So I got this idea based on a prompt found on Tumblr where Anonymous stated, "(4x10) Castle wakes up to Beckett cuddled up to him). The premise of this story goes as follows. Everything in the episode happens as canon, with the exception of Kate waking up first, obviously. They are still handcuffed and what follows in the show is actually what happens. This is just a rewrite of the opening before they realized they are locked in a basement.

This is a lot shorter than I thought it would be. Written as a stand alone story, however I could end up writing a second part to it. Guess we will just have to wait and see.

This is my first ever Castle Fanfic, but not my first time writing. Although it has been a really long time, so please be nice. ;) Constructive criticism is always welcome.

He has been in this position before, caught somewhere between dreaming and waking. A place he secretly wishes he could visit more frequently; a place where it was normal for him to feel her soft hand splayed across his chest, for him to wake with the faint scent of cherries in the air.

He sighed contently before turning his head towards her, eyes still closed in the hopes of savoring the moment for as long as possible, rubbing his cheek in the soft fabric of her sweater clad arm that rested beneath his head. "Best pillow ever," he thought to himself before sliding his arm up from between their bodies to lightly grasp the hand that was still on his chest.

Her hand was soft like silk, something he always noticed when their hands grazed each others, yet he was always surprised by. Given her chosen profession it would be customary for one to believe her hand to be rough and calloused. It was just one more thing that added to the enigma known as Katherine Beckett.

Castle felt the soft puff of air that had escaped Kate's lips upon his cheek, as she released a contented sigh of her own. His fingertips began to draw light circles around the knuckles of her hand, leaving goose bumps on her skin.

The more Castle lay there the more he started to wonder if this really was a dream. In every dream he had similar to this, Kate always woke up and either said or did something to shoot down his advances. The fact that she hadn't even budged after a few solid minutes of his ministrations made him wonder.

Feeling more curious than bold, he slowly turned his body toward her and that's when he felt it. A weight attached to the other hand he had completely forgotten about. He turned onto his back once more with a furrowed brow and lifted his left hand, and that's when he noticed it.

Handcuffs.

In all the fantasies he's ever had involving this woman and her handcuffs, this certainly wasn't one of them. He dropped his hand back to its original resting place, on top of hers, and regardless of the situation, Castle couldn't help but think about how natural it felt to be so close to this woman.

He took a deep breath before sighing heavily and softly calling her name.

"Kate.."

He watched for any type of reaction only to come up short. Her lips were turned up into a soft, supple smile, crinkling the corners of her eyes just so. But god help him if he didn't think she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Castle reached up with his right hand, brushing the backs of his fingers along her cheek before trying to wake her yet again.

"Kate. Wake up."

He brushed his fingers along her cheek applying a little bit more strength than before, this time going from the corner of her lips to the bottom of her ear lobe. He knew they were in for a long day, and he knew that regardless of what was going to happen, this would most likely be the closest he'll ever come to showing her how great they could be together. And damn it, he was going to make her remember.

Just as his index finger went to brush the little hairs along her hairline behind her ear, he noticed her eyes fluttering open. His hand froze on her face, fingers tangled in her hair and his knuckles rested along her jaw line, the green in her eyes shining brightly as she looked at him. His lips parted as he exhaled a slow breath, waiting for the ass chewing of his life that he knew was about to come.

He slowly withdrew his hand from her hair, leaving her face with a light tap to her chin causing her eyes to twinkle just a tad bit more. He closed his eyes tightly, trying desperately to ignore the disappointment he had seen buried in Kate's eyes when his hand left her face. There would be time for that later. Right now, they needed to figure out how they were going to get out of this mess…