Chapter 11:
Of Dreams and Other Things
Castle was having a rough time sleeping. Every time he tried, he thought of Beckett and last night's events, including the hot tub scene and dinner. His attraction to her was quickly becoming hard to reign in, he realized. He really didn't want to screw this up for the both of them. He had gone through all of his past relationships in his head, looking for points where he did or said the wrong things that ended the relationship. He really wanted whatever he and Kate were quickly becoming to be the real deal. He wanted to show her that he wasn't just some schoolboy on the playground, and that he was really quite serious about her—and about them.
Sighing, he turned over in his bed for the thousandth time. She was only a few feet away, but it felt so much more than that. What he wouldn't give just to go into her room, crawl into bed with her, and hold her while she slept-
He shook himself from his reverie, listening. Something wasn't right. Usually, nothing could be heard in the dark of the night.
Whatever it was sounded again. A moan, perhaps?
Castle shot up from the bed, intending to search for the source of the noise. As he drew closer to Beckett's room, the noise got louder and louder. Cracking open the door, he saw her wrestling with some unknown demon in her sleep, crying out. He walked to her side of the bed, gently sitting down so as not to wake her. He soothed her damp hair away from her face, then placed both hands on her shoulders to try to shake her awake.
She was running. From what, she wasn't entirely sure. She could hear footsteps after her, and a distorted voice calling out her name. As much as she tried, she couldn't see who was following her. Dark mazes of alleyways appeared all around her, until she happened upon a spot that always haunted her dreams. A body was lying there, face down. She knelt to turn it over, but felt her pursuer suddenly grab her and hold her tight. Her dream shifted to her apartment. She was still in the arms of someone, but she still couldn't make out his face. In the dark, it didn't matter. He was doing things to her that were better than anything she'd ever experienced in her waking life. Stripping her bare, he gazed upon her, face hidden in the shadows. His eyes were strangely familiar. She tried to speak, but he silenced her with a kiss so soft she thought he was trying to touch the very depths of her soul with that simple action. She didn't react to it at first, trying to think of someone who would bother to take the time to do something like that. Demming had been gone for a while, and their relationship had been so fleeting that she had almost no recollection now of anything that had happened between them. There was only one person who could do this.
Richard Castle.
Reluctantly, she detached herself from her lover in order to really get a good look at his face. Sure enough, Castle's face smiled softly back at her, but only for a second. He then resumed his earlier actions by stealing her breath away for another kiss. This time, the kisses they shared grew more and more passionate, causing Kate to moan and press herself more firmly against him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and ground herself onto his throbbing erection. Her efforts didn't go unnoticed by him as he let out a groan of frustration, breaking off their kiss.
"Kate."
A new rush of wetness enveloped her core at the sound of him moaning her name. She decided that she enjoyed it so much, she wanted to hear it again.
"Kate, wake up."
Now, she was completely confused. Wasn't she already awake? Castle had completely stopped kissing her, and was now softly shaking her.
Kate awoke with a start, meeting the concerned face of the man who had just moments ago haunted her dreams. She hoped that he wouldn't figure out what was going on in her mind. The way he was looking at her was a little disturbing.
Castle frowned, concerned for her. "Kate, what the hell was going on? I could hear you groaning in your sleep, like something was hurting you," he inquired, brushing a lock of hair away from her eyes.
"What are you doing here?" she deflected, not really willing to admit that she had had one of the most erotic dreams in her life, starring the man before her.
"You woke me up," he answered simply. "I was having trouble sleeping anyway, so it wasn't entirely your fault, but then I heard noises coming from your room. Therefore, I came in to check on you. You're very loud when you're sleeping, you know that?"
Beckett rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Castle. I just had a bad dream. Nothing more, nothing less."
"That didn't sound like it was nothing. It sounded like a hell of a lot of something."
"I was running," she started, "I'm not sure from what, though. I never got a good look at it. I then ran into an alleyway that I recognized as the same one my mom was found in. There was a body there, and I knelt down to turn it over to see who it was. After that, you woke me up," she said, not meeting his eyes.
He considered her for a moment, then asked, "Why do I get the feeling that there's something you're not telling me? From the way that you're acting, There's got to be more to it than that."
"I swear, that was it. Nothing else happened. What time is it?"
"It's a little after 7," he replied. "I'm still exhausted, so I think I'm going to go back to bed for a few more hours. You don't look like you slept well either. That nightmare must have been a hell of one."
Beckett yawned, finally realizing how tired she really was. Castle got up to leave her alone, but she stopped him.
"Castle?"
He turned, meeting her eyes. "What?"
"Stay."
"Huh?" he responded, clearly confused as to her request.
"Stay with me. Only if you want to. I just don't want to be alone right now. That nightmare is still haunting me, and I'd feel much better if you were here to wake me up."
"Katherine Beckett, are you suggesting that we sleep together?" he asked with mock astonishment.
"If you don't wipe that smug grin off your face and get yourself over here, then I'll just have to revoke my invitation."
She didn't need to ask him twice, for he bounded up to the bed and flounced dramatically upon it, as well as landing on top of Beckett as well. After the shock wore off, he rolled off of her with a laugh. He then noticed the funny look on her face and immediately became concerned all over again. He settled himself on his side, facing her, and pulled her to him so that her back was pulled flush against his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling the covers over them both so that they formed a protective circle around Beckett.
He inhaled sharply as she relaxed and pushed herself more firmly against him, the movement allowing him to take in her scent.
"Kate?" he asked.
She sighed sleepily before responding. "Hmmm?"
Castle hesitated before answering. "You still smell like cherries."
A/N: Here is the next installment of my story before I go on vacation (as promised). I hope you liked reading it! I wanted to make this chapter a little light and fluffy, with a little steaminess placed in. As always, REVIEW!
