DISCLAIMERS: No, but I'm going to keep hoping.

SUMMARY: While spending a lazy day in bed, Kate and Castle discuss wedding plans. Yes, this is an M-rated chapter for lots of Caskett-y fluffiness.

A/N #1: This is a filler chapter before I get back into the case. I'm actually trying to kill time until I can re-watch 'Dial M for Mayor.'

A/N #2: I've never been married, but someone told me that Lanie would likely be Beckett's maid of honor and not a bridesmaid. So, I'll be tweaking a few details.

Chapter 11: A Lot like Being in Love

Kate was shivering hard enough to shake the whole bed. Hard enough to wake Castle up from a sound sleep. "Kate?" He rolled toward her.

"Cold, Castle. So cold," she continued to shiver.

It did seem colder than usual in their bedroom. He sat up and threw his legs off of the side of the bed, biting back a yelp when the cold air hit his skin. He walked over to the French doors and looked out, groaning when he saw the flakes of snow drifting past the windows. "Snow? Really? It's almost April." He walked back over to the bed and got back under the covers, reaching over and tucking Kate into the warmth of his body. Eventually her shivering stopped as she went back to sleep.

It was just beginning to get light in the room when Kate opened her eyes. She smiled when she remembered Castle carrying her up the stairs the night before. By the time she had pulled up in front of the house, her energy was completely gone. She couldn't have taken another step if someone had paid her.

She could feel Castle's arm draped over her stomach, his breath warm on her shoulder. She vaguely remembered him saying something when he'd gotten into bed about spending the day in bed together, sleeping, as he'd stressed. Well, she'd have to see what she could do to change his mind about that. It was rare that they got to spend a whole day in bed without interruptions of some kind.

She turned into his body, snuggling deeper into his body warmth. He reactively tightened his arms around her, sighing into her hair. "Castle?" She whispered into his chest. "Castle? Wake up." Instead of answering her, he muttered something unintelligible. "Come on, Castle. I want to play."

Castle smiled when he felt Kate kissing him all over his chest before her lips moved up to his neck. He loved snuggly Kate, especially early in the morning. "Is it still snowing?" He mumbled.

"Snowing? It was snowing?" She removed herself from Castle's arms and walked over to the window, where there was a light dusting of snow on the ground. "No wonder it was so cold last night." She came back over to the bed and got back under the covers, throwing her leg over his, smothering his t-shirt clad chest with kisses. "I'm glad that you're awake. I want to play."

"Kate, slow down a second," he stopped her from lifting his shirt over his head. "Lanie called last night after you left her apartment. She's worried about you. So am I. You were so wiped out when you got home last night that you couldn't move. You need to sleep."

"I'll sleep, Castle. I promise. I want you. I want to play," she pressed herself even closer to him, moving up so that her lips could brush over his. "I want to feel you. I want to feel all of you on all of me."

"Feeling a little needy, are we?" He teased as she deepened the kiss in answer.

She took his hand and slid it under her sleep shirt, up to her breasts. She moaned softly when she felt his thumb slide over her nipple, feeling it stiffen at his touch. His hand covered her breast, caressing her warm skin. She put her hand over his, guiding him in how she wanted to be touched. His hands were huge and he could do such wonderful, magical things to her body with them.

"Shirt off, Castle," she hissed against his mouth, tugging on the hem of his t-shirt. He sat up long enough for her to pull it over his head and throw it toward the end of the bed. She then wrapped her arms back around him, kissing his neck and collarbone, breathing in the scent of him.

He let out a groan when she rolled onto her back, pulling him with her so that he was lying almost on top of her. He removed his hand from under her shirt and propped himself up on her hands so that he could look down into her eyes. Kate had truly gorgeous eyes and never were they more beautiful than when they were intimate. The green would darken to brown the more aroused she became.

She gave him a dazzling smile as he bent down and kissed her, his tongue delving into her mouth. Kate raked her fingernails down his back to his ass, which she squeezed affectionately as he groaned. He left her lips, blazing a trail over her cheek, to her pulse point. He gently bit it, marking his territory as she whimpered, feeling the heat race down to her core. He left her neck, moving down to her collarbone, nipping at her sensitive flesh as she writhed against him, seeking more contact than he was giving her at the moment.

Castle kissed his way further down until he reached her breasts. Lightly flicking her nipple with his tongue, he finally took the whole swollen nub into his mouth as Kate arched against him, and groaned, her breathing ragged with need.

She carded her fingers in his hair, holding him closer to her breasts. He switched breasts, showing equal attention to her other breast while his fingers caressed its mate, tugging on her turgid nipple. Still teasing and caressing her breasts, Castle moved back up and once again captured Kate's lips with his own, his tongue sliding against hers.

Kate arched against him, seeking friction to ease the growing ache between her legs. She moaned loudly at the feeling of his growing erection against her center. He gave her an answering groan at the feeling of her warm, damp heat pressing against him. His groan only got louder when she moved her hips up and down, causing him to grow even harder.

As much as he longed to be inside of her, he had other ideas first. He moved away from her and hooked his fingers into the top of her pajama bottoms, as she smiled up at him with her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. He smiled back, tugging her pants and panties down her long legs in one smooth motion, leaving her completely naked to his appreciative gaze. Tossing the discarded garments behind him, he gathered her into his arms once again as she wrapped all four long limbs around him, her obvious arousal rubbing against him.

They kissed hungrily for several more minutes before he slithered down her body, kissing and caressing every last inch of her bare flesh, as Kate quivered in delicious anticipation of where he was heading. He paused to press lingering kisses down the long scar under her ribs, feeling her heaving for breath under his hands. The low moans that she'd been emitting became louder, more strident the further down her body he moved. He could smell the warm, heady scent of her arousal as he opened her legs. He heard Kate suck in her breath as he kissed the insides of her thighs before finally moving between her legs.

"Castle," his name came out of her mouth as a breathy moan when she felt the first brush of his tongue against her. "More Castle, please? That feels so damn good."

Castle loved the way that she tasted; sweet, salty, and tangy. And she was so warm and wet. There were times when he thought he'd never get enough of her. He opened her legs wider, covering her entire mound with his mouth as she squirmed under him. He could feel her hands combing through his hair, holding him even tighter as he continued to pleasure her with his lips, tongue and teeth; nibbling, licking, and sucking. He longed to feel her climax under his probing mouth and fingers. He brushed over her clit lightly with his tongue before clamping down and sucking it into his mouth.

Kate could feel the tension coiling deep in her abdomen, building higher and higher with every swipe of Castle's expert tongue, every press of his fingers on her wet, swollen folds. She began to ride the wave of blissful release as it built, the tension building until it burst, leaving her screaming Castle's name with the intensity of her orgasm. She felt him continuing to gently lick and suck at her as she felt the wave beginning to build again. But this time, she wanted him inside of her.

"Castle, I need you . . . inside of me," she was breathless as she moved her hands down to his shoulders. "Please. I'm so ready to come again."

Castle moved his way back up her body, lining himself up in the 'v' between her legs. She reached down and stroked him before guiding him to her entrance. She let out a long, low moan at the feeling of him entering her still very sensitive core. She pulled him down, tasting herself on him as she kissed him hungrily, encouraging him to move by thrusting her hips up at him.

Gripping her by the hips, Castle began to thrust into her hard, hitting her clit and making her scream as she wound her legs high around his waist to change the angle and depth of his penetration. Sweat was pouring off of both of them when he wrapped his arms around her and rolled them so that she could be on top. "Fuck Kate," he growled, reaching up and covering her breasts with his hands. "You feel so hot right now."

"Tug on my nipples, Castle. Bite them, do something. Oh shit, I'm going to—" she threw her head back and screamed his name as she fluttered and pulsated around his length.

Castle rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefingers, feeling her continue to throb and clamp around him. He knew from experience that she wasn't done. He knew that she had at least one more orgasm in her before he came. Letting go of her breasts, he once again wrapped his arms around her as he moved to sit up. He wanted them to come together slowly, wrapped together as close as two people could possibly get. He sat up against the headboard and thrust up inside of her slowly, grinding against her clit when she moved against him.

She kissed him hungrily once again before moving to his neck. She sucked at his pulse point, gently biting and marking him as her property and hers alone. She loved getting possessive with him during sex. She loved knowing that he was completely hers. She couldn't wait to marry him. "Castle, are you close?"

"Uh-huh," he fondled her breasts, pulling on her nipples, listening to her whimper and whine as her movements against him became sloppy and frantic. He skimmed his hands down her back before moving down to where their bodies were joined. He swirled his finger against her wet, swollen clit, pressing and rubbing the way he knew that she liked.

"Shit, Castle! More! Harder!" She put her hands over his, frantically guiding him, their fingers moving together as both of them began moving faster.

He rolled them so that she was flat on her back once again as he thrust into her hard and fast, both of their fingers still working on her clit. She arched her back, her mouth opened in a silent scream of pure pleasure as she clamped down around him so hard that it was almost painful. Seconds later, she felt the warm gush of Castle's climax as he came deep inside of her.

For the next several minutes the only sound that could be heard in the bedroom was the harsh sound of their breathing and the soft sounds of lips meeting as they shared long, lingering kisses. The scent of their lovemaking was heavy in the air and they were both becoming chilled as the sweat cooled on their bodies.

Kate's body reacted in shivers when she felt Castle kissing her neck, his body heavy and warm on top of hers. She whimpered in a delicious orgasmic aftershock at the feel of him slipping from her depths. Her skin was still so sensitized that she was sure that she could go another few rounds. But she knew that her partner needed a little time. As he was so fond of reminding her at times, it wasn't like he was 20 anymore.

"Do you think that I can coax you into the bathtub?" He propped himself on his hands so that he could look into her eyes. "Then we'll come back in here and sleep for a little while."

She put her hands under his arms and pulled him back down to her, kissing his upper bicep as she clasped her hands behind him. "I want to stop being so scared of the tub, Castle."

"I know. I'll make it perfect like the last time. We'll get in the tub and you can tell me what you ladies talked about during your girls' day out," he grinned at her.

"Go start our bath," she kissed him once again before he rolled off of her and got out of bed, pulling the covers up over her so that she'd stay warm.

Kate curled into Castle's pillow, listening to the sound of the huge tub filling in the ensuite. The sound of the water went straight to her bladder. She threw back the blankets and scrambled to the bathroom, stopping short when she saw the candles scattered everywhere, the scent of vanilla heavy in the air. "Are you okay?" Castle turned to her after he finished lighting the last one.

"I have to pee," she squirmed as he began to laugh and discreetly left the room, allowing her some privacy.

While Kate was in the bathroom, Castle stripped the bed, replacing the soiled linens with fresh ones. He then walked over and tapped on the closed bathroom door. He was concerned when she didn't answer him. "Kate? Are you okay? I'm coming in," he opened the door and saw her staring, eyes wide in fear and terror, at the almost full bathtub. "Kate? It's okay. Focus on me. Come on, look at me. Remember what we talked about the last time? It's only water. It's not going to hurt you. Come on, Kate. Breathe and focus on my voice. Tell me that you hear me."

"Yeah, I hear you. It's just water. It doesn't have magical powers," she said, repeating Esposito's words from so long ago when he'd shown her the gun that had shot her. "You're going to get in first, right?"

"Yeah, I'll get in first."

He stepped into the tub and slowly sank into the hot water before reaching for her hand. Placing her hand in his, she followed him into the tub, sitting down and leaning back into him as he wrapped his arms and legs around, cocooning her securely against him, his lips brushing her temple.

"The water smells like lavender," she sighed happily, letting the heat relax her sore muscles, especially the delicious soreness between her legs. "You take such good care of me, Castle."

"That's because I love you," he whispered against her ear. "When we get out of here, I'm going to go make us a light breakfast and then you're going to sleep. I will stay right next to you the whole day. It's a perfect day for sleeping. It's too cold outside to do anything."

"I want to talk about our wedding," she yawned.

"We will, after you sleep for a few hours. Kate, you can't keep going like this. You're going to burn out if you do. I know that you want to be kept abreast of what's going on with the case, but you need to take care of yourself."

"Alexis and Lanie's dresses are so beautiful," she murmured sleepily. "Castle, I was thinking. If you'd rather have Alexis as part of your wedding party, that's okay."

"But, she was so thrilled when you asked her to be a bridesmaid."

"I know, but sometimes I think that she'd rather stand on your side. I'm not hurt, Castle," she insisted.

"I'll talk to her and see what she wants to do. We still have time."

"I'm so excited," she leaned against his shoulder, wrapping her hands around his arm. "I get so excited thinking about marrying you that I can't sleep."

He grinned, listening to her. He loved the changes in her since he'd asked her to marry him. She was so happy, so much more joyful. The darkness that had so long been a part of her since he'd first met her only made rare appearances now. He loved Happy Kate, the Kate that laughed, and was silly on occasion. The Kate that loved to make love with him just as they had just a short time before. The Kate that loved to cuddle close on the sofa as they ate popcorn and watched what they both referred to as mindless television. Those were sides of her he'd never seen before their engagement. Even after they'd started sleeping together, she'd kept herself walled off to an extent. Now she was freer with herself and with him.

"I can't wait to see this dress that you've been hiding from me."

"You can't wait to take that dress off of me," she kissed his bicep.

"I won't deny that."

"The girls want to throw me a bachelorette party. Castle, I have no desire to be entertained by a bunch of male strippers."

"Why? Javi and Ryan are throwing me a bachelor party and believe me; I have no problem being entertained by gorgeous strippers."

"Really?" She turned her head around to look at him.

"Jealous? I'll be thinking about you the whole time," he kissed her.

"I just think it's a stupid tradition. Go out, act stupid, get drunk, and have some strange guy's junk hanging in your face when he does a lap dance. I was a bridesmaid six different times and every single time, the bachelorette party was the most embarrassing thing ever."

"Kate, if you don't want a 'traditional' bachelorette party, just tell Lanie. Explain to her why you don't want to go that route. She's not going to throw you something that you'll hate. She's your best friend. Believe me, she will understand."

"I was thinking while I was driving home last night," she cuddled close to his chest again. "I think I'm going to ask Lanie to be my maid of honor. Like you said, she's my best friend. She deserves a higher status."

"I agree."

"Who's your best man going to be? Ryan or Espo?"

"I haven't decided, yet. Which one do you think I should choose?"

"Oh no. You're not going to make me decide. Apparently, I still have to decide who's going to sit next to whom at both the rehearsal dinner and the reception. We need to have invitations printed up and mailed. We have to hire a caterer. Oh my god, Castle. I still have so much to do!"

"Hey," he cuddled his arms around her chest. "Relax. We still have time. You need to rest. Besides, I've been through this before and so has mother. We'll help you with this. Let's wash up and go back to bed."

***CCC***

It was just after three in the afternoon. Castle had awakened a couple of hours earlier, but Kate had remained asleep. The light dusting of snow had begun to melt in the harsh March sunlight, but it was still cold, so Castle had started a fire in the fireplace. He'd then gone downstairs to retrieve his laptop from his office, bringing it up to the bedroom with him.

It was the clickety-clack of his fingers on his keyboard that finally began to bring Kate out of her slumber. She loved listening to him while he wrote. The sound of his creative genius at work comforted her. Whether he was writing a new scene for Nikki and Jameson or a something for Derek Storm, she loved listening to him at work.

"What time is it?" Her voice still had that sleepy quality that he loved.

"Almost three. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did," she smiled. "I feel almost human. What're you working on?" She sat up and moved closer to him as he turned the laptop so that she could see. She looked at the screen and then looked at him, a huge smile gracing her features. "Wow, Castle. This is nice."

"I can save it and email it to an engraver or we can buy the heavy stock to print them ourselves."

"Let's send it to an engraver. No offense, but they'll look more professional that way."

"No offense taken," he kissed her temple. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Then, let's go downstairs and make dinner."

They fell into an easy rhythm while standing side by side in the kitchen making dinner for the two of them. Castle had put some soft jazz on the iPod dock and had poured glasses of Cabernet for the two of them as they stirred and chopped, stealing kisses and touches as they moved around each other. "In the tub earlier, you talked about how excited you are to be marrying me," he looked at her as she smiled. "I lay awake at night after we've made love. I lay there and hold you in my arms, and I don't want to close my eyes for fear that I'll miss something. I can't wait to marry you, either."

She gave him her trademark huge grin before grabbing his face in her hands and giving him a hard kiss. "I love you."

"I know," he teased.

After dinner and cleaning up, they had a couple of glasses of wine before going back upstairs and making love again, this time more slowly, trying to draw out each touch, every sensation as long as they could before finally falling over the precipice. Castle tucked the comforter around them as he felt Kate wrap herself around him, one of her legs in between his, her favorite way to sleep. "Today was almost a perfect day," she murmured sleepily, her voice sounding slightly slurred.

"Almost?"

"It would've been perfect if this had been after our wedding."

"Soon, sweetie. Very soon," he kissed her forehead.

"Not soon enough, Castle."

He chuckled as she pressed herself closer to her. Once he knew that she was sleeping soundly once again, he closed his eyes and drifted off, his last thought being of the image of her walking down the aisle on her father's arm. She was right. That day wasn't coming soon enough.

A/N #3: The next chapter we're going to be back in the case. I just thought you'd want a brief respite before things get hot and heavy.

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