Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.

"Delicious," he whispered over her lips. He hovered there for a second before crushing his mouth against hers. Her lips tasted sweet, the mix of coffee and jam. One of his hands came to rest on her lap, while the other moved to her neck, holding her in place. Instead of pulling away, she lightly bit and then sucked on his bottom lip, sending a shiver down his spine. Breaking the kiss, she backed away and sat upright, a proud smile appearing at the corners of her lips. She turned her head and reached for her coffee. His head fell on her shoulder, eyes closed, breathing heavily and his heart pounding in his chest.

"Castle, you should eat your food. You'll need your strength back after last night". Oh, she was enjoying the effect she had on him, he thought. He lifted his head to look at her, study her while she ate. She seemed so at ease, here, with him, in his kitchen, having breakfast he had prepared for her, after spending the night. Wow, last night. It had been… magical. There simply wasn't another word for it. And then, early that morning, that had been …hot, so hot. And yet, something small in the back of his mind kept gnawing at him, a remote voice in his brain kept whispering to him that he surely must be dreaming, that things couldn't have changed like that in just a few hours. They'd had a fight just the other day, a huge fight, the worst ever, and he'd walked away. At that moment, it had all ended for him. And now, after four years, she was here?

"Rick!" she called, "you're staring again." Their eyes met and she saw something that disturbed her. He looked distressed, like he was having some kind of internal argument. She could tell after so many years of reading each other's minds. This was starting to feel like a very long morning. One minute he looked happy, all smiley and loving, and the next he was upset. It was starting to annoy her.

"What's wrong now?" she asked irked. He startled at the harshness of her tone. "Sorry," she murmured. "It's just that these mood swings are starting to get on my nerves. Are you always like this in the morning?"

His eyes flicked down to his hands on his lap.

"Castle," she spoke softly, "really, you can tell me. What has you so… down?" She placed a hand on top of his.

"I just… I still can't grasp the idea that you're really here," he said, his voice barely a whisper. His eyes darted to hers. "I can't help but feel that this might be just a dream. That last night wasn't real. That I'm gonna wake up any minute and that you're gonna disappear."

How could he doubt what had happened, she wondered. Then again, after four years of waiting, after her walking out on him so many times, and especially after their last fight… Had she really damaged him that much? She scooted her stool closer to his and took his face in her hands, forcing him to keep his eyes on her.

"Listen to me Rick. I'm not going to disappear. This," she motioned between them, "is real. Last night was real." She paused for a moment, a small smile spreading on her lips. "God…I've never felt so…" she trailed off trying to find the right words.

"What?" he urged her.

"I've never felt so alive in my" he cut her off with the crush of his lips against hers. When he pulled away, she continued a little breathless. "Last night…was the best night of my life." He beamed, his deep blue eyes sparkling with happiness. She felt a tingling in her belly.

"Okay, now I really have to leave," she said.

"Why, if I may ask, are you in such a hurry?" he asked.

"Seriously? You want Alexis to find us here, together?" she answered raising her brow. "She'll get back after her graduation party wanting to spend the day with you. Besides, I need a bath and some rest."

"Should I tell her? About us I mean," he asked.

"I think so, yeah. She deserves the truth," he was about to say something, but knowing what it was, she answered before he could ask. "And no, I don't know how you should tell her, and no, I shouldn't be here when you do."

She started towards the front door. Before she could bent down for her jacket, he was already there picking it up for her. He held it so she could slide her arms in the sleeves, seizing the opportunity to lean in and press his lips to her jaw.

"I can't believe we're kissing goodbye," he whispered. She turned to face him. He placed another kiss at the corner of her mouth.

"Well…technically, you're doing all the kissing," she smiled.

"Exactly, and it feels so amazing to be able to do it." He brought his lips to hers and wrapped his arms gently around her middle. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let go. So she reached back for the handle and opened the door.

"Castle," she said between kisses, "I have to…"

"No," he said firmly. She moved her hands to his chest and pushed.

"I think," she gasped, "that was more than enough dose of fluffy affection for today, maybe even for an entire week."

"What?" he whined. "Of course not, it's never enough," he started to lean in again. She arched her back, pushing further away in his embrace, a serious look on her face. "Okay, fine," he sighed, defeated. Letting go, he reached behind her and held the door wide open. She took a step outside and turned. He leaned against the door frame.

"Alright, so… call me later?" she asked.

"Yep, absolutely. You take a long bath and" he was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She reached inside her pocket and checked the ID caller.

"It's Lanie," she said, feeling suddenly nervous.

"Take it; she might be worried about you."

"Yeah, I bet." She pressed the cell to her ear. "Hi Lanie," she tried to sound as natural as possible. He scooted closer to her. "Yeah, I…" she listened while he started to brush his lips over her jaw, her ear. "Hey, hey! Not so fast Lane." His hands slipped under her shirt and came to rest on either side of her waist. "I'm sorry…" A giggle almost escaped her lips, while trying to concentrate on what Lanie was saying. "I didn't hear your calls…" She patted his shoulder, twice, for him to stop. He didn't. His mouth moved to her neck, his tongue flicking over her pulse point. She gasped. "No, nothing, I…" His fingers caressed over her stomach. His lips teased the corner of her mouth. "Uh, uh…" She scurried from his grasp and scowled, a finger pointed at him. He just smiled back at her, all smug and smirky. "Listen, um, we shouldn't do this over the phone." She approached the elevator and pressed the call button. "My place? In an hour? 'kay, see you then," she hung up and let out a long puff of air.

"Castle!" she chided. He held his hands up.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled.

"No, you're not!" she said in a high pitch. She sighed and turned around, checking the floor numbers rising. He came to stand next to her. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. She was about to step in when he took hold of her wrist.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked innocently. She turned.

"What?" she groaned. He pulled her close, their lips a breath apart, and moved his mouth to her ear.

"A goodbye kiss," he whispered. She sighed. He brushed his lips over her cheek back to her mouth and kissed her deeply. She started to pull away.

"Castle," she managed between kisses. "Castle." He wouldn't let go. "Ow" she whimpered. He immediately pulled away, concerned.

She had a smirk on her lips. Getting out of his embrace, she hurried inside the elevator.

"Oh… so not fair Katherine Beckett!" he complained. She laughed and pressed the ground floor button.

"All is fair in love and war," she said. His brows flicked up in surprise and his hand stopped the closing doors.

"Love?" he repeated. She bit down her lip, trying to hide her smile, and gave him a little shove in the chest, so he would step back.

He turned and headed back to his loft.

"Castle!" she called after him. He turned around. She grinned and blew him a kiss before the elevator doors closed. He smiled, shaking his head.

As he was closing the front door, his cell beeped. Getting his phone, he saw he had a new message. As he opened it, a smile spread on his face.

-You still owe me a double feature movie night. - Kate

As always, thank you so very much!