So this is my first fanfiction, it's my version of the morning after. It's Post-Always because there just aren't enough out there no matter how many there are and I wrote it for my friend Carolin ( 11tournesol), who's 21st birthday is today, so this is my gift to her.

She woke up the next morning to realize that there was an arm draped across her waist. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to remember everything from the previous night. That's when memories of the previous day flooded her brain like a movie on fast forward. Her mother's case, Cole Maddox, Esposito's suspension because she decided to take on Maddox without backup, her resignation, her argument with Castle, everything he told her, oh God he told her he loved her, again, twice. And then she, she showed up at his doorstep, telling him that… she wanted him? And that was all it took for her to be powerless to stop that lovesick teenager grin off her face.

After quiet enough time of letting her mind recalling the previous night, remembering every second of it, she finally let the questions she wanted answers to, take over. What did this mean for her? For them? Would this change everything? Or would it change absolutely nothing? Would he try to avoid talking about what had happened? Were they together? All her questions were forgotten when she felt him move. She felt him move. Felt. After four years of hidden meanings, denying, lying, longing, fighting, she was close enough to have felt him move. She closed her eyes pretending to sleep. To see what he would do. All those thoughts kept her from thinking about how she would go about the situation when he woke up. She wasn't prepared and she wanted to be. She didn't want to say something and ruin everything. God, I'm being ridiculous she thought, but better safe than sorry.

He woke up to find her bare back, staring at him, daring him to realize last night was definitely not a dream. He realized his arm was draped loosely across her waist. And that's when he noticed the bruises on her back, bruises on her arm. She hadn't told him what happened with Maddox, or what happened that led her to his doorstep. Looking at those marks, those bruises, they made him think of the worst of all the situations in the world. She was obviously in a fight though, he knew that much. And it pained him to know that he wasn't there. He had always been there. Always. And when it mattered most, he just wasn't. The thought of that made him sick. He couldn't wait any longer than it had already taken. Anything could happen at any time. And he knew he would regret it if anything did happen.

He carefully lifted his arm from across her waist, being careful not to wake her up. He looked around for his clothes, which he couldn't find. He ended up recalling everything from last night just as she did, only for different reasons. Whatever the reason, he was the happiest he had ever been. He grabbed his boxers near his bedroom door and silently opened his drawer to take out some pants and a t shirt. He made quick work of wearing his clothes and left his room. If she was anything like he knew her to be, she would have barely had anything to eat considering the case she was working on. He doubted the fact that she had gotten any rest at all, giving him yet another reason to leave her sleeping. And with that he dashed towards the kitchen. He began making some bacon, eggs, and pancakes. He didn't know what she would prefer to eat when she woke up, so he prepared all that just in case. But he couldn't help but fail to control the smile forming on his lips when he thought about what Esposito had to say about pancakes.

"What are you doing?"

His thoughts were interrupted by her voice. His head shot up from the stove to where her voice came from. She was now wearing his shirt. Just his shirt. Her hair now in a messy bun, a few curls hanging loose. He tried to take in the Beckett in front of him. It was so hard to believe, to accept as reality. He had waited for this moment for four years. Is this even happening? Is this even possible? He realized he had been thinking too long. She was still waiting for an answer.

"I uhh... I was making…breakfast?" he managed to finally say, hoping he didn't sound as ridiculous as he thought.

She was still looking at him with the perfect poker face, but the sort of panic in his eyes made it hard to control her smile.

"Are you going to get that?" she asked, pointing to the stove "Or would you prefer us having burnt food for breakfast?"

He stared at her for just a second longer. "Right, yeah. Breakfast. No, of course not" he said as he took hold of the pan's handle to take it off the stove.

"I won't bite you know. Stop staring at me like I'll twist your head off any minute now" she said as she walked over to him to help make breakfast.

"No, no I know," he said, not knowing how to even form words "I... sorry-" he was cut off as she rose to match his height, pulling him into a gentle kiss. A kiss that told him he had no legit reason to be so careful about what he did because she loved him no matter what

"Stop being so... careful. I'm right here. This is real. I don't regret a thing and I'm not going anywhere. I swear." she assured him as she pull away at last.

"I know but, there are just… so many questions, we have so much to talk about and I'm scared, Kate. What if we all do all of that at once and ruin it? Because judging by the marks I saw all over your body this morning, I can't come up with anything that was alright. And… what if this all goes wrong?" he said simultaneously, uncertainty in his voice, worry in his eyes.

"Hey, look at me," she said, looking directly at him "we'll be fine. It's been long enough, we'll get through this, and I'll make sure of that. And believe me, Castle, if it weren't alright, I would never have been here right now" she paused a second before talking again, letting him take in everything she said. "Now finish making breakfast while I take a shower." she said.

Before she had a chance to take off for his room, he pulled her into his gentle embrace, taking his time. "I love you, Kate. I love you so much."

She still hadn't said the words back to him yet, despite the fact that he had, thrice. "I love you too. More than anything." she said. It came naturally; the words flew out her mouth before she had a chance to take them back. But she felt as though she had been saying them for the longest time now. It felt so, comfortable, so right.

She pulled away to give him a quick kiss. "Now, I know what you probably want to do," she said knowingly "but we've got plenty of time for that, later" she said knowingly. And with that, she left for his room.

He smiled to himself after she left about what she said. They had 'plenty of time.' Everything was just perfect, it even sounded perfect. He couldn't help but think about how he felt every time either of them said something like 'we' or 'us' in a sentence, because he still couldn't believe there was a 'we' or a 'them.' Though he knew better now, he knew he had time, they had time, plenty of it, she said so herself. They had time, not just for what he wanted to do, but for them. For everything. This is exactly what he wanted, for her to, for once, be on the same page as him, to understand, to know. This is where he wanted to be, with her. Just her. Because there was nothing he wouldn't do for her in less than a heartbeat, because she changed him, in too many ways, because she was perfect, because he would give everything just for her, just to be with her, to keep her happy. He would always try to keep her happy, spend the rest of his life trying to without a single complain, because he wants to keep her happy, and he would. He always would.

Thanks for reading! And please review! I really want to know what you guys think since it's my first fanfiction. :D

-castlecastle