Castle Fic - Waiting Game, Chapter 5
Title - Waiting Game
Pairing - Castle/Becket
Rating - PG. Maybe PG 13ish
Disclaimer - Castle does not belong to me
Title - Waiting Game
Paring - Castle/Becket
Rating - PG
Disclaimer - I don't own Castle
12th precinct, STILL in the elevator, a brief recap
"I think I'm offended. Gates, kick me out? She has tried and failed, my friend." Kate's shoulders were relaxing, the anxious look fading. "But if you're worried, I'll just stay ten feet away from you at all times." He waggled his eyebrows. "We can pretend you have a restraining order out against me."
A slow smile was breaking across Kate's face, and her eyes were almost back to normal, back to her. "A restraining order is at least fifty feet, Castle."
"Hmm." He scrunched his face. "That might make it harder, but maybe you could work at your desk and I could just stay in the break room." The joke was stupid, but Kate was smiling, so Castle was counting it as a victory.
"Wait, so I'm stuck with paperwork while you get the coffee? How is that fair?"
"Oh don't worry, I'll figure out a way to get you coffee. I wouldn't let you down like that."
"No." Kate said, something in her eyes making his heart pound while his whole being was flooded with crazy anticipation and happiness and love. "I don't think you ever would."
Seconds later, 12th precinct, elevator, which by now has had time to descend into the center of the earth
Kate was a little shell shocked. The last five minutes had been an emotional maelstrom, but she thought it was over. Her heart rate was almost back to normal, even if her hands were still trembling. The panic had receded, leaving her a little tired and completely relieved.
Relief mixed with embarrassment, because she had totally lost it for a second. She carefully exhaled. She had it together now. It was going to be okay.
It was going to be okay because somehow Castle had made it okay.
Kate knew she was staring but she couldn't seem to help herself. Couldn't seem to care that her eyes were fixed on Castle with the whole of her heart spilled across her face. Love struck.
She tried to surreptitiously take deep, calming breaths without Castle noticing. Almost impossible, because he was staring back at her just as intently, the expression on his face like he had just discovered that fairytales and magic and Santa Claus and Narnia were all really true.
He had a look in his eyes like he knew a wonderful secret, the kind he couldn't wait to share. She knew that in her freak out she had revealed too much, but in this moment she couldn't care. He was looking at her, joking with her. Castle was himself and not the guy from last summer who was getting ready to walk away.
Part of her, the part that stubbornly refused to be happy, whispered that he wasn't pushing the issue again; that this was the perfect chance to find out how she felt and he was just ignoring it.
But the way he was looking at her… maybe he had already guessed.
The silence stretched out, their gazes locked.
Her heart was starting to pound, heat spreading across her face. Kate knew she should look away or she would give Castle the impression that she…
What? That she wanted him?
Kate took half a step forward, unsure. Maybe she should just…
"We've been in this elevator forever." Castle's voice was just a bit high and a touch too casual. It snapped Kate back to reality. Oookay. They were at work. Why did she keep forgetting that?
"I don't think we're moving anymore." Castle leaned up and pressed the button. The doors immediately slid opened, revealing the dim hallway that led to the zoo. Castle turned back to her, his face still lit up like he was sure there was a delightful surprise just around the corner.
"Are we going to lockup? Oh, please." Castle sucked in a breath and put his hands together like a child.
"Um," Kate paused for a second, forcing herself to focus on her job instead of her non-relationship with her non-boyfriend. Upstairs, five minutes ago that felt like a lifetime, she had decided to bring him down here for no other reason than she knew he would like it. "I thought we could look around for the ferret," she sent Castle a sideways glance, "and maybe check out the cat burglars."
This was good. This was them. She was almost back on solid footing.
"Yay!" Castle nearly skipped. "Are the clowns down here yet? I wonder if they're all in the same cell?"
Yep. Almost back to normal.
11:30 am, 12th precinct, lockup, aka not the elevator, finally
The instant they stepped into lockup Kate knew something was wrong. Instead of the usual cacophony there was complete silence, except for an odd, low- pitched...whistling?
She whirled around, grabbing Castle by the shoulders and forcing him behind the corner, so they were partially hidden in the guard alcove. That seemed to be missing its guards. Oh no.
"What? What are we doing?" His hand had automatically come up to grab her elbows when she pushed him, and he had forgotten to let go. Through her sleeves and the front of her shirt she could feel the warmth of him against her skin, and she had to work not to move closer. If just his hands on her arms affected her like this what would it be like when…
Kate ruthlessly yanked herself out of that burgeoning fantasy and pushed him back against the wall when he tried to peek his head around the corner.
"Stop it." she barely whispered. "We're hiding."
"What?" Castle's kept his voice down but his tone was mildly outraged. "This is ridiculous. We work here!" Kate pursed her lips and cocked her eyebrow. He huffed, his chest brushing hers. "Okay, you work here. You're allowed to be …"
Kate put her hand on his mouth to shush him before he gave away their hiding place, trying to ignore the warmth of his lips against her fingers.
"The guards!" she hissed into his neck, and he instantly went still, getting it. She took her hand from his mouth, her thumb accidentally stroking the full point of his lower lip, a tingling shock, and looked up. He was so close she could feel his breath with each exhale, his eyes wide and fathomless, and …
Hadn't they been in exactly this situation five minutes ago? She may have touched Castle more in the last fifteen minutes than she had in the last three and a half years. It was awesome. No! Kate squeezed her eyes shut. Focus. Must focus.
She opened her eyes and nodded at him, pressing her hands lightly against his chest to indicate he should stay put. Castle nodded back. Kate slowly backed away from him, drew her gun, eased her way around the corner…
Aaaand, Castle's hand slipped down her arm to entangle his fingers with hers as he followed her into the hall. Kate immediately reversed direction, crowding him back around the corner and up against the wall - again - their arms twisted behind his back, their hands still intertwined.
"What are you doing?"
Castle's eyes were huge. "Uh, what are you doing?"
Against her Castle was ridged, stiff. Wait! No. Horrible word choice. Shit. Kate gave herself a shake. He was trying not to move. Better. Okay. "You were supposed to stay back!"
"Then why did you tell me to come with you?"
"What? I didn't…"
"You were holding my hand."
"You were holding my hand!"
"It takes two to hold hands, Kate. Handsssss. Plural."
"I said hand…No…no, that's not…I pushed you so you would stay. You nodded you understood!"
"That? I thought you just wanted to feel my manly chest." Castle grimaced. "Sorry! Sorry, inappropriate."
Kate felt a little hitch of sadness. She missed his jokes, his ridiculous come-ons, when they weren't heavy and awkward with meaning. She missed flirting back without feeling guilty for taunting Castle with what he couldn't yet have. A small but impatient voice in the back of her mind reminded her that if she would just get over herself she could make flirty, sexy jokes with Castle all the time. Naked, if she wanted to. And she did. Wait…this wasn't focusing.
Kate turned her head so she wasn't looking at his eyes that were projecting confusion and sex and noticed the surveillance monitor mounted in the corner. Well, duh.
"Castle." She moved closer to the monitor, pulling him with her. She was still holding his hand and he had to turn completely around to avoid having his arm jerked out of the socket. He let out an oof as he smacked into the wall on the turn around.
"Oh, sorry." Kate was on her tip toes, trying to see the monitor better. Nothing was moving, and the only figures visible seemed to be stretched out across the floor. This wasn't good.
"Don't worry about it." Castle was holding his face. "It's only my nose. I don't think it's bleeding. It's not like I have a photo shoot next week or anything."
Kate turned, her attention caught. "You have a photo shoot?" She shook her head. Work. God. "No, never mind. Listen, you stay here, watch the monitor." She let go of his hand and moved to the corner, her gun at the ready. "I'm going in. If you see anything happen, don't come after me, go get back up."
"Or…" Castle's fingers were suddenly on her cheek, turning her to look at him. His face was leeched of color. "How about you stay with me and we both go get back up now? Because I'm not standing here and watching a TV screen to find out if you've been shot."
The "again" hung in the air, unspoken but furiously loud.
Kate felt the familiar stab of guilt for what she was doing to him.
"Okay." She nodded against his hand, his palm still cupping her jaw. "That's…" his eyes were haunted with all the things she never let him say, and she swallowed hard against the sudden lump in her throat. "…that's smarter. We'll…"
Castle suddenly pulled back. "Kate. Stop. The monitor"
He dropped his hand from her check and tugged on her arm, pulling her towards the corner.
"Castle, what are you doing? I don't think we can wait, we need to go get..."
"We don't. I think I know what's going on."
Her grabbed her shoulders and turned her around.
"Do you see it?"
Kate stepped closer. The image on the security monitor was grainy, but she could make out most of the people. Before there had been no movement, but now she could see something in the far corner. Something was moving outside the last cell. Something small. So small it was barely noticeable on the screen. It was weaving and bobbing…
"Is that? No...it can't be."
"It is." Castle's voice in her ear sounded a little too excited. "It's the ferret."
11:35 am, 12th precinct, hiding outside lockup, wtf
Kate whirled around to stare at Castle, who, frankly, looked thrilled. No. This...just no. Kate had a limit for the ridiculous and she was pretty sure this was it. She went to move around Castle and into the hallway.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"Castle, I have to..."
"No! You'll startle them!"
She stared at him blankly. This was crazytown. "What?"
"You'll jerk everyone awake. Just..." He carefully eased up to the corner, sneaking his head around. He watched for a second and then looked back at her, motioning her forward. "Look at this. But no loud noises."
Kate moved to the corner, unsure if Castle had finally lost it. He crouched down, still peering into the hall. He waved her up, indicating she should stand over him to see. She gingerly bent over him, gritting her teeth against the sensation of her legs against his back, his head against her hip as she leaned forward.
Kate wasn't sure what she expected to find in the hallway, but whatever it was, it wasn't this.
"This is…what is this?"
The scene before Kate was the weirdest thing she had seen so far today, and that was saying something. The occupants of every cell stretching down the hall were either prone on the floor or sitting slumped against the bars. Their eyes were opened, and they seemed caught between awareness and sleep.
The missing guards were leaning against the wall staring into the last cell, where a young woman was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor. Her cell mates were fanned out around the edges, up against the wall or the bars. No one moved, and the silence was complete but for the whistling noise Kate had noticed before.
In the middle of the hall, in front of the girl in the cell, was the ferret. Kate wasn't positive, since she wasn't a ferret expert, but she didn't think it was acting like a ferret was supposed to act. It was rooted to the spot, up on its hind legs like a merekat. It was slowly swaying back and forth, its body rippling and undulating. It reminded Kate of something.
The ferret was the only thing moving.
Kate inched back around the corner, pulling Castle with her. He stumbled as he got to his feet, falling against her, and she grabbed him around the waist to steady him.
"Castle. What the hell." Her words were muffled against his chest as he tried to right himself, his hands everywhere. Little points of heat were shooting all over her body and she was going to go insane if he didn't…
"Sorry!" He finally pulled himself off her. "It was an accident! You pulled me off balance!"
"No…not… what the hell with the ferret?"
"Oh." Castle blinked at her, his eyes not quite focused. He turned his head. "Can you hear that?"
"Castle! Oh my god!" Kate reached out and palmed his face as he had hers. "Focus! The ferret!"
Castle shook his head. "Right. Don't you see?" He gestured to the still figures on the monitor, to the dancing ferret. "They're hypnotized."
11:39 am, 12th precinct, outside lockup, seriously, wtf
"Oh!" Kate sucked in a breath, stepping closer to the monitor. "They are!" Everyone in a stupor, the silence, it made sense now. Castle was a genius. "But how?"
Castle's arm appeared by her head, pointing at the screen. "It has to be that girl in the last cell; she's the only one awake."
Kate examined the girl on the screen. It was hard to see over the monitor, but she seemed to be dressed in some sort of harem outfit. She squinted, unable to get a clear view. She turned towards the hall. "It's too grainy. I can't see. I need to…"
Castle stepped in front of her, digging in his pocket, pulling out his wallet. "Wait." He removed a flat piece of shiny plastic shaped like a miniature frying pan and handed it to her. "Use this."
Kate frowned. "Is this a mirror?"
"Yes!" he sounded excited. "It's a flexible wallet mirror! Cool, huh? It's from Estonia."
Kate torqued her eyebrow. "Why do you have this?"
Castle stared at her. "In case I ever need to see around a corner without being seen." The "duh" was unspoken but implied.
Obviously. This was Castle. Kate sidled up to wall, carefully easing the mirror out. She had a clear view of the girl. She was wearing a harem outfit.
She turned to Castle, whispering. "Look at her clothes. She's with the cat burglar circus crime ring."
Castle almost squealed. "I bet she's a side show attraction! She's a hypnotist!"
"Yeah but…how did she hypnotize everyone? And what is she doing to the ferret?" Kate was reexamining the scene in the mirror when suddenly his face was right there, his cheek against hers. She almost dropped the mirror. "What are you doing?"
"Shh." His whole body was against her back, their faces nestled together. "I'm trying to see."
Kate swallowed and tried not to move because his lips were right there. Focus. She stared at the ferret, which was still swaying, almost like a…
"Esposito's right." Castle's voice rumbled against her, sending shots of need through her body and making it hard to catch her breath. "It does look like a cobra."
In a flash Kate understood, and turned so quickly that her lips actually grazed his, his arms automatically circling her for an instant before he jumped back, one hand to his mouth.
"Sorry!" Kate reached out to touch him before jerking her hand back. It was a shock…the brief feeling of his lips lingered; she was going to feel it for days. "I'm really…"
"Nooo." Castle still had his hand over his mouth, his eyes enormous. "Don't be sorry."
"Okay, but…"Kate took a breath, tried to pull it together. Foooocus. "Castle, that's it."
"What's it?" He still sounded dazed.
"The ferret's like a cobra! The whistling noise!"
Castle dropped his hand, comprehension breaking in his eyes. His mouth dropped opened in excited awareness.
"She's a snake charmer!"
"Her pipe was confiscated, so she's whistling!"
Castle fisted his hands in excitement. "This is the best case ever!" He was almost jumping. "I'm so jealous that Robbery gets it. Why couldn't they have been a murdering cat burglar circus crime ring?"
Kate put her hand up to stop him. "Okay, she's a snake charmer; we just go in and stop her."
Castle stilled, looked appalled. "But don't you want to know why she hypnotized everybody?"
Just then Kate's gaze was caught by movement on the screen. Three of the girls in the same cell had broken away from the wall and were creeping towards the bars. One of them opened her hand and something - a rope? - flew out and lightly hit the guard, falling to the floor. The girl quickly reeled it in, then flung it out again.
Castle's hand was on her shoulder, bouncing, like he was jumping up and down behind her. "Kate! That's why! It's like that episode of the Brady Bunch!"
Kate gasped. "They're trying to get the keys off the guard!"
They turned to each other, their faces inches apart.
"They're trying for a jail break!"
"No" Castle's eyes were wide and delighted, his smile thrilled, "Not a jail break." His eyebrows quirked up. "A disappearing act."
Kate laughed. She couldn't help it. She just really, really loved him.
11:45 am, 12th precinct, lock up, the best laid plans...
Later, Kate would wonder why she thought it would be easy. Clearly, she had forgotten the day she was having.
She rounded the corner, stepping into the hallway, Castle behind her. Her gun was raised, but seriously, what was going to happen? It was a girl whistling.
"Freeze!" Her voice echoed off the walls, especially loud in the unnatural silence. The whistling abruptly ceased as the snake charmer leapt to her feet in surprise. Almost immediately the occupants of the zoo started stirring, the spell broken by Kate's shout.
The three girls throwing the rope froze.
Castle took a step closer and she thought she felt his hand feather against her hip before it dropped away.
"Is that…" he sounded incredulous "Is that their underwear?"
Kate squinted at the rope lying across the hall. Yes. Yes it was. A rope made of underwear knotted together, long enough that it must have included every pair panties available in holding. Sure. Why the hell not?
"I'll just…" Castle's voice was strangled with suppressed laughter. "I'll just grab that." He went to step past her right as everything happened at once.
The guards, who had been slowly standing, blinking in confusion, suddenly sprang into action. One of them grabbed for the underwear chain, but missed. The other, obviously still confused, and startled by Castle's sudden movement in his direction, drew his gun.
"Freeze! Not a step closer!"
"Whoa!" Castle jumped back, his hands in the air.
"Officer!" Kate knew her eyes were wild with disbelief. That was just what today needed; Castle getting shot by friendly fire. "Stand down!"
"Detective Beckett?" The guy was still half out of it, his gun waving dangerously. "What's going on?"
Kate eased forward, trying not to spook him. "You have a situati…"
She got no further. At that moment the snake charmer sent Kate and wild-eyed look, sucked in a huge breath and started singing, a low unearthly wail.
Half of the people who had been slowly getting to their feet slumped back to the floor, including one of the guards.
The snake charmer's cohorts, three girls who Kate now recognized as the original cat burglars she'd seen this morning, once again threw out their underwear chain, aiming for the guard on the ground. Some sort of hook was tied to the last pair of panties.
Kate narrowed her eyes. It was the damn cat ear headband. Of course it was.
"Castle!" Kate trained her gun back and forth, trying to cover both the hypnotist girl and the shaky guard. "The girls! Get their underwear!"
Kate cringed before the words were out of her mouth, because Castle was going to have a field day with that one, but there was no answer. She whirled around to find him unresponsive, his eyes glazed over, swaying on his feet.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Castle would get himself hypnotized. Kate reached up to smack some sense into him when his unconscious balance failed him and he started to crumple. She could see it happening, like it was in slow motion, and put up both hands to stop him.
But she underestimated the force she needed to catch him, his dead weight knocking her off her feet. The room tilted and spun and then he was taking her down with him, a tangle of arms and legs as she struggled to right them even as they were falling.
Her gun slipped in her fingers and flew out of her hand.
She threw her arm out, reaching for it, somehow flipping them so that Castle landed first. His head struck the floor with a crack that would have scared the shit of her, if she could have heard it over the sound of her gun going off as it hit the floor.
Screams. Deafening screams as the whole hall erupted in panic.
11:52 am, 12th precinct, lockup, AHHHH
"Castle!" Kate could barely hear her own voice, her ears muffled by the gun shot. Even so, she could practically feel the din around her, as everyone in lockup was yanked out of their hypnotic stupor by the gun fire.
Except for Castle, who lay still, his eyes closed.
Kate had a sick feeling in her stomach that had nothing to do with her own fall as she struggled to get up, to get out from under him. Sometimes she forgot what a big man he was, tall and broad, but right now, unable to pry her leg from under his hip, his dead weight pinning her to the floor, he seemed to dwarf her completely.
He cracked his head when he fell…
"Castle!" she shouted again, her voice oddly sob-like. She twisted around, managing to move her leg enough that she could pull herself over his chest, reach his face, just as his eyes popped open.
"Kate?" He started struggling to get upright as she gasped in a shuddering breath of relief. "What happened?"
He was trying to stand up, but somehow she was both under him and on top of him, and he was trying to help her and, oh god, his hands were everywhere…one slipped up the back of her shirt, sliding against her bare skin, and just that was enough to make her jump, desire darting through her. She leapt back, disentangling herself all at once.
Kate could hear one of the guards calling for backup ("shots fired! "), but the other was still on the floor. In the chaos the cat girls were still trying for the key…and some random guy to her right was reaching through the bars, his fingers almost touching her gun, lying where it had fallen on the floor.
She dove for it, landing hard on her elbow, her fingers closing around the gun a millisecond before the guy reached it, shouting to Castle as she hit the ground.
"Get the underwear!"
Castle pointed at her. "Still on that. Okay!" He darted forward, nearly tripping over the ferret, which darted out of nowhere.
Out of the corner of her eye Kate could see the collapsed guard sitting up, shaking his head. The random guy tried to grab her wrist and she smashed the butt of her gun into his hand. Amazingly, over his screams she could still hear the singing, although it was a futile effort. No one could possibly stay hypnotized in this racket.
Castle went down. Instantly he popped back up, triumphantly holding the underwear chain aloft. "I have the panties! You get the ferret!"
Kate stood up clutching her gun and blew her hair out of her face. She looked at Castle, so adorable, and the words, the perfect response, flew out before she could stop herself. "And I'll meet you back in the bedroom?"
She could tell the guards were staring at her, scandalized, and she was going to hear about this for weeks, but the look on Castle's face was totally worth it.
Pairing - Castle/Becket
Rating - PG. Maybe PG 13ish
Disclaimer - Castle does not belong to me
Title - Waiting Game
Paring - Castle/Becket
Rating - PG
Disclaimer - I don't own Castle
12th precinct, STILL in the elevator, a brief recap
"I think I'm offended. Gates, kick me out? She has tried and failed, my friend." Kate's shoulders were relaxing, the anxious look fading. "But if you're worried, I'll just stay ten feet away from you at all times." He waggled his eyebrows. "We can pretend you have a restraining order out against me."
A slow smile was breaking across Kate's face, and her eyes were almost back to normal, back to her. "A restraining order is at least fifty feet, Castle."
"Hmm." He scrunched his face. "That might make it harder, but maybe you could work at your desk and I could just stay in the break room." The joke was stupid, but Kate was smiling, so Castle was counting it as a victory.
"Wait, so I'm stuck with paperwork while you get the coffee? How is that fair?"
"Oh don't worry, I'll figure out a way to get you coffee. I wouldn't let you down like that."
"No." Kate said, something in her eyes making his heart pound while his whole being was flooded with crazy anticipation and happiness and love. "I don't think you ever would."
Seconds later, 12th precinct, elevator, which by now has had time to descend into the center of the earth
Kate was a little shell shocked. The last five minutes had been an emotional maelstrom, but she thought it was over. Her heart rate was almost back to normal, even if her hands were still trembling. The panic had receded, leaving her a little tired and completely relieved.
Relief mixed with embarrassment, because she had totally lost it for a second. She carefully exhaled. She had it together now. It was going to be okay.
It was going to be okay because somehow Castle had made it okay.
Kate knew she was staring but she couldn't seem to help herself. Couldn't seem to care that her eyes were fixed on Castle with the whole of her heart spilled across her face. Love struck.
She tried to surreptitiously take deep, calming breaths without Castle noticing. Almost impossible, because he was staring back at her just as intently, the expression on his face like he had just discovered that fairytales and magic and Santa Claus and Narnia were all really true.
He had a look in his eyes like he knew a wonderful secret, the kind he couldn't wait to share. She knew that in her freak out she had revealed too much, but in this moment she couldn't care. He was looking at her, joking with her. Castle was himself and not the guy from last summer who was getting ready to walk away.
Part of her, the part that stubbornly refused to be happy, whispered that he wasn't pushing the issue again; that this was the perfect chance to find out how she felt and he was just ignoring it.
But the way he was looking at her… maybe he had already guessed.
The silence stretched out, their gazes locked.
Her heart was starting to pound, heat spreading across her face. Kate knew she should look away or she would give Castle the impression that she…
What? That she wanted him?
Kate took half a step forward, unsure. Maybe she should just…
"We've been in this elevator forever." Castle's voice was just a bit high and a touch too casual. It snapped Kate back to reality. Oookay. They were at work. Why did she keep forgetting that?
"I don't think we're moving anymore." Castle leaned up and pressed the button. The doors immediately slid opened, revealing the dim hallway that led to the zoo. Castle turned back to her, his face still lit up like he was sure there was a delightful surprise just around the corner.
"Are we going to lockup? Oh, please." Castle sucked in a breath and put his hands together like a child.
"Um," Kate paused for a second, forcing herself to focus on her job instead of her non-relationship with her non-boyfriend. Upstairs, five minutes ago that felt like a lifetime, she had decided to bring him down here for no other reason than she knew he would like it. "I thought we could look around for the ferret," she sent Castle a sideways glance, "and maybe check out the cat burglars."
This was good. This was them. She was almost back on solid footing.
"Yay!" Castle nearly skipped. "Are the clowns down here yet? I wonder if they're all in the same cell?"
Yep. Almost back to normal.
11:30 am, 12th precinct, lockup, aka not the elevator, finally
The instant they stepped into lockup Kate knew something was wrong. Instead of the usual cacophony there was complete silence, except for an odd, low- pitched...whistling?
She whirled around, grabbing Castle by the shoulders and forcing him behind the corner, so they were partially hidden in the guard alcove. That seemed to be missing its guards. Oh no.
"What? What are we doing?" His hand had automatically come up to grab her elbows when she pushed him, and he had forgotten to let go. Through her sleeves and the front of her shirt she could feel the warmth of him against her skin, and she had to work not to move closer. If just his hands on her arms affected her like this what would it be like when…
Kate ruthlessly yanked herself out of that burgeoning fantasy and pushed him back against the wall when he tried to peek his head around the corner.
"Stop it." she barely whispered. "We're hiding."
"What?" Castle's kept his voice down but his tone was mildly outraged. "This is ridiculous. We work here!" Kate pursed her lips and cocked her eyebrow. He huffed, his chest brushing hers. "Okay, you work here. You're allowed to be …"
Kate put her hand on his mouth to shush him before he gave away their hiding place, trying to ignore the warmth of his lips against her fingers.
"The guards!" she hissed into his neck, and he instantly went still, getting it. She took her hand from his mouth, her thumb accidentally stroking the full point of his lower lip, a tingling shock, and looked up. He was so close she could feel his breath with each exhale, his eyes wide and fathomless, and …
Hadn't they been in exactly this situation five minutes ago? She may have touched Castle more in the last fifteen minutes than she had in the last three and a half years. It was awesome. No! Kate squeezed her eyes shut. Focus. Must focus.
She opened her eyes and nodded at him, pressing her hands lightly against his chest to indicate he should stay put. Castle nodded back. Kate slowly backed away from him, drew her gun, eased her way around the corner…
Aaaand, Castle's hand slipped down her arm to entangle his fingers with hers as he followed her into the hall. Kate immediately reversed direction, crowding him back around the corner and up against the wall - again - their arms twisted behind his back, their hands still intertwined.
"What are you doing?"
Castle's eyes were huge. "Uh, what are you doing?"
Against her Castle was ridged, stiff. Wait! No. Horrible word choice. Shit. Kate gave herself a shake. He was trying not to move. Better. Okay. "You were supposed to stay back!"
"Then why did you tell me to come with you?"
"What? I didn't…"
"You were holding my hand."
"You were holding my hand!"
"It takes two to hold hands, Kate. Handsssss. Plural."
"I said hand…No…no, that's not…I pushed you so you would stay. You nodded you understood!"
"That? I thought you just wanted to feel my manly chest." Castle grimaced. "Sorry! Sorry, inappropriate."
Kate felt a little hitch of sadness. She missed his jokes, his ridiculous come-ons, when they weren't heavy and awkward with meaning. She missed flirting back without feeling guilty for taunting Castle with what he couldn't yet have. A small but impatient voice in the back of her mind reminded her that if she would just get over herself she could make flirty, sexy jokes with Castle all the time. Naked, if she wanted to. And she did. Wait…this wasn't focusing.
Kate turned her head so she wasn't looking at his eyes that were projecting confusion and sex and noticed the surveillance monitor mounted in the corner. Well, duh.
"Castle." She moved closer to the monitor, pulling him with her. She was still holding his hand and he had to turn completely around to avoid having his arm jerked out of the socket. He let out an oof as he smacked into the wall on the turn around.
"Oh, sorry." Kate was on her tip toes, trying to see the monitor better. Nothing was moving, and the only figures visible seemed to be stretched out across the floor. This wasn't good.
"Don't worry about it." Castle was holding his face. "It's only my nose. I don't think it's bleeding. It's not like I have a photo shoot next week or anything."
Kate turned, her attention caught. "You have a photo shoot?" She shook her head. Work. God. "No, never mind. Listen, you stay here, watch the monitor." She let go of his hand and moved to the corner, her gun at the ready. "I'm going in. If you see anything happen, don't come after me, go get back up."
"Or…" Castle's fingers were suddenly on her cheek, turning her to look at him. His face was leeched of color. "How about you stay with me and we both go get back up now? Because I'm not standing here and watching a TV screen to find out if you've been shot."
The "again" hung in the air, unspoken but furiously loud.
Kate felt the familiar stab of guilt for what she was doing to him.
"Okay." She nodded against his hand, his palm still cupping her jaw. "That's…" his eyes were haunted with all the things she never let him say, and she swallowed hard against the sudden lump in her throat. "…that's smarter. We'll…"
Castle suddenly pulled back. "Kate. Stop. The monitor"
He dropped his hand from her check and tugged on her arm, pulling her towards the corner.
"Castle, what are you doing? I don't think we can wait, we need to go get..."
"We don't. I think I know what's going on."
Her grabbed her shoulders and turned her around.
"Do you see it?"
Kate stepped closer. The image on the security monitor was grainy, but she could make out most of the people. Before there had been no movement, but now she could see something in the far corner. Something was moving outside the last cell. Something small. So small it was barely noticeable on the screen. It was weaving and bobbing…
"Is that? No...it can't be."
"It is." Castle's voice in her ear sounded a little too excited. "It's the ferret."
11:35 am, 12th precinct, hiding outside lockup, wtf
Kate whirled around to stare at Castle, who, frankly, looked thrilled. No. This...just no. Kate had a limit for the ridiculous and she was pretty sure this was it. She went to move around Castle and into the hallway.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"Castle, I have to..."
"No! You'll startle them!"
She stared at him blankly. This was crazytown. "What?"
"You'll jerk everyone awake. Just..." He carefully eased up to the corner, sneaking his head around. He watched for a second and then looked back at her, motioning her forward. "Look at this. But no loud noises."
Kate moved to the corner, unsure if Castle had finally lost it. He crouched down, still peering into the hall. He waved her up, indicating she should stand over him to see. She gingerly bent over him, gritting her teeth against the sensation of her legs against his back, his head against her hip as she leaned forward.
Kate wasn't sure what she expected to find in the hallway, but whatever it was, it wasn't this.
"This is…what is this?"
The scene before Kate was the weirdest thing she had seen so far today, and that was saying something. The occupants of every cell stretching down the hall were either prone on the floor or sitting slumped against the bars. Their eyes were opened, and they seemed caught between awareness and sleep.
The missing guards were leaning against the wall staring into the last cell, where a young woman was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor. Her cell mates were fanned out around the edges, up against the wall or the bars. No one moved, and the silence was complete but for the whistling noise Kate had noticed before.
In the middle of the hall, in front of the girl in the cell, was the ferret. Kate wasn't positive, since she wasn't a ferret expert, but she didn't think it was acting like a ferret was supposed to act. It was rooted to the spot, up on its hind legs like a merekat. It was slowly swaying back and forth, its body rippling and undulating. It reminded Kate of something.
The ferret was the only thing moving.
Kate inched back around the corner, pulling Castle with her. He stumbled as he got to his feet, falling against her, and she grabbed him around the waist to steady him.
"Castle. What the hell." Her words were muffled against his chest as he tried to right himself, his hands everywhere. Little points of heat were shooting all over her body and she was going to go insane if he didn't…
"Sorry!" He finally pulled himself off her. "It was an accident! You pulled me off balance!"
"No…not… what the hell with the ferret?"
"Oh." Castle blinked at her, his eyes not quite focused. He turned his head. "Can you hear that?"
"Castle! Oh my god!" Kate reached out and palmed his face as he had hers. "Focus! The ferret!"
Castle shook his head. "Right. Don't you see?" He gestured to the still figures on the monitor, to the dancing ferret. "They're hypnotized."
11:39 am, 12th precinct, outside lockup, seriously, wtf
"Oh!" Kate sucked in a breath, stepping closer to the monitor. "They are!" Everyone in a stupor, the silence, it made sense now. Castle was a genius. "But how?"
Castle's arm appeared by her head, pointing at the screen. "It has to be that girl in the last cell; she's the only one awake."
Kate examined the girl on the screen. It was hard to see over the monitor, but she seemed to be dressed in some sort of harem outfit. She squinted, unable to get a clear view. She turned towards the hall. "It's too grainy. I can't see. I need to…"
Castle stepped in front of her, digging in his pocket, pulling out his wallet. "Wait." He removed a flat piece of shiny plastic shaped like a miniature frying pan and handed it to her. "Use this."
Kate frowned. "Is this a mirror?"
"Yes!" he sounded excited. "It's a flexible wallet mirror! Cool, huh? It's from Estonia."
Kate torqued her eyebrow. "Why do you have this?"
Castle stared at her. "In case I ever need to see around a corner without being seen." The "duh" was unspoken but implied.
Obviously. This was Castle. Kate sidled up to wall, carefully easing the mirror out. She had a clear view of the girl. She was wearing a harem outfit.
She turned to Castle, whispering. "Look at her clothes. She's with the cat burglar circus crime ring."
Castle almost squealed. "I bet she's a side show attraction! She's a hypnotist!"
"Yeah but…how did she hypnotize everyone? And what is she doing to the ferret?" Kate was reexamining the scene in the mirror when suddenly his face was right there, his cheek against hers. She almost dropped the mirror. "What are you doing?"
"Shh." His whole body was against her back, their faces nestled together. "I'm trying to see."
Kate swallowed and tried not to move because his lips were right there. Focus. She stared at the ferret, which was still swaying, almost like a…
"Esposito's right." Castle's voice rumbled against her, sending shots of need through her body and making it hard to catch her breath. "It does look like a cobra."
In a flash Kate understood, and turned so quickly that her lips actually grazed his, his arms automatically circling her for an instant before he jumped back, one hand to his mouth.
"Sorry!" Kate reached out to touch him before jerking her hand back. It was a shock…the brief feeling of his lips lingered; she was going to feel it for days. "I'm really…"
"Nooo." Castle still had his hand over his mouth, his eyes enormous. "Don't be sorry."
"Okay, but…"Kate took a breath, tried to pull it together. Foooocus. "Castle, that's it."
"What's it?" He still sounded dazed.
"The ferret's like a cobra! The whistling noise!"
Castle dropped his hand, comprehension breaking in his eyes. His mouth dropped opened in excited awareness.
"She's a snake charmer!"
"Her pipe was confiscated, so she's whistling!"
Castle fisted his hands in excitement. "This is the best case ever!" He was almost jumping. "I'm so jealous that Robbery gets it. Why couldn't they have been a murdering cat burglar circus crime ring?"
Kate put her hand up to stop him. "Okay, she's a snake charmer; we just go in and stop her."
Castle stilled, looked appalled. "But don't you want to know why she hypnotized everybody?"
Just then Kate's gaze was caught by movement on the screen. Three of the girls in the same cell had broken away from the wall and were creeping towards the bars. One of them opened her hand and something - a rope? - flew out and lightly hit the guard, falling to the floor. The girl quickly reeled it in, then flung it out again.
Castle's hand was on her shoulder, bouncing, like he was jumping up and down behind her. "Kate! That's why! It's like that episode of the Brady Bunch!"
Kate gasped. "They're trying to get the keys off the guard!"
They turned to each other, their faces inches apart.
"They're trying for a jail break!"
"No" Castle's eyes were wide and delighted, his smile thrilled, "Not a jail break." His eyebrows quirked up. "A disappearing act."
Kate laughed. She couldn't help it. She just really, really loved him.
11:45 am, 12th precinct, lock up, the best laid plans...
Later, Kate would wonder why she thought it would be easy. Clearly, she had forgotten the day she was having.
She rounded the corner, stepping into the hallway, Castle behind her. Her gun was raised, but seriously, what was going to happen? It was a girl whistling.
"Freeze!" Her voice echoed off the walls, especially loud in the unnatural silence. The whistling abruptly ceased as the snake charmer leapt to her feet in surprise. Almost immediately the occupants of the zoo started stirring, the spell broken by Kate's shout.
The three girls throwing the rope froze.
Castle took a step closer and she thought she felt his hand feather against her hip before it dropped away.
"Is that…" he sounded incredulous "Is that their underwear?"
Kate squinted at the rope lying across the hall. Yes. Yes it was. A rope made of underwear knotted together, long enough that it must have included every pair panties available in holding. Sure. Why the hell not?
"I'll just…" Castle's voice was strangled with suppressed laughter. "I'll just grab that." He went to step past her right as everything happened at once.
The guards, who had been slowly standing, blinking in confusion, suddenly sprang into action. One of them grabbed for the underwear chain, but missed. The other, obviously still confused, and startled by Castle's sudden movement in his direction, drew his gun.
"Freeze! Not a step closer!"
"Whoa!" Castle jumped back, his hands in the air.
"Officer!" Kate knew her eyes were wild with disbelief. That was just what today needed; Castle getting shot by friendly fire. "Stand down!"
"Detective Beckett?" The guy was still half out of it, his gun waving dangerously. "What's going on?"
Kate eased forward, trying not to spook him. "You have a situati…"
She got no further. At that moment the snake charmer sent Kate and wild-eyed look, sucked in a huge breath and started singing, a low unearthly wail.
Half of the people who had been slowly getting to their feet slumped back to the floor, including one of the guards.
The snake charmer's cohorts, three girls who Kate now recognized as the original cat burglars she'd seen this morning, once again threw out their underwear chain, aiming for the guard on the ground. Some sort of hook was tied to the last pair of panties.
Kate narrowed her eyes. It was the damn cat ear headband. Of course it was.
"Castle!" Kate trained her gun back and forth, trying to cover both the hypnotist girl and the shaky guard. "The girls! Get their underwear!"
Kate cringed before the words were out of her mouth, because Castle was going to have a field day with that one, but there was no answer. She whirled around to find him unresponsive, his eyes glazed over, swaying on his feet.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Castle would get himself hypnotized. Kate reached up to smack some sense into him when his unconscious balance failed him and he started to crumple. She could see it happening, like it was in slow motion, and put up both hands to stop him.
But she underestimated the force she needed to catch him, his dead weight knocking her off her feet. The room tilted and spun and then he was taking her down with him, a tangle of arms and legs as she struggled to right them even as they were falling.
Her gun slipped in her fingers and flew out of her hand.
She threw her arm out, reaching for it, somehow flipping them so that Castle landed first. His head struck the floor with a crack that would have scared the shit of her, if she could have heard it over the sound of her gun going off as it hit the floor.
Screams. Deafening screams as the whole hall erupted in panic.
11:52 am, 12th precinct, lockup, AHHHH
"Castle!" Kate could barely hear her own voice, her ears muffled by the gun shot. Even so, she could practically feel the din around her, as everyone in lockup was yanked out of their hypnotic stupor by the gun fire.
Except for Castle, who lay still, his eyes closed.
Kate had a sick feeling in her stomach that had nothing to do with her own fall as she struggled to get up, to get out from under him. Sometimes she forgot what a big man he was, tall and broad, but right now, unable to pry her leg from under his hip, his dead weight pinning her to the floor, he seemed to dwarf her completely.
He cracked his head when he fell…
"Castle!" she shouted again, her voice oddly sob-like. She twisted around, managing to move her leg enough that she could pull herself over his chest, reach his face, just as his eyes popped open.
"Kate?" He started struggling to get upright as she gasped in a shuddering breath of relief. "What happened?"
He was trying to stand up, but somehow she was both under him and on top of him, and he was trying to help her and, oh god, his hands were everywhere…one slipped up the back of her shirt, sliding against her bare skin, and just that was enough to make her jump, desire darting through her. She leapt back, disentangling herself all at once.
Kate could hear one of the guards calling for backup ("shots fired! "), but the other was still on the floor. In the chaos the cat girls were still trying for the key…and some random guy to her right was reaching through the bars, his fingers almost touching her gun, lying where it had fallen on the floor.
She dove for it, landing hard on her elbow, her fingers closing around the gun a millisecond before the guy reached it, shouting to Castle as she hit the ground.
"Get the underwear!"
Castle pointed at her. "Still on that. Okay!" He darted forward, nearly tripping over the ferret, which darted out of nowhere.
Out of the corner of her eye Kate could see the collapsed guard sitting up, shaking his head. The random guy tried to grab her wrist and she smashed the butt of her gun into his hand. Amazingly, over his screams she could still hear the singing, although it was a futile effort. No one could possibly stay hypnotized in this racket.
Castle went down. Instantly he popped back up, triumphantly holding the underwear chain aloft. "I have the panties! You get the ferret!"
Kate stood up clutching her gun and blew her hair out of her face. She looked at Castle, so adorable, and the words, the perfect response, flew out before she could stop herself. "And I'll meet you back in the bedroom?"
She could tell the guards were staring at her, scandalized, and she was going to hear about this for weeks, but the look on Castle's face was totally worth it.