Chapter 36: 4x07, Cops And Robbers

Tell me you need me.

The explosion rips through the building and Kate can't breathe. Her chest is burning. Her lungs are torn apart. Oh God Castle oh God oh God Castle no –

When she sees Alexis safely wrapped in her father's arms, finally, Kate feels something horrible and ugly and knotted in her chest dissolve. And then suddenly everything gets blurry and her throat closes up and oh God I thought he was dead –

Kate ducks between a police van and a surveillance truck, presses her hands against the cool metal, and finally shuts her eyes. She lets out a long shuddering breath and bites her lip to keep herself silent, because everything's rushing in her ears so fast and oh God she thought he died and she has to cover her mouth but she can still hear herself whimpering and she just needs a few minutes to get over this –

She hears footsteps pause by the side of the truck and looks up to find Castle leaning between the vehicles. His eyes are alert, fixed on her; he's obviously been looking for her.

She hastily wipes her eyes. "Castle – what – "

He doesn't pause, doesn't waver. Walks right up to her. Puts his hands on her face, his fingers tracing the line of her jaw gently. Kisses her.

For a second she's frozen – what is he doing – but then her back hits the side of the van and oh fuck all she thought he was dead and she lets out a shuddering sigh and winds her arms around his neck and just goes for it.

It's too messy and too frantic and too fast but it feels so good and then he's pulling her hips into his and she threads her hands through his hair and swallows the deep, dark noise that escapes him and sends a shudder through her body and –

"Hey, get a room, guys." The hostage negotiator walks off chuckling, obviously not bothered, muttering something that sounds suspiciously like lady cop with a bedroom voice, alright...

Kate gasps. Oh, no. Seriously.

She drops her head on Castle's shoulder and breathes him in, his scent a mixture of sweat and dust and warmth and masculinity and fabric softener and him. It's exactly what she needs right now.

She takes a deep breath and straightens up. "Castle – what – "

"There is a finite number of times I'm willing to almost die before I just say 'screw it.'" He watches her, his blue eyes so wide and serious that she has to catch her breath. "I can take a hint from the universe. After it's repeated this many times."

"Castle?" Does he really mean –

"Kate." He traces the line of her cheek. She can feel his hand trembling. "Can we stop dancing around this? Before we get blown up. Or frozen. Or blown up again. Will you at least come over for dinner before the next explosion?"

She's still a mess. Has been for way too long. But when he looks at her like this, his whole face beaming with undisguised adoration, and when he touches her face like she's a precious thing and when he almost just got blown up (she keeps remembering it and it makes her stomach lurch), oh God, it's not like she can ever really say no to him but now she can't even pretend.

And besides. It's dinner. Dinner she can do. Dinner is not forever.

…dinner might lead to forever.

But it's just the first step.

She swallows. "Okay."

Castle gapes at her like he's not sure he heard her correctly. "Really?"

"Yeah."

He grins, his whole face lighting up, and he leans in to steal one last kiss before letting her go. "Well, come on, Beckett. Let's go."

"Go?"

He tugs her arm. "Dinner. Quickly. With my luck today, we have half an hour before the aliens land."