Hey guys, it's me again! Are you surprised? Because I sure am! I wasn't expecting to post for a little while, especially not this story, but something EPICALLY AWESOME HAPPENED TODAY AND I COULDN'T RESIST.

Actually, two epically awesome things: one Castle-related, one not.

So, Castle-related awesomeness: I GOT A TWEET FROM TAMALA JONES. And I'm not ashamed to admit, it basically made my day. It had kisses and hugs and it just made me smile like a billion times over. SO YAY ME :)

Second super cool thing that some people may not understand: Over here in Australia, we have this fantastic sport called Aussie Rules Football, known here as the AFL or, more commonly, the footy. And my favourite football team, the Essendon Football Club, held their best and fairest tonight (which is the American equivalent of an MVP award or something like that - the best player for the season) and anyway, MY FAVOURITE PLAYER WON! His name is David Zaharakis and he is GORGEOUS. And now also Essendon's Best and Fairest for 2011. So that was the second thing that made me really happy, and helped me decide to post this story.

This one is just a few short fluffy drabbles all compiled together, of four different ways our favourite non-couple could spill their feeling beans to each other. They're a bit random but I'm actually quite fond of them and I hope you enjoy them too. I will point out: I am marking it as 'Complete' for now, but I may decide to continue if some more inspiration strikes. You'll see it pop up, maybe. I make no promises that I cannot keep.

Sorry for the really long note. (Secretly, you love it.)

IBYL
xo

Disclaimer: Don't own it, blah blah.

Oh, I Love You

It was early evening one Tuesday afternoon, and Richard Castle and Kate Beckett were sitting at Remy's, downing burgers and arguing.

"You can't seriously tell me that The Life of Brian is a better film than The Holy Grail." Beckett scoffed, horrified.

"I'm not saying that! I'm just saying that I appreciate Life of Brian! Don't twist my words, Miss Beckett!" He said, acting affronted, and she laughed.

"I appreciated it too, but Holy Grail is still better. What, is your name? Arthur, king of the Britains. What, is your quest? To seek the Holy Grail! What, is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?"

"African or European?" They asked together, before collapsing into a fit of giggles. Castle smiled as he watched Kate laugh, her eyes and smile single-handedly lighting up the small room.

"Oh, I love you." He murmured softly, dreamily, and Kate stopped laughing. When he noticed the look on her face, he realised what he'd said, and paled remarkably.

"I… uh… I… ah…" he stumbled, turning bright red. Kate's eyes flared.

"Say it again." She said.

"What?"

"Say. It. Again." She said, and he took a deep breath.

"I love you." He blurted, and she smiled.

"After three years and multiple perfect opportunities to tell me you love me, you choose to tell me moments after I've finished quoting Monty Python?" She asked, trying to hide the amusement in her voice.

"Ah… yeah?" He asked, still clearly confused by himself. She grinned, before standing up and moving to sit next to him on his side of their booth.

"I love you too." She said softly, before kissing him gently. He kissed her back before his mind stopped to process what she'd just said.

"Wait, really?"

"Yes, really." She smiled briefly, before Rick pulled her close and kissed her again, more fervently this time.

"Best day of my life." He grinned as they pulled away for air. Kate grinned cheekily, before leaning in to his ear to whisper softly.

"Oh, Ricky, you've no idea."

"Ah, if it isn't the lovely Detective Beckett. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Dead body. You in?" She asked, buckling herself into her car.

"Yeah. See you in 20?"

"Make it 15, I'm in a hurry to get there, see what I need to see then hit the precinct. Plus I'm already in the car."

"See you in a few." He said. Staring at his phone for a second, he decided to be proactive. Since he was already organised for the day, he decided that two huge coffees would be a good idea. When he heard the knock on the door, he pulled it open before running back to the kitchen quickly and grabbing the two travel mugs.

"Coffee?" He asked, and Beckett couldn't help the huge grin that split her face.

"Should've known you'd be able to get me coffee despite being in a rush. Thanks, Castle."

"You're welcome. So, where are we heading?" He asked cheerfully, and she smiled.

XXX

After a cursory visit to the crime scene, they arrived back at the precinct. Castle disappeared while Beckett began setting up the murder board, and returned with a couple of different pastries.

"Dare I ask why I'm getting spoilt today?" She asked, taking a bite of a croissant.

"I just… I know I don't always contribute a lot. And you go out of your way to keep me safe and let me follow you and I just… coffee and pastries, they're just a little way for me to say thank you, to feel like I'm helping, sometimes the only way I feel like I'm helping the team. And I love being a part of the team." He said bashfully, and she couldn't help but smile genuinely at him. He beamed in return.

She stood up, still smiling, and wandered towards the open conference room, gesturing for him to follow. He did. She locked the door behind them, before pulling him into a hug.

"Thanks, Castle."

"For what?" He replied dreamily, simply enjoying the contact.

"For being part of my team, for being a part of my life. For learning about me."

"Learning about you has fast become my favourite pastime. As has being in your life." He said honestly, and she chuckled.

"It's not the only way you help, you know. You said before that feeding me is the only way you help, but that's not true. You solve murders, and make me smile, and look after the boys and Lanie too. You're one of us. Have been for a while now. I love you, and they sure as hell do too." She smiled at the dumb look on his face, before reviewing her last sentence, blushing lightly and chuckling to herself. "That wasn't how THAT little announcement was meant to go." She said bashfully, and Castle grinned more.

"I love you too." He said with another beaming smile, before kissing her, hard, right in the middle of the precinct conference room. She was so involved that she didn't notice the two detectives standing outside the window, mouths agape in matching looks of horrified intrigue.

"Richard Castle! Why is it that when I give you an order, not even a difficult order, you can't seem to obey it? Four words, Castle. Four teeny tiny words, and you NEVER follow them. NEVER! Why the hell can't you just STAY IN THE CAR?" She was fuming angry. He could see that. Hell, an astronaut would've recognised from the moon that Kate Beckett was downright pissed. Probably justified, since he was currently sitting in a hospital's ER department, getting stitches in his arm after he was winged by a stray bullet in a fire-fight between there murder suspects and the good homicide detectives of the 12th precinct.

"Beckett, I…"

"Oh no, you don't get to interrupt me while I'm lecturing you, okay. We had no idea what we were going into, the precise reason that I asked you to stay in the car. I was under the impression that you were meant to follow my orders, but evidently not." When she paused to take a breath and sit down Castle jumped in.

"I heard the gunshot"

"So you decided to run in unarmed? What the hell, Castle? I'm the one who is charged with keeping you safe. That's my job, and that's why I ask you to stay in the car. You can't get hurt, Castle. Don't make me have to tell Alexis that her dad isn't coming home because of me, okay?" She looked down after that last sentence, obviously ashamed at bringing Alexis into the argument.

"I'm sorry, Kate." He said softly, and her gaze shot up at the use of her first name.

"I still don't understand what you were thinking." She said, almost whispering. He gestured to the space next to him on the hospital bed, and she sat down gingerly.

"I was thinking, Beckett's in there." He said simply, and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't look at me like that, if you're me it makes sense. I heard the gunshots ring out, so I panicked. I'm a writer, remember? Everything is always straight to the worst possible scenario in my brain, and I didn't like the worst possible scenario. So I ran in there, and I got winged, and that sucks but it is far better than the bullet being anywhere near the woman I love." He looked up at her and was stunned to find tears in her eyes. "Hey, hey, no tears, okay?" He said soothingly, wrapping his good arm around her shoulders.

"The woman you love?" She asked after a pause.

"Yeah, Kate. The woman I love." He said softly.

"I…" She paused, trying to think of something to say. Nothing would come. "Oh hell" she muttered, before turning and pressing her lips against Castle's gently. When they pulled away for air, both were smiling dreamily.

"What was that for?" He asked, pleased, and she frowned.

"Because I love you too, you idiot." She scolded, and he laughed.

"Oh, Kate." He murmured, before kissing her again.

Detective Kate Beckett installed herself at her desk with a sigh. She was bored. Nothing but paperwork awaited her at her desk, and she had no distractions today – Castle had opted to stay home and write for once in his life. She couldn't blame him, really. They'd just finished a marathon run of cases, and he probably wouldn't have had a chance to solidly write for over a month. Didn't mean she didn't miss the natural distraction he provided from her paperwork, not that she'd ever admit that to him. Shaking her head slightly, she opened her first file, picked up her pen, and began her tedious workday.

By the time noon rolled around, Kate had had enough of her stupid paperwork. It was tiring, it wasn't actually achieving anything, and she was DYING to do something different. Anything different. Her phone vibrated on her desk indicating a new text, and she leapt for it eagerly, reading it with a smile.

I'm SO bored. SO, SO, SO, SO bored. Proof: I actually bothered to capitalise all of the 'SO's in this text. Help me? Save me?

She laughed at that, before composing a reply.

You sound about as bored as I am. Save you from where?

She smiled to herself when not two minutes later, her phone buzzed again.

Paula found me, I have NO IDEA HOW but she did. So now I'm at some god-awful lunch meeting with some woman who simply won't take the hint and leave me alone.

The little pod of jealousy that streaked through her body surprised Kate, but it pleased her to know that he wasn't interested. She quickly responded.

Tell Paula that I need you at the precinct. I'll cover for you.

She hit send and smiled when seconds later he returned her message.

Thank you!

Twenty minutes later, the elevator opened and Richard Castle wandered into the precinct towards his favourite Detective, sitting down in his chair and passing her a coffee.

"Hey, Castle." She said, taking a sip of her coffee with a smile.

"Hey. Thanks for the save." He said honestly, and she smiled.

"Who said it wasn't for my benefit?" She said teasingly, and he smiled before reviewing their text conversation.

"Please tell me the great Detective Beckett was jealous. It's okay if you are you know, I mean, you said it was sweet." He said, reminding her of their conversation after Alex Conrad.

"I… uh…" She paused, blushing beetroot red. "Fine, I was jealous. Happy?" She asked, trying to sound put-out.

"Have I mentioned lately that I love you?" He said, and she looked up, stunned.

"You what?" She asked, refusing to believe that she'd heard him correctly.

"I love you." He said simply, and she opened and closed her mouth a few times but no sound came out. She paused for a second and just stared at him. If he were lying she'd be able to tell.

She couldn't find one tiny hint of a lie in his blue eyes. And now she was a risk of hyperventilating. So she did the only think she could think of. She leaned over to him and kissed him softly on the lips, taking his left hand in hers while she picked up her pen to continue her paperwork. Business as usual – the sure-fire way to keep her calm.

They didn't say anything else for the rest of the day. Castle hung around, playing games on his phone and even writing a little, all while keeping his hand in Beckett's. At 5pm, she'd had enough of paperwork and stood, gathering her things. Taking Rick's hand once again, she led them to the elevator and she pressed the call button, waiting for the doors to open. When they did, the pair stepped inside and she hit the button to get them to the ground floor. It was then that she finally spoke up.

"Hey, Castle?"

"Yeah?" He responded automatically.

"I love you too." She said, smiling slightly. His jaw dropped, and she laughed as he gathered her up in his arms and kissed her soundly.

Thanks for reading! Care to review? x