A/N: This is another one in the slew of fics in the aftermath of the amazing Always. The premise has probably been already used, but there are so many stories out there, it's difficult to keep track.
This is only for fun, as my name is not Andrew Marlowe, and I'm not an ABC exec, so enjoy!

The First Morning of Always

The all-nighter had been fun, but exhausting. The only thing Alexis Castle could think of as she stepped out of the elevator and made her way to the loft was a few hours of solid sleep in her bed. Fortunately, the rain had stopped hours ago, so she was bone dry. She chuckled as she remembered what her father had told her about his plans for last night. He'd said that he was going to enjoy a John Woo double feature, namely The Killer and Hard Boiled. In all probability, she'd find him asleep on the couch.

Not wanting to disturb him, she unlocked the door as silently as she could and tiptoed inside. She was quite eager to see where her father had hung the yellow tassel from her mortarboard, too. Instead, something else caught her eye. It was discarded clothing. Curious, she investigated and found that it formed a trail leading from the front door to her dad's room. She knelt and picked up a shirt she recognized as her father's. It appeared that it'd been ripped off of him, if the missing buttons, which on further examination turned out to be scattered all over the place, were any indication. Then she spotted what looked like a woman's boots, near a leather jacket.

"Looks like Dad had fun last night… And apparently she's still here," she mused. "But who is she?"

That was a good question. But she wasn't about to barge into his bedroom in order to find out. What she might find had the potential to scar her for life. Still, curiosity was getting the better of her. So, she chose the easy way. She spotted a still wet pair of pants. They definitely belonged to the mystery woman. Alexis picked the soaked denim garment up and rifled through the pockets, cracking a smile when she found a wallet.

"No way!" Alexis exclaimed, seeing Kate Beckett's smiling face on the driver's license. "They finally took the plunge! It was about damn time."

-o-

Meanwhile, former NYPD Detective Kate Beckett woke up draped all over Richard Castle. I could get used to waking up in the same bed with him every day, she thought.

"Don't get up yet, stay in bed," Castle murmured sleepily as he felt her shift.

"I want to go get some water. I'm parched."

"Get some for me too," he mumbled. "Please." They were both dehydrated after their hot, sweaty, incredibly intense lovemaking the night before.

"Will do," she said and smiled brightly. Then she grabbed the top sheet and wrapped it around her naked body, toga fashion. She loved the feel of the smooth silk against her skin.

"Ave Imperatrix, moriturus te salutat," he said, giving her a Roman salute. She gave him another beguiling smile and skipped out the door, heading for the kitchen.

"She really is going to be the death of me," he sighed and plopped back down on the pillows.

Kate made her way to the kitchen, not bothering to pick up any of her and Castle's discarded clothing. They could do it later. Right now she and the man she loved had a lot of lost time to make up for. She was just about to go behind the island counter when a head with flaming red hair popped up from behind it, surprising her. Kate was barefoot, so she wasn't making any noise walking around the apartment. Thus, the redhead was equally surprised at the encounter. Both women screamed before recognizing each other.

The twin screams sent Castle flying into action. Later, he couldn't even tell how he slipped on his Thomas Nash silk boxer shorts and his robe before scrambling out the room. What he found? He saw his daughter and his new girlfriend leaning on the island counter, trying to catch their breaths and wait for their hearts to slow down to normal. Both were also crimson from embarrassment.

"Thanks to you I lost ten years of my life," he panted.

"Ditto," the ladies replied in unison.

"Then no one wins. We all lost."

"Dad!"

"Really, Castle? Is this the best you could come up with?"

"Ah, you're already ganging up on me?"

"You better hope Gram never learns of this morning's events."

"Tell me about it. We look like we came out of a bad movie, me in my shorts and robe, Kate wearing a sheet and you having just walked in…" He looked around for a moment.

"Are you looking for something, Dad?" Alexis asked.

"Yes. Kate's badge and gun. We shouldn't have left them lying around…" In fact he couldn't remember taking them off of her, or even seeing them.

"I don't have them any more, Castle… Rick."

"You left them at the precinct?"

"I resigned from the Force."

She elicited two incredulous "YOU WHAT?"

"You're all I need, Rick. I don't need to be a cop any more. I'll find another job." She passed him a bottle of water and picked one up for herself.

"This isn't over. We'll talk about it."

"Sure, whatever. But right now I'm going to get dressed. Or I was going to, but my clothes are still wet."

"I'll make breakfast," he called after her, as she began gathering up her clothes. "And the dryer is… show her, Alexis."

"Sure thing, Dad," Alexis smiled, happy for her dad.

They returned to find him flipping pancakes while whistling a cheerful tune. Alexis had given Kate some dry clothes to wear. "Smells wonderful," Beckett said.

"It's just pancakes."

"Well, I hope we can enjoy them without bodies dropping in through the front door this time."

"What are you guys talking about?" Alexis asked.

"Remember the case with the serial killer who blew up Kate's apartment?"

"Yes. You went to her place one night."

"In the morning I was making pancakes and went to get the paper when I was done. Only, there was a body in addition to the paper outside her door."

"It sorta ruined the morning. I didn't even get the chance to enjoy the coffee your father had made."

"By the way, do you know what Esposito said about the pancakes that morning?"

"No, what?"

"That they are an edible way of saying 'thank you so much for last night'. In this case, here, now, it couldn't be more fitting."

"I love you, Rick."

"I love you too, Kate. Always." They kissed under the approving look of Alexis.

"Always," she agreed. "And I couldn't think of a better first morning for our Always."

THE END