AN: Bonjour! I'm trying to update faster... Due to a lack of feedback ._. I am going to have quite a fluffy chapter because I enjoy writing those. It is not going to be hurt/comfort though, it is going to be a light hearted one because, wait for it... BECKETT HAS A DAY OFF-wait WHAT?!? So this is how I wished In The Belly of The Beast would have continued but no, Andrew Marlowe and co had other ideas. Anyway, the song for this chapter is She Looks So Perfect by 5SOS. COMMENT AND VOTE AND SHARE PLEASE-but mainly comment. Five comments and a double update tomorrow. Pinky promise.
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters. Andrew Marlowe and ABC Productions get all the credit there.
Castle awoke, with his arms still wrapped tightly around Kate, to the sound of a phone ringing. He knew that it wasn't his-the ring tone was the boring old default one and Castle was far too creative for that. At least in his own mind. No, the phone disturbing his peaceful slumber belonged to Kate.
Looking down on the owner of the phone in question, Castle realised just how soundly she was sleeping. He couldn't find it in himself to wake her so instead, he just reached over her and carefully snagged the phone from where it lay on the bedside table. The screen read 12th precinct but given there were three numbers under that contact, RIck couldn't be sure whether it would be Ryan or Espo, or Captain Gates. He decided to proceed with caution and answered with a polite "Detective Beckett's phone". As it turned out, the safe option was the right one because he was met with a terse response, characteristic of one Victoria Gates.
"Mr Castle. Sorry to wake you" it was then that Castle checked the clock-5:00 in the morning. God, that Captain had no sense of normality, he thought. "It's fine sir" he said quickly, wanting to either pull himself out of bed as soon as possible if necessary, or take the short cut back to dreamland. "What can I do for you?"
"I don't suppose I could speak to Beckett?" she enquired, very politely to Castle's surprise.
"I'm sorry but she's out cold-sleeping I mean-and I don't really want to wake her. She's uh" Castle paused, contemplating how much he should tell Gates. "She's been very tired lately and this case has been hard on her" he finished.
"I see. Well, I guess I'll just have to tell you then. I trust you can convey this message accurately and in its entirety to Detective Beckett?" Gates asked. Castle nodded, but then caught himself and said quickly "of course sir. What do you need her to know?"
"Detectives Esposito and Ryan paid me a visit yesterday, after you two left. They said they thought Detective Beckett needed the day off. I agreed. She can't just work herself to the bone and she's upset at the moment, as I am sure you are aware. I am not going to say compromised at this point, but she needs to step away from this, even if only for a day".
"I see" Castle said.
"The key points I want you to convey to Detective Beckett, Castle, are that I am insisting she takes this day off. If she does turn up at the precinct I will only assign the next day off and eventually she will end up at home more than she would like. However, it is vitally important that you stress that I am not taking her off the case and that I do not believe that she has been compromised. At this point. I trust you can tell her that. Have a nice day off".
The Captain was gone before Castle could even say another word. He still found it odd that she had chosen to make that call at 5:00 in the morning-but her methods were different to say the least.
Slipping the phone back onto the nightstand and his arm back around Kate, Castle allowed himself to slide back into a slumber, now with the knowledge that at least he wouldn't have to drag Kate through another awful day with that case. They had a one day reprieve and he intended to utilise it fully.
TWENTY MINUTES LATER
The alarm woke him this time. Actually, it would be more accurate to say Kate poking and shaking him and then the sound of the alarm woke him. "Rick. Get up" she said but Castle shook his head and rolled over. "Nope" he said as Kate tried in vain to roll him back over to face him, whining and pulling at him with all of her strength. "You've got the day off. Gates phoned me and told me at 5:00 in the morning" he said, with emphasis on the time of day. Beckett stopped pulling abruptly and Castle sat up. Beckett looked at him and said "she's not...." but Castle cut her off.
"She's not taking you off the case, Beckett. She doesn't think you've been compromised. She just wants you to have day away from the case and I agree with her. So let's have a nice, enjoyable day off".
Kate paused. The old Kate would have whined and complained but instead she just said "well. I can't go back to sleep now". Castle sat up a little straighter.
"You know, I don't think I can either" he said, his voice an entire octave lower than usual, his eyes several shade darker. "I can think of a really good stress reliever" Kate said, biting her low lip and staring at him through her eyelashes. Rick smiled and leant in. Just before their lips touched he said "so can I" and then he allowed their lips to meet.
LATER
The two sat on the couch, staring at a notepad and rubbing their foreheads. The guest lists had still not been formalised and they were still irritatingly big.
"I know we said we only wanted each other there" Kate said "and I'm starting to see the value in that proposition". Rick smirked dryly and tore the piece of paper off and then said.
"Right. Let's do this again. Only the most important people to us. Not the people who's feelings we don't want to hurt".
They both said "you" at the same time so Rick wrote Rick and Kate on the first two lines.
After twenty minutes of debating the importance of each and every person, they had a list.
Rick
Kate
Jim
Martha
Alexis
Espo
Ryan
Lanie
Jenny
Gates
Maddy
That was it.
"Okay we can definitely invite more people than that" Kate said and asked about Rick's friends. He said that they were all shallow authors or other famous people who he actually hated but they had soon added some more friends and extended family members.
With the list done, Rick placed the paper and pen to one side and turned to face Kate, who was fiddling with her ring-which to Rick's joy was on her finger. Rick gently took her hand away from it and cupped her face. He stared at her for a moment, watched as she refused to meet his eyes and bit her bottom lip. She looked so perfect, so flawless, even doing nothing.
She could feel the desire start to pulse through her and she lowered her eyes. He was taking far longer to kiss her than she had anticipated and she began to get restless. When she finally felt his lips meet hers, she couldn't suppress a moan.
She leaned back and ended up lying on the couch, with Rick slowly coming to hover on top of her. Her hands roamed freely up and down his back and he deepened the kiss in response. Her hands moved to his hair, then back to his back.
When they broke the kiss to breathe, Rick murmured quietly "I love you Kate" and even though they were the same words he had spoken as she lay dying, Kate's heart swelled. And even though for the first year of their relationship she had struggled greatly with these three words, she simply said "I love you".
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Paths; A Castle Fanfiction
Fanfiction"September. We're getting married in September. Not too hot, not too cold; it's in the Goldilocks zone. It's perfect." The date is set at last and now Castle and Beckett's wedding is in sight. Now there's a thousand and one things to be done before...
