Disclaimer: Castle and all of its characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, Terri Edda Miller, and ABC Studio Productions. "Good Morning, Beautiful" belongs to Steve Holy.

Good morning, beautiful, how was your night?

Mine was wonderful with you by my side.

When I open my eyes, and see your sweet face,

It's a 'good morning, beautiful' day.

Warmth. That was the first thing he noticed. He couldn't understand where the enveloping heat had come from, but he was sure that it wasn't normal. Rick shifted under the dark, downfeather comforter, and froze when he felt small arms tightening around his waist. His eyes shot open and he found a halo of dark, chestnut hair fanned out on his chest.

Suddenly, it all came rushing back to him. Kate showing up at his loft, drenched with rain water, and proclaiming her love for him. Okay, so maybe she didn't necessarily say that she loved him, but it sure as hell seemed like that's what she was saying.

Then there had been the events that had followed. They had crashed through his apartment, their hands tearing at clothing, teeth and lips attacking any bare flesh that they could find before collapsing onto the bed. As soon as they hit the mattress, everything seemed to slow down, their eyes locking in the low light of his bedroom before dissolving into a chorus of 'ah', 'oh', and 'more'. The wordsmith that had been Richard Castle had been reduced to whimpers and groans muffled by the crackle of lightning and the clap of thunder outside the windows.

Their hips had moved in a delicate dance that mimicked the pounding of their hearts as they moved together. Rick's fingers hand laced with Kate's and held her hands over her head as he kissed her deeply.

He reached down and ran his fingers through her silken hair gently. She really was the most beautiful woman in the world. Her nose wrinkled seconds before her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him sleepily. A lazy smile crossed her face as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest.

"Hey." She whispered, kissing the skin over his heart gently. He grinned down at her and kissed the end of her nose.

"Hey yourself. How'd you sleep?" His voice was gravelly and gruff with sleep.

"Really well, actually. Better then I have since before my mom..." She drifted off, her eyes moving down to look at his chest. He hooked his finger under her chin and brought her face back to his and looked at her intently before laying a kiss on her lips. He felt the rumble of her groan of protest against his lips and he pulled back to look down at her curiously.

"What's wrong?"

"Mmm, hungry." She smirked at him, a mischievious glint in her eye.

"Oh? What would you like for breakfast, dear Kate?" He winked, shuddering when she ran his fingers over his chest.

"Pancakes. Chocolate chip." She pulled him down for another kiss before pushing him out of the bed and throwing his blue, silk boxers at him playfully. "And don't be stingy with the chocolate chips, Ricky."

Thoughts? Drop me a review and let me know.

Much love,

J. Rook