LET IT SNOW
SEASON 3 AU

Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

-Let It Snow (traditional Christmas standard)

"I'm sorry, Castle."

Rick looks up from his book to find a mug in front of him, and he accepts it with a grateful smile. "Thanks. What are you apologizing for?"

Beckett sighs and sits on the opposite end of the couch. "Getting us stuck here, all because of a stupid hunch."

"First of all, that hunch wasn't stupid-"

"Well it sure wasn't right," she interrupts.

Rick sets his coffee on the side table and shifts to face her. "That doesn't mean it was stupid," he argues. "It would have made perfect sense for him to hide out at the family captain, despite being estranged," he adds, referring to the elusive suspect in their current case. "And we couldn't have known the snow would turn into a blizzard."

Kate huffs. "Except, you know, the forecast."

"The forecast said three inches," he reminds her, repeating his words from earlier, when they'd realized that the snow wasn't stopping and they'd have to pull over and find a place to wait it out.

Unfortunately, six hours later, they're still waiting.

"Once it stops," he continues, "roads will hopefully start to get cleared, and we should be able to get back on the road."

Kate gives him a long look before nodding. "Hopefully."

"In the meantime, we have plenty of food and coffee, so we won't have to go all Donner Party."

That earns him an amused snort, and he grins, mentally pats himself on the back for diffusing the situation.

When they'd realized they couldn't continue their drive back to the city, he'd found a place to stay - a small cabin with a kitchen - and they'd had just enough time to grab some groceries before the roads became impassable.

According to the forecast, which he now takes with a grain of salt, the show should stop falling sometime during the night, and then they'll just have to hope for the best with the roads.

He picks up his coffee and lifts it to his lips, watches as his partner stands and moves to the window. She gazes outside, her own mug cradled in her hands, and if he wasn't worried that she'd catch him and cause him actual bodily harm, he'd take a picture.

Instead, he clears his throat, and does something incredibly stupid.

He opens his big mouth.

"How's Josh?"

Immediately he wants to take the question back, for both of them to forget he even asked.

Kate's back stiffens, her grip on her mug tightening.

"I'm sorry," he blurts. "I shouldn't-"

"I don't know how he is," she interrupts. "We're not together anymore."

"Oh." There's a long, silent pause until he can't stand it anymore. "When? Why? Shit, I…that's none of my business." He trails his thumb along the top of his mug. "I'm sorry. Breakups suck."

She lets out a soft, sarcastic chuckle. "They do," she agrees, turning to face him, leaning her back against the window. "When we started seeing each other, I loved the fact that he's so busy, that he's gone so often. I didn't have to feel guilty about working as much as I do, or canceling dates at the last minute, because he had to do it just as often. I wasn't his priority, and that was fine, because he wasn't mine. But…"

She sighs and turns to look out the window again. "After a while, it started to drive me crazy. I was keeping one foot out the door of a relationship, and it honestly felt like he was doing the same thing. Like we were both ready to stop things at any point. And I'm just tired of that. I'm not making sense."

"No, you are," he argues. "With one foot out the door, it's hard to know where you stand."

She glances back and nods. "Exactly. He's a great guy, and he'll be the right guy for someone. But not me. I just…" She pauses for a long moment, then sighs. "I just want someone who would be there for me, and I could be there for him, and we could just dive into it together," she explains.

Rick hesitates, then sets his mug down and stands. He watches her in the window reflection, her eyes meeting his as he joins her. He doesn't crowd her, stops a short distance behind her, tucks his hands in his pockets. "A partner."

She nods. "A partner," she echoes, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Maybe-" His voice catches in his throat when she turns to face him.

He can only watch as his hand moves of its own volition and cups her jaw, his thumb tracing her cheek. She tenses at the initial touch, but she quickly relaxes and leans into it, her eyes fluttering shut briefly before opening again and meeting him.

He wants nothing more than to kiss her, or more, to pour his feelings for her into the press of his mouth against hers, the stroke of his tongue, to cover her body with his. But he has no idea what her feelings are towards him, if she has the same attraction, desire for more. The last thing he wants to do is push too far, and end up pushing her away.

So he's pleasantly surprised when she closes the distance between them and presses her mouth to his.

She's still holding her coffee, but she loops one arm around his waist anyway, presses her body against his as she deepens the kiss.

By the time she pulls away, drifting her mouth across his jaw before stepping back, he's breathless, almost panting with desire. Her name falls from his lips with a sigh, and his eyes open to find hers on him, her gaze dark, leaving no doubt to her intention.

"I'll be that guy," he whispers, tracing a path down her neck with his fingers, continuing down her arm until he laces his fingers through hers. "I am that guy, Kate. Just say the word, and I'll dive in with you."

Coffee spills from her mug when she crashes her mouth to his, but he barely feels the liquid seep through his shirt, just takes the mug from her and sets it down, turns so her back is against the window. He tears his mouth from hers so he can follow a path down her neck, his tongue tasting, teeth nipping when her nails scrape his scalp.

She tugs his shirt from his pants, and he grunts against her skin, bucks his hips at the feel of her hands on his bare torso. He lifts his head when she starts to undo his belt, and he grabs her hands. "What's the rush?" he husks. "We're not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere," he adds, staring deep into her dark, passion-filled eyes, hoping that she understands.

When she tries to tug her hands from his grasp, he shakes his head. "I'm not going anywhere, Kate," he repeats softly. "We have all the time in the world."