Title: Imagine Me and You

Author: mindy35

Rating: T, sexy talk

Disclaimer: They belong to Marlowe, ABC etc, not me.

Spoilers: "After the Storm", "Cloudy With a Chance of Murder".

Pairing: Castle/Beckett, Castle/Others.

Summary: Post-ep for "Cloudy With a Chance of Murder". Castle attempts to replace the image in Beckett's head.

Castle's smile was still in place as he followed her into the bedroom. Finding it empty, he headed for the adjoining bathroom where he found Beckett at the sink, back to him, facing the small mirror. It was only as he studied her expression in the reflection, as he took in the dip of her head and the tension in her spine that his smile faded. He blinked a few times, the corners of his mouth turning down in a frown. Then, picking up on the unresolved remnants of their conversation, he said:

"I wouldn't have slept with her."

Beckett looked up, eyes finding his in the mirror. "I heard you the first time, Castle."

"Yes, well, you didn't look too convinced the first time, I thought it was worth reiterating." He stepped inside the small room, moving to the bathtub and taking a seat on the rim. "I mean…you said it wasn't the point, but it is the point, isn't it? You don't know if you can trust me with other women."

Slowly, she faced him, head shaking. "I want to trust you, Castle. I want to believe you've changed."

"I haven't."

"What?"

"Not a lot. When it comes to women, I have always been and probably always will be just another clueless male."

She turned to the sink with a humph. "A little more clueless than most, I'd say."

"And you'd not be the first." He watched her uncap a tube of toothpaste and spread some on her brush before going on. "Which means that when I get it wrong – and I will, frequently – you need to let me know. You need to clue me in a bit more as to what's going on in that remarkable head of yours. You need to stop thinking of me as your single, charming partner and start thinking of me as your taken, smitten boyfriend."

Beckett ran her toothbrush under the tap before sticking it in her mouth. "Hey, you looked so eager to go out with her, who am I to rain on your parade?"

Castle reached for her free hand, pulling her to face him again. "You're the woman I love, the woman I'm with now. And I was eager to please you. Odd as it may sound, I actually thought I was doing the right thing by going out with that…." he gulped and gave a shudder, "frightening female. I was just trying to do what you told me to."

Beckett narrowed her eyes at him, scrubbing her teeth a moment before pulling the brush out to say: "Be honest, Castle, you wanted to keep this quiet just as much as I did."

"So that I could continue spending every waking minute with you," he pointed out, tone innocent and insistent. "I don't want to give that up. I've been pursuing you for four years now trying to find some way in—"

"So you admit you were trying to sleep with me that whole time?" she asked, waving her foamy brush at him.

Castle released her hand and sat back on the bathtub. "If you'll admit you were trying to do the same."

"I will not admit that." She put her brush in her mouth, scrubbed a bit then added, "Because it's not even remotely true." She scrubbed a bit more before adding, "If it were," she paused to spit into the sink, "then we would have slept together a very long time ago."

"Okaaay," he conceded with a nod, "But you admit to playing hard to get for four long years?"

Beckett turned away, her brow creased and voice dropping. "I wasn't playing, Castle, that's what you never seemed to understand. This is exactly what I—…." She shoved her toothbrush into her mouth, circled it slowly over her molars then pulled it out again. "I knew your reputation with women before meeting you and I never wanted to be just another—"

"You're not," he interrupted, swiftly but softly, "Kate, no…" Rising to his feet, he took her shoulders in his hands and smoothed his palms down her arms. "You never could be, never would've been. Even back then. Whatever your answer in that alley, I knew it was the beginning of something amazing, that you were a wildly different creature to anything I'd known before." He paused, hands falling away as he leant back against the sink. "And part of that, part of what attracted me to you from the beginning was how straight with me you were – even when you were pretending to hate me."

She arched a brow, toothbrush sagging in her mouth. "Who said anything about pretending?"

Castle smirked his most irresistible smirk. "Kate. Come on. Who do you think you're trying to kid? We both know what a loveable rogue I am."

"Yeah," she mumbled as she spat a final time then rinsed her mouth with water, "You, me and every single woman in the city, it seems."

"But," he admitted, reaching for the bottle of mouthwash and handing it to her, "even loveable rogues screw up occasionally. Or…you know, often. And I screwed up – again – I know that."

Beckett sighed and took a swig of mouthwash. Her eyes inspected his face as she sloshed it around her mouth. Then she leant down, spat it out and rose to look at him. "So did I, Castle. I know I can be…uncommunicative…difficult to read. It's just…habit – especially with you. But I'm going to work on it, I promise."

He nodded a few times then reached for her, sliding her sideways into his embrace. "This is going to take some adjustment. For both of us. But we're in this together. And after four years of wanting this, trust me, the last thing I want to do is screw it up." He stalled, grimacing slightly before noting, "Ironically, the fact that you're mine now has me so giddy that I'm screwing up all over the place. Throwing you out of bed, shoving you in closets—"

"Letting bikini-clad reporters seduce you."

"Still got that image, huh?"

"Oh yeah. It's crystal clear."

"Damn."

"So then…" Beckett drew in a breath, eyes on her own hands as they skated up his arms, "the thrill is not gone? For you, I mean? Now that I am yours? Now that the chase is over?"

"Are you kidding me?" Castle's eyes widened, his hands clutched her tight, his mouth opened wide, though for a moment it remained utterly speechless. "I am…beyond thrilled. I am so baffled I barely know what to do with myself. I am more fascinated with you than ever. The thrill of touching you and kissing you and being with you, a thrill I hope to experience again in the not too distant future – when you're ready, of course – I…still can't quite grasp it." He shook his head then locked his eyes with hers, voice becoming more deeply resolute. "But I am in, Kate. Part of me might still be catching up but believe me, I am all in. As much as you want this to work, that's how much I want it too. Because you're right – I've got no choice. Wouldn't want one either. I made mine a long time ago and if I had to make it again, I'd choose you. Hands down. Every time. No question, no contest." He smiled and slid a hand over her jaw to cup her cheek, leaning close to impress on her the simple truth. "I don't want anyone else. I just want you."

Beckett just breathed for a moment, taking in his words, taking in the expression on his face. "God…" she whispered finally, eyes closing over, "I really wanna kiss you right now…but—"

"Still?" Castle whined, hand falling from her face.

"I can't help it…!" She shrugged helplessly and turned back to the mirror, "I just can't get the image out of my head. I close my eyes and there they are. Boobs in HD."

"Well, why don't we try replacing that image with another one?" he suggested, sidling up behind her.

She eyed him in the mirror. "What'd you have in mind?"

Castle sent her reflection a small, heated smile. "An image I haven't been able to get out of my mind."

Her head tipped back on his shoulder but her eyes didn't leave his mirror image. "And what's that?"

"First," he said, voice sinfully smooth over her shoulder, "I need you to take a deep breath…clear your mind…close your eyes. And let my words paint a picture for you."

"Okay…" Beckett drew in some air, she let her eyes drift closed then she released her breath in a slow sigh of acquiescence.

"It's morning," Castle began, hands snaking about her waist, linking together over her belly.

She hummed, unaware that she was starting to sway slightly in his arms. "Mm-hm…?"

Castle took a breath himself, chest swelling boldly against her back. His hands remained loosely linked in front of her as he spoke. His eyes remained on her face, reading her response to his words, his voice, drinking in the picture the two of them made in the mirror. A picture he'd been trying to realize for four years. The most he did to punctuate his story was plant a few feather-light kisses on her ear or neck or hair. Once he very softly grazed her freshly bathed cheek with his stubbled one. For the most part though, Castle let his words, their mutual memory and the powerful physical connection they'd only just begun exploring, work their own magic:

"The early morning sun is filtering through the curtains, creating a warm glow in your bedroom. You wake me by planting kisses, slow and soft and wet, on my bare chest. Just as my eyes are about to open, your mouth covers mine and I can't help moaning. I love waking up to you, especially when you're naked, your hair a golden muss and your lips swollen from the previous night's kisses. Work beckons but I know you've woken me with enough time that we can spend a little time doing what we do best before re-joining the world. I roll you beneath me and kiss your neck, your chest, your beautiful breasts. You let me take the lead for a few glorious minutes before I'm on my back again, gazing up at you as you rise above me and take me inside you. You feel incredible, as you always do. And I know as I gaze up at you that this is an image I'm going to be recalling when I'm ninety and thinking about those moments that make life worth living. I help the sheet fall away from you so I can see all of you. Your gentle curves, your long limbs, the way you move as we make love. You toss your hair off your face and it catches the sunlight, creating a fleeting moment of moving artwork. Still not believing their luck, my hands slide up your thighs. They hold your hips as you continue to move on me, as I start to move with you, just a little. After a while, you take my hands in yours and guide them up to your breasts. You press your palms over mine and my thumbs stroke your nipples, making your head fall back, your eyes close and your lips part. You're close already, I can tell. Which is good because the thrill of being with you is still so new that I can barely restrain myself. You fall forward when you're about to come, your forehead pressed to mine. My hands slip round to your back, trail down your spine to your ass. They urge you to keep going, keep taking me in. You do, panting and moaning. And I'm right there with you. You kiss me once, slide a hand down my jaw and whisper my name in a way that both cracks and mends my heart. Then you start to come. You're squeezing me and moving over me and tonguing my neck and making these unbelievably erotic sounds and it's all too much so I come too, I come with you. We're coming together and it's the most intimate, intense, incredible thing ever in the history of anything. And I can't help telling you I love you. I think you might even say it back. I don't know because you collapse on me. Your mouth, your breasts, your skin, your breath is pressed against me. Your hair is tickling my lips and I can feel your heart thumping in your chest and I'm still inside you, feeling your whole body pulse with pleasure I still can't believe I get to give you. Afterwards, part of me wants to fall back asleep but a different part doesn't want to miss even a second of this, now that you've finally let me in, now that we're finally here."

Silence fell, both drifting somewhere between morning and night, past and present, image and reality. Beckett eventually broke it, tone wry but affectionate as she said:

"At which point, you fall asleep."

Castle's eyes popped open, meeting hers in the mirror. "Well, yes. I did. And you woke me up."

"Repeatedly, if I recall."

"But not quite as gently as that first time."

She smiled at him in the mirror, hands covering both of his. He smiled back, eyes roaming her features.

"That was the other morning," she murmured, breaking the silence again in a hushed voice. "My first day back at work."

Castle nodded, waiting for her to turn in his arms and face him before replying, "It made an impression."

"I can tell," she mused, bobbing her head then tipping it to one side. "You've really been thinking about that?"

"Since it happened. I'm hoping you'll always take it upon yourself to wake me that way."

"Well, maybe we can take turns waking each other up that way."

Castle paused, brows half lifting in hope. "Does that mean I can stay the night?"

"Only because my alarm clock is broken," she replied, arms sliding up round his neck. "And because it doesn't give me multiple orgasms of the earth-shattering variety."

"I'd be deeply jealous if it did."

"Still not sure you're entitled to play the jealously card, Castle."

"But am I entitled to a kiss?"

"After that little bedtime story?" She smiled, nibbling her lower lip. "Definitely."

Castle shifted on his feet, looking keen but wary. "Y'sure?"

She nodded once. "Yep."

His eyes scanned her face for any signs of imminent refusal. "You're not going to back out?"

She glanced upwards, checking with herself. "Don't think so."

"Good." His hands slid up her back, pressing her close. "Then I'm coming in." He angled his head in preparation. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she replied gamely.

"You better be," he informed her, gaze flicking briefly to her lips. "Cos this is going to be long, deep and take-your-breath-away satisfying."

Beckett gave his chest a reassuring pat. "You don't need to sell me on your kissing prowess, Castle, I've sampled the merchandise."

"And?"

"I'm more than satisfied."

"Well, I respond well to positive feedback."

"So take my breath away," she murmured, rising onto her toes and licking her lips. "Take it now and make it good."

"Okay, so no pressure—" he muttered before zooming in and claiming her mouth in a kiss that more than lived up to the hype.

This time, Beckett felt no internal resistance, no sudden squeamishness and no invasion of unwelcome images. The only images that rose to mind were the ones that Castle had implanted there, images that would linger in her subconscious for a long time afterwards.

"Wow," she breathed when he finally pulled back and allowed her to take in air.

"Double wow," Castle commented as they clutched each other on the chilly tile. "We are good at that."

"And getting better by the day."

His eyes focused on her, his chest rising and falling with deep, anticipatory breaths. "I say we take this to the bed. Immediately, if not sooner."

Beckett smiled, trailing some fingers across his chest as she moved on jelly legs to the door, "You're not as clueless as you look." She waited for him to hastily splash his face with cold water and pat it dry before turning out the light. "And…Castle?" She caught his hand as he was about to slip past her.

He faced her on the threshold. "Yeah?"

"You heard right," she told him quietly. "The other morning. When I said…what I said."

It took a moment for him to respond, for his eyes to adjust to the softer light from her bedroom lamp. "I did?"

She gave a slow nod. "You did."

"That's…" he bobbed his head a few times, gaze never leaving her face, "good to know."

"Come on," she tugged on his hand, leading him to the bed, "I've got images in my head that I want you to make real."

"Believe me, after four years—" he spun her to face him, grinning as he clasped her close, "I've got a million of 'em."

That night, Castle showed her four deeply buried but persistent images that had haunted his mind for years. Beckett contributed another two from her own avid imagination. All of them became preciously protected internal snapshots of their first days together that neither of them would ever forget.

END.