Author's Note:

This is just a little piece that popped into my head and I wanted to write it all out by the end of Valentine's Day. Well since there is less that 90 minutes left of the day, I don't think that will actually work. I did figure that I will try to post some of it at least before the end of the day. This hasn't been beta'ed yet so please forgive any glaring errors. I might go back and make some changes to this part once the rest of the story is finished but I will let you know if I do.

Enjoy and I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day.

BTW, I don't own the characters etc.

The Valentine's Dare

"Looks like I won the bet, Beckett," Richard Castle said smugly as he caught Beckett in the break room fixing coffee.

"Castle," she said annoyed.

"You said that if I was right, you would do something for me."

"What do you want?" she asked suspiciously.

"I want to take you out to dinner."

"Dinner?"

"Yes, dinner. I'll get back to you with the details."

"Fine," she said as she took her coffee and went to leave. "Just don't mention this to anyone."

Rick watched her leave with a smile on his face. She had walked nicely into his trap. Now he just needed to make sure that he could spring it properly. Watching Beckett from the window of the break room, he smiled as he began texting and making calls to set things up for his date. Once things were set up, he walked back to her desk and sat in his chair.

"Monday night, 6:30, I'll pick you up," he said after he looked around and noticed that everyone else was busy.

"Fine," she said as Esposito and Ryan walked up to them with a folder. They discussed the new case and soon she had forgotten all about Monday night.

"So you have a date for Valentines?" asked Lanie as they enjoyed their lunch in her office the following day.

"No," Kate replied. "I'm not even sure what day it is."

"The fourteenth, just like every year," Lanie said with a grin before she sipped her drink.

"Very funny. I don't know what day of the week it is," she cocked one eyebrow instead of sarcastically adding 'better?'

"You need a calendar girlfriend. Valentine's is Monday."

"Monday," Kate said dumbfounded.

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No. Not at all," Kate said before mumbling into her drink, "I'm going to kill him."