She wakes up before him.

The sun is peering through the blinds, casting light on his beautiful face, on his uncovered chest, where her hand lays - right over his heart. If she is confused at first, she soon can't help but smile as she remembers the past night. His soft, loving words whispered in her ears as he held her tightly against his chest, his gentle lips on her face as he kissed her. As everything -every touch, every word- comes back to her, she can't help but hide her face in her pillow.

The movement must rouse him out of sleep, because she can feel him move beside her and as she lifts her head, she's met with his sleepy smile.

''Hey.'' She smiles softly, feeling sheepish all of a sudden.

''Hey back.'' He smiles, that smile that make her heart melt, because it's full of joy and relief and, well, love. And she doesn't feel sheepish anymore, quite the opposit in fact. Because it's Castle. It's Rick.

So she does what they always do, what they've always done: she teases him.

''Why Castle, no 'Good morning sunshine' ? I have to say I am a little disappointed. I expected more of you.''

''Well, I thought it'd be too cliché. Plus with your running mascara and bedhair - " But he doesn't have time to finish his phrase because she's grabbing his ear in a tight grip and he's yelling ''Apples! Apples!''.

She doesn't release his ear but does loosen her fingers, now just craddling it gently as they both laugh. She then scoots over so that she shares his pillow, their faces a breath away from each other, their noses barely touching.

''I thought that you knew better than insult a woman first thing in the morning, especially if she's naked in your bed, Rick.'' She says, ''What's next? You're gonna call me out on my morning breath?''

She can see his eyes light up as she calls him Rick, happiness filling her chest as his eyes fill with mischief.

''Oh I wouldn't dare, Kate.'' He responds, '' Although I guess I'd have to check myself.''

''Oh really?'' She smirks, '' And how, Mr. Castle, would you check ?''

Unconsciously - or maybe consciously- they have moved so that their lips are brushing as they speak.

''Oh, I have a few ideas.'' Castle says, before closing that poor of excuse of a gap between them and kissing her - finally.

Maybe there is indeed morning breath involved in this kiss. Because let's face it, they are humans. But the question is, if there is, do they really care? The answer is simple: no they really, really don't. All they care about is the pressure of soft lips against even softer lips. The feel of a hand woven in long and wavy hair, of the skin against the skin. The beating of one heart against the other. That is all they care about right now.

Somehow they end up with Castle half on top of her, sharing butterfly kisses, staring amorously at each other. He is stroking her hair soothingly while she skates her hand along his jaw, enthralled by his morning scruff.

''Good morning sunshine.'' He whispers softly and a sound, that is between a sigh and a laugh, escapes her lips before she buries her face in his neck. As she kisses him softly there, she can feel the shudder go through his taut body. Slowly she moves so they are both on their sides again, his hand still in her hair, hers still on his jaw. They resume their staring contest before Castle breaks their comfortable silence.

''So, we...'' He trails off and she can't help but laugh because for once, writer Richard Castle, master of the innuendos, is at a loss for words.

''We sure did.'' She replies with a smirk.

''And look,'' He continues, taking her wrist in his hand, ''No handcuffs!''

She laughs loudly at that because here is the Castle she knows - and loves, although she hasn't come to tell him yet, only showed him, thoroughly, last night. Her breath catches in her throat as she sees the mesmerized look on his face. She mesmerizes him. Just like he mesmerizes her.

''And hopefully no tiger either.'' She adds, biting her lip -just how she knows he loves.

''Why, and you're the one talking about insulting first thing in the morning!'' He says, pretending to be offended, and if at first she doesn't get what he means, she soon catches up, bursting into laugh.

''Oh my good Castle, that was so bad!'' She is laughing so hard tears are pooling in her eyes and her sore ribs are tensing.

''But you liked it.'' He replies, wagging his eyebrows, which has her cracking up even more as she buries her head in his neck once more - he smells so good there, she wants to stay here forever, feel his strong and steady pulse against her forhead.

''You know what I would very much like, right now?'' She asks, nipping at his warm and tender skin.

''Does it involve you, me, and this bed?'' He asks back, his voice filled with wickedness and hope, his lips already latching on her neck- and god does that feel heavenly.

''Oh it definitely involves you, and me, and this bed...and coffee.'' She hears him grunt something that vaguely sounds like 'spoilsport' and she laughingly tries to push him off of her, not because he's crushing her -hell she wouldn't mind if he were crushing her- but because she does want her coffee.

When he doesn't bulge, she leans to whisper in his ear.

''Rick, I need...my coffee.''

He sighs, but is still smiling as he pecks her lips, calls her 'stubborn woman' and just as he's about to move, his door opens with a 'clang', followed by an inquiring ''Dad?'' and they don't have time to react before Alexis enters.

As she comes to a stop a few feet from the bed - where Rick and Kate lay, eyes wide, like two kids caught with their hands down the candy jar- she realises what she walked into, who she walked into. The redhead promptly covers her eyes with her hand, blushing madly, a loud gasp leaving her lips.

''Oh my god! Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I, Dad, I thought you'd be alone! Oh my god! I thought you'd be up since it's already 11 and...oh gosh! I'll be, I'll be in my room. Sorry!'' With a flash of red she flies out the door, leaving a baffled Castle and a petrified Kate in her wake.

So petrified that she, in fact is burying under the sheets.

''Please, tell me that never happened.'' She says, and he's tempted to answer that it definitely happened, twice, three if you count that one time, but hearing the note of despair in her voice, he shuts up. '' Please tell me your teenage daughter didn't walk in on us, while we were in your bed .''

''Naked.'' He adds with a smirk -he can't help it he's always loved seeing his partner squirm. ''Don't forget the naked part. And the 'me being on you' part.''

''It is NOT funny.'' She whimpers - yes Katherine Beckett whimpers, which delights Castle and he has to see her face, just has to. But she'd rather never leave her hiding place, never leave this room altogether, because leaving this room means facing Alexis and she just can't. No way.

But then Rick is prying the sheet away from her face, and she is still blushing and pouting -pouting?- and his eyes are so tender she wants to kiss him. And she can kiss him, she can.

So when he asks, with the cutest smile, ''Would coffee make it better?'', she does.

She kisses him.

Maybe she'll have to leave this room at some point, but for now, she's here, and he's here.

And he's going to bring her coffee.

In bed.