Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended, Castle clearly isn't mine. If it were, they'd have kissed already...
A/N: Edited for the addition of a requested (by the original prompter, sorcerous_cat over on LJ), R-rated morning after epilogue of sorts...
Kate startled awake, cocooned comfortably in Martha's old bed, staring at the ceiling with terrified eyes as she realized exactly what had woken her up.
Thunder.
As a child, she'd been terrified of it. The summer that she turned seven her father had taken the family on a camping trip. The third night they'd been there, alone in her own tent, something that she'd been so proud of at the time, a series of severe thunderstorms had rolled through the county. Little Kate Beckett had been so scared that she curled herself up into a ball at the end of her sleeping bag, shivering and quaking in fear until she somehow managed to cry herself to sleep. Over the following years however, she'd learned to curb her fear, to cover it up when there were others around, but every once and a while- when she woke up alone, in the midst of a summer storm- she felt as if she were that scared little girl all over again, too terrified to brave the rain and run to the safety of her parent's tent.
So, that's how she found herself tiptoeing down the hall in Castle's apartment in the middle of the night, wearing nothing more than an oversized t-shirt, with her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She came to a stop just outside of his door, her hand resting tentatively on the doorknob. It was too late to turn back now, right?
Taking a deep breath, she pushed it open a crack and poked her head in, "Castle?"
There he was, laying in the middle of his bed, snoring like a freight train.
Rolling her eyes, she padding carefully into the room. She'd never been there before, taking a few seconds to glance around his inner sanctum- simple yet masculine, a little more understated than she'd expected given his obnoxious personality- before making her way over to the edge of his mattress, feeling it dip beneath her weight.
"Castle?" she tried again, shaking his should gently.
He snorted, rolling away from her touch before settling back into slumber.
"Great," she whispered to herself, her stomach rolling as a flash of lightening filled the room, "Castle!"
"Huh," he slurred sleepily, "What's wrong? Is it Alexis? Is she okay?"
Thunder crashed loudly outside and she nearly jumped out of her skin, her hand clinging so tightly to his forearm that he yelped out in pain.
"Hey!" he blinked up at her in confusion, "Kate? What the hell?"
Her entire body tensed, eyes squeezed tightly shut as she felt the panic settle in, another round of lightening and thunder cracking and booming overheard.
"Oh, God," he whispered, one of his large palms warming the skin on her bicep, "Kate, what's wrong?"
She leaned into him, feeling the prick of tears beginning to form as the storm got closer.
"Kate?"
The concern in his voice surprised her, making her eyes pop open and meet his gaze. She couldn't move, her breath coming in short pants as she finally let him see the exact amount of terror that she was feeling. No one had seen this side of her for nearly two decades, the last person being her mother during a particularly bad hurricane when she was twelve, and that was almost more horrifying than the monsoon outside.
"Are you- I mean, the storm... Are you scared?"
She was so humiliated.
"I swear to God, Castle. If you say a word, I will break your-"
A large finger suddenly covered her mouth, and she froze, trembling against his touch.
"It's alright to be scared, Kate," he said softly, tugging her down beside him before she could protest, "I won't tell anyone. I promise."
Beckett gaped at him, speechless as he wrapped the blankets back over them, his arm settling comfortably around her waist. It felt heavenly, Rick's warmth seeping into her rigid body, his broad chest pressed tightly against her back. Under normal circumstances, she would've had him screaming out in pain for being so presumptuous (or at least she's pretty sure she would have). But as another crack of thunder rumbled through the skies and his arm tightened around her, making her feel just a little bit safer, she was thankful that he was there for her. Grateful that he'd managed to save her so many times without even trying.
So they laid there, an hour passing as they listened to the weather subside, leaving only a soothing drizzle of rain spattering against the windows. He'd squeezed her hand every single time she jumped or cringed at the noise, his forehead resting intimately in the crook of her neck, buried in a tangled mass of her hair as he talked about everything and nothing at all to keep her distracted.
"Castle?" she whispered, just as the sun started to rise.
"Huh?" he mumbled back, almost asleep.
"Thanks."
Rick snuggled closer, one of his calves slipping between hers until the feet tangled together, his lips dropping a sleepy kiss onto her shoulder, "Y'welcome, KB."
Kate gasped, grinning stupidly as she closed her eyes and her heart fluttered at the contact. Maybe staying with Castle hadn't been such a bad idea, and hell, if she worked it out right and put off finding another apartment long enough, she just might get over her fear once and for all. Especially if the cure was spending the night in his arms.
She smiled, drifting off into a dreamless sleep. She could get used to that.
End.
(Optional R-rated CRACK!Epilogue, NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY! Literally written in an LJ comment box, so it's quick and dirty and out of character. But the prompter wanted sexytimes added, so here ya go...)
Kate woke up the next morning, stretching languidly like a cat warming itself in the sun, only to find that her nightshirt had twisted around her body and Castle's hand was loosely cupping her breast. Her skin flushed with desire and a moan rose in the back of her throat, slender hips canting backward of their own volition.
Castle gasped behind her, his fingers tightening around the flesh in his hands instinctively as he was startled into consciousness, "Mmm, God, tell me I'm not dreaming," he paused, "I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"Not dreaming, Castle," she arched her neck, groaning as she guided his hand from her chest down into the wetness between her legs, "But if you don't shut up and fuck me, that's all it'll be."
Pressing his erection into her ass, he slid two fingers inside of her, his palm brushing against her clit, and her world went fuzzy. She melted into him, bucking restlessly with each thrust. How was he so damn good at this? He'd barely touched her, for crying out loud!
Just as she felt a pleasant heat begin coiling deep within her, Rick's cock having escaped the confines of his boxers somehow and now pressed tightly against the lacy barrier of her panties between her legs in all the right places, there was a knock on the door.
They both groaned, her hips still bucking against him, desperate for release.
"Richard, dear!" Martha called sweetly from the other side of the door, "have you seen Detective Beckett? My teal gloves are missing from the top of my dresser and I need them for an outing today."
"Don't you dare stop, Castle," Kate hissed.
He didn't, but he leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "Can I just say how hot this is? Cus, seriously-"
"Richard? Are you in there?"
"Yes, mother! Try behind the dresser, they probably fell back there while she was putting her clothes away!"
Kate's breathing became erratic and she bit her bottom lip, white hot pleasure shooting through her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Fingernails digging into his arm as she shuddered to completion in his arms.
When she finally caught her breath and she was sure that Martha was gone, she turned around shyly in his arms and kissed him for the first time. A gentle fluttering of lips and tongue, heated yet contained at the same time. If she could've described it, she'd have said it was perfect.
"I feel like a shower," she glances up at him from under her lashes, grinning just coyly enough for his eyes to widen as he caught on, "You wanna join me?"
Nodding eagerly he kissed her with a renewed passion and began nudging her out of bed, "I think I'm really beginning to like thunderstorms..."
End...again