Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe

"I'm telling you," Castle mumbled, his attention on the couch. "She will give up eventually."

Positioned on the kitchen bench top, his phone restarted another loop of noisy vibrations, the sound echoing through the normally silent loft. Undeterred however, Castle continued to ignore the array of incoming calls as he persisted in his search for his house keys, scavenging through the mass of cushions displayed in front of him.

Sitting on the bar stool, Martha let out a sigh as she rubbed her fingers over her temples in a rhythmic motion. "Richard, that thing has been ringing all morning, and it's well on its way to driving me crazy."

Giving up on the couch, Rick walked towards his mother. "And here I was thinking that you already were," he shot back, his lips quirked and teasing, before focusing his attention on searching through the clutter that occupied the bench.

"Ha, ha, funny man," Martha responded dryly, lifting her head to offer him a glare. "So, who is this 'she' who is receiving the silent treatment today anyway?"

"Paula."

"And what has she possibly done now?"

Letting out a sigh, Castle straightened, pausing in his pursuit and focusing on his mother. "She's trying to convince me to go on a book tour to promote Storm Clearing."

"Across America?"

"No. Europe."

Sitting next to her grandmother, Alexis chewed the last of her toast and swallowed. "Dad, that's amazing. You've always wanted to do that," she interjected.

Castle drew his eyes together, shifted in indecision. "Yeah, but it's for two months. And I don't want to leave you two. I mean, Alexis, you have school, and mother, you have- whatever it is you have that needs my supervision."

"Richard, those are the worst excuses I've ever heard. And trust me, I know them all," Martha nodded, lifting up her glass of orange juice. "When does she want you to leave?"

With his mood shifting and his hesitation and apprehension clear, Castle spoke. "At the end of the week."

Truth was, Paula didn't just want him to leave at the end of the week. No, more specifically Paula wanted him to leave almost immediately after his book launch. A mere two days. He kept silent however, refrained from revealing that information to his mother, but judging by her expression, there was no need. She had already worked it out. She was his mother. Of course she was able to put two and two together, realize what this was really about. Kate. Not that they have discussed anything post-book release yet, but jetting off to another continent for two months pretty much squashed any kind of possibilities.

With a look of knowing crossing her face, Martha let out a sympathetic sigh. "Richard, honestly. I don't see why you don't just answer Paula and tell her the truth."

Confused, Alexis frowned. "What truth?"

"I did. About fifty-three phone calls ago, but she won't take no for an answer!" he argued, his eyes firmly on his mother's and his conflict evident. Taking another quick glance over the bench, his eyes finally caught on the metallic shine of his keys. "But you know what, it doesn't matter, cause right now I have a date with Kate," he said with an optimistic smile, opting to deal with Paula later.

Alexis' head shot up. "Ooh, where are you going?"

"Ah, Paula wants us to walk down to this new restaurant that opened to grab some lunch," he answered.

"Nice."

Keys in hand, Castle moved to pick up his continuously vibrating phone and turned it off, before placing it in his pocket.

"Dad, you know making the ringing disappear won't make your problems disappear."'

"No, but it does get rid of the headache," he informed, giving them both a kiss on the cheek and making his way out of the kitchen. "Bye."

Opening her mouth, Alexis moved to voice her objection, when Martha placed a hand on her forearm. "Darling, leave him. I think he's got other things on his mind," Martha wisely informed her granddaughter as Rick left the loft, closing the door behind him.

Adjusting her coat, Kate continued along the sidewalk, mentally preparing herself for her date with Castle. Her last date with Castle.

Okay, so maybe Lanie was right. She had a tendency to run. A little. And yeah, maybe that's exactly what she was doing when she spoke with Montgomery the other day, but- no. Lanie's words were literally a constant replay in her ear, their almost-kiss refusing to leave her mind and- she could do this. All she had to do was tell him how she felt. She just- had to find the right time.

Continuing her journey along the footpath, Kate rounded the corner and approached the small coffee shop they agreed to meet at, when she spotted Castle waiting outside. But he wasn't alone. No.

The man had a dog.

"Castle. Hi," she greeted, approaching him somewhat watchfully, Castle however seemingly undeterred by the shaggy, brown-haired animal sitting happily beside his legs. "Sorry I'm a bit late by the way. I tried to call you, but-"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. My phone's switched off."

"Those psychotic stalkers finally getting to you?" she teased.

"More like psychotic publicists." Catching on to her sight frown, Castle continued. "It's a long story. Shall we?" he gestured, encouraging her to walk with him.

Responding to him with a nod, they began to make their way down the sidewalk together, weaving through the array of pedestrians, before Castle turned to her.

"Oh, here, I bought you a coffee," he smiled, handing her the hot beverage he suddenly remembered he had purchased for her.

Kate eyed him with a curious smile. "Uh, and a dog?" she questioned, gesturing to the animal that was practically walking in his shadow, before taking the coffee from his grasp. "Thanks."

"No, the dog's with me," he responded nonchalantly.

Kate narrowed her eyes. "Since when did you have a dog?"

"I don't."

"Shame. You'd make a cute couple," she said, raising her disposable coffee cup to her mouth, masking her teasing lips.

"Thanks," he replied, turning to her with a sarcastic smile. "No, I found him. Well, actually, he found me. I was on my way to meet you when he just appeared out of nowhere and started following me."

"You spend your morning in a tub of sausage meat or something?"

"No. I don't know what it is! Literally, he followed me all the way here and I didn't even ask him too. Now he just won't leave. I can't get rid of him!"

"Hmm. Reminds me of someone," Kate commented, pretending to reflect.

Pausing, Castle offered a frown, the dog loyally stopping next to him. "The dog is not me. I am not the dog."

Walking ahead, Kate smiled, her teeth flashing at his all too adorable reaction, before he caught up to her. "Although now that you mention it, I am running out of unproductive things to do at home. Can I keep him?"

Her response came quickly. "No."

"Oh, but think of all of the mischief we could get up to together!" he began, once again walking back by her side. "We could stay up eating ice-cream past midnight, turn up to Star Trek screenings wearing Star Wars T-shirts, he could even be my sidekick to my weekly poker games-Ooh! I've just had a stroke of brilliance!"

"Oh boy, here we go..."

"I could teach him how to play pool! With the right training dogs can practically do anything these days. There are videos all over YouTube," he rambled, before excitedly turning to her. "How cool would that be?"

He couldn't be serious. Surely.

Stopping, Kate turned to look at him, swallowing the last remnants of coffee on her tongue, eyes narrowed together. "Are you actually mentally insane?"

Castle paused, thoughtfully lifting his eyes. "I don't know. I've never been assessed."

Holding her smile, Kate attempted to keep her tone stern. "Well a word of warning to you, I better not be hearing any complaints in the near future about you trying to smuggle dogs into bars," she advised, stepping out of the way of a group of pedestrians, before they both continued their walk.

"Hey, not dogs, just this one," Castle defended. "Besides, pool is a key life skill. Back in college pool tournaments were a weekly fixture."

"I'm well aware of that," she responded nonchalantly. "What's your point?"

Stopping on the edge of the sidewalk, awaiting to cross the road, Castle turned. "They let you play pool in the academy?" he questioned.

Kate twisted her lips, taking a moment before she responded, let him in on another part of her life. "No. Before my mom died, I was studying pre-law at Stanford."

Castle's eyebrows raised, his body twisted to face her as they made their way across the road. "You wanted to be a lawyer?"

Kate nodded with a smile. "First female Chief of Justice to be more specific."

"Wow. Impressive."

"Yeah. Although I still managed to have a good time."

Castle's speech faltered. "What kind of a good time are we talking about here?"

"If you don't know by now, Castle, it's probably too late to show you one," she said with a playful scrunch of her nose.

Transfixed, Castle's mouth slightly slackened. "I know how to have a good time. I've had plenty of good times. I just want to know what good times you've had."

Giving in to his persistent curiosity, Kate turned to him. "Okay, those pool tournaments you're talking about? I was a constant winner. A pool shark in fact," she confidently informed.

Castle straightened, his posture strong. "Yeah, well nice to meet you pool shark, but me, I'm a pool ninja."

Kate drew her eyebrows together. "That's not even a thing!" she exclaimed in amusement.

"Yes it is. And just for your information, ninjas trump sharks any day of the week. Ask anyone."

"Yeah, well what if I'm better?"

"Better?" he snorted. "Not possible. I would beat you hands down."

"You really think you can take me in pool?"

"No," Castle chuckled, before straightening his features. "I know I can take you in pool."

Suddenly whirling around, Kate stepped in front of him, face to face, her body blocking his and eyes narrowed in challenge. "Alright. Lets settle this. Closest bar with a pool table. You and me."

Castle's eyes widened in surprise. "Now?"

"Yep."

Castle took a long look at Kate, pausing, before he took a step towards her, shoulders now poised, eyes locked on hers. "Head to head?"

"Toe to toe," she responded, matching his movements and moving into his space. "Unless of course you're too scared, Castle?" she challenged, arching an eyebrow.

Castle released a sarcastic chuckle. "Me, scared? I eat scared for breakfast."

"Really?" she questioned dryly.

"Yep. Add a little milk, sugar. Delicious."

Kate narrowed her eyes, kept them locked on his. "I'm gonna make you cry like a little girl."

"A victorious little girl."

"We'll see about that," she shot back.

They remained there, facing each other off, before Castle's expression changed. "Wait, what about the dog?"

"Sorry, Castle. The dog stays outside," Kate informed, before turning around and continuing her way down the street.

Letting out a sigh, Castle looked down at his scraggily friend sitting beside him. "Don't take it personally. She usually warms up to you once you get to know her a bit," he animatedly whispered.

"I heard that," Kate shot back over her shoulder.

They ended up finding a bar only a few blocks away, the interior dark and moody, the air suffocated with the stench of beer and stale peanuts. Ah, just how he liked it. Leaning back from the pool table, Castle simply watched as his ball rolled along the felt covered table, completely in the wrong direction he intended, almost as if it had a mind of its own. Causing it to miss the pocket. Completely. Again.

"Do you have any cushions handy, Castle?"

"Cushions?"

"Well you're going to need something soft to sit on with all of this kicking your ass is currently getting..."

Castle watched as a smile slowly spread across Kate's lips, the corners of her mouth lifting in amusement.

"Ha...funny," he responded, ignoring her jab. "Thanks for your concern though, I appreciate it."

Moving away from the pool table, he stood to the side of her, chalking the tip of his cue stick, when Kate's spine slowly bent forward, her hips held high and she lined up her shot.

Oh. He shouldn't stare. Really, he shouldn't, but- he simply couldn't help the way he suddenly stopped in his chalk application and his eyes undoubtedly became fixated on Kate.

If she caught him he had absolutely no doubt she would break the world record for the fastest time one was maimed with a pool cue- if such a record existed, that was. Although in his defense his current position was completely unintentional, and it wasn't entirely his fault that it just so happened to provide him with the perfect viewing angle- not that he was complaining. No, not at all.

Like some hypnotized idiot, Castle simply stood there, his head now slightly tilted to the side, watching as she lowered her chest to rest against the side rail of the table, her teeth sinking deep into her lower lip in concentration. Lining up her cue stick, his gaze followed the delicate arch of her spine, appreciating the way her muscles tensed attentively. Lowering his eyes, he couldn't help but linger at the way her top had slightly raised, a small stretch of skin delectably exposed on her lower back, before noticing the way her jeans perfect fit around her hips, almost effortlessly shaping over the curve of her-

"Castle?"

With his gaze suddenly returning to focus, Kate's eyes were now squarely directed at his as she suddenly straightened, a slightly confused frown on her face, and oh- he was so busted. Abruptly jerking back, Castle lifted his eyes before he casually turned and pretended to assess the balls on the green felt in front of him. Yep, real smooth.

After shooting him with a final glare, Kate finally lowered her stare and once again leaned back over the table somewhat cautiously. Lining up her shot at a much quicker pace, she struck the cue ball. Castle watched as her object ball bounced off the cushion and impressively finished just short of the corner pocket. She missed. But it made little difference as she had already pocketed four more balls than him and yes, was outright winning.

He was supposed to beat her. There's no way he was allowing his highly regarded pool skills fall to the might of her powers. "Right, this is clearly getting serious," Castle said after a moment.

Moving to rest his pool cue against the wooden edge of the table, Castle dug his hands into his pants pockets, emptying the heaped contents on the edge of the pool table. Kate raised an eyebrow at his actions, stepping forward to assess the items he just discarded, as Castle shrugged off his jacket, and with a dramatic loosening of his shoulders, rolled up the sleeves of his plaid shirt.

"Don't tell me you seriously have all of that junk on you all the time?"

"Junk? Kate, these items are bare essentials."

"Right. So what's this then?" she questioned, clearly not persuaded as she held a small, metal tube.

"Oh, that?" he answered, his focus distracted as he considered the table. "That's my snake warding whistle," he casually informed with a slight shrug.

Kate slowly turned to him, her amusement evident. "You walk around with a snake whistle in your pocket?"

"Yeah, in case of emergencies," he justified, before noticing her curious frown. He let out a sigh. "I got it after I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time, and then I had this dream with the Well of Souls but I was the one who was trapped in it with all the snakes, and the whole thing was traumatic, really- look, don't judge me, okay. Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes too," he finished with a slight pout as Kate attempted to contain her amusement.

"Yes, Castle, the big difference being Indiana Jones was in Egypt," she chuckled, shaking her head. "How do you know this thing even works?"

"It sends off high frequency hypnotizing signals or something. I don't really know but the guy on eBay said it was a bargain."

"And you just believed him?"

"Well with a name like CptAdventure104 how could you not?" he justified with a slight raise of his arms, their pool game momentarily forgotten. Slightly drawing his eyebrows together, Castle shuffled. "Although, just for assurance, if I was being attacked by radioactive and medically altered snakes and my whistle was discovered to be faulty, you would come and rescue me, right?"

Remaining still, Kate opened and closed her mouth.

"Right?" Castle reiterated, his shoulders straightening and his eyebrows held firm in concern.

A beat passed. "Well..."

"Oh my God! You wouldn't, would you?"

"I never said that."

"I can't believe it!" he admonished, his voice a pitch higher in disbelief. "I feel so betrayed! Seriously, after everything we've been through together, you would just abandon me and leave me to turn into some helpless, sacrificial, snake-feasting carcass?"

Putting him out of him misery, Kate rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. I'd rescue you. Happy now?" she assured, offering a grin. "Just maybe just not with that whistle," she teased, a slight laugh passing her lips.

"You know, laugh all you want, but when we get plagued by an evil snake army you will be begging to blow my whistle," Castle justified, before quickly retracing his words. "Whoa, I swear I didn't even try to make that sound dirty. It seriously just must be a talent."

Kate shook her head. "Take your shot."

Holding his smile, Castle reached for his pool cue and lined up. Following through with his shot, he watched as his ball rolled along the table and missed. "Okay, clearly I'm just having a bad day," he rationalized in response to Kate's raised eyebrow. "I swear I'm usually better than this."

"Whatever you say, pool ninja."

"Hey, it's been a long time, okay." Watching her he released a shrug, concentrated on holding his smile. "Although, mind you it was strip pool that was more my forte."

Kate whirled around to face him, her teeth flashing. "Ha! There is no way we're playing strip pool, Castle."

"Detective Beckett, there are people around," he humorously mumbled as he looked around. "I'm shocked that you would even suggest such a thing!"

Placing a hand on her hip, Kate arched an eyebrow.

"No, as much as I know you want to see my naked bodice, there's no way you'd be able to handle the sight of my bare chest, glistening in the sunlight that cascades through the open bar windows," he dramatically reflected, slightly bending his knees and lining up his pool cue.

Watching him, Kate twisted her lips. "Just like you wouldn't be able to handle the sight of me..." she began, waiting for him to focus on the ball. "In my underwear..."

Hearing her, Castle froze mid shot. Oh. He really didn't think of that. And yep, now he was thinking about it.

Noticing his sudden silence, Kate narrowed her eyes and fixed him with a glare. "Are you picturing me half naked right now?"

Castle waited a moment. "No," he innocently replied. Kate's frown tightened. "Okay, yeah, maybe a little," he nodded.

Watching as she held her frown, Castle went to go back to their game, when he suddenly noticed a scuffle behind Kate.

"Uh-oh."

"What?" Kate questioned.

Castle nodded his head, his eyes darting behind her. "It's a bar fight," he exclaimed and then turned to Kate. "Quick, get behind me."

Kate stood her ground. "What? Castle, you get behind me."

"Why can't you just let me protect you?"

"Castle, I'm serious. They're heading straight towards you so you might want to move out of the way and come over here."

"Huh?" he questioned. Turning around, Castle finally noticed that the brawl, bodies and fists flying in all directions, was indeed aimed straight for him.

"Oh."

Holding a collection of ice cubes securely wrapped in a cloth, Kate stepped out of the bar and walked towards Castle as he slouched against the brick wall of the building. Noticing her approach, he turned to her as she raised the makeshift ice pack and held it to his reddened cheek.

"Hold still," she instructed as he jerked his head away at the sudden change in temperature.

"But it's cold!"

After eying him with a stern look, Castle stopped moving and allowed her to once again cover his cheek, slightly wincing before becoming accustomed to the cold.

Her eyelashes lifting, Kate looked up at him. "How's it feeing?"

Castle shrugged his shoulders, acting unfazed. "It was touch and go for a while there, but I think I'll live. Although you should've seen the other guy's fist," he said, curving his lips.

Kate offered him a warm smile, a slight chuckle escaping her lips, when she suddenly felt Castle's hand skimming over hers, his palm eventually coming to rest over the back of her hand. "Thanks," he spoke, eyes soft and locked on hers.

Kate remained still, his touch spreading warmth through her body despite the cool icepack she still held. "Not a problem," she responded with a breathy smile. They remained like that for a moment, engaged in each other, when Kate caught her gaze lingering on angles of his jaw, the blue of his eyes, the fullness of his lips-

Lowering her hand, Kate dropped her arm back against her side and tore her gaze away. "So," she began, moving to lean against the wall beside him, "sorry to break it to you, Castle, but it looks like your dog's gone."

Turning his attention away from her, Castle looked around, noticing for the first time that his dog had indeed deserted him. "Oh, man. And he didn't even say goodbye," he pouted. "Do you think he will write to me?"

"I don't know. Long distance relationships can be tricky," she casually shrugged with a sigh.

"I don't understand. I thought we were going to be buddies. Just before he was all paw it," he exclaimed, before slowly turning his head to find Kate's scrunched up expression.

"Not funny?"

Kate shook her head, holding the smile that threatened to break free from the lines of her lips. "Terrible."

"Darn. And there was a lot of build up for that one too."

"Yeah, I know. I was anticipating something great but I was let down a bit there," she assessed in mock reflection.

Catching his grin in her vision, Kate caught his gaze and let out a soft laugh. She then dropped her eyes, her smile however still undoubtedly brushing across her lips, and the fact that he made her laugh, made her happy, could no longer be contained.

Castle cleared his throat. "So, it's almost the end of our date."

"Yeah, it is."

Castle remained still, almost assessing the situation, then raised his eyebrows. "Walk you home?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah, sure," Kate smiled.

Walking along the footpath, Kate chanced a hesitant look at Castle as he quietly strode beside her, searching for the confidence she so desperately needed. This was it. This was her chance. To take that leap of faith. Just let him know that his presence meant something to her and make him aware of how much she'd enjoyed their time together. Just- bring up the possibility of seeing him after his book launch.

Although, she had only recently been able to admit it to herself, so just the thought of admitting it out loud- and to him, was almost unfathomable.

Returning her features to the path in front of them, Kate paused and let out a soothing exhale, attempted to compose herself. She could do this.

"Hey, Castle," she began, her voice slightly tentative.

"Yeah?"

"Can we...talk for a sec?"

Turning to her, Castle slowed his movements and came to a stop beside her. "Of course, yeah. What's up?" he questioned, watching her with curiosity.

Slightly shifting on the concrete, Kate opened her body to face him. She released a nervous smile, hesitating, her lips struggling to shape the right words, before she took a deep breath.

"So, I know we didn't get off to the best of starts at the beginning of all of this, and I'm not exactly the easiest person to get to know," she began, twisting her hands together and briefly looking off into the distance. "But these past few weeks, spending time with you..." Turning back to him, she let out an uneasy breath, attempting to regain her composure. "I've had a really good time, and our dates...I've had a lot of fun."

Surprised by her confession, Castle's eyes slightly widened and he softly curved his lips. "Yeah, me too," he eagerly responded.

Her nerves were almost too overwhelming, never being so open and willing about her feelings before, but watching his response, Kate couldn't help but grin, her eyes sparkling. "Okay," she began, her eyes briefly nervously flicking to the ground, before once again meeting his. "So, I'm- I'm just gonna say this, and-"

"Ricky! There you are!"

Spinning around at the voice, Kate drew her eyebrows together as Castle's publicist suddenly made her way out of a parked town car, marching straight towards them.

Castle however kept his eyes on Kate, almost waiting, before he unwillingly broke his gaze and turned to his publicist. "Paula?"

"Do you know how long it has taken me to track you down?" she questioned, her heels rough against the concrete sidewalk. "I've been driving around for hours," she harshly questioned, before her features straightened. "What happened to your face?"

"Ah, it's just a bruise, but- what are you doing here?"

Coming to a halt in front of them, Paula crossed her arms over her chest. "What am I doing here? How about we start with why you haven't been answering my calls? I've been working my backside off to set up this book tour for you and this is the thanks I get?"

Hearing her, Kate's face dropped. "Book tour?"

"Set to begin right after the grand finale of this whole charade between you two, in fact," Paula answered. "Quite a big deal, too. Across Europe and maybe even the UK if we're lucky. From a publicity standpoint, it's literally an author's dream."

Castle held up a hand. "Paula, we haven't even discussed it, and- I'm sorry, you were, uh, you were telling me something," he interjected, his attention lingering back to Kate.

Kate swallowed, attempted to quell the lump in her throat. "Wow. Congratulations." Clearing her throat, she watched him carefully. "So, you're leaving?"

Castle shifted, the surprise of his publicist's arrival still evident. "No. Well, maybe. I don't know. That's why I was avoiding her calls. We haven't exactly set any plans in motion, so it's not a done deal yet, but it is an option."

"An option which you would be stupid to refuse I might add," Paula was quick to interrupt.

"But an option I still haven't actually said yes to yet."

"But you're going to, right?" Kate blinked, her speech slightly uneasy.

"Well, like I said, it is a possibility. Unless of course you think there's a reason why I shouldn't?" he said, his eyes narrowed, trying to read her.

Kate could feel the heat of both Castle and his publicist's gaze, waiting, expecting her response, and shaking her head, her confidence abandoned her. "No," she stammered, almost forced out of her mouth. "I mean- Paula's right. It's a great opportunity, so you should take it," she managed, a steel expression masking the doubt that resided. "Besides, after your book launch Wednesday we're done, so you can do whatever you want.''

Castle held his stare, taking a moment to study her. "Right, cause that's what we both want," he cautiously said, his words sounding more like a question than a statement.

Kate looked at him, her eyes hard and disappointment concealed. "Exactly," she answered.

"Excellent," Paula broke, coming in between them and breaking their gaze. "Well, Detective, anywhere we can give you a lift?"

"Ah, actually Paula I was just walking Kate home, so-"

"Ah, you know what.." Kate interrupted, pausing Castle's speech, "I think I'm just gonna catch a cab."

Castle turned to her, disappointment crossing his features. "What?"

"Yeah. You two have a trip to organize, so I'll just leave you to it," she nodded, before turning away and leaving the publicist and writer alone.

Thanks to everyone for your patience and once again your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

BareWriter