First to 1000 - 1
"So, you think you can out-tag me Detective? Let me warn you, I beat Alexis to 1000 and she was trained by the best … me!"
"Castle, you don't stand a chance, I'm a trained cop … you're looking at getting your ass hung out to dry!"
"Well I may have just the thing for you Beckett" he says with a grin, disappearing into the bedroom. A few minutes later he emerges with a large, ribbon wrapped box in his hands.
She looks at him, a laugh escaping her "No! You didn't, Rick!"
He grins at her "Open it … go on!"
With another laugh she pulls the ribbon lose, rips the paper off and lifts the lid from the box "Oh! Purple!"
He grins in satisfaction at her simple pleasure …. wow! And she didn't throw it in my face … I just can't imagine giving this to Meredith or Gina … they wouldn't have got It, wouldn't have understood the significance of sharing such a special thing … it wasn't just that Kate is willing to humour him … it is the fact that for so long this has been 'their' thing, Alexis and him … and now his beautiful Detective is willing to take up the mantle … just, wow!
He leans down and kisses her, lips brushing lips, tongues touching, curling and seeking each other out. They pull apart, both slightly out of breath, him with a twitch in his back from the uncomfortable, bent position he's just been in.
"So, first to one thousand?"
Her eyes narrow as she looks at him, her lips twitch, "Ok, big guy, you're on … but I want the study …"
He shrugs "No big deal Detective, the kitchen suits me fine …. get ready to get your ass kicked!"
Kate stands up, kicks off her shoes and allows Castle to help her on with her vest, his hands wondering more than they should until she gives him a pointed look and a slap on the wrist "Later Castle …. You'll have to reward me for taking you down"
He splutters, then grins … "It would be worth it" he says, giving her a peck and donning his own vest. They turn the lights off in the sitting area and he moves to the hallway to repeat the process for the entrance area and kitchen.
Kate meanwhile enters the study, switching off lights as she goes. She pushes into the bedroom, turns all but the two bedside lamps off and with a giggle moves back into the study, peering between the books on the wall-shelf out into the sitting room. Patiently she waits for him to make the first move.
Castle crouches behind the end of the L-shaped kitchen counter. To his right is the dining area, giving him the relative cover of table, chairs and end wall. In the sitting room, between himself and the shelves forming the study's partition is the couch, giving him cover from in front. Of course, it also offers cover to Kate if she moves out of the study.
He scuttles past the open shelves holding the tableware and crouches by the table behind the couch. He strains his ears, trying to catch a sound, any sound that will give her away. Silence. On hands and knees he moves to the left, past the end of the couch and stands up, his back to the pillar.
Carefully he pokes his head round the corner, eyes scanning the area in front of him … nothing. He moves further round the pillar, crouches and scrutinises the wall of books and bric-a-brac … she is either still hiding in the study … not what his kick-ass Detective would do … or she is behind him!
He spins round … nothing … he moves back round the pillar and checks behind the couch … nothing … where the hell is she!? … he turns back again … checks the open area and scuttles across to the piano … still no sight or sound of her.
Kate meanwhile, clutching her lip between her teeth and trying not to giggle has caught sight of his fleeting shadow moving across from the far pillar to the near one. He is now off to her right, somewhere near the piano … she stealthily moves back until she reaches the shelves against the bedroom wall and quickly moves through the doorway, the shadow she casts skittering across the floor for a couple of seconds until she's inside the bedroom.
Castle grins, his eyes crinkling up … oh Kate, how careless! It had only been a fleeting interruption of the glow visible through the shelves, but he now knew she had either entered or moved out of the bedroom. Caaareeleess Kate!
He moves along until he's up against the corner of the bookshelves. He finds a gap between a book and a stone miniature of the Temple of the Great Jaguar at Tikal, peers through the gap and tries to spot her. After several minutes he decides that she must have gone into the bedroom, he can't see any sign of her … unless she's in his reading area off to the left. He moves down to the doorway …. takes a deep breath and rolls into the study ending up on the floor between the two armchairs opposite his desk. He turns to face left, pops up onto his knee as the laser gun lines up with …. an empty space.
Quickly he drops to the ground again, spins to face the bedroom door and inches round the furniture. He can see the glow from the lamps in the bedroom …. ookeeey, so he is going to be in light when he goes in, and she is either going to be in darkness in the bathroom or in the closet ….
He moves up next to the bedroom doorway. Slowly, he stands up, back to the shelves … takes a deep breath and jumps through …. "Eeeeh!"
Kate is waiting for him as he jumps through the doorway. He lands is a semi crouch head swinging round in search of her … he spots her …. could hardly fail to do so … and freezes .. mouth dropping open, eyes flying wide, a squawk emitting from his tightened throat ..…
Zap!
"Kate …. soooo not fair!" He complains as he just stands there staring at her lying on the bed, totally naked except for the laser tag vest as she places the muzzle to her mouth and 'blows the smoke' away.
"One, zero Castle … I told you ... you're so going to get your ass kicked!"
