These Small Hours

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in regards to the television show Castle. The characters belong to a bunch of people who aren't me. I am merely borrowing them for my own entertainment. Dance puppets, dance.

Author's Note: It's been over eighteen months since I've written anything, but here is a fic! My muse has been a finicky little thing. Much love and thanks for Smacky30 and Mingsmommy for the beta. They are truly wonderful ladies. And thank you for stopping by and reading. I hope you enjoy this.

Rick blinked his eyes open to the low yellow light of his bedroom. Dimly, he could still hear the heavy rain pounding outside, creating a soothing beat. He lay tangled in the sheets, perfectly warm, even though he was naked. All of this should have added up to curling up and going back to sleep.

However, his Spidey-senses were on full alert. He turned over to see Kate picking up her shirt and pants, and oh God was she gathering her shoes too? But they had just…she couldn't be leaving, could she?

"Hey," he croaked, not really sure what to say next.

Kate turned, and his breath caught in his chest at the sight of her in his maroon shirt. "Hey," she replied quietly. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"It's fine." Rick took a breath. "So, um…what-what are you doing?" He tried to make the question sound casual.

"I was going to throw these in the washer and then take a shower." Kate smiled shyly. "You looked so peaceful I didn't want to wake you up."

The corner of his mouth turned up involuntarily. "You were watching me sleep?" Her blush was his answer. "Creepy."

Narrowing her eyes, Kate put a hand on her hip. "Not as creepy as having Boba Fett watch me pee."

"Isn't he great?! The whole suit is made to the film's production standards."

"Castle, why do you have him in your bathroom?

"Why not?"

"Don't you think it's a little weird having a Star Wars character in there while you shower?"

Rick simply shook his head. "No, not at all."

Kate smiled. "Of course you don't." She held up her pile of sodden clothes. "Can I throw these in the washer?"

Swinging his legs over the mattress, Rick slipped on the boxers that were on the floor. "I can take care of those for you if you want to hop in the shower."

When he came over to her, she stood on her toes to press a soft kiss to his lips. "Thank you." As turned to go the bathroom, she added, "I better not find Luke Skywalker No More Tears Shampoo."

"Luke is the Conditioner; Darth Vader is the shampoo!"

The bathroom was spacious; it was at least the size of Kate's first apartment. His-and-her sinks stood beneath a large mirror. A plethora of lotions, shaving creams, and colognes lined one side of the counter top. A huge bath tub sat on the other side of the room. She could easily picture herself reclining against Rick's chest in the tub full of bubbles; a glass of wine in hand while he told some ridiculous story. That would definitely be for another day.

And next to the tub (and unfortunately where Boba Fett stood also) was a huge glass shower. The shower head looked as if it had a million settings, which could be fun, but again, for another time. Kate laughed to herself as she saw three different shampoo and conditioner bottles…each. But there was one body wash bottle, and she couldn't wait to use it. She absolutely loved the way Rick smelled: sandalwood with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon.

Slipping out of Rick's button up, she draped it over Boba Fett's helmet. "No peeking."

Stepping in the shower, she turned on the water to a steamy hot setting. She hoped the building had a great water heater because she would definitely be in here for a while.

Kate stood under spray, letting the water wash away the stress of the day. The fight was over, it was done. Her muscles turned to jelly under the bone melting heat. She lost sense of everything, she didn't even hear Rick come in.

His jaw had hit the ground. Literally, nothing, nothing compared to seeing Kate all wet and naked in his shower.

After visiting the laundry room, Rick had decided to head back to the bathroom to see if Kate needed any help starting the shower, figuring out water setting…washing her hair. Or body. Or both.

For the millionth time that night, he thanked the heavens for giving them this chance. They hadn't talked things out explicitly, but she told him she loved him so he took it as a sign that she wanted to take the next step.

He cleared his throat enough to get her attention. Kate turned, and smiled at him. "Hey."

"Hey." He gestured to her. "I was-uh…going to see if you needed help."

She pretended to consider it. "I could probably use an extra set of hands."

Her laugh bounced off the tiles as he dropped his drawers and slid across the floor. Rick opened the door and more than happily joined her.

Wrapping his arms around her slick body, he drew in her in for a slow kiss. His hands slid to her waist, where his thumbs made soft circles on her skin.

Drawing back, Kate bit her lip. "I hate to be a buzz kill here, but can we not…do that…here."

It took him a minute to realize what she meant. "Shower sex?" At her nod, he shook his head vehemently. "No, no, no, no. I had a bad experience with the first time I tried it with a girlfriend. She fell and had to have four stitches in her head. Never again."

Kate sucked air through her teeth. "Yeah, I have a similar story, only mine ends with me getting a concussion."

"Shower sex isn't as glamorous as the romance novels make it out to be." He grabbed a bottle of shampoo. "However, when you have a nice big shower stall and aren't claustrophobic, showering with someone can be romantic."

"You lucked out in both aspects."

"I'm wonderful that way." With shampoo rubbed between his hands, Rick carefully started to wash Kate's hair. Her eyes almost immediately closed as worked his fingers through her thick tresses. She let out a long moan as he massaged her scalp.

She practically melted under his touch as he continued to work the shampoo through her hair. His jaw tightened when he turned her around, and he saw a couple of deep bruises starting to form on her back. She'd told him briefly of her fight with Maddox, but didn't get into the details. He wanted to know more, but this wasn't the time. This moment, here and now, was all about them.

After he finished, Rick took the removable shower head to rinse Kate's hair. He made sure he washed out of the soap suds before asking, "Better?"

"Much," she purred. "No more nasty rain water." She then chose a shampoo bottle. "Your turn?"

Rick was more than happy to comply, and bent slightly as she rose on her tip toes. He loved Kate in her crazy heels and stilettos, but he loved this height difference. However he lost all train of thought as her fingers dug through his scalp.

"How is that?" Kate asked. "Is that too hard?"

"Mrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmm."

She laughed again, and Rick made a vow to always make her laugh. He continued to hum in delight as she worked on his hair.

"Okay," Kate said, after what felt like only twenty seconds. "Time to rinse."

"Already?" he whined.

"Castle!" she admonished. "I washed your hair for probably three, four minutes. It's more than squeaky clean."

Letting out a put upon sigh, Rick went to stand under the spray. "Fiiiiine."

After rinsing off, and trading more than a few kisses along the way, they were finally ready to step out of the shower. Kate stepped out first and allowed Rick to wrap her in a fluffy white towel. Once she was dried off, he gave her his thick navy blue robe. It was obviously too big for her as she had to push up the sleeves and the bottom dragged on the ground, but Kate had never been more beautiful.

Changing into a pair of pajama pants, Rick asked if she wanted anything to drink. As he went to get her a glass of water, Kate remained in the bathroom to comb out and dry her matted hair. When she came, she found Rick standing by the bed.

"M'lady." He presented the glass with flourish.

Kate grinned at him. However, when she reached out, the muscles in her arms pulled hard, making her wince.

"You okay?" Rick asked in concern. "Do you need to go to the doctor?"

Shaking her head, Kate took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Gates made me get checked out by the paramedics at scene. I'm just bruised."

Rick nodded, not saying anything. Guilt bubbled in his chest; whatever happened this afternoon was bad and he hadn't been there. They remained silent for several moments, each not looking at each other.

"You want to talk about it?" He finally suggested.

Looking at the ceiling, Kate swallowed hard. She must have been quiet for too long because Rick added, "We don't have to talk if you don't want to."

She chuckled ruefully. "Rick, we have a horrible track record of not talking. It's what gets us in trouble. We have to talk about this." Gesturing to the bed, she went to prop herself up on the pillows.

"Right." He moved to sit across from her. "So…what happened?"

Kate took a fortifying breath. "After you left, we found out that Maddox was holing up in a hotel. Espo and I went down to arrest him."

"Did you take back up?" At her reluctant shake of the head, Rick swore under his breath. "Kate…"

She closed her eyes. "I know, Castle, I know. It was an incredibly stupid decision. I was just…blinded by nailing this guy. Maddox got the drop on us and knocked Esposito out. I followed him to the roof where things got physical." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "He didn't care one bit; it was like a sparring session for him. Then he tried to toss me off the roof. I managed to hang off the ledge and he just…walked away."

Moving closer, Rick took her hand. "Kate, I am so, so sorry that I wasn't there."

"It's not your fault," she sniffled, squeezing his fingers. "You tried to warn me and you were right. Whoever Maddox is working for wanted me dead and he was more than happy to do so.

"Luckily Kevin had our backs. He got there and pulled me up. Gates was also there, and she was not happy."

Rubbing her knuckles, Rick asked, "What did she say?"

"That Esposito and I were suspended." Kate shrugged. "Doesn't matter though, I resigned."

At that confession, his eyes widened. "You what?"

"I quit. When I was hanging on that ledge, all I could think about was you, and everything we've been through, and the life we wouldn't have because of this whole investigation into my mother's murder. It wasn't worth it any more. Not giving up everything."

Silently, Rick moved to sit beside her. He opened his arms, and Kate gladly accepted the invitation to snuggle with him. She buried her face against his chest. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to sink into his arms.

Rubbing his hand down her back, Rick swallowed hard. "Kate, I am so sorry."

"For what?" She asked quietly. "It's not your fault. You tried to stop me."

"Yes, but I should have been there. I got a call from the Twelfth earlier, and I just…ignored it." The last two words came out so soft, Kate had to strain to hear them.

She tightened her arm around his waist. "I'm not mad at you."

"But I-" She cut off his words with gentle fingers to his lips.

"You and I can go 'round and 'round about what happened and what might've happened. But what's done is done; it's over." Kate stopped for a moment, gathering what little strength she had left. "I'm ready to put my mother's case behind me. I want to have the life I've always wanted." She put a hand on his cheek. "I want to love you," she whispered.

Rick closed his eyes. "I want that too."

For the first time in over thirteen years, Kate felt a giant weight lift from her shoulders. While she was drained physically and emotionally, she felt freer and lighter. She gave Rick a dazzling smile which he answered by pressing his lips against hers.

They lay there for several minutes, sharing soft and reverent kisses. His tongue teased the seam of her lips, and she opened her mouth to him. A pleasant heat flooded Kate's body, leaving her unable to register anything, but the sweet flavor of his mouth; he tasted of freshly baked sugar cookies. When she started to tug at the drawstring of his pants, he gently rolled her onto her back.

It took him a moment to wriggle out of his pants, his foot getting caught in the leg because he refused to stop kissing her. Kate laughed when he growled, finally detaching himself long enough to throw the piece of offending apparel on the floor. She wrapped her arms around his broad back, running her hands over the thick muscles. God, she wanted her stupid robe off of her now so they could be skin to skin. Luckily Rick got her silently message and undid her belt.

After she leaned up to pull herself out of the terry cloth, Rick brushed it aside to join his pants on the floor. Kate looked up to find him staring at her like she was the most precious and beautiful thing he'd ever seen. There was a wonder in his eyes she'd never seen before.

Bending down, he began to his kiss her neck while his fingers teased the underside of her breast. His touched remained soft, but measured; teasing her just enough to drive her crazy. Then he moved down, pressing his lips to the circular scar on her chest. Looking up, he saw the tears in her eyes.

"I love you so much," he whispered.

She laughed through a sob. "I love you."

Smiling, Rick continued on his downward quest, nipping and licking at the skin at her stomach. Though all of his teasing stopped the moment his mouth settled between her legs.

Kate let out a breathy moan, arching off of the bed. She shuddered under the touch of his tongue. His hands slid over her breasts, massaging her aching nipples. She covered his hands with her own before interlacing their fingers together. It didn't take long before the welcoming tightness in her body starting building. "God, Rick," she groaned. "Don't stop."

Soon, her breaths started coming in short pants and her hips started rolling under his ministrations. With a firm swipe of his tongue, Kate came undone, white hot pleasure coursing through her body. Rick continued with gentle licks as she came down from her high before he started back up her body. Taking his face between her hands, she kissed him, tasting herself on his mouth.

Hooking a foot around his leg, Kate flipped him over in one swift movement. His eyes widened as she sat on his thighs. She leaned forward, ignoring the pull of sore muscles to feather her fingers along the crease of his thighs. She lingered there only for a few moments before wrapping her hand around his erection.

She stroked him until Rick let out a long groan. "Kate, if you keep that up and I'm not gonna last."

Reaching over, Rick grabbed a condom from the nightstand. Kate plucked the packet from him, and tore it open. Closing his eyes, Rick's body tensed as she rolled the condom on him. Rising on her knees, she sank down, joining their bodies together.

Kate remained still over him while she adjusted to the feeling of him filling her completely. It was their second time making love, but the connection was absolutely overwhelming. Grabbing her hips, Rick rose so they were face to face. She wrapped her legs around his lower back as they moved slowly together.

Rick buried his face in her neck while Kate ran her fingers though his damp hair. Being this close was almost too much for her. The intimacy of the moment was nothing like Kate had ever experienced. When he took her breast in his mouth, Kate arched her back, but refused to let her arms leave him.

It wasn't long before the coiling began again and she whimpered. Never stilling his movements, Rick reached between their bodies, massaging her. The movement of his fingers was all she needed to fall over the edge, a most intense pleasure flooding every part of her body. With a final thrust, he grunted her name as he throbbed over and over before collapsing into her chest.

She held him there, stroking the back of his shoulders that were covered with a fine sheen of sweat. She pressed her lips to his forehead.

"No words," he finally panted out. "I have no words for that."

Kate chuckled breathlessly. "If I had known this is what it was going to take to shut you up, I would have slept with you years ago."

She squealed with laughter as he blew a raspberry on her neck. Reluctantly, Kate pulled away so she could move off of his lap. Rick threw the condom in the trash can near his night stand before scooting back up to the head of the bed. With some not so graceful movements, he managed to pull the covers back, and he and Kate snuggled together.

Settling her head on his chest, she let out a long sigh of content. She lay against him for a long time, listening to the steady beat of heart.

"Castle?" she breathed.

"Yeah?"

Damn it. This was the most happy and content and safe she'd ever felt in her whole life. She wanted nothing more than to doze off against him, maybe order some Chinese food later, fall sleep, and wake up to those beautiful blue eyes. She wanted to begin their life together. How could she adequately tell him that?

She must have been quiet for a long time, because Rick said, "Kate? Me too."

Kate smiled; Rick always knew the perfect words.