A/N: So I meant to get this out a week or so ago, but that obviously didn't happen. Here is another chapter for your reading pleasure. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Since AWM and ABC won't return my calls, I still own nothing.
Gates motioned for the two of them to sit down and she calmly shut the door. She walked around to her chair, sat down, and proceeded to stare at Rick and Kate.
The smile quickly dropped off of Castle's face. Gates yelling or criticizing him was one thing, but the silent Gates was absolutely terrifying. He glanced over at Beckett to see that her smile had faded also, but rather than the panicked look that he was sporting she looked completely collected and put together.
They continued to sit there for what seemed like hours as what Rick deemed 'The Great Stare Down' continued to drive him mad.
Finally Gates took off her glasses, threw them on her desk, and sat back in her chair. "You two wanna tell me what is going on?" she said as she motioned between the two of them.
"Ummmmmmm…" Rick and Kate both said in unison.
"I've had my suspicions about you two since the summer. A best-selling writer doesn't just hang around a precinct trying to solve a shooting unless he is personally invested in that person's life. When you weaseled your way back in here by having the Mayor personally call me that really set off some red flags that something was going on. But, I have never been able to prove anything. Even with the two of you walking in here this morning half dead I still can't prove anything. But let me tell you this, if you two do have something going on and it starts to interfere with your job Detective," she said looking directly at Kate, "Mr. Castle will be out of this building so fast he won't know what hit him," she said looking now directly at Rick, "I don't give a damn if you're friends with the mayor, I will not have you being here affect the performance of my Detectives."
"So….." Rick started to say as Kate looked over at him with a look that pleaded for him to for once in his life keep his mouth shut. "If you really don't like me and don't give a damn about my connections, why haven't you kicked me out already?" He looked over to see Kate looking at him slack jawed. He simply just shrugged his shoulders, "It's an honest question," he told her as he looked back to Gates. She had a look that he couldn't quite determine exactly what it meant. It was a cross between slightly amused and somewhat irritated.
"Mr. Castle that is a question I ask myself every day. The sad truth is that you are actually a very helpful person to have around here. You give us an outside insight that helps us discover and follow leads that we might not have come across on our own. From everything I have gathered in my time here you have become a valued and irreplaceable asset to this team and at this time it would take extraordinary measures for me to let you leave."
Kate stared at the Captain in shock and she looked over to see Rick with a shit eating grin on his face.
"If something were to ever happen between the two of you I do not want it to interfere with you work Detective. But, I honestly care more about our closed case record than I do whether or not you and Mr. Castle are together," she said making quotations with her hands while saying the word together. "Now get out of my office before I change my mind and just have him thrown out today," she said putting back on her glasses and sitting back in her chair.
Rick and Kate were still sitting down trying to decide if this entire conversation really did just happen or if they dreamed it.
"If you two are still here when I count to three you aren't going to like what happens next."
Rick and Kate were up out of their chairs in a flash and out the door before she could even get to one. They walked out of Captain's office in a slight daze.
"That's it?" Rick said with a confused look as they headed towards the break room
"What do you mean that's it Rick? If that's the only time we get called in to her office about whatever this is between us," Kate said motioning between the two of them, "I think we've gotten off pretty easy."
"Well since you put it that way yeah," he paused when he had caught up on what she said, "what do you mean whatever this is between us?"
"Well," she said hesitantly, "We're together, but we haven't really defined what exactly we are so I don't really know how to answer that question."
A look of deep thought appeared on Rick's face, but after a few moments his face softened and they walked into the break room, "Alright, but that is a topic we are going to discuss sooner than later," he said as he started to make her another cup of coffee.
"I can't wait," Kate said without her usual eye roll. She knew that that eventually she would have to tell him that she remembered him confessing his love for her as she lay in his arms with a bullet in her body, but she just wasn't ready yet. Sooner rather than later was the right answer, but then the next question was how do you break that kind of information to a person you care about, maybe even love?
"So what did Captain want?" They turned around to see Esposito and Ryan walking into the break room. Kate gave a quick look to Rick that said lie.
"We can't disclose any of that information at the current time," Kate said in a professional straight laced manner. Off to the side she could hear Castle let out a little snicker. Looking at the boys their jaws just dropped.
"What?" Esposito said, "Come on guys, we're supposed to be a team."
"Yeah," Ryan said, "I even brought you guys' coffee. I'd say that warrants some kind of information."
"Sorry guys," Rick said with a wicked smile," our lips are sealed."
Rick and Kate proceeded to walk out of the room and back to her desk.
"Well we'll see about that," Esposito said as he pulled out his phone.
"What are you doing?" Ryan asked glancing over at his phone.
"Something is going on between those two and I'm calling in reinforcements to find out exactly what."
"Say hi to Lanie for me man," Ryan said as he turned to walk back out of the break room.
-C/B-
"Castle!"
Rick jumped up with a start, "Wha….What? Where's the body?"
Kate gave him a disapproving look and shook her head, "No body, just gonna go grab something to eat and thought that you might want to come along."
He motioned for her to lean towards him and he quietly said, "Well I always want to come with you Kate," as he wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a little smile.
Quick as lightning Kate lifted her arm and gave him a swift swat on the arm. "Castle!" she said trying to sound menacing. Looking into his eyes she broke into a fit of giggles that she couldn't contain.
"I love it when you giggle." Rick said looking at her lovingly.
"Yeah, well you're not gonna love it when I tell you that if you keep up this kind of stuff here there will be no sex for you later."
The comment wiped the smile off of Rick's face and he sat back and started to sulk.
"Come on Rick," she said getting up, "let's go eat," she said pulling him up to his feet.
"Hey guys we're gonna go get something to eat. Do you want anything?" Kate called over to the boys.
"No we're good. See you later." Esposito said.
Kate and Rick walked towards the elevator. As they stood there waiting Rick motioned towards the elevator and leaned down close to her ear, "One of my favorite places to spend time with you," he said with a wink.
Kate started to blush and was thankful for the arrival of the elevator. The doors to the elevator opened to reveal Lanie with her hands on her hips giving them a look of annoyance.
Kate and Rick both turned to take the stairs but were stopped in their tracks by Ryan and Esposito. The boys turned the pair around and shoved them into the elevator as Lanie quickly hit the button to close the doors.
"I can't believe they just sacrificed us like that!" Rick tried to say in a pissed off voice, but it only came out in a high pitched squeal.
Kate shook her head and looked down at the floor. She looked up ready to say something, but was cut off by Lanie.
"Alright you two," giving them a look and pointing her finger at both of them, "We only have a minute so I want you both to listen and to listen good. Got it?" They both shook their heads in agreement. "I am really getting sick of the boys constantly asking me about you guys. I told them to give you space and you would eventually give them something, but they have just become plain annoying. And frankly their curiosity is making me curious."
Kate started to say something, but Lanie cut her off with a wave of the hand. "Nope, don't wanna hear it right now. There is something going on between the two of you. What exactly I'm not for sure, but there is something. Throw the guys a bone, feed the animals, and give them something so they stop bothering me. They deserve some answers, they're your friends and they care about you both. I'm not saying announce your undying love to the entire precinct, but give the guys something before I have to resort to drastic measures. You got me?"
They both stared at her with wide eyes and nodded that they understood.
"Good, I'm glad we had this talk. Kate we're going out for drinks sometime in the next week and you're gonna tell me everything," she says as she looks at Rick from head to toe and smiles, "and I mean everything." The elevator door opened and Lanie stepped out and turned around, "I'm glad we had this little chat. See you two lovebirds later," and with those final words Lanie walked away leaving the two of them trying to figure out just what in the hell just happened as the elevator doors shut before they could even move.
"Maybe she's right, but we don't even really know what we are yet," Kate hesitantly said. She looked over to see that Rick was just in a daze. Lanie seemed to have that effect on people. Kate gave a little smile to Rick that broke him out of his Lanie-induced trance and he gave her a smile back.
"Maybe we should just somehow let them know we're dating. Let them assume what they will after that, but that's all they will hear from us," Rick said as he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Kate smiled up at him, "l like the way you think Mr. Castle, I might have to keep you around."
"I'm kind of counting on the Ms. Beckett," he said as he brought his lips down to hers. Neither of the tried to deepen the kiss they just left it as what it was, a kiss between two people in love.
All of the sudden the elevator doors opened and they broke their kiss to find both Ryan and Esposito with stupid grins on their faces.
"Ummmm…..hey guys," Rick said looking like a kid getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
"Bye guys," Kate said as she punched the button on the elevator and pulled him down for another kiss as the doors closed shut on the boys.
After a minute Rick broke the kiss and looked down at the woman who held his heart, "Well I guess they kind of know now."
Kate let out a little laugh and shook her head, "We're going to have to seriously revisit our set of rules. Apparently we both have issues following them."
"Rules were made to be broken," Rick said as the elevator doors opened. He released his hold on her and reached down for her hand.
Kate looked down for a moment and then smiled as they walked hand in hand out of the elevator.
A/N: Alright guys hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. I got to the end of this chapter and thought to myself, I can just end it here. This is a nice way to end this story, but I still have a bit more story to tell, plus I want a chance to write a girls night out. Please drop me a line and let me know what you liked or didn't like. Also if you find any errors please let me know. I have been over this so many times, but there is always a chance I have missed something. I truly feel motivated right now to write so if you have any suggestions as to how I could improve anything please just let me know. Only two new episodes this season, seriously going to start tearing up soon. Until we meet again.
Jen