"Hey, could you…hum… please… play the song?" Kate stumbled through the stage, reaching one of the speakers with one hand so she wouldn't fall. She giggled.

Kate swayed her body to the rhythm of th song, while picking up the microphone. It was far from where she thought it was.

When Kate got home that day, she decided she couldn't let the fact that Castle was going on a date affect her again. She had been through all of that before, but not this time. She called all of her friends, but none of them wanted to go out - it was wednesday! Normal people don't go out on wednesdays! But she wanted to. She needed to. She saw how he looked at her, that know-it-all bitch, and she was sure that there was a spark.

So Kate decided to take her little black dress from the back of her closet, put it on, curl her hair the way she knew it would be perfectly sexy, put on some make up and perfume. She looked one last time at the mirror and repeated to herself that she was going to forget that day.

She had been drinking a lot - she had lost count of how many beers, tequilla shots and vodka martinis she had. Usually, Kate wasn't one to drink like that. Unless something she wanted to forget had happened. She felt awful, and she didn't know how to deal with her emotions.

"You know… uh… I want to dedicate this song to… uhhhh… Wait, what was I saying again?" Kate bit her lip, trying to remember.

"Oh, that's right. I have this person…. this… partner… in the pre…place I work… uhhh… a person who works with me. Who has… ahum… helped me through a lot and…. you know…. uhh… is really, really important to me and…." she giggled "is very very ruggedly handsome. This song is for him, and his beautiful, beautiful blue eyes"

"Is he here?" someone in the audience asked.

"NO! God forbid… no, he's not here."

"Then shut up about that story lady, no one cares! You're here to sing!"

The song had already started. Kate tried to look at the monitor to read the lyrics, as if she didn't know the song by heart, and started singing.

"WhenIneedtoberescued
AndIneedaplacetoswim
Ihavearocktoclingtointhestorm
Whennoonecanhearmecalling
IhaveyouIcansingto
Andinallthis
Andinallmylife
Youaretheloversrock
TherockthatIclingto
You'retheone
TheoneIswimtoinastorm
Likealoversrock"

Kate heard a noise in the background, someone seemed to be running and kicking chairs or something like that, but she was completely focused on what she was singing, even though her tongue rolled once in a while and people couldn't really understand what she was saying. She was feeling the song and that was all that mattered.

Until she felt a hand on her waist, turning her, another hand on her cheek and lips touching hers. One second she was singing, the other, this stranger… this… this person that was kissing her furiously, this person who had such strong hands, that knew exactly where to place them, this person who smelled a lot like…. like Castle.

Kate hadn't closed her eyes but it took her a while to notice who was that guy in front of her, kissing her. She could see him with his eyes closed, his blushed cheeks and… Oh god.

Once she realized it was Castle, Kate closed her eyes and her brain shut down. Her heart, though, was very much alive. She let the microphone fall without even noticing, her arms now around Castle's neck. The feeling of his lips touching hers was turning her on, his tongue tangled with hers, him biting her lip slowly…. She let go. For the first time in years, Kate Beckett let herself go.

When they finally stopped, the song had already finished for a long time. Kate didn't know what to tell him, what to ask. Her only reaction was to smile, looking at him with her forehead touching his.

"I… Kate…" Castle didn't know what to say either.

"Shh… What… Castle, what are you doing at the Old Haunt Karaoke's night?"

"I'm…. I'm on a date, actually." Kate had forgotten about that tiny little detail.

"Who brings a date to a Karaoke night?In their own bar?" Kate laughed, looking at him.

"I do. It's cheaper."

"Hey, you two love birds… Get off stage!"

They had forgotten they were on the stage. On the stage where Kate was singing a song for him. It hit her. What if he heard what she said?Oh God… She was drunk. She was so drunk. She wished she wasn't. Castle took her hand and left the stage, taking her to one of the tables.

"Where's your date, loverboy?"

"Well I think she already left… I mean, if I saw the person I was on a date with getting up in the middle of one of my sentences and go to the stage to kiss like that the person who was singing… I'd leave" He looked around trying to find Serena, but apparently she understood the message.

"Good. I want you all to myself." Kate leaned to him, her concious self sending her alert messages about what she was doing and saying, but her rational side had already been turned off by all the drinks. She put a hand on his leg and shot a naughty smile at him.

"You are so drunk, Katherine Beckett."

"And you're going to take advantage of that, aren't you?"

"No, not really. I'm going to take you home."

"You naughty writer boy" she put her hands on his face and pushed him to a quick kiss, that soon turned into a languid, full of passion and hunger kiss.

"You didn't let me finish. I'm going to take you home and put you in bed. And you're going to sleep it off."

Castle got her out of the Old Haunt and into his car. He didn't understand what had happened to her, but he'd interrogate her tomorrow. Now, she just needed to get home safely.

"Castle…"

"Yes, Beckett?"

"Tell me you need me."

"What?" He laughed. Was she serious? Hadn't he given enough proof of that?

"I need…" knowing that she wouldn't remember anything of that night in the next day, he decided to do what she had asked.

"I need you, Kate. I need you so much that sometimes I can barely breath. You have no idea how I feel whenever I spend a day without see you, without hearing your voice. Your laugh. God Kate… Your laugh is the best, it always puts me in the best mood. I need you to be by my side, I wish I'd met you sooner. I wish you were the mother of my child. I…"

Castle looked away from the road and looked at her. She was sleeping. Great. Now she surely wouldn't remember anything.

"I love you, Katherine Beckett. Always."

Castle parked his car and took her out of it. She was still sleeping, so it would be easier to carry her home. After the short elevator ride, he let her legs go - how was he suposed to open the damn door? And where the hell was the key?

"Kate… Kate! Wake up honey…"

"What… What do you want Castle"

"I want you to open the door to your apartment so I can get you into bed."

"Of course, Castle." She was so sleepy he could only laugh. If he ever said that to her when she was sober, she would have shot him! After some failed tries she finally opened the door. Castle lift her legs again, she put her arms around his neck again. She pushed his head down so she could kiss him, Castle was surprised. She liked this drunk Kate!

He carried her to her bedroom and took her shoes off. He wondered if he should undress her? Maybe it was better to leave her that way… He covered her with blankets and laid next to her, watching her fall asleep. She smiled at him, turned her back to him and put an arm under the pillow.

"I love you, Rick."