His heart is pounding so hard he feels dizzy, she's too close, they are too close, it's all too much at once. He can't help but look at her over and over and over again. His body still burning from her touches, on fire, too aroused, too excited, too agitated to function properly. His arm is around her waist, her intoxicating smell of cherries clouding his mind. He stumbles over his own feet, everything begins to spin and he has to stop and lean against the wall for a moment, trying to catch his breath, but she comes in for another hot and searing kiss, pressing him against the wall, going along with him, before she drags him along relentlessly, managing somehow to make it still look like they're lovers.
Holy shit. He still can't grasp it. Still can't understand what's happening. Is he dreaming? Did he fall asleep on his laptop again like he did so often in the past days? Dreaming about her, about Kitten being Beckett, about them. He must be dreaming. There is no way this is real. No way. Beckett can't be Kitten, Kitten can't be Beckett. Uh-uh. No way. His mind is playing tricks on him, he's certain. And he never wants to wake up from this dream, never want to realize that the way her body feels against his, her lips on his, how sexy she can roll her hips was just created by his sleep-deprived imagination.
But the way her hand lies in his feels real as she tugs him along with her through the corridor, she looks back at him, her eyes hidden in the shadow but he can sense the trouble there. They are after you, Kate. He just told her that. Of course, she's worried. She opens a door in the hallway and pushes him in.
Inside he quickly backs up until he reaches the other side of the room, leaning heavily against the wall and holding his hands up in case she wants to kill him. He's pretty sure she wants to kill him. He took liberties he never would've before and the way he felt her body against his – definitely forbidden.
"I'm so sorry", he says over and over and over again, waiting for her to draw her weapon from somewhere he'd never guessed and shoot him. Or maybe she'll just use her hands. But at least he'll die a happy man who just made out with Kate Beckett.
"What are you doing, Castle?", her voice a low hiss, looking puzzled at him, her hands nervously skimming over the blonde wig, her lips red and swollen from his kisses. She looks so beautiful, even with all these layers of stage makeup on her face, even with that fake wig. He's just so happy to see her again, still not sure if he's not dreaming.
"I … uh, I…" How could he possibly explain what he's doing here? He thought he was chasing a ghost, bathing in the sweet sensation of a Beckett flash because his muse finally kissed him again. Oh, she really did kiss him. He's definitely going to bring that up over and over again if she lets him live. "I haven't written a word since I finished the book that summer. I… I… I've experienced it before. A really severe case of writer's block, the words just left me. But after I came here a few days ago and saw you – without knowing it was you – it was like hitting a well when you're dying of thirst. I don't know why I came back. I guess to solve the mystery. Solved." He draws an invisible check in the air and laughs, but even in his ears, it sounds hollow.
Beckett just sighs and shakes her head, a small smile tugging on her lips as she crosses the room to him.
"That's not what I meant. What are you doing right now? Why are you running away from me?" She perks a brow, feigning the tough detective despite her flimsy, slutty sequin dress, the sexy mesh stockings, but he can see how she bites her lip in nervousness.
"Oh. I … Uh. I thought you might shoot me because of what I just did." Kate huffs a laugh and shakes her head in amusement.
"You do remember that I kissed you first, right?" His heart skips a beat, he never would've thought that she'd just admit it so easily.
"Oh. Right. Why did you do that?" She looks at him in disbelief, her brown drawn together as if that would even be the question.
"To save your ass?" Her voice an exasperated growl, ready to scold him for his stupidity and ruining her operation and all the other things that would follow any moment, but he's too baffled by her words. They haven't seen each other in 666 days, haven't talked, and still she comes running when she thinks he's in danger.
"How did you know?" It feels like he's asking all the wrong questions like they are wasting time. Instead, he wants to ask if it felt as amazing for her as it did for him. As life-changing and life-giving. But he knows not to push her and they've got bigger things to discuss like her case and the danger to her life for example. She sighs long before she answers.
"Because you are my partner, Castle, and even though it's been two years, we're still in sync. What happened there? Why did you leave my performance?" She flinches when the second question comes out of her mouth as if she didn't want to ask that but still wants to know. But his heart stopped beating when she called him her partner. In the present tense. Not past tense. He wants to kiss her again, but his world is still spinning from too little sleep, too little to eat and drink while he was writing like he was obsessed, and too much that happened within the last ten minutes. Slowly, he slides down the wall, leans his head back, and closes his eyes, happy to find solid ground beneath him.
"Are you okay?", her voice is so close, the smell of cherries envelopes him and he's sure he's in heaven. Her fingers gently touch his face, causing his eyes to fly open instantly, only to be met with the most vibrant green with spots of gold he'd ever seen in her eyes.
"Just a bit dizzy," he croaks, and she slowly nods, dropping her hand, not fully convinced. He can't blame her, dizzy doesn't even begin to describe how he feels. Firmly, he clears his throat and tells her everything he witnessed as detailed as possible.
"I don't trust them, Beckett. They both don't seem to care that much about a human life. At first, the father was just talking about waiting and observing you and as if he was brainstorming, he was suddenly talking about an accident that could happen. Just because you are too curious for their liking. Without even having a clue that you are a cop. Are they just maniacs or what's the hot stuff that requires random killing just to protect the mission? I don't like that, Beckett."
"Yeah, me neither," she huffs in frustration, and then, without having to beg her, she starts talking about the case. "Three weeks ago, we found a body in the Hudson. We ID'd him pretty easily, it almost looked like an accident. Hit his head, fell into the water, done. The boys were ready to close it, but it felt too simple, you know? Something didn't quite add up."
"The story was missing." He says, understanding her train of thought as effortlessly as if they never stopped working together, a smile tucks on his lips, springs over to hers to blossom into a full-blown smile. Oh, how he missed those.
"Exactly! Then Lanie found something odd, a strange combination of food and some chemical components. Not at all deadly, but it might have had some effect on him, maybe made him dizzy or nauseous, enough to cause him to fall on his head without leaving marks on his body. It was nothing that would justify a murder investigation yet, but when we took a closer look at his phone, we found some strange messages, seemingly random, one connected him to the club. All grasping at straws at that time, the guys were wishing you'd been there with your crazy theories …"
"They were?" Castle looks at her in disbelief. Why would they wish he was there? They always made fun of him and he never heard from them again, after he left for the summer. He might have taken his time to write them, but they never replied, so he was sure that it was just a relationship out of convenience.
"Of course!" Beckett raises her voice in consternation. "What makes you think they wouldn't?" He shrugs, thinks about ignoring it, going back to the case, but he loves their sudden openness, or kind of openness, more than before.
"I never heard from them again after I left. They never answered any of my messages, so …" He looks down on his hands, regretting that he said anything.
"I'm sorry, Castle. I didn't know. The whole precinct misses you, you know?" Her voice soft and understanding, her hand suddenly on his leg, squeezing it slightly, sending how shivers through his whole body.
"They do?" He looks up, searches for the truth in her eyes, only to find honesty and longing in her eyes. Does she miss him, too? Is she part of "the whole precinct"?
"They do", she gifts him a tender smile, then her smile falls when she sees the watch on his wrist. "Oh, shit, I have to get ready for the next act."
"Kate, no. You can't. What if they are already planning something for tonight? The shipment comes tomorrow during the show, now is the best time to get rid of you." He grabs her hands before he can think any better, revels in the fact that she lets him, even brushes her thumbs over the back of his hand.
"I know, but we have no idea where the shipment arrives tomorrow or what it is. I need to go back, I need to play my role and see if I can get any more information. The boy has a crush on me, maybe I can seduce him into spilling something. He's part of the stage crew. We need to solve this case before someone else gets hurt. Debrief later?" Her eyes are sparkling with mischief before she presses a soft kiss on his knuckles and hurries away, leaving him speechless.
"Be careful!" He calls after her when his brain functions again, but she's already gone, and he's alone and confused. He can't just go back into the room to watch her "have an accident" right in front of his eyes, can he? There has to be something he can do without putting her or him in danger and risking the whole operation. There has to be. But he comes up empty and strolls back into the audience to at least watch for any dangers there.
Her heart is beating way too fast, she's too nervous, she knows. But she has no idea what to do about it. Her hands are shaking while she types the message. Castle is here, he found the missing link by stumbling over it. She can't help the smile that's starting to blossom on her lips. That's so typical. They are searching for weeks for any evidence that finally solves the case, they have to go undercover, and still nothing. Then Castle comes in and practically gives them everything they need. So typical.
Her whole body is still on fire from his touches, his kisses. So this is how it could've been when he asked to debrief. When he asked her to accompany him to the Hamptons. Oh, god, she asked him to debrief later, wanting to tease him about their first case … but what did she actually say with this? She really wanted to update him later, to finish filling him in on the case. She wants him on the case. Wants his insights, wants him to be her partner again. Her heart is still dancing crazily in her chest, her cheeks burning, her body oversensitive even to her own touches. Josh never made her feel like that. He was an amazing lover, but he never made her feel like that.
"Uhhh, so I see you had a nice break, huh?" Sandra's teasing voice is suddenly at her ear again, pulling her so violently out of her daydreaming that she winces. Damn, she should think about the case and its obvious dangers, someone is planning for her to have an accident, for god's sake! She can't be sitting here daydreaming about Castle. Maybe it was just a cover for him to save their lives. Maybe it didn't mean anything to him. "Whoops, sorry, didn't wanna scare you."
"Did you see us?", she whispers, lowering her voice. Starting something with the guests is forbidden.
"Uh-uh, Jack told me you basically ran after him. " Ah, damn. She did. Damn. She fake-giggles like a girl with a heavy crush.
"Oh, my god, that's so embarrassing." She hides behind her hands, trying to come up with the next steps, conjuring up a cover story. With a loud sigh, she drops her hands. "We actually have a history. It's been ages ago. I mean, you know his reputation, right? A new girl at least every week, partying until the dawn comes. I thought I was one of those girls to him. A conquest. But I was wrong. I ran into him earlier … and …", she lets her sentence trail off, leaving enough room for imagination. "I told him to wait at the storage rooms for me so that we could continue our … conversation." she doesn't have to be specific, it's forbidden for the artists to hook up with the guests, so it's not strange that she's so vague.
"Well, I guess you had a good conversation then," Sandra winks at her and Kate dips her head to hide her blush, even if it wouldn't be visible under all the layers of make-up suffocating her skin. She cannot wait to wash it all off later and meet with Castle when she's herself again. But the case and the threat is more important now, she needs to know more, needs to know how many people saw them. How could she have been so stupid?
"I … um. Do you think somebody else saw us? I … mean … I can't lose this job, Sandy. I need it." It's not a lie, she really needs this job to solve the case, to connect the dots. Sandra sighs, drops on the stool next to her, and takes her brush to brush Kate's hair. She leans forward and whispers while pretending to help her get ready.
"Many people saw you run after him, Kitten. But it looked more like a lovers' quarrel to me. Jack saw you, but I wouldn't worry about him so much. But Barkley could've seen you, too. Do you know Barkley?" Kate shakes her head, she's heard of him but never met him. "His son, Dean, is part of the stage crew. You met him?"
"Yeah, I think he has a crush on me." Sandy laughs, shaking her head in amusement.
"Yeah, he has a crush on every new girl, tries to get in their pants, promises them things he could never fulfill like more stage time or better spotlights. But that's totally not part of his job. If I were you, I'd keep your distance. I heard from some of the girls that he easily gets violent when he doesn't get what he wants. One girl quit a few months ago because he started to stalk her and she didn't feel safe anymore. Nobody ever heard from her again."
"Why does he still work here? I thought that this was exactly what the boss didn't want. The safety of his artists being so important?" Sandy huffs and scoots a little closer.
"Yeah, right. Because it's good marketing, adding a little mystery to the show that draws in more clients. But back here? No, not really. The boss keeps a ledger with the real names of every artist. And many people know where he keeps it. Violence is something that's not indulged here. But Dean is Barkley's son and Barkley is important to the boss. He named himself head of the storage rooms. He's the bar manager, always keeps an eye on his personnel, on the liquor, and so on. He watches over the storage rooms like a hawk as if he keeps a treasure there. The girls are joking that he has a secret stash that he hides there, but it's probably just the expensive stuff the boss keeps for the important guests like your lover. He sometimes likes to send them a drink on the house or sell them the more expensive stuff because yeah, money. Your lover will probably get one later. You're glad that you didn't sneak around there with any guest but Rick Castle. Barkley is no one I'd like to mess with. I'd be careful if I were you." With this, Sandy lets go of her hair, zips her new costume, and pats her shoulder, leaving her alone again. Well … shit. What is she going to do now? She can sense that someone is watching her. Sandy? Dean? Oh, Castle, I knew you were trouble when you walked in. She grabs her phone and presses speed dial to call "sis", Kitten's only relative and best friend. Castle would've loved this part.
"Hi, sis, it's me. I told you, I'm busy tomorrow. We have the main act of the show at 11 PM. Can't you pick it up yourself? Everybody is busy."
"So, what is going to happen at 11 PM?", a female voice answers.
"No, I don't know what's in that stupid package of yours. YOU ordered it at some point. Maybe it's one of your special drinks?" Damn, she thought it would be easier to send encrypted messages. Why is Castle not here? Ugh, but if he were, he'd totally go overboard with it and draw everybody's attention to them. She can't help but smile to herself.
"Something arrives at 11 PM tomorrow in the Club, maybe liquids?"
"Yeah, I think so. There's something else I need to tell you, sis. Rick Castle is here! Can you believe that? I haven't seen him in ages and then we basically made out in the storage rooms." She tries to sound excited, but her throat is closing at the thought of the danger he might be in.
"Rick Castle recognized you? Is your cover still intact?"
"Yeah, it is. I hope we're not getting in trouble. I heard that the bar manager doesn't like people screwing in his storage rooms. Who knew?" She fakes a laugh. "But I heard the boss like to send VIPs something special, so maybe we're good. He's a VIP after all." Ugh, she hates this. Why can't she just speak openly? She hopes that they understand what she's trying to tell them, that Castle is important, that someone needs to watch him.
"He's already being watched. Be careful." Relief floods through her, thank goodness. Someone is keeping an eye on him. She hopes that this will be enough to prevent anything from happening to him.
"Kitten, we're on!" Someone screams and takes the moment of peace away from her.
"Oh, that's Dean. I have to go. Love you, sis." She hangs up, taking a deep breath. Everything could happen now, but at least she delivered the message and whatever happens, at least justice will be served.
When she comes on stage, Castle is sitting on his table again, Laptop open in front of him but he's not typing and he's also not looking at her. He's not alone anymore, a man she doesn't know is sitting next to him, and even though Rick laughs and jokes, she can feel the tension radiating off of him, the intense gazes he throws in her direction. And just like she knew in the storage room, she knows it now: Something is not right. Is her cover blown?
What do you think happens next? I have so many ideas I can't decide :D
How do you like it so far?
Even though they haven't seen each other in 2 years, I like the idea that Kate would still have become more open with him like she did in season 4. That even though she was with Dr. Ego (loved the title from TankW1 ), she was always torn and couldn't stop thinking about Castle (aka stalking him on page 6)