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Hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! I know that I am having a blast writing this! Please leave a review with your thoughts and comments!

Disclaimer: Castle is not mine :/

[Chapter 2]

"Done!" Kate cheered, raising both hands in the air in victory.

Rick had been trailing Kate the entire race, only to be crushed in the end. He crossed his arms, "I want a rematch."

"Oh, suck it up, Castle!" Kate smirked. "No need to be a sore loser!"

"But you cheated!" He exasperated.

"Castle, your first and only rule was that in order to be deemed the winner, your glass must be emptied of all its contents." Rick went to day something but Kate raised a hand stopping him. She continued, "Not once did you say how either of us were supposed to do it, just as long as it gone done. So, therefore, I did not cheat."

Rick took in her words, his mind relishing everything that he had said. And Kate knew when he realized that she was in fact right; his face turned from pure annoyance to defeat in seconds.

"I won fair and square," she gloated, crossing her arms proudly over her chest.

"I call for a rematch," he grumbled, twirling his straw in the cup.

"Sorry. No rematch."

"It's not fair though!" He wined, sounding like a bratty kid. "As soon as the race started, I could feel your foot slowly moving up my shin."

"So?"

"So, it was cruel. And you didn't stop there. No, you just had to keep going up, taunting me and making loose my focus." At my focus he raised a hand and pointed at his eyes with his fingers.

"I'm surprised. I thought you knew me better than that," Kate said. "If I want something, like I desperately want it, then I will do absolutely anything to make sure that I get it. And if that means cheating, then so be it."

Rick lunged forward a bit, his pointer finger right in front of Kate's face. "So you are a cheater!"

"I-" she began.

He cut her off before she even started. "Oh no, Katherine Beckett! You can't take that back!" He shook his head, a tiny chuckle escaping. "You just confessed to being a cheater! I win by default!" He then began to do a happy dance in his seat. He put his hands together in the form of fists and moved them in a horizontal, circular motion. He sang, "Kate Beckett is a loser and I'm a winner," over and over again as he went on with his victory dance.

Judy decided to grace the duo with her presence at that particular moment. "Um? What's going on over here?"

The detective looked up at the waitress, "He's gloating because he said that I cheated in a little competition we just had."

Judy looked at the empty cups on the table. "With the shakes?"

"Mmhmm," Kate hummed in reply.

"Huh," she mumbled. "I take it that this whole thing was Rick's idea?"

"Yep."

Rick jumped in on their conversation. "Kate's being crabby because she lost. She's a sneaky little cheater."

"Am not," Kate smirked, leaning over the table and becoming closer to him once again.

Rick halted his dancing and mimicked her actions. "Are too."

"I am n-"

"Okay, we are not starting that again!" He huffed.

Judy stood silently, merely watching as the two argued in front of her. They acted like an old married couple and Judy could only hope that the two of them would get together soon. They were so in love with each other but they refused to do anything about it. And that made the older woman's heart ache a bit. For two smart and intelligent people, such as themselves, they sure were stupid when it came to feelings.

So she spoke up, interrupting the tiny fight. "You two act like an old married couple, I swear." They felt heat rise to their cheeks. Rick gave Kate a look and she returned it. They smiled at one another. "Now, I just came over here to collect your plates," Judy went on.

"Oh, here," Kate moved to stack up all of the dishes off the table top. She handed them up to the waitress. "There you go."

"Thank you, dear," Judy thanked, arms full of plates and cups. "Don't you two start bickering again once I leave."

"We won't," Rick laughed, winking at his partner, who laughed right along with him.

Judy lingered a bit, glancing at her two favorite customers with a curve if her lips. She retreated back to the kitchen, giving them some more alone time.

Kate stared at Rick before asking, "Alright, Castle, where are we going to lunch?"

He looked shocked. "Yo-you're actually letting me pick? Bbut I thought that-"

"You won the competition, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I was only messing with you," he said solemnly. "We can go wherever you want, Beckett."

Kate shook her head no. "Nope. I want you to decide."

"I- uh, are you sure?"

He had only meant to tease her for fun. "I'm sure. It was a silly little race, and I'm sure the place you pick will be a lot better than the one I would've picked."

Rick laughed at that, feeling better about the whole situation. Kate continued, "No need to get all caught up in it, alright?"

It took him a minute to respond. "Y-yeah, I guess you're right." He stuck a hand out, "No hard feelings?"

She couldn't help but smile at him. And this smile wasn't just any smile; this smile was the special one that she reserved just for him and him alone. Rick's heart pounded through his chest; she was absolutely extraordinary.

Kate shook his outstretched hand. "No hard feelings," she solidified.

Rick released his grip and pulled out his wallet from his back jean pocket. Placing the amount due plus a generous tip on the table, he stood up.

"Castle, I thought that the loser had to pay for the bill?"

"Maybe I just want to be a gentleman," he shrugged, putting his coat on.

Kate knew that there was no point in arguing with him. He would still end up paying no matter what the results were; it was the stubbornness in him. A quality that she didn't mind so much as one would think. She got up and began to put her jacket on but Rick stopped her, assisting her.

"Being chivalrous tonight, aren't we?" She mused.

Rick didn't say anything he just smiled, holding out his arm for her to take. Kate took it with a smile. "Good night, Judy!" He called to the back. "Thank you for everything!"

She rushed out of the kitchen. "Night, you two! Thanks for stopping in!" Judy waved at them as they stepped outside.

"Thank you for dinner," Kate stated as they walked out of the small diner. "And thank you for waiting so long before, I know that it wasn't fair of me to keep you so late."

"Kate, it's okay. Really," Rick said, easing her concerns. "Don't worry about it. Know that I'll always wait for you, no matter what."

She couldn't help it, so she got up on her toes and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Rick," she whispered, her bottom lip finding it's way between her teeth.

He grinned like no other. His smile stretched all the way up to eyes, creating small crinkles on the skin. He gave her upper arm a small squeeze. "Always."

A blush fell onto her cheeks, and she tucked her chin farther into her coat, trying to conceal the redness of her face. Of course, Rick noticed right away that she was blushing, but he was too kind enough not to day anything. They meandered down the sidewalk in silence, content with being together.

"Can I walk you home?" He offered, pulling Kate out of her daze.

She looked up at him smiling, "I'd like that."

As soon as Kate stepped out of her bathroom after taking a nice, long bubble bath, her phone beeped signaling a text message. She grabbed her phone off her bed from when she carelessly threw her things all over. She couldn't help but smile at the text when she opened it.

Had an amazing time with you tonight! ;) I'll see you tomorrow for our wonderful day of shopping! I'll be there at ten o'clock on the dot

Kate moseyed over to her dresser, slipping out of the bathrobe and into some leggings and an extra large t-shirt, and plopped down on her bed with a small thump as she began to form a reply to Rick's text.

I did, too! :) & it'll be interesting, that's for sure. & I'll see you then. Be ready to shop til you drop! Night, Castle

Right after she sent off her message, she got an immediate reply back.

Can't wait. Good night and sweet dreams, Detective :)

Kate tossed her phone to her side and laid flat on her bed, a huge, happy smile plastered on her face. She couldn't believe that Rick had convinced her to let him join her to go shopping tomorrow, and it was just for food and other necessitates. The thought of the race brought a smile to her lips, he was just too easy. Kate went to bed looking forward to the day to come, excited about spending it with the writer.

Rick set his phone down on his dresser after reading Kate's text. He was still amazed that the stubborn detective had agreed to let him join her to do errands tomorrow. But what amazed him the most was that she went along with the silly race with the shakes. It was a side of her that he could easily get used to. It was sexy yet absolutely adorable, and Rick couldn't get enough. He secretly hoped that she'd be like that when they go grocery shopping. He was definitely going to be sleeping with a smile on his face.

Tomorrow was going to be a day filled with fun, food, and a little bit of flirting.

There ya go! :)

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