DISCLAIMERS: Nope, not mine.

SUMMARY: Castle and Beckett finally reconnect.

A/N #1: Note the change in ratings. If M-rated stuff isn't your cup of tea, you can skip this chapter and wait for Chapter 14. This is just a bit of fluff and smut before everything gets serious once again. There is a short time jump in this chapter.

A/N #2: Thanks to Kelly, Jo, Angie and my team of muses.

A/N #3: People repeatedly are telling me that I shouldn't respond to trolls. For the most part I'm trying hard to follow this advice, but sometimes I get reviews that I just have to respond to. This is to the troll, who is posting under the guise of being a guest reviewer. Because, let's face it, you're no longer a reviewer; you are a troll. If this story is getting 'old,' as you put it, WHY ARE YOU STILL READING IT?

FORGETTING

CHAPTER 13: Reconnecting at Last

Three weeks later

"How are things going with you and Writer-Boy?" Lanie was sitting across from Kate in a small restaurant, where they'd agreed to meet.

"Well, it's going," Kate turned her focus to the salad in front of her.

"And what does that mean?"

"I'm remembering more things about our lives together," Kate looked up, taking a breath before she continued speaking. "But I don't remember our first time. Lanie, I love him. I've never felt this way about anyone. I want to make love to him and with him . . . "

"But you want to remember your first time together?" Lanie guessed. "Sweetie, that's perfectly understandable. What does Castle say?"

"He says he's going to follow my lead. Did I tell you about it?"

"Every excruciating detail, but not until a few months after the fact. None of us knew about you and Castle for a couple of months after it started. You were worried about Capt. Gates finding out."

"I would've been brought up on an ethics violation even though Castle wasn't a cop."

"That was your biggest worry. Kate, you're going to remember. That was one of the biggest nights of your life. There's no way you're not going to remember it."

"I need to get back," Kate glanced at her watch. "Will has a meeting scheduled for all of us in about an hour."

"Do you know what it's about?"

"No. It's probably a strategy session. I'll call you later."

When Kate arrived at the precinct, the boys and Castle were already in one of the conference room, waiting for Will. "Sorensen's on the phone in your office. He said he'll be in here as soon as he can," Ryan said as Kate sat down beside Castle.

"How was your lunch with Lanie?" He asked, reaching under the table for her hand.

"Good," she allowed him to take her hand, instantly feeling his fingers curl around hers.

Over the past few weeks, memories had started resurfacing. Kate now remembered most events from the past seven years except for the night she'd first made love with Castle. Dr. Burke thought she was blocking it out for a specific reason. He had suggested that she was afraid to allow herself to love Castle again for fear of hurting him somehow.

Will entered the office with Agent Avery. "This doesn't look good," Castle whispered to Kate.

"I've been on a conference call with my bosses in DC and 1PP for the past hour. The bottom line is that both Agent Avery and I have been pulled from the case and ordered back to DC immediately."

"Is it because there have been no new leads in the case?" Kate asked.

"That is the primary reason," he confirmed. "However, 1PP has promised to send you someone to assist with the investigation. They will be here first thing tomorrow morning. In the meantime, it has been suggested that you continue to work on your current cases since the murder of Mr. Singh isn't the only active case in this precinct right now."

"If we get new leads, will you come back?" Espo asked.

"No. I'm being sent to Alaska to work a serial murder case with the Anchorage PD."

"I hope you pack a parka," Castle quipped.

After the meeting broke up, Kate followed Will to her office, watching as he put everything back into his briefcase. "Do you know who 1PP is sending over as your replacement? Is it somebody that we can trust?"

"They're sending over your former captain, now Deputy Chief Victoria Gates. She's already been brought up to speed on the latest developments."

"What developments? We've got nothing, Will."

"You've got nothing, yet. Something will pop. Kate, you know that some things take time."

"Like solving my mother's murder?"

"Exactly."

"No offense, Will, but I don't want to spend the next seven years looking over my shoulder, waiting for someone to kill me or someone else that I love."

"Let Tory do her job. In the meantime, work the other open homicides with your team."

"Can I call you if anything comes up?"

"Kate, I'm going to be in Alaska. You can do this."

"That's what Castle always tells me."

"Sounds like good advice to me. Take care of yourself. Let Castle take care of you. It looks like he's done an awesome job, so far."

"Yeah, I guess he has," she smiled.

Kate was sitting at her desk after Will and Avery had left when Castle rapped on her door. "I was wondering if I could buy you a drink," he popped his head in the door. "You look like you could use one."

"That sounds nice," she got up and grabbed her coat, slipping into it as she followed Castle to the elevator. "Where are we going?"

"Oh, just a little place that I know and love," he replied, staring up at the ceiling.

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting across from each other beneath his picture at The Old Haunt, Castle with a glass of Scotch and Kate with a glass of red wine. "I can't believe that you still own this place," she looked around at the pictures on the wall.

"Well, it's not the most popular place in town, but it does okay," he reached across the table for her hand, rubbing his fingers over her wedding ring. "I love you."

"I love you, too. And I want you so badly. I really do. But I want to remember the first time that we were together."

"Why is it so important that you remember that? We were great, you know."

"I'm sure that we were," she smiled shyly. "Rick, that night is important to me for so many reasons. Men don't get that."

"Can I give you hints to help you remember?"

"No," she shook her head. "It'll come."

"I hope one of us does. Soon. Is that why you won't sit in the booth with me?"

"No. I'm sitting across from you so that I can look at you while we talk. Can we talk about something else?"

"Okay," he signaled for another round of drinks. "So, Captain . . . I mean, Deputy Chief Gates. How do you feel about her helping us?"

"I feel good. Most of my memories of her are good ones. Not as good as the ones that I have of Roy, but I remember her as being fair. Tough, but fair. And not a particular fan of yours."

"That changed after a while. I still wasn't her favorite person, but she softened her stance somewhat." Castle's memories went back to when Kate had been kidnapped by Kelly Neiman. Gates had been the one who'd convinced him to find out what Tyson's story was. That had led them to getting Kate back.

"How did she react when she learned that we were a couple?"

"It turns out that she'd known about it for a while. She ignored it as long as we didn't flaunt it around the precinct."

"I take it that making out in the supply closet was forbidden, then?" Kate smiled.

"Yes, but it didn't stop us."

She looked at him, feeling her skin flush at the way his eyes were so focused on her. There was something about his eyes that was so mesmerizing. After a few beats, she looked down at her wine glass, swirling her finger around the rim. "It's getting late. We should head back home."

Winter was still holding onto the city, but it was a clear night, so they walked slowly back toward the loft, taking in the sounds of the city and the bustle of people still hurrying about their business. It was a part of living in New York that Kate had always loved. She had fun with Castle as they made up stories about the different people that they saw hailing cabs or running into restaurants or bars.

When they reached the loft, Eduardo tipped his cap to Kate as Castle led her inside and to the elevator. She leaned into his side as he dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. They stepped inside and he locked the door behind them. She walked over to the stairs and stood watching him, unsure of what to say next. "I had a nice time tonight, Castle. Thank you for the drinks. Goodnight."

"Kate," he called after her before approaching her. "I . . . I—"

He cupped her face in his hands, his lips descending on hers, his kiss slow and completely unhurried, but Kate felt the intensity in it, nonetheless. She felt herself pressing against him, moaning against the feel of his mouth on hers. But she knew that she had to stop. As badly as she wanted him to take her into his . . . their bedroom and have his way with her, she knew that she had to stop it. She needed to remember their first time together. She didn't want to create a new first time. "Castle," she finally managed to move back from him, her lips swollen, her eyes bright. "Goodnight, Castle."

She turned and hurried up the stairs, going into the guest room and closing the door, standing against it, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. "The door," she whispered. "Fuck. The door."

'What do you want, Beckett?'

'You. I just want you.'

'What happened?'

'He got away and I didn't care. I almost died and all I could think about was you. I just want you.'

She placed her hands on her chest, unbuttoning the top button of her blouse and pressing her fingers against the scar from her bullet wound. She could still feel Castle's lips, scorching hot, against her scar, on her neck and throat. She remembered how aroused she'd been when she'd reached down for his hand, wrapping her fingers around his much larger digits and leading him into his own room. She remembered standing at his bed, as his eyes sought hers. And lastly she remembered him laying her so gently onto his bed before they made love. It felt so real not to be anything more than a memory of that night.

She made her way back downstairs to the master bedroom. Castle wasn't in there, but she could hear the shower running from behind the closed bathroom door. She was so confused, but she knew that as confused as she was, Castle had to be even more so. Not to mention incredibly hurt.

Under the icy cold shower in the master bath, Castle let the water wash over his body, pushing down the arousal that raced hotly through him. How could he make Beckett understand that there was nothing wrong with creating new memories? He had heard her moan when he was kissing her. She only moaned like that when she was really turned on. He'd discovered that during their very first time. Actually he'd discovered it even earlier than that when he'd kissed her during their undercover assignment to rescue the boys from Lockwood. That moan had been the cause of a lot of erotic dreams.

He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel from the rack and wrapping it around his waist. Still damp with dripping hair, he opened the bathroom door and stepped into his bedroom, stopping short when he saw Kate sitting on the edge of his bed, her hands pressed between her knees. "The front door. I don't know how I remembered that, but I remember you kissing me against your front door. Then I brought you in here. You acted like I was going to break."

"I . . . I couldn't believe that you were here," he sat down beside her on the bed. "For a few seconds, I was pretty sure I'd forgotten how to do it. And by it—"

"I know what you mean. For a second, I forgot how to do it, too," her smile was huge. "But we recovered pretty quickly."

"Yeah, we did," he agreed. "Can I please kiss you again?"

"I think you'd better," her eyes were so bright and happy that it made his heart soar.

Bending down, his lips captured hers in a kiss that started soft, but didn't stay that way for long. Kate's arms slipped around his neck, feeling the dampness of his skin as she melted into him, moaning into his mouth. After a few minutes, she pulled back and palmed his face with her hands, her smile the huge, happy one he loved so much. She then scooted back toward the center of the bed, tugging him with her. Along the way, his towel came untucked, falling away from his body. "You lost your towel," she managed to laugh before he fell across her.

"It's okay," he laughed with her. "I was going to lose it eventually, anyway. What else do you remember about that night?"

"That you were right. We were amazing."

"We still are," he kissed her again, clutching her to him so that he could roll them, relishing the feel of her weight on him.

He unbuttoned her blouse and helped her to pull it off of her shoulders, tossing it somewhere behind her before he went to work on the front clasp of her bra, slipping it off of her arms and throwing it in the same direction as her blouse. She bent down to kiss him again, her hair forming a curtain around them. Castle's hands mapped out her bare back, familiarizing himself once again with the contours of her spine. He groaned at the feel of her naked breasts pressing against his chest. She felt so warm, so much like home. "My pants, Castle," she whispered into his mouth. "I want you to take off my pants. I need to be completely naked with you."

Castle's grin was huge as he kissed her senseless before rolling them once again, his fingers reaching into the waistband of her jeans and opening them before standing up and pulling them down her legs as she raised her hips to assist him. She could see how aroused he was, how hard. She longed to touch him, to taste him. Her eyes met his before she struggled to sit up, reaching for him, hearing his sharp intake of breath when she wrapped her hand around him. "Kate, please," he swallowed hard when he felt her replace her hand with her tongue.

"Please what, Castle?" She teased, taking him in deep, feeling his death grip on her shoulder as he fought for composure.

"Kate, we haven't touched each other in almost two months," Castle gritted his teeth to keep from exploding in the warm cavern of her mouth. "You really need to stop."

"Well, when you put it like that," she released him from her mouth with a soft 'pop' before reaching for him, latching her mouth to his as he lowered her back to the mattress, crawling up over her. "And since we haven't touched in two months, I need for you to touch me right now. Make me scream, Castle."

"Okay," he grinned against her mouth before sliding his fingers down to the lace panties that she was still wearing, slowly sliding them down her legs before Kate managed to kick them off and onto the floor. "You feel so good."

"Oh shit, Castle," she cried out at the first press of his fingers against her warm, wet, swollen flesh.

Kate had told Castle that she wanted him to make her scream, something he was extremely good at. He knew exactly how to touch her and where to make her come multiple times. She hooked one leg over his hip, bucking against him, matching the rhythm of his fingers. Castle's lips traveled down to Kate's neck, latching onto her pulse point while his fingers kept busy between her legs. He knew that she was close by the frantic way she was moving beneath him and by the sounds that were pouring from her throat.

The memories of their first night together didn't even come close to how good Castle was making her feel right at this very moment. "Castle," she reached down for the hand that he had between her legs. "I need you in me right this minute. I want to come the second that you're inside of me and then . . . and then—"

"And then you're going to fuck my brains out?" He smiled down into her eyes.

"Yeah, that," she reached down, guiding him to her, letting out a loud sigh of pleasure at the feel of him filling her. "Fuck, you feel fantastic. Now take your fingers and touch me because I'm about to come hard."

She wasn't kidding. The second that Castle pressed his fingers back to her swollen clit and thrust into her a couple of times, Kate went off like a bottle rocket, wrapping her legs around his thighs and screaming into his chest.

"Are you good?" Castle couldn't resist asking.

"I'm perfect. How about yourself?"

"Oh, I'm great. I haven't been this good in months," he claimed her mouth with his own, thrusting gently into her while they kissed hungrily.

Still kissing Castle, Kate wrapped all four limbs around him before expertly rolling them so that he was now underneath her. He brought his hands up to her breasts, rolling and pinching her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. He watched Kate moving up and down on him, both feet planted on the bed, her head thrown back in pleasure. Watching her was always the sexiest thing ever. He would never get tired of watching her. He struggled to sit up, instantly feeling Kate wrap her long legs around him while he continued to thrust into her, one of their favorite lovemaking positions. Kate kissed every inch of bare skin she could reach, Castle's shoulders, biceps, and chest before smudging her lips against his.

"I love you, Castle," she whispered against his lips. "I love you so fucking much."

"I love you, too," he could feel her squeezing around him. "Come with me, Kate."

Instead of answering, she once again reached for his hand, bringing it down to where they were joined. He began rubbing her clit in circles, listening to Kate's screams of ecstasy as she tightened around him. Feeling her squeezing him was all that it took for him to empty himself with a loud cry.

Kate stayed wrapped around Castle, feeling the rapid beating of his heart against her own heart. She groaned when she felt him slip out of her before he carefully rolled them over onto the bed. He brushed her hair from her face before softly kissing her. "That was amazing."

"Yeah, it was. I have a question, though."

"What?"

"Do we . . . am I . . . do we use any kind of protection?"

"You have an IUD. You told me when we first started sleeping together that you couldn't take the pill."

"That's right. I can't. I mean, if we weren't using anything, I'd be okay."

"You wouldn't mind having a baby?"

"Well, maybe not right this second. I want to put LokSat away first. Then we can talk about making Castle babies."

"We're going to find him, and we're going to put him away."

"Are you scared?"

"Are you?" He threw the question back at her.

"I'm terrified, but I'm glad that I have you to back me up."

"We're going to be okay, Kate," he lay down, smiling when she settled on his chest as he let his fingers trail up and down her spine. "Are you asleep?"

"Not yet. Why?"

"I was just wondering."

"Why? Are you thinking the same thing that I'm thinking?"

"Are you thinking about round two in the shower?"

"Maybe," she smiled against his chest, raising up so that she could share more kisses with him.

After a rousing second round in the shower which had both of their cries echoing off of the bathroom tiles, they returned to bed, cuddling together, kissing and touching. "I've missed this," Castle nibbled on her neck. "I've missed you."

"I've missed this, too. But we need to get some sleep. I have an early appointment with Dr. Burke before we go to the precinct."

"So, are you going to tell Dr. Burke that you spent the night fucking your husband's brains out?" His lips moved to her earlobes.

"Uh, Dr. Burke doesn't want or need all of the details of my . . . our sex life."

"What are you going to tell him, then?" He began sliding down the length of Kate's body under the sheets, nudging her thighs apart.

"Oh, I'm sure that I'll think of something," Kate groaned loudly at the feel of Castle's lips on her inner thighs. "Oh shit, Castle. You feel so damn good."

***CCC***

"How are you this morning?" Dr. Burke couldn't notice that Kate seemed more than a little sleep deprived. "How is your memory? Have you remembered anything?"

"Yes," she looked her doctor right in the eye before continuing. "I remember everything."

A/N #4: The case will resume in the next chapter. I just wanted to give everybody a break from all of the angst.

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