Disclaimer: The only part of Castle that I own is the TV on which I watch the show.
"As of midnight, three hours from now, I will be on desk duty," Beckett says as she and Castle drive away from the precinct in her cruiser. "So yes, since this is my last day out in the field until after baby is born, I will wear the wonderful custom-made vest you gave me. I promise. But you do know that the boys are going to be merciless about it, right?"
"Mom, if you're not going to be in the field for a while can you turn on the siren? Please? I love that."
"I do," he says. "I'll try to take some of the heat, too. Especially since it was my idea. Maybe they won't notice. It's almost dark."
"Not a chance," she says. "They'll be all over me. And you." She's trying to keep things light because she's a little apprehensive about where they're going: an abandoned building along the river, where they believe their heavily armed suspect in a double homicide is holed up.
A few minutes later, she pulls to the curb on a block that has one functioning streetlight, the others having been shot out by citizens who presumably have too much time on their hands. She and Castle get out of the car and walk around to the trunk; they pop it, lift out their vests, and put them on. Espo and Ryan are directly ahead of them; back-up is standing by two blocks south if needed.
"Looking good," Castle whispers, pointing to her POLICE + 1 vest.
Beckett hates having to make concessions to her pregnancy, but she has agreed to let the boys take point here. All four of them approach the warehouse quietly and carefully. No sooner is Ryan through the door than there is an explosion of gunfire; within seconds, it's over. Espo brought down the target with a debilitating shot to the shoulder and another to the knee. The man is still screaming and making colorful if useless threats twenty minutes later, when the ambulance takes him away.
"Son of a bitch won't be walking for months," Espo says cheerfully.
"Yeah, thanks, man," Ryan says as he fist-bumps his partner.
"They should all be this easy," Castle says.
"Easy? Easy? You think those shots I took were easy, man? Microsecond timing. Perfect control, nothing easy about it."
"Didn't mean it that way, Esposito. Just that we were in and out so fast, with the scumbag down. Good job."
Ryan suddenly turns to Beckett, stifling a laugh. "New vest?"
"Mm hmm. Don't say a word."
"No, no, I think it's cute."
Espo now sees what has caught Ryan's eye. "Plus One, Beckett? Really? Sounds like a wedding invitation."
"Nope. That's me, not a wedding invitation. I'm Plus One!"
"Yeah, well, we all remember your plus one at Ryan's wedding. Your hot date was your cousin, for God's sake."
"You're dating your cousin? I heard someone in the doctor's office say that you aren't supposed to do that."
"Where'd you get that, anyway?" Ryan asks.
"I got it for her. As a warning for the people she's facing down: this is not your ordinary Detective Beckett, this is enhanced Beckett, Beckett 2.0, if you will. Not that there's ever anything ordinary about Beckett—."
"Dad, I'm not two, I'm one."
"Castle," Beckett says. "I think that's enough. And speaking of enough, I think I've had enough of this place. We can go back to the Twelfth now, get a little paperwork started before we all go home."
The four of them go back to their cars. "See you in a few minutes, guys," Beckett says.
"Wait. I think I dropped my phone back there," Castle says, gesturing vaguely towards the area where they had been standing a short while ago.
"Your phone? Why did you even have it out?" She puts her hand to her forehead. "Or do I not want to know?"
He leans in towards her. "I didn't drop my phone. I just wanted to get Ryan and Espo to leave so we could be here alone."
She's baffled. "You wanted to be alone here with me? In this romantic, dimly-lit waterside garden spot? We're lucky no rats have promenaded by, arm in scrawny arm."
Castle puts his hand on her shoulder. "Look around. Doesn't it look familiar to you?"
"Fortunately, no. I'd hate to think I've been here more than once."
Castle, still holding her by the shoulder, turns her to the left. "That's because the last time we came we approached from the other direction, and went to a warehouse—the one where Hal Lockwood had Ryan and Esposito—which is now that vacant lot. But look over here," he turns her again, "and what do you see?"
And suddenly it washes over her, a memory that had fueled her dreams for a long time. A memory that had kept her going in very rough patches. "Oh, my God, Castle, you're right. It was here. Right here." She nestles into him.
"Do you remember what you said when that guard was coming over to us, right before?"
She smiles broadly. "When we were pretending to be drunk? Of course I do. It may have been four and a half years ago, but I remember every second. I said, 'He's not buying it, Castle'."
"And then the guard went for his gun and you went for yours and then—"
"You grabbed my face and you kissed me. Probably the greatest first kiss in history."
"Followed immediately by the greatest second kiss in history, when you kissed me. And then you decked the guy."
"And what did you say then, Castle? To me."
He's chuckling. "I said, 'That was amazing, the way you knocked him out'."
She turns to look him directly in the eyes. "Fess up. You can tell me now. That's not what you meant, was it?"
"Noooo. I meant that kiss. Especially since your tongue had just been halfway down my throat."
"It was not."
"Was too."
"In your dreams, buster." She tilts her head. "You know how we can settle this?"
"No, how?"
"With a reenactment."
"I thought you'd never ask." He grabs her face and kisses her.
She grabs his face and kisses him, full force. "Mmm. You're right, Castle. Might have been a little tongue."
"Told ya." He looks almost wistful. "We're back where it all started, Beckett. Weird, isn't it?"
She kisses him again. "Only this time we get to go home together. Hurry up and get in the car. I have plans for you."
"Do they involve tongue?" he asks, smiling at her over the roof of the car.
"You'd better believe it."
TBC