A/N: So I really had no intentions of continuing this story… but then you people had to go and REVIEW and make me blush and stuff and then hot diggity if the "Murder He Wrote" promo pics didn't just have to go and be released. I was lying on a couch after having gazed at them for an hour or so, eyes closed and daydreaming, when what do my ears hear? RAIN! Yes, a sweet lovely rain. All of these things were signs from the universe that I HAD to write another chapter. And get inspired for possible a few more, ACK! Depending on response, of course. I sincerely hope you continue to enjoy, review, and tell all your friends

It is possibly one of the most clichéd moments of Kate Beckett's life. She's getting rather used to clichéd moments, though. To have a life with Richard Castle you kind of had to accept them and move on. She knows he's trying really hard to not be cliché, to not do the classic wine-and-dine wooing that he was used to, knowing that isn't her style but still… clichés happened. Kate can admit to herself, in the now rare, quiet moments alone, that she, perhaps, was contributing to some of their rather sappy moments. What was one supposed to do when out at dinner with their favourite author/partner/best friend/lover and he offers you a bite of his dessert? You lean across the table and accept it, of course. And if she happens to have a goofy, love-struck look on her face as she does, well… what's a girl supposed to do? The cheesy moment she finds herself in at this exact moment isn't even his fault, anyway. It's Mother Nature's.

They'd been casually strolling along the beach (yes, clichéd) holding hands (even worse) when the sky suddenly clouded over, giving them barely a few minutes warning before the heavens opened up and a summer deluge blanketed them. Too far from the house to escape it in time, they were soaked to the bone within moments. She'd laughed at his bedraggled form. He'd laughed back at her. Then, somehow, they'd ended up kissing.

Yes, they are now kissing on the beach, completely wrapped in each other's arms while the warm summer rain lights up the ocean beside them. Millions of tiny drops, each one rippling outwards to hit another, and another, create a vast expanse of tumultuous yet gentle waves. Kate briefly thinks that someone could probably write a beautiful poem about the ocean in a summer rain.

Oh god, she thinks. What has Richard Castle done to my mind? Am I in high school again?

Whatever influence he's had on her mind, Beckett is more than happy with the influence he is currently having on her body. His strong arms are wrapped around her, his left arm banded across her back, his hand holding onto her left hip. His right arm reaches across her back and shoulders so his hand can cradle her neck, fingers buried in the hair that clings wetly to her skin. His lips worship hers while his tongue explores her mouth like it was the first time he's ever kissed her. She has to stand up on her toes to kiss him as fully as she wants, having worn simple flat sandals for their walk. Her arms move down the broad expanse of his back, coming to rest at his fine behind. She smiles against his lips as she squeezes, feeling his mouth freeze for a second in surprise. Then he's kissing her even harder, delving even deeper with tongue and holding onto her like they are actually in the middle of the rain-swept ocean and she's his life-raft.

She squeezes him again and when he growls, she can't help but lean back and let loose a small laugh. She opens her eyes to witness the spectacular sight that is Richard Castle, hair wet and plastered to his face, mouth hanging open, eyes hazy with arousal and frustration. She laughs again, twisting her body so the next second she's free from his arms and running through the damp sand.

"Kate!" he calls. The desperation in his voice serves only to increase her humour.

"You want me, Castle?" she taunts, turning around to see him standing, arms hanging limp by his sides. "Then come and catch me!"

"Are you serious right now?" His voice always goes high-pitched when he's turned on and she backs off like this. Some might think it pathetic. She thinks it's adorable. Not that he needs to know that.

"So very serious," she assures him, still walking backwards. He has longer legs but she's fast; if he wants to catch her he'll have to start moving soon.

"You drive me crazy, you know that?" he grouses loudly.

"I try," she shrugs.

His eyes narrow and she feels a thrill of anticipation climb up her spine. She loves working him up like this. Yes, he growls and complains and gets angry but the payoff in the end is always so worth it. She turns around to take off again just as she hears his feet start to move. It's hard to run in sand on a good day, but when it's wet it's even worse, sticking to you, not wanting to let go. She can't help a little shriek of nervous laughter as she hears him getting closer and closer. Yes, she's shrieking like a little girl. So what? Castle had once said that his fame and fortune had brought out his inner child. It seems he was now bringing out the child in Beckett. The care-free, unencumbered, joyous side to her that she'd kept so stubbornly hidden. Here with him, in the Hamptons, Kate can't quite remember why she'd been so afraid of letting go.

"Getting distracted, Detective?"

She barely has time to gasp before two strong arms wrap around her and lift her clear off the ground.

"How did you…?" she pants, trying to catch her breath as he twirls her around.

"You slowed down all of a sudden like you'd caught sight of something," he replies. "I caught up to you in like, three seconds."

She's embarrassed only for a few seconds. A hardcore, trained detective being caught by a writer who sits around with a laptop all day? Ok fine, he's taken to going on runs lately, runs he tries to keep secret, but still, she should have been able to make it to the house, easily. If she hadn't been distracted, exactly as he'd said, by thoughts of the good he was doing for her.

"So what distracted you?" he asks, setting her back on the sand and leaning down to nuzzle at her cheek.

"Nothing," she insists.

"Mmhmm, right."

But he lets it go, getting rather distracted himself by the long column of her neck, and the amazing taste of her skin mixed with sweet summer rain.

Kate knows she has to calm things down when he lifts her up again and starts walking towards the water.

"Castle," she protests against his lips. "Put me down."

He mumbles something she can't understand.

"Castle!" she tries to pull away but his lips follow hers and his hand is on her head, keeping her in place. Yes, he can hold her up with only one arm. God…

She moves her hands to cradle his head then suddenly clamps her fingers down on his ears.

"Ow!" he exclaims pulling back. The hand at her neck flies to her waist as he almost drops her in his shock. She squeezes her legs around him to stay stable as they wobble precariously for a moment.

"Castle," she says, as seriously as she can while completely wrapped around him. "You are not going to drop me in the ocean right now."

His face falls and she almost feels bad. "Why not?"

"Because as warm as the rain is we're still beside a breezy ocean, and I'm already getting a bit cold."

"But…"

"And I would really like to be warm, right now." She rolls her hips just a bit and his eyes darken.

"I can make you warm," he promises in a low voice.

"I know you can. But I'd also really like to be naked right now."

"I can help you with that too," he smirks.

She raises an eyebrow at him. "Naked in a place that's not public."

"Kate," he admonishes. "I already told you, no one is around. My neighbours are like, a mile away in each direction. And I checked before we came; they're not even in town this weekend. This is literally our own, very private, beach. Our own ocean to play in…" he puts on a face plus you're beyond gorgeous when you're all wet."

Ok, maybe both of them have a special fondness for wet-Beckett. The night she showed up dripping wet at his door is kind of burned indelibly into their minds.

"I'm already wet," she whispers huskily.

He blinks at her desperately before leaning in for a hard kiss. She gives in for just a minute before pulling back with her final argument.

"I do not want sand in places sand shouldn't be," she says firmly.

"We'll lay our clothes out like a blanket!"

"Sand will still get into places! That's what sand does!"

"But…"

"Do you really want chafing to occur? Chafing that could possibly inhibit further… recreation, this weekend?"

His eyes widen for a moment, looking rather horrified.

"Right then," he nods, and starts walking away from the ocean.

"You can put me down now."

He shakes his head. "Nope. I like you right where you are."

"Really?" she leans further into him, rolling her hips again. His hands slide from her hips to her bum and squeeze, trying to pull her away from him.

"Uh-uh," she teases, craning her neck to grab his earlobe between her teeth and nibbling. "Can't get rid of me that easy."

"Kate," he wheezes. "If you don't want to have sex on the beach then you need to stop that, right now."

She instantly complies, laughing silently to herself when he looks disappointed that she listened. He squeezes her ass again and takes a little hop on his next step. She bounces lightly, falling down on a part of Richard Castle that is very, very ready for her. She gasps softly as he hops again, his arousal dragging against her center, covered only by the thin layer of her sundress. Yes, she's wearing a dress again. The look on Castle's face whenever she wears something other than the slacks and blouses of her work wear… wow. Though she's not just dressing up for her man, no way. She likes wearing them for herself.

Her carrier suddenly stops walking, dipping down to kiss her like it's been way too long since he has. Like she's his addiction and he needs a hit. She lets him suck her bottom lip into his mouth as she works her hips against his, needing more than just a skip in his step. They both groan when his hips involuntarily jerk forward against her.

"Kate," he breathes against her, and she knows the time for teasing is done. She pulls away and glances backwards, surprised to see they're almost at the house.

"We can make it," she whispers back. He nods against her lips and starts to move. She's somewhat afraid for their well-being as he stumbles, his eyes closed and concentrated only on her rather than the act of walking. She can't quite bring herself to call him on it. He stumbles again and she decides there is way too much hip-bumping going on for him to not be inside of her.

Now.

She glances down and sees they've at least made it to the well-manicured lawn that precedes the house. Good enough. She bites down on Rick's tongue, hard, and when his grip loosens on her as he grunts in pain she wriggles down. The instant her feet hit the ground she grabs his waist and pulls him down.

"Really?" he asks, eyes lighting up like it's Christmas.

"Grass is better than sand," she says.

"Your dress?"

He looks worried and she can't help but simultaneously swoon and huff in exasperation that he's worried about her wardrobe at a time like this.

"We'll dry clean it," she says, her fingers getting down to business at the button and zipper of his cargo shorts.

"What if it's ruined?"

She pushes him so he's sprawled on his back, moving to straddle him. She leans down, her lips hovering just above his. "Maybe I'll let you buy me a new one."

He groans like she knew he would. They both know Kate has no interest in his money, and that it isn't necessary for him to buy her things, but he still wants to do it. Not to impress her, but simply because he wants to, because he likes trying to show her how special she is, how she deserves someone buying her pretty things. She always rolls her eyes and refuses. In this case, though, as he runs his hands up her thighs, she might just enjoy letting him buy her a dress, knowing how hers had been ruined.

Castle seems to sense her thoughts. The next thing she knows she's on her back, pressed firmly into the wet grass while her lover's tongue trails down her neck. He stops at the hollow of her collarbones, sucking on the little pool of rain that had instantly gathered there. She works her hands between their chests, hurriedly attending the buttons of his short-sleeved shirt.

"Leave it," he tells her, moving his own hands to push his shorts down. He wants her now, doesn't want to waste any time removing clothing that don't need to be.

"No," she shakes her head. "I want it off."

She gazes up at him with a look she knows he can't refuse. He lets out a frustrated noise before sitting up and quickly pulling his shirt over his head. She grins as droplets of rain quickly cover him, running down his broad chest in little rivulets. It's raining but the sky is still bright and he looks like some kind of demi-god, risen from the water. She moves up to trace one of the rivulets with her tongue, swirling it around his nipple when she encounters it. Then his hands are in her hair, getting tangled in the wet strands but she doesn't care. He pulls her off of him and pushes her down, his mouth on hers. Their tongues duel as he kicks his shorts off, boxers swiftly following before his hands are under her skirt and pushing up.

And then he's inside of her and everything is right.

Her legs wrap around him, slipping a bit because his bare skin is wet with rain. He starts moving, hard and fast right from the get-go and it's a constant battle to keep her legs around him but it's a battle she is more than happy to fight.

They're already too far to be able to get Kate's dress off so Castle has to contend with palming her breast through the fabric, pinching her nipple and wishing he could see the rain on her skin. She thinks at first that this will be over quickly, after all the teasing, but as the rain continues to pour Rick seems to calm down, the water washing away the desperate need. They're not just going at it in the grass, he's making love to her and she feels like she's sinking into the Earth, gaining some magical symbiosis with nature itself. Yes, sex with Castle is making her a tad hyperbolic, but it was pretty epic. Whether it was slow or fast, hard or gentle, they made every single moment count.

His mouth is at her neck again, one of his favourite spots, and when he bites down she clamps her legs, her core tightening around him. He bites down again and thrusts a little harder and breath leaves her. She knows she's done for when his lips leaves her and he tells her to open her eyes. He likes to watch when she unravels. He looks at her like she's some sacred thing, and when she sees that look in his eyes she knows she'll be coming for him within moments. When he looks at her like that she knows he will stop at nothing to bring her to completion. The ocean could rise up in a tidal wave and sweep them away but he would make sure she comes first.

His hand slides down between them, encountering the wetness that isn't just rain, stroking, caressing, touching her just-so. Rain drips into her open eyes and she blinks rapidly, trying to keep them open for him.

When the moment arrives she finally fails, breaking eye contact with him as her eyes roll back in her head and her vision goes white. The pattering of the rain and the waves of the ocean go silent and all she knows is the feel of his body, the hot puff of air against her neck and the soft "Kate…" he groans as he follows her down.

It's only the feel of mud seeping through her dress and onto her back that finally prompts her to move. She shifts, moaning as she remembers he's still inside of her. He mumbles something and slips out, collapsing on his back beside her.

"Castle," she says quietly, rolling onto her side to look at him. He's completely naked, his tan skin a stark contrast to the dark green grass. The sheen of sweat and rain makes his skin glisten. She finally fully understands what Lanie had been talking about when she'd talked about there being "A glow".

"Come on, Castle," she says, sitting up. "Time to go inside."

"Mmm, why?" he complains. "I like it out here."

"So do I," she agrees, reaching out and tracing the skin of his torso with her fingers, just because she can. "But as with sand, we don't want mud getting anywhere sensitive, do we?"

He cracks open an eye and looks at her, gauging how serious she was. "Fine," he sighs, sitting up and rooting around for his clothes. He starts pulling on his shorts but she stops him.

"No need for those," she says mildly, starting towards the back doors to the house.

"No?"

"We're just going straight to the shower once we're inside."

She glances back to see his face. Yup. Just like Christmas. With a slightly predatory edge.

"You know," he comments as he hurries to catch up with her. She lets him get a step or two ahead so she can watch his bare behind as he walks. "Singin' in the Rain is one of my favourite movies," he continues. "I always thought that people should do more things outside in the rain. Why does everyone try to hide inside?"

"One of your favourites movies, huh?" Kate grins. "You know, Castle, if you ever have the urge to break out into song during a rainstorm please, feel free."

"Oh you'd love that, wouldn't you?"

"Oh yes. And I'm sure Ryan and Esposito would to."

The door closes behind them as they enter the house, running quickly through the lounge room, hoping not to drip on the carpet.

"What are you implying, detective?" he asks. "That you're secretly going to film me serenading you and twist my gesture of gallant, charming affection into some kind of joke?"

"Who, me?"

"That impish smile won't work on me, you know."

"Are you kidding? It works every time!"

Their banter continues until they hit the expansive shower upstairs, and Castle finally gets to see Kate water drenched and gorgeous.

To Be Continued…

What did you guys think? Any requests for other "Favourite" things our favourite couple can discover/share/enjoy!? Please let me know ;) The rain in this one was partially inspired by RL, and partially by a number of requests I saw on tumblr :) Did you notice I tried yet another experiment with this fic… Using PRESENT tense! I've only ever written in past tense but about halfway through this story I started using Present, and I was like "Woah, say what? Now this whole thing is all garbled and I have to decide." Present tense won.