Disclaimer: If Castle were mine, we'd have at least gotten a kiss by now... just sayin'. (see profile for a REAL disclaimer)

A/N: This was written for LJ's Mini NaNo WriMo day number sixteen! It was also my first reaction after seeing this scene when the ep aired.

Kate awoke with a start, confused and disoriented.

The last thing she remembered was being tied to a chair in a tiny room with a spotlight and a nameless agent interrogating her. It all happened so fast- the questions, the veiled threats- and the next thing she knew everything went black...

Now, here she was, the only light coming from the dashboard of her car, and her head was cushioned on something soft and warm. It was like nothing had happened. She startled when her pillow grunted softly, shifting under her, and when she looked up she was surprised to suddenly find herself face to face with an equally confused Castle.

He was so close. She could feel his breath blowing gently past her chin and smell the faint scent of his aftershave. Her mind tripped up and her body took over, like it always did when it came to him, her gaze dropping down to his mouth before she could stop herself. They both hesitated. She had every intention of pulling away, of reacting like she had in so many similar moments that they'd shared, but this time she was too slow. Before she could blink, Castle bridged the gap between them, pressing their mouths together in a tender kiss.

Despite herself, she shivered, her heart skipping a beat. Those soft lips of his moved slowly against hers, coaxing her into reacting, into kissing him back. It was the opposite of everything she'd ever imagined- somewhat chaste, full of emotion, only the faint flicker of his tongue against her lips, nothing more or less. It was perfect. But, just as quickly as it started, he pulled away, fingertips tenderly brushing her hair behind her ear.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

Kate blinked, the world coming back into focus, her lips still tingling. She'd only seen that look of concern and terror on his face once before, back when her apartment had been coated in flames and he'd burst in to save her, and the indication of what that might mean settled heavily upon her. She wasn't quite sure she was ready for it yet.

"Castle, did that really happen?"

The corner of his mouth flickered faintly, wincing as he turned his head, baring his neck just enough for her to see a nasty looking bruise, "Do I have a-"

"Oh, no."

Kate scrambled to get a better look of her own neck in the rear view mirror. She was never going to live this one down.

"'Cause you've got a..." he gestured.

"Castle," she grumbled, "shut up."

"You know what they're gonna say, right? Maybe we should come up with a cover story," he grinned giddily, "You know, just in case?"

Kate rolled her eyes, and slid the key into the ignition, "What part of, 'Shut up,' did you not understand?"

"Oh, come on, detective. What's a few hickeys between friends?"

She groaned. It was going to be a long ride back to the station.

End.