The Hopeful Lights of Winter
Disclaimer: I still don't own it, and I am back to being a poor student with bills, so I'm even less worth suing.
AN: Castle and Beckett try to navigate the holiday season and a fake separation at the same time. A Winter Ficathon story, and a nightly thank you gift for those involved in the Possibility4Joy project.
The first text she had sent him had been a quick "good night" as she crawled, exhausted, into bed the night before. But the real first message she sent the next morning.
The boys are having fun if you want to come over and play.
Kate truly enjoyed how playfully cryptic it was, knew her husband would get a kick out of it as well. She hated the circumstances, the way that they had to be separated from one another for far longer then she ever cared to be. But on the other hand, there were some benefits to the quirky situation they found themselves in now. Something exhilarating about having a secret shared just between the two of them.
Castle's answer came back quickly, though it was a little disappointing.
Can't. Gina has been breathing down my neck about deadlines for weeks. And she said the pages I sent to her last night look like a drugged out monkey stole my password.
Kate blinked at the screen in surprise. That's particularly vivid, even for Gina.
Ouch, was all she sent in reply.
The phone chimed a moment later. Only because she's mostly right, I was distracted. And tired. But I'll have it fixed in a couple of hours and then I'm going to run some errands. I'll be here if you want distracting of your own though.
She didn't even really have to answer that one, she knew that he would send her plenty of distraction all day long, whether she said yes or no. And she was grateful.
It still felt like a long morning, and she found she missed found all the more because he suddenly seemed so close - but for the moment, unattainable at least publicly.
So, as lunch time approached she preordered from the deli near the precinct and started walking. The day was mild and sunny, and she just wanted to spend it with him.
She pulled out the burner a couple of blocks into her walk and hit the shortcut for his.
"Hey, Babe. How's the writing?" She asked as soon as his voice filtered over the connection.
He laughed, and she felt warmed up from the inside. "Done for now. The evil monster has been appeased with monkey free writing. I'm on my way to help mother and Alexis with some errands. What are you up to?"
She smiled widely, even though he couldn't see it. "Taking a walk with you." Saying it out loud like that made her sound like a love struck kid, and she doesn't care. Not when he sounds so pleased on the other end of the phone.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," she returned. "I'm all yours for at least 30 minutes. How much trouble do you think we can get into between now and then?"
"Plenty."
The sound of his voice has her blushing, right there on the sidewalk.