DISCLAIMER: I don't own.

It was the weekend again and the crew was poolside at Jenny's house. Her parents had just renovated their suburban three bedroom house the previous year and new installations included an indoor pool. With it now being mid-November, none of the friends were in the mood to go to the beach, so they lounged around the pool, sipping on margaritas and lime coronas, courtesy of Rick and Javier. Jenny's parents were out of town, so they decided to spend the day in the beautiful two story.

"Kevin Ryan! You better not be trying to get me drunk," Jenny teased as he topped off her margarita. She was sitting on the edge of the pool, sporting a royal blue and white laced bikini, her feet submerged in the water, with Ryan squatting beside her, clad in black and white swim trunks, pouring the rest of the drink in her cup.

"Whoa, Honeymilk! Trying to get lucky?" Javier jousted.

"Don't need alcohol for that, bro," Kevin grinned.

A round of teasing sounds and laughter reverberated off the walls of the pool room, along with the music that was playing in the background. Lanie was lying in a lounger, wearing a deep green boy short two piece. Javi was doing laps in the pool, wearing a pair of yellow swim trunks with a black waistline.

"Oy, lovebirds! Maybe you wanna cool off in the pool," Javi shouted at the couple squeezing together on one lounger. Rick was wearing blue swim trunks with white splatter patterns and was lying on his back, one arm folded under his head and the other wrapped around Kate's waist. She adorned a red and white two piece and was on her side pressed up against him. Her legs were tangled with his; her left hand propping her head up while her right hand fingers were playing with his ear as they whispered to each other. She smirked at Javier before leaning in to kiss Rick soundly on the mouth. "Jealous?"

"Yeah, bring yo sexy behind over here and lay one on me." He puckered his lips in wait.

"How about I lay one on you?" Rick asked, pulling Kate a little closer to him.

"We talking a kiss or a smack?" Javier asked.

"Why don't you come over here and find out?"

"Thanks, I'm good," Javier said then threw himself back into the water.

Kate shook her head and moved to get off the lounger. Rick slipped his hand to her behind and gave it a squeeze, making her grunt and bite her lip. She loved when he would grab her ass. She turned to him, her lip still sucked into her mouth, and gave him a little smile. "Lanie, let's go grab some beers."

Her friend slid off her own lounger and followed her into the kitchen. Kate moved to the fridge and pulled out three beers. Lanie stood at the counter and watched her friend pop the tops off the bottles before handing her one. "So?"

Kate looked up at her. "So what?"

"Oh, come on, girlfriend. Spill. You and Ricky out there."

Kate smiled and looked down at her beer. "It's…amazing. I know we're young, but this feels so beautiful, so right, you know? I mean, we'd been friends for months and now, he's…well, he's mine."

Lanie couldn't mistake the pure happiness on her friend's face and smiled. "I'm really happy for you, Kate. And the plus side, now we can group date."

"Yes, that is exactly why we decided to romp in the sack," Kate laughed.

"See!? I knew it was because you two felt left out." Rick came padding through the screen door and into the kitchen and, like a magnet, pressed his chest to Kate's back. "Do you even know what personal space is?"
Kate craned her head up to look at Rick with a smile, then turned back to her friend. "It's like he's a leech."

Rick bumped her hips into the counter. "Don't hear you complaining when I'm fu-"

"Hey! That's my best friend you're talking to." Lanie made a face as she left the room, throwing over her shoulder, "Don't christen Jenny's kitchen."

Rick chuckled and wrapped his hands around Kate's ribcage, moving his lips to her neck. "Wanna go christen the guest room?"

She let out a breathy chuckle and gripped the counter when he pressed his hips into hers. "We can't just disappear. They'll ask questions."

"I'm sure they'll know exactly what we're doing," he whispered. His right hand slid across her ribs and down her stomach.

She forced her hips into the counter to cease his wandering. "Castle," she warned feebly.

He sucked at her neck, his left hand pulling her into him and away from the surface. His right hand feathered over her swimsuit bottoms. "I want you," he growled in her ear.

Beckett swung around in his arms and kissed him hard on the mouth. She moaned when he pushed her into the counter, one hand buried in her hair and the other groping her butt. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her tongue slipping between his lips.

"Whoa! Other people in the room!"

The couple immediately broke apart and stepped away from each other. Ryan and Jenny were covering their eyes while Lanie smirked. Javier just stepped into the kitchen, toweling off. "What did I miss?"

"Mr. and Mrs. over there were about to do it on the counter," Ryan said.

"Guys, I eat there," Jenny whined.

"Sorry," Kate mumbled, her face burning from embarrassment.

"Why the sudden gathering in the kitchen anyway?" Rick asked.

"We wanna order food now," Javier said. "Chinese or pizza?"
Rick and Kate looked at each other for a moment before turning back to the others. "Chinese."

Nightfall had arrived and everyone was huddled in the living room watching a movie. Jenny and Ryan were stretched out on the long part of the sectional, snuggled together under a blanket. Lanie and Javier opted to lie out on a pile of pillows on the floor, silently fighting over the blanket they're trying to share. Rick was laying on his stomach on the sectional, parallel to the TV. His arms were folded under his head and his legs were spread slightly apart to accommodate a certain leggy brunette who was lying on his back, cheek pressed to his shoulder blade and hands buried underneath his chest. Every once in a while her thumbs would stroke his chest and she would rub her cheek against his shoulder. He smiled every time she did that.

They were watching some kind of horror film. Jenny was hiding her face in Ryan's chest and he was watching through his fingers. Lanie was doing the same while Javier was the one who was trying to hide behind her. Rick wasn't paying attention to the movie. His eyes were closed while he concentrated on Kate's breathing. It was pretty even, making him wonder if she had fallen asleep. But then she would stroke his chest and wiggle a little over him. He was close to falling asleep himself, so he gently unfolded his arms and grabbed a pillow to place under his head. Kate made a little noise of protest as he jostled around, trying to get comfortable again. He began turning on his side, one hand moving to pull her around him. They laid on their sides, spooning, his arms wrapped around her from behind. Kate smiled and wrapped both her hands around his right one, cradling it against her chest. She kissed his fingers softly and snuggled deeper into his embrace. He pressed a kiss to her hair and nuzzled her ear. She smiled shyly, the one that crinkled her nose. She turned her head to look at him in the darkness of the room. The light of the TV casted shadows over his face, but she could see the small smile on his face.

"What?" he whispered, moving to rub his nose against hers.

She immediately turned in his embrace and wrapped her arms tightly around him, pressing her blushing face into his neck. He kissed her head again and held her close. Running his hands along her back soothingly, he began lulling her to sleep. She drifted off not too long after.

"She asleep?" Ryan asked softly once the movie was over. Lanie and Javier were already passed out on the floor among the pillows.

"Yeah," Rick replied, gazing down at his dozing girlfriend. He brushed some hair out of her face and she snorted softly, rubbing her cheek against his chest.

"The guest room is free if you wanna crash here," Jenny said.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm gonna take her up now." Rick gently removed himself from Kate, standing by the couch and pulling her up into his arms, bridal style. Her head fell against his shoulder and her arm went around his neck. "Castle," she murmured.

"I'm here, babe." He kissed her forehead and headed up the stairs to the guest room. He kicked open the already ajar door and walked over to the bed. He placed her down on the mattress and pulled the covers over her. She snuggled into the sheets and Rick smiled. She was just so beautiful.

Just then his cell phone rang. He quickly left the room so as to not wake Kate and checked the caller. "Hello?"

"Rick. He's back. I just saw him." Her voice was shaky and scared.

"Whoa, calm down. Where are you?"

"I'm going back to my apartment now. I was just out with a friend and I think he saw me."

"Is your roommate home?"

"No. She's out of town." She paused for a moment. "Rick, what do I do?"

"Call the police and inform them that you saw him. Just let them know you don't feel safe. Maybe they'll send a patrol car."

"I really don't want to be alone right now."

Rick looked back toward the bedroom door, where Kate was sleeping on the other side. "I can't exactly leave right now. You need to call the police, Gina." He heard a sniffle on the other end of the phone. "Look, I am here for you. I promised I would be. But there's only so much I can do. I already got my ass kicked by this guy twice and it's not only me I have to worry about anymore. I care about you. That's why you need to call the police. I can only provide emotional support."

"I'm so sorry, Rick. I never meant to drag you into this," she cried.

"No, I put myself in it. I didn't want to see you get hurt. I still don't. Just do me a favor and call the police from the lobby of your complex. See if they can get patrol out there. Then when you get up to your place, lock all the doors and windows. Keep some kind of weapon by your bed and call me before you go to sleep."

"Okay," she whispered.

"It's going to be alright, Gina. I'm here. He'll be stopped."

"I really hope you're right."

"Don't forget to call me."

"I won't."

After she hung up, he sighed and leaned against the wall. He wanted to go over to Gina's just to make sure she was okay, but he couldn't leave Kate. He took comfort in the fact that if Matt did try anything, the restraining order in effect would get him jail time for sure. He couldn't believe the situation.

"Castle?" He turned his attention in the direction of the voice. The door to the guest room opened and revealed a sleepy Kate. "What're you doing?"

"Nothing," he smiled. "Go back to sleep."

"Can't," she mumbled, rubbing at her eyes.

"Why not?"

"The bed is cold."

"Oh, that's too bad. I'll go get Jenny to turn up the heat then." He turned to move down the hall.

"Come back here," she grumbled, her hand catching the sleeve of his shirt and pulling him to her. Her mouth easily caught his and they kissed deeply as she tugged him into the room.

"So bossy," he murmured against her lips as he walked her backwards to the bed.

"Shut up. You like it." She pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it away.

"If it gets me naked in bed with you, I do."

"So shut up and get naked." She pulled her own shirt over her head.

He had nothing else to say, so he did what he was told. He stripped them both bare and worshipped her body, reveling in her moans and cries. When she came down from her high, she thought he was done, but then he was doing it all over again. This time around, though, his phone rang. "No, don't answer it," she panted, her mouth sliding over his jaw.

He groaned and slowed his thrusting to grapple for his phone on the nightstand. "Hello?" he breathed into the speaker. "Okay. Yeah…" He bit his lip when Kate lifted her legs higher and pulled him in deeper, her mouth working at his neck. "They're there? Good. I'll call you in the morning, alright?" He gripped the bed sheets when Kate bit down on his skin and started rolling her hips into his beneath him. "Okay, good night." He tossed his phone aside and crashed his lips into hers, rocking his hips again. "You are so going to get it," he panted.

"Good. Give it to me," she purred in his ear and he wasted no time in delivering.

Welp. Will Matt be coming back? I don't know. Do you know?