Beckett woke to the sound of the oven beeping. She turned her head, and frowned when she saw the empty space next to her. She was contemplating when exactly she had gotten used to waking up in Castle's arms when the man in question stepped into the doorway.

"Glad you're awake. You need a good breakfast for your first day back. I made apple pancakes in the oven!"

Beckett groaned. It was too early for him to be this happy. Yes, she was excited about going back to work- the past few days had been too quiet for her taste- but she really needed her coffee first. As if reading her mind, Castle smiled and said "There's coffee waiting for you too."

A few minutes later, Beckett walked into the kitchen, stretching her limbs. The bruises from her fight with Maddox on the rooftop had mostly faded, but she was still quite sore. Of course, all the late-night exercise she had been doing with Castle hadn't really helped either. Though it really was worth it…. Suddenly she heard a click and a flash lit up the room. She blinked and saw Castle holding a giant, professional-looking camera.

"Need evidence of your first day back!" he said excitedly.

Beckett grinned. He had been as bored as she had the past few days, and she knew that he couldn't wait to get back to work either.

"So when're you coming in today?" she asked between mouthfuls of the delicious pancakes.

"Well I promised Mother and Alexis I would drop them at the mall, but I'll come around afterwards. Maybe in a couple hours?"

Castle saw Beckett open her mouth to speak and quickly cut in. "And yes, I know the rules." She stared at him, unimpressed, and he sighed. "Ok, ok. Rule 1: No hanging around you any more than normal. Rule 2: No touching in the precinct. Ever. Rule 3: No talking to the guys about us, even jokingly. Rule 4…"

"Castle, there is no Rule 4."

"Yes there is- Rule 4 is that I have to bring you coffee every morning, no matter what."

A smile finally lit Beckett's face. They both knew the rules, but she had to wonder just how long they would be able to keep their relationship a secret in a building full of detectives. Not to mention Lanie. Lanie was probably more dangerous than Ryan and Esposito put together. So far, they'd managed to hide their relationship from Martha and Alexis- Kate had a "gas leak" in her apartment and was staying at the loft- but the precinct was going to be a whole new can of worms. But they would make it, they had to… This was going to be a long first day.