Ever Closer
Title: Ever Closer
Prompt: Holiday Punch, for hondagirll
Pairing: Castle/Beckett-This is kinda pre!ship, and I hope that's okay.
Notes: Okay, the eggnog was supposed to be the central scene of this (the prompt being punch and all), but the story just ran off. It started off as a one-day vignette, then it morphed into a long-term story, and now it's this strange, third beast. hondagirll, if this isn't what you were looking for, please tell me and I'll write you something else.
“What are you doing for Christmas?”
Beckett looked up from her report to see Castle sitting down next to her desk.
“What?”
“Well, Ryan’s spending it with Jenny, Esposito’s going to his family’s Christmas party, and Lanie’s visiting her sister in Albany. So, how are you,” he emphasized the word with a point of his finger, “spending yours?”
Beckett was baffled. “How do you know all this?”
“I talk to people. But that’s not the point. Answer the question.”
“I don’t know why you’d need to know.”
Castle looked exasperated, like she was making things harder than they needed to be. “Because,” he said, sounding overtly patient, “I’m curious. And because, if you weren’t doing anything, I was going to see if you wanted to join the Castle family Christmas celebration.” He shrugged, smiling. “Would you?”
Beckett was momentarily taken aback. Considering for a moment, she nodded.
“I’d like that,” she said.
He just grinned and rolled closer to her to read over her shoulder.
~~~
As it got closer to Christmas, the precinct got more and more into the spirit. Garland had been looped around the walls of the bullpen, and as Beckett walked through to her desk, she saw cards stuck in the keyboards, enveloped standing straight like place cards. Esposito had dropped tinsel over Ryan’s monitor, a favor which Ryan had repaid in kind, albeit over Esposito’s chair instead.
She sat down and plucked the card out of her keyboard. She neatly flicked it open with her letter opener and pulled the card out. The picture was a landscape of hills, covered in snow under a starry sky. On the inside, in his (surprisingly) neat cursive, Castle had written “Merry Christmas, Beckett. Thanks for working with me. Castle”
She stood the card on her desk, and looked forward to Thursday.
~~~
Thursday afternoon found Beckett in the Castle’s apartment with Martha fussing over her, the tree, the dining room and her wine. In the kitchen she could hear Castle singing Christmas carols at the top of his voice.
“Why don’t you go in there dear, and talk to him,” Martha said as she nodded towards her son. “At least get him to stop singing.”
Beckett walked to the kitchen in time to see Castle sliding a covered casserole dish out of the oven.
“Nice spread you got here,” she said, indicating the vast array of food. “Silver Bells” cut off abruptly as he turned to face her. “I gotta say, I never would have taken you for a cook.”
He smiled. "I'm just full of surprises." he walked around the counter to greet her. "You look stunning, Beckett."
She didn't quite know what to say to that. He had complimented her before, but she never took him as being sincere. While she thought, Castle pulled a pitcher out of one of the cupboards.
"You wanna give me a hand with this?" He asked.
She set her glass down and walked into the open kitchen. "Sure. What are we making?"
"Eggnog. It's a recipe I've made every year, and I like to think I've perfected it." He picked spice jars off a rack with practiced ease. "Usually I make it alone-gotta keep the winning formula secret, you know- but I'd like it if you joined me. Could you get the cream out of the fridge?
The fell into the steady rhythm of cooking, Castle occasionally directing her with what to add to the base. The large kitchen felt pocket-sized, as the two of them danced around each other, brushing shoulders. After ten minutes or so they were done.
"Looks good," Beckett said.
"Yeah, it does. This was the last thing to make for dinner, so let's get this cleaned up before Alexis gets home."
"Where is she, by the way? I thought she'd be here."
"She had to run out to drop off some last-minute Christmas gifts. She should be home any minute now."
There was the sound of the door shoving open, and Alexis was stepping through, shaking snow out of her hair.
"Hi, Detective. Merry Christmas," she said, barely managing to get the words out before Castle had enveloped her in a huge hug.
"Hi, Alexis. Merry Christmas."
"Go get washed, it's almost time for dinner," Castle told her.
"Okay, Dad." She walked off.
"Well," he said, "I guess I gotta get this stuff out there."
Beckett put a hand on his arm, standing close to him. "I'll give you a hand."
~~~
After dinner, they sat in the living room to watch a movie. She and Castle sat next to each other, and when he put his arm over her shoulders she let him, and leaned back against him. She dozed off at the end of the movie. When she woke up, she was still in Castle's arms and Martha was giving her the look that every woman learns at adolescence-the "you really need to accept this because it will make you so happy and you'll thank me in the end" look.
She's not there yet, but she's getting closer.
~~~
Castle gave her a ride home, and as they stood at the door to Beckett's apartment building, she took Castle's hand.
"I had a nice time. Thanks for having me over." She kissed him on the cheek. "We'll have to do this again sometime."
"Well, New Year's in just around the corner. Shall I be expecting you?"
"Yes. You will." She kissed him on the cheek.
Ever closer.
Prompt: Holiday Punch, for hondagirll
Pairing: Castle/Beckett-This is kinda pre!ship, and I hope that's okay.
Notes: Okay, the eggnog was supposed to be the central scene of this (the prompt being punch and all), but the story just ran off. It started off as a one-day vignette, then it morphed into a long-term story, and now it's this strange, third beast. hondagirll, if this isn't what you were looking for, please tell me and I'll write you something else.
“What are you doing for Christmas?”
Beckett looked up from her report to see Castle sitting down next to her desk.
“What?”
“Well, Ryan’s spending it with Jenny, Esposito’s going to his family’s Christmas party, and Lanie’s visiting her sister in Albany. So, how are you,” he emphasized the word with a point of his finger, “spending yours?”
Beckett was baffled. “How do you know all this?”
“I talk to people. But that’s not the point. Answer the question.”
“I don’t know why you’d need to know.”
Castle looked exasperated, like she was making things harder than they needed to be. “Because,” he said, sounding overtly patient, “I’m curious. And because, if you weren’t doing anything, I was going to see if you wanted to join the Castle family Christmas celebration.” He shrugged, smiling. “Would you?”
Beckett was momentarily taken aback. Considering for a moment, she nodded.
“I’d like that,” she said.
He just grinned and rolled closer to her to read over her shoulder.
~~~
As it got closer to Christmas, the precinct got more and more into the spirit. Garland had been looped around the walls of the bullpen, and as Beckett walked through to her desk, she saw cards stuck in the keyboards, enveloped standing straight like place cards. Esposito had dropped tinsel over Ryan’s monitor, a favor which Ryan had repaid in kind, albeit over Esposito’s chair instead.
She sat down and plucked the card out of her keyboard. She neatly flicked it open with her letter opener and pulled the card out. The picture was a landscape of hills, covered in snow under a starry sky. On the inside, in his (surprisingly) neat cursive, Castle had written “Merry Christmas, Beckett. Thanks for working with me. Castle”
She stood the card on her desk, and looked forward to Thursday.
~~~
Thursday afternoon found Beckett in the Castle’s apartment with Martha fussing over her, the tree, the dining room and her wine. In the kitchen she could hear Castle singing Christmas carols at the top of his voice.
“Why don’t you go in there dear, and talk to him,” Martha said as she nodded towards her son. “At least get him to stop singing.”
Beckett walked to the kitchen in time to see Castle sliding a covered casserole dish out of the oven.
“Nice spread you got here,” she said, indicating the vast array of food. “Silver Bells” cut off abruptly as he turned to face her. “I gotta say, I never would have taken you for a cook.”
He smiled. "I'm just full of surprises." he walked around the counter to greet her. "You look stunning, Beckett."
She didn't quite know what to say to that. He had complimented her before, but she never took him as being sincere. While she thought, Castle pulled a pitcher out of one of the cupboards.
"You wanna give me a hand with this?" He asked.
She set her glass down and walked into the open kitchen. "Sure. What are we making?"
"Eggnog. It's a recipe I've made every year, and I like to think I've perfected it." He picked spice jars off a rack with practiced ease. "Usually I make it alone-gotta keep the winning formula secret, you know- but I'd like it if you joined me. Could you get the cream out of the fridge?
The fell into the steady rhythm of cooking, Castle occasionally directing her with what to add to the base. The large kitchen felt pocket-sized, as the two of them danced around each other, brushing shoulders. After ten minutes or so they were done.
"Looks good," Beckett said.
"Yeah, it does. This was the last thing to make for dinner, so let's get this cleaned up before Alexis gets home."
"Where is she, by the way? I thought she'd be here."
"She had to run out to drop off some last-minute Christmas gifts. She should be home any minute now."
There was the sound of the door shoving open, and Alexis was stepping through, shaking snow out of her hair.
"Hi, Detective. Merry Christmas," she said, barely managing to get the words out before Castle had enveloped her in a huge hug.
"Hi, Alexis. Merry Christmas."
"Go get washed, it's almost time for dinner," Castle told her.
"Okay, Dad." She walked off.
"Well," he said, "I guess I gotta get this stuff out there."
Beckett put a hand on his arm, standing close to him. "I'll give you a hand."
~~~
After dinner, they sat in the living room to watch a movie. She and Castle sat next to each other, and when he put his arm over her shoulders she let him, and leaned back against him. She dozed off at the end of the movie. When she woke up, she was still in Castle's arms and Martha was giving her the look that every woman learns at adolescence-the "you really need to accept this because it will make you so happy and you'll thank me in the end" look.
She's not there yet, but she's getting closer.
~~~
Castle gave her a ride home, and as they stood at the door to Beckett's apartment building, she took Castle's hand.
"I had a nice time. Thanks for having me over." She kissed him on the cheek. "We'll have to do this again sometime."
"Well, New Year's in just around the corner. Shall I be expecting you?"
"Yes. You will." She kissed him on the cheek.
Ever closer.