Beckett laid in bed, staring at the roof, head spinning just the tiniest bit. She wasn't drunk... but she had definitely had more wine than she had planned. And now she lay in bed, not able to sleep despite having felt so physically drained earlier today. Well, yesterday... it was officially Saturday morning, and the sun would be rising in just a few short hours.

She had heard Lanie sneaking down the hallway over an hour ago - it didn't take a genius to figure out where she was headed. Part of her was curious if she would be sneaking back soon, or if they would choose to stay wrapped in each other's arms and risk being seen exiting the room together in the morning. Not that anyone here would say anything... everyone was aware of the back-and-forth nature of Lanie and Espo's relationship. Ryan would make the occasional remark about getting whiplash... but Beckett could see how it could be comforting to have someone that you can love and trust, but not have all the pressures of a relationship.

Beckett decided she didn't want to just lay there anymore. She threw the blankets off and sluggishly pulled herself out of bed. How was it that her body was so out of sync with her racing mind right now? She tiptoed down the hallway, down the stairs and into the kitchen. She gently pulled open the refrigerator door, blinking and squinting when the sudden brightness assaulted her eyes. She pulled out the container of leftover fruit that she had packed away earlier in the night. Placing a few pieces of melon and a handful of strawberries onto a plate, she packed the rest back into the fridge and headed back to her room, already picking at the plate in her hands. She made it to the bottom of the stairs when she noticed a soft glow from the slightly ajar door to the office - was Castle still awake?

She took a step closer, listening for any sign that he was awake. She heard his voice, soft and low so he didn't wake any of his guests. This must have been his scheduled call to Gina. Beckett was about to head upstairs when she heard Castle say goodbye, followed by the soft thud of his phone being tossed onto the desk and an exasperated sigh. She took a deep breath and headed toward the dimly lit room and knocked softly on the door, accidentally pushing it open more than it already was. Through the opening, she saw Castle look up, obviously surprised to see her.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" He asked, already apologetic.

"Uh, no. Couldn't sleep." She stepped through the door, entering his space. "Hungry?" She asked, holding up the plate of fruit she had served for herself.

"Yeah, actually." He smiled, stepping closer to her. She picked up a strawberry for herself before passing the remainder of the plate over to Castle. He popped a piece of melon into his mouth and moaned softly. "That's so good." His eyes practically rolling back into his head. He had definitely inherited his mother's dramatics. She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile.

He looked back at Beckett as she bit into the strawberry. Sleep deprivation may have been playing tricks on her... she could swear she saw him lick his lips. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea, so she opened her mouth to say something... But she quickly realised that she didn't know why she was here. Why was she standing in his office in the early hours of the morning?

"Is everything okay?" He broke the awkward silence, seeing as she apparently couldn't.

"I was just getting a snack and saw you were still awake. I guess I just wanted to check in." Her heart had started to beat faster - she couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment that had started. Castle took a step closer to her and the beating seemed to pick up the pace yet again.

Check in? She wasn't even really sure what that meant in this context. What she really wanted to do was tell him she remembered his confession of love... and to ask if he still felt that way. But this was definitely not the right time.

"Book is finished." He said with a smile. Oh yes, checking in on book progress - that seemed logical.

"Oh. That's good." She was genuinely surprised. Castle usually procrastinated as long as possible - and he had the whole weekend to finish his chapter.

"Yeah... I killed off Nikki."

What?

It felt like the rapid beating in her chest had stopped altogether for a brief moment. Why would he kill her?

"I'm kidding." He laughed, stepping closer once again. The distance between them almost closed. If he wanted to - which part of him did - he could reach out and touch her. "Is everything okay?" He asked again, this time dipping his head to force eye contact with her. He was growing concerned at this point. "You seem a little..."

"I'm fine. A little bit of a wine haze... but I'm fine." She nodded, finally understanding what was happening. Wine had made her brave... brave enough to bring herself this far, anyway. But was she brave enough to ask the question that plagued her mind daily? Definitely not. "I should let you get some sleep."

She told herself that the disappointment in his eyes was definitely her mind playing tricks on her, but when he reached out for her, she couldn't bring herself to pull away. He whispered her name, and she could hear the concern. It broke her heart.

"Kate, I know something is wrong. You can talk to me... about anything. You know that, right?"

Every part of her was screaming, run!

And usually, that's exactly what she would have done. These moments aren't rare... and in every instance she has pushed him further away. But that's not what she's been working on. In private, she's been actively taking steps to bring them closer together. But she wasn't ready for the conversation that needed to be had. And in all honesty, she knew he wasn't ready to hear the truth. He would be angry - understandably - and if not handled the right way, all their progress would be lost. And they had come so far. She had never felt closer... and yet there was still an incredible distance.

But she was tired of running. She stepped forward, closing the distance between them and moving her hand up to rest her hand on his cheek. She hesitated for a second, offering him time to pull away if he wanted to. When he didn't, she leaned forward And pressed her lips against his. For a moment he doesn't kiss her back and fear spreads across her entire body. She pulls away and looks into his eyes - she can see that he is confused. He obviously was not expecting that. And honestly, neither was she. Just as doubt starts to fill her mind, he grabs her waist and pulls her as close as physically possible. His mouth finds hers again, and he kisses her passionately.

They let their hands explore each other, only parting when they both need air.

Each kiss grows deeper and more passionate than the last and before she has time to re-evaluate the situation, he begins to pull back.

But he's not parting from her, instead he is gently guiding her to move with him and she obediently follows.

After just a few steps, he practically falls onto the couch. She knows that it folds out - but there's no time to fuss with that now. He shuffles himself back onto the couch comfortably and she places a knee either side of him, lowering herself to sit over his lap. He ran his hands up her spine and she quivered at his touch.

Their eyes meet and she can see that he is asking her for permission to continue - always the gentleman. She smiles, then reaches down to grab the edges of her top, pulling them back over her head and exposing herself to him.

Permission granted.