Summary: Through all of the secrets and the lies, the betrayal and the pain, the destination was always the same. They were meant to be together.

Author's Note: Umm, yeah, so this chapter ran away. I still accomplished what I wanted to, but I didn't mean for it to be so all over the place emotionally. So I apologize in advance for what I'm putting our beloved characters through. Please don't come after me with pitchforks (or anything of the sort).

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. And neither is the post I based this off of.

Chapter 5

Warm breath on his skin. Fingers tracing his jaw. Lips moving softly over his, warm and moist.

Castle blinked his eyes open, tried to make sense of everything. He blinked again as Kate came into focus. Her eyes were soft in the predawn light, hair mussed from sleep. And she was wearing an endearing smile as her gaze roamed his face, taking in his relaxed features.

He smiled broadly as she traced his jaw again and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. It had been so long since someone had kissed him awake, but now that he knew what it felt like to have Kate Beckett wake him in that manner, he was never spending another night without her.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she said softly.

He lifted his head, pressed his lips to hers. "Mmm, good morning indeed."

Kate smiled against his lips.

"Time's it?"

"Six."

"Too early." He lifted his arms, pulled her down onto his chest. "Go back to sleep."

Castle settled back into the bed, cradling her body, so Kate tried a different approach. She kissed him again, deepening it this time, and shifted so that her hips were lying on his. She felt his reaction immediately as his hips bucked up and he tore his mouth from hers.

"Kate," he half whispered, half groaned. "You can't..." She shifted again. "You're going to kill me."

But oh, what a way to go, he thought. Pinned beneath Kate Beckett in her bed.

Though preferably with fewer clothes on.

She had been absolutely exhausted last night, but waking in his arms had left her feeling fresh and rejuvenated. Maybe it was the feeling of waking up surrounded by him, his breath on her neck. Maybe it was the lightness that had settled over her heart after her confession, after they had worked everything out.

Whatever it was, it was making her bold this morning. And the way his fingers were caressing her skin, teasing the sensitive spot at the base of her spine, was turning her into a ball of need and arousal.

And maybe somewhere mixed in was the need to prove that she was serious. She had promised him...and herself...that she would open up completely, give herself to him. To prove that she was committed.

He already had her heart. She knew he loved her mind. Now, it was time to add body and soul to the mix. Because she knew that when they finally took that step, it would be nothing short of all-consuming, demanding everything.

And if there was anyone who had ever deserved all she had to give, it was Castle.

"Kate," he whispered again. "We can't."

"What?" Was he seriously turning her down?

"We can't do this right now."

"Why not?"

"Because we have to be at the precinct in a couple hours."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "And that's not enough time for you?" She reached down, squeezed his upper thigh. "A little slow to get going, are we?"

Castle pressed his hands more firmly against her lower back, pushing her hips flush against his so she could feel just how ready he already was. Kate bit her lip at the feeling, trying not to moan or gasp. For God's sake, they still had all of their clothes on.

He shifted, his hipbone brushing her core.

"Castle," she managed, her voice low and dripping with arousal.

He shook his head, reached up to cup her cheek. "No, Kate. Because when we do this, I'm not letting you out of bed for at least twenty-four hours. So no. There's not nearly enough time."

Kate felt the heat rising in her neck, the arousal flooding her entire body at the thought of a full day in bed with Castle and the things he could do to her in that time. He was strong, solid, and she already loved the way their bodies were pressed together like this, her on top of him. But the way he could pin her to the bed, employ his talented mouth and fingers...because she was sure those were just as capable...oh, God, this case needed to be over. Now.

"Kate."

"Hmmm?"

"And just where has your mind gone, Miss Beckett?"

Kate blushed, buried her head in his neck. Her heart was racing, her breathing lighter, and she could see in his eyes that he knew exactly where her mind had been. Hell, his had probably been right there with hers.

"Come on." With more resolve than she thought she possessed, Kate lifted herself off of him.

"Where? It's only 6:15."

She sat up, swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "I don't care. I want this case over with by the end of the day."

"Impatient, are we?"

She should be annoyed, really. At herself for her behavior. At him for shoving this in her face. But today was Friday, and that meant that once this case was closed, she was off for the weekend. And that would give them about sixty hours.

It would also probably leave them unable to walk on Monday morning, but she could not bring herself to care.

Kate leaned down, kissed him soundly. "Let's get going."

It took Ryan and Esposito about five minutes to realize that something was up with Castle and Beckett. Again. They could tell she was not still mad, not like she had been earlier in the week, and neither was he. But something was not right.

They were standing farther apart than normal, avoiding eye contact. When they did look at each other, her eyes were focused on his lips and his were aimed a little bit lower than that. They were working together, finishing each other's sentences, like always. But it was like everything between them was stilted. Like they were holding back.

Because, in fact, they were. Castle was fairly certain that her outfit of choice was meant to drive him crazy. Her jeans hugged her in all the right places, her heels accentuated her already long legs, and her blouse was unbuttoned one further than normal. Add in the soft waves in her hair and the light pink lip gloss, and it was pure torture.

Kate was not coping any better. She had always thought he had a great ass, and his jeans today were doing everything in their power to emphasize that fact. His eyes were darker than normal, she could see him fighting to restrain himself, and the knowledge that he wanted her that badly made her want to lock them in a supply closet and have her way with him.

"Yo, Beckett," Esposito called from across the room, snapping her out of her daydream...involving herself, Castle, and no clothing...and back into the present.

"What do you have?"

"We got an ID on those prints."

Prints? What prints? She shifted her eyes to the murder board, skimmed over the information displayed there. Oh, right. Those prints. For the case they were working on. The one that was never going to be solved by the end of the day if she did not pull her mind out of Castle's bed and into the current situation.

"Right, okay." Kate forced the words out of her mouth, hoped her voice belied her distraction. She snagged the folder from Espo, skimmed the profile. "We'll go pick him up."

She was reaching for her coat, making her way to the elevator before Castle had a chance to catch up, to realize that it was time to stop staring at the tantalizing skin of her chest and focus on the case.

"You coming, Castle?" she called over her shoulder.

He snatched his jacket from the back of his chair, hurried after her.

"I will be soon," he said with a leer as he caught up to her outside the elevator.

"What?"

"You asked if I was coming."

Kate rolled her eyes, but it was less than convincing. "Really, Castle?"

"I hope so."

She bit back a smile.

The doors opened, and his hand made its way to her lower back, guiding her into the car. Kate tried to suppress a shiver, but once the doors closed and he stepped closer, began to run his fingers teasingly up and down her sides, she could not mask her body's reaction.

"Castle." It came out as more of an encouragement than a reprimand.

"Hmmm?"

He leaned in, stealing a kiss as his hands slid to her back, pulling her into him. She stepped into his embrace easily, sliding her hands around his neck and moving her lips eagerly over his.

All too soon, the elevator dinged, signaling the arrival at the ground level. They separated to a semi-respectable distance, bodies not quite touching as they walked, though the heat between them was palpable.

"This better be our guy," he said almost desperately as they stepped onto the street. "I'm so ready to get out of here."

Kate opened the car door, caught his eye over the roof of the cruiser. "Now who's the impatient one?"

Unfortunately for them, he was not their guy. Fortunately, he witnessed another guy fleeing the scene, who just so happened to be the guilty individual. And by four-thirty, they had a confession, a recommendation for the District Attorney, and a stack of completed paperwork.

They finished taking down the murder board together, Kate faltering slightly every time his fingers brushed against hers. It was almost unnerving, how little it took for him to make her completely lose her train of thought. It was a miracle she had been able to connect two and two and solve this case today.

But despite her distraction, by five o'clock they had everything put away, and had been dismissed for the weekend by Captain Gates.

"Damn it Castle," Kate said under her breath as she gathered her phone and keys.

He lightly cupped her elbow, guiding her towards the elevator with him. "What?"

"Stop it."

"Stop what?" He asked, legitimately confused. He had been nothing but well behaved and helpful all day, doing whatever he could to wrap up this case.

"Stop touching me constantly." She jerked her arm out of his grasp. "I can't focus when you keep doing that."

He looked down in surprise, not realizing that he had had ahold of her. It was an unconscious thing now it seemed...since waking up with her in his arms he could not not touch her.

"I...sorry?"

Kate pressed the elevator button, stepped in ahead of him when the doors opened. "Just don't do it again," she said more softly this time. She felt a bit bad for snapping at him; he really had not done anything wrong. Well, aside from making her want him so much that she was seriously considering stopping the elevator and having her way with him right now.

Given the look on his face, she was pretty sure he was fighting the same internal battle.

As it was, he settled for a compromise...he stepped forward, backed her into the wall, and kissed her soundly. Her protests died on her throat when he nibbled on her lower lip then sucked it into his mouth, soothing it with his tongue.

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck then, pressing her body into his as much as possible. She could feel how badly he wanted her against her thigh, could feel it in his kiss, in the way his tongue was probing her mouth.

Behind them the elevator dinged and they broke apart.

"Oh, God, Castle," she panted, forcing her knees to hold up.

The doors opened and she ran a hand through her hair, the other sliding down her jacket, smoothing the wrinkles Castle's hand created as it had slipped beneath her clothing, explored the skin of her sides.

"Problem?" he asked, amused.

She glared at him, though it was rather ineffectual given the want that was clearly visible in her eyes.

Once they exited the building, Castle crowded up against her back, nearly stepping on her shoes as he enthusiastically guided her to the car. Had she been less overwhelmed by his scent, the feel of his body so close to hers, she would have told him off for invading her space in public. Right now, she could not have cared less.

To make matters worse, Kate was pretty sure she broke a few speed limits on the way home, but it was hard to tell when Castle's hand was tracing patterns on her thigh, working its way higher and higher.

They parked outside her building, made their way hurriedly inside, taking full advantage of the all-too-short elevator ride up to her floor. By the time they were outside her door, Castle's arms were wrapped around her from behind, his lips exploring the skin of her neck as she fumbled with the keys, unable to find the lock.

"Castle, stop."

He caught her ear lobe between his teeth, nibbling softly.

"Castle."

His hand came up to cover hers, prying the key from her fingers and inserting it into the lock. The door flew open, shutting quickly behind them as Castle pressed Kate against it, pinning her between the metal and his body as he kissed his way across her jaw and down her neck.

Kate shoved gently against his chest, pushing him away from her long enough for her to remove her badge and gun, retrieve her keys from his hands and toss them aside.

They stumbled their way across the living room, discarding their shoes, jackets, and his button-up shirt along the way. Kate's hands were just making their way to the hem of his t-shirt when Castle caught sight of the murder board hanging in her window and came to an abrupt halt.

"Castle?"

His eyes were fixed on the board, his hands dropped to his sides, and he took a step back from her, resigned. He had planned to keep this quiet, planned to let it go for now, for her sake. Wanted to ensure that she was recovered before he dragged her back onto this case again.

But she was undressing him and they were about to spend a weekend in bed together and he just could not do it. It was not right, and if he waited until after they had been together, it was only going to make things worse.

It was going to hurt her, and he hated that he was going to be the one to inflict such pain. But if he waited, allowed them to take this step first, it would only increase the level of pain.

He had to tell her.

"Castle," she said again, reaching out and placing a hand on his forearm. "What's wrong."

He sighed, leaned back against the nearest wall, ran an agitated hand through his hair. Seconds ago, he had Kate Beckett wrapped around him; now, his words were going to pretty much ensure that would not be happening again anytime soon, if ever.

"I can't do this."

"Can't do...what?" she asked in confusion. According to various media sources over the years, he was supposed to be very adept at what they were about to do.

"This," he gestured between them, "I just...you're not the only one who's been hiding something, Kate."

"I...what do you mean?"

"Look, I didn't want to do this now, because I know it's going to make a mess of your recovery and everything, but..."

She followed his eyes to her murder board again, and he could see the moment she made the connection with his words.

"You...you've been poking around my mom's case?"

It was anger mixed with incredulity mixed with something deeper and more painful that sounded like betrayal. And he had a feeling this was only the beginning of what he was going to hear in her voice tonight.

"Not anymore."

"But you were." It was not a question.

"I..."

She advanced on him, jabbed him in the chest. "You asked me to stop months ago, Castle."

He raised his hands in surrender, took a step back, away from her and the clenched fist that looked like it wanted to punch him. "That's because..."

"Is that why you asked me to back off? So you could take over and play the hero?"

"No, I..."

"It's just never enough with you, is it? Do you ever think, Castle?" she asked, still advancing on him, backing him down the hallway with every step she took. "Or do you just do whatever the hell you want, regardless of how it might affect anyone else? I've been working to let go of this and you still thought it was okay to go behind my back and look into it on your own? Why can't you just respect my decisions when it comes to my personal life?"

"I did it to protect you," he interrupted, finally managing to get a full sentence out.

"I can protect myself."

His back hit the wall near her bedroom door. "No you ca..."

"And even so, that's not your job, Castle," she continued, saying whatever came to mind as a tidal wave of emotions washed over her. "You can't just put yourself in danger like that. You have a family, a daughter, yet you're risking your life fighting something that isn't yours to begin with."

"That's not..."

"You need to seriously reconsider your priorities." She turned on her heel, strode into her room. "You can show yourself out."

Her bedroom door shut with a bang behind her and Castle stood frozen next to it, eyes glued to the wooden barrier separating them, as though he expected it to open again and her to reappear.

But after a few minutes of complete and utter silence, he came to enough to realize that that was not going to happen. Not only was she not going to come back out, but she was also probably not going to want anything to do with him again until he apologized. Profusely.

Hell, even after he apologized she still might kick him out. But he had to try, because he was not about to go down without a fight.

Quietly, Castle leaned in, pressed his ear to the door, and was met with the sound of someone sniffling softly, a ragged sob escaping her throat.

He dropped his head into his hands, sighed deeply. He messed up. He knew he messed up. But knowing that Kate was crying, alone, in her room because of it made him feel worse than anything else.

He tried the doorknob but found it locked, so he knocked lightly instead. "Kate?"

"Go home, Castle," she snapped, her voice breaking on his name.

"Kate, please."

"No."

Castle sighed again, slid down along the wall until he was seated on the floor immediately outside her door.

She had to come out at some point, right?

Thoughts?