*Chapter Three - After*

She didn't remember falling asleep; nothing good ever happened when she didn't remember falling asleep, Kate Beckett mused, her eyes screwed tightly shut. She shifted slightly, feeling the restricted rustling of clothing, and was glad that she was at least still dressed in this bed, whoever's bed it was.

Kate slowly opened her eyes and began to sit up, but the immediate pounding in her head and black spots in her vision forced her to lie straight back down.

The body next to her groaned from buried under the pillows and blankets, shocking her for a second. Curious, she slowly opened her eyes again, this time not even trying to get up. Once her vision came into focus, she recognised the earthy tones of her surroundings not as her own bedroom in her apartment, but the master bedroom at Castle's loft.

Which meant it was most likely Castle in bed next to her.

"What happened last night?" the moan from the lump of person next to her did sound suspiciously like Richard Castle.

"Castle?" her voice was tired and unclear, so she cleared her throat before trying again. "Castle? What the hell happened? Why are we in your bed?"

His hands appeared from under the blankets, swatting away the stray sheets and pillows that were blocking his face before slipping his hands behind his head. "What now?"

Kate sighed, rolling over onto her side, supporting her head on her hand. It hurt her head, more than it should, but they did need to get up sometime soon. "What the hell happened last night?"

"You don't remember?"

"You do?"

The writer shrugged his shoulders half-heartedly. "Bits and pieces. Did you really break up with Josh last night?"

Kate stared at the ceiling for a moment, racking her brain for the answer. "Did that happen before or after we hit the alcohol?"

"Before. Definitely before," Castle confirmed. "You were late to the Old Haunt where we were waiting for you, and then…"

"And then I came in, in a fit of tears," Kate said slowly and quietly. "I remember sitting down next to you, and you put your hand on my back, then you spun me around and kissed me."

"I'm allowed to do that now, I remember," the writer smirked. "It also means I can do this every morning for the rest of our lives."

This time she was expecting it; Castle leaned over to kiss her, tentatively at first, just enough to evoke the passion between them, and then it was on.

"I don't know why we didn't do this sooner," Kate muttered breathlessly once they had separated. "I've been missing out on so much."

Rick's face broke out into a wide grin, but Kate pushed one finger against his lips, shushing him. "Don't even say it."

"I didn't say anything," he muttered against her finger.

Kate giggled, pulling her finger away. "Good to hear it."

They shifted slightly in bed, Kate snuggling into Rick's chest, his arm wrapped against her body, securely holding them in bed together. The strip of harsh light flooding through the crack in the curtains hit their faces, reminding them of their blinding hangovers.

"Uggghhh," Kate moaned, bringing up the arm not squished against her partner's body to shield her eyes. "You think that's a hint for us to get up?"

"Uhuh," Castle moaned in return, albeit reluctantly.

"Coffee," Kate whispered wistfully.

"Mmmm, coffee."

Reluctantly, Kate disentangled herself from Castle's grip and rolled herself out of bed, dragging the quilt and sheets with her.

"Hey!"

"If I have to get up, you do too," she smirked at him.

"Oh, is this the way it's going to be now, every morning when you roll out of our bed for a body, I have to follow you?"

"Since when is it our bed?"

CASTLEBECKETTCASKETT

When she woke up, Doctor Lanie Parish was lying on a moving pillow, spread out on a carpet-covered hardwood floor.

"What the hell happened last night?"

Okay, so her moving pillow was apparently Javier Esposito, from the sound of his gravelly Hispanic voice and the matching vibration against her face. "Hi, Javi," she grumbled into him, snuggling up to his warm, comfortable body even more. "My head hurts."

Javier smiled into the carpet his face was smooshed against; apparently falling asleep on his stomach was a common occurrence when he was drunk. "Eleina, why are you on my back? And why are we sleeping on the floor?"

"Dude, it's Castle's floor."

Javier lifted his head up, looking suspiciously like a turtle, turning towards his partner's voice. "Kevin? That you?"

"Nah, man, it's the tooth fairy." Ryan became very sarcastic and mean when hungover.

"Shut up, boys, and make me some damn coffee," Lanie moaned, rolling off her boyfriend to sit up and dig her hands into her eyes in an attempt to clear them. She moaned again at the bright light flooding through the uncovered windows. "Whose smart idea was it not to draw the blinds last night?"

"Probably Alexis; she wasn't too happy with us pouring in before dawn and waking her up," Esposito pushed himself up off the floor, but failed and fell spectacularly back onto his stomach. Kevin and Lanie laughed.

Ryan went to move over on the couch, and promptly rolled off, landing somewhat on his partner's girlfriend, knocking her back to her side.

"Dude," Esposito exclaimed. "Get your own girl!"

"Ow," he whined, shoved between Lanie and the base of the couch. "Just how much did we drink last night?"

Lanie pushed herself back into her seated position against the couch, her hands holding her head steady. "I don't remember much happening after my girl finally showed up and kissed the Writer Monkey."

"So that did happen then?" Ryan had pushed himself into a similar position, leaning against the couch he just rolled off and dropping his head back to rest on the cushions. "I thought it was just a dream."

"You shut your Irish mouth, Kevin Ryan!" Lanie exclaimed, slapping his shoulder. "I have so much money riding on that kiss, it better've happened! I outta wash your mouth out with soap for having even thought that it didn't."

"Calm down, chica," Javier grabbed her lightly. "It happened, and I'm sure we can beat the security footage out of Castle for proof if we need to."

"Fine," the ME sighed, falling quiet for a moment.

"Damn, my head hurts," Espo moaned, breaking the silence and rolling over to sit next to them. "I hate hangovers."

"You know what makes that better?" Ryan asked.

"Not drinking in the first place?"

"Ha ha chica, very funny."

"I thought so."

"The Ryan omelette special, French toast, crispy bacon and fruit salad," Ryan continued, ignoring the other two.

"And coffee," Lanie interrupted. "Lots of coffee."

Pause. Wait for it…

"Wait, Castle has great coffee, doesn't he?" Ryan's head shot up in realisation.

There it is.

The three of them shared a look, and then scrambled off the floor, racing to the kitchen for the coffee pot. Lanie played dirty, sticking her foot out to trip up the boys, tangling them up in each other on the floor.

That was where Castle and Beckett found them when they appeared in the kitchen, both having changed into clean pairs of the writer's sweats.

"Well isn't this a domestic image," Lanie cooed over the couple. "Have a good sleep together?"

"Did you?" Kate retorted, pulling two mugs out of a cupboard for coffee. "That machine better be on."

"Oh it is," Esposito called, his head buried in the fridge. "We've already gone through a pot."

"Please tell me you're looking for something overly greasy and carb-ridden in that fridge," Kate called back, dropping heavily onto a bar stool. "I need to soak up the alcohol somehow before we're on the roll tomorrow."

"Looking for a hangover feast, are we?" Rick smirked. "Because I know just the thing."

"Dad, you are not making s'more-lettes."

The five adults turned around to see Alexis standing just inside the front door, hanging her coat on the rack.

"Hi honey," Rick greeted, but the teen would have none of it.

"Don't you 'hi honey', me, Dad. Do you know what time you guys poured in here this morning, or how much noise you made?"

Kate at least had the heart to look sheepish when she answered. "Lex, we barely remember what happened last night, let alone this morning."

The evil smile on Alexis' face was enough to scare all of them, and rightly so. She pulled her camera out of her school bag, turning it on as she approached them. "Well, it's a good thing I have these blackmail pictures, isn't it?'

THE END