Kate twists her way out of it and continues towards him, tipping a little on her high heels.
She opens her arms wide when she gets close enough, launches herself into his arms. He catches her with a huff of breath, chuckling softly.
"Hey," he greets her. "How are you?"
She leans away, tilting her head back to look at his face. "I'm good," she says, drawing out the vowel sound, her words a little slurred. "How are you?" she asks, punctuating the question with a poke to his chest.
"I'm good," he says, working not to grin too widely.
She hums in agreement, lists towards him. He thinks she's going to kiss him, but at the last second she loses her balance and tilts to the side, her lips landing on his neck instead. He laughs again but it quickly trails off into a rumbling groan when her mouth opens against his skin, sucking gently.
"Mmm, you're sexy," she murmurs, lifting her lips to the underside of his jaw, nipping softly, her hands slipping under his jacket.
He has to close his eyes, remind himself they're in a bar, a public place. "Kate, babe," he says softly, gripping her shoulders gently and holding her away. "You're drunk."
She grins. "Maybe."
"Yes. You are," he says, more for his benefit than hers, because shit she is hot, all tousled hair and pink lips and jeans so tight they look glued on. And now that Lanie took her jacket he can see straight down her—
Oh. Lanie.
He manages to tear his eyes away from Kate's chest long enough to scan the room for her, finds her sitting perched on a bar stool, smirking in his direction.
She looks knowing. She looks like she knows. Shit. And if there was any doubt left in her mind, the way Kate just greeted him with her, um, mouth probably answered any lingering questions.
His breath snags, his chest tightening with panic. He takes a step away from Kate, releasing his grip on her, but she stumbles almost immediately without the support so he gives up and grabs her again, pulls her close.
She sinks into his chest with a happy sigh, her fingers coming up to curl around the lapel of his coat. "Mm, Castle," she murmurs, her voice soft and husky.
He smiles down at her, can't help it. Presses a soft kiss to her forehead, not caring that Lanie's probably watching. No point in hiding it now.
"Let's go talk to, Lanie," he says softly, lifting her a little, helping her shift her weight back onto her own two feet.
"Oh, Lanie," she agrees, turning and leaning into his side as they make their way to the bar.
The ME lifts an amused eyebrow at Castle when he stops in front of her, picking up her martini and sipping delicately. "Have a nice girls' night?" he asks.
"It was very…informative," Lanie says, smiling around the rim of her glass as she takes another sip.
"I'll bet," he says dryly. He glances down at Kate who is all but passed out against him, her face pressed into his neck. "How did she end up this drunk?"
Lanie shrugs demurely. "We were having a good time."
Castle lets out a long, resigned breath. "She tell you?"
"She told me," she confirms, looking pleased with herself.
Castle feels a sudden flare of anger in his chest at the look, because this is bad, really bad. If Gates finds out—
But then Lanie grins at him, wide and genuine, her eyes shiny with tears and the anger fades as quickly as it came. She won't say anything. He can trust her. She's happy for them. Happy for her friend.
"Congratulations, Castle," she says, her voice soft. Her eyes drift to Kate's face, her closed eyes, slightly parted lips, her hand curled around the fabric of his shirt, hanging on. "I've never seen her so happy."
Castle feels his chest warm at the words. He presses his lips to the top of Kate's head, soft, adoring, reverent, letting Lanie see it, wanting her to see it, because he doesn't have to hide it anymore.
He's so in love.
Lanie smiles at him, places her martini glass on the bar, and slips off her stool. She reaches out to squeeze his arm. "You better be good to her," she says.
"I will," he promises. "I will. I love her."
Lanie nods. "I know you do."
She moves past him, leaving him at the bar with Kate. He reaches up, slides his fingers through the soft strands of her hair. Her eyes flutter open, bleary and glassy, clearing a little when they settle on his face.
"We going home?" she asks, snuggling into him, her eyelids slipping shut again.
He's not sure exactly where she means—his apartment or hers—but he knows she won't mind waking up in his bed. "Yup," he says. "Home."
She rouses again at his voice. "You're…" She pauses and he thinks she fell asleep again, but then she lifts her head from his shoulder and looks at him, her eyes surprisingly clear. Sober. "You're wonderful."
He grins, leans in to catch her mouth in a kiss, his tongue skimming the seam of her lips. "You're sappy when you're drunk."
"You're sappy when you're drunk," she shoots back, making a face.
He laughs. "Your comebacks also suffer, apparently."
"I can't…think straight," she mutters, slumping into his side as he tries to turn her and maneuver them towards the door.
He half-pushes, half-carries her out of the bar and onto the street. She shivers against him and he wonders what happened to her jacket after Lanie commandeered it. There's no way he's going back inside, so he hopes Lanie grabbed it. If not, he'll just buy her a new one.
He tugs her towards the curb, drawing her around to the front of his body so he can block her from the chilly night air. He calls his driver who's parked a few blocks over, then wraps both arms around Kate.
"Hey, Kate?" he asks.
He's not sure how awake she is, so he's pleasantly surprised when she answers. "Mm, yeah?"
"Did you hear what I…said to Lanie?"
She lets out a breath, shifting against him a little. "Yeah, I did," she admits softly.
He nods slowly, feeling unsure. "So…are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah," she says, sounding sleepy. He can tell she's fading again. "Can't say it back yet," she breathes. "But soon. M'kay?"
He smiles, so in love with her he can barely breathe. He wants to say it again, say it over and over, but she's falling asleep in his arms and this is enough. This is plenty. Just this—having her close, tucked against him, making wonderful promise.
He presses his lips to her temple. "Okay."