Ew. Here we go. Not thrilled about this chapter, but I'm hoping you will like it a little more than me.
I fear everything has gotten really serious, so next chapter will be lighter (and longer, hopefully).

Please be nice, read it, review it, pm me if you care to.

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Now that I have officially wasted a whole few minutes of your time (for which I am sorry), here it is:



Different

Castle approached the murder board.
The shadow that was Beckett could be seen at her desk, staring at it. He couldn't really tell, but he knew. She was always staring at it. He took a deep breath before walking up to her, setting down the white paper bag he was holding. She looked up at him, watching him as he sat down. "You're here early," she commented, quietly. A good few hours earlier than he usually did. The early that still left the bullpen empty and dawn unbroken. He sat down in his chair, shrugging.

"Someone has to feed you," he said, simply, pushing the paper bag towards her. A tiny smile escaped her as she accepted, retrieving a bear claw carefully wrapped in a napkin. She bit into it and chewed, enjoying the comfortable silence they slipped into. They both stared at the murder board now, attempting to contemplate the case. As if.

Kate found it hard enough to concentrate on the case when she was alone.
But with Castle five inches from her side?
As if that was going to happen.
She got lost in her thoughts- the pools of her mind had never seemed so cavernous before. She knew that her feelings for Castle were getting in the way of things. Rather the fact that they went unresolved.

It was easier to daydream about that kiss than it was to understand a murder.
Not to mention happier.
And utterly confusing.
But before she let her mind even go there, she refocused- forcing her attention onto the case.

Concentrate, Kate," she told herself.

Castle was having similar issues.

How could he be expected to concentrate on this murder when Kate Beckett was less than an arm's length away, biting her lip and bearing that knitted brow. He could literally reach out and touch her elbow with his. And he was supposed to solve a crime?
As if that was going to happen.

He wanted so badly to ask- to pry, just a little.
But he knew he couldn't.
That was how to shut her up for good.
If he knew Kate, she'd run after that.
And he knew Kate.

"Lanie's TOD places time of death at seven am," she spoke, bringing him back to the planet earth. Even about something as mundane as murder, he hung on her every word. The last thing he wanted to talk about was the case, but he knew it must be done. "Neighbor finds him at 8," she sighed, frustrated. "The security tapes show nothing, I looked them over last night. Camera's in the elevators and in the lobby, and not a single shot of our guy. Everyone could be accounted for by the building."

"Elevator cameras?" Castle asked, suddenly interested.

"Yea, two of them. Why?" she sat up straighter, eager for his idea. She could tell by the look on his handsome face it was a good one.

"And they have footage of that morning?" she nodded, still not following.

"They weren't very lively. A few people leaving for work, the last was the delivery man going up to drop off the papers," she said, sheepishly.

"When Lanie got to the scene, she was out of breath. Why?" he asked, waiting for it to click. Suddenly, it did.

"The elevator was out of order!" she exclaimed, excited now. Leads were always exciting. "But what does that even mean?" she asked, her brow furrowing again, sinking back into her desk chair.

"Firstly, if the perp got in this morning, he must have been blending in," Castle told her. "And if he didn't use the elevator, he must have used the stairs. This is all, of course, assuming that the perp wasn't already at Wayne's apartment. He could have been there that night," he pointed out. Again, they sat in silence, bummed.

"No," she said after a long pause. She was chewing on her lip in that way she did when she was thinking really hard. "When we were at his apartment, his sink had dishes in it.." she remembered. "One plate, one cup, and one set of silverware. He was alone the night before. The perp had to have came, killed him, and left that morning."

"So he must have used the stairs," Castle finished for her. They were getting excited again.

"And if he got past the lobby unnoticed, he must have been blending in…"

"So he was one of the neighbors?" It came out as a question.

"Or the delivery man," she said, a smile forming. "The paper is dropped off in the lobby and an employee brings them to individual doors," she explained. "We find out who was on duty this morning…"

"We find the man who saw him last!'' Castle finished for her, mirroring her smile.

"And possibly even his killer."

"It's time for a celebratory cup of coffee," he told her, standing to go to the break room. He touched her shoulder lightly on his way, sending a shockwave through Kate. What the hell was that?"

It was more than the heated make out session she kept revisiting.
It was more than the dirty jokes and innuendos.
It was more than the light passes he made at her.
It was a message.
A message meant to be taken quite seriously.
She couldn't help but smile and think to herself:
Message received.


The day was a long one.

Esposito and Ryan were still running John Marcus, the mystery meeting, and Beckett and Castle were running down the delivery man. Every where they turned they hit a dead end. As it happens, the delivery man supposedly on duty had no idea what was happening- he was not working that morning, and he had a classroom full of peers to confirm it. Whoever delivered those papers that morning had stolen his identity and borrowed his uniform. Now their only hope of catching the bastard rested on the paper itself, most literally. The lab was trying to pull prints off the newspaper found in Wayne's apartment, and all they could do was wait. It was driving Kate mad.

She sat at her desk, her head in her hands.

"I'm going crazy," she said out loud. For a moment she forgot her company.

"It's late, how about we go home?" he asked her. His diction stuck out to her, making her painfully aware of it.

"We?" she asked first. "Home?" she looked up at him, forgetting to stress for a moment. A mixture of shock, confusion, and maybe even hope flashed through her expression. He just nodded. She stared at him a moment, not really sure if she wanted to accept or decline his offer.

What exactly was he offering?

Somewhere, a part of her decided to trust him.
The rest of her was too tired to argue.
So she nodded.

"Okay."

Castle would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised.
He would also be lying if he said he was disappointed. He leapt up with newfound excitement and pulled her up with him.

They walked, a good few feet away from each other.
Stood in the elevator, what seemed like miles between them.
The drive was spent in silence.

They ended up at her place, somehow.
She drove, but she still wasn't sure how she got there.

"Come up?" she asked, slowly. He looked at her a minute before replying.

"Are you sure?" he asked. The fact that he asked that question at all was enough for her.
If she wasn't sure before, she sure was now. She nodded.

When inside, she motioned to the couch, where he sat, carefully. As if he were afraid a step to heavy would shatter the place. "Are you hungry?" she called from the kitchen.

"Famished," he told her. He waited patiently for her, and she emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later with two bowls of frosted flakes. "Frosted Flakes?" he asked her, accepting the bowl. She sat on the couch beside him, leaving room between them.

"I know it's not exactly what you're used to, but-"

"It's perfect," he cut her off. More silence ensued. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her. He was painfully aware of how odd she was acting around him, ever since that night. She shook her head. Not yet. He nodded. "He stood, suddenly, making her look up.

Worry.
Fear.
Surprise.
Sadness.

"Are you leaving?" she asked, more disappointment revealing itself than she had meant. He smiled at her, softly.

I don't suppose you have a DVD player?" he asked.

Relief.

An hour later, Kate was stretched over the entire length of the couch, feet brushing Castle's body, lightly. He watched her as she slept- she fell asleep ten minutes into the film. She looked so peaceful- so serene. Tomorrow she would wake up and shell over and be subject to reality, but right then, she was lost in a dream, relaxed, away from it all. He wanted her to stay that way.

That was why he daren't move.
He didn't want to wake her.

He called Alexis a little after eleven, informing her he would not be home.
He smiled as he watched her.
She breathed. In and out. In and out.
Soft breaths.

He had spent many a night helping her deal.
Be it will wine or with burgers or with a tub of Ben and Jerry's and a Cary Grant film.
But tonight was different.

She was letting him in.

They did the same things.
They kept their hands to themselves.
And yet it was so, so different.

He couldn't wait for the case to be over.
Because whether or not he was comfortable, sitting with his tiny little square of the couch,
he was so not ready for things to go back to normal.

Okay, not crazy about this chapter, but things will pick up and happen, I promise.
Please press the button, feel free to complain.
I don't hate compliments.
Don't hate criticism, either.

Just as long as your honest :)