Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe
A/N: Okay, I re-uploaded this chapter, so hopefully it works...
Taking off her robe, Kate cautiously dipped her toes into the cast-iron bathtub. Deciding that the temperature was just right, she slowly sank into the warm water, allowing her body to be consumed by the mass of bubbles.
Letting out a sigh, she leaned back and permitted her muscles to relax. Castle was due over in only a few hours, but this was what she needed; time to decompress before he enforced his way back into her home. Her head.
With a teasing glance on her face, Kate reached over the side of the tub and picked up her copy of Storm Clearing.
Yes, it was his novel, but still. There was nothing wrong enjoying his work.
Removing her bookmark, she opened up to the page where she last left off, almost half way through the novel, and began to read. It didn't take long before she forgot all that was clouding her mind, as she was soon engrossed by the story that came alive on the pages.
Knocking on her apartment door, Castle shuffled his feet, tightly holding his crotch.
"Kate! Kate, it's me!" he urgently knocked. "Kate, please open your door. I know I'm not meant to be here for another two hours, but I'm busting!"
If he had to be honest with himself, he didn't even know why he was there. His aim was to leave his loft to escape from Paula, so he needed somewhere to go, and fast.
She was simply the first person he thought of. Not that he thought about her all the time, but- He had to go over later anyway, so it made sense.
"Seriously, Kate!" he pleaded, resting his head against the wooden frame. "Have you ever been to the Niagara Falls? Cause you're going to have your own version outside your door if you don't hurry up!"
He looked around in desperation, almost as if he was expecting her to magically appear in the hallway.
"Pleeeaaaase!" he finally begged, adding another distressed knock on her door.
In his hast to leave his place, not once did he consider that she wouldn't be home. It was stupid really, since she practically lived at the precinct.
He was in agony though, and his bladder was on the verge of exploding. There was no way he would make it back to the loft in this condition.
Squeezing his eyes shut and crossing his legs, Castle knew what he had to do. He had no other option.
"Okay, if you're home and just ignoring me, please don't hurt me, but I had a key cut."
He waited for her to storm to the door, or even just yell at him, but he got no response. "I know you said no, but I made an executive decision. It was purely done for safety reasons, but-" he seriously was going to wet himself. "Look, if you can please just open the door," he finally yelled.
Hearing nothing but silence, Castle fumbled through his key chain. Eventually finding the right key, he placed it in her lock and turned the handle.
Out of all the stupid things he's done in his life, this one was right up there. But she didn't have to know. He could just sneak in, quickly go to the bathroom, and then he would be gone. Simple.
Pushing the door open, he almost collapsed into her apartment, throwing his keys on her table and dumping his laptop bag to the floor.
Looking around, Castle began to panic. Bathroom, bathroom. Where on earth was it? He didn't need to use it the last time he came, so he had absolutely no clue.
Choosing the closest door, he briefly swung it open before hurriedly slamming it shut. It was her bedroom, and he wasn't stupid enough to go in there.
Quickly darting his gaze, he sighted another possibility. Running towards it, he turned the handle and almost cried in relief as his eyes locked on the porcelain bowl sent from heaven.
Hurrying his way over, he pulled down his zipper and let his pants pool around his ankles, before he finally released his bladder.
"Ah..." he sighed, closing his eyes at the sensation.
Best feeling in the world.
His reverie was suddenly broken, however, by a loud shriek. "Argh! Oh my God! What the hell are you doing?" he heard someone squeal nearby.
"Wha-what?"
Rick turned around and briefly searched the small room, before his eyes locked on Kate Beckett.
Naked, Kate Beckett.
Sitting in her bathtub.
Naked.
She hurriedly crowded her knees up to her chest, before frantically attempting to gather as many bubbles as possible to shield her body.
He was trying to get what happened at Remys out of his head. Get her out of his head, but this would definitely not help that plan. He swallowed, but his mouth was suddenly dry. Every fibre in his body was screaming at him that it was wrong, that he should be desperate to look away, but he couldn't.
With her hair tied up in a bun, her neck was exposed, her skin looking soft and inviting. Letting his eyes drift along the long, wet lines of her collarbones, Castle swallowed, before allowing his gaze dropped even further. He could barely see the soft curves of her breasts, ever so slightly peaking over the collection of bubbles-
"Castle! Get out!" she shrieked, bringing her arms up to further cover her chest.
"I'm so sorry," he began, snapping out of his spell. "I-I knocked, but you didn't answer, and I-toilet-and you're naked and-" he mumbled.
He could hardly string a sentence together.
"Castle, would pull your pants up!"
"W-what?" he began, before looking down at his bare legs. "Oh, right," he nervously fumbled, barely managing to move his muscles to pull his boxers up. "I didn't mean to, I promise-"
"Castle, just get out!"
"Yes, I'm going," he informed, struggling to keep his eyes on anything but her.
He quickly took a step backwards, but walked straight into her basin, knocking over her toiletries.
"Oh, basin there," he nervously mumbled, clumsily attempting to gather the fallen items. "I'm leaving, I swear," he anxiously informed, catching her gaze for extra reassurance.
That was when his eyes finally locked on something other than her nakedness. Something floating in the water.
"Is that- Is that my book?" he queried, the surprise in his tone obvious.
Looking down, Kate quickly scrambled to grab the soaked novel, keeping one arm across her chest. "No!" she defended strongly. Looking back up to the writer, she further drew her eyebrows in a frown. "Castle, would you stop looking and shut your eyes?"
"Why, you're not going to shoot me or anything are you?" he innocently asked, slapping his hands over his vision.
"Do I look like I have my gun on me?" she sarcastically questioned, her voice slightly rising.
Genuinely concerned, Rick lowered his left hand and cautiously peaked through his eye to check.
"God, Castle. That wasn't an invitation to look. Just get out!"
"Yes. Right away," he fumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.
With his suit pants still gathered at his ankles, Castle did his best to waddle his way to the door. However, finding movement difficult, he blindly reached for his fallen piece of clothing, "I'll just-pull-ah-woah-"
Having his eyes closed and pulling his pants up, all while trying to make an exit, was not the smartest move, and Castle tripped, and subsequently fell into the end of the bath.
"Argh! I have bubbles in my eyes. Oh the pain! Ew, they're even in my mouth!" he slurred amongst the water.
"Castle! Out! Now!" she squealed, crowding as far away from him as she could.
"Yes, yes of course," he stated, lifting his head from the soapy water and displaying an artistic arrangement of bubbles on his head and chin.
Castle quickly pushed himself out of the bath, and grabbing a firm grip on his pants, hurriedly stood. Moving as quickly as his wet pants would allow, he scurried to the door, before finally exiting.
"Castle!"
"Yes?" he cautiously enquired, returning to the edge of the room.
"The door!"
"Yes, of course. Right. Sorry," he mumbled, before firmly closing the door behind him.
Wet and sitting on her couch, Castle waited for Kate to emerge from the bathroom. Where he just walked in on her. Naked.
Jeez. The fact that he didn't have any bullet holes in him was truly a miracle.
Hearing the door open, he hesitantly looked up to find a very cross, but very dressed Kate.
Initially ignoring him, she made her way to the kitchen table, holding his water-logged novel. Placing it down, she opened up the pages and fanned it out.
Castle couldn't help but let out a small grin, as he watched her from his peripheral vision, attempting to salvage the novel.
Mumbling to herself, she exhaled a deep breath, before spinning around to face him.
"Okay, I'm really sorry," he began to explain as she stalked towards him, "I swear, I had no idea you were home, let alone in there all naked, and wet and- Not my ears!" he pleaded, covering the sides of his head.
Pausing, Kate pulled her hand back and instead crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Castle, what are you doing here?"
He swallowed. She was a detective who interrogated murderers for a living. He was in big trouble.
"Well," he hesitantly began, "I was writing at home, but Paula was on her way to tell me off for something, so I decided to leave," explained, pursing his lips and doing his best attempt at an innocent face.
"And you came here?"
"Yes. You see, my thought process was that I was meant to come over anyway, so I figured it was the most practical place to flee to," he calmly explained. "However, in my rush to escape the loft I didn't get a chance to use the bathroom, so by the time I got here I was busting. The rest, well, I think you remember."
She wasn't impressed, so Castle offered extra reassurance.
"I didn't see anything, I promise."
Kate stood in front of him, seemingly revising his explanation. All of a sudden, her eyebrows drew together in a frown, and her eyes widened.
"And how did you get in exactly? I clearly remember locking the door."
Damn. He was hoping she might have missed that small detail.
Castle scratched the back of his neck and averted her gaze. "I, ah, I might have a copy of your key," he tentatively mumbled.
"You what? Castle, how do you have a key?"
"Well, I simply borrowed your key chain for a brief amount of time, no big deal. It's just that when you said no, I figured your judgement was a bit clouded."
"Oh, I'm sure of it," she sarcastically mumbled.
She would understand. He just had to explain it as rationally as possible.
"No, I'm serious," he began, rising to his feet and ready to defend his actions. "And I swear on my life that despite how bad it looks, when I first made the suggestion, those were not my motives," he clarified, waving his arm in the direction of the bathroom. "I just wanted to make sure you were going to be safe, that's all."
"Castle, I can defend myself. I told you that," she reiterated.
"I know, but," Castle considered his words, and then his eyes widened. "What would have happened if you were held hostage by a psychotic stalker?" he eagerly began, "And you sent me a secret signal to tell me you were in danger, and-"
"Secret signal?" she curiously interceded.
"We would have figured out those technicalities later," he casually dismissed. "The point is though, that if I didn't have a key, I wouldn't have been able to get in to rescue you," he finished, pleased with his justification.
Absorbing his words, Kate curiously tilted her head to the side. "So you're saying that the whole speech last week about giving you a key, was to provide you with the opportunity to come and personally rescue me?" she questioned, clearly surprised.
Oh. He didn't mean it like that when he first suggested it, but-
"No," he quickly fumbled. "When I said rescue you, I meant by calling the police, and then giving them your key. You know, just looking out for your door. Wouldn't want it to be forced open and smashed into little bits now, would we?" he nervously chuckled, looking over at the object in question. "Prime piece of wood, that is," he mumbled with an uneasy nod.
He was a writer. Seriously. You would have thought he could have spat out something better than that.
Turning back to face her, Castle continued. "Besides, I knocked numerous times and you didn't respond, so considering I thought it to be rude to relieve myself in your building's hallway, I let myself in. It seemed like the better option at the time, okay," he explained, hoping she'd see his rationality to the situation.
"Couldn't you have just held on? You said that if I gave you a key, you would only use it for emergencies."
"This was an emergency. Just a bladder emergency!" he hurriedly clarified.
Receiving no further arguments from her, Castle dropped his gaze, before reviewing his previous statement. "Wait. Why didn't you respond?"
Kate suddenly widened her eyes and spun around, attempting to look occupied. "Ah, I guess I just didn't hear you," she mumbled, rearranging her magazines on the coffee table. "I was, well-"
"Thaaaat's right," Castle grinned, suddenly remembering her floating copy of Storm Clearing. "Oh no, don't worry, Detective, you don't have to explain it to me. I understand, you were just so engrossed in my novel that there was no way you could have heard me at the door," he theatrically stated, wiggly his eyebrows.
Kate straightened her posture and offered him a glare, before she let out a sigh. "Fine, I read your novels," she said, raising her arms before letting them drop against her sides. "There, I've admitted it. Are you happy now?"
Castle didn't say anything, instead all of his words were expressed through the large grin plastered on his face.
Unamused, Kate rolled her eyes, before holding out her hand. "Give me the key, Castle."
Fishing through his pocket, Castle retrieved the small metal item and placed it in her hand, before she walked off.
Watching her, he cleared his throat. "Look, if you're not doing anything, do you mind if I just stay here for a bit? Or even if you are doing something, I can just sit here. I have my laptop, so I can entertain myself. You won't even notice me, I promise."
Kate abruptly stopped, and turned around to face him. "You really want to hide out in my apartment?"
"Yes, but I look at it more as spending time with you, which conveniently allows me to avoid someone else."
Kate slowly prowled towards him. "Oh, so I see how it is. First you break and enter..."
"Ah, that's not exactly how I would describe it-" he disagreed, comically narrowing his eyes.
"Then you expose yourself..."
"Oh, now come on-"
"And then you practically force yourself on me while I 'm naked in my bath. There are multiple offenses I could charge you with right there."
"Come on, Kate. Seriously, please. I really am sorry about that whole thing. To make it up to you I can even get you a new copy of Storm Clearing."
Kate's head snapped up at his offer, and she hesitantly chewed her lip. "Fine."
Quickly coming to her senses though, she pressed on. "But I've got work to do, so not a word."
"Understood," he replied.
"And no more keys," she sternly reiterated.
"Won't happen again," he cautiosuly smiled.
Kate stood there and provided him with one last glare, before spinning around and heading back to her desk.
I'm so glad you guys seem to be enjoying this, as I'm having so much fun writing it! Please let me know what you think.
BareWriter