Chapter One

Kate stood impatiently outside of Castle's door. When her first, tentative knock yielded no result, she tried again, this time much louder. When this too went unanswered, Kate let out a sigh of frustration. She wished now that she had called ahead, instead of just impulsively showing up on his doorstep. It would have saved her the surprisingly sharp stab of disappointment that she now felt, realizing that she wasn't going to see him tonight after all. Giving up, she started to turn away when she heard the distinct metallic sound of the deadbolt turning. A second later, she found herself smiling into Castle's startled blue eyes.

"Kate? What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding as confused as he looked.

She walked past him, stopping just inside the door. She hesitated briefly before pushing up slightly onto her toes and kissing him softly. She stepped back, frowning, when he accepted, but didn't reciprocate the gesture.

"Castle?"

"What are you doing here?" he asked again. Suddenly she felt foolish for showing up unannounced. Obviously he wasn't happy about the intrusion.

"I..um, was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by." She felt her cheeks grow warm as the badly cliched words tumbled out out of her mouth without thought. "Listen, maybe I should go," she mumbled, heading back towards the door.

"Wait," he said, gently grabbing her arm as she walked by. "Don't go."

"Are you sure? You seem preoccupied."

"Of course I'm sure. You just took me by surprise." She searched his face. Although he looked sincere, something seemed off. But then he smiled into her eyes and any remaining doubt flew right out of her head. "Here, let me take your coat." He slid the coat slowly down her arms, planting a light kiss on the back of her neck. "Mmmm. You smell nice. New perfume?"

"Uh huh. You like?"

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest, nuzzling her neck, inhaling the seductive scent. "I like," he whispered into her ear, smiling as she shivered in response. Turning her around, he dropped a lingering kiss on her now smiling mouth. "I like very much."

"So, what's got you so preoccupied?" she asked breathlessly as they separated.

"Oh. I was, um... working," he said, nodding towards his office.

"Ahh. Let me guess. Working on your latest Nikki Heat book?" She grimaced. As flattering as it was to have a series based on her, she had never quite gotten used to 'being' Nikki Heat.

He didn't answer. Instead he took her hand and led her over to the couch. "Despite my delayed reaction, I'm glad you stopped by. I missed you."

She laughed as she dropped down on the couch next to him. "You just saw me yesterday, Castle. I doubt if you missed me that much after just one day."

"Okay, then why are you here?" He reached over and ran his fingers through the soft waves that half covered her face. "Maybe because you missed me too?"

She did. It scared her how much she missed him after just one day. Not that she'd admit it. Yet. Their relationship was so new, and she was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that they were finally together. Everyday it got a little easier, but she still had a hard time putting her feelings for him into words.

"So, can I read it?"

"Read what?"

"The novel you're working on. I want to see just how embarrassed I'm going to be when this one hits the shelves," she teased.

"Nope, you'll have to wait until it's finished, just like everyone else." He smiled when she stuck her bottom lip out in a mock pout. "Nice try, Beckett. But I'm the father of a teenaged daughter. I'm immune to the pout."

"Fine. So did you eat yet? Because I was thinking maybe we could order Chinese."

"Or pizza," he countered.

She just stared at him, her eyebrows raised teasingly, waiting for him to give in. He stared right back, in an attempt to convince her that, like the pout, she wasn't going to get her way just by batting those beautiful green eyes at him. Of course the fault in that logic was that when she looked at him like that, he didn't think he could deny her anything. Inevitably, the prolonged eye contact, which had started as a joke, took a serious turn as they both suddenly became aware of the invisible sparks flying between them.

Kate's slight smile faded as Castle slowly leaned over, quickly closing the gap between them. She felt her heart begin to race before he even touched her. The few kisses they had shared to so far had been sweet, tender, getting to know you kisses. He had always pulled away, never pushing too far, taking things slow, for her benefit she was sure. But she could tell from the minute that his lips met hers that this would be different. He wove his fingers in her hair before cradling the back of her head in his large hands, holding her gently, but firmly as if afraid she would pull away. And for the first time, she felt his tongue probe her lips, silently asking for access. She gave it willingly, moaning quietly as it slipped past her open lips into her mouth to tangle gently with hers. The feeling was everything she had expected and more, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed when he suddenly pulled away. "You've convinced me," he said with a sly smile. "Chinese it is. I'll go call it in and be right back."

She watched him walk away, feeling content in a way that she couldn't ever remember feeling before. As she sat there on his couch, the warmth of his kiss still on her lips, she couldn't help but think about the promise of more kisses to follow. Maybe much more than kisses? Did he sense it too? That maybe tonight they would... her thoughts trailed off when she glanced up to find him staring at her. Her heart, which had just regained a normal rhythm, once again began pounding wildly as the heat in his eyes answered her unspoken question. She felt an answering heat, starting low in her belly, spreading quickly to the rest of her body. When he finally turned away, breaking the spell, she sprung up off the coach, unable to sit still a moment longer. Anxious and excited at the same time she started wandering around his living room in an effort to subdue her sudden restlessness.

After looking out of his window briefly, she continued walking aimlessly, stopping when she came to his office door. It was half way open. She looked over her shoulder. He had his back to her, studying the Chinese take out menu. Casually she pushed the door further open, hoping to sneak a quick peek at the chapter he was writing, jumping at the opportunity to distract herself. Looking over her shoulder once more, to be sure he wasn't watching, she slipped silently into the office.

She looked around, finally spotting his closed laptop on the small chair in the corner of the room. Biting her lower lip nervously, she started towards the chair. But before she took another step, a small light caught the corner of her eye. On a small table, on the opposite side of the office. was a large monitor and although the screen was black, the small blue light on the bottom indicated that it was on. Sleep mode. She smiled. The over-sized touch screen monitor was so 'Castle'. She raised her hand and her fingers hovered in front of the screen. But before she could touch it, her guilt got the better of her and she dropped her hand to her side. She turned to sneak back out, and let out a loud gasp when she literally ran into Castle.

"Geez, you scared me half to death! You know, you really shouldn't sneak up on me like that. I'm highly trained in hand- to -hand combat. I wouldn't want to accidentally hurt you." She said it teasingly, her hands raised in loose fists as if preparing to fight. She slowly lowered her hands when he showed no sign of being amused.

"What are you doing in here, Kate?" His tone left no doubt that her presence in his office had upset him.

"I'm sorry. I was just curious about the book." She searched his eyes, shocked at the look she saw there. Anger, yes. But more than that. Fear? Sadness? She couldn't tell, but it scared her. And when he just shook his head and walked away without another word, she followed silently.

She watched as he walked over and sat on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees, his face buried in his hands. She sat down and laid her hand gently on his back, only to remove it when she felt his muscles tense under her touch. "Castle? What's wrong? If it's about the book, don't worry, I didn't look. I was going to, but..." Her voice trailed off when he didn't even look up. She knew he didn't want her to read the book before it was finished, but this had to be about more than the book. When he finally raised his head and looked at her, she could tell that she was right. Something much more was going on here.

"What's is it? Talk to me! Castle, you're scaring me," she said quietly. "Please."

She could see the struggle on his face, his face taut as his jaw tightened. He rubbed his hand wearily over his face and when he removed it, she could see by the defeated look in his eyes that he had decided to tell her. He stood up and held out his hand. She took it and he held it tightly. So tightly it hurt. Suddenly she wasn't so sure she wanted to know what he was hiding from her. But when he started walking towards his office, she reluctantly allowed him to pull her along.

They went in and he shut the door quietly behind them. After giving her hand one last squeeze, he let go. While she stared into his eyes, he slowly raised his hand and touched the smooth screen, instantly bringing it to life. She reluctantly drug her eyes away from his to look at the screen. The first thing she saw was her face looking back at her.