Hello Caskett'eers! Well, I have conjured up Chapter 3. It's kind of got the synapses in my brain exploding but I think this keeps our story moving along. Still rolling through the what happens next and how do I end this story thoughts that keep running in my head!
Now, when we left off, Castle and Alexis were having a tete-a-tete when Beckett got a call about another murder. You can imagine what kinds of thoughts come about when they have to interact with their co-workers once again.
Let's see what happens in Moments of Always: When Time Explodes - Chapter 3...
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Rick couldn't help but feel nervous as he and Kate climbed into his car and headed toward the crime scene. The only things that had been said when the two met in the loft living room again was a simple "You ready?" from Kate, as though the morning had been normal; and Rick calling up the stairs, "Alexis, we're leaving."
Once they heard the, "That's fine," in return, other dialogue stopped and the quiet felt almost as nerve wracking as the previous day's drive home from the precinct.
Castle pressed his lips together trying to think of anything to say to break the silence. Kate didn't seem overly anxious, but she also wasn't talkative by any means.
"Where are we heading?" he finally asked once they were driving in the general direction.
"What?" Kate looked at him a little skeptical, wondering if he was suddenly wanting a discussion about everything that had transpired over the past 12 hours.
"The murder?" Castle clarified. "Are we heading to the morgue to meet Lanie, or the crime scene?"
"Oh!" Kate gave him a nervous smile but then relaxed. "Sorry, yeah, um, Espo says it's at an apartment building at 66th and West End. Looks like our suspect may have shot himself, but that wouldn't make any sense at all. If he thinks I'm dead, why kill himself?"
Rick sucked in a breath at her comments, mainly reliving the idea that she could've been taken from him last night. "Okay," he simply stated and kept his eyes focused out the window.
They drove for a few more quiet minutes until Rick commented under his breath, "And we're gonna catch every red light, of course."
It was rhetorical, Kate knew, but it caused her to study him. She knew very well that their morning had been anything but normal, even if much of it felt like it could've been a new normal for both of them.
She let the feel of their kiss wash over her again. That thought made her turn her head and look out the passenger window. The heat in her cheeks seemed to also be a new normal for her.
Kate waited for the blushing to subside and then took a deep breath and looked out the windshield, in front of them again.
"You okay?" Rick asked just as Kate turned to him and said, "Is Alexis okay?"
They both laughed at their slight mind-meld and Rick decided his can of worms might be easier opened here in the car than Kate's would be - although the two cans were certainly sitting on the same shelf at the moment…
"Alexis will be okay," he began. "Mother and I are still trying to figure out where this sensible gene comes from. We can only guess it's from Meredith's dad, maybe. He had a good head on his shoulders." Rick raised his eyebrows as he glanced toward Beckett in the passenger seat.
Her eyebrows were dipped, with a slight smile on her face, wondering where he was going with this story of sorts.
"I just mean, she puts thought into things, non-fiction things, real life situations. And she is worried about me - about us," his face denoted the more serious statement. "It was one thing when she and Mother had to come bail me out for that first case…and the one when you were mad at me for spending the summer with Gina and not calling you when I got back to the city, so you locked me up on a murder charge when you knew it wasn't me," he recalled, making the detective shake her head.
"I think she has a hard time being a child -my child- and realizing that there are some things in my life that I'm serious about. You may not believe that either, but I'm hoping I can prove that to you. I know everything isn't fun and games and mystery novels. Alexis is used to at least thinking that her opinions or her chastising can change my mind about things- make me see things more clearly."
"But our work partnership," Kate stepped in quickly, "is a different story?"
Rick nodded. "I can tell… There have been several times over the past three years when Alexis has wanted me to just stop playing cop or consultant, or following you for research, whatever you want to call it now. But she doesn't have a say in that matter."
He looked at Kate, breathed in and out a few times as they sat at yet another red light, and licked his lips before stating his next thought. "Until you tell me to stop, I'm here with you. Not even my daughter can change that."
Kate felt the weight of his statement but stayed quiet, even when Rick slid a hand across the console and covered her smaller fingers with his.
They sat like that as he drove along the next stretch of roadway. Kate didn't try to retrieve her hand or push Castle's away. Instead she just let his words sink in and wondered how on earth she was supposed to solve a murder case when these underlying feelings were begging to explode and she had no clue how to handle that.
Rick turned one more corner and easily saw the police tape securing a crime scene from outsiders just a block or so in front of them. He grabbed the first spot along the sidewalk where he could park and gave Kate's hand a squeeze before putting two hands on the steering wheel.
Once he put the car in park he turned in the seat to see Kate clearly. "Look," he started before she could unlatch her seatbelt, "The last 12 hours have been overwhelming, for both of us, yeah?" He waited and watched as Kate nodded her head gently. "If you can do me two favors, I promise I will do my best to behave at this crime scene and hopefully help you solve this case sooner rather than later."
"What's that?" Kate asked with a little fear and worry.
"First, just promise me that we will talk about this," he moved his finger back and forth between them, "us…our kiss," he added softly but then let that thought drop.
"And second, don't rush to find another place to stay, please? My home is your home as long as you need it. You don't need to worry about having a place to go. You've got one and we want you there." He watched her carefully as she let the seat belt slide across her body and reached for the door handle.
After a deep breath she looked toward him and smiled. With a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head she let the breath out and locked eyes with him. "If you breathe a word to Espo or Ryan…"
Rick gave her a boyish grin and put his hands in the air, surrendering to her. "Not a word, I promise." He drew an 'x' over his heart with his index finger, "Cross my heart."
They each reached for their door handles and climbed out of the car. When Rick stepped onto the sidewalk beside her she nudged her shoulder against his bicep. "It was a nice kiss," she admitted.
Rick looked over at her and smiled. He could make some cocky comment but he opted instead for a simple, "Yeah, it was."
But then, after a few more steps he couldn't help himself, "Would you have offered me strawberries and whipped cream, too?"
Kate stopped in her tracks again unsure what he was alluding to. "Huh?"
Rick turned and looked at her fully, raising a single eyebrow, knowing that she had other thoughts going through her mind. "Why, Detective Beckett, what are you conjuring up in that brain of yours?" He accused. "I was simply talking about toppings for my pancakes."
Kate practically snarled at him as the redness grew in her cheeks. She smacked his arm as she proceeded to walk past him toward the police taped-off area. "Wouldn't you like to know, Castle?"
He stood and watched her walk several steps as he thought, Why yes…yes I would!
Kate turned her chin over her shoulder and looked back at him with that face that Richard Castle couldn't resist. "You comin', Castle?" she asked in such a normal fashion that he could only grin and jog the few steps to catch up to her.
"You wish," he smiled a little wider and completely enjoyed the eye roll and lip bite that she offered him in return.
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"Alexis, Darling, are you here?" Martha called up the stairs as she walked into the seemingly empty loft.
"Gram!" Alexis stuck her head out of her bedroom and answered, "I'm glad you're here! I'll be down in a minute."
Martha smiled to herself and then caught sight of the stack of food and dishes in the kitchen. "Oh my goodness," she stepped to the counter, looked over the offerings and put a few of the scrambled eggs and some fresh fruit on a plate for herself. She was nibbling on cantaloupe when her granddaughter appeared.
"Was your father trying to impress Katherine this morning?" She joked with a smile.
Alexis twisted her lips into less than a smile and shook her head. "No, Kate cooked breakfast," she answered coolly.
"Ah, she cooks? That's marvelous!" Martha continued. "Which do you recommend, Sweetheart, are the pancakes as good as your father's?"
"I wouldn't know; I haven't eaten anything," Alexis again pouted.
"Darling, with all this food here?" Martha stretched her neck back to look into the girl's face. She sighed and swallowed the bite of food in her mouth. "I know that look. What did your father do to upset you?"
Alexis scrunched her face and pressed her lips together as though she was sharing a huge secret…which she was, somewhat. "He kissed her," she finally said.
"Richard kissed Katherine?" Martha's eyebrows shot up with her look of surprise. "Now that's even more marvelous than the fact that she cooks. Two swings in her favor!" Martha smiled then looked again at the teen.
"Why is that a problem, Alexis?" She asked sedately.
"Because Detective Beckett was just here for protection and because her place blew up. She was only here because Dad offered her a place to stay and Captain Montgomery went along with it. She wasn't here for him to…to…to…sleep with her." She rattled and Martha was slightly taken aback.
"Did they?" The older woman asked but knew that her grandchild likely didn't have the full story.
"I don't know," Alexis admitted and crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her palms against her biceps. "Dad claims nothing happened."
"Come on, Darling, talk to your ole grandmother, Sweetheart. What in the world happened after I left last night?" Martha pulled Alexis toward the living room along with the plate of food she was still rather enjoying.
"When I went to bed, Kate and Dad were having coffee in the kitchen. An hour or so later, I got up to get some water and I heard Kate crying. I looked in on her, she said she was okay, but I went and told Dad. I thought he'd want to know-"
"Why was she crying?" Martha wondered out loud.
"I still don't know," Alexis rushed on. "But as soon as I told Dad, he rushed up to her room. When I went back upstairs the door was closed and she was crying again, but I could hear dad…consoling her." Alexis sounded perturbed now, at that thought.
"Then I get up this morning and I come downstairs to find all this food and mess and the two of them kissing right in the middle of it all." She huffed slightly and then looked to her grandmother for some sage insight.
Martha watched her granddaughter for a moment. "You realize you've inherited your dramatic soliloquies from me, don't you Darling?"
"Gram," Alexis tilted her head to the side.
"Listen," Martha instructed the girl. "Your father likes this woman a lot. He cares for her. And I can honestly say, I've never seen him as dedicated to a woman as he is to her - other than to you, My Dear," she said seriously. "And from what I've learned about Katherine Beckett, she is not someone who opens up easily, to anyone. She is first and foremost a police officer who is dedicated to her work and to the victims and families that she serves. She's not some flighty stewardess or fly by night actress or fan of your father's. Give them both a little credit for exploring other avenues that this unorthodox partnership has offered them."
Alexis sat back in the corner of the couch but relaxed slightly. "Dad's in love with her," she offered quietly.
Martha smiled and nodded. "I do believe he is," she agreed. "She offers him something that Gina nor Meredith nor any of his one-night-stands have. Katherine isn't after your father, Alexis. If that's what has you worried, don't. She has a life of her own. She doesn't need his money or his fame and she isn't drawn in by it. I believe she has endured your father's antics and has let him stick around long enough that she's now getting a look at the real man that's underneath that bravado. You know what I mean, Darling. Richard has that protective layer, that insecure part of him that is joking and insincere and, well, fake. But underneath that layer is the father you know and the man who wears his heart on his sleeve."
Alexis looked at her grandmother and tried to soak in all that she was saying. "I don't want her to hurt him," she admitted and Martha agreed with a nod. "But in this case, I also don't want him to hurt her. Between her mom being murdered and now her apartment blowing up, Kate's been through a lot. I understand Dad wants to protect her and that she needs someone right now. But-"
"My Dear," Martha interrupted, "In this particular case, you play the role of supportive daughter and young friend of Kate's, okay? Don't overthink this. You have enough to keep that beautiful brain of yours active. Trying to parent a couple of adults who are trying to figure out their feelings for each other? That's something for the fates to conjure, not you." She smiled and watched her granddaughter's face morph into a childish little smile.
"She is very smart. And I think she's a nice challenge for Dad. And he's a challenge for her too, I guess," Alexis commented. "It's just, Dad's not a cop. I worry about him and if he's in danger…"
"Ah-ah," Martha raised her chin and then lowered it slowly, as though she was sending a peaceful wave to Alexis. "You let the two of them handle that side of things, Kiddo. Katherine will take care of your father to the best of her ability. They're good for each other, I'm telling you."
Alexis breathed in deeply and then let the breath out slowly; an exercise she learned from Martha.
"That's it dear. One, deep, cleansing breath…" Martha smiled. "Now, where are the two lovebirds this morning?"
Alexis cringed and rolled her eyes. "Dad was lecturing me and Kate got a call about another dead body. I'm assuming they left together to go to the murder scene."
"Ah," Martha turned a lip up at the mess left in the kitchen. "Were you left to clean up after them?" she wondered honestly.
Alexis shrugged, "I don't think Kate meant to do that - unlike Dad," she sidebarred. "But after the way I yelled at both of them earlier, it would probably be a good idea if I did clean up."
Martha nodded knowingly. She plucked another piece of cantaloupe from her plate and then nibbled again on the eggs, now cold. "Needs to be reheated. Could use some salt and pepper. But I encourage you to enjoy Katherine's peace offering, Darling. And hope your father doesn't screw this up!"
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"Morning, Lanie, what've we got?" Kate purposefully skirted toward her friend, avoiding the FBI agent who had already taken over the case, and her fellow detectives that she just wasn't ready to deal with.
"Dead body," Lanie said with an unsmiling glance up at Kate from her squatted position on the floor beside said body.
"Obviously," Kate replied with a weird twist of her lips and eyebrows.
"You wanna share with me what's not obvious?" Lanie asked with raised, curious eyebrows.
"Huh?" Kate face twisted again.
"You and Writer Boy makin' pancakes again?" The medical examiner stood up, stretched her back and faced her friend more directly. "I asked Javi and Kevin if you stayed at the precinct and they informed me that you left with Castle when Montgomery ordered you to."
Kate snarled with a cringe because she obviously hadn't informed her friend of the latest developments in the case…more specifically the overnight developments in her life. "Yeah, well, Montgomery told me to go home and I don't have one so Castle offered to let me stay at his place."
"Mmm-hmmm," Lanie crossed her arms across her chest. "And you didn't say 'no', did you?"
"It wasn't an option," Kate threw her hands out in front of her torso. "I was gonna stay at the precinct but Montgomery ordered me to go home. Then Castle threw in his offer and the two of them made me stay at the loft."
"Mmm-hmmm," Lanie hummed again and then backed off her interrogation. "Were you able to get a little rest? Did you sleep at least?" She asked in a more friendly fashion.
Kate thought about Castle taking her into his arms on the bed in her room…and about wandering to his room and falling asleep in his arms on his bed. She hoped Lanie wouldn't notice the blush creeping up her neck.
"I did," she answered simply. "Martha and Alexis were very welcoming. They put me up in the guest bedroom which was very comfy," Kate smiled, trying to keep her words simple.
"Those new jeans?" Lanie inquired. "When did you have time to go shopping?" She wondered honestly.
Kate tugged on the material covering her thigh. "Rick had a friend of his drop off some clothes for me, just so I'd have something else to wear until I can go shopping," she explained.
"Really? Rick's friend a female? Bout the same size as you?" Lanie now resumed her arms crossed stance and watched Kate smoosh her facial features together not wanting to continue this line of questioning.
"Can we get back to the dead guy, please?" Kate asked and Lanie tilted her head at the diversion.
"What if I say no?" Lanie responded.
"Then I'll do the unthinkable and call for Perlmutter," Kate threatened.
"Don't - you - dare," Lanie looked like a big sister reprimanding her little, although Kate was more than a head taller than the medical examiner. "Seriously, Girl, are you okay?"
Both of their faces eased into the friendship that they shared. "I will be," Kate answered honestly. "If we can solve this case I'll be just fine."
"Do we need a wine and whine session - or do you need to come stay with me while you look for another place?" Lanie offered.
There was a little bit of commotion behind them making both women turn around. They saw Castle looking somewhat seriously at Detectives Ryan and Esposito who were chuckling, apparently at Rick's expense.
Kate cringed and looked back at Lanie with a little bite of her lip. "Wine and whine would be nice. I- I think I'm gonna stay at Castle's for another night or two at least," she admitted.
Lanie raised her eyebrows and took in Kate's demeanor. Her friend was looking toward the men with concern, but there was no grimacing or rolling eyes, no sign of Kate being annoyed or angered by them…yet.
"So there were pancakes for breakfast this morning?" Kate's friend dared to ask again.
Kate looked at her with a blushing smile and offered one simple line that would have to suffice until they got to chat, alone. "Yes, yes there were."
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"So, Beckett stayed at Chez Castle last night, yeah?" Esposito started ribbing Castle the minute he joined them instead of approaching the dead body as Kate had.
"Yes," Rick started, "But only because Montgomery ordered her to. There's no way she would've been there if she'd had any other choice."
"Dude, her dad has a house just outside the city, or Lanie would've put her up at her apartment. She has other options," Espo countered easily.
"It was after 11:00 at night. She's not going to call her dad or just show up at his place without warning him," Castle shook his head, trying to keep the conversation serious and professional.
"Did you make pancakes for her again?" Kevin joined the teasing making Rick huff.
"No, and can you guys just drop it, please? Her home exploded around her. I'm just happy she's still alive," Rick offered.
"Talk about explosive starts to a relationship…" Kevin Ryan laughed again and fist-bumped his detective partner in front of Castle's chest.
"Guys, seriously," Rick tried to chastise them.
"Yeah, um, did she sleep in the guest bedroom, Castle, or come snuggle up with you for protection?" Javier dared to ask.
"Drop it!" Castle raised his voice, drawing, elongated "Oooo's" from both the other men and earning them a look from both Kate and Lanie.
With that the two male detectives dropped their joking sense and looked at the man in front of them. "Seriously, Castle," Javi started again, "she okay?" He asked with concern.
"Physically, yeah, I think she's fine other than a couple of minor burns, somehow," Castle kept his eyes on Kate and watched the changes in her face as she spoke with Lanie several feet away from them. "She's worried about finding her watch," he mentioned.
Kevin blew a breath through his lips quickly, "If it wasn't in the tub with her, it's probably long gone. C.S.I. was combing through the ashes long after we all left last night. If they salvaged anything it's probably bagged up in evidence at this point. Maybe we can all chip in and get her another one," he suggested.
Rick shook his head. "No, it needs to be that one. You guys know anybody at CSI that you can call? I'd really like to locate it for her and get it cleaned up and back to her if it's possible."
Kevin and Javi looked at him more seriously. "Somethin' special about it?" Javi asked and received a surprised look from Castle.
"It was her dad's watch," Rick answered. "You guys didn't know that?"
The detectives pressed their lips together and shook their heads. "Nah," Kevin started, "she never mentioned that, although she did say something about her dad's watch last night when we were picking through things, didn't she?"
Rick nodded. "She wears her mom's ring on the necklace and the watch belonged to her dad. He gave it to her when he went into rehab," he explained.
The other men nodded and then stood silent for a moment. "Hey," Javi looked toward Kate and Lanie, "I do know a couple of folks that were there last night. Let me give 'em a call and see if they can locate it."
Rick nodded. "Hey, tell 'em I'll make it worth their while if they can get it back to me. I can hook 'em up with some Knicks tickets or even a cash reward, whatever they want. I can get it cleaned up and get it back to her. I think that would be good."
The boys watched Rick's face as he talked about helping Kate in this complicated but simple manner. They were well aware that Castle's feelings for Kate ran much deeper than the work partnership or haphazard friendship that had grown between the two.
All joking aside, they hoped this unfortunate incident might just trigger the next step of the Beckett/Castle relationship.
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"What were the boys giving you a hard time about?" Beckett asked as soon as she climbed back into Castle's car to head to the precinct.
"Meh, same as last time…the pancake breakfast," he shot her a quick, uneasy smile.
"Castle! I told you not to tell them-"
"I didn't, I swear!" he held his hands in the air, off the steering wheel for just a moment to ward off her tirade. "They already knew you stayed at the loft last night, not like that was any big secret," he added.
"Did they ask about sleeping arrangements? You didn't tell them we woke up together did you?" She pushed.
"They did but I didn't say a word - and how could I tell them we woke up together when you woke up and crawled out of bed without even letting me know you were awake. You're like a ninja or something," he commented slightly under his breath.
"Wasn't hard, you were sleeping like a hibernating bear," Beckett shared and worked hard to keep a smile from growing on her face.
It had felt nice to wake up with his arm around her protectively, her head pillowed on his chest and her arm wrapped around his waist. She still wasn't sure how she had wriggled her way out of his grasp without him waking.
He had mumbled something in his sleep as she moved, what was it? "Glad you're here…was scared…come to bed…"
Then she remembered the other part of his somniloquy; the part that made her rush out of the room to find breakfast. The 'come to bed' line was followed just a moment later by "Love you, Kate."
It had caused another explosion, this time in her heart and brain as she registered over and over again that he had used her name in his sleeping thoughts. She wasn't ready to deal with that now but the words had been somewhat confirmed by Alexis in her morning tirade.
Kate wasn't sure what to do with either of those facts and she was grateful to be at work.
"Kate?" Castle broke through her thoughts.
"What? Sorry, I-"
"You were thinking of being in bed with me again, weren't you?" Castle grinned his cocky smile at her and wiggled his eyebrows.
"No, why would you think that?" She tried to defend herself.
"The blush on your neck," he pointed with a finger nearly close enough to touch her skin but he somehow held back that urge and pulled his hand back toward his own body. "It's either that, or your blood pressure is up. And, considering all that's happened, that could be true as well."
"Don't flatter yourself, it probably is my blood pressure," she stated. "It goes up when I get annoyed over and over and over again." She huffed and Rick looked at her.
He decided to let the teasing drop at least momentarily. "It happens when you don't have any leads and the feds send somebody in to take over your case," he mentioned a real reason that the detective was annoyed and feeling undercut at work.
"Agent Shaw is right though, you know, I probably shouldn't even be working this case, let alone leading the investigation. Roy was right when he sent me home last night. I'm too close to this. But I need to help, Castle. I need to know when we catch this guy and I'd love to tell him where he can stick another explosive device!" Kate took a deep breath and blew it out.
"What's our next step?" Castle wondered, working to pull her out of her mission to murder their murderer that was running through her mind.
"Go over the paper trail again. See if we can find any links between our other victims and this new one. Wait for Lanie to call with autopsy results and anything she can find," she finished.
"Hey," Castle again reached across the console and took her hand. "We'll get him. With you and Jordan Shaw on the case, this guy doesn't stand a chance."
Before either of them realized what he was doing, Rick pulled Kate's hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. He smiled at her sweetly, serenely as her eyelids blinked and he soaked in the feel of her skin against his mouth.
"Uh," Kate swallowed and licked her lips nervously as she pulled her hand away from him. "Green light…Castle," she mumbled.
"What?" Rick's eyes widened before Beckett pointed to the car moving in front of them.
"Green - uh, go…to the precinct," Kate's face was nearly crimson at the idea of giving Castle the green light, with her…for them.
"Sorry about that," Rick apologized quietly but Kate shook her head.
"No need to apologize, Castle," Kate responded gently. "I, um, thank you," she stalled with nothing else really to say.
"Yeah, okay," Castle answered and then added, "You probably don't wanna hear this, but…I like it when you blush after making some double entendre about…us or me. It's just…the red tinge in your cheeks makes you even more beautiful."
He cleared his throat and looked straight out the windshield at the cars in front of them. Kate didn't respond with words. He didn't expect her to. But at the next red light she slid her hand across the gear shift and placed her fingertips against his thigh.
Rick moved one hand off the wheel and covered hers with his. The rest of their drive to the police station was marked with consistent green lights. Their hands were attached until the car was parked and they were ready to go into the precinct.
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Afterthoughts... Thank you so much to all of you who have read, reviewed, sent me PM's and even followed or favorited this story! I appreciate all your support. The Castle fandom continues - how many years after the show ended? - I'm SO glad it does!
Now, I am hopefully going to explore some conversations in the next chapter or two that would drive Caskett in a different direction than the writers took us in Tick-Tick-Boom. I hope you won't mind that I stray away from the case and focus more on the couple...cause that's what I like to do. ;)
Thanks Again for all your support!
KTCLF,
-adcg