"Follows Your Dreams" -- Chapter 2
Title: Follow Your Dreams
Characters/Pairings: Beckett/Castle
Word Count: 1,817
Spoiler alert: "To Live and Die in L.A." and everything before it. -- I wrote this just before season 4 started.
Summary: Katherine Beckett has a game plan. And the prize? Richard Castle.
Author's Notes: This is super fluffy. Usually, I'm more of an angst-with-a-happy-ending type of writer/reader, but this was begging me to write it. I got the idea for this story from the YouTube videos that people create with video clip collages of Caskett. I didn't take the idea from any one specific video, I was just inspired by them in general. I hope you like this! Also, there is no Josh. He does not exist in this world. Thanks to sparkles_mouse for beta-reading!
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Beckett sat on the edge of her desk, staring at the murder board. Her mind turned the pieces of the puzzle over and over in her head, trying to make them fit together. They were really close to closing this one, she could feel it. The answer was just out of her reach. She needed Castle to help her, to spin theories with her, and she glanced quickly at her watch, wondering when he was going to arrive. She glanced toward the elevators.
And then the smell of fresh coffee drifted over her and a tingling awareness crept up the back of her neck.
“Looking for me, Detective?” His voice came from behind her, and she turned to find her usual morning cup of coffee dangling from his hand a few inches away.
She took the coffee, then looked up at him from beneath her lashes and rewarded him with a slow, warm smile. “Good morning, Castle.”
His eyes widened, but he recovered quickly. “It must be.”
She raised an eyebrow at him as she took the first delicious sip of coffee. He always got her the best coffee. “Why?”
“You don’t usually smile like that in the morning. At least not until I get your coffee and breakfast into you.”
“Oh?”
He smiled. “I get paid to watch you, Detective. I’m very observant.”
Her lips twitched and she let the sexy smirk show. “I’ve noticed.” She slowly let her tongue run along her top lip, swiping the leftover coffee into her mouth.
This time his eyes widened almost comically and his mouth popped open. “Uhh-“ he stuttered.
She grinned then and turned back to the murder board. “Oh, Castle, you are so easy.”
Despite his shock, his witty reply was quick. “Not usually, but I can be. All you have to do is ask, Beckett.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and then looked completely dumbfounded when she only smirked at him once more.
“I’ll make a note of that.”
Castle plopped down onto the desk beside her and wiped pretend sweat from his brow. “Whew!”
She laughed. “You’re having a hard time keeping up this morning, Castle.”
“Who are you and what did you do with Kate Beckett?”
She laughed again, and then caught him staring at her, a little slack-jawed with something that looked very much like lust shining in his eyes. It made heat curl through her to see him looking at her that way.
She leaned forward and patted his knee. Her voice lowered to a husky drawl. “Don’t worry, Ricky, I’m still me.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and clutched at his heart. “Apples! You’re killing me, Beckett. Killing me. Show some mercy, please. I’m begging you.”
She chuckled and leaned back, deciding to cut him some slack. For now. She’d had her fun and now she wanted to solve this case so she could put the rest of her game plan in motion.
“Okay, Castle, help me put this puzzle together. We’re going to solve this today. I can feel it.”
He turned to look at the murder board, his mind zooming away from her and onto the details in front of him. He lifted a hand and rested his chin against it. “There’s something missing from the timeline.”
She nodded, her mind refocusing. “That’s what I thought, too,” she said, and they started tossing theories at each other, trying to find the missing pieces.
----------------------------------------------------
By the time they had finished their lunches, sitting at her desk in the bullpen, Castle was ready to explode. Beckett was driving him crazy. Absolutely bonkers.
Every time he turned around, she was right there, brushing up against him. At first he had apologized, thinking he was being his ordinary, clumsy self. But it kept happening. Under normal circumstances, Kate would be ready to shove him, irritated by his proximity. But every time, her face remained blank, like she hadn’t even noticed the touching of their bodies had happened.
How could she not notice? Every time they touched, his skin lit on fire. The feel of her hand on his forearm. The bump of her hip against his. The graze of her breast as she leaned over him to reach for something.
God, he was not going to survive this.
He reached for his empty plate, just as she did the same. Their hands bumped into each other and he snatched his back, breaking the contact.
She quirked her eyebrows at him as she tossed their empty plates into the trash can beside her desk. “What’s the matter, Castle?”
“Nothing.” He grit out through his clenched teeth.
This time her eyebrows furrowed. “Doesn’t look like nothing.” Her head tilted to the side.
It was his turn to frown. “Seriously, Beckett, what’s gotten in to you?”
Her eyes widened slightly, feigning innocence. “What are you talking about, Castle?”
He pressed his lips together, trying to keep the words inside. No such luck. “You’re driving me insane.”
There, just the tiniest curve of her lips at the corner. His eyes narrowed. She was doing it on purpose. He knew it. But why? His mind turned this new puzzle over and over in his head.
“Maybe you are insane, Castle. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He pursed his lips as he considered her. “Uh-huh.”
She studied him for a moment, that slight curve still there on her lips. Then she shrugged. “Ohh-kay, Castle. Try to focus, all right? I want to solve this case before end of shift.”
End of shift? His mind snapped like a rubberband. “End of shift, Beckett!”
“What?” She turned to him, confused now.
“The brother! He said he got off work at the end of shift, and we assumed he meant at closing time. But he meant the end of his shift. I bet if we double check, his shift ended a few hours before closing time and he would have had plenty of time to kill his brother, then get to the bar for drinks with his buddies.”
“Yes!” Kate’s face was excited. “You’re a genius, Castle. I could kiss you!” She stood up and grabbed her jacket. He was frozen in his seat.
“You coming?” she asked as she started walking away.
Oh God. His mind went to a really dirty place. He nearly groaned with it. She really was going to be the death of him.
He got up slowly, glad that he had broken the case wide open. Maybe now she would focus more on closing it then torturing him. If he had any luck at all…
----------------------------------------------------
Kate was thrilled with the day’s progress. Everything was going according to plan. She loved when that happened. And the best part of it all? Castle was completely stumped by her good mood and if his reaction to her earlier was any indication, totally aroused.
He was right where she wanted him.
After pulling their victim’s brother into the interrogation room at the precinct, Beckett had gone at him like a bulldog with a bone. She wanted this closed. They had their guy; all they needed was a confession.
It took her less than twenty minutes to get what she needed. It took them less than twenty minutes, she amended. Castle had done good in there, despite his earlier distraction.
And she told him so as they walked toward her desk.
“We rock.” Beckett stated, smiling over at Castle. She lifted her hand for a high five.
He glanced at her in surprise. “What?”
“We make a helluva team, Castle.”
He smiled and slapped his hand against her palm. “We do, don’t we?”
“We should celebrate.”
“What?” he asked again, that dumb look back on his face.
“We closed the case. We’re going to get out of here at a decent time. I think we should celebrate.”
“Like, after work?” he asked.
She chuckled. “Yes. Like once I finish the paperwork. What do you say?”
He hesitated. She frowned. Normally he was dying to spend time with her away from the precinct. Had she really thrown him so far off his game today that he was actually contemplating turning her down just to get away from her?
He must have seen something in her eyes, because he smiled quickly. “Sure, Beckett. Sounds like a plan.”
“Dinner. My place. I’ll cook.”
“What?”
“You’re starting to sound like a broken record, Castle. Pick your jaw up off the floor, will ya?”
“You’re just… Something’s going on with you today, Beckett.”
She smiled sweetly at him and decided to let him off the hook for a moment. “I know.” She watched his eyes widen. “We’ll talk at dinner, okay? Be at my apartment at-“ She glanced at her watch, “Eight? Sound okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, sounds good.” He grinned at her. “You’re not all happy go lucky today because you have plans to poison me and get rid of me once and for all, are you? Because I’ve seen the inside your refrigerator before, Beckett, and you never cook, so I can’t help but think that you’re hatching some nefarious plot to get me out of your hair.”
She smirked at him. “It’s nothing like that, Castle. And when it comes to cooking… I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I’m trembling with anticipation.”
She chuckled. “I bet.”
“I’m going to head home, then, but I’ll see you at eight?”
“Leaving me to finish up the paperwork again, I see.” She shook her head. “The perils of having a civilian for a partner.” Her voice held humor, not annoyance.
He grinned. “You love it.” He grabbed his suit jacket and slipped it on. “See you in a bit.”
She nodded at him and waited until he was almost out of ear shot. “Oh, and Castle?”
He turned back around. “Bring a bottle of wine.”
His eyes widened again and she could see his Adam’s apple bob up and down from all the way across the room. He only nodded. “Uh-huh.”
She sat down at her desk, turning her back to him to finish up the paperwork. When she heard the elevator doors close behind him, she let herself grin.
A few feet away she heard someone clearing their throat. She looked up to see Ryan and Esposito staring at her. She narrowed her eyes at them.
“Shut up,” she said, even though neither man had said a word.
“Beckett and Castle, sitting in a tree…“ Ryan sang softly under his breath.
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G…” Esposito finished.
Beckett threw pens at their heads, missing them both as they ducked. She couldn’t help it, she chuckled under her breath. Nothing was going to bring her down today.
She lifted her phone to text Lanie. If she heard about this from Esposito and not Kate herself, there would be hell to pay. Kate couldn’t wait for her friend’s reaction.
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Characters/Pairings: Beckett/Castle
Word Count: 1,817
Spoiler alert: "To Live and Die in L.A." and everything before it. -- I wrote this just before season 4 started.
Summary: Katherine Beckett has a game plan. And the prize? Richard Castle.
Author's Notes: This is super fluffy. Usually, I'm more of an angst-with-a-happy-ending type of writer/reader, but this was begging me to write it. I got the idea for this story from the YouTube videos that people create with video clip collages of Caskett. I didn't take the idea from any one specific video, I was just inspired by them in general. I hope you like this! Also, there is no Josh. He does not exist in this world. Thanks to sparkles_mouse for beta-reading!
----------------------------------------------------
Beckett sat on the edge of her desk, staring at the murder board. Her mind turned the pieces of the puzzle over and over in her head, trying to make them fit together. They were really close to closing this one, she could feel it. The answer was just out of her reach. She needed Castle to help her, to spin theories with her, and she glanced quickly at her watch, wondering when he was going to arrive. She glanced toward the elevators.
And then the smell of fresh coffee drifted over her and a tingling awareness crept up the back of her neck.
“Looking for me, Detective?” His voice came from behind her, and she turned to find her usual morning cup of coffee dangling from his hand a few inches away.
She took the coffee, then looked up at him from beneath her lashes and rewarded him with a slow, warm smile. “Good morning, Castle.”
His eyes widened, but he recovered quickly. “It must be.”
She raised an eyebrow at him as she took the first delicious sip of coffee. He always got her the best coffee. “Why?”
“You don’t usually smile like that in the morning. At least not until I get your coffee and breakfast into you.”
“Oh?”
He smiled. “I get paid to watch you, Detective. I’m very observant.”
Her lips twitched and she let the sexy smirk show. “I’ve noticed.” She slowly let her tongue run along her top lip, swiping the leftover coffee into her mouth.
This time his eyes widened almost comically and his mouth popped open. “Uhh-“ he stuttered.
She grinned then and turned back to the murder board. “Oh, Castle, you are so easy.”
Despite his shock, his witty reply was quick. “Not usually, but I can be. All you have to do is ask, Beckett.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and then looked completely dumbfounded when she only smirked at him once more.
“I’ll make a note of that.”
Castle plopped down onto the desk beside her and wiped pretend sweat from his brow. “Whew!”
She laughed. “You’re having a hard time keeping up this morning, Castle.”
“Who are you and what did you do with Kate Beckett?”
She laughed again, and then caught him staring at her, a little slack-jawed with something that looked very much like lust shining in his eyes. It made heat curl through her to see him looking at her that way.
She leaned forward and patted his knee. Her voice lowered to a husky drawl. “Don’t worry, Ricky, I’m still me.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and clutched at his heart. “Apples! You’re killing me, Beckett. Killing me. Show some mercy, please. I’m begging you.”
She chuckled and leaned back, deciding to cut him some slack. For now. She’d had her fun and now she wanted to solve this case so she could put the rest of her game plan in motion.
“Okay, Castle, help me put this puzzle together. We’re going to solve this today. I can feel it.”
He turned to look at the murder board, his mind zooming away from her and onto the details in front of him. He lifted a hand and rested his chin against it. “There’s something missing from the timeline.”
She nodded, her mind refocusing. “That’s what I thought, too,” she said, and they started tossing theories at each other, trying to find the missing pieces.
----------------------------------------------------
By the time they had finished their lunches, sitting at her desk in the bullpen, Castle was ready to explode. Beckett was driving him crazy. Absolutely bonkers.
Every time he turned around, she was right there, brushing up against him. At first he had apologized, thinking he was being his ordinary, clumsy self. But it kept happening. Under normal circumstances, Kate would be ready to shove him, irritated by his proximity. But every time, her face remained blank, like she hadn’t even noticed the touching of their bodies had happened.
How could she not notice? Every time they touched, his skin lit on fire. The feel of her hand on his forearm. The bump of her hip against his. The graze of her breast as she leaned over him to reach for something.
God, he was not going to survive this.
He reached for his empty plate, just as she did the same. Their hands bumped into each other and he snatched his back, breaking the contact.
She quirked her eyebrows at him as she tossed their empty plates into the trash can beside her desk. “What’s the matter, Castle?”
“Nothing.” He grit out through his clenched teeth.
This time her eyebrows furrowed. “Doesn’t look like nothing.” Her head tilted to the side.
It was his turn to frown. “Seriously, Beckett, what’s gotten in to you?”
Her eyes widened slightly, feigning innocence. “What are you talking about, Castle?”
He pressed his lips together, trying to keep the words inside. No such luck. “You’re driving me insane.”
There, just the tiniest curve of her lips at the corner. His eyes narrowed. She was doing it on purpose. He knew it. But why? His mind turned this new puzzle over and over in his head.
“Maybe you are insane, Castle. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He pursed his lips as he considered her. “Uh-huh.”
She studied him for a moment, that slight curve still there on her lips. Then she shrugged. “Ohh-kay, Castle. Try to focus, all right? I want to solve this case before end of shift.”
End of shift? His mind snapped like a rubberband. “End of shift, Beckett!”
“What?” She turned to him, confused now.
“The brother! He said he got off work at the end of shift, and we assumed he meant at closing time. But he meant the end of his shift. I bet if we double check, his shift ended a few hours before closing time and he would have had plenty of time to kill his brother, then get to the bar for drinks with his buddies.”
“Yes!” Kate’s face was excited. “You’re a genius, Castle. I could kiss you!” She stood up and grabbed her jacket. He was frozen in his seat.
“You coming?” she asked as she started walking away.
Oh God. His mind went to a really dirty place. He nearly groaned with it. She really was going to be the death of him.
He got up slowly, glad that he had broken the case wide open. Maybe now she would focus more on closing it then torturing him. If he had any luck at all…
----------------------------------------------------
Kate was thrilled with the day’s progress. Everything was going according to plan. She loved when that happened. And the best part of it all? Castle was completely stumped by her good mood and if his reaction to her earlier was any indication, totally aroused.
He was right where she wanted him.
After pulling their victim’s brother into the interrogation room at the precinct, Beckett had gone at him like a bulldog with a bone. She wanted this closed. They had their guy; all they needed was a confession.
It took her less than twenty minutes to get what she needed. It took them less than twenty minutes, she amended. Castle had done good in there, despite his earlier distraction.
And she told him so as they walked toward her desk.
“We rock.” Beckett stated, smiling over at Castle. She lifted her hand for a high five.
He glanced at her in surprise. “What?”
“We make a helluva team, Castle.”
He smiled and slapped his hand against her palm. “We do, don’t we?”
“We should celebrate.”
“What?” he asked again, that dumb look back on his face.
“We closed the case. We’re going to get out of here at a decent time. I think we should celebrate.”
“Like, after work?” he asked.
She chuckled. “Yes. Like once I finish the paperwork. What do you say?”
He hesitated. She frowned. Normally he was dying to spend time with her away from the precinct. Had she really thrown him so far off his game today that he was actually contemplating turning her down just to get away from her?
He must have seen something in her eyes, because he smiled quickly. “Sure, Beckett. Sounds like a plan.”
“Dinner. My place. I’ll cook.”
“What?”
“You’re starting to sound like a broken record, Castle. Pick your jaw up off the floor, will ya?”
“You’re just… Something’s going on with you today, Beckett.”
She smiled sweetly at him and decided to let him off the hook for a moment. “I know.” She watched his eyes widen. “We’ll talk at dinner, okay? Be at my apartment at-“ She glanced at her watch, “Eight? Sound okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, sounds good.” He grinned at her. “You’re not all happy go lucky today because you have plans to poison me and get rid of me once and for all, are you? Because I’ve seen the inside your refrigerator before, Beckett, and you never cook, so I can’t help but think that you’re hatching some nefarious plot to get me out of your hair.”
She smirked at him. “It’s nothing like that, Castle. And when it comes to cooking… I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I’m trembling with anticipation.”
She chuckled. “I bet.”
“I’m going to head home, then, but I’ll see you at eight?”
“Leaving me to finish up the paperwork again, I see.” She shook her head. “The perils of having a civilian for a partner.” Her voice held humor, not annoyance.
He grinned. “You love it.” He grabbed his suit jacket and slipped it on. “See you in a bit.”
She nodded at him and waited until he was almost out of ear shot. “Oh, and Castle?”
He turned back around. “Bring a bottle of wine.”
His eyes widened again and she could see his Adam’s apple bob up and down from all the way across the room. He only nodded. “Uh-huh.”
She sat down at her desk, turning her back to him to finish up the paperwork. When she heard the elevator doors close behind him, she let herself grin.
A few feet away she heard someone clearing their throat. She looked up to see Ryan and Esposito staring at her. She narrowed her eyes at them.
“Shut up,” she said, even though neither man had said a word.
“Beckett and Castle, sitting in a tree…“ Ryan sang softly under his breath.
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G…” Esposito finished.
Beckett threw pens at their heads, missing them both as they ducked. She couldn’t help it, she chuckled under her breath. Nothing was going to bring her down today.
She lifted her phone to text Lanie. If she heard about this from Esposito and not Kate herself, there would be hell to pay. Kate couldn’t wait for her friend’s reaction.
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