Castle Fic - Waiting Game, Chapter 9
Title - Waiting Game
Rating - PG-13ish
Spoilers - Season 4, I guess, but nothing really past Eye of the Beholder
Pairing - Castle/Beckett
1:53 pm, 12th precinct, break room, a brief review.
Later. Tonight they would talk about it. In the meantime-
Kate slowly reached across the table and put her hand in his; swept her thumb across the sensitive inside of his palm, as he had done to her earlier. She inhaled and looked in his eyes, her heart threatening to turn over in her chest. "Are we okay?"
The smile dropped from Castle's face, but his eyes…there was something in their depths that made her heart stutter and her mouth go dry. Made her yearn not just for tonight but for forever. His hand gripped hers, almost too tightly, stilling her thumb, his heat soaking into her skin.
"Kate. We are always okay."
1:55 pm, 12th precinct, bullpen. Hands to yourself.
Castle kept an unnatural distance between them as he followed Kate out of the break room. It was probably made him more obvious, but whatever. She had to be physically out of his reach or he was going to touch her again; would be unable to stop himself from brushing against her, running his hand over her hip. Spinning her around so that she collided with his chest, her mouth inches from his-
Dammit.
It wasn't even like it was sexual. That was completely untrue. It was totally sexual. He wanted her so badly that he felt like every second of yearning throughout the last four years had coalesced into this moment right here, and he didn't see how he was going to make it another four hours.
And even thinking that he was going to be able to touch her the way he wanted to in four hours was probably taking optimism to the point of delusion, since all they had agreed to was having a meal and talking, but oh, God.
Maybe he should stop looking at her. Maybe he should have stayed in the break room. He should just sit in there until the end of the day or until he spontaneously combusted, whichever came first.
But it wasn't just desire.
No. It was that they were teetering on the edge of something. They were almost there and he wanted to tether her to him, keep her close. Have a point of connection, so that they were together when they went over the edge. He couldn't bear it if he lost her in the fall.
1:55 pm, 12th precinct, bullpen. Working. Absolutely concentrating on working.
When Kate stepped out of the break room she felt raw, naked, like anyone looking at her would know. Like Castle had left his finger prints all over her.
She slowly approached the white board - the ferret covered white board - with Castle following her by an unnecessary fifteen feet that was going to fool no one. The hazing hadn't started only because Ryan and Esposito hadn't noticed them yet.
Esposito stood with his back half turned to the board, still trying not to look at it directly, shaking his head in disgust.
Ryan was pacing back and forth, his gestures a little too exaggerated, his voice a bit too loud, his hair way too crazy. He'd taken another turn for the worse.
"I'll take it down when I find him, and I'd find him faster if I had some more help. Like from my partner."
Esposito pointed at Ryan, his face still averted. "No one can help you if you get fired, which is happening as soon as Gates sees this."
"Well, if I can't find the ferret I'm probably getting divorced. So, you know, priorities."
"You're exaggerating. That's completely ridiculous."
"Says the guy who can't even look at a ferret picture!"
"That doesn't even make sense, bro."
Ryan shoved both hands into his hair and continued pacing. Kate could already see the sweat on his face.
Esposito sighed. "Seriously, you have got to take that board down. You know there's a picture online?"
"Kapowski's Twitter. Like anyone reads that."
"I follow her."
"And that brings her up to, what? Seventeen followers? I think I'm safe."
"It might already be too late. Gates has the internet, you know."
"Pssht" Ryan flapped his hand in the air.
"I'm serious. I give it thirty minutes before there's some sort of ferret white board GIF floating around."
"That's ridiculous."
"Have you been on Tumblr recently?"
"No."
"Well, I mean, me either, but…" Esposito trailed off when he caught sight of her, a huge, obnoxious grin slowly splitting his face.
Ryan turned. Immediately his shoulders dropped and his hands came out of his hair. His eyes lost some of their crazy. He even smiled, even if it did look a little manic.
Kate slowed, trying to delay the inevitable. Wasn't it just awesome that no amount of anger at Esposito had enabled Ryan to keep what he had seen to himself? Some information obviously transcended all conflicts, ferret or otherwise.
Sure enough, as she and Castle got closer Kate could see their faces festooned with twin expressions of delight, proving once again that nothing united them like mockery. Of her.
"Well, well ,well. Wasn't expecting to see you two for a while." Esposito raised his eyebrows.
Castle huffed. "Why? You told us you needed us ten minutes ago."
Kate flinched in surprise. Castle sounded disgruntled. He sounded disgruntled about a foot from her ear. So much for distance. She fought the urge to turn around, to get even closer. "You sort of tried to threaten us."
Esposito squinted. "I wasn't trying to threaten you. You'll know when I'm threatening you."
Kate put her hand on her hip, her arm hitting Castle's stomach. He was so close. They were going to have to separate. She couldn't make it through the rest of the day like this. "You told us we couldn't close the door."
Esposito snorted. "Cause you didn't need to close that door."
Castle was so quiet. Kate knew, knew, that he was imagining what might have happened if the door had remained closed. Or maybe that was just her.
"Yeah. No reason to close that door." Esposito reiterated when they said nothing,
"Next time just hypnotize them into leaving the door opened." Ryan suggested, and Kate was almost grateful, because at it gave her gave her something to think about other than being behind a closed door with Castle.
But thoughts of hypnotism lead to the ferret/panties incident from lockup, calling up the look on Castle's face right after her bedroom joke, like he was going to explode if her didn't touch her -
She was going to die. That was all.
Esposito held out his bunched fingers for Ryan to feed the birds. "Nice one, man."
"Really? That's what you're going with?" Castle's voice was full of derision and sex. It was possible that only she noticed that second part.
"What do you mean?" Ryan was all innocence. "I'm just trying to remind myself why I'm not supposed to be mad that you lost my ferret even though you literally tripped over him." By the end of the sentence Ryan sounded slightly less innocent and little more loud and crazy.
"We didn't lose your ferret. We found him. We just, um, failed to detain him." Castle was so close Kate could swear she could feel his voice rumbling in his chest. Or maybe that was just every single one of her nerve endings vibrating.
"What good is that?" Ryan's hands were back in his hair.
Esposito nudged Ryan. "Remember, you need to be understanding. They were hypnotized."
Kate couldn't stay silent for that. "I was not hypnotized. I was trying to stop a freaking underwear uprising and the ferret was the least of my concerns."
Esposito and Ryan turned to Castle.
"And what's your excuse, man?"
Castle glared at them while Ryan barked, "hypnotized!" into his fist while pretending to cough.
Castle sighed. "Look, everyone was hypnotized, okay? It's not like I could help it."
"Beckett wasn't."
"Well, no, not…I mean, obviously. Not with her control issues. She doesn't count."
"What's that supposed to mean?" It's not like it wasn't true, but it kind of stung. Kate briefly wondered if Lena, Betina- whoever- let him drive.
She started to turn around to glare, but then Kate felt his hand against her lower back, soft and light, barely there. It was nothing, hardly a touch, but it was something they never, ever did. She suppressed a gasp, and then his breath was on her neck, his voice low against her ear for only her to hear, "You know I'm teasing."
Then he stepped away, leaving her shaky, and overwhelmingly aware that they had entered entirely new territory.
He cleared his throat and continued at a regular volume, but his fingers feathered against the sensitive skin of her waist and then were gone. Her breath felt stuck in her throat. What was he doing?
"I just meant that you are clearly too strong willed to succumb to hypnotism. Or any other kind of Jedi mind trick. You're probably able to throw off the Imperious Curse, too."
Kate barely suppressed a shiver. How did he do that? In one breath go from nearly insulting her to sounding so, so...admiring. Proud. It took everything in her not to jump as she felt his fingers against the back of her hand.
Ryan's eyes were bouncing between them while he obviously fought to contain a smile. Even Esposito looked, if not pleased, at least not totally disgusted.
Castle kept talking, "But everyone else - out. Hypnotized. It was crazy. This girl was like a banshee. Without panties." It was like he was pretending that his thumb wasn't slowly sweeping up and down the back of her forearm, like it was some sort of accident. She had to fight to control her breathing.
Esposito snorted. "Whatever, man. I would have held out. I don't get hypnotized."
Ryan crossed his arms. "Me neither."
Castle's thumb momentarily paused, and there was a brief, awkward silence as all three of them stared at Ryan. He dropped his arms, his face incredulous. "Oh, come on!"
"No, I'm telling you, everyone - except Beckett" he lightly squeezed her elbow, his fingers hot. "- was completely under. I don't know how they're going to keep her from doing it again."
"Solitary confinement?" Espostio offered.
Kate shook her head, trying to ignore Castle's hand and join the conversation. "No, she'll just start as soon as someone opens the door. It, um," She swallowed, her mouth dry. "It happened crazy fast."
Castle snapped his fingers with the hand that wasn't slipping down her arm. "Hannibal Lecture mask."
"Yeah, we don't really keep those lying around the precinct."
"Really? That's disappointing." Castle frowned, thought. "How about an ordinary muzzle?"
"Canine unit isn't housed here, bro."
"Horse bridle?"
Kate didn't even bother responding to that one, just pressed her lips together and tried not to laugh. When she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye he was waggling his eyebrows at her.
It was surreal. From the outside, to anyone else, this probably looked like a normal conversation. Castle was going through the motions, offering up crazy ideas, bantering, waggling his eyebrows. But instead of teasing his eyes were burning, something in them, way in the back, almost frantic with longing.
She quickly looked away, because they were still at work and five o'clock was so far away, and oh god, she loved him.
But Castle saw, he must have, because he stepped almost imperceptivity closer. His hand curled around her palm, his fingers stroking against the seams of hers. She couldn't look at him. All he was doing was holding her hand, but it felt so forbidden, so erotic-
Kate could feel her face flushing. She had to move away before - what? Before she accidentally threw herself against him, just to feel him. To ease - just for a second - the exquisite awful ache of wanting him.
Her heart was beating too fast. Ryan and Esposito had fallen silent because, honestly, what do you say when it looks like your co-workers are about to start making out? She had to stop this now.
Instead, like a reflex, her fingers wrapped around his.
She felt a shudder ripple through Castle, could have sworn she could feel his heartbeat (or was it hers?), before he abruptly straightened up and stepped back, his hand releasing hers and dropping to his side.
Kate made herself take a slow breath. He was right. This was work, and she had to stop thinking like this.
He was right, but Kate immediately missed the warmth, the sensation, the connection, and just - they had a problem.
2:01 pm, 12th precinct, bull pen. What the hell is he thinking?
Castle fisted his hands to keep from reaching for her again. They were in the middle of the bullpen, and he was so turned on from stroking her freaking palm that he thought he might explode. This was exactly the kind of behavior that would get her harassed, behavior that would get him kicked out, exactly what he told himself he wasn't going to do. He had managed to keep a reasonable amount of space between them for maybe thirty seconds. What was he thinking?
He was thinking five o'clock was eons away. That's what he was thinking.
It was almost like he was standing outside himself, watching the whole ridiculous scene with Ryan and Esposito and the ferret board unfold, watching himself play his part, while inside he was a whirling storm of emotions that pulled him inexorably to Kate.
Esposito cleared his throat, trying to break through the awkward silence. "C'mon. It couldn't have been that bad."
Castle blinked. What were they talking about? Concentrate. Ferret. Hypnotized. Panties.
"Man, you weren't there. It was total chaos." Castle did his best to sound outraged, and not like he was wondering if Ryan and Esposito would notice if he slipped his hand up the back of Kate's shirt, touched the warmth of her back, right in the hollow. If she would jerk away, or if she would turn to him, her eyes like they were in the break room, liquid warmth. An invitation.
Espostio snorted. "Yeah, you were totally in the shit. I don't know how you're even able to talk about it. All those panties flying everywhere must have been totally traumatic."
"Do you need to go home?" Ryan added, clearly unable to hold back any longer. "Maybe lie down in the break room? I heard something about you two needing to go to bed."
Oh, man. His gut clenched as he was hit with a shock of anger. He really hated this. Which was crazy, because just this morning he would have found it hilarious. He would have said it himself.
Castle took another step back, increasing his distance from Kate, lowering his temptation…not at all, really, but at least it would look better.
He tightened his fists and gritted his teeth, trying to keep his face blank, trying to remember that Ryan and Esposito meant nothing by it; that they were their friends, would literally take a bullet for Kate.
Kate, who had adopted her sweetest expression and turned to Ryan who, no idiot, suddenly looked terrified.
"Do you think it's time to call Jenny about her ferret? She's probably one her way to pick him up. You don't want her to come all this way in the storm for nothing. " Kate smiled, angelic evil. "If you're nervous I'll do it."
2:05 pm, 12th precinct, bullpen, a new level of bizarre
"No! " Ryan's desperation immediately cancelled out his mockery, but increased his sweat. "No, I've already called her and told her I don't want her coming here in the storm. I'll bring the ferret tonight."
"So you lied." Esposito shook his head.
"It's not a lie! I don't want her traveling in the storm."
"I meant the part about bringing the ferret home with you tonight. Since you don't have it."
"That was really mean, man."
"Yeah, uncalled for." Castle gestured towards Ryan. "He's already upset enough. Look at his sweat."
"You're right. I shouldn't be mad at Ryan. You two are the ones who let the ferret escape. If you guys had kept it together we'd be rodent-free by now."
"Ferrets aren't rodents."
Kate jumped at the voice to her left, knocking into Castle, who automatically grabbed her elbow to steady her (breathe). Kapowski was standing there, her gaze wide and fixed on the ferret board. She looked totally spooked.
"I'm sorry?" Kate tried not react as Castle's hand slid down her arm in a caress as he let go.
"Ferrets." Kapowski swallowed, still staring at the board. "Everyone thinks they're rodents, but they're not. They're carnivorous. They eat rodents."
Esposito gasped. "I knew it!" He jabbed a finger in the air for emphasis. "I knew they weren't to be trusted."
"They're not rodents? Really?" Castle sounded fascinated. Of course he did. "What are they?"
Kapowski cleared her throat, her eyes sliding from Castle back to the ferret board. "Mustelids. Like weasels and minks. Wolverines. Honey badgers.
"Heh. Honey badgers." Castle stepped back as Kapowski whirled around, abruptly and inexplicably outraged.
"I hate honey badgers." She wasn't blinking.
"Okay. Um, sorry?" Castle moved beside Kate, his face confused. "But…have you seen that video? It's pretty funny."
"That video is disgusting." Kapowski stared into the distance, zoned out. She was absolutely giving Kate the creeps. "Violent."
"Wait, wait, wait." Esposito had some crazy eyes himself. "Wolverines? Ferrets are from the same family as wolverines?" He turned to Ryan, accusatory. "You said it wasn't dangerous!"
Castle moved away from Kate to put his hand on Esposito's shoulder. Kate forced herself to stay put, not to close the distance. "It's still just a ferret, man. It's not turning into Hugh Jackman or anything."
Esposito acted like he hadn't heard him. "And otters?"
Ryan held out his hands, exasperated. "What could possibly be wrong with otters?"
Esposito scrunched his face. "They just look sneaky."
"They eat beavers." Kapowski added.
Castle choked on nothing.
"I don't…I don't even know what to say to that." His eyes were wide and he was biting his lips, and Kate could tell that he was struggling super hard not to throw out "that's what she said."
Ryan shook his head as if to clear it of the crazy and turned to Kapowski, hopeful. "You know about ferrets? Can you help us find him?"
"Oh." Kapowski's eyes flared wide before she dropped her gaze to the floor. "I don't think so." She shook her head and started backing away slowly. "I, um….no."
"Please," Ryan was almost teary. "I don't know what else to do. He could be anywhere."
She was still shaking her head. "Sorry, no, I can't. I just…I can't." She shuddered, was turning away when Castle gasped.
"You can't be!" He pointed at her, his face disbelieving and gleeful at the same time. "You are! You're scared of ferrets too!"
Kate jerked around to stare at Kapowski, who was frozen and staring at the floor, like a kid caught being naughty. She was so astounded that it was even possible that she worked with two (two!) otherwise reasonable adults who harbored a paralyzing fear of ferrets (ferrets!) that she forgot her urge to move closer to Castle. For a second, anyway.
"Are you kidding me? You are police officers! How can both of you be so irrational?"
"It's not irrational!" Kapowski looked a little sick. "Their little bodies are like snakes. Furry snakes."
"That's what I said!" Esposito looked thrilled to have someone share his psychosis. What was that saying? Insanity loves company?
"If you hate them so much, why do you know so much about them?" Ryan was almost whining with disappointment.
"Because," Kapowski swallowed, her eyes never leaving the floor. "My sister had a ferret. Once."
"So, what, did it bite you or something?" Kate could hear her impatience, but honestly.
"She had a ferret but I wanted a hamster. We shouldn't…we shouldn't have…"
"Oh no." Kate suddenly knew where this was going.
"We didn't know, we thought they were both rodents. We thought it would be fun for them to play together. So we let them both out of their cages and…and…" Kapowski's mouth was working but no sound was coming out.
Castle's mouth dropped opened. "The ferret ATE your hamster?"
Esposito looked like he'd been punched in the stomach. "I think I'm going to be sick."
Kapowski was still staring at the floor, lost in her memories. Her terrible ferret memories. "No, no. But it was close. The ferret just clamped down, he wouldn't let go, you know? I had to hold his creepy little body while my sister pried his jaws opened."
"The horror." Esposito whispered.
"Was, um," Kate was terribly afraid she was going to start laughing and that was going to be really inappropriate. "Was your hamster okay?"
"He lived, but he was never the same." Kapowski looked up, her eyes filling with tears. "He could never really play in his little ball again. He kept tipping over - he couldn't balance with only three legs, and…"
"Oh, no WAY!" Ryan shouted.
"Dear God." Esposito, horrified.
"The ferret ate his LEG!" Kate was going to laugh.
"This is the best story I've ever heard." Castle, delighted.
"So you see why I can't help you." Kapowski shook her head. "It's just too painful to remember what happened to Stumpy."
"You called your hamster Stumpy?" Castle almost wheezed, he was trying so hard not to laugh. "That just seems unnecessary."
Kapowski glared at him. "He was already named Stumpy before the accident."
"Well, that was just really unlucky." Castle scrunched his face. "Or maybe really lucky?" He raised his eyebrows. "A self-fulfilling prophecy?" He got a good look at Kapowski's face. "Still too soon?" Kapowski was giving him a death glare. "Always too soon?"
"It's not funny, bro." Esposito looked nauseous.
Kate clamped her hand over her mouth to keep in the giggles.
Castle shot her a sideways look before he turned back to Esposito. "I'll tell you what. We'll get the cat burglar girl up here and she can hypnotize you two out of your fear of ferrets."
Kate couldn't keep it in anymore. The laughter just burst out. Kapowski was shooting daggers at her and Esposito looked totally betrayed, but she couldn't help it. Predator ferrets and honey badgers and hamsters with three legs and it was all too much.
"Nice." Esposito was disgusted. "Thanks a lot, Beckett. You too, Castle."
She could barely breathe. Kate was laughing so hard she had to lean against her desk and grab Castle's arm to remain upright. Castle, who somehow was once again close enough to touch. When had he…
Castle wrapped his arm lightly around her, his hand barely resting on the curve of hip, and Kate stopped laughing as her stomach flipped and her breath caught and everything rushed back.
She looked up, his face right there. He was smiling, but his eyes…frustration. Longing.
Heat swept over her followed by an almost unbearable frustration as she realized that this was what they were waiting for. They weren't at her apartment, her bed (talking! Talking first!), alone, because they had to stay here and deal with ferret phobias.
Castle leaned in, and somehow, somehow, her hand was against his chest, curling around the lapel of his jacket, pulling him closer. His lips were almost touching her ear. "I need to talk to you. Now."
Rating - PG-13ish
Spoilers - Season 4, I guess, but nothing really past Eye of the Beholder
Pairing - Castle/Beckett
1:53 pm, 12th precinct, break room, a brief review.
Later. Tonight they would talk about it. In the meantime-
Kate slowly reached across the table and put her hand in his; swept her thumb across the sensitive inside of his palm, as he had done to her earlier. She inhaled and looked in his eyes, her heart threatening to turn over in her chest. "Are we okay?"
The smile dropped from Castle's face, but his eyes…there was something in their depths that made her heart stutter and her mouth go dry. Made her yearn not just for tonight but for forever. His hand gripped hers, almost too tightly, stilling her thumb, his heat soaking into her skin.
"Kate. We are always okay."
1:55 pm, 12th precinct, bullpen. Hands to yourself.
Castle kept an unnatural distance between them as he followed Kate out of the break room. It was probably made him more obvious, but whatever. She had to be physically out of his reach or he was going to touch her again; would be unable to stop himself from brushing against her, running his hand over her hip. Spinning her around so that she collided with his chest, her mouth inches from his-
Dammit.
It wasn't even like it was sexual. That was completely untrue. It was totally sexual. He wanted her so badly that he felt like every second of yearning throughout the last four years had coalesced into this moment right here, and he didn't see how he was going to make it another four hours.
And even thinking that he was going to be able to touch her the way he wanted to in four hours was probably taking optimism to the point of delusion, since all they had agreed to was having a meal and talking, but oh, God.
Maybe he should stop looking at her. Maybe he should have stayed in the break room. He should just sit in there until the end of the day or until he spontaneously combusted, whichever came first.
But it wasn't just desire.
No. It was that they were teetering on the edge of something. They were almost there and he wanted to tether her to him, keep her close. Have a point of connection, so that they were together when they went over the edge. He couldn't bear it if he lost her in the fall.
1:55 pm, 12th precinct, bullpen. Working. Absolutely concentrating on working.
When Kate stepped out of the break room she felt raw, naked, like anyone looking at her would know. Like Castle had left his finger prints all over her.
She slowly approached the white board - the ferret covered white board - with Castle following her by an unnecessary fifteen feet that was going to fool no one. The hazing hadn't started only because Ryan and Esposito hadn't noticed them yet.
Esposito stood with his back half turned to the board, still trying not to look at it directly, shaking his head in disgust.
Ryan was pacing back and forth, his gestures a little too exaggerated, his voice a bit too loud, his hair way too crazy. He'd taken another turn for the worse.
"I'll take it down when I find him, and I'd find him faster if I had some more help. Like from my partner."
Esposito pointed at Ryan, his face still averted. "No one can help you if you get fired, which is happening as soon as Gates sees this."
"Well, if I can't find the ferret I'm probably getting divorced. So, you know, priorities."
"You're exaggerating. That's completely ridiculous."
"Says the guy who can't even look at a ferret picture!"
"That doesn't even make sense, bro."
Ryan shoved both hands into his hair and continued pacing. Kate could already see the sweat on his face.
Esposito sighed. "Seriously, you have got to take that board down. You know there's a picture online?"
"Kapowski's Twitter. Like anyone reads that."
"I follow her."
"And that brings her up to, what? Seventeen followers? I think I'm safe."
"It might already be too late. Gates has the internet, you know."
"Pssht" Ryan flapped his hand in the air.
"I'm serious. I give it thirty minutes before there's some sort of ferret white board GIF floating around."
"That's ridiculous."
"Have you been on Tumblr recently?"
"No."
"Well, I mean, me either, but…" Esposito trailed off when he caught sight of her, a huge, obnoxious grin slowly splitting his face.
Ryan turned. Immediately his shoulders dropped and his hands came out of his hair. His eyes lost some of their crazy. He even smiled, even if it did look a little manic.
Kate slowed, trying to delay the inevitable. Wasn't it just awesome that no amount of anger at Esposito had enabled Ryan to keep what he had seen to himself? Some information obviously transcended all conflicts, ferret or otherwise.
Sure enough, as she and Castle got closer Kate could see their faces festooned with twin expressions of delight, proving once again that nothing united them like mockery. Of her.
"Well, well ,well. Wasn't expecting to see you two for a while." Esposito raised his eyebrows.
Castle huffed. "Why? You told us you needed us ten minutes ago."
Kate flinched in surprise. Castle sounded disgruntled. He sounded disgruntled about a foot from her ear. So much for distance. She fought the urge to turn around, to get even closer. "You sort of tried to threaten us."
Esposito squinted. "I wasn't trying to threaten you. You'll know when I'm threatening you."
Kate put her hand on her hip, her arm hitting Castle's stomach. He was so close. They were going to have to separate. She couldn't make it through the rest of the day like this. "You told us we couldn't close the door."
Esposito snorted. "Cause you didn't need to close that door."
Castle was so quiet. Kate knew, knew, that he was imagining what might have happened if the door had remained closed. Or maybe that was just her.
"Yeah. No reason to close that door." Esposito reiterated when they said nothing,
"Next time just hypnotize them into leaving the door opened." Ryan suggested, and Kate was almost grateful, because at it gave her gave her something to think about other than being behind a closed door with Castle.
But thoughts of hypnotism lead to the ferret/panties incident from lockup, calling up the look on Castle's face right after her bedroom joke, like he was going to explode if her didn't touch her -
She was going to die. That was all.
Esposito held out his bunched fingers for Ryan to feed the birds. "Nice one, man."
"Really? That's what you're going with?" Castle's voice was full of derision and sex. It was possible that only she noticed that second part.
"What do you mean?" Ryan was all innocence. "I'm just trying to remind myself why I'm not supposed to be mad that you lost my ferret even though you literally tripped over him." By the end of the sentence Ryan sounded slightly less innocent and little more loud and crazy.
"We didn't lose your ferret. We found him. We just, um, failed to detain him." Castle was so close Kate could swear she could feel his voice rumbling in his chest. Or maybe that was just every single one of her nerve endings vibrating.
"What good is that?" Ryan's hands were back in his hair.
Esposito nudged Ryan. "Remember, you need to be understanding. They were hypnotized."
Kate couldn't stay silent for that. "I was not hypnotized. I was trying to stop a freaking underwear uprising and the ferret was the least of my concerns."
Esposito and Ryan turned to Castle.
"And what's your excuse, man?"
Castle glared at them while Ryan barked, "hypnotized!" into his fist while pretending to cough.
Castle sighed. "Look, everyone was hypnotized, okay? It's not like I could help it."
"Beckett wasn't."
"Well, no, not…I mean, obviously. Not with her control issues. She doesn't count."
"What's that supposed to mean?" It's not like it wasn't true, but it kind of stung. Kate briefly wondered if Lena, Betina- whoever- let him drive.
She started to turn around to glare, but then Kate felt his hand against her lower back, soft and light, barely there. It was nothing, hardly a touch, but it was something they never, ever did. She suppressed a gasp, and then his breath was on her neck, his voice low against her ear for only her to hear, "You know I'm teasing."
Then he stepped away, leaving her shaky, and overwhelmingly aware that they had entered entirely new territory.
He cleared his throat and continued at a regular volume, but his fingers feathered against the sensitive skin of her waist and then were gone. Her breath felt stuck in her throat. What was he doing?
"I just meant that you are clearly too strong willed to succumb to hypnotism. Or any other kind of Jedi mind trick. You're probably able to throw off the Imperious Curse, too."
Kate barely suppressed a shiver. How did he do that? In one breath go from nearly insulting her to sounding so, so...admiring. Proud. It took everything in her not to jump as she felt his fingers against the back of her hand.
Ryan's eyes were bouncing between them while he obviously fought to contain a smile. Even Esposito looked, if not pleased, at least not totally disgusted.
Castle kept talking, "But everyone else - out. Hypnotized. It was crazy. This girl was like a banshee. Without panties." It was like he was pretending that his thumb wasn't slowly sweeping up and down the back of her forearm, like it was some sort of accident. She had to fight to control her breathing.
Esposito snorted. "Whatever, man. I would have held out. I don't get hypnotized."
Ryan crossed his arms. "Me neither."
Castle's thumb momentarily paused, and there was a brief, awkward silence as all three of them stared at Ryan. He dropped his arms, his face incredulous. "Oh, come on!"
"No, I'm telling you, everyone - except Beckett" he lightly squeezed her elbow, his fingers hot. "- was completely under. I don't know how they're going to keep her from doing it again."
"Solitary confinement?" Espostio offered.
Kate shook her head, trying to ignore Castle's hand and join the conversation. "No, she'll just start as soon as someone opens the door. It, um," She swallowed, her mouth dry. "It happened crazy fast."
Castle snapped his fingers with the hand that wasn't slipping down her arm. "Hannibal Lecture mask."
"Yeah, we don't really keep those lying around the precinct."
"Really? That's disappointing." Castle frowned, thought. "How about an ordinary muzzle?"
"Canine unit isn't housed here, bro."
"Horse bridle?"
Kate didn't even bother responding to that one, just pressed her lips together and tried not to laugh. When she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye he was waggling his eyebrows at her.
It was surreal. From the outside, to anyone else, this probably looked like a normal conversation. Castle was going through the motions, offering up crazy ideas, bantering, waggling his eyebrows. But instead of teasing his eyes were burning, something in them, way in the back, almost frantic with longing.
She quickly looked away, because they were still at work and five o'clock was so far away, and oh god, she loved him.
But Castle saw, he must have, because he stepped almost imperceptivity closer. His hand curled around her palm, his fingers stroking against the seams of hers. She couldn't look at him. All he was doing was holding her hand, but it felt so forbidden, so erotic-
Kate could feel her face flushing. She had to move away before - what? Before she accidentally threw herself against him, just to feel him. To ease - just for a second - the exquisite awful ache of wanting him.
Her heart was beating too fast. Ryan and Esposito had fallen silent because, honestly, what do you say when it looks like your co-workers are about to start making out? She had to stop this now.
Instead, like a reflex, her fingers wrapped around his.
She felt a shudder ripple through Castle, could have sworn she could feel his heartbeat (or was it hers?), before he abruptly straightened up and stepped back, his hand releasing hers and dropping to his side.
Kate made herself take a slow breath. He was right. This was work, and she had to stop thinking like this.
He was right, but Kate immediately missed the warmth, the sensation, the connection, and just - they had a problem.
2:01 pm, 12th precinct, bull pen. What the hell is he thinking?
Castle fisted his hands to keep from reaching for her again. They were in the middle of the bullpen, and he was so turned on from stroking her freaking palm that he thought he might explode. This was exactly the kind of behavior that would get her harassed, behavior that would get him kicked out, exactly what he told himself he wasn't going to do. He had managed to keep a reasonable amount of space between them for maybe thirty seconds. What was he thinking?
He was thinking five o'clock was eons away. That's what he was thinking.
It was almost like he was standing outside himself, watching the whole ridiculous scene with Ryan and Esposito and the ferret board unfold, watching himself play his part, while inside he was a whirling storm of emotions that pulled him inexorably to Kate.
Esposito cleared his throat, trying to break through the awkward silence. "C'mon. It couldn't have been that bad."
Castle blinked. What were they talking about? Concentrate. Ferret. Hypnotized. Panties.
"Man, you weren't there. It was total chaos." Castle did his best to sound outraged, and not like he was wondering if Ryan and Esposito would notice if he slipped his hand up the back of Kate's shirt, touched the warmth of her back, right in the hollow. If she would jerk away, or if she would turn to him, her eyes like they were in the break room, liquid warmth. An invitation.
Espostio snorted. "Yeah, you were totally in the shit. I don't know how you're even able to talk about it. All those panties flying everywhere must have been totally traumatic."
"Do you need to go home?" Ryan added, clearly unable to hold back any longer. "Maybe lie down in the break room? I heard something about you two needing to go to bed."
Oh, man. His gut clenched as he was hit with a shock of anger. He really hated this. Which was crazy, because just this morning he would have found it hilarious. He would have said it himself.
Castle took another step back, increasing his distance from Kate, lowering his temptation…not at all, really, but at least it would look better.
He tightened his fists and gritted his teeth, trying to keep his face blank, trying to remember that Ryan and Esposito meant nothing by it; that they were their friends, would literally take a bullet for Kate.
Kate, who had adopted her sweetest expression and turned to Ryan who, no idiot, suddenly looked terrified.
"Do you think it's time to call Jenny about her ferret? She's probably one her way to pick him up. You don't want her to come all this way in the storm for nothing. " Kate smiled, angelic evil. "If you're nervous I'll do it."
2:05 pm, 12th precinct, bullpen, a new level of bizarre
"No! " Ryan's desperation immediately cancelled out his mockery, but increased his sweat. "No, I've already called her and told her I don't want her coming here in the storm. I'll bring the ferret tonight."
"So you lied." Esposito shook his head.
"It's not a lie! I don't want her traveling in the storm."
"I meant the part about bringing the ferret home with you tonight. Since you don't have it."
"That was really mean, man."
"Yeah, uncalled for." Castle gestured towards Ryan. "He's already upset enough. Look at his sweat."
"You're right. I shouldn't be mad at Ryan. You two are the ones who let the ferret escape. If you guys had kept it together we'd be rodent-free by now."
"Ferrets aren't rodents."
Kate jumped at the voice to her left, knocking into Castle, who automatically grabbed her elbow to steady her (breathe). Kapowski was standing there, her gaze wide and fixed on the ferret board. She looked totally spooked.
"I'm sorry?" Kate tried not react as Castle's hand slid down her arm in a caress as he let go.
"Ferrets." Kapowski swallowed, still staring at the board. "Everyone thinks they're rodents, but they're not. They're carnivorous. They eat rodents."
Esposito gasped. "I knew it!" He jabbed a finger in the air for emphasis. "I knew they weren't to be trusted."
"They're not rodents? Really?" Castle sounded fascinated. Of course he did. "What are they?"
Kapowski cleared her throat, her eyes sliding from Castle back to the ferret board. "Mustelids. Like weasels and minks. Wolverines. Honey badgers.
"Heh. Honey badgers." Castle stepped back as Kapowski whirled around, abruptly and inexplicably outraged.
"I hate honey badgers." She wasn't blinking.
"Okay. Um, sorry?" Castle moved beside Kate, his face confused. "But…have you seen that video? It's pretty funny."
"That video is disgusting." Kapowski stared into the distance, zoned out. She was absolutely giving Kate the creeps. "Violent."
"Wait, wait, wait." Esposito had some crazy eyes himself. "Wolverines? Ferrets are from the same family as wolverines?" He turned to Ryan, accusatory. "You said it wasn't dangerous!"
Castle moved away from Kate to put his hand on Esposito's shoulder. Kate forced herself to stay put, not to close the distance. "It's still just a ferret, man. It's not turning into Hugh Jackman or anything."
Esposito acted like he hadn't heard him. "And otters?"
Ryan held out his hands, exasperated. "What could possibly be wrong with otters?"
Esposito scrunched his face. "They just look sneaky."
"They eat beavers." Kapowski added.
Castle choked on nothing.
"I don't…I don't even know what to say to that." His eyes were wide and he was biting his lips, and Kate could tell that he was struggling super hard not to throw out "that's what she said."
Ryan shook his head as if to clear it of the crazy and turned to Kapowski, hopeful. "You know about ferrets? Can you help us find him?"
"Oh." Kapowski's eyes flared wide before she dropped her gaze to the floor. "I don't think so." She shook her head and started backing away slowly. "I, um….no."
"Please," Ryan was almost teary. "I don't know what else to do. He could be anywhere."
She was still shaking her head. "Sorry, no, I can't. I just…I can't." She shuddered, was turning away when Castle gasped.
"You can't be!" He pointed at her, his face disbelieving and gleeful at the same time. "You are! You're scared of ferrets too!"
Kate jerked around to stare at Kapowski, who was frozen and staring at the floor, like a kid caught being naughty. She was so astounded that it was even possible that she worked with two (two!) otherwise reasonable adults who harbored a paralyzing fear of ferrets (ferrets!) that she forgot her urge to move closer to Castle. For a second, anyway.
"Are you kidding me? You are police officers! How can both of you be so irrational?"
"It's not irrational!" Kapowski looked a little sick. "Their little bodies are like snakes. Furry snakes."
"That's what I said!" Esposito looked thrilled to have someone share his psychosis. What was that saying? Insanity loves company?
"If you hate them so much, why do you know so much about them?" Ryan was almost whining with disappointment.
"Because," Kapowski swallowed, her eyes never leaving the floor. "My sister had a ferret. Once."
"So, what, did it bite you or something?" Kate could hear her impatience, but honestly.
"She had a ferret but I wanted a hamster. We shouldn't…we shouldn't have…"
"Oh no." Kate suddenly knew where this was going.
"We didn't know, we thought they were both rodents. We thought it would be fun for them to play together. So we let them both out of their cages and…and…" Kapowski's mouth was working but no sound was coming out.
Castle's mouth dropped opened. "The ferret ATE your hamster?"
Esposito looked like he'd been punched in the stomach. "I think I'm going to be sick."
Kapowski was still staring at the floor, lost in her memories. Her terrible ferret memories. "No, no. But it was close. The ferret just clamped down, he wouldn't let go, you know? I had to hold his creepy little body while my sister pried his jaws opened."
"The horror." Esposito whispered.
"Was, um," Kate was terribly afraid she was going to start laughing and that was going to be really inappropriate. "Was your hamster okay?"
"He lived, but he was never the same." Kapowski looked up, her eyes filling with tears. "He could never really play in his little ball again. He kept tipping over - he couldn't balance with only three legs, and…"
"Oh, no WAY!" Ryan shouted.
"Dear God." Esposito, horrified.
"The ferret ate his LEG!" Kate was going to laugh.
"This is the best story I've ever heard." Castle, delighted.
"So you see why I can't help you." Kapowski shook her head. "It's just too painful to remember what happened to Stumpy."
"You called your hamster Stumpy?" Castle almost wheezed, he was trying so hard not to laugh. "That just seems unnecessary."
Kapowski glared at him. "He was already named Stumpy before the accident."
"Well, that was just really unlucky." Castle scrunched his face. "Or maybe really lucky?" He raised his eyebrows. "A self-fulfilling prophecy?" He got a good look at Kapowski's face. "Still too soon?" Kapowski was giving him a death glare. "Always too soon?"
"It's not funny, bro." Esposito looked nauseous.
Kate clamped her hand over her mouth to keep in the giggles.
Castle shot her a sideways look before he turned back to Esposito. "I'll tell you what. We'll get the cat burglar girl up here and she can hypnotize you two out of your fear of ferrets."
Kate couldn't keep it in anymore. The laughter just burst out. Kapowski was shooting daggers at her and Esposito looked totally betrayed, but she couldn't help it. Predator ferrets and honey badgers and hamsters with three legs and it was all too much.
"Nice." Esposito was disgusted. "Thanks a lot, Beckett. You too, Castle."
She could barely breathe. Kate was laughing so hard she had to lean against her desk and grab Castle's arm to remain upright. Castle, who somehow was once again close enough to touch. When had he…
Castle wrapped his arm lightly around her, his hand barely resting on the curve of hip, and Kate stopped laughing as her stomach flipped and her breath caught and everything rushed back.
She looked up, his face right there. He was smiling, but his eyes…frustration. Longing.
Heat swept over her followed by an almost unbearable frustration as she realized that this was what they were waiting for. They weren't at her apartment, her bed (talking! Talking first!), alone, because they had to stay here and deal with ferret phobias.
Castle leaned in, and somehow, somehow, her hand was against his chest, curling around the lapel of his jacket, pulling him closer. His lips were almost touching her ear. "I need to talk to you. Now."