June 2010
We're boarding now.
The message was short and to the point, and Beckett smiled in relief as she typed out a quick reply. See you in six hours.
Was it possible that the last four weeks had passed even more slowly than the four months preceding Castle's surprise visit to New York? It was, she concluded. It most certainly was. Maybe because she'd seen how good they could be together in their home city; the time he'd spent at the precinct, the time they'd spent at her apartment - in bed and otherwise - and the moments they'd shared at the Bond exhibition that they'd attended.
Maybe, though, time had moved so slowly because after appearing together on Page Six, Esposito and Ryan - and yes, they'd most definitely seen the pictures and accompanying headlines - hadn't let up on the teasing. Work days without her partner at her side, the boys in her face every chance they got, were long and tiring.
Then again, in spite of the fact she was officially denying she'd been at the event as anything other than a friend, she wasn't entirely sure she minded.
Her biggest fear, that Castle would no longer be allowed to partner her at the 12th, was meritless; the Captain had called her into his office the day Castle had flown back to London. Montgomery had stared her down across his desk, his intimidation tactics - to Beckett's shame - working, as she confessed aloud what she refused to say to Ryan or Esposito; she and Castle were dating.
Eventually, though, Roy had spoken, laughing as he assured Beckett that as a consultant to the NYPD, rather than a fellow homicide detective, Rick would continue to be most welcome in the precinct.
A last message flashed on her phone, and Kate bit her lip, not sure why, exactly, she was attempting to hide the smile.
New York, here we come.
Castle was coming home.
Why was he so nervous?
It wasn't like this was his first trip back since moving to London, and it wasn't like he hadn't seen Beckett twice since he'd left.
He pulled his suitcase off the luggage carousel, watching as Alexis did the same when her bag appeared moments later.
This was different, because it was real.
Beside him, his daughter chatted on, oblivious to his discomfort. "And I'm just so happy Emma is coming out here to visit," she told him. "And I can't wait for her to meet Paige, and well, everybody."
"Uh-huh," he managed in response, as he fished through his carry on for his passport.
"But it's so great that we're coming home," she continued, and he nodded. "It's so cool that I got to do a semester abroad, but I missed New York so much."
"Me too, sweetie," he agreed, as they approached the line for customs.
Alexis finally fell silent as they presented their passports and were waved back into their home country. In his chest, his heart pounded as they walked through to the arrivals hall. Would she be here? She'd said she would be, but their flight had come in a little early, so if she'd been delayed, or if she'd caught a case-
"Detective Beckett!" Alexis was off and racing, having spotted his girlfriend before he had, and he followed after his daughter, his chest swelling with pride as she embraced Kate, who looked thoroughly taken aback by Alexis' warm greeting.
Kate hugged Alexis in turn, managing to extract herself from the tight grasp as he walked over to them; it was taking all his restraint to keep his limbs moving at an even pace instead of dropping his luggage and dashing toward her.
"Hey," he said, nudging into her and releasing his suitcase at last, letting the bag fall at his feet as she slid into his arms.
"Hey," she whispered back, and he pressed his lips to hers - all too briefly - releasing her with regret, conscious of the fact Alexis was standing beside them.
Beckett just smiled up at him. "Come on," she said. "Let's get you guys home."
"Darlings!" Martha cried as she came through the front door, positively beaming as her granddaughter threw herself at her. "You're back, you're back!"
Castle embraced his mother more sedately than Alexis had done, and Beckett watched on amused, until - taken aback - Martha hugged her too, impulsive and warm, her smile wide as Kate hesitated then returned the embrace.
"Are we celebrating? We should be celebrating," Martha declared. "I see Katherine is already here, but what about the rest of your friends from the precinct?"
"Yes, let's call them," Castle said, looking at Beckett. "See if they want to come over for dinner?"
"You don't want to, I don't know, sleep?" she suggested.
The look he gave her was enough to make her blush, but he kept his mouth shut - something for which she was grateful, in the presence of his family - and she nodded. Okay. Bed would wait, she would call them.
The boys spilled into the apartment, talking over one another as they clapped Castle on the back, macho friendliness disguising the genuine delight in their eyes that spoke of how pleased they were to have Castle home.
"This is Jenny," Ryan said at last, introducing the blond woman at his side, and Beckett stepped forward, shaking her hand with a smile. The famous Jenny, at last.
"Yo, Beckett, you been here long?" Esposito asked, the feigned innocence on his face all too telling. "When you cut out of work early I thought you were sick."
"I was meeting Castle at the airport," she told him, suddenly tired of the thin veil of secrecy, that, frankly, wasn't holding up in any case. "I've been here with my boyfriend since then."
Esposito's eyes bulged, and Ryan smirked. "Told you it would be all out in the open before the end of the night," he said under his breath, the words still reaching Beckett, and she raised her eyebrows as she watched Espo pull his wallet from his back pocket, opening it and slapping some bills into Ryan's waiting hand.
"Sit down, sit down," Castle urged them, shepherding them into the dining area as another familiar face appeared in the doorway. "Lanie," he greeted the M.E.
"Delightful, everyone is here," Martha called out from the kitchen, carrying the chicken and placing it on the table next to the bowls of vegetables. "Now, just help yourselves to whatever you like. Richard, have you poured everyone wine?"
Castle winked at Beckett, and she sat down beside him, letting him pour her a glass of red before he passed the bottle to Ryan.
"So how was living in London?" Jenny asked, but Esposito shook his head.
"Wrong question," he informed her. "The right question is how was living in London without Beckett? And when, exactly, did the two of you get together? When you came back here in May?"
"April," Castle said, and Beckett nodded in agreement, her cheeks warming as below the table, Castle rested his hand on her thigh.
Alexis shook her head, shooting her father a sly look before turning to Esposito and informing him, "January."
"January! Beckett!" Ryan exclaimed. "And you kept it a secret since then?"
"January," Castle scoffed. "No. No, we didn't get together until we went to Prague-"
"You went to Prague?" Ryan demanded.
"You knew about this?" Esposito asked Lanie, indignant, and she exchanged a look with Beckett before shrugging.
"The evidence was right there. You were the one who told me Beckett was always on the phone to Castle." She laughed. "Please, Javier - and you, Ryan - you call yourselves detectives?"
Beckett buried her face in her hands as Castle spoke. "Just how do you figure January, Alexis?"
"That was when the phone calls started," she told him.
"But they were just phone calls," he protested.
"Six hour conversations aren't just phone calls," his daughter assured him, reaching to help herself to another potato and apparently dismissing the topic.
"Can you believe this?" Castle asked Beckett, and she laughed. Could she believe it? Thinking back to those early conversations, no, she couldn't quite believe they were here now. Memories came flooding back to her though. Skype dates and movie marathons. Allowing Castle to see just enough skin, admiring his arms as he lay in bed, laptop in front of him. The way Castle had called on the ninth of January.
She'd come home in tears, mourning her mother, that day.
She'd hung up the phone, hours later, drained but happy.
"I think they're right," she admitted to Castle, lacing her fingers through his, no longer concerned whether the others saw them. "I think we've been in a relationship since January."
A/N: Oh, my. So I started this one a LONG time ago and I am SO glad I finished it. I think a lot of you loved it, and that makes me really glad. Anyway, bowing down to my betas, and thanking you guys for reading. Until next time and next story, you'll find me on twitter... honeyandvodka x