Chapter 14 – A Little More Sunday Night

Disclaimer – not my characters, 'till death do us part' the rest is mine. Republished do to wrong title and corrected some typos.

Castle continued towards the body, relieved that Kate had turned and walked back to the tape line to talk to one of the local beat cops. He knew he couldn't meet Kate's eyes. Replaying the other night at a crime scene was not his brightest idea. He was sure if he met her eyes and he caught the slightest glimpse of 'at home Kate' he would say something wildly inappropriate.

Esposito held up his good arm "Stop, right there. You're not to be trusted."

"What did I do?" Castle usually knew what he was guilty of.

Esposito jammed a finger in the air over Castle's shoulder "Not you, her."

Castle glanced over his shoulder to watch Kate approach them, scratch that – it better be Beckett at work or he was going to be a rule breaker. Her walk was something that would never get old. Her hips swayed just so – saying sexy, her posture said – confident/in control, and her shoes said – 'you have no idea'. Castle finished his mental inventory of Beckett's walk, only to notice that she was gnawing on the corner of her lip. Her mind was somewhere else….

Kate scooted over and patted the edge. Rick tentatively sat down as she reached over and grabbed the first copy of "In a Hail of Bullets." Kate handed it to him.

"It feels heavier and thicker than I remember."

She rested a hand on his thigh "It's where I keep my gun, my badge and cuffs. Slip off the cover."

Castle's heart raced, his fingers fumbled, she knew it was hard for him to concentrate with her hand on his thigh. When he finally removed the cover Castle saw the key pad and laughed "I need one of these – where did you get it."

Kate's eyes dipped, feeling a little guilty "Will had it made for me, gave it to me as a birthday present." It was always weird talking about previous relationships, not something she wanted to make a habit.

"Great give him a call and find out where, I really REALLY need one."

Kate looked at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion. "You don't even have a gun and you keep your chocolate badge in the freezer."

Castle waggled his eyebrows as he leaned in and nibbled on her earlobe "But I have cuffs."

Kate playfully swatted at his chest – "You don't need to lock up the fur lined kind."

Kate was on auto pilot walking towards them, Esposito's voice brought her back to the present. "Huh? What?"

Esposito repeated himself "You heard me, stay away. You're not to be trusted."

An indignant Kate asked, "Me! Who stole whose personal property?"

"You tried to 'chickenwing' me." Esposito turned to Castle "Watch it bro, she's in a mood" and stomped off.

"Really a chickenwing? Over what?"

Her mouth said "Nothing." Her eyes twinkled and said "Tell ya later."

And just like that Beckett was back to work,"Lanie, what do you have for us?"

Lanie threw back "Does Bruce know about this 'us'"

Castle prayed his face remained stoic and that his internal happy dance didn't come out to make an appearance. Lanie knew about Bruce…this was going to be good.

"Beckett, have you been holding out on me?" Castle couldn't resist "Whose Bruce?"

Kate's eyes narrowed, she jammed her hands in her pocket and delivered her best death stared "Castle it's called a private life for a reason" and barked at Lanie "Give me a break – time of death?"

Lanie started to rattle off the details of the case.

Death was the last thing on Castle's mind. He couldn't stop revisiting Sunday night.

Rick leaned back on her bed. His feet still firmly planted on the ground and 'In a Hail of Bullets' clutched to his chest. Kate leaned back against the headboard and teased "If you want one that badly, I'll call him." Between the look on his face and his lack of response she knew he wasn't paying attention. It took her a minute to gather the nerve to ask "Is this too much for you?"

His eyes fluttered open "No, it just not the way I imagined it."

"Is that a bad thing?" He was worrying her.

His right hand unclenched the book and began to play with the arch of her foot. "Yes."

A look of pain flashed across her face only to be quickly masked by her poker face. Rick rolled on his side to face her and pulled her feet closer to his chest "Hey, don't look like that."

Kate pulled her feet away and stood up. "Then what?"

Rick didn't like the look of her crossed arms. If he stood up, she might shove him out the door. Instead he kicked off his shoes and curled up at the foot of her bed, "I always pictured courting you. You know a first date, a kiss at the door, you telling me to leave. Second date we fall asleep together on my couch while watching a movie. Third date you let me cuddle with you while you fall asleep and I let myself out."

Kate returned to bed. Back leaned up against the headboard, knees pulled to her chin and her hair falling free – teasing him. He took her contemplative pose as a hint to continue "I thought I would know if you slept on the right side or the left side, if you slept in the nude, with or without socks, if you cared if I used your closet to hang up my clothes before bed. I'd know if you brush your teeth even when you got up to pee in the middle of the night, if you cared if I borrowed your toothbrush, if I'd be allowed to go to the station with you if you were called in at some obscene hour of the night, if…"

She crawled towards him and placed a finger over his lips "Rick stop." Kate continued her seductive crawl until she rolled him to his back and straddled him. He playfully tugged on her hair, "I can't, I'm a writer – life is about the details." He took a deep breath and moved his hands to her waist, brushing his thumbs across her hips "I don't want to screw this up."

Kate beamed as she caressed the corners of his eyes, where his crinkles showed how much he enjoyed life. "I start on the right side, by your books and the bathroom, end up in the middle. Hell to me would be life without toothbrushes, but I don't share. Do you see any clothes on the floor?"

He tried to get up to look around, but she pushed him back down and pressed her chest to his and spoke into his mouth. "The building is old, in the winter – clothes on, but…" her tongue trailed across his lips "…if the occasion presents itself happy to take them off, in the summer – clothes off."

Rick couldn't resist any longer and he kissed her. He kissed her until they both came up gasping for air. Kate rolled off of him, lying on her back beside him "How about this – this once I will let you use my toothbrush, because I'll use the one in my purse and toss that one away." She turned to curl her face into the curve of his neck, in a hush toned she said "Or we could just make it yours and leave it here. You hang up your clothes in my closet, we skip to date number 3, I fall asleep wrapped in your arms and you stay."

Rick jumped to his feet and headed to the bathroom, "Don't have to ask me twice." He glanced at his books and fought a smirk 'Dumbass Dr. Motorcycle Boy' had to see his books every time he stayed over. Okay bad imagery Dumbass in her room, but still – it felt good to know he had been sleeping next to her for years. Watching over her.

Castle quickly brushed his teeth, fixed his hair, and began to strip to his boxers. Couldn't go to bed in a tux could he? He examined himself in the full length mirror…shit, shit double shit. His eyes were glued to the image of himself in just his boxers. Batman boxers…glow in the dark Batman boxers. Castle would have never worn them if he knew anyone would see them. Alexis had given the boxers to him for Christmas. Kate was going to have a field day with this one.

The only solution was to 'bite the bullet'. Castle stood ramrod straight, plastered a smile on his face and marched out of the bathroom with his clothes neatly folded over his arm. He waited for a reaction, there wasn't one. She wasn't there. He pursed his lips, headed to the closet to hang up his clothes. He floundered in the dark – no need to make Batman glow any brighter.

Kate still hadn't returned. Castle slip into the left side of the bed propped his head up the pillows one arm casually flung over his head – too much armpit hair. Should he have kept his t-shirt on? Castle readjusted to cross his arms – nope too reserved, too closed off. Castle tried draping an arm across her pillow - too forward. He settled for lying on his side to hug a pillow and stare at the spot she would lay – hmmm perfect.

Then he saw her – roh roh, the pj pants and tank top were gone. There she stood in the shortest of boy shorts with the waist band rolled down and a loose almost translucent ¾ t-shirt. Kate smirked as she felt his eyes take inventory. "Said I didn't sleep naked, didn't say I wore a snowsuit to bed."

Castle's face broke into a grin as he flipped back the covers on her side of the bed "No objections here. I was afraid you ran." He watched as she deftly slipped a Ruger SP101.357 Magnum in between the mattress and box spring as she crawled into bed beside him.

Kate's face flashed, what could only be called a sultry smile. "Why would I run?" She settled in beside him, curling on her side to face him, bringing them eye to eye. "Last thing I do every night is a final sweep of my apartment…someone still wants me dead."

Castle gulped repeatedly, sadness replaced the happiness in his eyes. Kate held her green eyes to his blue eyes, not even a blink. She reached out and ran her fingers across his cheek, settling on the soft spot behind his ear "Rick? Hey Rick, it's okay, I'm okay – thought you wanted the details." Her voice finished in a question.

Castle let out a sigh "I do, but some details hurt." Kate closed the remaining space between them…

Kate's voice snapped him back to the body at his feet "Castle, Castle – if you have someplace better to be, just go already."

Lanie was pretending to take notes as she watched the two of them. Lanie's heart went out to Write Boy – whoever Bruce was, really had him rattled. Castle wasn't looking at Beckett or making his signature sarcastic remarks. "Writer Boy you okay? If it helps Javier and I were just as surprised as you about Bruce."

Wait! Was that an eye smile from Beckett to Writer Boy.

Lanie had been around the two of them and their crazy ass eye talk long enough to know that Kate was amused, almost had a little smile. Never one to shy away from something she wanted to know. "Beckett, you seeing Bruce tonight?"

Before her mind could control her mouth Kate blurted out "Hope so" and shot Castle a hopeful look. Did Writer Boy's eyes crinkle into a smile as he dragged his eyes away from hers?

Lanie smiled like a Cheshire cat, a smile that said 'Got you girlfriend.'

PS. Castle once said if he was a comic hero he would be Bruce Wayne aka Batman. Hope that explains why 'Bruce' is his alias. As you may be able to tell – I got myself into a jam by jumping to the first day of work because that idea came to me first. Then the whole first night they spent together popped into my head, hence the flashbacks. Publishing a chapter at a time, writing one chapter at a time, with no real plan and only allowing 1 hour per chapter was/is not my brightest idea. But let's see where it takes us.