Hey.

Thank you for your love and support! You guys are the best! As a side note, this fic will end up being fairly long. I'm thinking about ending it around thirty chapters or so, maybe more. We'll see! Hope you like this chapter. Reviews are love.

Disclaimer: Castle and For Lovers Only aren't mine :/

[Dreamland]

As the night progressed, the couple had a few drinks, danced, and spoke with a few of the townspeople, some of whom spoke English, which was a welcome relief, neither Rick nor Kate feeling so awkward or out of place now that the language barrier had been broken. Being able to talk with these people gave them new insight to the city, both learning about its rich and colorful history.

One man, by the name of Anton, told them about his bookstore, which was just a few blocks down the road from their hotel. It was family owned, passed down from generation to generation for just over a hundred years. He invited them to come pay a visit while they were in Troyes, wanting to see the two of them again and have them meet his family.

Anton was an older gentleman, but he had an air of innocence and child-like wonder about him that reminded Kate a lot of Rick. He told them about his three kids, now grown with kids of their own and how he loved to spoil his grandchildren. His entire face lit up when he spoke of his children, but when he told the couple about his wife, Jacqueline, that's when the smile on his face grew. He loved his wife more than anything, and it showed.

By the time their conversation with Anton came to a close, it was nearing on one o'clock in the morning. They'd been at this festival for hours now, time slipping out of their fingers. It was then they realized just how truly exhausted they actually were.

A good night's sleep would fix that right up.

Bidding goodbyes, Rick and Kate meandered their way out of the crowd, pushing passed the many people that filled the street, trying to make their way out of the hustle and bustle of the festival. The blue glow of the moon descended upon them, its light shining brightly down on the city as a crisp breeze skirted by, the cold wind causing goose bumps to appear on the couple's arms and legs.

Walking hand-in-hand, they traveled down the fairly crowded sidewalk, which soon emptied out until there were only two. Swaying to a beat that only existed in his head, Rick began to twirl in small circles along the sidewalk, pulling Kate with him. She let out a laugh of surprise but quickly discovered the rhythm and the two started to dance and spin and laugh in the middle of the street.

She felt free– for the first time in a long time. She was free.

Kate's dress billowed as she spun, her face glowing, and the sight stopped Rick in his tracks as he watched her in awe. The moon hit her just right, the sharp lines of her cheekbones, the long, delicate lines of her arms and legs, and the womanly curves of hers were all on display for him to admire. She held her arms out and twirled, head lifted toward the heavens.

Rick took action and ran over to her, his arms wrapping tightly around her middle as her back pressed firmly to his chest, her feet lifting from the ground. He then spun her in circles, giggles bubbling out of her like no other. Kate gripped his forearms with all of her might, not wanting to let go as they whirled around.

Neither could last much longer, the continuous spinning making them dizzy and causing everything to be fuzzy.

Gently setting her down, the couple stayed still for a minute or two as they tried to gain their vision back, both a bit wobbly on their feet. When they could see again, by mutual agreement, the twirling and spinning was put on hold, and instead, they walked calmly back to the hotel. Both were beginning to feel the strong pull of exhaustion, its grip relentless.

When they eventually stepped onto the lift settled in the lobby of their hotel, Kate pulled herself into Rick's body, winding her arms around his waist as she pressed a single kiss on the column of his throat before resting her cheek on his solid chest. He wrapped one arm over her shoulders and the other rested along her back, holding her close. The couple remained like that the entire ride up to their floor. They both closed their eyes, the fatigue settling in.

The doors of the elevator eventually opened, and Rick and Kate slowly trudged out, heading down the hallway to their room. Rick only released his hold on Kate so he could search for the key card, the white plastic card scraping against his fingers in his pants pocket. He removed the key and swiped it through the door mechanism, disengaging the lock. A small green light flashed before their eyes, signaling the door unlocked.

He silently followed her inside and shut the door, locking it before tossing the key, his wallet, and phone of the small entry table. Tearing a glance around, his eyes followed Kate's weary shadowed form as she went into the bedroom, her exhaustion evident in her posture; shoulders slumped forward, feet dragging with each step, and the heaviness of her limbs.

Rick couldn't help the small smile from gracing his lips when he entered the bedroom to find Kate sprawled out, with her arms and legs out to her sides, on the bed as she lay there completely knocked out.

She still had on her dress and heels, apparently too tired to put more comfortable clothes on.

Or no clothes at all...

No, not tonight. Tonight, they needed their sleep– just their sleep.

Tomorrow, though. Definitely tomorrow.

With this in mind, Rick quickly rid himself of his own clothes, slipping into a gray t-shirt and leaving his boxers on. He then walked over to Kate, being as careful and as quiet as possible, before taking off her incredibly tall high heels- how she could even walk in these things was beyond him- and leaving them on the floor of the foot of the bed.

Next thing to do was remove her from the dress.

With his lip between his teeth, he gently rolled her over on her side in order to get at the zipper on the back. Kate let out a groan, and Rick held his breath, waiting. She remained asleep, dead to the world. Raising first her left arm then her right, he inched the dress down and off her body. His fingers danced lightly over her smooth skin, caressing the small of her back, the curve of her rear, and the long lines of her legs. With the dress off, she was left in only her black panties. She didn't have a bra on, not able to wear one with the style of her dress.

She'd been bare this whole time, and he didn't know?

Chiding himself for not realizing sooner, he swallowed the urge to wake her and punish her for not telling him she hadn't been wearing a bra the entire night. Tomorrow, though.

He took the few steps needed to reach his suitcase and pulled out a navy shirt. Once he was able to get her dressed in one of his t-shirts, which was another feat on its own, he draped the covers over her, tucking her in. Rick planted a tender kiss to her forehead, lips lingering. He then headed for the bathroom, quickly brushing his teeth before joining her in the bed. As soon as his body hit the mattress, Kate had unconsciously scooted herself over to him and snuggled against his chest. Rick wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on the crown of her head.

"Sweet dreams, Kate," he whispered softly, kissing her temple.

Sleep overcame him within minutes, the feel of Kate's body in his arms lulling him into the land of dreams.

There you go!

Sorry this was a shorter chapter. Hope you liked it regardless of its length! Reviews are love.

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