A/N: This takes place a couple of days after the last chapter of Crossroads, but you don't really need to have read that to be able to enjoy this story ;)
This is going to turn pretty steamy pretty soon, so be warned.
Boxed Memories
Rick didn't have to search for her; she'd left the door open. He simply followed his ears.
He found her on the floor in the guest room, the room that would be her office, a clutter of opened and unpacked boxes sitting around her as she strummed the chords of an old folk song on her guitar.
He stopped in the doorway, smiled at her as she poked the tip of her tongue out in concentration, her fingers a little cramped on the strings.
She let the last chord fade away and looked up at him; he hadn't been quiet enough for her to not notice him. Her smile was shy, a little nervous even - he'd never been allowed to see her play. He'd stumbled across the pretty guitar with the unusual sideways cutout one day in April, but she'd refused to play for him.
"You still surprise me" he told her softly, something akin to pride in his voice. "Every time I think I've got you figured out, you do something unexpected."
He could see the struggle in her eyes as she tried to keep from blushing, and he grinned, pleased with himself, as he pushed away from the doorframe and stepped closer.
"I'm almost done in here" she said and reached out to touch his leg when he was close enough. He dropped down to her level, crouching at her side, her hand on his knee keeping him balanced.
"Mm" he murmured approvingly, his fingers travelling up her shoulder to her neck. He didn't lean in to kiss her, and he probably would have toppled over if he'd tried, but his thumb brushed her cheek in a gesture as tender as any kiss could be.
"How'd your meeting go?" she asked softly and he grimaced in response.
"As expected" he said and she let her fingers draw circles on his thigh, both comfort and pity.
He loved that she was so touchy lately. Ever since she'd realized how much he feared for her life, how scared he was every time she went out to catch bad guys and how badly he needed her physical contact, the proof that she was alive and well, she'd allowed herself to give in to her urges to touch him more often.
His gaze flickered away from her eyes to a spot behind her back, focusing on the only box she hadn't unpacked yet.
"What's in that box over there?" he asked and huffed like an old man as he stood up and reached for it. Kate turned, followed his line of sight, and couldn't stop her jaw from dropping. Oh god. Not THAT box. This was exactly why she had wanted to do this whole unpacking thing on her own. She rushed to put the guitar down and scrambled to her feet.
"Uh...nothing. Just girl stuff, nothing interesting" she tried to distract him, but she didn't even buy the lie herself. "I'm just going to put that over there and then we can..."
"Oh no!" he laughed. "I know a lie when I see one!" He grabbed the medium sized box and held it out of her reach.
When he slid the lid off, his eyes almost jumped out of his head.
"You...this...you have...oh god..."
He couldn't produce any coherent words, looking down into the box full of sex toys in his hands.
Kate had blushed a crimson red.
"I...they're just...Uhh..." She didn't really have an explanation for those.
She squeezed her eyes shut to calm her erratic heart, feeling like a young embarrassed girl in front of a class of staring eyes.
Except that those items in the box in his arms were perfectly normal when you were a healthy woman living alone, and she shouldn't have to feel so embarrassed about them. Her blush subsided a little and she managed to look up into his eyes. She could see that he wasn't judging her, wasn't making fun of her or leering like he would have a couple of years ago when he was still a different man.
He still hadn't said anything, but when she reached out to take the box from him and store it somewhere Alexis would never, ever, find it, he didn't let go of it. Her eyes shot up and found his.
"Will you let me use them?" he asked, no hint of humor in his voice. The blush came back with full force.
"You want to..."
"They obviously help you to..."
Neither of them finished their sentences. He stepped a little closer and she glanced down to the ground, the toys and the question suspended in the air between them.
"Rick, I…"
The distinct sound of Alexis' door clicking open down the hallway startled them away from each other, and Kate let go of the box in Rick's hands. He quickly put it down, hidden between two bubble wraps, and she closed her eyes briefly to control her blush, thankful in a way for the diversion.
They heard footsteps advance, and then the soft knock of knuckles against the open door.
"Kate?" came the tentative voice of Alexis. "Can I- Oh, hi Dad!" she said and smiled, a little surprised and not quite able to cover it up.
"Hey pumpkin" he greeted, glancing down once more to make sure that the box was closed up.
"What is it, come in!" Kate invited, a gentle warmth in her voice as she beckoned the girl with her hands to join them. Alexis ducked into the room, her hair braided on one side of her head, her bright blue eyes skillfully lined with just a hint of black and colour.
"Hey" she greeted friendly and smiled at the both of them.
"Um…" she started and Rick raised his eyebrows. "I know Kate is moving today and we wanted to celebrate, but…"
She fiddled with the seam of her blue top. "That…that boy I told you about, from the orientation day at Princeton, Nicholas…" she smiled shyly at Kate and Rick turned around to watch his girlfriend, who grinned back with sparkling eyes, seeming to know exactly what his daughter was talking about. He gasped incredulously, then shook his head at Alexis.
"You told Kate about it and not me?" he whined and then leveled a glare at Kate that she didn't quite buy.
"And you" he growled, trying to sound as convincingly pouting as he could. "You're keeping secrets from me now?"
Kate laughed at his demeanor, which was admittedly a little bit cute.
"Us girls have to stick together, Castle" she said and patted his cheek. "Don't take it too personal."
Alexis giggled, but then swallowed and dimmed her smile a bit. "So…are you okay if I go now, Kate? You won't be mad that I'm missing our special dinner night?"
Kate shook her head. "Of course not, Alexis. You should go, have fun, relax with Nick" she winked.
Rick was still pouting. "But not too much fun" he grumbled. "Where are you meeting this guy anyway?"
Alexis blushed. "He's taking me to a Broadway show but he wouldn't say which one."
"Hmphh" Rick snorted. "A guy that likes singing and dancing can't - Ouch!" he protested as Kate hit him, hard, her fist to his bicep.
"Shut up, you love Musicals!" Kate gasped, then laughed along with his daughter.
"Dad, I'll be fine" she assured him, still giggling. "I'll be home by midnight."
Kate looked down at her father's watch and gave Alexis a knowing grin. It wasn't even four in the afternoon. Oh well. Rick sighed.
"Alright, pumpkin. You go ahead, I'm sure Kate and I can find something else to do."
Kate blushed deeply, and Alexis turned her gaze away. "Thanks, Dad" she muttered and started for the door, turning around one last time when she was in the hallway, hesitantly looking up at the woman that would from now on officially share her home.
"Go, Alexis. We'll have that dinner on your next free day, okay?" Kate tried to reassure the girl, not wanting her to leave with the burden of a bad conscience. Alexis smiled.
"Sure, I'd love that. Thanks. For…you know. Thanks." She chanced a quick look at her dad, who was watching them with a suspicious interest. "Have a nice night, you two" Alexis bid them goodbye, and then she was gone.
Rick turned around, his eyes narrowing in on Kate's. "Is there anything I need to know?"
Kate shook her head. "Just girl stuff. If it would concern you, I'd tell you." When he still didn't quite stop pouting, she sighed.
"I promise."
He grinned from ear to ear. "Pinkie promise?" he asked eagerly but Kate huffed a laugh at him.
"No, Castle, I'm not letting you shake my pinkie as if we're some pre-school girls in pink dresses!"
He wriggled his eyebrows, clearly not at all insulted by her suggestion. "Any nice outfits in that box of yours?"
Kate blushed. Oh god. He wasn't going to stop, was he? She took a step back from him, crossing her arms in front of her body.
"Rick, I…"
His hands closed gently around her wrists, sliding forwards until he could intertwine their fingers, tugging her into his chest. His face was earnest now, a glint of want still in his eyes, but all cocky playfulness gone.
"Kate, you know I won't make you do anything you're not comfortable with."
She swallowed around the thickness of her throat and nodded. "I know, Rick."
His thumbs brushed across her palms. "I love you. If you can't…Whether we do this or not, it doesn't change a thing."
She nodded again, understanding, trusting him. "I don't think I can-" she started, then shook her head. "I wish I could, but I'm not sure if…I mean."
Dammit. She trusted him. She loved him, was moving in with him, planned on spending her entire life with this man. She swallowed once more and straightened up, her fingers gripping his, strong and confident. He could watch her resolve change, could watch her steel herself, her spine straightening, her forehead smoothing out. A glimmer appeared in her eyes that hadn't been there. Her cheeks were still reddened by the faintest blush, but she was smiling now.
"Okay" she said at last, sounding more like the Detective Beckett he'd flirted with a long time ago, than the vulnerable Kate he'd only discovered after time.
"Just remember" she said, lifting up on her toes so her face was level with his, letting her nose just barely brush his. Hot puffs of air teased his lips when she spoke.
"You asked for it."