Partners
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. I'm just doing this for fun, and for my own sanity.
A/N: You're finding out what happens in Partners almost as I do, so expect irregular updates. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy! All mistakes are mine, so be warned.
"So, where do we go from here?" Kate asked. Her head still laid comfortably against Castle's chest.
She felt him shrug and enjoyed the rumble of his voice as he answered, "I don't know... where would you like to go?"
Of course, he'd let her take the lead. It must be habit after following her for so long. She sighed, knowing at least one loose end that needed to be tied before they went any further. Slowly, she pulled away from him.
"I do know I need to talk to Josh..." she started, and looked at her phone. "I may need a few moments alone for that."
Castle cringed, "Yeah, that would be a good idea. If you want, I can go grab something for dinner." He smiled a little, "I'll take my time, walk there and back... wherever it is that I go. It should give you plenty of time. I can even call before I head back, and see if I should make any other stops."
"That's a good idea, Castle." Kate stepped up to him and kissed his cheek. "And very sweet."
"I try," he joked, his eyes twinkling and looking so happy. "What would you like for dinner?"
Kate smiled and took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers for a moment before she let go. "Surprise me."
Castle nodded and walked slowly toward her door. "I'll be back soon," he said, just as he closed it behind him.
She waited a while, staring at her phone, before she finally picked it up and made the call. It went straight to his voice mail, just as it had so many times before.
As she listened to his voice, she decided exactly how to handle the situation. She knew he was working a late shift, and had been there for a few hours. When it beeped for her to leave a message, she took a second to compose herself.
"Hey Josh, it's Kate. We need to talk... call me when you have a chance... Bye."
She ended the call and looked at the phone for a moment before she sent a text to Castle.
Take your time... gotta wait on him to call back. He should be on lunch soon. Sorry.
His answer came almost instantly.
No problem. There are plenty of places to kill time in NYC. Text me when you're ready for my return. 3
She rolled her eyes and felt a silly grin spread across her face. Only Castle could do that to her.
It could be hours... are you sure you can find something to occupy that much time?
Her phone buzzed again.
You've never gone with me to FAO Schwartz before...
Castle. In a giant toy store. Yeah, that didn't take much imagination. They probably let him have his own playroom in there.
She didn't answer this time, just let it go. There was enough on her mind without more wordplay and eye-rolling at Castle's expense.
When Kate decided she'd waited long enough, she gathered her things again, and got on her motorcycle. She had waited too long, and too much, for him.
She found a parking space and quickly made her way into the hospital, to the front desk. The lady working the computer recognized her and smiled as she typed furiously into the computer.
"Dr. Davidson just went to lunch," she said, reading from the screen, "You can probably find him by the vending machines, since the cafeteria's closed for the evening."
Kate nodded her thanks to the lady and felt her phone vibrate just as she started down the hallway. She wasn't surprised to see Josh's name on the screen.
"Hey," she answered.
"Hi. You said we need to talk... am I in trouble?" he asked, sounding tired and maybe a little concerned.
Her brow knitted and she swallowed the lump in her throat. This was going to be a little harder than she thought. "I'm not sure how to answer that, really. You're fine, Josh... it's just me. I'm here, just left the front desk..."
"You're here?" he asked, "Is everything okay?"
"Yes and no," she admitted, "Just let me know where you are so we can talk face-to-face."
She turned the corner, almost to the small area where the vending machines were located, and nearly ran into Josh. Both ended their calls, never taking their eyes from one another.
"So..." he started, as he stuffed his phone into his pocket, "We need to talk? This have anything to do with your writer friend?"
Kate stopped for a moment. It surprised her, him being so blunt, and already on the defensive, but she wasn't going to let it get her off balance. "Yes, actually, it does."
Josh nodded and smoothed a hand over his hair. "I knew this would come about sooner or later. How long have you been seeing each other?"
"We haven't been seeing each other. I'm not that kind of person, and you should know that." His statement, whether he meant to hurt her or not, cut deep. "Castle and I were talking today, and I realized he's always been there, with me. While you... well, you've been out, saving the world. Not that there's anything wrong with that, Josh. I thought what we had was what I wanted..."
"But it wasn't," his lips pressed into a thin line, and he seemed to have difficulty keeping eye contact with her. "I know I've traveled a lot, and worked extra shifts, but you should have told me if that was a problem."
"It wasn't a problem, at first. I like to have my space, and I thought it was what I needed," she said, then, it all seemed to fall into place. "And you're right, it wasn't what I wanted."
A long, awkward moment passed before he finally asked, "Does he make you happy?"
She didn't realize it at first, but she smiled when she answered, "Yeah, he does. He makes me laugh."
Josh nodded again, and said, "I just want you to be happy, Kate. I won't lie, I can't believe you've fallen for the arrogant bastard, but I see the look in your eyes when you think about him. I can't compete with that." He offered his hand to her, "It was fun being with you. Take care."
She took his hand and shook it, seeing how cool he'd turned, or maybe, he'd been that way the entire time. "You too."
Kate let go of his hand, turned away, and found her way out of the hospital.
Before she made it back to her motorcycle, she had her phone out, texting rapidly.
Castle, where are you?
She didn't have to wait long for the answer.
Waiting for your word. Is everything all right?
She smiled and wiped away the stray tear that fell down her cheek.
Better now. I went to the hospital to talk to Josh. I can pick you up on my way back to the apartment.
His answering text told her where he was, and the address of the Chinese place he was about to enter to order dinner. Kate put on her helmet and took off to him.
Kate saw him almost half a block away, watching the traffic in the glare of the street light overhanging the Chinese joint.
She smiled as she pulled to the sidewalk in front of him, and flipped her visor up. "Hi, stranger. Need a lift?"
Castle smiled, his eyes twinkling in response to her. "I could use a lift, yes. Are you someone I can trust?" he asked, playing along.
"I think so." Slowly, she looked him over slowly, taking in every inch of him, and made sure he was aware of it. "You feel lucky?"
His breath hitched as he stepped closer. "Um... yeah, yeah, I do feel lucky. Today's been a lucky day for me."
She loved how just a look and a little wordplay could almost bring him to his knees. "Then get on, let me take you for a ride."
Castle fumbled with the bags he was carrying, nearly dropping them in the street at one point, and finally managed to get them into the bike's saddlebags before he slid on behind Kate. He put his hands around her waist and she felt him scoot just a little closer, maybe his hold was a little tighter than earlier in the day, too. She couldn't deny she liked all of it.
When he finally settled, Kate sped off into the traffic, feeling him hold on even tighter as she gained speed. She was ready to get back to her apartment, to start this new thing between them.
Later, they were in Kate's living room. The Chinese boxes and two glasses of wine were spread across her coffee table, along with a small bouquet of red roses set to the side. Kate sat on the floor, across from Castle, as they shared their meal.
It was quiet for a while, then he finally broke the silence. "Are you okay? You haven't said a word since we got back."
Kate finished chewing the food in her mouth and swallowed. "I could say the same about you."
He looked at her, quirking his eyebrow playfully as he took a drink from his wine glass. "Touche'." He reached forward, and took her hand in his. "But, what you did earlier, ending things with Josh, couldn't have been easy... you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head, and said, "Well, you know, Castle, in the long run, he made it easy. He was always gone, and you have always been here. It just took me a while to really see that."
Slowly, she pulled her hand back, taking her wine glass as she did so, swirling the contents around before she took a drink. It warmed her throat nicely as it went down, making her smile.
Kate set her glass down and reached for Castle's hand, "Come here," she said. He put his hand in hers, all sorts of questions in his eyes. She tugged him toward her, "Come on, Castle, you afraid I might bite?"
"I honestly have no idea if you bite or not," he said as he got up and moved beside her. "But maybe tonight's not the best time to find out?"
Her hands were on his cheeks once he was settled next to her, and she let them slide down his neck and over his broad shoulders. His eyes never left hers as she did so, just took her in, and as her hands fell from him, he caught them and held them against his chest. Once again, she could feel the beating of his heart.
There was so much she wanted to tell him, but then, just being here, beside Castle, was just enough. Kate understood what he meant, as well. With so many changes in her life already made today, they both needed a day or two to settle into this new side of their relationship.
"I know you're right," she admitted, "It's been a challenging day..."
Castle let go with one of his hands and reached for Kate, running his fingers through her hair as he laid his arm across her shoulder. "It certainly has."
Kate snuggled into his side, wrapping her arms around his torso. It felt so good to finally be able to hold him like this, to feel his warmth next to her, and know she wouldn't have to let go.
"You want to watch a movie?" she asked as she reached for the controller, "I heard they're having a marathon of Mel Brooks films..."
"Really?" he asked, sounding as excited as if she'd told him Santa was about to come in through the window.
She flipped the tv on and set the channel. The screen went black and white, and Kate knew instantly that she'd made the right choice.
Dr. Frankenstein had just tried to stop the bookcase from spinning and was squashed between it and the wall. They both couldn't stop laughing as he tried to give instructions to his assistant in a squeaky voice.
Kate leaned into Castle as the evening and night passed by, surrounded by their laughter and tears brought on by the hilarity of the movies, and the comfort of each other.