Chapter 3

The New York City Streets

Beckett, Castle & Alexis

Within the hour the trio was out on the sidewalk bundled up and ready to face the storm. The snow was falling in earnest now and already there was a thick blanket of the icy power. Alexis was wearing her new scarf and hat and presumably the sweater underneath her parka. Cars were rushing past slipping and sliding as the temperature dropped and the slushy streets turned treacherous. Drivers were laying on their horns as they fish-tailed into each other's way, Their voices raised and fists shaking at the idiots in their way.

"Ah, New Yorkers gotta love 'em" Castle commented to no one in particular.

The normal time it took to reach Paige's building was ten minutes, but on this snowy night, with the three in no real hurry and the snow flying, it took half an hour. Once Castle and Beckett had seen Alexis into the edifice, with promises to call after tomorrow's lunch for her pick up. Rick and Kaye turned back. Kate sidled up close and wrapped Ricks arm around her.

"I saw what you did, Kate."

"What do you mean?"

"You gave Alexis her way buy made conditions so it would appear as if we both won."

"That's the art to any good negotiation, both parties feel like they gained something. Alexis gets to see Paige and you and I get a romp around the bedroom, to use Meredith's words. We won't have a night truly to ourselves until Alexis' next sleepover."

"That's if the crime fairies don't go on a spree.", Castle groused.

"All the more reason to enjoy tonight, speaking of negotiations, how did yours go today?" Kate artlessly changed the subject.

"Not as well as I hoped but better than expected. They were less than happy that I just turned in manuscript number three in the last calender year. The tentative title is 'Naked Heat'."

"Oh, great, what's Nikki up to now…. Wait a minute why would they be upset at a third manuscript? Isn't that a good thing?"

"Nikki is going undercover to break up a white slavery ring. They are afraid that I'll glut the market and it won't sell as well.."

"Why don't they just wait to publish it?"

"They're like little kids that have money burning a hole in their pocket. They also think that I am spending too much time solving real crime and not enough on "real" publicity."

"I'm not going to lose you…. From helping on cades I mean."

"No I just mentioned two words and they shut right up about that. However, They are scheduling a symposium on writing the great mystery novel for February, which I am supposed to host."

"That doesn't sound too bad, but what two words?" Kate asked curiously.

"Random House"

Castle's Apartment

Very Early Morning

Beckett

It was the dead of the night when a sleepless Kate Beckett slid out of the warm and inviting bed of Richard Castle and padded out into the living room and to the windows that looked out on Central Park. She felt a small twinge of decadence because she hadn't stopped to put a robe or any clothes on. Her mind had been churning all day. All her alarms were going off. She was too happy. Her life had always been defined by tragedy. Whenever she had started to feel optimistic something had come along and pulled the rug out from under her. Her spidey sense was telling her that she was poised for the fall. This whole week had been so easy. After their return from up-state, she and Richard had filled the days with laughter and intimacy and their night had been filled with wild unbridled passion. It was all too easy to lose herself in this maelstrom of happiness. She had feared that Castle might start making demands of her after their initial bout of intimacy, but he hadn't, at least not yet. She had been with other men who had claimed that they had loved her for who she was, but had always started to make demands of her. Rick seemed perfectly content to let Kate be herself.

She idly watched the snow fall. Eddies and currents in the wind seemed to caress the falling snow and cause it to swirl. Down below at street level the plows were coursing up the streets like deep sea leviathans, trolling for food. She smiled sadly it appeared that Castle was rubbing off on her. She desperately wanted to be happy and not lose who Herself in the high society that was Ricks world. An image from last year's charity ball swam into her mind. She was standing by Castle with her hand lightly resting on his arm, the picture-perfect couple. For a night it might be possible but no longer than a night.

Kate heard the sound of bare feet on wood and saw Castle's reflection in the window. He had stopped on the way out of the bedroom to put on a pair of shorts. His hand absently rubbed the scar over his heart. He padded up behind her and for a moment looked like he would make a lurid comment about her lack of clothes, but something stopped him and instead of touching her intimately he gently lay his hands on her arms, not even a hug but just a touch. She shivered anyway, passion at war with her fear. Yes, it would be so easy to just give in.

"Did I wake you?" she asked.

"No" was his answer

"It's not the nightmares again, is it?"

"No. No night terrors" he said simply.

He smiled a sad smile "A Drachma for your thoughts."

"A whole Drachma wow must be inflation." Kate rejoined.

"You know me, no price is too high."

"This is too easy Richard" she saw him frown and continued on. "I don't get happy endings. You and Alexis have both been so open with me. You have made it easy for me to fit into your home. Alexis seems overjoyed that I'm here. She jokingly asked if she can call me mom. You know. I could almost let her do it. I have fallen in love with the both of you. It would be just so easy to become Richard Castle's live-in lover. Spending my days planning charity functions and spending my nights making passionate love to you."

"That's not what I want." He said.

"What!?" Her heart filled with dread, here it comes she thought the shoe is going to drop."

"Don't get me wrong, the nights of passionate lovemaking I am all for it, but I fell in love with Detective Kate Beckett and I don't think she wants to be an appendage. If you feel some need to change then I'm all for it. Kate, you are a damn fine police detective and the city would be poorer for your loss. Loving you makes me want to be a better writer. I would hope loving me would make you want to excel as well. True love should strengthen not weaken. Truthfully I can't see you being happy as anything other than what you are, the best detective in the NYPD. Now come on." Castle leaned down and kissed the swoop of her neck in that very sensitive spot that made her go weak at the knees and made her quiver with pleasure." I think I know a way to make you stop worrying" His hands slid to other very sensitive spots.

All she could think to do was moan his name and be swept away into passions embrace…