Leaning casually against the doorframe, his cobalt blue eyes carefully followed her. Kate was sitting on the bed, chuckling to herself as she studied a photo album; completely oblivious to his presence. She was more beautiful than ever as sunlight, beaming through the window, kissed her skin and stroked her face. She was relaxed, happy and glowing. His mouth slowly curved up into a sentimental, lopsided smile as he observed his wife.
"What are you giggling at?" Kate's head shot up at the sound of his voice. A smile slowly formed on her lips.
"I don't giggle, Castle." She arched her eyebrows, amusement clear in her green eyes.
"Yes you do," Rick insisted as he made his way over to where she was sitting on the bed.
"No I don't," she countered, deliberately emphasizing the word 'don't'.
"Do."
"Don't."
"Do." He climbed onto the bed.
"Don't." She said the word slowly, leaning closer to him; challenging him with narrowed eyes.
"You want me to prove it to you?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. Before she could roll her eyes at him, he pounced. She wriggled involuntarily underneath the barrage of tickling he was inducing; her body helplessly captured under his fingers.
"Castle!" She laughed, struggling happily to rid herself of his tickling fingers. "Rick! Pleeaassee!" He went on to nuzzle her neck with his stubbled cheek, causing her to squirm even more.
"Okay, okay! Yes, I giggle… I giggle!" She admitted, laughing breathlessly. He stopped upon hearing her confession, smirking triumphantly.
"Told you so," he said, pecking her on the cheek before sitting back slightly.
"You don't play fair," Kate mumbled with a pout as she straigthened her disheveled clothes. Rick only shrugged and smiled.
"What are you looking at?" He asked after a few moments; the photos scattered on the bed and the few photo albums lying around catching his eye. He lied down next to her, propping his side onto his elbow.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Just some memories." She handed him the pack of photographs she had been studying.
He took the pile from her and a smile escaped from his lips. The first photo on top of the pack was a jolly representation of the whole gang at a Christmas party a few years ago. Ryan and Esposito – donning silly Christmas hats – were grinning happily with their arms tossed over each other's shoulders in a fraternal embrace. Lanie and Captain Montgomery were smiling broadly, slightly lifting their eggnog for the camera. Rick and Kate's attention, however, was not with the flash of the lens. Standing in the middle of the group, they were not facing the camera but looking at each other. Unplanned and unintentional, of course. It was a case of major eye-sexing (as Lanie would put it) - cobalt blues locking with emerald greens in a slow, erotic dance. They were in love... and grinning like happy fools because of it.
"Ah, that was a great party." Rick chuckled at the memory. Kate crossed her legs and leaned back onto her hands, feeling the strain of being seven-months pregnant.
"I remember I had way too much eggnog to drink." A smile teased her lips as she stared straight in front of her, not looking at something in particular. Rick's eyes suddenly lit up as he recalled something. He sat up and turned to face her.
"Remember our hot-and-heavy make-out session in the storage room?" A teasing eyebrow shot up as a playful grin twinkled in his blue eyes. Kate's brow involuntarily creased as she tried to recall the memory.
Soon the recollection came rushing back. "Oh… Yeah, I definitely remember that," she replied with a mischievous smile. "I also distinctly remember how Lanie caught us… Me missing a shirt and you pants down." She let out a laugh. "That eggnog was quite potent."
"Mmm-hmm, potent enough for you to ravish me, Detective," Rick commented with a devilish grin, waggling his eyebrows at her.
"Me ravish you?" Kate looked at him, her eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. "No, no, no Writer Boy." She waggled a finger at him. "I clearly remember how you lured me down there and took advantage of my tipsy state."
He sighed leisurely. "It was fun, though," Rick replied wistfully, his mind going back to that storage room.
"A lot of fun," Kate admitted with a broad smile. He sat up beside her, lifting his knees toward his body and clasping his arms around them. He playfully bumped her shoulder with his as a boyish grin crept up his lips.
"Remember our first kiss?" Kate dipped her head and fixed her eyes on her hands in her lap; she coyly chewed on her lower lip as a shy smile tugged at her mouth. Looking up at him, a small grin graced her features.
"Yeah... How could I forget?" The soft reply came.
Religiously, emerald eyes scanned the surroundings while cobalt blues fervently studied her. Detective Kate Beckett, stony-faced and stoic, was a study in concentration as she kept her attention fixed on one of the adjacent wharehouses. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Tonight she was laying to rest the ghosts that haunted her. Tonight she would take vengeance. Tonight Johanna Beckett would finally get justice.
Her jaw clenched at this thought and she shifted tersely in her seat, not removing her eyes from where they were focused. Her partner, on the other hand, was studying his muse closely. They had been quiet for a full twenty minutes - no easy task for Richard Castle, the Master of Words. He knew better, though; she needed time to process the events that had led them to this moment. Despite this, Rick desperately wanted to reach out to her, take her hand in his or tuck that curly, chocolate brown strand falling on her cheek behind her ear. He wanted to hug her, hold her close, comfort her. But, as with everything with them, it was complicated and messy. For now they were (professional) partners, nothing more. He had to be content with that. Rick reluctantly dragged his eyes away from her to rather focus them on his iPhone.
After another minute or two, Kate let out a sigh and turned to look at him. Her mouth revealed a whisper of a smile as she watched him - cutely frowning as he punched away on his phone, not aware that she was looking at him. She shook her head and pursed her lips to get rid of the smile.
"Watching porn again, Castle?" Rick's head snapped up at the sound of her voice while she smirked at him sardonically. He was momentarily taken aback, but recovered quickly.
"Haha. No, Detective." His mouth curved up into a mischievous grin. "I've tried it before - the screen is too small." She rolled her eyes and shook her head, strands of hair falling off her shoulders.
"Nah, I was just texting Alexis," he continued in a softened tone. Kate nodded and turned her attention back to the window; her expression growing serious again. He watched her, wishing he could bring some comfort, some peace of mind.
"Hey... you okay?" He ventured cautiously. She turned back to face him, seeing the sincere concern etched in his eyes.
Kate took in a breath before answering. "Uh... yeah." She shrugged while avoiding his gaze. Silence once again descended. "I don't know if I can do this," she admitting softly, locking her eyes with his. Her eyes, suddenly moist, were now turned to her hands, clasped tightly in her lap. Rick leaned in and softly took hold of her chin, turning her face towards his; the proximity between them rapidly decreasing. They locked eyes again and something shifted as they did. Butteflies started to flutter and heart rates went up.
"You can and will do this... You're Detective Kate Beckett form the NYPD. The best damn cop they have," he said forcefully with a brief smile, arching his eyebrows. "And you are... extraodinary." His voice was deep and slightly hoarse. She shallowed hard and licked her lips. His eyes flicked to her mouth and then back to her emerald greens. Kate recognised the same desire in his expression than what she was feeling. 'He really is ruggedly handsome,' the thought idly rushed through her mind. He moved his hand from her chin to lay it against her cheek, letting locks of her hair fall over it. He shifted closer, closing the gap between them even more.
"Kate," he whispered; his voice making love to her name. She shivered at the sound.
"I need to get some air," she blurted out, pulling away and opening the door. In a flash she was outside the car, far away from him. From his eyes. From his hands. From his lips.
But, in true Richard Castle form, he followed her; not allowing her to run away from him like she did on so many other occassions. He kept a safe distance between them in an effort not to spook her.
"Beckett."
"This is too much...," Kate said, ignoring him, as the storm of different emotions crashed over her.
"Kate." He ventured closer. She wasn't looking at him.
"What if they get away?" She continued her soliloquy; Rick now standing closely next to her. "What if I let her down again?" She turned to look at him, eyes brimming with unshed tears. He drew her to him and placed a hand on her cheek. He met her eyes, his expression serious and ardent.
"You won't let her down." He dipped his head slightly in an effort to hold her gaze. "You could never let her down, Kate." His voice dived a few octaves as he said her name again. His eyes flicked once more to her lips and back again. A hand on her back drew her to him, while his other one went around her slender neck and in between brown locks. Before she could respond, his lips enclosed hers. It wasn't tender or deep or even passionate. It was a kiss of comfort. A kiss of need. A kiss of longing. Without warning, the walls that had kept everything neatly tucked away and out of reach, were torn down, allowing a sea of feelings to rush out.
When they broke apart, they were different. Everything was different. The world had shifted. Their worlds had shifted. And it would never be the same again.
Richard Castle and Kate Beckett would never be the same again.
A/N: There you have it. I hope it was decent. I found this chapter a bit challenging, probably due to the emotions. Anyway, thanks for reading.
P.S. the last part is lyrics from a beautiful song from Lifehouse called "Broken".
"What are you giggling at?" Kate's head shot up at the sound of his voice. A smile slowly formed on her lips.
"I don't giggle, Castle." She arched her eyebrows, amusement clear in her green eyes.
"Yes you do," Rick insisted as he made his way over to where she was sitting on the bed.
"No I don't," she countered, deliberately emphasizing the word 'don't'.
"Do."
"Don't."
"Do." He climbed onto the bed.
"Don't." She said the word slowly, leaning closer to him; challenging him with narrowed eyes.
"You want me to prove it to you?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. Before she could roll her eyes at him, he pounced. She wriggled involuntarily underneath the barrage of tickling he was inducing; her body helplessly captured under his fingers.
"Castle!" She laughed, struggling happily to rid herself of his tickling fingers. "Rick! Pleeaassee!" He went on to nuzzle her neck with his stubbled cheek, causing her to squirm even more.
"Okay, okay! Yes, I giggle… I giggle!" She admitted, laughing breathlessly. He stopped upon hearing her confession, smirking triumphantly.
"Told you so," he said, pecking her on the cheek before sitting back slightly.
"You don't play fair," Kate mumbled with a pout as she straigthened her disheveled clothes. Rick only shrugged and smiled.
"What are you looking at?" He asked after a few moments; the photos scattered on the bed and the few photo albums lying around catching his eye. He lied down next to her, propping his side onto his elbow.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Just some memories." She handed him the pack of photographs she had been studying.
He took the pile from her and a smile escaped from his lips. The first photo on top of the pack was a jolly representation of the whole gang at a Christmas party a few years ago. Ryan and Esposito – donning silly Christmas hats – were grinning happily with their arms tossed over each other's shoulders in a fraternal embrace. Lanie and Captain Montgomery were smiling broadly, slightly lifting their eggnog for the camera. Rick and Kate's attention, however, was not with the flash of the lens. Standing in the middle of the group, they were not facing the camera but looking at each other. Unplanned and unintentional, of course. It was a case of major eye-sexing (as Lanie would put it) - cobalt blues locking with emerald greens in a slow, erotic dance. They were in love... and grinning like happy fools because of it.
"Ah, that was a great party." Rick chuckled at the memory. Kate crossed her legs and leaned back onto her hands, feeling the strain of being seven-months pregnant.
"I remember I had way too much eggnog to drink." A smile teased her lips as she stared straight in front of her, not looking at something in particular. Rick's eyes suddenly lit up as he recalled something. He sat up and turned to face her.
"Remember our hot-and-heavy make-out session in the storage room?" A teasing eyebrow shot up as a playful grin twinkled in his blue eyes. Kate's brow involuntarily creased as she tried to recall the memory.
Soon the recollection came rushing back. "Oh… Yeah, I definitely remember that," she replied with a mischievous smile. "I also distinctly remember how Lanie caught us… Me missing a shirt and you pants down." She let out a laugh. "That eggnog was quite potent."
"Mmm-hmm, potent enough for you to ravish me, Detective," Rick commented with a devilish grin, waggling his eyebrows at her.
"Me ravish you?" Kate looked at him, her eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. "No, no, no Writer Boy." She waggled a finger at him. "I clearly remember how you lured me down there and took advantage of my tipsy state."
He sighed leisurely. "It was fun, though," Rick replied wistfully, his mind going back to that storage room.
"A lot of fun," Kate admitted with a broad smile. He sat up beside her, lifting his knees toward his body and clasping his arms around them. He playfully bumped her shoulder with his as a boyish grin crept up his lips.
"Remember our first kiss?" Kate dipped her head and fixed her eyes on her hands in her lap; she coyly chewed on her lower lip as a shy smile tugged at her mouth. Looking up at him, a small grin graced her features.
"Yeah... How could I forget?" The soft reply came.
...
The wind swirled and howled miserably. The icy winter night was unfeeling, inhospitable and bitter as gloomy shadows washed over the city. The two occupants of the Crown Vic were sitting in the cold darkness; watching and waiting. They found a strange sense of solace in the blackness and quietness. The only sound came from the car radio - softly sounding out song requests and Christmas wishes. Religiously, emerald eyes scanned the surroundings while cobalt blues fervently studied her. Detective Kate Beckett, stony-faced and stoic, was a study in concentration as she kept her attention fixed on one of the adjacent wharehouses. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Tonight she was laying to rest the ghosts that haunted her. Tonight she would take vengeance. Tonight Johanna Beckett would finally get justice.
Her jaw clenched at this thought and she shifted tersely in her seat, not removing her eyes from where they were focused. Her partner, on the other hand, was studying his muse closely. They had been quiet for a full twenty minutes - no easy task for Richard Castle, the Master of Words. He knew better, though; she needed time to process the events that had led them to this moment. Despite this, Rick desperately wanted to reach out to her, take her hand in his or tuck that curly, chocolate brown strand falling on her cheek behind her ear. He wanted to hug her, hold her close, comfort her. But, as with everything with them, it was complicated and messy. For now they were (professional) partners, nothing more. He had to be content with that. Rick reluctantly dragged his eyes away from her to rather focus them on his iPhone.
After another minute or two, Kate let out a sigh and turned to look at him. Her mouth revealed a whisper of a smile as she watched him - cutely frowning as he punched away on his phone, not aware that she was looking at him. She shook her head and pursed her lips to get rid of the smile.
"Watching porn again, Castle?" Rick's head snapped up at the sound of her voice while she smirked at him sardonically. He was momentarily taken aback, but recovered quickly.
"Haha. No, Detective." His mouth curved up into a mischievous grin. "I've tried it before - the screen is too small." She rolled her eyes and shook her head, strands of hair falling off her shoulders.
"Nah, I was just texting Alexis," he continued in a softened tone. Kate nodded and turned her attention back to the window; her expression growing serious again. He watched her, wishing he could bring some comfort, some peace of mind.
"Hey... you okay?" He ventured cautiously. She turned back to face him, seeing the sincere concern etched in his eyes.
Kate took in a breath before answering. "Uh... yeah." She shrugged while avoiding his gaze. Silence once again descended. "I don't know if I can do this," she admitting softly, locking her eyes with his. Her eyes, suddenly moist, were now turned to her hands, clasped tightly in her lap. Rick leaned in and softly took hold of her chin, turning her face towards his; the proximity between them rapidly decreasing. They locked eyes again and something shifted as they did. Butteflies started to flutter and heart rates went up.
"You can and will do this... You're Detective Kate Beckett form the NYPD. The best damn cop they have," he said forcefully with a brief smile, arching his eyebrows. "And you are... extraodinary." His voice was deep and slightly hoarse. She shallowed hard and licked her lips. His eyes flicked to her mouth and then back to her emerald greens. Kate recognised the same desire in his expression than what she was feeling. 'He really is ruggedly handsome,' the thought idly rushed through her mind. He moved his hand from her chin to lay it against her cheek, letting locks of her hair fall over it. He shifted closer, closing the gap between them even more.
"Kate," he whispered; his voice making love to her name. She shivered at the sound.
"I need to get some air," she blurted out, pulling away and opening the door. In a flash she was outside the car, far away from him. From his eyes. From his hands. From his lips.
But, in true Richard Castle form, he followed her; not allowing her to run away from him like she did on so many other occassions. He kept a safe distance between them in an effort not to spook her.
"Beckett."
"This is too much...," Kate said, ignoring him, as the storm of different emotions crashed over her.
"Kate." He ventured closer. She wasn't looking at him.
"What if they get away?" She continued her soliloquy; Rick now standing closely next to her. "What if I let her down again?" She turned to look at him, eyes brimming with unshed tears. He drew her to him and placed a hand on her cheek. He met her eyes, his expression serious and ardent.
"You won't let her down." He dipped his head slightly in an effort to hold her gaze. "You could never let her down, Kate." His voice dived a few octaves as he said her name again. His eyes flicked once more to her lips and back again. A hand on her back drew her to him, while his other one went around her slender neck and in between brown locks. Before she could respond, his lips enclosed hers. It wasn't tender or deep or even passionate. It was a kiss of comfort. A kiss of need. A kiss of longing. Without warning, the walls that had kept everything neatly tucked away and out of reach, were torn down, allowing a sea of feelings to rush out.
When they broke apart, they were different. Everything was different. The world had shifted. Their worlds had shifted. And it would never be the same again.
Richard Castle and Kate Beckett would never be the same again.
X-X-X-X-X
The broken locks were a warning
You got inside my head
I tried my best to be guarded
I'm an open book instead
A/N: There you have it. I hope it was decent. I found this chapter a bit challenging, probably due to the emotions. Anyway, thanks for reading.
P.S. the last part is lyrics from a beautiful song from Lifehouse called "Broken".
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