The Good and The Bad (A Caskett Story)

Chapter 10

The Old Haunt got packed as the night went on. Drunks hitting on women and a couple of bar fights. Kate and Rick were still there. This time in a corner booth with food in front of them. They've only had a couple drinks and that's all they were going to have. Rick didn't want neither of them drunk so they decided on just three scotches for each.

Kate turned her head over to the bar where poor Johnny was trying to tell a scrawny old man to go home because he was so drunk. She watched the old man look around and locked eyes on her. She immediately looked away hoping that he wouldn't come over here. But next thing she knew he was right beside her.

"Hey pretty lady, wanna drive me home?" The man asked. Kate looked at Castle.

"She's not interested," Castle talked for her. The man gave him a glare and turned back to Kate.

"Come on, I can show you a good time," the man pleaded.

"Like he said, I'm not interested." She didn't dare look up at him for only it would make things worse.

"Oh, please, I can give you a better time than this old fart," Kate's jaw clenched and Castle could see her anger rising up.

"Look, you're drunk now go home before I arrest you." As soon as she said it she wished she hadn't.

"Oh, you wanna play that game okay. I see," the old man turned around with his arms around his back. "I'm ready, you can arrest me."

Both Castle and Kate's anger rose. The man kept saying dirty stuff and soon enough Castle stood up and punched the guy in the face. The man brought his hand up to his jaw and groaned. "Oh, you wanna fight? Alright, bring it on old man."

Kate's jaw clenched again at the 'old' comment. She couldn't take it anymore. She stood fast and kneed him in the gut. As he bent over for air, Kate upper cut a blow to his head. He fell down to the floor groaning and covering his face. Kate was going to go down and punch him once more but Castle stopped her.

"Kate, Kate, Kate hey, let's not start anything else. Come on, let's go home." She nodded and they headed out with eyes on them until they reached the door.

It was nearing 12 o' clock when they arrived at the loft. The ride there was quiet and so was the elevator ride up. Castles hand was over his knuckles the whole way until he had to unlock the loft. Kate stepped in and he closed the door behind him. She went straight to the freezer to grab a couple of ice packs. She grabbed some paper towels and wrapped it around the ice packs and handed one to Castle.

"I'm sorry," Castle spoke softly.

"It wasn't your fault, Rick. If anything it's mine. We made eye contact." Kate placed the ice pack over her hand.

"No, it's mine Kate. It was my bar. He was a drunk in my bar and I should've known they were going to start doing that on a Friday. I should've just got us out of there when they started to come in." There was silence. "What got into you back there? You were about to kill him." He smiled and she smiled back ducking her head.

"He called you old twice. Only I can call you old," she smiled a small smile.

He chuckled, "You know, it was kinda hot watching you upper cut his face."

She let out a huff, "He'll feel it in the morning."

Kate yawned and he walked around the kitchen island to stand in front of her. "You're tired, why don't you go get changed while I put these away."

She handed him the ice pack and looked up at him, "Thank you." She whispered and stood up on her tippy toes to place a light kiss on his lips and walked into the bedroom.

That night, Kate couldn't sleep. She kept tossing and turning and thought about her mother. Kate was devastated when she 'died'. She watched her father drown in a bottle of scotch every night while she quit college and stayed home to cry and morn all day. A year later she went back to college to study law and become a lawyer. Instead she became a cop who buried herself in her mothers case files. Setting up walls and pushing everyone out. She shut her father out for 5 years until he stopped drinking and got his life together. And then Castle came along. He was so annoying and she wanted to shoot him so bad in the beginning but she realized that he cared about her. Deeply. He's always loved her and she couldn't see that in the beginning. He was the one to take down those walls with all his help and when he was there for her.

And then after her shooting. She shut him out completely. After hearing him confess his love for her, she panicked. No one has ever loved or cared for her as much as he did and she was scared. She didn't know what to do so she went up to her dad's cabin for 3 months. During those 3 months, there were times when she regretted coming up there. She just wanted to tell him that she loved him too. And when she got back, he was there for her again. Maybe not at first, but he was there for her. She liked that and she didn't want to change anything. They were perfect with just being friends/partners.

Until he heard her say that she remembered that day. She should've talk to him after it. Should've went over to his loft and told him everything but her being herself, she didn't. And then she saw him with that blonde bimbo pilot and thought that she was too late. He didn't want her anymore so he went back to his old self. Picking up bimbos on the streets and bringing them home.

But most of all, when she was hanging off a building. She nearly died and all she could think about was how she would never get to tell him that she loved him. When she heard his name call out for her but he wasn't there, she was devastated. That night, at the swings, the swings where she told him about her walls almost a year before, she told herself she was done with this. She had to tell him now, he needed to know. So she took the short walk to his loft in the freezing rain. She was soaked but she didn't care. She only cared about him. Knocking on the door lightly, she started to regret it until he opened the door. He was so sweet that night. And who knew sex with Richard Castle would be so amazing? After that, she was the happiest she could ever be.

She turned her head to look at him. He was sleeping calmly with his lips stuck out from his cheek being squished against the pillow. She loved him. A lot. And she was glad he was by her side all the time. Through the good and the bad times.
{1226 words}

A/N: I didn't think I would've made it over 1k words on a chapter. Go me!