He could feel her body pulling away from his – cool air quickly filling the space between them. Sheepishly, he opened one eye… just to see if she was trying to sneak away without waking him. He smiled contentedly, noting she was just checking the time on her phone. She rolled, turning toward him and placing her arm across his bare chest. The warmth of her skin against his made staying in bed all day seem very appealing.

"Castle," she whispered, hoping to gently wake him. She continued when he hummed his acknowledgement, "I have to go."

"So soon?" he gasped, eyes shooting open dramatically, and holding her tighter than he had been before.

"I start work in just a few hours… and I have to go back to my place to shower and get ready." She explained, placing a soft kiss on the side of his mouth before sitting upright.

The sheet was very loosely wrapped around her body, drooping enough to expose the majority of her toned back. Castle couldn't help but allow his fingers to drift tenderly across the skin, raising goosepimples almost instantly. He would never get sick of the way she reacted to his touch. He shifted his body so that he could gently kiss the exposed skin above her hip. She shot him a warning look – "I don't have time…" he could sense a hint of disappointment, if he wasn't mistaken. He couldn't help himself – a smug grin crossed his face.

"I shall make you a coffee then… to go, of course." He got out of bed, putting on whatever clothes were within reach – in this case, a pair of boxers and a white cotton tee.

Walking to the kitchen, he wiped the last lingering traces of tiredness from his face. He could live with the early wake up if it meant waking up next to Katherine Beckett. He started on the coffee, making his way to the cabinet that held the disposable to-go cups.

"Did Detective Beckett leave her jacket here?" he heard from behind him. He turned to see Alexis descending the stairs, eyes fixed firmly on Beckett's jacket that had been slung over the back of one of the armchairs before dinner the night before.

"Oh… uh – I…" he wasn't exactly sure what to say in this situation.

Two things instantly popped into his mind – the first of which being that this would be the first time that there was even a slight chance of Alexis seeing a 'date' leaving the loft in a 'morning after' scenario. Although his daughter was very aware – too aware – of his 'playboy' reputation, he was always very careful to not involve her in that aspect of his life. Having been raised by a single mother, who had her fair share of romantic partners throughout his early years, he knew what it was like to invest in someone who had no intentions of sticking around. Alexis didn't deserve that.

The second thought was about how Beckett cherished her privacy and being able to do things in her own time, at her own comfortable pace. The detective wouldn't want to be broadcasting their relationship – not so early on – and he knew that. What he didn't know is to what extent… surely, she wouldn't expect him to keep her his dirty little secret… not from his family!

He looked toward his bedroom – still no sign of Beckett emerging.

He looked back to his daughter, who was now standing on the other side of the island counter, awaiting any sort of intelligible response from her father. She had picked up the jacket on her way past the lounge and was passing it across to him.

"You okay, dad?" she questioned.

He wanted to warn her – to give her a second to put on her poker face – but before he could, his 'overnight guest' stepped out of his room and into view.

"Detective Beckett." Alexis announced, taken aback by the seemingly sudden development. She had known her father had feelings for the detective – any fool could see that. But she hadn't known that this was something that was actually happening…

"Hi, Alexis." Beckett greeted, nervously.

"I, uh… I can get this back to her – no problem." He took the garment from his daughter's hands – his brain still catching up to the scene unfolding before his eyes.

Alexis let out an unamused chuckle. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." She had wondered how long this was going on – Beckett had, after all, been a welcomed guest in their home over the past several months. But she knew how important this relationship would have been to her father – why would he have kept it from her?

"Good morning!" Martha sang from the staircase.

Kill me, Castle thought to himself, hanging his head low and letting out a defeated sigh. Beckett took a deep breath, before joining Castle in the kitchen. They hadn't discussed when they would talk to others about the new development in their relationship… but obviously that time had come.

"Katherine, darling. You're still here?" Martha didn't even attempt to hide the surprise in her voice as she approached the kitchen, joining the others. After placing a quick peck on Alexis' forehead, she rounded the island, closer to where her son was standing. "Good on ya, kiddo." She winked and playfully nudged him in the ribs. An act, in which, Beckett could not help but smile at.

"I was just leaving, actually." Beckett took her jacket from Castle's grasp, allowing her hand to linger on his – silently wishing him luck with the conversation that would take place once she left. Although she would love to stay and be a part of it, she had to get going or she was going to be late. Just as she pulled her hand away, Castle grabbed her hand, gently keeping her from leaving.

"Call me if you get a case?" he asked, his eyes almost pleading.

"Always." She smiled, as he released his hold on her. He poured the coffee into the to-go cup and placed it in her hands.

"Thanks for the coffee." Deciding to embrace the freedom that came with this current, slightly awkward situation, she leant forward and kissed him goodbye. "Love you." She started to walk toward the door, only to freeze once she had realised the words that had just slipped from her mouth.

She couldn't help but note the silence that filled the room – everyone had heard her. There was no taking it back – not that she wanted to, anyway. She knew how she felt about him – obviously, as she had just told him so casually. But she had held onto those words because saying them aloud had been such a big moment that she wasn't ready for. She turned to look at him – and of course he had a stupid big grin on his face. Why wouldn't he?

"If you want, I can just pretend I didn't hear that so that you can pretend you are still in control of this." He teased, smile still glued to his face.

"No," she replied, thoughtfully, shaking her head. "That's okay…"

Alexis was the first to speak, once Beckett had left.

"I think we have some catching up to do…"

A/N: I made a mistake and now have to re-write my final chapters, so please hang in there! I'll do my best to make it worth the wait, I promise!