Happy early birthday purplangel! This is just the first part, but I hope it's satisfactory, for now.

If I owned Mal and Rick, I would keep them chained in my bedroom and I wouldn't need fanfiction. Oh, reality, you are disappoint me so!

Have I mentioned that this is pure smut? You don't like, you don't need to read!

The celebration of Simon and Kaylee's wedding was finally winding down. A pleasant buzzing had found it's way into Kate Beckett's head, and it wasn't just the alcohol, although that had been plentiful. Inara's death had hit everyone hard, and the last few months on Serenity had been anything but serene. However, thanks to Mal's ingenuity, or rather his recklessness and no small amount of luck, they had managed to land a big score and give themselves a bit of breathing room. For once.

What better time to stage a wedding?

By general consensus, the fact that Kaylee had discovered she was in the family way one week prior was carefully concealed from Mal. There were some things that the Captain just didn't need to know. The poor man had enough to worry about these days as it was. Kate's heart ached for him. At least he had had some time with to be with Inara before the end. At least the Captain's tragedy had prompted her to finally get together with Castle, the reality of "If only" had become too great to ignore.

Thinking of Castle, she made her way back to the farmhouse, a goofy smile plastered across her features. He had stumbled his way inside about half an hour ago, arm in arm with Mal, the two of them arguing over underwear of all things. Sometime over the past year, the two men had reached an equilibrium of sorts, they accepted their differences and acknowledged their similarities, turning into an odd sort of team. Even when they drove each other crazy, they were good for each other, not unlike the relationship she and Castle enjoyed.

Well, with one, glaring exception.

Truly, she had been the one who had had no idea.

The flush that colored her cheeks was not all due to drink as she climbed the stairs to the third floor. She was amazed at how her desire for him had hardly faded in all the weeks they had been together. She wanted him just as much now as she had the very first time.

Careful not to wake anyone, she found the door to the room she and Castle shared. Kaylee had a huge family, and Kate didn't want to be impolite. Plus, she wanted to surprise Castle, to get him back for his assault upon her body earlier...

Good Lord, she was insatiable.

Then again, when it came to Castle, Kate found that she didn't really care.

She just wanted him.

She found him lying spread eagle across their bed, silken boxers shoved half way down his legs, deliciously vulnerable. Just the way she wanted him.

Kate smiled.

Without taking her eyes from his impressive figure, she disrobed, the loose fabric flowing down her body like water. She hadn't realized how much she'd hated those restrictive uniforms she'd been forced to wear as a fed until she arrived on Serenity. Her fashion choices had become much softer, mirroring her heart.

She crawled up Castle's insensate form, here eye unable to discern fine detail in the the darkness. She had no trouble finding his magnificent cock though. He twitched as she took him in her hand, feeling the smooth contours of his skin as he hardened beneath her. She had been puzzled, the first time, to see that he had been circumcised. It was an ancient practice, hardly ever preformed. Castle had explained that it was the primary reason for the lack of male companions. Few men would consent to being cut at puberty, not that Kate blamed them. Martha, as a companion herself, had had it preformed on him shortly after his birth. Castle had briefly wondered what that said about his mother's expectations of him, before she had turned his mind to...other matters.

The man beneath her inhaled sharply as she took him in her mouth. She teased him, gently, hoping to build his arousal slowly, so he awakened in terrible need. The very same state he had induced in her in that very morning.

She increased the pace of her ministrations, suddenly anxious to have him aware. She loved knowing that she could drive him just as mad as she. The man moaned, thrusting his hips slightly, caught in that magical place between sleeping and waking. So involved with her task was she, that she failed to register the echoing moan rising from the chair in the corner. If she had, she might not have been so surprised when two pairs of blue eyes focused on her, two voices carrying equal confusion as they said her name in stereo.

"Kate?!"

And for the life of her, she couldn't tell which was which.