Kate is running late. Normally she wakes up on her own, but this morning her whole system is off. Her clock stopped working. The toaster threw out sparks and burned her bagel. She is out of coffee. Her car won't start. She sits behind the wheel, cursing under her breath quietly. Taxi or subway? She wants to get an extra-early start because Rick is due back in town tonight and she hopes to go home early and pretty up, then go to the Castle loft where Martha and Alexis have a welcome home party planned. Now she's not going to be any earlier than usual. She decides on the subway since she's only two stops from the precinct.

After a twenty-minute ride holding onto a strap with elbows and briefcases poking her, Kate walks into the precinct. 7:25 a.m. She's making mental lists of everything she has to do, the first of which is to get a giant cup of coffee, and searching her cell phone's contact list for the number of the NYPD's garage when she walks smack into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't—" She looks up. Castle is right in front of her wearing a bright red shirt and jeans holding a giant bouquet of flowers. He's looking at her with a smile in his blue eyes. Kate doesn't hesitate. She throws her arms around his neck, overcome with happiness. Castle has just enough time to move the bouquet out of the way before she squashes it between them. They hold each other tightly for several seconds until Castle loosens his hold on her just enough to kiss her hungrily, his hands buried in her thick chestnut hair. Kate opens her mouth to his and grips his wide shoulders, her fingers digging into the muscles of his back. She thinks briefly that they should stop before someone walks in, but he feels so good she can't bring herself to care who sees them.

Ryan and Esposito are walking into the room when they stop abruptly, amazed at the sight before them of Beckett and Castle locked in what is obviously a passionate embrace.

"Mom and Dad finally together," Ryan says, shaking his head. "I never thought I'd see the day."

Esposito grins but doesn't say anything. He's known since Lanie told him a few weeks ago. "You know this means I won the bet, right?"

"Yeah." Ryan's romantic tendencies are clashing with his irritation at losing a hundred bucks. "Let's come back in five minutes. Maybe they'll come up for air by then."

"I don't know, bro," Esposito says as they walk away. "They look as if they are just getting started."

Finally, Castle pulls away from her. Kate makes a wordless sound of complaint and tries to pull him back.

"Kate," Castle says breathlessly. "If we don't stop I'm going to drag you into Gates's office and lock the door and I don't think she'd be pleased to find us there."

Kate opens her eyes. Castle's mouth is swollen and some of her red lipstick is smeared above his upper lip. He's still holding the bouquet of flowers and they look a little bedraggled. It wasn't some kind of weird daydream. He's actually here.

"Rick, what are you doing here? I thought you were flying in tonight. Do Martha and Alexis know you're here? They're planning a party for you." Kate wants to touch him again so badly she clasps her hands together behind her back.

"I came in yesterday morning. Don't blame them for misleading you; I wanted to surprise you at work this morning."

"Mission accomplished." Kate's breathing is almost back to normal. She looks at the bouquet. It's a collection of spring flowers, primarily lilacs. "Those for me?"

"Oh, yes." He hands them over. "They were in better condition before you attacked me like a sex-starved lunatic."

"Who's fault is that?" she replies lightly, taking the flowers from him. Kate buries her nose in the bouquet. "Thank you. I love the smell of lilacs."

Castle watches her with a look of barely controlled passion in his eyes. He wants to drag her out of here and take her to the loft and throw her on his bed and kiss every inch of her body. He's waited a very long time to be with her and every nerve in his body is clamoring to touch her again.

"Well, I'm here now," he says quietly to her, his voice husky with need. "Take the day off." His eyes are very blue and the way he's looking at her is making her pulse speed up and a throbbing start between her legs and spread throughout her body. Unconsciously she runs her tongue over her bottom lip as she imagines sinking her teeth into his bottom lip.

Sensing she is almost convinced, Castle reaches out and pulls her to him, wrapping his arm around her waist. His free hand touches her cheek, then brushes against her throat and plays with the necklace he gave her at Christmas. Kate's hands are buried in his hair and they are staring into each other's eyes.

"No one's home. My mother is gone for the day and Alexis is at school." His hand shifts slightly and now he's cupping her breast and running his thumb over her nipple, feeling it harden. Kate's mouth is dry and she can't think with all the electricity surging through her body. All she wants is to be naked in his bed with him inside her.

"Yes," she says. Her voice is hoarse. She's never wanted anyone this badly, even when she was sixteen and her hormones were raging and she was making out with that bad boy senior in the back of his dad's Pontiac Grand Am.

Castle doesn't hesitate. He grabs her hand and leads her out of the squad room. They are almost sprinting down the hallway when they run into Esposito.

"Where you two going?"

Kate jerks on Castle's hand and they pause.

"Tell Gates I'm taking a vacation day," she says. "Thanks." As they walk past him, Esposito yells at them: "Yo! Beckett, you can't take today off. The whole homicide division is meeting with the commissioner. You forget that?"

She did forget that. She stops walking.

"Fuck."

Esposito catches up with them and grins at her choice of profanity. "Sorry, chica, that's not going to happen today. At least," he looks at his watch, "not before noon." Castle gives him the dirtiest look but Esposito shrugs. "Sorry, bro. You want Beckett to tell Iron Gates that she missed this meeting because she was—" Castle glares at him and Esposito chooses his words carefully—"helping you with a scene for your next Nikki Heat book?"

"Okay, okay," Kate says to him. "Go away. I'll be at my desk in five minutes." Esposito, still grinning, walks back towards the squad room. Kate sighs and turns toward Castle.

"I'm sorry. He's right. If I'm not at this damn meeting the only excuse that will work is I've been shot again." Castle winces at her choice of words. Goddammit. Just when he is this close to getting her naked, the universe intervenes again.

"Look, let's try for Saturday," he says. "I have to meet with Gina tomorrow to go over details from the book tour, sales figures, attendance numbers, that sort of thing. But Saturday is our day. No interruptions. No phone calls. No murder investigations. You are mine."

"Yours, huh?" Kate has a look in her eyes that makes him want to grab her and take her home with him, police commissioner be damned. "I can't wait," she whispers and pulls him to her and kisses him, a slow, thorough kiss that leaves them both gasping. She walks away quickly and doesn't look back, still holding the flowers.

"Fuck," Castle says as he watches her walk away. Now he has to go home alone and take a very cold shower. Again.