Auld Lang Syne

A new year filled with endless possibilities. A Caskett AU NYE one-shot. Companion to 'Tis the Season

Standing in line at the hole-in-the-wall coffee shop he'd stumbled upon, Richard Castle rubbed his hands together vigorously and grimaced at how tight and uncomfortable his skin felt. This was entirely his fault, of course—he was the idiot who had left the house on December 31st without gloves, but he'd sworn they were in his jacket pocket! By the time he reached the street and realized they weren't, he didn't feel like going all the way back up to his apartment. It hadn't felt that cold out…at least, not at the time. Twenty-five minutes of wandering the streets of the city with only shallow coat pockets as protection had proved quite the opposite.

Fortunately, his year-end errands were nearly over. He only needed to pop into Black Pawn's office and sign some documents and then he'd be free…for a week, anyway. He knew when Gina returned from her vacation she'd be anxious for chapters that weren't quite ready yet, but he'd get them there. Probably. Perhaps his chai latte would provide motivation enough to work out some of the kinks.

While standing in the cramped shop waiting for his beverage, Castle was jostled by a woman wrangling a misbehaving toddler and took a step back to stay out of the way. Unfortunately, in doing so, he'd stepped on someone's foot. Being the conscientious gentleman he was, he immediately spun around to apologize, but the words were lost to a laugh as it tumbled from his lips.

"Well…I sure am glad it was you I bumped into." He smiled down at the young, uniformed woman. He could barely see more than her nose and lips beneath the brow of her black cap, but he knew her profile anywhere.

She removed the hat and gazed up at him with her honey-brown eyes and exhaled a casual, "Hey Castle. How are you?"

"Much better now. Did you order yet?"

She shook her head. "Was just about to."

"Then allow me." He retrieved his wallet from his pocket once more and smiled as he pulled out his debit card. She gave him a courteous nod and they stepped up to the counter together. She ordered a large black coffee, he passed over his card, and then gazed down at her thinking back to the last time they'd seen one another. "Been about eight, nine months, right?" he questioned aloud, trying to think back when he and Alexis had run into her while she was walking her beat. The weather had still been chilly but winter had definitely passed, so he guessed it had been early spring.

"Ah, yeah, sounds about right."

"So how've you been? Did you have a nice holiday?"

She shrugged. "I was working so it was fine, I guess."

He frowned. Working on Christmas didn't sound like any fun! Based on the fact that she was in uniform, it looked like she was working back-to-back holidays, too. "Do you have to work tonight? Oh! Will you be in Times' Square?"

A brief look of horror crossed her face and she said, "No; thank god. I get off at seven."

He nodded and accepted his latte when the drink was completed. "Fun plans then?"

"Um, no; not really."

He clasped the drink evenly between both hands and let out a breath of relief when his fingers began to feel warm—too warm, actually, but for the moment he reveled in it. "Well, if you don't have any plans, you're more than welcome to come over to my place."

Kate seemed a bit startled by his invitation. "Oh, no—I don't need to intrude."

Castle shrugged one shoulder. "No intrusion at all. It'll just be me, actually. Alexis is visiting Meredith and I was planning on ringing in the New Year watching cheesy horror films. Have you ever heard of John Woo?"

"I love John Woo."

He felt his grin spread ear-to-ear at her comment. Truly, his invitation had been totally off the cuff as he'd been content with spending the evening alone watching the kind of movies most women hated (at least, the women he'd dated to that point in his life had) but this was a most pleasant surprise! "Then you have to come over."

"Oh, I don't know."

"Yeah c'mon." He nudged her arm with his elbow as a way of encouragement. She had been over to his house plenty of times before to babysit Alexis, so there was no need for her to feel shy or uncomfortable about it.

She ran her teeth over her bottom lip and gazed up at him. "Let me see how the rest of my afternoon goes, okay. I'll text you?"

He bobbed his head. "Sure. I really hope you can make it, Kate."

She gave a soft smile in return. "Have a good afternoon, Castle."

As Hard Boiled came to a close on the screen before him, Castle reclined back against the sofa, leaning a bit closer to his companion and smiled as he was quite pleased with his life in that very moment. Beside him was a beautiful woman with whom he'd enjoyed a lovely evening. They were very soon about to count down to a new year filled with endless possibilities. And, he'd just enjoyed one of his favorite movies for perhaps the tenth time. All was well.

As he made dinner that evening Castle thought about the woman who would soon be joining him and how their relationship over the years could certainly be described as unusual, but that was okay, because it also made it more interesting.

Just a little more than five years earlier Kate Beckett had unexpectedly turned up in his life by returning the backpack his daughter had lost on the subway. Shortly thereafter, he mailed her a letter containing a handwritten note from Alexis and an additional one from himself inviting her to dinner and asking if she had any interest in babysitting for extra income since he knew her to be a college student. Normally, he might not have extended such an invitation to a random woman, but he figured someone who would return a child's toy on Christmas Eve certainly deserved a chance to prove herself worthy. Besides, with his mother going on tour and his ex-wife living on the opposite coast, sometimes good childcare was in short supply and he liked to keep his options open.

Fortunately, Kate was interested in babysitting and spent time with Alexis off and on during the next year until she entered the police academy and no longer had time for extra side jobs. As his daughter had taken quite a shine to the elder woman, they still managed to stay in contact for the next year or so before life became too busy and other things got in the way. Still, despite New York's heavy population they did manage to bump into each other more than a few times over the years and Castle enjoyed every interaction they had.

When she had texted him to stay that she would be able to make it to his place by quarter to eight if his invitation still stood, he confirmed that it was and that he would have dinner waiting if she was interested. She agreed and him, which had a few anxious butterflies dancing in his stomach. He wanted to see her and catch up, but part of him wondered if maybe that evening could open the door to a closer relationship for them. He'd always enjoyed her company and fondly recalled several conversations they'd had together. True, in the past they had been at very different points in their life, but perhaps now they were finally able to build and maintain a friendship—at least, he hoped they could.

Several hours later, Castle fully believed there was a distinct possibility they would remain friends instead of acquaintances who occasionally ran into each other and said hello. Their meal had been filled with a fun and fascinating conversation and watching the movie together had been quite enjoyable. In fact, he was glad it was New Year's Eve so she had an excuse to stay for several more hours; he definitely wasn't ready for her to go even though the movie was over.

"Should we check out the coverage of Times' Square?" he mused aloud once the movie credits were playing. He reached for the remote on the coffee table and then settled back with one arm over the back of the couch behind her shoulders. He changed the television from the DVD input to the cable one and punched the appropriate buttons for the local New York station's coverage. As expected, a stuffed-to-the-brim view of downtown could be seen.

"Oh!" Kate said as she visibly shivered. "I'm cold just thinking about being out there."

"Have you ever done it?"

She shook her head. "You?"

"Twice—when I was much younger. The first year it was in the upper thirties, so it wasn't that bad. My friends and I went back the next year and it was cold—really cold. Not terrible if you get in the center of a crowed though—all that packed in body heat."

She hummed, though clearly remained skeptical. "I still think I'd rather be here."

After her comment, she slid a little closer to him on the couch almost as though she was seeking out his body heat. He had no problem with dropping his arm down so that it draped around her shoulders, which he did with little thought, but a moment later he second-guessed the decision. Should he really be doing that? Pulling out a date-like move when he'd invited her over with a platonic evening in mind? Considering that she didn't move away from his touch—if anything, she'd moved closer—he figured it was okay and they continued to watch the New Years' revelers for several more minutes in silence.

"So, um, you want to watch another movie? We have time before midnight," he asked a few moments later.

"Oh, um, okay."

As she didn't sound certain he continued with, "We don't have to."

She sat up and turned her body so she could look at him. "No—no we can. I just…"

"Kate—if you have somewhere else you'd rather be don't feel like you have to stay." Of course he didn't want her to go, but he also didn't want her to feel stuck staying until midnight if she wanted to be somewhere else.

"I don't want to be anywhere else. I…I was actually thinking maybe we should start practicing for midnight."

"Excuse me?" he responded, not quite understanding her statement.

Immediately, her cheeks turned pink and she leaned her body far away from his. "Shit, sorry. I—never mind. Forget it."

He tilted his body forward so he was closer to her. "No—what? C'mon; you can tell me."

She laughed and blushed a little deeper. "'s stupid. Some guy used that line on me last year and it didn't work but I thought-"

"Wait." He interrupted, placing his hand on her knee. "Line…as in pick-up line?" When he watched her bite down on her bottom lip he felt his whole body flush. Shit! Was…was she hitting on him!? She had asked about practicing for midnight—kissing! People kissed at midnight on New Year's Eve!

"Sorry—I should go."

She stood from the couch, but he stood as well and reached out for her arm to stop her from scooting off into the night without them discussing what had happened. "Wait, hold on. You don't have to be embarrassed I'm just…surprised."

"Right—I made things weird. I swear, I didn't come over here thinking about that—I mean, you and I like that. We just…had a nice dinner and I thought…" her voice drifted off as she gave a little shrug.

Castle couldn't help but chuckle. "Actually…I was just thinking the same thing."

Her brow lifted. "Really?"

"Yeah—yes. Absolutely. I only invited you over because you said you liked John Woo and, well, maybe I didn't want to be alone—but I was only thinking of us platonically. And then dinner was really nice, right?"

She nodded and took a step closer to him. "Yeah."

"So…"

"Yeah," she exhaled before rising up on her toes and bringing her lips to his.

Castle hummed as he brought his hands up to cradle Kate's face as they kissed. When her arms banded around his waist and they melded perfectly together he wondered why the hell it had taken him five years to kiss her. Then again, making out with his daughter's baby sitter would probably not have been something he ended up being proud of so perhaps they had waited for the right time.

When they broke apart and Kate took half a step back with a smile that reflected equal parts embarrassment and satisfaction, he stroked his hands over her shoulder and said. "Well, that was pretty good practice."

"Yeah, it was." She echoed with a slight laugh.

Seeing no reason not to, Castle pulled her in for another kiss and soon found himself quite swept up by the fact that their kisses were actually pretty incredible. Several moments later his hands had snuck up the back of her sweater and hers were steadily working the buttons of his plaid flannel shirt. When he felt her nails drag across his thin undershirt he pulled back and said, "Just to be clear—this really wasn't why I invited you here tonight."

"I know," she promised. "But you're okay with it, right?"

He grinned. "Definitely.

"Oh my god," Kate proclaimed as she flopped back on the mattress and gazed wide-eyed at her panting partner. "That was incredible."

He turned his head to gaze at her, boyish grin covering his face. "I know, right?"

"Seriously…wow." She sighed out as she tugged the sheet up to cover her chest. She hadn't thought about Castle in a sexual way until an hour or so prior when she'd gazed down at one of his hands resting in his lap and took note of how strong and sexy it appeared—and how nice it might feel if his fingers ran over her body. She was pleased to admit such fantasies paled in comparison to reality because damn was the man beside her talented. And to think she wasn't even going to join him that night!

When Kate left the coffee shop earlier that day, she was convinced she would politely decline Castle's invitation. She didn't need to spend her New Year's Eve with the father of the girl she used to babysit. Not that she disliked him; she didn't at all. She recalled many a time he had her stomach cramping up with laughter when he spun one of his infamous tales, but his invitation seemed so random—like he almost felt obligated but was too polite to let it show.

As the afternoon wore on, she couldn't recall how long it had been since she had seen some of her favorite John Woo movies and considered popping in one of her DVD's that night while she ate take-out, but then she realized how silly that was. Why would she watch alone when she could watch with Castle, particularly since she had no good reason for not wanting to spend time with him other than her concern it would be awkward. Now it appeared the evening would end on the exact opposite note of awkward and she couldn't have been happier about it.

"So, um," Castle began after they'd been laying side by side in silence for several minutes. "You wanna go back out there and watch the countdown or just stay here?"

Kate lifted her head to glance at the clock on his nightstand and saw that it wasn't yet midnight, which meant she'd be able to grab a train before it became too full of revelers. "Oh. No—I guess I should probably go."

He looked at her as though she'd grown a second head. "What? Why? It's not even midnight—and it's freezing outside!"

She couldn't argue his second point at all so she hesitated while she thought of an appropriate excuse, "Well I…"

"C'mon Kate." He rolled over onto his side so he hovered above her. He dropped his left hand down across her belly and gave her opposite hip a little squeeze. "Don't you want to go for round two?"

"We shouldn't."

"Why not?"

She gave a little shrug and said honestly. "I just think this would be better as a one-time thing."

His brow wrinkled. "You just said it was incredible."

She grazed her lips over her bottom lip as that comment had not been an embellishment or a heat of the moment confession; the way he'd made her toes curl had been very, very real. Still… "It was incredible, but I'm not looking for anything more than this."

"You do know I was asking about more sex not marriage, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously. But…I don't…I don't want things to be complicated," she said why silently remaindering herself that this was the precise reason she typically waited until guys had fallen asleep before she snuck out; that way this awkward conversation could be avoided.

He gazed down at her for a moment, considering. "I don't want to twist your arm into staying, Kate, but I'm fine with tonight just being tonight. Though if you wanted something more complicated, I'd be interested in that, too."

Kate laughed out loud. "You can't be serious."

He almost looked offended. "Why not?"

"Because you're… you," she said for lack of a better descriptor, but of course he was not satisfied with a comment like that.

"What does that mean?"

She huffed out a reluctant breath. "You're…Richard Castle, famous novelist and I'm a beat cop working her ass off trying to make detective next year

"Sounds extraordinary to me."

"We're completely different people."

"Everyone is different; that's what makes us interesting."

"I'm twenty-five."

"And?"

She sat up, grumbling as she held the sheet against her chest. Damn he was making it hard for her to make her usual escape, wasn't he? "I just…I'm not interested in anything complicated right now—can we just leave it at that?"

He gave a rather helpless shrug. "Sure—if you want, but let me ask you this one question."

She arched a challenging eyebrow, almost afraid to hear what he had to say considering how their conversation was going. "Yes?"

He scooted closer to her and lowered his voice significantly. "Do you really want to go out into the freezing, icy cold? Or would you rather…" His voice drifted off as he lowered his lips to kiss the top of her shoulder, then her shoulder blade, and then the back of her neck while his fingertips traced the length of her spine until they reached the crest of her ass, which he squeezed gently; she shivered.

"Or would you rather stay here and do more of this?" he husked while nipping at her earlobe.

Kate felt herself melt back into the mattress beneath him; the decision really was out of her control. "Ah, okay; I'm staying."

He rolled on top of her with a huge grin on his face. "Good choice."

Happy New Year Readers!

By the way - I might not quite be done with this universe yet...we'll have to see :)