So Friday night, I'm teaching a class, and we're learning the names of baby animals. And I tell the kids: "A foal is what we call a baby horse. And a young girl horse is also called a filly. Does anyone know – or can anyone guess – what we call a young boy horse?" And one of my students responds immediately with: "A FILLION!"

Bwa-ha-ha! Just thought you guys might get as much of a kick out of that as I did! :)
Now, onto Chapter 4…

Just stay there,
'Cause I'll be coming over…

The elevator wasn't nearly fast enough. She should have taken the stairs.

She rolled her eyes at her own impatience. The stairs. Right. All the way to the very top of his building. Brilliant. But at least then she'd have been on the move, the rhythmic propulsion of her muscles a counterbalance to the racing excitement of her thoughts.

Instead, she was literally caged within the enclosure of the elevator, pacing like a…well, like a tiger. She rolled her eyes again, forcing herself to stand still, watching the numbers on the digital display climb slowly, desperately willing them to just speed the hell up.

He'd called her early that morning from the Hamptons to let her know when they'd be getting back into town, his voice boyishly excited as he invited her to meet them at the loft for a late lunch. She grinned wide, ridiculously so, her teeth automatically tugging at the corner of her bottom lip in an unsuccessful attempt to mask her giddy expression.

It hadn't just been this morning. He'd called her every morning. Every, single morning he'd been away. "I hope you don't mind," he'd apologized the first time. "But I really couldn't stand the thought of getting out of bed before hearing your voice." There was a pause, as if he wasn't sure he should say the rest, then: "I think I'm addicted to waking up with you, Kate."

She'd felt like such a dope at the utter joy which plastered itself across every inch of her face, berating herself silently even as she basked in the happiness. She should really have more control over her emotions. This was ridiculous. After all, he'd been gone less than twenty-four hours. And the intense ache she felt at his absence was entirely absurd.

The defensive part of her mind was already reacting, scrambling for a comeback to his words, a sarcastic, sure-fire quip to skirt safely past the sentiment. But the rest of her…the rest of her just melted.

And, apparently, a melty Kate Beckett trumped a smart-ass Kate Beckett, at least at seven a.m. in the morning, when she was still in bed, half-asleep, and sort of groggy due to her pre-caffeinated status. Uh-huh, those must be the reasons. Because it definitely couldn't be the amazing man waiting for her reply on the other end of the line. Nope. Definitely not. I mean, what was she? Whipped? Her lips twitched at the thought. Oh, he'd have such a field day with that comment…

"Uh, Kate?" His voice resonated in her ear, slightly uncertain.

Oh. Response. Right. She revisited his words, smiling even wider. I'm addicted to waking up with you. Uh-huh, melty Kate was totally winning this round. No question.

"You're not the only one, Castle," she confessed, secretly relishing the words as they tripped off her tongue. "I've kinda gotten used to it myself. And…" Now it was her turn to hesitate, but only briefly. "I'm really glad that you called."

She could practically hear the smile as it split his face. "Yeah? You are?"

She rolled her eyes in amusement. "Yeah, I am."

"How glad?"

His mischievous tone drew an unbidden laugh from her lips, and she knew without a doubt that his sweet smile had just gone rogue, bright blue eyes sparkling with impish humor as his brows waggled suggestively up and down. God, she missed him. And damned if she wasn't whipped. Ugh. How in the hell was she going to last five whole days without him?

It was a really good question, and one she still didn't have an answer to, even five days later. The truth was, she had no idea how she'd managed it. She was just glad she had, and that the waiting was finally, finally over.

Well, almost. She scowled at the inexorable tick of the red numbers above her. Move. Faster.

She was so entirely focused on their hypnotic progression that the sudden ring of her cell phone caught her completely by surprise. She jumped as the noise reverberated, echoing loudly throughout the confines of the elevator. Dragging her eyes from the slowly-ascending numbers, she turned her head, her right hand dropping to the back pocket of her jeans, fingers searching out the offensively earsplitting device.

As she was in the process of extricating it, the cheery ding of the elevator sounded, its doors parting with a whoosh, and her heart leapt. Yes! She took an eager step forward, her eyes still focused upon the freshly-retrieved cell phone in her hand.

She barely had time to register the familiar picture on its display before she careened full-force into a 6'2 barreling mass of muscle.

Between the two of them, he had more momentum, and she found herself staggering under the impact, the weight of his body forcing her back inside the elevator as they both struggled to regain a semblance of balance. His arms encircled her waist, steadying her enough so that when she inevitably hit the wall behind her, she didn't hit it very hard. She'd just barely managed to keep a hold of her phone during the collision, and her fingers tightened around it even as her other hand instinctively clutched at the back of his arm, gripping the slippery fabric of his dress shirt.

"Beckett?"

The sound of his voice was magnetic, all of her senses attuning instantly as her eyes snapped to his.

"Castle?"

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern lacing his words. "I'm sorry, I was actually just calling you, and I wasn't look-"

His voice cut off abruptly as she surged forward, engulfing his lips with her own.

She detonated on impact, the familiar and exhilarating taste of him setting her ablaze. A sheer conflagration enveloped her mind and senses alike as a scorching tongue of fire licked straight down her spine, flaring its way to her abdomen, curling and burning outward from there in a deliciously ferocious inferno which left not a hint of room for anything resembling restraint.

Because hot sex pressed up against the wall of an elevator where anyone might witness them? Not a notion she'd normally entertain. Not at all. But 'normally' be damned. Screw restraint. Literally.

To Castle's undying credit, he just went with it.

She gasped at the bite of his teeth against her neck, moaned as his fingers glided beneath her shirt, and complied instantly to the unspoken demand of his arms when his palms dropped to her thighs and pulled upwards, wrapping both her legs around his waist as he slid her up the wall. Their bodies tangled, twisted, locking together in all the right places. They were both gasping now, chests heaving desperately, the sheer intensity of the moment combining potently with an utter lack of oxygen, because their mouths had much better things to be doing than breathing.

She already had his shirt completely unbuttoned, ripping the bottom edge from the confines of his slacks as her impatient fingers sought bare skin. Her jeans were unbuttoned as well, and his fingers were no longer impatient, they were just busy.

She pressed herself further into his touch, further into his arms, further into his kiss. Further, further, further.

Sucking down some much-needed air around the insistent pressure of his hungry lips, she canted her hips, the new angle maximizing the unbelievable sensations he was creating between her legs. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she stifled yet another moan. God, she'd missed this. Missed him. And she needed him. She needed him now.

Knowing there was no way she'd be able to concentrate with his voracious tongue doing what it was currently doing, she wrenched her mouth reluctantly from his, dropping her gaze and watching her hands as they traveled swiftly down his broad chest, attempting to gather a semblance of focus through the thick haze of lust swamping her senses as her fingers began jerking at his belt, still irritatingly fastened and secure between the V of her thighs.

In her quest to undo the offending length of leather, her arms inadvertently bumped against his, knocking them away from her, and she felt him stumble slightly, pulling his hands hastily from her body to brace against the wall on either side of her, stopping them both from falling to the floor. She heard him growl against her ear, equal parts irritated at the necessity to stop what he'd been doing to her and utterly approving of her new and current endeavor.

She smiled at the sound, but didn't look up, too intent upon her task. With a satisfying clink, the two ends of the belt separated. Yes.

And then the ding of the elevator chimed again, ringing in her ears. She shot a glance over Castle's shoulder. The doors were closing. No.

Regardless of how much she was enjoying the current state of affairs – and she was enjoying it very much – there was just no way in hell she was making another trip on this elevator. The last ride had been torment enough, and, present company not withstanding, she really wasn't eager to take another. Not when she was finally in a position to escape.

Well, actually, she wasn't really in a position to escape…

"Castle," she breathed urgently, pushing against his shoulders and unwrapping her legs from around his body. "Move."

"What?" he mumbled against her neck as she slid to her feet in front of him, his hands dropping automatically to her waist to steady her. His dark eyes flicked to hers, dripping with desire. "Moving is the last thing I want to do." He ground his hips firmly against hers and dipped his head, his tongue darting out to glide along her clavicle as his right hand slipped dangerously close to the front of her still-open jeans.

She gripped the edges of his shirt and used the leverage of the wall to push herself forward, propelling him backward, her right hand darting out beneath his arm to slap the 'open doors' button on the control panel. She heaved a sigh of relief when the shiny metal partitions slid apart again without protest. They were still on his floor. She kept up her momentum, duck-walking both herself and Castle off the elevator and into the hall, which was mercifully empty, given their current state of undress.

After a brief moment, his back struck the wall with a gentle bump, and they were once more pressed flush to a hard surface. And to each other. Her heart instantly resumed its hammering pace, every nerve in her body responding to his. He noticed. Of course he did.

"Prefer the hallway to the elevator, Detective?" he asked with a grin, tightening his hold on her hips.

Her eyes flew to his, her smile faltering. The mirth in his expression drained away immediately, the muscles in his face contracting as he realized what he'd just said. He'd been very, very careful not to use that particular form of address over the past three weeks. So careful. And now, after finally seeing her again after five days apart…dammit.

"Kate, I…"

She pressed her lips to his, cutting his words off for the second time that day. "Don't, Castle. It's fine." She kissed him again, smiling gently to reassure him, knowing he'd need it. "I'm fine."

"I'm such an idiot," he mumbled, wrapping her into a hug.

She shook her head. "You're not." After a brief moment, she dug her chin playfully into his shoulder, eliciting a slight yelp from his lips as he twisted sideways in an awkward attempt to escape her. "Or, at least not for that particular comment."

He pulled away to look her in the eye, scowling slightly. "You're mean."

She laughed, leaning in for yet another kiss. It started light, but deepened quickly, reigniting the passion they'd been so thoroughly lost in mere moments ago. He broke away first, and it was her turn to growl in frustration. She chose to ignore his withdrawal, dropping her open mouth to his chest, her hands pulling the sides of his shirt away to grant herself unfettered access to his warm, irresistible skin.

"Kate…" She could tell he was going for stern and cautionary, but mostly he just sounded turned on. She grinned.

"I missed you, Castle," she murmured against him, trailing her tongue up his sternum to tease along his collarbone. She felt him hum deep in his chest, the reverberation tingling through her lips. She smiled as his fingers clutched at her hips then slipped up her sides to her face, threading back through her hair. She nipped her way up his neck, slid along the length of his jaw, and came to rest with her mouth hovering scant millimeters above his. "Didn't you miss me?"

"If you don't stop right now," he warned breathlessly, his dark eyes boring into hers, "you're gonna find out exactly how much I missed you, and you're gonna find out right here in this hallway."

She bit her lip slowly, her gaze sliding away from his and settling onto his mouth, and dear God, it looked like she was actually considering it. "Well…"

Unfortunately, he never got to hear her full reply, because the sudden blare of his cell phone interrupted her. The sultry look on her face shattered into shock, and he couldn't help a grin as she quite literally jumped skyward in surprise.

"Castle!" she exclaimed, twisting around to dig his exceedingly loud and energetically vibrating cell phone from the back pocket of her jeans. "Why the hell is your phone in my pocket?"

He raised his eyebrows in mock innocence. "What else was I supposed to do with it? You jumped me, Beckett. You jumped me in the elevator. And I needed both hands." He shrugged nonchalantly before snagging the phone from her fingers, eyes twinkling at the stunned look on her face. "Your pocket seemed as good a place as any."

He glanced at the phone to see who was calling, then tapped the 'ignore' button. "Besides," he grinned, thoroughly enjoying her flabbergasted expression, "it was highly convenient, because my hands were already…employed in that general vicinity."

"Wait," she finally said, shaking off the disbelief as her head snapped around to look at the closed elevator doors. "Where's my phone?"

He reached behind his back then tapped her on the shoulder, palm extended. She turned to face him then looked down. He was holding out her cell phone in his hand. "My pocket," he stated simply, as if that made all the sense in the world.

She gave him a look as she grabbed it. A Beckett look. Uh-oh.

"Hey, it was hurting me!" She increased the magnitude of her glare. Oh boy. "You had your hands all over me, and one of those hands had a phone in it," he hastened to clarify. "And it hurt! So I took it away from you. And your hands were employed in the vicinity of my pockets at the time." He couldn't help giving her a waggle of his eyebrows. "I've noticed that your hands like the vicinity of my pockets, Beckett."

"Complaining?" she shot back, her own eyebrows arching.

"Nope." He pulled her towards him with a smile, tilting his head charmingly. "My pockets are quite fond of your hands. In fact, my pockets feel your hands should come around much more often."

She rolled her eyes. "You're such a dork."

He nudged her nose with his own. "Yes, and you love it."

Her gaze locked onto his, her eyes widening slightly at his words.

He studied her startled features for a moment, confused. What…?

Oh. Oh, damn it! What the hell was wrong with him today? His foot had apparently taken up permanent residence in his mouth. Do something, you imbecile! He cleared his throat, dropping his gaze, mind searching desperately for neutral ground…

"Yeah, that's actually true."

She bit back a smile as his eyes returned to hers with a rubber band-like snap, so fast she was worried he might have…was there actually such a thing as whiplash of the eyes? Eyelash? She cringed slightly at the thought. Okay, that one was never going to be shared. She returned her attention to Castle, who was staring at her with a mixture of incredulity and delight. Her expression softened. Was he really so surprised at her statement?

"Castle…"

And his phone rang again.

They both scowled down at the offending apparatus, and Kate's scowl intensified when she saw the image flashing on his display. "Gina?" she asked unnecessarily.

"Yeah," he sighed. "It was her a second ago, too." He shot her a remorseful look. "Do you mind…?" She waved her hand in assent, taking the opportunity his 'Hello?' provided to button up her pants. Wow. This whole time she'd been standing in his hallway with unbuttoned pants. She glanced up, catching his eye. He was watching her, an amused and slightly smug expression adorning his features. Oh crap. He was never going to let her live this down.

"Yes, Gina, I'm aware of that."

Of course, he was fairly disheveled, too. She eyed him up and down, admiring her own handiwork. Yeah, he was thoroughly tousled. She bit her lip to hide her satisfied smirk.

"I know, it's the same thing you said to me twenty minutes ago."

His tone was one of pure annoyance, and as she caught his gaze, her smile morphed from satisfied to sympathetic. She stepped closer and began to re-button his shirt for him, starting at the top, 'accidentally' grazing her nails against his skin occasionally as she worked her way down. She heard his breath hitch and grinned wider.

"Uh-huh, I understand, Gina. Yes."

He inhaled sharply as her fingers reached his slacks, leisurely tracing their top edge before dipping slightly below it. His free hand immediately rose to grip hers, stilling her movements. She met his hot stare, not bothering to hide the mischief in her eyes.

"Okay. Right. I'll be there in twenty."

He dropped the phone apologetically from his ear as the smile dropped abruptly from her face.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah." The frustration in his voice should probably have made her feel better, but it really didn't. "That's why I was heading to the elevator. And why I was calling you." He released her hand to cup her face gently, rubbing his thumb along her cheek.

"The main promotional launch of Frozen Heat is only a month or so away, and Gina's been nagging me about a meeting with the Sales and Marketing Department for weeks, but I've been putting it off. Then twenty minutes ago, she called and told me she'd arranged a lunch meeting with just about everyone and to get my ass down there, or else." He sighed, his hand leaving her cheek to run through his hair. "It's really my own fault. I should have met with these guys way before now." He looked at her again, a truly genuine apology housed in his eyes. "I'm really sorry, Kate."

She nodded. "How long will it take?"

"A few hours, more or less. Probably more. I'll be home in time for a late dinner, for sure. But," he added quickly, before she could say anything, "Alexis is still here. We ordered lunch before I got the call from Gina – Chinese – and it's on its way, should arrive any minute. And I was calling to tell you that I wouldn't be here, but that you were more than welcome to still come eat, and, you know…hang out for the afternoon. If you wanted."

He barely paused for breath before continuing. "But if not, that's okay, too. Maybe I could make it up to you tonight? Dinner, movie, dancing, whatever you want, Kate. I'm really, really sorry. I didn't-"

She clamped a hand over his mouth. "Shut up, Castle." She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Of course I'll stay. Chinese? Hanging with Alexis? Seeing you again in a few hours? There's absolutely no downside." She smiled at the happiness her words so obviously elicited in his features. "Well, maybe one downside," she revised thoughtfully.

His expression instantly transformed to worry. "What's that?"

"No hallway sex," she whispered against his mouth, biting his bottom lip playfully as she gave an accompanying tug on his still unfastened belt.

He hummed appreciatively and she suddenly found herself pushed forcefully up against the opposite wall, right next to the elevator. Walls were kind of a theme today apparently. He took a moment to hit the 'down' button then turned his head slowly to hers.

"We may not have time for hallway sex," he mused, eying her up and down with a stare that had her burning all over again, "but we've got an elevator ride's worth of time for the next best thing."

"If you say anything other than 'foreplay', I'm going to bite you again," she warned breathlessly. "Hard."

"Well actually," he admitted, his tone teasing as he dropped his lips to her nose in a light kiss, "I was going to suggest snuggling. But, seeing as how you're all hot for me at the moment…"

And then his mouth was devouring hers, and she didn't even really know when the elevator got there, or how exactly she got inside it, or at what point he pushed the button telling the infernal thing what to do, but around the time their legs were tangled haphazardly together, their hands both buried beneath each others' shirts, and their tongues urgently tasting one another at shoulder and ear, respectively, she caught sight of the red numbers above the door.

They were plummeting.

She glared at them, entrenching herself even deeper within Castle's embrace before silently shooting the most furious command she could muster in the direction of the descending digits. Move. Slower.

The numbers reached one, and the accompanying ding sounded loudly.

God, she really hated this damned elevator…

I've affectionately dubbed this chapter Caskett's Revenge. See, this insane fluffiness is what happens when your last chapter didn't have any direct Castle/Beckett interaction and you put off writing the next chapter for over two weeks! And I'm sorry about that two-week delay, guys. I've been working on a new Castle fanvid, which is so-very-nearly finished, and it's been monopolizing all of my time. Should be pretty epic once it's done, though! Yeah, yeah, I know, I've already been thoroughly chastised by a concerned friend for 'cheating' on my fanfic with a video. But it's not really cheating, because both the vid and the story are Castle-related. They shouldn't be jealous of each other, right? Right? Anyway, hope this chapter was worth the wait!

Thanks for taking the time to read, and as always, I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts! :)