Kate ran around the loft, packing another bag of her stuff to take with her. Rick was following her, one step behind his wife wherever she went next. He stayed silent for the most part, knowing Kate would not tell him why she insisted on staying away from him and the loft.
"Rick, just go sit down on the couch. I promise I won't disappear without saying goodbye."
He nodded and turned his back on Kate. He knew she couldn't leave the loft without him noticing it, but her words settled him somewhat. He could hear her go into the bathroom, and he hoped she would leave behind at least one bottle of her cherry shampoo. Rick had taken to smelling the bottle whenever he took a shower. The cherry smell couldn't replace Kate, but it made him feel closer to her nonetheless.
Kate came out of their bedroom, carrying two bags. "I should get going."
"I'll walk you out." Rick got up from the couch despite Kate's insistence he should stay seated.
Kate opened the door and walked out into the hallway, expecting Rick to stand in the doorway while she waited for the elevator to arrive. To her surprise, he closed the door behind himself and came to stand next to her.
"I'll help you put your bags in a cab," Rick answered a question Kate hadn't asked.
The elevator dinged and Kate boarded, Rick once again following right after her. She pushed the button to the ground floor and the doors closed. They stood in silence, Rick turned towards Kate who kept her eyes locked on the elevator doors. Suddenly, the lights flickered and the elevator stalled, the brusque lack of movement nearly knocking Kate and Rick to the floor.
"Are you okay?" Rick asked, Kate being his first priority.
Kate nodded, checking to make sure Rick was okay as well. Once she was satisfied he wasn't hurt, she moved towards the control panel. She pushed the help button, and a metallic voice filled the elevator cabin.
"Is everyone okay up there?"
"Yes. Our elevator has stalled, and I think we're right between floors," Kate said.
"We have encountered a minor electrical problem. We should have the elevator working again soon though," the metallic voice said. "The security camera has also stopped working. Can you tell me how many people are in there with you?"
"It's just me and my husband. We live on the top floor."
"Ah, Mrs. Castle! It's me, Tony," the voice said, allowing Kate and Rick to identify it as belonging to their doorman. "Don't worry, Mr. and Mrs. Castle, we'll have you out there soon. Just sit tight."
Kate released the help button after the metallic voice had disappeared.
"Sit tight… What does he think we were planning to do, climb out and force open the doors?" Rick said. "Oh, that's an idea!"
"No."
Rick smiled at Kate, confirming her suspicion that he was just joking. She put her bags down on the floor. She looked to her right and saw that Rick had taken a seat on the elevator floor, his legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed. He patted the spot on the floor next to him. Kate knew it would be best to just stay standing, but she couldn't stop herself from sitting down next to him, their shoulders touching. She had no idea what to do with her hands, so she wedged them between her thighs.
"So, how is it over at Lanie's? Watching movies every night, braiding each other's hair, talking about boys?"
"We're not teenagers having a sleepover, Castle." She sounded stern, but her broad smile gave her away. "Besides, I think I may be moving out of Lanie's place soon."
"Are you coming home?"
The hope in Rick's voice broke Kate's heart. "No. Babe, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I meant I am looking into maybe getting an apartment with a short-term lease."
"At least you sound unhappy about it," Rick muttered. Kate tried to comfort him, but he interrupted her. "I know, I know. You are dealing with something, you need space, you need to be away from me. You keep telling me it's only temporary, but this is starting to sound a lot like a permanent thing." He frowned. "Just explain to me why you are doing this, Kate. Please."
Kate straddled his lap, needing to be close to him. She reached out and cradled his face in her hands. "If I could tell you, Rick, I would. I want to tell you, but I can't." She let go of him, her arms falling down by her side. "I want to come home, but I can't."
Rick's face was an open book, every emotion laid bare underneath Kate's eyes. "Just tell me," he begged. "Do you still love me?"
"God, yes," she breathed as she leaned forward to kiss him.
Their anniversary was only a few days ago, but still it had been too long, and Kate found herself not wanting to end this. From the way Rick was pulling her closer, she assumed he didn't either. His hands snuck underneath her shirt. His fingers on her skin sent a shiver down her spine. Kate felt like a fire had been lit inside her.
"I need you, Kate," Rick whispered against her lips. One of his hands had abandoned her back to settle over her breast, the other was stuck halfway between her shirt and the edge of her jeans. "Please, Kate."
It seemed like Kate's fingers had a mind of their own. Before she realised what she was doing, she had unbuttoned his shirt. Not satisfied with just her hands on his skin, Kate took off her own shirt. She pushed herself up against Rick and started grinding down on his lap. She felt his hands cup her ass, and a second later she could feel his hardness pressing against her.
Kate's hands were unbuckling Rick's belt while he was busy leaving his marks all over her collarbones. She undid the single button and lowered his zipper. To the sound of Rick's moans against her neck, Kate slid her hand inside his boxers. Her fingers settled around his hard cock. She gave it a few firm tugs. She could feel his cock harden even more in her hand.
"I need to be inside you, Kate."
She moved his hands away from her ass and scooted a little bit backwards until she had enough room to unzip her jeans. She kicked off her heels and manoeuvred the jeans down her legs until she could kick them off too. Like a magnet, her body was pulled back towards Rick's. She kissed him, one hand on his chest and teasing his nipple while the other hand moved his boxers out of the way. Kate broke off the kiss to let out a loud moan as Rick pulled aside the crotch of her panties and started sliding a finger inside her. He moved it in and out of her a few times. She was so wet, Rick had no trouble pushing in a second finger. His thumb was moving in circles against her clit. Kate began grinding down, fucking herself on Rick's fingers.
When he could feel she was getting close, Rick removed his fingers and grabbed Kate's hips tightly. Before she could complain about the emptiness he had left inside her, he pulled her hips down at the same time as he thrusted up. His hard cock entered her in one smooth move. Kate's left hand took hold of the railing above their heads, her right hand clutching at Rick's shoulder as she rode him. They could see a myriad of emotions reflected in each other's eyes, but love shone through above all. Kate leaned forward to kiss him, biting his lip when he thrust inside her harder than before. The new angle made it feel as if he was moving even deeper inside her. She knew she was so close to her release. She let go of the railing and moved her hand down to start rubbing her clit, but Rick took her hand and put it on his shoulder. With one hand still clutching her hip, the thumb of his other hand began drawing circles around her clit. Kate's moans spurred him on, making him thrust even harder. When he felt her muscles squeezing his cock, he pressed his thumb down on her clit. A soft flutter inside her was the only warning he got. Kate let out a long moan as she came, her fingernails biting into the skin of his shoulders. Her muscles clamped down on him hard. The added pressure was all he needed. A few thrusts more and, with a low groan against Kate's neck, he came deep inside her.
Rick leaned his head back against the wall of the elevator, gasping for air. Kate lay panting against his chest. They stayed like that until they both got their breathing back under control. Rick slipped out of Kate, rearranging her panties until she was fully covered again. He tucked himself away inside his boxers and zipped up his jeans. Kate's head was still leaning against his shoulder, pressing the occasional kiss against the spot on his neck where his heartbeat was still trying to break through his skin. She wasn't in a hurry to move.
"Uh, Mr. and Mrs. Castle? Are you still okay?"
They were both startled when they heard the metallic voice again. They seemed to realise at the same time where they were. Kate moved away to put her jeans and shoes back on while Rick got up to answer the call.
"We're okay. How much longer will we be stuck in here?"
"The technician is just about finished, sir. Shouldn't be more than a few minutes."
Rick finished the call and turned around to see Kate standing there fully dressed again. She pointed at him.
"You should button up your shirt before these doors open."
He did, making sure his belt buckle was done as well. "It had been too long since we last did that," he said as he finished.
"Our anniversary was only a few days ago. We had our little 'time in' then." Kate couldn't help but smile at the memory of that night.
"Aeons, Kate. Aeons," Rick joked. He took her hand and pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you," he murmured.
"I promise you, Rick," she said, "I'll do everything I can to be home as soon as possible."
He didn't say anything but she could feel him nodding his head. Suddenly the elevator shook and started moving again. They had just enough time to do one final check to make sure everything was buttoned properly before the doors opened and they were in the lobby. After assuring the doorman and the elevator technician that they were fine, Rick and Kate carried her bags outside. He hailed her a cab and helped her put the bags in the car. He waited for Kate to kiss him goodbye, but she got into the cab and closed the door behind her. Rick stared down at her.
"I love you," she mouthed at him.
"I love you too," he whispered.
He saw her say something to the driver. She relaxed in the backseat and put her hand up against the window. Rick mirrored her action. A few seconds later, the cab drove off. He waited outside on the curb until the cab had disappeared from view. As he went back up to the loft, he made a list of people who owed him a favour. He would help Kate come back home to him.