one hundred coffees || sixty-six to eighty (Ch. 14 to 16)
TITLE: One Hundred Coffees - Ch. 14-16 (fanfiction.net link)
CHARACTERS: Kate Beckett, Rick Castle, Javier Esposito, Kevin Ryan, Lanie Parrish, Martha Rodgers, Alexis Castle, Victoria Gates, OC
TYPE: multi-chapter
GENRE (darkfic, romance, angst, etc) : romance, friendship, humor, hurt/comfort, general, angst, all of the above
SPOILERS (from the show or books) : YES; All aired episodes (up to "Once Upon a Crime") are fair game and are, in fact, starting points for some of the chapters. This group of coffees starts with "An Embarrassment of Bitches"
SUMMARY: Every one of the one hundred coffees that Kate owes Rick.
So I'm awful at posting on here. Absolutely awful. Follow on Tumblr or story alert if you're interested in keeping up with it because I'm slipping greatly when it comes to updating LJ. Link to past chapters, all of the rest of them are below.
...
66:
Rick wakes up on Groundhog's Day in the breakroom. He wakes up to a lap full of paperwork from the night before and some dried ink on his hands. Kate walks in with a little grin on her face and gives him a cup of coffee. It has a badly drawn groundhog on the coffee sleeve but, if the cup is tilted the right way, it sort of looks like it has a shadow. He thanks her and she says, "Thank me after you finish your half of the paperwork."
"Yes, ma'am." He takes a hearty sip of the coffee to pump himself up and dives back in.
67:
Rick wakes up on the break room couch. He wipes at his face with a groggy, displaced feeling. He glances down at his lap, and there are papers. The same papers as before with the same blank spots too. And there's still dried ink on his hands. He glances up just in time to see Kate walk in with that same small grin on her face. She holds out the cup and he takes it apprehensively. Is he losing his mind? He's got to be losing his mind. He thanks her, and she responds with the same thing as before. He blinks a few times to clear away the lingering deja vu, sips the coffee, and gets back to work on those papers.
68:
It happens again. All of it. Only this time, Rick doesn't say, 'Thank you.' He says, "You want me to do the paperwork." And she nods. So he does. Or, he goes to but pauses. He looks through the glass part of the break room wall, squinting.
"Karpowski never comes in until noon," says Rick. He glances up to the clock, which is at eight-fifteen just as it has been the last three times he's woken up. He quickly takes the lid off of the coffee cup and looks inside. Nothing looks different. He sniffs it. Nothing smells different. He takes a very small sip. There is something there. Something he can't quite pinpoint. Still, he looks at Kate with a glare. "What have you done to me?"
Kate plays innocent. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Castle."
"It's like I'm living in Groundhog's Day," Rick says.
"Well, it is Groundhog's Day."
"Yeah, right, and you're drugging me through coffee to mess with me," Rick says. His eyes snap to meet hers and narrow considerably. He recognizes the taste. "Nyquil? Really, Kate?"
Kate grins again. He recognizes that smile too; it's not her 'here's coffee because I care about you' smile. It's a scheming one. She says, "Espo's idea. He thought it would be a good way to teach you the difference between fiction and reality."
"Cops drugging the innocent - you see, this is exactly why people hate the police," Rick tells her, "I could sue."
Kate shakes her head. "You actually can't. Don't you remember all of those forms you signed before? Your lifeless remains can't sue the city and all that."
"Then I'm cutting you off," Rick announces. Kate raises an eyebrow, obviously curious. He says, "I'm not talking to you, working with you, or even looking at you again until you make this right. I'm partners with Ryan now."
"Espo will never-"
"If I so as much as mentioned Kay Cappucchio to Lanie, Esposito would be in the dog house for another few months. He'll go for it. Well, I've got to go talk to my new partner, the kind-hearted one of the group."
With that, Rick leaves the break room. He passes Esposito on his way out. Espo looks from Rick to Kate and points after the retreating man. Espo says to Kate, "Your boy does know that Ryan thought of the rest of the prank, right?"
69:
The cup reads: #69. I think you can entertain yourself with that number alone.
Rick drops the cup back off on her desk about an hour later. She curiously pulls the sleeve off, wondering why he returned it. Written where the sleeve would cover is a short little story that makes her face flush and the message: Well, not exactly alone.
70:
Kate's old best friend, Maddy, drops in for a visit. Kate's busy so they settle for a quick coffee break while waiting for the autopsy to finish. It's a relaxing break from everything. Maddy fills Kate in on her life and then pesters some info out of the detective. When their time is up, Kate walks over to the counter and doesn't even get to open her mouth before Bobby asks, "Yours or Castle's?"
Hearing this, Maddy raises an eyebrow. "Castle's?" she repeats. "You pick up his coffee now, Becks? Where was that in the last twenty minutes?"
Kate tries to shush her friend. "It's nothing. I owe him one hundred coffees, and I'm paying off the debt."
"And exactly how many of those coffees were to wake up after a night of what I assume to be mind-blowing se-"
"None," Kate says swiftly with a look to silence Bobby as well. The teenager smugly goes about fixing Rick's drink, but his face says it all.
"Get on it, Becks. That guy loves you and you love him. What's stopping you?" Maddy asks. "Is it his kid?"
"No, Alexis is amazing."
"Then it's the whole fame thing."
"He's nowhere near as famous as he thinks he is."
"Then it's his mom."
"Martha's great."
"Then it's your mom."
Kate pauses. That's not really the issue. It's the starting point, but... Gosh, why does she feel like such a broken record when it comes to why she's not with Castle? How many times has she had this mental conversation? Yes, there are reasons why she isn't. But there are three reasons right there why she should be. Not to mention the many women who all seem to believe that they're together, or going to be, including the two most important ones in Rick's life and all of the ones they've bumped into over the last few years. If there are all of the reasons, and all of the feelings, then why hasn't it happened yet? What are they waiting for?
"Becks?" Maddy prompts.
Kate shakes her head. "Nothing." They're waiting for something that won't happen. No more waiting. When Bobby sets the coffee down, Kate picks it up, gives her friend a hug, and heads back to the precinct. She's got a guy to see and a lot to say.
71:
When Kate gets to the loft, coffee in hand, she's met with a locked door and no response. She shouldn't feel so surprised. Yet, she is. Someone is always there when she arrives, ready with a problem or a smile or something to make Kate feel needed and cared for. The silence that greets her is unnerving. She tries to think of anything Rick might have said to explain the absence, but the only thing he's said since finding that stupid journal is about taking it home. Which is where she is now. At his home. But where is he?
"He went out," says a voice from behind her. Kate turns from the door and sees Martha, the older woman silently appraising her. Kate tries not to show her disappointment. She doesn't deserve to feel that way. She's made Rick wait over three years; she can wait for a few minutes.
"Do you have any idea when he'll be back?" Kate asks.
Martha gives a dramatic sigh. "You know Richard, he's not exactly the first to tell you where he's going. Well, tell me. I'm surprised he hasn't called you already. He's been raving about the journal of that private investigator. Says it's inspiring."
The word makes Kate's heart cool like the coffee cup in her hand. She's supposed to be his muse, not some dick from the forties with nice handwriting. He can't go around being inspired by every interesting person to pop into his life. That's not okay. It's... flighty and stupid and... depressing. To think of a new Rick Castle book about someone other than them feels wrong. Dirty. But she's blowing this out of proportion, right? She has to be. He's not leaving her. She hasn't missed her chance. She couldn't have.
"Okay," breathes Kate, and it's as much a response to Martha as it is a plea to get a hold of herself. "Just tell him to come by the precinct when he can. Oh, and, could you give him this for me?" She hands out the cold number seventy. Martha takes it without question. Kate starts to walk away and pauses. She adds, "And possibly another cup in a few hours? He'll probably pull an all-nighter reading it and, well, he'll need to be awake if he'll be any use tomorrow."
Once Martha nods, Kate forces herself to walk away. She gets to the elevator before she peeks over her shoulder. Again, Martha's watching her as if she's looking for an answer. When their eyes meet, Martha grins. Says, "It makes him think of you. That's why it's so inspiring."
72:
The next day, Rick fills Kate in on the brief times of Joe and Vera over coffee in the crown vic. He's reading it aloud, and something about the way the words sound coming from his mouth... it sends shivers down her spine.
"'There was spark to her that I couldn't get enough of. From the first look, I followed along, desperate for her. Thirstier than I'd ever been in my life. Not a feeling in the world compared to what she made me feel. I loved her, and I know that I will whether I'm with her or not.'"
Rick goes silent when he finishes the passage. Kate tries to think of something to say. Something that isn't how much she loves him. She doesn't want the first time she says it to be in this car, on the way to dig through an od bar. She wants it to be something special. They deserve to have something special.
Rick says, "For all his tough talk, Joe's just a softy. The more I read, the more I say that it's not a matter of if they will run away together but when."
Kate shrugs around a sip of her coffee, says, "Maybe it'll be sooner than you think." Rick gives her a look, as if he isn't sure exactly what she means. So much of what they say to each other is code. Code for simplicity, fear, preparation. One day, they won't need code. But, for today, when Rick cracks open the journal with a grin on his face, what he truly means is: I can't wait.
73:
Kate takes Rick home at the official end of the case. The murders have been solved, the necklace is a fake, and the lovers are free to do whatever their hearts desire.
"Come up," Rick says. Kate's got her hands on the steering wheel just to keep track of them and they tense. Tense and then ease up as he continues. "Mother will probably kill me if I talk about this case anymore. It's your duty as one of New York's finest to help save my life."
Kate asks, "And how am I supposed to do that?"
"Well, for starters, you come upstairs for coffee." He pauses. "Not euphemism coffee, actual steaming coffee followed by conversation and maybe preceded by a meal depending on how we're feeling."
"I don't know, Castle. I was going to head home, get some sleep." she says with a grin. She's messing with him. He probably knows it too. Still, he says,
"You just solved a cold case from 1947 and have a delicious hypothetical dinner waiting for you. What do you need sleep for?"
The question makes her think back to Joe and Vera, to the way they shrugged off the blue butterfly. All the riches in the world don't matter if they stand in the way of being with the person you love. As Kate's already decided, nothing is going to stand in the way of them anymore.
"Fine. But this counts for one of my coffees." She unclicks her seatbelt and opens her door.
Rick follows suit, commenting, "It's from my apartment." She shuts her door, heads towards the lobby. Doesn't even turn around when she responds to him.
"And I'll be the one making it."
"That's cheating. I should add more coffees," he says.
"I could just stop you know," she says. At those words, Rick does just that. He stops moving with a wounded lost look on his face. She looks back when she doesn't hear him following her.
He says, "That is the most hurtful thing you have ever said."
"Really?"
"Really."
"More hurtful than all of the times I've thrown you out?" she asks. He doesn't pause to consider it.
He assures her, "All of those are long forgotten, Kate. We're in the now. In the now, this is the worst thing that you've done. And hopefully, the worst you will do." Kate's face pales slightly. That's setting the bar pretty high. She's known for messing up. She can't help it. She just does. "Even if it isn't, we'll be fine. Remember that Joe and Vera started with a lie."
Her mind instantly insists that so did they. She chooses not to comment. This truly isn't the right time. Maybe after another coffee. And a not so hypothetical dinner. And a bit more time to prepare herself for his reaction.
74:
Kate wakes up with the word "No" on her tongue and a heavy weight in her heart. She jumps as she starts, and the motion shakes the couch in Rick's loft. Her heightened senses instantly take in everything. The mugs on the coffee table, the DVD menu on the TV, the warmth underneath her. She jerks yet again when it sinks in. She's sleeping on Rick. Again. On a couch. Again. But it's at his loft this time. The change of scenery actually doesn't make much of a difference, not when she's still partially in her dream. She can remember the bare outline of it. It's her and Rick, in an argument. The city's in danger, but they don't care. They can't care. Everything is out in the open. Her lies, his secrets, and they throw around the l-word without either truly noticing. It's just another aspect of their lives, and it's nowhere near strong enough to stop him from walking away. The last thing she remembers is screaming for him to stop, but that's not the only thing that she remembers that haunts her.
Kate pushes herself from the couch. She heads to the kitchen, aware of each small sound her feet make against the floor, each shaky breath she exhales, each second that she doesn't turn on the lights. How have they reached this point? Kate can make it safely through without flipping a switch, without needing guidance. She's comfortable here. Comfortable with him. She starts the coffee maker and rests her hip against the counter. The sturdiness of it calms her more than the walk. She focuses on that. This counter won't crumble because of something they say. It's strong. Strong like she thinks they should be. Like they are. Her dream is the worst case scenario. It's in a world where all hell breaks loose. That won't happen. Right?
Before she realizes it, Kate has two mugs in front of her. She picks up hers and sips from it. The first taste is euphoric, soothing in a way that nothing else can be. Well, not nothing else. Rick is -
"Kate?" Awake. She grips her cup tighter, brings her eyes to the floor. She's not wearing her heels. She feels a bit weaker without them. Barer. "Your nightmares are back," he says. It's not a question. Stating even what he's unsure about as a sentence is a habit he's picked up over the years.
"It was a different one actually. It's nice. A little variety keeps me on my toes," she says. She can see his responding frown even in the dark. He moves further into the kitchen but not straight to her. She's less stable at night. He knows this. He knows too much about her. That's one of the things the Rick in her dream used to cut her down to size. He called her out on everything, all of her quirks and flaws and the thousands of opportunities she had to come clean but didn't because she was too much of a coward. If the real Rick could hear, he would tell her that she isn't. That she's strong and selfless for trying to make sure that they are both ready for what's about to happen. That if she was a coward, she would have left years ago. But the real Rick can't hear. She won't let him.
"You know that you can tell me anything. I will never judge you," he says. She wishes that she believed him. She nods and hands his mug to him. He takes it and drinks. They spend the next hour in silence.
75:
Once Rick is asleep again, Kate gets herself together. She leaves and heads home to prepare for the day. On the way to the precinct, she stops at the coffee shop. Bobby pouts when she gets to the front of the line. He physically pouts.
"Come on," he says, "I thought that last one was it! I was so pumped and everything."
"'It?'" she repeats. He glances over his shoulder to one of his co-workers. The two share a meaningful look that Kate doesn't quite understand. She figures it's about her though. It seems to always be about her here.
"Nevermind. What number are we on?"
"Seventy-five, three-quarters of the way to freedom." It's a joke, but her teenaged friend doesn't find it that funny. He stalls his hands on the cash register, gives her a nervous sort of look. His co-worker mirrors him.
"Just because you finish doesn't mean you're going to stop coming here, right? I mean, you two are my favorite customers. Seeing you guys together brightens my entire day," Bobby admits.
Kate stutters, "We're not toge-"
"As partners, of course. Or best friends. Look, I make jokes, but I'm not making any assumptions about the two of you," he says. "I'll miss you guys when this is over, even if I do only get to see one of you most of the time and only about half of the time that you're off to the precinct."
Kate sighs. Is she disappointing all of the men in her life? Where's her father and the boys to add in? "I'm not going anywhere, Bobby, except for to work once you fix Rick's cup."
Bobby studies Kate for a minute longer, watching her eyes for any sign of a lie or an exaggeration. When he doesn't see one, he smiles and presses the buttons necessary to ring her up. She pays and, once she gets the cup, she goes to read what he's put on the sleeve. It reads: #75 - you're in the final stretch; make it count.
She looks to him and says the same thing that Rick will say in a few minutes. "I plan to."
76:
They stop for coffee on the way to the chess park. Rick calls the cups in and Kate goes in to get them. She returns to the car to find him lost in thought. His gaze is off out the front window. When she gets back in, he doesn't look at her. He takes the cup and holds it a second. Says, "Thanks for coming, Kate. I was actually worried for a second I'd have to do this without you."
She grips her cup a little tighter as she asks, "Would you have done it?"
He looks down to his coffee and then up again. "Probably not. Our national security may mean a lot to me, but you're more important. Al-"
"We better get going, Castle. Don't want to miss him." More like, don't want to hear Rick. Not with the shadow of his original muse, Sophia Turner, looming over her. She can't hear their word and not wonder if he said it to someone else before her. If he said it to Sophia. She grimaces slightly at the thought.
Rick studies her a moment before nodding. He drinks from his cup already subdued after her interruption. She wants to ignore him, drive away without fixing her tiny, petty, ridiculous mistake, but she can't.
She says, "You're pretty important yourself." He smiles at that so she does too. Then she spots the time and takes off. They really don't want to miss their guy.
77:
After they nearly drown to death, Kate gets a call out to Lanie. The cups of coffee are supposed to warm them up and calm them. They don't. Not after falling like that off the edge, or after the shot, or after Rick... Gosh, she was so sure that he was gone. But he's not gone. He's still here, beside her, piecing together a puzzle that doesn't make enough sense. She doesn't understand how one thing could destroy their entire country. Until Sophia appears. With every chat, the woman gets a bit more in the way of their lives. Their love - Rick and Kate's - is their linchpin. Their one thing to hold them together. It keeps them coming back no matter who nearly dies in the extremely intense, seemingly never-ending cases. When Sophia orders them into the CIA car for yet another secret chat, Kate can't help thinking of how much she doesn't trust this woman. She writes it off as unreasonable jealousy. Then again, Kate's instincts are hardly ever wrong.
78:
She almost proposes a toast to those stellar (if not delayed) instincts after the case. Instead, her toast with Rick over coffee is "to saving a little girl's life." They clink their mugs and drink to a job well done. She has a few more doubts and questions in her mind that the coffee doesn't clear. His words do a pretty good job of it once he lowers his mug back to the table.
He meets her eyes and says, "From the start, there was a pull. Strong. Undeniable. Only that pull was too strong. It broke every bridge we tried to build, and eventually tore us apart. I cared about Sophia, but I didn't love her." Not the way I love you.
"Castle-"
"I looked at her the way I did because she will forever mean something to me. Even if she wasn't out to destroy us all, I would never go back to that life." I'll never leave you.
"And what if your dad was part of it?" What if what you're really missing isn't me?
"I doubt he'll bring me coffee in the morning." I'll miss you just the same.
"It's four o' clock." You're wrong, Castle.
"Or so you think," he says with a wiggle of his eyebrows. "Something tells me that somewhere it's five o' clock and there's a bar with our names on it. Any chance you want to go make a real toast? My treat." I'll convince you one day, Kate.
She gives a short nod. "Sure. Lead the way." Just like you always do.
79:
Leads are actually Kate's specialty. She tracks them down. She finds them. She's good with leads and leading and generally getting shit done. Until it comes to Rick. Then she's more of a pushy follower. Especially when they go to the tracks that he mentioned at the start of the pandora case. He laps her. He wins. It's ridiculous. She's annoyed. Until she looks at Rick, looks at the smile on his face and the spark in his eyes. He's so happy he's won. She mocks him enough about his driving that he retaliates on the way back to her place by making jokes about how awful her driving must be if he beat her. When they get to her door, he makes a comment about her being nowhere near as fast as she looks. Never one to be outdone, Kate says in her favorite bedroom voice, "Oh, you'd be surprised how fast I can be, Castle."
He gulps almost imperceptibly. "I'm not easily surprised," he says.
She grins and unlocks the door she's leaning on. She twists the knob, opens it and outpop the boys through the doorway. Rick jumps back in shock as the group of detectives bursts into laughter.
"Surprise," says Kate. Rick narrows his eyes at her.
"Just for that, I'm revoking my invitation for dinner. The whole event is canceled. Mother and I will eat alone tonight," Rick tells the lot of them. Kate laughs some more.
Kate says, "Right, Castle. Let me just grab something. You and the boys can help yourself to whatever while I'm gone. Don't burn the place down."
All three of the guys are quiet until after Kate's gone. Once she's in her room with the door closed, the two boys in blue move in towards Rick.
Espo says, "If you repeat a word of this conversation, I'm going to have to kill you." Rick raises an eyebrow and turns to Ryan, who agrees with a nod of his head.
"This never happened," Ryan adds, "We talked about getting your revenge on Beckett. Nothing else. Got it?"
Rick glances between the two of them in confusion before nods as well. "Got it."
Ryan brings them over to the coffee maker. He turns it on and flips on the sink for good measure. More noise. They need more noise. They speak in their softest voices, almost at a whisper.
"You've got to keep trying," Espo says right off the back. When Rick continues to look confused, Espo groans. "With Beckett. It's like you backed off and are letting her do whatever. You're supposed to be trying to win our girl. What happened, man?"
"I-"
Ryan cuts Rick's explanation off. "You gave up. Did you give up because you're done, or because you thought she was? Because she's not. She's never going to be. But she will keep talking herself out of talking to you if you don't do something big to make her. Show her you're in this one hundred percent."
"I-"
"And do it before some other fed ex-girlfriend chick appears and screws it up," Espo says.
Rick waits a moment before asking, "Can I talk now?" The boys wave him on. He tells them, "I haven't given up. I've been letting her take time. Get ready." Ryan rolls his eyes. "I'm serious. I even have something planned. For tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" repeats Espo.
"Yes. And I think I heard the door so..." Rick grabs a mug and pours himself some coffee. Ryan and Esposito quickly lean casually against the counter. Kate walks in a few seconds later, dressed and ready to go. When she sees the three of them, she quirks an eyebrow, scans them for any sign of weakness. It's obvious she knows something is up. Rick sets the mug down before she can make a comment on it. He extends his hand to turn her around and start pushing her out of the door. Together, the boys manage to distract her. For the rest of the night, though, nothing can take Rick's mind off of what he plans to do.
80:
His plan involves roping Kate in to camping out on the patio of the loft. He sets up a futon with blankets and pillows and lowers it to the most laidback couch position. Kate arrives once he's done with two thermoses of coffee in her hands. She looks around for either of the other two women in Rick's life, but they're gone for the night. It's just Kate, Rick, and the stars.
Rick anxiously glances around him at the walls of the patio. There are glow in the dark stars on them that will glow once he flips off the lights. He waits until she's situated to flip the switch. The stars are in all different colors and there are words written in them. He watches for her reaction. She laughs. He doesn't know what to think about that. Why is she laughing? He glances to the wall, and his face plummets.
YOU KATE. It says, YOU KATE.
Kate continues to laugh. "Channeling your inner caveman, Castle?"
He chuckles himself, albeit a bit bitterly. He whirls around to face her and adopts the over exaggerated grimace of a caveman. He drums his fists against his chest and stalks over to the futon. He flops down. "Me Rick, you Kate. You, woman, give man coffee."
Kate rolls her eyes but hands him the thermos anyway. Rick unscrews the lid and takes a sip. From the corner of his eye, he continues to watch the wall. After a few minutes of silence, Kate touches his shoulder to bring his attention to her.
"You okay?" she asks.
He takes another quick glance at the wall before nodding. "Fine. Sorry. I was thinking about a new scene." It's a lie. Kate knows it. She plays along, gives him an out.
"Do you need to go write it down?"
He shakes his head. "Let's just enjoy the night off."
Kate grins at that and leans back into the futon. He does the same. From there, they drink from the thermoses and laugh over memories, both shared and separate. Eventually, they wind up closer, tangled in the same blankets, heads on pillows a bit too close for people who aren't together. Kate falls asleep first. As she does, the rest of the stars finally light up.
I LOVE. They read: I LOVE.
81:
Rick is sort of glum the day after the stars incident. He can't help it. His well thought-out plan failed. Kate notices and says that she'll be back after she's changed to cheer him up from whatever scene or dream put him in such a funk. He lets her go mostly because he needs a new plan. Something smaller. Simpler. He goes in the kitchen and looks around. He opens the pantry, the cabinets, the fridge, and finally the freezer. There, he gets his next grand idea.
When Kate returns two hours later with a coffee for him, he whips out a cup for her. He trades and takes a sip of his cup to calm his nerves. She curiously takes a sip from hers through the straw. As the liquid hits her tongue, her eyes light up and the smallest of moans escapes her. She exclaims, "I love strawberry milkshakes!" He grins.
"I know. I also know that the best way to talk to you is to subdue you, just a bit. So if you would please take a seat," he motions towards the couch, "I have something I want to say."
She gives him a questioning look as she moves towards the couch. "Is everything okay?"
He nods and takes a deep breath before placing his coffee down. He takes the seat next to her and says, "You're a cop, Kate." She chuckles a bit at that, a retort about stating the obvious on the tip of her tongue. He doesn't let her say it. He has to get this out in one swoop, or he'll lose his nerve. "And you told me a long time ago that cops don't get to decide how the story ends. I'm a writer. I decide. I do get to decide, and my decision is that you're not walking away anymore. You don't get to leave. You have to stay, with me, no matter what. No matter who chases down the suspect, or who drinks the last of the milk, you're with me, Kate. And I'm with you. That's how this story ends. With us together."
He looks at her, really looks at her when he's done. Her grip on the shake has loosened, enough where he has a fleeting moment of fear for his flooring. But then he sees the look in her eye, the way that out of a cloud of anxiety and surprise is this glimmer of hope and relief, the way that there's another emotion that he knows is love just waiting to be named. To be accepted. He will gladly take it so long as she takes his first.
Her voice is quivering a bit when she asks, "Are we at the end of the story already?"
"The end of this one. We've got a lifetime of stories to write, Kate. Let's give this one a happy ending and dive into the next."
"And if that one has a bad ending?"
It won't. He wants to tell her that and convince her, but he knows that he can't. Maybe in another year she'll know for sure. She'll understand. For now, though, he tells her, "Then we start another, and another. I'm in this, Kate, and I will be, always."
She looks into his eyes and grabs his hand the way she did during Martha's place. She nods, whispering, "Always."
82:
Before any plans can be made for where to go next, a call breaks in. A new case. It's a tough one that distracts them from everything. Or, it should distract them. It doesn't. Not fully. Because when Kate looks up from the body at the crime scene, she catches Rick's eye. He smiles. She smiles. Lanie talks. They both mug it and keep going.
Until they're in the car to head to the vic's house. The car stops at a red light. Rick makes a mention about being hungry. He asks if she is. She is. He grins. The light turns green.
They get in the elevator in the precinct. He's feeling Italian. She says she could do for some spaghetti and meatballs, or even a nice slice of pizza. It stops.
They're at the board. Spaghetti.
In the break room. Wine?
Back at the board. A glass or two.
On the way to the morgue. Dessert? Cake. A shake. At the restaurant?
Over the body. The same place she got the last one. His face brightens. "Inviting yourself over on the first date? You are fast."
"I didn't say anything was going to happen."
"Have you tried my strawberry shakes, Kate? Something is going to happen."
Kate smirks. It's not a denial. It makes him grin all the more.
They stop to get coffee from Bobby a little later in the day. When Kate orders, she says, "Number eighty-two. Finally." Bobby starts to write on the cup only to recognize what she said. He looks up in a flash, his questions and excitement clear on his face. She nods and he cheers from behind the counter. She doesn't make out much from his rambling except for the words "free of charge" and "when's the wedding?" She chooses to ignore the second part, take their cups, and go. She also chooses to ignore Rick's answer of "I'm thinking June."
She'd much prefer a fall wedding.
83:
There's a break in the case that keeps them at the precinct all night. It's disappointing. It makes Kate antsy. Very antsy. She winds up snapping at Ryan at one point. It's not pretty, so she heads outside to blow off some steam. Her back is to the wall and her fingers are a little chilly by the time Rick joins her.
"I really wanted to get out of here tonight," she admits, "Just one night."
He shrugs. "What's more fitting than dinner at the precinct?" She can think of other locations instantly, but the words die on her tongue when his car pulls up. The passenger window rolls down and Martha sticks her head through.
"This was a pain to get, kiddo. It better be worth it," Martha announces as she passes a bag through the window. Rick takes it and the bottle of wine that follows.
"It will be. Thank you, Mother. You too, Alexis!"
His daughter gives him a big smile and a thumbs up from the driver's seat. He takes that little bit of encouragement and motions for Kate to follow him. He sticks the bottle under his jacket on the walk up. The elevator ride is quiet, but not uncomfortable. Kate spends it resisting the urge to fix her hair or her outfit. This is Rick, she reminds herself. It's Rick and it's dinner in the break room. It's not... No primping.
He doesn't take her to the break room. He leads her to the interrogation room where they had their first interrogation. He sits in his chair and lightly pushes her into hers on the opposite side of the table. He begins taking out the foil-covered containers, placing them between the two candles on the table. The two lit candles. She glances behind her at the mirror.
"Don't even bother," Rick says, "I locked the door with a key that is safely tucked in my pocket. The only other copy is with Gates, and she promises not to unlock it unless the building starts caving in. Relax, Kate. It's just you, me, and a slightly personalized twist on the night we started planning."
She's still not convinced, still unsure about this whole thing. Aren't there supposed to be fireworks when their relationship begins? Something in the world is supposed to shift. It can't just be this easy, this simple. Can it? She almost voices just that but the sight before her stops her.
There's Rick, this amazing guy who's changed so much of his life to be with her, and he's pouring wine into matching coffee mugs just to have this special night with her. He's gotten half of their main circle in on it. For her. All of it is for her. She doesn't deserve him. Or maybe she does. After everything she's gone through, she should get some happiness too, even if it has to be in the middle of a case in an interrogation room.
"Hey, I'll even tell you the story of how I wound up naked on a police horse."
Needless to say, it's the best first date of her life. And when she kisses him at the end, she can taste the coffee on his lips and the promise in the air. Cliche, but true. So true.
84:
Kate recreates the cup from number forty-seven. All of the old boxes are there: Stuck together. Working together. Friends. Partners. Where we are now. Where we will be. And she puts a check in the 'will be' box because that's something she wants to celebrate. They can check it now.
85:
On the fourth day after they get together, the two are sitting at Kate's desk. He's got his butt against the top drawer and he's facing the board. She's in the chair, playing with one of the elephants since there isn't much to do in the case but wait on the next piece of the puzzle to fall into place. Speaking of puzzles, Ryan's staring at the two of them like they are one, like something is off and he can't figure out what. It would probably help if they told him that they were dating, but they're not doing that. People will catch on eventually. Besides, Rick thinks it's the ultimate prank to pretend like nothing has changed. It's going pretty well if he says so himself.
Pretty well up until the moment Gates walks by, drops off the latest paper they were waiting on, and says, "Oh, and congratulations, you two." She keeps on walking after it, doesn't even look back to see the slack-jawed look on Ryan's face or the way Espo nearly falls out of his chair.
"'Congratulations?'" the boys repeat in unison. They scramble forward towards Rick and Kate.
"What did she mean 'congratulations'?" Espo asks.
Rick doesn't miss a beat. "Well, the word partially derives from the word gratus meaning-"
"Castle," Ryan grumbles lowly.
Rick and Kate look at each other. Smile. Look back. Then the chaos ensues. The boys talk over each other, asking when and where and talking about the pool - oh, man, I can't believe I didn't see this coming - and the new couple just laughs it off. But then -
"Hold up." And they all do. Slowly, the group turns towards the elevator where a very livid Lanie Parish stands. "You mean to tell me that you two have been knocking boots for four days and I'm just finding out now?"
Rick gulps. "We, uh, didn't want to make a big deal-"
"A big deal? I've been waiting since the first time I met you for this to happen. I'm Kate's best friend. You know, I shouldn't even tell you what I found on the body, since you have no respect for me or my-"
"Lanie," and it's Kate who breaks through the Southern girl's rant, "If it's about the case, you can't just withhold information." Lanie gives her a look. "I get it. I should have told you-"
Espo pipes in. "Told her? We work with you." Lanie gives him a look. "In the same area. You know what I mean."
Lanie huffs, dropping off the pictures in Kate's hands haughtily. She turns, walking away and practically yelling, "When you get engaged, I better be the first to know. Babies too."
So they're finally together! Did you like it? Did you not? As always, I would love to hear what worked and/or didn't work for you in this chapter. Will you tell me? What are you thinking?
CHARACTERS: Kate Beckett, Rick Castle, Javier Esposito, Kevin Ryan, Lanie Parrish, Martha Rodgers, Alexis Castle, Victoria Gates, OC
TYPE: multi-chapter
GENRE (darkfic, romance, angst, etc) : romance, friendship, humor, hurt/comfort, general, angst, all of the above
SPOILERS (from the show or books) : YES; All aired episodes (up to "Once Upon a Crime") are fair game and are, in fact, starting points for some of the chapters. This group of coffees starts with "An Embarrassment of Bitches"
SUMMARY: Every one of the one hundred coffees that Kate owes Rick.
So I'm awful at posting on here. Absolutely awful. Follow on Tumblr or story alert if you're interested in keeping up with it because I'm slipping greatly when it comes to updating LJ. Link to past chapters, all of the rest of them are below.
...
66:
Rick wakes up on Groundhog's Day in the breakroom. He wakes up to a lap full of paperwork from the night before and some dried ink on his hands. Kate walks in with a little grin on her face and gives him a cup of coffee. It has a badly drawn groundhog on the coffee sleeve but, if the cup is tilted the right way, it sort of looks like it has a shadow. He thanks her and she says, "Thank me after you finish your half of the paperwork."
"Yes, ma'am." He takes a hearty sip of the coffee to pump himself up and dives back in.
67:
Rick wakes up on the break room couch. He wipes at his face with a groggy, displaced feeling. He glances down at his lap, and there are papers. The same papers as before with the same blank spots too. And there's still dried ink on his hands. He glances up just in time to see Kate walk in with that same small grin on her face. She holds out the cup and he takes it apprehensively. Is he losing his mind? He's got to be losing his mind. He thanks her, and she responds with the same thing as before. He blinks a few times to clear away the lingering deja vu, sips the coffee, and gets back to work on those papers.
68:
It happens again. All of it. Only this time, Rick doesn't say, 'Thank you.' He says, "You want me to do the paperwork." And she nods. So he does. Or, he goes to but pauses. He looks through the glass part of the break room wall, squinting.
"Karpowski never comes in until noon," says Rick. He glances up to the clock, which is at eight-fifteen just as it has been the last three times he's woken up. He quickly takes the lid off of the coffee cup and looks inside. Nothing looks different. He sniffs it. Nothing smells different. He takes a very small sip. There is something there. Something he can't quite pinpoint. Still, he looks at Kate with a glare. "What have you done to me?"
Kate plays innocent. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Castle."
"It's like I'm living in Groundhog's Day," Rick says.
"Well, it is Groundhog's Day."
"Yeah, right, and you're drugging me through coffee to mess with me," Rick says. His eyes snap to meet hers and narrow considerably. He recognizes the taste. "Nyquil? Really, Kate?"
Kate grins again. He recognizes that smile too; it's not her 'here's coffee because I care about you' smile. It's a scheming one. She says, "Espo's idea. He thought it would be a good way to teach you the difference between fiction and reality."
"Cops drugging the innocent - you see, this is exactly why people hate the police," Rick tells her, "I could sue."
Kate shakes her head. "You actually can't. Don't you remember all of those forms you signed before? Your lifeless remains can't sue the city and all that."
"Then I'm cutting you off," Rick announces. Kate raises an eyebrow, obviously curious. He says, "I'm not talking to you, working with you, or even looking at you again until you make this right. I'm partners with Ryan now."
"Espo will never-"
"If I so as much as mentioned Kay Cappucchio to Lanie, Esposito would be in the dog house for another few months. He'll go for it. Well, I've got to go talk to my new partner, the kind-hearted one of the group."
With that, Rick leaves the break room. He passes Esposito on his way out. Espo looks from Rick to Kate and points after the retreating man. Espo says to Kate, "Your boy does know that Ryan thought of the rest of the prank, right?"
69:
The cup reads: #69. I think you can entertain yourself with that number alone.
Rick drops the cup back off on her desk about an hour later. She curiously pulls the sleeve off, wondering why he returned it. Written where the sleeve would cover is a short little story that makes her face flush and the message: Well, not exactly alone.
70:
Kate's old best friend, Maddy, drops in for a visit. Kate's busy so they settle for a quick coffee break while waiting for the autopsy to finish. It's a relaxing break from everything. Maddy fills Kate in on her life and then pesters some info out of the detective. When their time is up, Kate walks over to the counter and doesn't even get to open her mouth before Bobby asks, "Yours or Castle's?"
Hearing this, Maddy raises an eyebrow. "Castle's?" she repeats. "You pick up his coffee now, Becks? Where was that in the last twenty minutes?"
Kate tries to shush her friend. "It's nothing. I owe him one hundred coffees, and I'm paying off the debt."
"And exactly how many of those coffees were to wake up after a night of what I assume to be mind-blowing se-"
"None," Kate says swiftly with a look to silence Bobby as well. The teenager smugly goes about fixing Rick's drink, but his face says it all.
"Get on it, Becks. That guy loves you and you love him. What's stopping you?" Maddy asks. "Is it his kid?"
"No, Alexis is amazing."
"Then it's the whole fame thing."
"He's nowhere near as famous as he thinks he is."
"Then it's his mom."
"Martha's great."
"Then it's your mom."
Kate pauses. That's not really the issue. It's the starting point, but... Gosh, why does she feel like such a broken record when it comes to why she's not with Castle? How many times has she had this mental conversation? Yes, there are reasons why she isn't. But there are three reasons right there why she should be. Not to mention the many women who all seem to believe that they're together, or going to be, including the two most important ones in Rick's life and all of the ones they've bumped into over the last few years. If there are all of the reasons, and all of the feelings, then why hasn't it happened yet? What are they waiting for?
"Becks?" Maddy prompts.
Kate shakes her head. "Nothing." They're waiting for something that won't happen. No more waiting. When Bobby sets the coffee down, Kate picks it up, gives her friend a hug, and heads back to the precinct. She's got a guy to see and a lot to say.
71:
When Kate gets to the loft, coffee in hand, she's met with a locked door and no response. She shouldn't feel so surprised. Yet, she is. Someone is always there when she arrives, ready with a problem or a smile or something to make Kate feel needed and cared for. The silence that greets her is unnerving. She tries to think of anything Rick might have said to explain the absence, but the only thing he's said since finding that stupid journal is about taking it home. Which is where she is now. At his home. But where is he?
"He went out," says a voice from behind her. Kate turns from the door and sees Martha, the older woman silently appraising her. Kate tries not to show her disappointment. She doesn't deserve to feel that way. She's made Rick wait over three years; she can wait for a few minutes.
"Do you have any idea when he'll be back?" Kate asks.
Martha gives a dramatic sigh. "You know Richard, he's not exactly the first to tell you where he's going. Well, tell me. I'm surprised he hasn't called you already. He's been raving about the journal of that private investigator. Says it's inspiring."
The word makes Kate's heart cool like the coffee cup in her hand. She's supposed to be his muse, not some dick from the forties with nice handwriting. He can't go around being inspired by every interesting person to pop into his life. That's not okay. It's... flighty and stupid and... depressing. To think of a new Rick Castle book about someone other than them feels wrong. Dirty. But she's blowing this out of proportion, right? She has to be. He's not leaving her. She hasn't missed her chance. She couldn't have.
"Okay," breathes Kate, and it's as much a response to Martha as it is a plea to get a hold of herself. "Just tell him to come by the precinct when he can. Oh, and, could you give him this for me?" She hands out the cold number seventy. Martha takes it without question. Kate starts to walk away and pauses. She adds, "And possibly another cup in a few hours? He'll probably pull an all-nighter reading it and, well, he'll need to be awake if he'll be any use tomorrow."
Once Martha nods, Kate forces herself to walk away. She gets to the elevator before she peeks over her shoulder. Again, Martha's watching her as if she's looking for an answer. When their eyes meet, Martha grins. Says, "It makes him think of you. That's why it's so inspiring."
72:
The next day, Rick fills Kate in on the brief times of Joe and Vera over coffee in the crown vic. He's reading it aloud, and something about the way the words sound coming from his mouth... it sends shivers down her spine.
"'There was spark to her that I couldn't get enough of. From the first look, I followed along, desperate for her. Thirstier than I'd ever been in my life. Not a feeling in the world compared to what she made me feel. I loved her, and I know that I will whether I'm with her or not.'"
Rick goes silent when he finishes the passage. Kate tries to think of something to say. Something that isn't how much she loves him. She doesn't want the first time she says it to be in this car, on the way to dig through an od bar. She wants it to be something special. They deserve to have something special.
Rick says, "For all his tough talk, Joe's just a softy. The more I read, the more I say that it's not a matter of if they will run away together but when."
Kate shrugs around a sip of her coffee, says, "Maybe it'll be sooner than you think." Rick gives her a look, as if he isn't sure exactly what she means. So much of what they say to each other is code. Code for simplicity, fear, preparation. One day, they won't need code. But, for today, when Rick cracks open the journal with a grin on his face, what he truly means is: I can't wait.
73:
Kate takes Rick home at the official end of the case. The murders have been solved, the necklace is a fake, and the lovers are free to do whatever their hearts desire.
"Come up," Rick says. Kate's got her hands on the steering wheel just to keep track of them and they tense. Tense and then ease up as he continues. "Mother will probably kill me if I talk about this case anymore. It's your duty as one of New York's finest to help save my life."
Kate asks, "And how am I supposed to do that?"
"Well, for starters, you come upstairs for coffee." He pauses. "Not euphemism coffee, actual steaming coffee followed by conversation and maybe preceded by a meal depending on how we're feeling."
"I don't know, Castle. I was going to head home, get some sleep." she says with a grin. She's messing with him. He probably knows it too. Still, he says,
"You just solved a cold case from 1947 and have a delicious hypothetical dinner waiting for you. What do you need sleep for?"
The question makes her think back to Joe and Vera, to the way they shrugged off the blue butterfly. All the riches in the world don't matter if they stand in the way of being with the person you love. As Kate's already decided, nothing is going to stand in the way of them anymore.
"Fine. But this counts for one of my coffees." She unclicks her seatbelt and opens her door.
Rick follows suit, commenting, "It's from my apartment." She shuts her door, heads towards the lobby. Doesn't even turn around when she responds to him.
"And I'll be the one making it."
"That's cheating. I should add more coffees," he says.
"I could just stop you know," she says. At those words, Rick does just that. He stops moving with a wounded lost look on his face. She looks back when she doesn't hear him following her.
He says, "That is the most hurtful thing you have ever said."
"Really?"
"Really."
"More hurtful than all of the times I've thrown you out?" she asks. He doesn't pause to consider it.
He assures her, "All of those are long forgotten, Kate. We're in the now. In the now, this is the worst thing that you've done. And hopefully, the worst you will do." Kate's face pales slightly. That's setting the bar pretty high. She's known for messing up. She can't help it. She just does. "Even if it isn't, we'll be fine. Remember that Joe and Vera started with a lie."
Her mind instantly insists that so did they. She chooses not to comment. This truly isn't the right time. Maybe after another coffee. And a not so hypothetical dinner. And a bit more time to prepare herself for his reaction.
74:
Kate wakes up with the word "No" on her tongue and a heavy weight in her heart. She jumps as she starts, and the motion shakes the couch in Rick's loft. Her heightened senses instantly take in everything. The mugs on the coffee table, the DVD menu on the TV, the warmth underneath her. She jerks yet again when it sinks in. She's sleeping on Rick. Again. On a couch. Again. But it's at his loft this time. The change of scenery actually doesn't make much of a difference, not when she's still partially in her dream. She can remember the bare outline of it. It's her and Rick, in an argument. The city's in danger, but they don't care. They can't care. Everything is out in the open. Her lies, his secrets, and they throw around the l-word without either truly noticing. It's just another aspect of their lives, and it's nowhere near strong enough to stop him from walking away. The last thing she remembers is screaming for him to stop, but that's not the only thing that she remembers that haunts her.
Kate pushes herself from the couch. She heads to the kitchen, aware of each small sound her feet make against the floor, each shaky breath she exhales, each second that she doesn't turn on the lights. How have they reached this point? Kate can make it safely through without flipping a switch, without needing guidance. She's comfortable here. Comfortable with him. She starts the coffee maker and rests her hip against the counter. The sturdiness of it calms her more than the walk. She focuses on that. This counter won't crumble because of something they say. It's strong. Strong like she thinks they should be. Like they are. Her dream is the worst case scenario. It's in a world where all hell breaks loose. That won't happen. Right?
Before she realizes it, Kate has two mugs in front of her. She picks up hers and sips from it. The first taste is euphoric, soothing in a way that nothing else can be. Well, not nothing else. Rick is -
"Kate?" Awake. She grips her cup tighter, brings her eyes to the floor. She's not wearing her heels. She feels a bit weaker without them. Barer. "Your nightmares are back," he says. It's not a question. Stating even what he's unsure about as a sentence is a habit he's picked up over the years.
"It was a different one actually. It's nice. A little variety keeps me on my toes," she says. She can see his responding frown even in the dark. He moves further into the kitchen but not straight to her. She's less stable at night. He knows this. He knows too much about her. That's one of the things the Rick in her dream used to cut her down to size. He called her out on everything, all of her quirks and flaws and the thousands of opportunities she had to come clean but didn't because she was too much of a coward. If the real Rick could hear, he would tell her that she isn't. That she's strong and selfless for trying to make sure that they are both ready for what's about to happen. That if she was a coward, she would have left years ago. But the real Rick can't hear. She won't let him.
"You know that you can tell me anything. I will never judge you," he says. She wishes that she believed him. She nods and hands his mug to him. He takes it and drinks. They spend the next hour in silence.
75:
Once Rick is asleep again, Kate gets herself together. She leaves and heads home to prepare for the day. On the way to the precinct, she stops at the coffee shop. Bobby pouts when she gets to the front of the line. He physically pouts.
"Come on," he says, "I thought that last one was it! I was so pumped and everything."
"'It?'" she repeats. He glances over his shoulder to one of his co-workers. The two share a meaningful look that Kate doesn't quite understand. She figures it's about her though. It seems to always be about her here.
"Nevermind. What number are we on?"
"Seventy-five, three-quarters of the way to freedom." It's a joke, but her teenaged friend doesn't find it that funny. He stalls his hands on the cash register, gives her a nervous sort of look. His co-worker mirrors him.
"Just because you finish doesn't mean you're going to stop coming here, right? I mean, you two are my favorite customers. Seeing you guys together brightens my entire day," Bobby admits.
Kate stutters, "We're not toge-"
"As partners, of course. Or best friends. Look, I make jokes, but I'm not making any assumptions about the two of you," he says. "I'll miss you guys when this is over, even if I do only get to see one of you most of the time and only about half of the time that you're off to the precinct."
Kate sighs. Is she disappointing all of the men in her life? Where's her father and the boys to add in? "I'm not going anywhere, Bobby, except for to work once you fix Rick's cup."
Bobby studies Kate for a minute longer, watching her eyes for any sign of a lie or an exaggeration. When he doesn't see one, he smiles and presses the buttons necessary to ring her up. She pays and, once she gets the cup, she goes to read what he's put on the sleeve. It reads: #75 - you're in the final stretch; make it count.
She looks to him and says the same thing that Rick will say in a few minutes. "I plan to."
76:
They stop for coffee on the way to the chess park. Rick calls the cups in and Kate goes in to get them. She returns to the car to find him lost in thought. His gaze is off out the front window. When she gets back in, he doesn't look at her. He takes the cup and holds it a second. Says, "Thanks for coming, Kate. I was actually worried for a second I'd have to do this without you."
She grips her cup a little tighter as she asks, "Would you have done it?"
He looks down to his coffee and then up again. "Probably not. Our national security may mean a lot to me, but you're more important. Al-"
"We better get going, Castle. Don't want to miss him." More like, don't want to hear Rick. Not with the shadow of his original muse, Sophia Turner, looming over her. She can't hear their word and not wonder if he said it to someone else before her. If he said it to Sophia. She grimaces slightly at the thought.
Rick studies her a moment before nodding. He drinks from his cup already subdued after her interruption. She wants to ignore him, drive away without fixing her tiny, petty, ridiculous mistake, but she can't.
She says, "You're pretty important yourself." He smiles at that so she does too. Then she spots the time and takes off. They really don't want to miss their guy.
77:
After they nearly drown to death, Kate gets a call out to Lanie. The cups of coffee are supposed to warm them up and calm them. They don't. Not after falling like that off the edge, or after the shot, or after Rick... Gosh, she was so sure that he was gone. But he's not gone. He's still here, beside her, piecing together a puzzle that doesn't make enough sense. She doesn't understand how one thing could destroy their entire country. Until Sophia appears. With every chat, the woman gets a bit more in the way of their lives. Their love - Rick and Kate's - is their linchpin. Their one thing to hold them together. It keeps them coming back no matter who nearly dies in the extremely intense, seemingly never-ending cases. When Sophia orders them into the CIA car for yet another secret chat, Kate can't help thinking of how much she doesn't trust this woman. She writes it off as unreasonable jealousy. Then again, Kate's instincts are hardly ever wrong.
78:
She almost proposes a toast to those stellar (if not delayed) instincts after the case. Instead, her toast with Rick over coffee is "to saving a little girl's life." They clink their mugs and drink to a job well done. She has a few more doubts and questions in her mind that the coffee doesn't clear. His words do a pretty good job of it once he lowers his mug back to the table.
He meets her eyes and says, "From the start, there was a pull. Strong. Undeniable. Only that pull was too strong. It broke every bridge we tried to build, and eventually tore us apart. I cared about Sophia, but I didn't love her." Not the way I love you.
"Castle-"
"I looked at her the way I did because she will forever mean something to me. Even if she wasn't out to destroy us all, I would never go back to that life." I'll never leave you.
"And what if your dad was part of it?" What if what you're really missing isn't me?
"I doubt he'll bring me coffee in the morning." I'll miss you just the same.
"It's four o' clock." You're wrong, Castle.
"Or so you think," he says with a wiggle of his eyebrows. "Something tells me that somewhere it's five o' clock and there's a bar with our names on it. Any chance you want to go make a real toast? My treat." I'll convince you one day, Kate.
She gives a short nod. "Sure. Lead the way." Just like you always do.
79:
Leads are actually Kate's specialty. She tracks them down. She finds them. She's good with leads and leading and generally getting shit done. Until it comes to Rick. Then she's more of a pushy follower. Especially when they go to the tracks that he mentioned at the start of the pandora case. He laps her. He wins. It's ridiculous. She's annoyed. Until she looks at Rick, looks at the smile on his face and the spark in his eyes. He's so happy he's won. She mocks him enough about his driving that he retaliates on the way back to her place by making jokes about how awful her driving must be if he beat her. When they get to her door, he makes a comment about her being nowhere near as fast as she looks. Never one to be outdone, Kate says in her favorite bedroom voice, "Oh, you'd be surprised how fast I can be, Castle."
He gulps almost imperceptibly. "I'm not easily surprised," he says.
She grins and unlocks the door she's leaning on. She twists the knob, opens it and outpop the boys through the doorway. Rick jumps back in shock as the group of detectives bursts into laughter.
"Surprise," says Kate. Rick narrows his eyes at her.
"Just for that, I'm revoking my invitation for dinner. The whole event is canceled. Mother and I will eat alone tonight," Rick tells the lot of them. Kate laughs some more.
Kate says, "Right, Castle. Let me just grab something. You and the boys can help yourself to whatever while I'm gone. Don't burn the place down."
All three of the guys are quiet until after Kate's gone. Once she's in her room with the door closed, the two boys in blue move in towards Rick.
Espo says, "If you repeat a word of this conversation, I'm going to have to kill you." Rick raises an eyebrow and turns to Ryan, who agrees with a nod of his head.
"This never happened," Ryan adds, "We talked about getting your revenge on Beckett. Nothing else. Got it?"
Rick glances between the two of them in confusion before nods as well. "Got it."
Ryan brings them over to the coffee maker. He turns it on and flips on the sink for good measure. More noise. They need more noise. They speak in their softest voices, almost at a whisper.
"You've got to keep trying," Espo says right off the back. When Rick continues to look confused, Espo groans. "With Beckett. It's like you backed off and are letting her do whatever. You're supposed to be trying to win our girl. What happened, man?"
"I-"
Ryan cuts Rick's explanation off. "You gave up. Did you give up because you're done, or because you thought she was? Because she's not. She's never going to be. But she will keep talking herself out of talking to you if you don't do something big to make her. Show her you're in this one hundred percent."
"I-"
"And do it before some other fed ex-girlfriend chick appears and screws it up," Espo says.
Rick waits a moment before asking, "Can I talk now?" The boys wave him on. He tells them, "I haven't given up. I've been letting her take time. Get ready." Ryan rolls his eyes. "I'm serious. I even have something planned. For tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" repeats Espo.
"Yes. And I think I heard the door so..." Rick grabs a mug and pours himself some coffee. Ryan and Esposito quickly lean casually against the counter. Kate walks in a few seconds later, dressed and ready to go. When she sees the three of them, she quirks an eyebrow, scans them for any sign of weakness. It's obvious she knows something is up. Rick sets the mug down before she can make a comment on it. He extends his hand to turn her around and start pushing her out of the door. Together, the boys manage to distract her. For the rest of the night, though, nothing can take Rick's mind off of what he plans to do.
80:
His plan involves roping Kate in to camping out on the patio of the loft. He sets up a futon with blankets and pillows and lowers it to the most laidback couch position. Kate arrives once he's done with two thermoses of coffee in her hands. She looks around for either of the other two women in Rick's life, but they're gone for the night. It's just Kate, Rick, and the stars.
Rick anxiously glances around him at the walls of the patio. There are glow in the dark stars on them that will glow once he flips off the lights. He waits until she's situated to flip the switch. The stars are in all different colors and there are words written in them. He watches for her reaction. She laughs. He doesn't know what to think about that. Why is she laughing? He glances to the wall, and his face plummets.
YOU KATE. It says, YOU KATE.
Kate continues to laugh. "Channeling your inner caveman, Castle?"
He chuckles himself, albeit a bit bitterly. He whirls around to face her and adopts the over exaggerated grimace of a caveman. He drums his fists against his chest and stalks over to the futon. He flops down. "Me Rick, you Kate. You, woman, give man coffee."
Kate rolls her eyes but hands him the thermos anyway. Rick unscrews the lid and takes a sip. From the corner of his eye, he continues to watch the wall. After a few minutes of silence, Kate touches his shoulder to bring his attention to her.
"You okay?" she asks.
He takes another quick glance at the wall before nodding. "Fine. Sorry. I was thinking about a new scene." It's a lie. Kate knows it. She plays along, gives him an out.
"Do you need to go write it down?"
He shakes his head. "Let's just enjoy the night off."
Kate grins at that and leans back into the futon. He does the same. From there, they drink from the thermoses and laugh over memories, both shared and separate. Eventually, they wind up closer, tangled in the same blankets, heads on pillows a bit too close for people who aren't together. Kate falls asleep first. As she does, the rest of the stars finally light up.
I LOVE. They read: I LOVE.
81:
Rick is sort of glum the day after the stars incident. He can't help it. His well thought-out plan failed. Kate notices and says that she'll be back after she's changed to cheer him up from whatever scene or dream put him in such a funk. He lets her go mostly because he needs a new plan. Something smaller. Simpler. He goes in the kitchen and looks around. He opens the pantry, the cabinets, the fridge, and finally the freezer. There, he gets his next grand idea.
When Kate returns two hours later with a coffee for him, he whips out a cup for her. He trades and takes a sip of his cup to calm his nerves. She curiously takes a sip from hers through the straw. As the liquid hits her tongue, her eyes light up and the smallest of moans escapes her. She exclaims, "I love strawberry milkshakes!" He grins.
"I know. I also know that the best way to talk to you is to subdue you, just a bit. So if you would please take a seat," he motions towards the couch, "I have something I want to say."
She gives him a questioning look as she moves towards the couch. "Is everything okay?"
He nods and takes a deep breath before placing his coffee down. He takes the seat next to her and says, "You're a cop, Kate." She chuckles a bit at that, a retort about stating the obvious on the tip of her tongue. He doesn't let her say it. He has to get this out in one swoop, or he'll lose his nerve. "And you told me a long time ago that cops don't get to decide how the story ends. I'm a writer. I decide. I do get to decide, and my decision is that you're not walking away anymore. You don't get to leave. You have to stay, with me, no matter what. No matter who chases down the suspect, or who drinks the last of the milk, you're with me, Kate. And I'm with you. That's how this story ends. With us together."
He looks at her, really looks at her when he's done. Her grip on the shake has loosened, enough where he has a fleeting moment of fear for his flooring. But then he sees the look in her eye, the way that out of a cloud of anxiety and surprise is this glimmer of hope and relief, the way that there's another emotion that he knows is love just waiting to be named. To be accepted. He will gladly take it so long as she takes his first.
Her voice is quivering a bit when she asks, "Are we at the end of the story already?"
"The end of this one. We've got a lifetime of stories to write, Kate. Let's give this one a happy ending and dive into the next."
"And if that one has a bad ending?"
It won't. He wants to tell her that and convince her, but he knows that he can't. Maybe in another year she'll know for sure. She'll understand. For now, though, he tells her, "Then we start another, and another. I'm in this, Kate, and I will be, always."
She looks into his eyes and grabs his hand the way she did during Martha's place. She nods, whispering, "Always."
82:
Before any plans can be made for where to go next, a call breaks in. A new case. It's a tough one that distracts them from everything. Or, it should distract them. It doesn't. Not fully. Because when Kate looks up from the body at the crime scene, she catches Rick's eye. He smiles. She smiles. Lanie talks. They both mug it and keep going.
Until they're in the car to head to the vic's house. The car stops at a red light. Rick makes a mention about being hungry. He asks if she is. She is. He grins. The light turns green.
They get in the elevator in the precinct. He's feeling Italian. She says she could do for some spaghetti and meatballs, or even a nice slice of pizza. It stops.
They're at the board. Spaghetti.
In the break room. Wine?
Back at the board. A glass or two.
On the way to the morgue. Dessert? Cake. A shake. At the restaurant?
Over the body. The same place she got the last one. His face brightens. "Inviting yourself over on the first date? You are fast."
"I didn't say anything was going to happen."
"Have you tried my strawberry shakes, Kate? Something is going to happen."
Kate smirks. It's not a denial. It makes him grin all the more.
They stop to get coffee from Bobby a little later in the day. When Kate orders, she says, "Number eighty-two. Finally." Bobby starts to write on the cup only to recognize what she said. He looks up in a flash, his questions and excitement clear on his face. She nods and he cheers from behind the counter. She doesn't make out much from his rambling except for the words "free of charge" and "when's the wedding?" She chooses to ignore the second part, take their cups, and go. She also chooses to ignore Rick's answer of "I'm thinking June."
She'd much prefer a fall wedding.
83:
There's a break in the case that keeps them at the precinct all night. It's disappointing. It makes Kate antsy. Very antsy. She winds up snapping at Ryan at one point. It's not pretty, so she heads outside to blow off some steam. Her back is to the wall and her fingers are a little chilly by the time Rick joins her.
"I really wanted to get out of here tonight," she admits, "Just one night."
He shrugs. "What's more fitting than dinner at the precinct?" She can think of other locations instantly, but the words die on her tongue when his car pulls up. The passenger window rolls down and Martha sticks her head through.
"This was a pain to get, kiddo. It better be worth it," Martha announces as she passes a bag through the window. Rick takes it and the bottle of wine that follows.
"It will be. Thank you, Mother. You too, Alexis!"
His daughter gives him a big smile and a thumbs up from the driver's seat. He takes that little bit of encouragement and motions for Kate to follow him. He sticks the bottle under his jacket on the walk up. The elevator ride is quiet, but not uncomfortable. Kate spends it resisting the urge to fix her hair or her outfit. This is Rick, she reminds herself. It's Rick and it's dinner in the break room. It's not... No primping.
He doesn't take her to the break room. He leads her to the interrogation room where they had their first interrogation. He sits in his chair and lightly pushes her into hers on the opposite side of the table. He begins taking out the foil-covered containers, placing them between the two candles on the table. The two lit candles. She glances behind her at the mirror.
"Don't even bother," Rick says, "I locked the door with a key that is safely tucked in my pocket. The only other copy is with Gates, and she promises not to unlock it unless the building starts caving in. Relax, Kate. It's just you, me, and a slightly personalized twist on the night we started planning."
She's still not convinced, still unsure about this whole thing. Aren't there supposed to be fireworks when their relationship begins? Something in the world is supposed to shift. It can't just be this easy, this simple. Can it? She almost voices just that but the sight before her stops her.
There's Rick, this amazing guy who's changed so much of his life to be with her, and he's pouring wine into matching coffee mugs just to have this special night with her. He's gotten half of their main circle in on it. For her. All of it is for her. She doesn't deserve him. Or maybe she does. After everything she's gone through, she should get some happiness too, even if it has to be in the middle of a case in an interrogation room.
"Hey, I'll even tell you the story of how I wound up naked on a police horse."
Needless to say, it's the best first date of her life. And when she kisses him at the end, she can taste the coffee on his lips and the promise in the air. Cliche, but true. So true.
84:
Kate recreates the cup from number forty-seven. All of the old boxes are there: Stuck together. Working together. Friends. Partners. Where we are now. Where we will be. And she puts a check in the 'will be' box because that's something she wants to celebrate. They can check it now.
85:
On the fourth day after they get together, the two are sitting at Kate's desk. He's got his butt against the top drawer and he's facing the board. She's in the chair, playing with one of the elephants since there isn't much to do in the case but wait on the next piece of the puzzle to fall into place. Speaking of puzzles, Ryan's staring at the two of them like they are one, like something is off and he can't figure out what. It would probably help if they told him that they were dating, but they're not doing that. People will catch on eventually. Besides, Rick thinks it's the ultimate prank to pretend like nothing has changed. It's going pretty well if he says so himself.
Pretty well up until the moment Gates walks by, drops off the latest paper they were waiting on, and says, "Oh, and congratulations, you two." She keeps on walking after it, doesn't even look back to see the slack-jawed look on Ryan's face or the way Espo nearly falls out of his chair.
"'Congratulations?'" the boys repeat in unison. They scramble forward towards Rick and Kate.
"What did she mean 'congratulations'?" Espo asks.
Rick doesn't miss a beat. "Well, the word partially derives from the word gratus meaning-"
"Castle," Ryan grumbles lowly.
Rick and Kate look at each other. Smile. Look back. Then the chaos ensues. The boys talk over each other, asking when and where and talking about the pool - oh, man, I can't believe I didn't see this coming - and the new couple just laughs it off. But then -
"Hold up." And they all do. Slowly, the group turns towards the elevator where a very livid Lanie Parish stands. "You mean to tell me that you two have been knocking boots for four days and I'm just finding out now?"
Rick gulps. "We, uh, didn't want to make a big deal-"
"A big deal? I've been waiting since the first time I met you for this to happen. I'm Kate's best friend. You know, I shouldn't even tell you what I found on the body, since you have no respect for me or my-"
"Lanie," and it's Kate who breaks through the Southern girl's rant, "If it's about the case, you can't just withhold information." Lanie gives her a look. "I get it. I should have told you-"
Espo pipes in. "Told her? We work with you." Lanie gives him a look. "In the same area. You know what I mean."
Lanie huffs, dropping off the pictures in Kate's hands haughtily. She turns, walking away and practically yelling, "When you get engaged, I better be the first to know. Babies too."
So they're finally together! Did you like it? Did you not? As always, I would love to hear what worked and/or didn't work for you in this chapter. Will you tell me? What are you thinking?