A/N: So SciFiGirl65 let me know that someone else was writing a Kate-is-a-virgin story and I figured I'd better finish this one up. Thank you for lighting a fire under my butt, SciFiGirl65!
Kate checked her reflection one last time before heading out to open her front door. She had anticipated this moment all afternoon, nervousness- not that she would ever admit to it- and excitement pounding through her veins. When she heard his knock, her heart sped faster, but the moment she opened the door, and finally saw his boyish smile, the nervousness fled on a sigh, calm relief taking its place.
"Castle," Kate greeted in her usual brusque tone.
"Detective," Rick replied in a similar tone. Then he grinned happily and stepped forward, his hand coming to rest possessively on her bare shoulder as he leaned in to kiss her neck. "You look stunning, Kate."
Kate pressed her lips together in a small grin that told Castle she was charmed whether or not she wanted to be. Her gaze then raked up and down his body and she looked back up at him through her lashes, offering, "You're not so bad yourself, Ricky."
Rick's hand slid down her bare arm, finally taking her hand, brushing his thumb over the diamond ring on her finger. He brought her hand up between them, studying the flash of light in the facets of the rock as he teased, "I knew you had the hots for me."
Kate's smile finally blossomed, fully blooming on her face as she laughed. She removed her hand from his grasp, reaching up wrap her hands around his tie, and stepping in close to him. "My dear… sweet… little narcissist. Were we going to have dinner or did you want us to spend the evening stroking your… ego?"
Unrepentant- and a little turned on now, actually- Castle continued to smile. "Let's go." Let's get out of here quickly before I push you against the door and… his mind trailed off in a blissful haze, knowing he would get in trouble for uttering his thoughts out loud.
Kate reached out to grab her coat and then relinquished it to Castle when he took it and held it out for her to slip into. And she did not even fuss when he took her hand, entwining their fingers, as he grabbed her over-night bag and led her out to his car.
Her breath caught at the sight of his shiny red Ferrari, but tonight, she would let Rick drive. Her brain was too busy and she wanted the time during the drive to think.
All day long, Castle had been teasing her. She had woken up to an empty bed and even though it had been expected, she was still disappointed. She had spent her morning ablutions thinking, going about the monotonous tasks mindlessly, fantasizing instead about married life with Rick. Waking up next to him every morning, going to sleep beside him every night… preventing him from actually sleeping…
Despite her musings which only delayed her morning routine, Kate was in early to the precinct. And Castle was already there, smiling when he saw her, waiting with her requisite coffee.
"You're in early," Kate observed, taking her coffee without thanks or acknowledgement even of their ritual, knowing that Castle understood how much that simple coffee meant to her.
"I couldn't sleep," he explained. "Every time I closed my eyes, visions of naked goddesses danced before my eyes and… well, let's just say I did some major damage to my cold water bill this month."
Kate stood over him, hiding her smile behind her coffee cup and feigning indifference to his words as she took a sip. Finally she quirked an eyebrow and asked, "goddess, huh?"
"Naked goddess," Castle corrected, his voice dreamy and his eyes far away. "I should have taken pictures," he mused absently.
With no other recourse that would not garner unwanted attention, Kate swiftly kicked him in the shin- not enough to cause (much) damage, but enough to wipe that day-dreaming-of-Kate-naked look off his stupefied face.
Instead of complaining though, Castle snapped to attention and said, "Right, sorry." Then, looking up at her, Kate could see the hamster wheels squeaking noisily in his mischievous little mind and she narrowed her eyes on his until he slid from his chair, to kneel- on one knee- before her. A full minute passed as they studied each other- one shocked and horrified, the other smiling impishly- before Castle leaned over to rub at his shin, exaggerating the pain he felt to put on a show. "I can't believe you kicked me!" He whined, though he still wore that shit-eating grin. Kate had thought he was going to propose and the ass-hat knew it. When her eyes narrowed down at him, Castle sensed danger and quickly fled, returning only when he had some sweet pastry as a peace offering.
Kate just shook her head at him but he knew he was forgiven… until the next time he fake-proposed. He did it several times during the day. Once, they were approaching a crime scene when he halted her with a hand on her wrist. Then he lowered himself to one knee… and gently… sweetly… he informed her that he needed to tie his shoe. By the fourth time he did this, Kate could not decide whether she was going to clobber him, push him down, chew him out, or laugh until she cried.
She wanted him to ask the question, she truly did, but not like this; not in public, not where friends and strangers alike would be witness to the sappy, pathetic tears of happiness she just knew she would not be able to contain. Which was why the prospect of this fancy dinner out on the town with Castle made her so nervous. Kate did not want the cliché proposal in a crowded restaurant over a "romantic" meal. The only thing she was glad for was the fact that she already had her ring; Castle would not be able to hide it in anything consumable, otherwise she had the feeling he might have tried.
When they were finally seated, alone at their table and not initiating conversation would have been rude- not to mention awkward- Kate decided it was time to make small talk. Rick had let her keep her silence during their car ride, making her think he was nervous too… but when she opened her mouth to ask what was good to eat here, instead she blurted, "Don't propose to me yet."
Startled for only a moment, Rick quickly recovered, chuckling. "Well, I was at least going to wait until after we ate. The food here is amazing. We should have some before we ruin the night with serious talk."
"Ruin?" She challenged with a raised eyebrow.
Rick simply smiled and reached across the table to grasp her left hand, brushing his thumb back and forth over her ring. "I wasn't going to propose to you here. Tonight. This was all just another part of my plan to throw you off. Did it work?"
Looking gleeful over the prospect of having thrown her equilibrium off kilter (yet again), Kate rolled her eyes at her overgrown man-child. But she truthfully admitted, "Yes. You did manage to rattle me a little today."
Rick smiled triumphantly before fishing in his pocket. "I was even going to present you with this and lead you to believe it's another ring. But it's not and I still want you to have it." He pushed the box across the table and Kate accepted it with wide eyes.
Kate's look turned to one of confusion when she opened the box and found… an ordinary old silver key. "The key to your heart?" she asked mawkishly in order to prompt his explanation.
"Close," Castle said, amused to note now similar Kate and Alexis's sense of humor was. "It's a key to the loft."
"Oh!" Kate looked down at the key again with new, wondrous eyes. "Wow. Thank you."
"Well, you showed me yours, I figured I'd should show you mine," he said teasingly.
Though she smiled, Kate was silent for a moment, absorbing the full weight of just how much her life was changing. When she thought of the childish man she was marrying, she knew he would make her life hell… sometimes… but he would mostly bring joy and love, romance and security. For those "hellish" times though, she would just have to dish it right back, now wouldn't she? She gave him a fierce look, the kind she got when she solved a crime before Castle figured it out. "You do know I'm going to have to get you back for teasing me all day, don't you?" There was such evil threat in her tone that Castle gulped. She rested her chin on her right hand and tapped her lower lip with a single fingertip, as she contemplatively hummed, "Hmm… now… what could I possibly do to totally and thoroughly mess with your peace of mind?" Under the table, hidden by the cloth, she toed off her spiked heels and put her toes on Rick's leg, just at his ankle. Gently, slowly, she brushed her toes up and down his skin, gradually moving up his calf. "How could I get even for every time you stole my breath away from me today?" Her toes were at the inside of his knee now, inching higher. She leaned closer to him over the table, providing a small glimpse down the front of her low cut dress while she whispered, "I guess I'll just have to steal your breath as thoroughly as you stole mine." Her foot flexed and her toes swept halfway up the inside of his thigh before retreating and slowly making its way back down to the floor.
When Kate's foot finally settled- wrapped around his ankle and content to stay there now for the rest of their dinner- Rick abruptly gasped in the breath he had not realized he had forgotten to take. Kate caught the motion and smiled in wicked satisfaction, vindictively happy to have tampered with Rick's breathing patterns for once, seeing as how he had already stolen her breath several times that day.
Finally, the waiter arrived and Kate was impressed- and only very slightly disappointed- when Rick was able to order their dinner with perfect couth. No stammering, stuttering, gasping, or rambling, just Castle and his perfectly charming manners. Well heck. Maybe she would have to wait until later tonight- when she spent the evening beside him in his bed- to find more effective ways of shutting up the annoying novelist.
Once the threat of a dinner time proposal had been addressed and removed, Kate was able to enjoy her meal and tease her partner with nothing more than their standard levels of (sexual) tension. Though at one point, Castle threatened, "Tonight may not be a good night for you to sleep over after all."
"Why not?" She asked while trying to hide her genuine disappointment.
"Because if you run your toes up my leg one more time or lean over the table again in that low-cut dress, I'll be forced to push you down on my bed as soon as I get you home and do things to you that you might not like," he threatened in a way that might have been menacing if his voice had not been low and husky with desire.
"Oh, I'll probably like it," she countered even as she removed her foot from around his ankle, slipped her shoes back on and sat up straighter. "But you're right. Tonight is not the time for that."
With some space between them now, he was able to think again. "No, I want you to talk to Alexis tonight."
Kate pulled a face and said, "Do I have to?"
Rick knew she was not complaining about the talking to Alexis part, but about the subject matter the women were going to discuss. It made Kate uncomfortable but they had both agreed that Alexis needed to know… certain things… about Kate and her relationship with the girl's father.
The ride home in the pretty, shiny car was more subdued and less heavy on the sexual tension that had permeated the air on the drive to the restaurant. Kate was no longer imagining undressing her driver but contemplating the coming conversation with… her future step-daughter. The thought made Kate swallow. Hard.
"You guys are home early," Alexis noted when the adults entered. "Were there not any good movies playing?"
"We wanted to watch a movie with you," Rick retorted while he hugged his daughter in greeting.
"Right," Kate agreed. Then she raised her overnight bag and gestured toward Rick's room. "I'm just going to go change really quickly."
Rick smiled at the way she fled the room but knew she would be back soon and he was to make himself scarce.
When Kate returned to the main room, Alexis was alone and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Kate; that was not the nightwear of a woman intent on seducing Alexis's famous father. Kate wore an oversized t-shirt and tight yet concealing leggings. Though, for her own peace of mind, Alexis had to admit that she was grateful Kate was not sauntering around the loft in something more revealing.
Kate went to the sitting area in front of the TV and Alexis followed, assuming they were all going to watch a movie together.
"What are we watching?" Alexis asked as she sat on the same couch as Kate.
Ignoring the remote, Kate settled back, curled her long body up on the couch and faced Alexis. "I don't know yet, but first… you and I need to have a talk."
A wave of apprehension swept through her and Alexis wanted to laugh; Kate was not her mother- she was not anyone's mother for that matter- but she had that parental tone down if she could affect Alexis just by threatening to "talk" to her. "About what?" Alexis finally asked when she reminded herself that she had not done anything to get herself in trouble. Especially not with Kate anyway.
"Apparently you've made some fallacious assumptions and I'm supposed to set the record straight." Kate did not sound too happy about it and Alexis assumed from her tone that Kate thought Rick should be having this talk with his daughter.
"I don't know what you're talking about…" Alexis replied, trying to think of whatever assumptions she was supposed to have made that Kate would have any business correcting…
Kate had been wondering all evening how to talk to Alexis about this without embarrassing both of them, but finally realized there was no good way but to be entirely candid. So finally, she simply blurted, "I'm a virgin." Despite her blush and Alexis's stunned- and possibly mortified- look, Kate continued. "I've never slept with your father, or any other man for that matter."
Alexis's mouth opened and closed a few times and Kate knew she wanted to ask questions but either could not figure out how to ask without causing offense- or embarrassment- or she was too stunned to get the words out. So she simply gasped "What?!" and waited for Kate's explanation.
"When I was nineteen, my mom tried to have 'The Talk' with me. To end the awkward conversation as quickly as I could, I made a rash promise I had little intention of actually keeping. After she died, barely a month later, I just kept hearing her words, 'When a Beckett makes a promise, she keeps it. I trust you Katie.'" She was silent for a while and by the glassy look in her eyes, Alexis knew she was no longer in the moment with her but lost in memories of her mother. Finally, Alexis put her hand on Kate's and those distant eyes finally focused on the redhead's sympathetic gaze. With a smile, Kate turned her hand over to return the comforting squeeze. "So I kept my promise to save myself for marriage."
Alexis nodded, but was still confused. When she could put the right words together she said, "I can appreciate how difficult this is for you to share with me but… why are you telling me?"
Kate laughed a little, "Well, partially to put you at ease about tonight. Rick mentioned that you were worried about seeing something none of us wants you to witness and I just wanted to assure you that that won't happen."
Alexis laughed too and when she realized her relief for that, she fervently said, "Thank you."
With a smile, Kate added, "Mostly though, I think your dad wants me to force a similar oath from you."
The redhead's porcelain skin quickly flamed in an embarrassed blush and Kate put her hands up to stop any reply the girl might have made.
"I don't want to know," Kate said simply; the last thing she wanted was to discuss the particulars of what either of them had experienced (or not, as it were) with men. Though she knew the kind of relationship she wanted to have with Alexis, it was too soon in their pseudo mother/daughter bond to be discussing particulars about Alexis's sex (or lack thereof) life. One day maybe, just not tonight and Kate hoped she was at least laying the foundation for that relationship by sharing things that were awkward for her to talk about. "But… your father is going to propose to me soon and I'm going to say yes. You and I are going to be family… if you want… and this was something I thought you should know about me. So you'd know how seriously I take my decision to share my life with you and your dad."
Alexis had no idea what to say to that. It was a lot to take in and there were so many things running through her mind that she could not think of anything to say- even to reassure Kate because Alexis had not missed the anxiety and hesitance when Kate equivocated about their being family. So she simply leaned forward and wrapped Kate in a happy hug. When the weight of the moment had passed and Alexis knew she could make a joke without causing hurt or offense, or appearing as if she was not taking the conversation as seriously as it deserved, she pulled back and gave a mischievous smile reminiscent of the elder Castle. "I don't think I need to make an oath. I mean, if someone as gorgeous as you can't get laid, there's no hope for me," Alexis said, her voice rather louder than necessary if she had simply been addressing Kate.
Her efforts were rewarded when Rick's girly shriek of "What!?" sounded from the other room. Both women laughed at him- he got what he deserved for eavesdropping on their conversation!- as he came out of his hiding place, pouting adorably. "So not funny, little girl," Rick grumbled while he plopped himself down on the couch between his two women. Rick leaned back, stretching his arms out along the back of the couch while Kate leaned forward and retrieved the remote which she handed to Alexis. The girl chose the movie and all three settled in to watch together.
Friday night found them much the same, only this time Kate was in the middle with two Castles on either side of her. Rick was seated in the corner of the couch, his arm wrapped around Kate's shoulders and her body snuggled against his. Rick's angle was just perfect. From where he was seated, he could observe both Kate and Alexis and still make it look like he was focused on their rom-com chick flick even though, all night, he had not been able to take his eyes off of Kate. Every now and then she would smile as if she knew it too. Eventually he leaned closer to press a soft kiss to her temple and then watched as her smile widened.
Kate finally glanced at him and even that short look seemed to say to him, "I love you too," as if she knew exactly was he was thinking. When her eyes turned back to the movie, though not long enough that he had lost her undivided attention, Rick moved in to nuzzle her ear with his nose. Her hair on his face tickled, so he reached up and swept the tresses back before returning to her ear. His soft lips skated over her skin and Kate shivered in pleasure, which made Rick smile proudly
The second before he spoke, a small weight was placed on Kate's knee- a little black box. "Will you marry me?" Rick breathed against her ear, his voice so soft, any loud noises from the television would have obscured it.
But Kate heard him. She heard and she snapped her head around to look at him in surprise. Sure, she had known it was coming (and she knew what her response would be of course) but she had not been expecting this. This proposal was not 'Richard Loves-To-Be-The-Center-Of-Attention Castle' by any means. For Kate, it was as close to perfect as she could have wanted it, but it was not big, showy, expensive or obnoxious. Definitely not Castle's usual style. But for her… it was perfection and the happy tears quickly filling her eyes told him that he had gotten it right.
"Yes," she tried to say but when her voice failed her and she managed nothing more than a whisper, she nodded and tried again. "Yes." She surged forward and began kissing her… fiancé.
It was as Kate twined her arms around Rick's neck that Alexis said, "Ew… guys! Teenage daughter in the room."
Though Kate ended their enthusiastic kiss, she was too happy to be embarrassed. As she turned to Alexis, Kate beamed happily and said, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Your father just proposed to me and I couldn't speak to say yes, so I kissed him instead."
Alexis's piercing shriek rent the air and seconds later she was launching her body at the adults. She was so happy, so excited, that she kissed Kate's cheek in congratulations… and then blushed. Kate laughed and hugged the teen back, returning the congratulatory peck.
Suddenly Alexis gasped, pulled away, said, "I'll be right back," and then ran for the kitchen.
When Alexis disappeared, Kate turned back to Rick. And when she found him smiling at her lovingly, the happy tears she had managed to hold back so far began to fall freely.
"I love you," Kate whispered, her throat constricted with deep emotion.
Rick smiled and said, "You dropped this." He offered her the velvet box again.
"I already have my ring," Kate pointed out in confusion, though now that she looked, it was much bigger than the boxes that usually held engagement rings.
Rick did not say anything, but he gave her a look and Kate clearly read it: Do you really think I would propose to you without something shiny to offer you?
Kate shook her head at him and in turn, Rick clearly read her unspoken response: You should know better than to try to spoil me with jewelry. I won't be impressed. That is, until she opened the box and gasped. Inside was a white gold bangle that matched her ring in style. Kate picked it up carefully and turned it until she found the first diamond sent into the metal, followed by a single word etched in cursive and another diamond. "Always," she read aloud, more happy years falling freely as she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist and studied it there.
"Wow, that's gorgeous!" Alexis commented as she came back to her seat at the couch. As she sat next to Kate, she set three crystal flutes on the coffee table and held a bottle of champagne out to her father.
Rick did not reach out to take the bottle; he simply turned incredulous eyes on his daughter.
So she rolled her eyes and said, "I'm seventeen years old, Daddy! I can handle one glass of champagne. Plus, this is the last time you'll ever be engaged, so we have to have a toast."
Rick could not argue with that logic, so he shrugged, finally took the bottle and worked to open it while Alexis handed out the glasses. When each one was full of slowly deflating foam, Alexis held her own glass aloft and the adults followed suit.
"I've never done this before, so bear with me, okay?" Alexis began and when the adults smiled in reply, she said, "To love and romance and two people who finally pulled their heads out of whatever dark place they'd been hiding and just admitted to what the rest of us have seen all along." Turning to smile at the older woman, Alexis directed the rest of her toast toward her future step-mother, "May you learn quickly the patience you'll need in order to put up with the three of us Castles. Welcome to the family, Kate!" Amid looks of humor, the three of them tapped their glasses carefully together and took a sip. Alexis though, smiled impishly over the rim of her cup and asked Kate, "Or should that be 'Mommy?'"
In reply, Kate swallowed awkwardly, some of the bubbles went up her nose and she began coughing painfully.
Though Alexis laughed, she put a soothing hand on Kate's upper back and rubbed until the coughing ceased. "I was just kidding. Sorry."
"You can-" cough- "Call me-" cough- "Whatever you want." Kate took a moment to catch her breath and clear her throat. "But I didn't think you would want to call me… that."
Alexis was about to say something- probably along the lines of how she had only been joking and even though she did love Kate, she just was not ready to call her mom so soon- but Rick cut in to ease the situation. "Why don't we table this conversation until after Kate and I are married, okay?"
"Good idea," both women just happened to reply at the same time, making them all laugh. Again.
"Now finish up your champagne, Alexis-" Yes, he really did just say that to his usually-so-sensible, underage daughter, didn't he?- "and then go get ready for bed. We need to start planning this weekend because I want to have the wedding as soon as possible. We'll all need to get up early in the morning."
Alexis did as told and took a deep drink of her champagne then said, "You just want to get rid of me so you can… 'congratulate' your fiancé more thoroughly, don't you?"
"Ew!" Rick cried, not at the idea of kissing Kate- and more- but because his own innocent little girl was making jokes about it. "That's it. No more alcohol for you!" He reached out to take Alexis's near empty glass but she pulled away just in time, threw back the remaining contents and finished the last of the honey colored liquid. She then relinquished the empty cup to her father and headed up to bed.
When Kate and Rick were finally snuggled together in his bed- fully clothed and the bedroom door wide open to ensure they stayed that way- Kate tilted her head up to kiss her fiancé. Too soon, Castle broke their slowly deepening kiss and guided her head down to his shoulder which prompted a confused, incredulous sound from Kate.
"What?" Castle asked when he realized something was troubling her.
Kate did not raise her head to look at him, choosing instead to watch the rise and fall of his chest as she plucked at the folds and creases in his t-shirt. "I thought you'd want to… 'congratulate' me?"
"I'm going to tell you a story, okay?" He asked instead of answering directly and when Kate nodded, his tone took on the quality he sometimes got when he was setting the scene, spinning a theory for the enraptured audience of Detectives at the 12th. "A man- and you might call it vanity or narcissism, but I like to think of him as a loyal man, a good man- quietly stalks around a corner in a crowded warehouse, and sees a serial killer training a gun on a woman he has sworn to protect. It may have been an oath never uttered aloud, but she is his partner and it is there regardless, written on this man's heart. The rage this man feels as he takes aim with his own weapon resolves him to protect his partner by making the ultimate sacrifice we as human beings can make- the taking of another person's life. But this man, having never taken a life before (not literally anyway), blinks at the critical moment and merely succeeds in disarming his target, though we both know from past experience on the range that he is perfectly capable of hitting a much smaller target. But she is safe and no one need die now. Until the next time a dirt bag with a gun takes aim at her pretty head. This man would risk himself, would leap from any height to take down his target and pummel the hit man until they were both bleeding, one of them unconscious. The rage, the desire to kill the one threatening this woman, would be… unimaginable unless you've actually experienced it. This desire to protect comes from a deeper place than fear or anger or even mere friendship. It comes from a heart willing to sacrifice anything in order to keep her safe and prove to her that he truly loves her. He would turn and walk away from her, relinquish her heart to another man if he thought that was what would make her happy. He would sacrifice his own happiness, and even his own physical pleasure, if that was what would be best for her."
Rick was silent then, waiting maybe for Kate to say something but she was too surprised by him to say anything. Part of her feared her own paltry words would detract from the moment, from the beautiful speech he had just given.
Sensing probably that she was either incapable of speaking or simply choosing not to, Rick reached up to brush some of her hair off her face and asked, "Do you understand some of what I am trying to tell you?"
"I think so," she whispered hesitantly, sure of the truth behind his words but surprised still that he felt them.
"I want you to keep your promise to your mother because I know how much it means to you. I know what she means to you. So I can wait. I don't have to sleep with you now. I don't have to fool around with you now because soon we'll be married and there will be nothing standing between us. I would hate to begin our lives together by helping you break a promise you made to your mother."
"Love is patient," Kate summed up, her way of agreeing and letting him know that she understood what he was trying to say. Then she smiled softly and whispered, "I love you too."
Finally, Rick pulled her into his embrace and held her close while they both settled in to go to sleep. He had to tell her one more thing though. "Believe me, I look forward in keen anticipation to the day we can finally…" his mind went to many happy places then, but figured it would definitely be a bad idea to push his resolve and even allude to any of them. So he began again. "Though intellectually, I believe wholeheartedly in everything I just said, physiologically, you are still the most beautiful thing I have ever held in my arms and I will let my body persuade my mind if we attempted to do anything tonight more than sleep."
Kate nodded her head in understanding but she was already drifting to sleep, secure in his reassurances and his arms and lulled by the deep bass rumble of his voice.
Eventually taking note of her ebbing consciousness, Rick too settled into the peaceful calm of falling slowly to sleep wrapped in the arms of the one person he loved more than any other (unless you counted Martha and Alexis, but those were a different kinds of love).