A/N: Wow that was much more difficult than I thought! Both Castle and Beckett are such unique characters and I really want to try as best as I can to portray them faithfully here. Let me know what you think :)

With an extra spring in his step, Castle walked over to his bedroom from the study, into his ensuite and quickly began to strip and enter the shower. Now he was no metrosexual, but this night was special and he didn't have that long to get ready. It was already 5:30 and Kate lived on the other side of town so he had to hurry. Not that that was a problem for the writer of course. He was practically giddy with excitement at the proposal of an evening with his muse, especially one that didn't involve blood and catching killers in abandoned warehouses. However if anyone called him out on having such feelings for the gorgeous but sassy detective he'd naturally deny it profusely.

Now that the shower was done and he was dried off, it was time for the hard part: deciding what to wear. He knew that any of his usual suits he wore would be just fine for the occasion. But this wasn't just any night. It was the first night they were going to properly spend together, just the two of them, completely off-duty. The last case had been solved, all the paperwork done and no drama had happened to either of them lately that he knew of. That's why he was adamant that he choose the perfect outfit for a perfect evening and with his perfect woman he thought in the back of his mind.

It didn't take him long to choose his favourite charcoal suit which he liked to think of as his 'lucky suit', but when it came to a tie he was completely lost. He held up every single one and looked at his handsome reflection in the mirror but none of them seemed quite right. As he was choosing between two possible candidates, he heard the front door to the loft click which meant either his mother or his daughter were home so he made his way downstairs. Either one of them would be able to give him such much needed advice.

"Ah Alexis perfect timing which colour tie should I wear to Kate's later tonight? Seductive Silver or Kiss Me Crimson?" he asked her, rather pleased with the alliterative names he had come up with. Alexis just sighed as he looked at the man-child of a father that she had.

"First of all what's with the dumb names? And second of all, how did you finally score a date with Beckett after all these years?"

"Well daughter dearest, I'd like to correct you that those names were not 'dumb' but actually literary genius and what do you mean date? Who said anything about a date? It's just dinner." Alexis folded her arms in front of her chest and rolled her eyes.

"Just dinner? Dad I'm 17 I'm not stupid. You hardly ever wear ties and when you do it's for a special occasion like a date."

"Ooh you're right no ties or Beckett will think I'm up to something. Thanks Pumpkin see ya," and with a kiss on the forehead, Castle was flying out the door. Meanwhile his daughter was still rooted to the spot in the living room, shaking her head at how selective her father's hearing was sometimes. She's known for years that he's got a thing for Beckett, but he never even dares to approach the subject. All she could hope for is that he wouldn't do anything stupid and that he won't get his heartbroken while he's over there. But something in the back of her head told her that was only wishful thinking.

Making a three course meal was actually a lot harder than Kate Beckett realised. 'I'm a cop' she figured 'I deal with dangerous criminals pretty much every day. Cooking a nice meal should be a piece of cake'. Oh how wrong she was. About an hour ago, her modest apartment was in pretty good shape. Now, it was as if a culinary bomb had gone off and left a saucey, smoky mess in its wake. Clearly she had fancied herself to be more of a Nigella Lawson than she actually was. The bacon wrapped asparagus was more burnt than it was crispy, she couldn't tell whether the grilled salmon was under or overcooked and the chocolate mousse really left a lot to be desired. And just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, the doorbell rang.

As she made her way to the front door, she muttered a long stream of curses under her breath that would make even a sailor blush. And when the door was opened, it was of course Castle who was standing there wearing that signature smirk on his face as usual.

"Good evening, Kate. I hope I'm not interrupting your battle with the kitchen?" Kate just rolled her eyes and fully opened the door for her annoying yet charming partner so that he could come inside.

"Very funny Castle. You could at least try to be a little nicer to the host given she's gone through all this trouble to attempt to make you a good dinner that rivals all the snooty places you frequent." Castle put a hand in front of his heart, feigning hurt feelings.

"Oof that was a shallow blow. Luckily I've brought a little something as a peace offering." As he said this, he held up the wine bottle that he was holding in his other hand and offered it to her.

"Wow buying my forgiveness are we?" Kate teased. However, when she noticed him getting all riled up and ready to defend himself, she put his mind to rest. "It's very thoughtful of you Castle, thanks. It'll make the disastrous food I've tried to cook a bit more palatable." She holds the door wide open for Castle and he walks through the doorway, admiring her modest apartment until his eyes fall open the tragic scene that was her kitchen.

"Oh I'm sure it's not that baa- okay I stand corrected. How about we just have this wine with some takeout food? Does Remy's deliver?"

"Hardly or I'd be ordering their bacon cheeseburger every other day while I'm reading Stor- umm case files from the couch." Castle obviously noticed this accidental slip of the tongue but decided to say nothing in fear of suffering the same fate as tonight's dinner.

"Alright then. How about Chinese? I'll pay." Beckett just sighed and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Keep your wallet in your pants Castle. My treat remember? So I pay. You get nice and comfortable and I'll order the food." As she starts dialling, Castle moves over to the kitchen table and tries to pick up the baking tray with the burnt asparagus on. However, before Beckett could say anything about how hot the tray would be, he yells out and it goes clattering to the floor. "And maybe try not to touch anything, okay?"

3 hours, 6 takeout boxes and 2 bottles of wine later, Beckett and Castle were all cozy on the couch in fits of drunken laughter.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me I was still wearing my apron! I must've looked ridiculous!" Kate buried her face in her hands to show her embarrassment.

"And miss the priceless look on your face when you realise it all for yourself? No chance Kate," Castle replied in his usual teasing manner. "Besides, you look beautiful no matter what you're wearing." That last comment hung in the air like the smoke from a candle that had just been blown out. Sure the both of them were drunk from all the wine. But not drunk enough to have lost all sense. Kate could still recognise a compliment when she got one, and she sure as well wasn't expecting her pain in the ass of a partner to give her one. Not in a serious tone anyway.

"Well thank you, Rick," she said, subconsciously running her fingers through her hair. Meanwhile the writer in question looked away slightly and cleared his throat. It wasn't often that she called him 'Rick'. And he loved it. When he looks back at her, he notices that she was looking right at him the whole time.

"What did I spinach stuck in my teeth again?" he asks, running his tongue along his teeth over and over again. Kate giggled, set her empty wine glass on the floor but it just fell over and sat up properly, closing the gap in between the two of them.

"No I was just in awe of your handsome face Ricky that I couldn't help but stare." He gulped and tried to make a coherent sentence but before he could even get a word out she giggled again. "Oh how I love that slack-jawed look you do it's like I said something kinky."

"Well I-umm I think- no what I mean to say is-" before he could stumble over his words further and make himself look even more stupid, his mobile rang. "Castle. Oh god Alexis stay right there I'm coming home now just do what you can until I get there." He closed his phone and started to get up to go, almost stumbling in the process. Clearly the alcohol had had more of an effect on him than he realised. "Turns out Mother thought it was a good idea to start making those healthy smoothies with Alexis. Without the lid on. So now I have my own kitchen disaster to take care of. Sorry Kate," he said apologetically.

"Nice save, Castle. Come on I'll walk you out." The two of them made their way to the door and once Castle was in the hallway, they both turned to each other again. "Thanks for a great night, Castle. Really it's been a while since I've had a fun night with someone."

"I was just about to say that. You're different when you're off duty you know?" Castle was smiling at her fondly as he tried to put his coat back on but he was finding it somewhat challenging in his drunken state, which caused Kate to start laughing again. "Except for the teasing. That's still the same no matter what."

"Naww Castle, you want a goodnight kiss to make you feel better?" Kate suggested, puckering up her lips to tease him some more.

"I'm a big boy I think I'll be able to manage without," he replied, playing along with the game. "Night Kate, see you tomorrow morning."

"Night Rick." And with that, she closed the door and both of them were left alone. Castle put a finger up to his lips and thought only a goodnight kiss could have made this night even more perfect.

A/N: Thanks so much for getting this far with my fic! This chapter was a lot harder to plan than I anticipated, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Let me know what you think in the reviews please it really helps me out :)

Speaking of which, this is probably a longshot given the nature of this fandom but would anyone consider roleplaying either Castle or Beckett with me? I would take the remaining role and it would greatly help me enhance the quality of my writing as I'd be able to get into their heads a bit more. PM me if you're interested :)