AN: Hi everyone! I wasn't going to write anymore chapters, but here I am on chapter two. This will be a collection of short stories in which Beckett finally tells Castle how she feels. Each chapter stands on its own. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Castle or the characters from Castle. Castle belongs to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC.

It Just Feels So Natural

She wanted to kiss him so bad. It was absolute torture not being able to show any romantic affection towards her boyfriend in the place where they spent every day working next to each other. They had just solved another tricky homicide when Beckett and Castle leaned in for a celebratory kiss in front of the murder-board, stopping themselves just in time. Beckett pulled back and peeked over at Gates' office. Luckily, the Captain was on a phone call and facing the other direction. Kate turned back to Castle.

"That cannot happen again," she frantically whispered.

"Right. Sorry about that," he returned in the same hushed tone. "It just seems so natural now."

Beckett sighed, ambled to her chair, and sat down. Castle automatically followed and took his customary seat next to her. "I know what you mean, Castle, but we have to keep our work lives separate from our personal ones. There's no way Captain Gates would allow us to continue working together if she found out."

There was a moment of silence between the two, with both of them contemplating what Beckett had just said, and wishing for a way to escape their predicament. It was Castle who eventually broke the quiet. "How do you know she wouldn't be fine with it? With us?"

His question surprised her. "I just… know."

"How can you know if you've never asked her?"

She took a deep breath. "Castle, I know this is hard, but it's just too risky to even ask her what she would do hypothetically. It's not worth both of us losing our jobs, or even worse, just you."

Castle smirked. "Kate, I don't work here," he said softly. "She can't fire me."

"No," she agreed with a light smile playing across her features. "But she could ban you from the precinct. And then we might actually solve cases in a timely manner without anyone messing things up." It was impossible to miss her sarcasm.

Castle scoffed, grinned, and leaned in closer to the detective, inches away from her face and looking her right in the eye. "Kate Beckett, you love me and you know it."

"Yes, Castle. Unfortunately for everyone else here at the 12th, I do love you."

Castle's jaw dropped as he stared at the woman he loved with disbelief. Had he heard her correctly?

Beckett noticed his expression change. "What? What is it? Please tell me I don't have something in my teeth." She rifled through her desk drawers, looking for a mirror while she held a hand in front of her mouth. "Oh God. I was interrogating suspects all afternoon; they probably couldn't even take me seriously!" She rambled on what Castle continued to gape at her. She didn't even realize what she had just confessed.

"You love me?" he asked tenderly. He just wanted to hear he say it again. He wanted to listen to Kate profess her love to him for the rest of their lives.

Beckett froze, and her eyes widened to the point where, if they grew any bigger, they would likely pop out of their sockets. "I- I…" What was the point in denying it? No, she hadn't meant to say it, but just like their almost-kiss earlier, it just felt so natural.

With a steadying breath, she repeated the words that felt so right. "Yes, Castle. I love you."

She had hardly gotten the words off her lips before she felt Castle's lips on her own. She wanted to push him back, to warn him that Gates (not to mention everyone else in the bullpen) would see, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

One of Castle's hands framed her face, while the other slid through her hair and down her neck. Kate, who was too stunned to do anything at first, eventually grabbed onto his collar and pulled him even closer. This was their moment, and she didn't care if she was unemployed come tomorrow. In that second, all she cared about was Castle. He loved her, and she loved him back. That was all she needed.

"Detective Beckett! Mr. Castle! In my office – NOW!" Shit. Beckett and Castle were instantly hurled back into reality and locked out of their flawless, fantasy-land by Iron Gates. They pulled away from each other enough to look around the bullpen. Everyone was staring. Most looked shocked, others smug like that had won a bet, and Ryan and Esposito had knowing smirks mixed with anxious glances in Gates' direction.

"This should be fun," muttered Castle. He stood and reached a hand out for Beckett. "Shall we?"