Rick and Kate had played their little game for well over half the ride when Castle finally suggested they stop. Not because he really wanted to stop- he was learning a lot of fascinating little facts about Kate, one of which being how well she could tell a lie with a perfect poker face- but after Kate yawned, widely, for the fifth time, Rick suggested she lay back and enjoy her well earned silence. The gesture wasn't wholly altruistic; when Kate curled her legs up into the seat, getting comfortable on her side, Castle could see the curve of her backside and nearly all of her very long legs. She never did change out of her pajama shorts, she simply threw a hoodie sweater on over the camisole, and clog-like slippers on her feet.

Rick spent a good while stealing glimpses of her legs as he continued to drive in silence. And as he drove, he found himself pondering whether her skin was as soft as it looked.

All too soon, the drive ended and Rick wondered how he could get Kate upstairs without waking her. He knew how hard she worked and he wanted to let her sleep if he could.

He parked the car, then eyed her body speculatively. She couldn't weigh much more than Alexis, could she?

Well- he smiled as he thought about it- he'd find out shortly.

~.~.~.~.~

Kate awoke when Rick's arms slid under her and carefully lifted her from the car. "Put me down, Castle," she snapped sleepily, even as her arms slid around his neck for security.

"Shut up," he said cheerfully. "Let me have my fun."

Too tired to shrug, Kate put her head down on his shoulder and when she signed contentedly, Rick could feel her warm breath on his neck; the sensation gave him chills.

"You just wanted to get your paws on my legs, didn't you Ricky?" she teased sleepily.

Rick chuckled and squeezed the hand cupped around her thigh. "And have your sexy little body pressed against mine," he confirmed happily, pulling her body more tightly to his own. "The thought did cross my mind."

"If I weren't so very comfortable right now, I'd punch you for that, Castle."

He chuckled. "Well, prepare to be even more comfortable," he told her, setting her down in a cloud of pillows and down comforter. His first impulse was to help her get more comfortable, but the thought of undressing her- especially without her permission- struck him as inappropriate. He did remove her slippers though before he turned away to leave.

Kate sighed sleepily and quietly commanded, "Help me."

Rick turned back to her and hesitated. "Help you with what?"

"Undress me," she mumbled, then smiled when she saw his face. "My jacket," she clarified, holding her arms up lazily.

Rick approached and pulled her by her arms into a sitting position. He sat on the edge of her bed and his eyes locked on her bust as he slowly lowered the zipper of her jacket. He pushed the fabric back, his hands smoothing over her shoulders as he did so.

"I could get used to this," Kate mumbled. When Rick met her gaze in question, she added, "You doing what I tell you to? I could easily get used to it."

Rick shook his head, but smiled anyway. When he spoke, his voice was low. "When a beautiful woman commands me to undress her, you'll find that I'm usually happy to oblige."

Kate loved the way he made those little comments, not necessarily complimenting her, but calling her beautiful as if it were just an accepted fact. He never tried to flatter her like a lot of men had, but he made his opinion known, and Kate liked it.

When the jacket was gone, tossed to the floor, Castle reached around her- invading her personal space, though she didn't complain- to pull down the bed covers. She slid back into place and Rick stood, pulling the blankets from under her and covering her. He sat back down and leaned over her as he tucked her in.

He was prepared to stand up and walk away, but before Rick could even straighten up, Kate's hands closed on the lapels of his jacket and held him in place.

"When you tuck a girl into bed, don't you typically give her a goodnight kiss, too?" she asked, her voice husky and quiet.

"But the princess is already awake," Rick teased. "Doesn't a kiss usually serve to wake her?" He didn't exactly know why he was arguing against kissing her, except that he was discovering how much fun it was to tease her. Plus, he didn't think he'd be able to stop at just one kiss and he didn't want to move too quickly into a physical relationship with Kate; she was too important to him to just rush into something they might not be ready for.

"Maybe your kiss is the opposite. Maybe it'll put me to sleep instead," she joked.

"Honey, if I were to kiss you like I meant it, you'd be awake for a week," he replied, full of himself.

Kate smiled. "Then don't mean it," she murmured and then pulled on Rick's jacket.

"What does that even mean…" he wondered aloud, but forgot the question the minute her mouth touched his.

Her lips were soft and malleable, the perfect shape for his own. He wanted to devour her mouth, but he knew if he took anything more than this simple, touching kiss, he'd break. He wanted to touch his tongue to her lower lip- just to see for himself if she tasted as good as she smelled. But he knew he didn't have the will power at the moment. He pulled away and studied Kate's face instead.

Her eyes closed and as her mouth curved into a small, sleepy smile, Kate murmured, "You do have magic powers. I'm already half asleep."

Rick couldn't answer though. Too many thoughts- and at the same time, none at all- were buzzing though his head. He studied her face a moment longer, reaching up to brush a lock of her hair off her forehead. He finally kissed her cheekbone, then stood up and walked away. It might have been one of the most difficult things he'd ever done, but he just managed, closing her bedroom door softly behind him.

A/N: I was asked why this was marked as 'complete' when it's obviously not, and I guess I should explain. I had intended this to be a one-shot – no longer than a single chapter- but every time I think about it, something new is just begging me to be written down! I have no plan or direction for this piece, but I'm just going to keep adding to it until I run out of ideas; which is why I haven't changed the 'complete' status- hopefully when the ideas do run out, no one will be surprised. These last two chapters were what happened when I was supposed to be writing essays for school. I just love procrastinating! I get some of my best ideas when I know I'm supposed to be working on something 'more important.'

This one's short-ish, but it was a good place to end the chapter. When you see the next one, I guess you'll see why. Next one is almost done!

Thank you for all the reviews, by the way! Once school's over for the winter, I'll get back to everyone who reviewed and thank you personally!