They ended up making love in the woods, both climbing highs with newfound light. Kate's never had sex in the woods before and from their small sleepy talk after she knew he hadn't either which made this both of their first time. Castle had revealed he'd thought she had and when she'd given him a look asking him why he'd explained that since she's part wolf he'd just halfway expected it. She'd huffed and reminded him that he was the first one outside her blood who knew about her secret and that she'd never gone out camping with friends due to that fact. She hadn't wanted her friends to suddenly find out by her accidentally shifting in her sleep. He'd asked her about that, did she really shift in her sleep? It had happened. But only when she slept in the woods, never when she slept in a bed. That had gotten his brain going, asking questions like: what could that mean? Did it mean she was more animal in the woods than human? Did she feel animalistic right that moment? She'd sleepily done her best to answer every question until she got tired of it and slowly had started a round two just to steer his thoughts to a place she wanted to meet them in. When they were once again calming down she couldn't stop trickling her fingers around his naked chest. The only thing that kept her from dozing off was the fact that she didn't want to turn so close to him, also she liked snuggling with him too much.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked and she looked up to meet his eyes.

She chuckled when she saw all that excitement in his eyes along with the constant curiosity. "Not really thinking about anything in particular, just enjoying the moment," she said and he hummed while his fingers caressed her naked back, giving her goosebumps.

She yawned, feeling the tiredness from the run and, other, activities taking over her body. It wasn't a good idea for her to sleep out there though, and she tried to keep her eyes open.

"We should probably head back to the cabin, you're tired and so am I," he said before laying his lips on top of her head in a gentle kiss.

She hummed and it took about another five seconds before they raised from the ground and while he grabbed his boxers she picked up his shirt to hand it to him. He looked at her and then it was like something hit him because his eyes went from her to him and then all around them as if he was looking at something.

"What?" she asked and held out his shirt for him.

"You don't have any clothes." He stated it with such surprise she couldn't not laugh.

"I don't need any," she shrugged with a big smile on her lips, trying to reassure him as best she can.

"Yeah but… here," he hands her his boxers and she gives him a questioning look. "I know you don't need them to stay warm but please, it looks uncomfortable." He gave her a pleading look and she bit her lip.

"You just want me to wear your clothes," she teased and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Didn't have it in mind but yeah, I'd love to see that too," he glanced her body up and down with his eyes and she could imagine how flushed her body must've looked.

She accepted his boxers and once again held out his shirt to him but he just shook his head with a smirk dancing on his lips and she grinned with her tongue between her teeth. Without having to say anything more she starts pulling on his boxers and putting on his shirt as he is satisfied with only putting on his pants and shoes. Once they're both dressed, or half-dressed that is, their hands clasped together and Kate started to lead him on a different route than the one that took them there. At first Castle asked where they were going but Kate simply told him they were actually closer to the cabin than he might've thought, that she'd made their route to end just about the length of a block away from the cabin.

Slipping inside the cabin Kate heard her partner shudder behind her and realized that he must be cold. No matter how hard he tried to hide it she could hear the way his heart tried to pump warmth through his veins to keep him warm. Sure, he might not have been cold a couple minutes ago but now his body had managed to lower its temperature.

"You stay here and I'll just go get some wood for us to make a fire," she told him and was out the door before he could protest.

Castle didn't even manage to turn around until she was gone and while he pouted for missing it he was amazed by her speed. He wondered if the speed was something he'd seen before but just not noticed. It was the speed by the funeral that had caught his eyes, but he couldn't remember ever thinking about it any earlier. It was weird considering how closely he'd been watching her this whole time. Which most likely meant she knew how closely he'd been watching her and never told him she knew. She'd probably been able to sense his staring. All those times he thought he was secretly observing her she probably knew and tried not to show her irritation. As he stood and thought about all those things he did that she must've known about he felt his cheeks go warm with the blush.

"What are you thinking about?" Her voice startled him and he jerked around to find her coming in through the door again with some wood she was carefully setting in place in order for them to make a cozy fire.

He swallowed but figured it wasn't like he could make it undone. "I just started thinking about all those times you must've noticed me looking at you but didn't show you knew."

She chuckles with irritation embedded in the sound. "Yeah, you have no idea how many times I was close to snapping at you." Castle couldn't stop looking at her, observing her. He watched as she placed the last piece of wood before lighting up the fire immediately illuminating her beauty. God she's so beautiful. And she's still wearing his shirt and it kind of made him want her more. Made him love her more. "You're staring," she said with a bite to her lower lip, her arms sliding across her body to hold herself.

He smiled, taking a few slow steps closer to be able to put his hands on her waist, pulling her body closer to his, hypnotized by the illumination dancing on her. "You're beautiful," he whispered. "And now I'm finally allowed to say it out loud."

Kate felt her heart pick up along with his, their noses being so close they almost touched. Hearing their hearts synchronize made her body melt in his hands. She bit her lip again, glancing down before looking into his blue eyes again.

"What?" he asked and she let go of a giggle, shaking her head.

"Nothing, it's just… here," she uncrossed her arms in order to grab one of his hands in order to place it over her heart. "I'm not sure if you can feel it but…"

"Your heartbeat and mine are beating in sync," he ended her sentence and she nodded. "You can hear it?" he questioned with excitement in his eyes.

"Yeah." Once the word was out his lips kissed hers in a soothing and electrifying way. It was the kind of kiss that could make you do anything just to feel it again. It was definitely addicting and when they pulled apart again she felt as if she was in a haze.

"If you turn me will I be able to hear it too?" he questioned and she felt her eyes pop open as she started shaking her head.

"I'm not turning you," she growled low.

"Why not?" He tried acting sad and upset about it but she had a feeling he was too excited about it in order to be anything close to upset.

"For a good reason," she humphed trying to turn in his grip without succeeding. Of course she could've if she truly wanted out of his embrace.

"Like what?" he asked, pulling her closer again, watching as the light danced across her face while waiting for her answer.

He was catching her off-guard and she didn't like it. He looked so serious and felt so good against her. Just imagining him being the same as her was exciting, thrilling. Running in the woods with him, play tag with him. All the things she wanted to do when she was a kid and didn't get to do because she didn't know anyone like her. She couldn't stop the images running through her mind, having a wolf run beside her, what if they would play-fight as well?

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?" he startled her with his accurate conjecture.

"No," she snapped, too quick for him to actually believe it. Hell, she wouldn't have believed it herself.

"Listen," he said with a calmer voice. "Didn't you say your dad blamed himself for not turning your mom? What if…"

"No!" she said sternly, her finger pointing at him in the air. "Don't use that. Don't you ever use that! Because if that's your reason I will make sure you won't shadow me anymore."

He scoffed and gave her a look. "Are you crazy, the only reason I want to turn is to be closer to you." It took a beat, or a few heartbeats, and then he added, "The fact that I'd get to be a superhuman is just a plus," and shrugged his shoulders.

She smacked his shoulder at that and he chuckled as he ducked down and kissed her lips slow like that again. Making her melt again. This time he didn't let go of her for quite a while and her knees were almost giving out, the only thing keeping her up being his arms still wrapped around her.

Once they parted she snuggled closer to him, into the crook of his neck, and just enjoyed his embrace. "I don't want to turn you because just like dad was afraid mom's body would reject the change I'm afraid your body will reject it. Plus I don't want you to have to decide between me or Alexis. I want you to stay human and not have to watch your every move. I want you to live a normal life," she looked up at him, seeing his sceptical eyebrow. "Well, as normal as you can be."

"Touché," he chuckled and then those blues turned questioning. "Why would it be a choice between you and Alexis?"

She looked down again, trying to stop overthinking everything. "You can't tell her anything, and the relationship the two of you have is too important. You can't lie to her about what you are, that's not fair."

"How would that be different than what I'm doing now?" His thumbs started stroking her sides, probably soothing himself as much as it was soothing her.

"Because now it's not you who's different, it's me. And if she would ever find out it would be my fault, not yours." Kate took in a breath. "Which means it'll be me she's mad at, not you."

He sighed and this time it was her observing him, watching every single thought run through his mind, listening to his heart beat in steady rhythms.

"You have a point," he started and she let go of a relieved sigh. "But," he snuck in there and she felt her heart skip a beat, "that's my decision, isn't it? And who knows, what if we tell her? Maybe she wants to be turned too."

His statement had her shaking her head. "No, no no no no, not going to happen."

"Why not?"

"Because it's… it's not all fun and games. You have to lie to everyone you ever meet and make sure no one suspects a thing," she told him. "Also there might be something else."

She turned around and pulled her arms around herself in a hugging manner, creating a bit distance between them only to feel his arms sneak around her and pull her back. Before she knew it she was leaning back onto his chest, his jaw landing on her shoulder with his lips nudging her earnub. "Like what?"


A/N: Hi everyone! So sorry for the long wait, but I'm trying my best to continue the story in my mind before actually writing it down, plus I've got work, that's why it's taking so long... anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and again, so sorry for the wait. Until next time, xxxx