Previously: Beckett and Castle try to figure out how to navigate their relationship around the people they work with and the gang solves a murder in a day. Win for all!

Wrestling
In which Castle annoys Beckett and they still end up in bed anyway

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The news of their relationship spread through the precinct faster than either of them could have imagined. Bets were won, money changed hands and more than a few 'Thank God, finally's were uttered among the cops at the 12th. Beckett for the most part ignored the good natured jibes from her fellow detectives, but Castle, true to his boyish nature basked in sheer delight amongst all the attention.

She spotted Karpowski giving him a high five and not-so-subtly making crude gestures with her hands towards where she was sitting and he grinned. Like a proud peacock showing off its pretty feathers, Beckett found herself thinking one day. Yeah, no – better leave the metaphors to Castle, he was way better at it than she was.

Secretly though, while she would never, ever admit it to anyone, she couldn't help but feel a little flattered that he seemed to be so happy about the change in their status quo.

"They're talking about us, Beckett."

"Not us, you. They're probably wondering what stupid thing you're going to leave on my desk tomorrow morning," Beckett uttered drily, not even bothering to lift her head up from the crime scene photos she was examining.

Since their relationship had been made public, he'd started leaving little presents – trinkets, he called them, on her desk whenever he managed to drop by during the rare breaks in his hectic schedule. The objects were seemingly random and ranged from a beautiful rose to a quirky Darth Vader bobble head. His explanation, after she chewed him out for a good half an hour in the break room, was that since she'd been bogged down by back to back cases and he was busy with his actual work, she needed the little gifts as a form of a reminder to take a break once in a while to have some fun. She'd insisted that she didn't need them, but his excuse was that without his constant presence by her side, the least he could do was to send in adequate replacements.

Her protests (take them home, Castle. I don't need them here!) had fallen on deaf ears and whenever she chose to leave them in her drawer or shove them in some forgotten corner of her locker, she always found them again, mocking her from her desk.

"They're not stupid," he pouted. "You like them, and don't you even deny it."

"I don't like them on my desk, Castle. I've said that a hundred times," she hissed beneath her breath. "Why can't you just give them to me at home, or when we're not being scrutinised by the nosiest people in the planet?"

She asked the last part of her question in a slightly louder voice, causing both Ryan and Esposito to duck their heads back down onto their own stack of paperwork. Castle sniggered and shuffled his chair closer to Beckett's. He reached out to pick up a rubix cube sitting on her desk, his latest gift to her and leaned back as he started to twist it. Her hand came shooting out to snatch it from him.

"Don't."

He stretched his fingers out to reclaim the cube, but she held it out of his reach. "Don't what?"

"Don't mess with my cube."

His eyes brightened in childish glee, realising that Beckett was secretly hiding a smile behind the folder she was flipping through. He grinned.

"So … you like the rubix cube?" He snuck his hand back down under her desk, his eyes glinting in mischief.

"I like them all, Castle. Just, not here," she re-emphasised, feeling his wandering fingers making themselves at home on her thighs, just out of sight of the other detectives who were milling about. His warmth was soothing in the midst of all the stress and confusion of trying to crack her latest case and she let it be, allowing him to gently run his fingers back and forth over her jeans. It was slow going and without a solid lead to go on, they were stuck going through their suspects' financials and phone records – both being painstakingly slow and boring tasks.

"Listen, Beckett," Castle said, using his free hand to gently pull the folder out of her hands and closing it.

She shot him an annoyed look and pried his hand away from under the table and brought it back topside.

"Give it back, Castle."

"Not until you take a break. I'm sure Ryan and Esposito will agree that you all need fresh eyes for this. Go home, I'll make you dinner, then sleep and come back tomorrow to solve this, okay?"

"Don't you have a book to promote, or whatever?" Beckett asked him, ignoring his suggestion. She turned her back to him, facing the murder board. The pictures of the victim were taunting her, demanding to be solved – demanding she figure it out and for the life of her, nothing seemed to be clicking. It was frustrating that after so many days dedicated to this one case, she still hadn't made any headway. Castle hadn't been able to stick around much so he'd begged out of the case, rendering him pretty much useless for the moment, not possessing the necessary facts for them to bounce ideas off each other.

"Beck –"

"Castle if you have nothing useful to contribute to the case, go home. Or go sign some chests. Anything, just leave me alone," she snapped.

She heard Castle sigh behind her, but refused to turn around. Finally, his chair scraped back and she heard his heavy footfalls make their way to the elevator. Part of her felt guilty for dismissing him like she had, but his presence was grating on her nerves and she needed the peace and quiet to sort the case out.

Pulling out a dry-erase marker, she started drawing a new timeline again. Royce had told her, all those years ago that when all else was lost, the best place to start re-examining things was right at the very beginning.

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"Come on, Beckett. Let's go."

Ryan's voice floated towards her, breaking through the haze of 'what-ifs' and 'maybes' that was clouding her mind. She turned around and found both Esposito and Ryan standing at her desk, coats in their hands, preparing to leave.

"You're not going to get anything done tonight, we all know it," Esposito insisted, echoing Castle's sentiments from hours before. The same pang of guilt hit her again as she thought of him and finally, she capped the marker and rolled her shoulders.

"Okay," she mumbled. She suddenly realised that she hadn't eaten anything since Castle had arrived that afternoon with doughnuts and her stomach was painfully empty. "Actually, do you want to get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Sounds great, let me just tell Jenny I won't be home till later," Ryan replied enthusiastically and it dawned upon her that all three of them had conveniently forgotten their dinner. Watching Ryan flip out his phone to contact his fiancé, she bit her lip and fished her own phone out from her pocket.

She only had to wait for two rings before he picked up.

"Hi, Beckett," he greeted her with a careful tone, obviously unsure if she was still annoyed with him despite the many hours that had gone by.

"Um. The boys and I are going to get something to eat. We're just about to leave. Wanna come join us?" she asked. It was her subtle way of apologising and she knew that he would understand.

"Yeah, sure. Go to the Old Haunt, I'll call Alan and get him to ready some pizza and fries so you can just start eating when you get there. I can be there in half an hour," his said. She heard familiar female voices in the background and assumed he was home with Martha and Alexis.

"Thanks, Castle – and if you want to stay home, its fine, you know?"

"No, you're not allowed to take back the invitation. You invited me, and I said yes – so I'll see you soon," he said in a rush. Beckett smiled to herself as he bid her goodbye and she hung up. She took one look at the twin smirks on Ryan and Esposito's face and scowled.

"Castle coming tonight?" Ryan asked as they walked into the elevator.

"Yes, do you mind if we go to his bar? He's calling ahead for food," she answered. She could see them making excited faces at each other from the corner of her eye and not for the first time, she wondered if Castle's presence in their lives had had more of an effect on them that she'd realised.

"Did he get pizza?"

"Yes, and fries."

"Man, I love that guy. Always knows the right way to end a shitty day. Food, beer – free of charge." Ryan sighed, but then he paused and a wicked glint appeared in his eye. "Hey, Beckett, don't you love him too? Don't you think he's amazing, and kind, and sweet and - "

"- hot and loyal and such an amazing kisser. Don't think I don't know what you two were doing in the break room during that Torres case," Esposito shot her a sly smile.

Yup, she should have expected that.

Esposito high-fived Ryan behind her and as the elevator chimed, signalling their arrival at the ground floor, she turned to them, raised her hand and flipped them off.

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She leaned back against the bar, her eyes drifting towards the table where her boys were seated, and she couldn't help the warm and fuzzy feeling that crept up into her chest. He really was ruggedly handsome. Even more so now that he had shrugged off his coat and was clad in a very casual graphic tee emblazoned with the face of one of his favourite comic book characters. She felt a rare surge of fondness flow through her, and while she could have easily blamed it on the alcohol, she knew it was the fact that the three of the most important men in her life were getting along so well, and that in them, she had the most loving pseudo-family a girl could ever ask for.

Her father had heard of Castle and had personally met Ryan and Esposito and suddenly, she longed for a time when all four of them could hang out together with her and Lanie to complete the picture. She watched as Castle leaned back, tipping his head in a hearty laugh at something Esposito had said and another wave of … (no, she wasn't going to say love) came over her.

She picked up the two beers that she'd gotten for the other detectives – she'd lost a bet on how much they could eat in 30 seconds – and made her way back. Castle had his back turned to her, but she motioned for Ryan and Esposito to remain quiet as she crept up behind him.

Once she was close enough, she let one of her hands drape around his shoulders and the other reached out to place the bottles on the table. Once set, the hand came back around him, both arms now circling Castle from behind and she leaned into him, close enough to detect the faint stubble along his jaw and catching the subtle hint of cologne that wafted up towards her. Her fingers trailed along his chest and as she leaned forward, felt the increase of the rate of his heartbeat.

Castle tried to turn to her, surprised at her sudden display of affection – she was literally hanging off his back, her hair dangling down to touch his shoulders as she moved to place her lips closer to his ear.

"Hey, let's get out of here," she whispered. His eyes met hers as his head twisted to her and she bit her lip in amusement. There was no mistaking the look on her face and it dawned up on Castle that she was inviting him home. The excitement in his expression was unmistakable and she grinned.

She let him go, straightening up and shooting her dumbfounded detectives a knowing smile. "I'll see you boys tomorrow."

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For the first time in a long time, laughter rang out in Kate Beckett's bedroom. She was no stranger to having fun in bed, both of the non-adult and adult kind, but she'd never once laughed – really laughed, complete with shaking hands and teary eyes – in bed, tugging, pulling, pushing against someone else and dissolving once more into a fit of giggles.

It had started with a simple statement as they approached her door, their bodies colliding unceremoniously against each other as she fumbled with her keys. He'd made a quip about how the alcohol had addled her brain and left her uncoordinated and she'd retorted with saying that she now knew how it felt to be Rick Castle.

She led him to her kitchen and filled up two glasses of water, giving one to him as he neared her with an indignant look on his face.

"I'm not uncoordinated, Beckett. I'll have you know I'd be able to pin you down for at least 10 seconds," he said as his hand made a pass across her ass, giving it a quick squeeze before he settled back to lean against his counter.

A good natured argument flared up between them and logistics were discussed – he was bigger and heavier (it just makes you slow, Castle); she was lighter, faster and professionally trained to tackle men his size. Eventually, Beckett decided after a good five minutes of arguing that she could definitely tackle him easily enough and Castle bravely dared her to prove it to him.

She shoved him hard then, dislodging him from his perch against her kitchen island and into a heap in the floor. Before she had time to pin him down however, he found a piece of what seemed to be day old capsicum on the floor and flung it at her face. He took the opportunity of her being momentarily distracted to pull himself up and dash into her living room.

A chase ensued. He dodged her, she pinched him, he tickled, she bit – all culminating in a frenzied make out session against the door to her bedroom. Their need, the pent up passion between them was unleashed then – they were finally alone, no family members or co-workers wandering around threatening to catch them in the act, and before she knew it, her legs were tight around his hips, his hands were on her ass supporting her against the solid frame and she was losing all sense of herself in him. Again.

They weren't aware though, that her door hadn't been securely shut and after the fifth not-so-gentle thrust of their bodies into the door, it flung open, sending them both keeling over backwards into her room.

Suddenly realising the position he was in, he rested his forearms around her and held her in place with his weight, his feet spread apart to accommodate her slight figure between them. He leaned down to start a countdown in her ear, reminding her of their earlier argument and as he reached 'five', she made her move.

Her hands came down onto his neck, tickling the spot she that knew for a fact was very sensitive and pulled up her feet to topple him from his perch over her. He gasped in surprise and she scrambled to stand, taking in his shocked expression.

That was when they both started laughing.

He looked up at her from the floor, open mouthed and slack jawed as she winked at him. "Close, but not quite, Writer-Monkey," she teased.

It spurred him into action, and he launched himself up at her, throwing his body weight onto her and sending her flying onto her bed.

More laughter.

Beckett had the air knocked out of her as she landed sprawled on her bed, her head sinking into the soft pillows strewn across all over it, trying to force herself to reign in her uncontrollable laughter.

He crawled up her length, shedding mirthful tears as his body trembled with the effort of keeping his own laughter in control. Her hands came up to his chest, her fingers splayed over the vast expanse and she pulled him down onto her.

For a quick moment, silence pervaded the room as the silly argument was forgotten. Their lips locked, breaths mingled and his fingers tangled in her golden tresses. Her legs parted on their own accord, allowing Castle to fit himself between them, bringing their bodies closer in contact with one another. He groaned when he realised this, sending Beckett into another gale of laughter.

Feeling feisty, she tightened her knees around his hips and in one swift movement, twisted so that Castle fell in a heap next to her and she clambered to straddle him. His hardness teased her, nestled cosily between them and sending waves of arousal shooting through her.

"Give up?" She breathed out, clenching her thighs together as Castle let out another needy moan. His hands came up to stroke her along the seam of her jeans, pulled taut over her thighs. She reached out to his wandering fingers and held them in place in a vice grip. He flexed his arms experimentally, but she kept a firm hold of his wrists.

"Never. Never, Detective."

"Suit yourself, I'd like to see you get out of – oof!"

In an unexpected display of upper body strength, he raised himself up – for a second, she was eye-to-eye with him – managed to wrench his wrists out of her grip in her moment of awe, and before she knew it their positions were once again reversed and she found herself staring into his cocky expression against the backdrop of her room ceiling.

God.

Wrestling had never been this much fun.

He descended upon her, his lips meeting the spot just under her jaw, nibbling and suckling at it as she emitted breathy moans, no longer caring about the outcome of their game. Whatever the result was she was sure they'd both end up winning anyway.

Her hands snuck under the T-shirt, already crumpled from their earlier escapades and she slid them upwards towards his nipples. Playfully, she flicked at them and raised the material higher, completely removing it from his body and sending it flying across the room.

He stopped his ministrations, raising his head to look at her with a knowing smirk on his face. "I told you I'd win," he said.

And so he had, she realised. In the end, she found that she couldn't bring herself to really care and she pushed herself up on her elbows to reclaim his lips in a searing kiss.

She arched her lower body, hooking one of her legs around the outside his thighs and pressing his obvious need against the juncture of her thighs . "From where I am, I think eventually we both win, Mr. Castle."

He let out an amused chuckle, thrusting gently against her. "Yeah, yeah I think so too."

She hissed at the contact, suddenly noticing the layers that still remained between them. Sure, he was shirtless, but his pants were securely fastened to his hips by his belt – she herself was still clothed and in that very moment she wanted everything to come off.

It seemed that Castle had pretty much the same thing in mind, because his fingers started pulling at her shirt, dragging it upwards over her breasts in an impatient tug. A rush of cold air swept over her as her skin was exposed to the night. She couldn't help the flush in her cheeks when she noticed Castle staring at her in wonder, his eyes fixed on her cotton covered breasts.

"You've seen me in a swimming suit before, Castle," she breathed, clenching her thighs around him impatiently. "And naked in my tub."

"Different," he rasped out. "And I didn't look back then. You're stunning."

He leaned over her and flicked the front clasp of her bra open. His hands moved to skim over the underside of her mounds, tugging the soft material away from her and letting it fall over the side of her bed.

"Lets get naked, Beckett," he said as he winked at her.

All she could do was groan and shift so that her hands came down to unfasten his belt. Yeah, it was a simple enough request. Who was she to deny him the pleasure?

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Stopping there because I rated this fic a nice, comfortable T. How's this for pointless (hot too, I hope) fluff? Do you like pointless fluff? Want more pointless fluff? Anyone notice how I borrowed a scene from another one of my favourite shows – Dark Angel?

:D I can sense this story coming to an end within the next chapter or two, so I'll give you all some fair warning.

All your wonderful reviews and alerts very much appreciated. Feel free to keep them coming :P Thanks for reading!