Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs is one of the most adorable movies ever. If you haven't seen it, you should go watch it. After you read this chapter, of course :)

Cloudy With A Chance Of Murder

"Reading?"

Kate jerked in surprise, turned her head to see Castle in the door frame, silhouetted by the light in the bathroom behind him.

She shrugged, nodded. "Figured we could. It's been a while."

It had, really. Between back to back cases, Castle's publishing meetings (Gina was already demanding an outline of the seventh Nikki Heat novel), and, well, life, it had been a busy three weeks. She missed reading the notebook, missed the intimacy they always found with each other in the aftermath, whether it be mind-blowing sex or deep, meaningful conversations.

Castle switched off the light in the en suite, crossed to the bed and slid beneath the covers next to her. She tilted her head up, smiled into their kiss as he pressed his lips to hers.

They lingered, unwilling to break the moment, before Castle finally pulled away. "So... journal?" he asked softly.

She stole one more kiss from him before answering. "Sure."

Dear Kate,

It's been a while since I've written to you. Over a month now. What can I say? I've been otherwise occupied. It's very distracting having a gorgeous naked woman in my presence.

But you go back to work tomorrow, and it made me realize how much I've missed working cases with you, coming home afterwards and writing to you. Of course, now I'll get to actually come home with you, which is even better!

(Don't worry, I'm still going to write.)

I don't really have a lot to say right now, because despite the fact that it's been a while, I've told you most of the things I want to say. Like how I'm a little nervous for tomorrow because I don't want your case to somehow come crashing down over us again. How you're a bit nervous as well. How I'm going to have trouble not jumping you in the break room or dragging you into a supply closet mid-day to have my wicked way with you.

(Then again, I think you already know that. I also think that I won't be the only one who has trouble restraining themselves.)

Either way, I hope everything goes well for you tomorrow. In the meantime, well, I can think of plenty of ways to keep our minds off of it.

See you in a few, Kate.

Love,

Rick

"I can't believe you skipped a month and a half," Kate voiced, lifting her eyes back to the top of the page.

"Well I was otherwise engaged."

"Oh yeah?" she asked, eyebrow raised. "Doing what?"

"You know... spending my days in bed with this gorgeous naked woman who's now my fiancée."

Kate smiled, eyes dropping to the ring and then lifting back to his. "That was a fun two months," she reminisced.

"Every month with you has been fun," Castle countered, sappiness mixed with honesty.

"Well yes, but you know what I mean."

He did. He most certainly did. They'd had had their ups and downs, just like any couple. There had been rocky moments, especially at the beginning when they... oh. Right.

Castle reached out to turn the page, needed only to skim the next letter to realize that it was indeed the one about the bikini news reporter debacle.

Not one of his better moments.

"What?" Kate asked, taking in his furrowed brow.

He nodded to the book. "Just remembering what came next."

"Why? Was it bad?"

"Well, it wasn't great."

She followed his line of sight, eyes flitting over his words.

Dear Kate,

I'm so sorry. Truly. I screwed up and I know it. I should have turned her down. I should have thought it through more. I should have tried harder to reject her advances.

Oh. That.

Not the best moment of their relationship.

On paper, it seemed like the perfect plan to throw people off of our trail. Since you were okay with it, I decided to go through with it, hoping it would help divert suspicion from us. Of course, on paper I didn't think she'd show up at my door with wine and oysters and chocolate covered strawberries and an unrelenting determination to tear my clothes off as quickly as possible.

Regardless, I shouldn't have let this happen, and for that I'm so sorry.

The truth is, I don't know how to do this, Kate. I don't know how to pretend to be single. I don't know how to believably turn someone down, especially when they ask me out on camera for the whole world to see. I don't know how to not blow our cover when things like this happen. I don't know how to not royally screw things up because let's face it, relationships have never been my strong suit.

I'm terrified, Kate. I'm terrified I'm going to mess this up with you, and I would never forgive myself if I did because I love you so much and these last couple months have been so amazing and wonderful and I don't ever want to lose that. I don't ever want to lose you.

(I realize after the events of this evening, I'll be lucky to still actually have you.)

As soon as I finish this, I'm headed over to your apartment, and I can only cross my fingers and hope you allow me a chance to explain and apologize. I'm truly sorry for what happened and I want you to know that I would never be unfaithful to you. Never. I had no intention of sleeping with her. I wasn't even planning to kiss her, but she didn't give me much of a choice on that one.

I love you. I only want you. No matter how many other women come after me because they think I'm single, my feelings for you are never going to change. You're the only woman I want, in my life, in my bed, and in my heart.

I need you to believe that. I hope that you can forgive me.

Love,

Rick

Kate couldn't help but snicker as she finished reading and Castle jerked his eyes up to hers in surprise.

"What?"

"You're laughing," he pointed out.

She shrugged. "In retrospect, that whole ordeal was ridiculous."

"Yeah but..."

"Seriously?" Kate asked. "You're seriously still upset about that?"

"No, I'm just..." he paused. "I didn't realize you'd see it that way. I mean, she kissed me and I let her."

"I thought you said she didn't give you a choice."

"Well she certainly was relentless, but still..."

"Castle, I may not like it but I know now that dealing with the occasional woman who's annoyingly determined to hit on you is just something I have to accept."

"I don't understand why people don't understand the implications of me being in a relationship," he complained.

"Kind of like what's-her-name at your book signing last week," Kate teased.

Castle cringed at the memory. "Ugh, don't remind me."

"Where would you like it?" he asked automatically, sharpie in his right hand, poised to scrawl his name across the book for another one of his 'biggest fans.'

He had to admit, book signings just didn't hold the same allure any more, not since Kate. Not since he'd fallen so madly in love with her that meeting random women with short dresses and excessive amounts of cleavage had mostly lost its excitement.

"Here," the woman cooed, tugging aside the neckline of her already ridiculously low-cut dress, exposing the voluptuous inside curve of what was most certainly a surgically-enhanced breast.

Castle lifted his head, immediately noticing two things. One, the rest of her body was equally as fake. And two, she was far too close and far too scantily clad for his liking.

"I, uh, how about I sign this instead," Castle suggested, tugging the book from her other hand.

"Oh, but that's so boring," the woman whined. "It's been my lifelong dream to meet you and have you sign my chest."

From behind the nearby bookshelf, Kate rolled her eyes, snorted in disgust at the woman's unabashed antics.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint, Miss..."

"I'm Crystal," she interjected.

"Crystal," he finished. "But I'm just here to sign books today."

She huffed in disappointment, leaned back slightly and returned her dress to its original position. Which, to be honest, still revealed far too much boob to be acceptable.

Castle signed his name with a practiced ease, offered the book back to the blonde with a forced smile.

"Thanks," she replied half-heartedly, clearly disappointed at the outcome.

Castle nodded, thanked her as well as the next fan made their way to the table.

It wasn't until the end of the signing that he found Crystal's number jotted on a piece of paper on the corner of the table.

"You all done?" Kate asked, stepping up behind him and startling him as he picked up the square of paper in confusion.

"I, huh, yeah," he managed, dropping his hand guiltily.

"What's that?"

"Nothing."

"Castle."

He extended the small sheet to her with a sigh. "Some 'fan' who apparently hasn't made it as far as the dedication page and doesn't realize I'm taken. Not that she's planning to read the book anyway."

Kate scoffed. "I'd be surprised if she was capable of reading the book."

Castle raised an eyebrow.

"Would she be the one who wanted you to sign her chest?"

"You saw that?" he spluttered, glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

"The whole room saw that."

He groaned.

Kate shrugged. "It's not like it was your fault. You said no."

"I know, I just..." Castle glanced around again, pulled Kate around the corner of the bookshelf and lowered his voice. "The only boobs I want to see that close to my face," he murmured, planting his hands on her ribcage, thumbs reaching up to trace the edge of her breasts through the fabric of her bra, "are these ones."

She shivered at his touch, couldn't help the way her body arched into his, the reaction instantaneous. Castle chuckled to himself, loving how easily he could rile her up without really trying. Usually that only happened when she'd been drinking or teasing him or if she was...

Wait.

"You're jealous?"

She rolled her eyes but it lacked conviction. "No."

His thumbs slipped up her sides again. "Liar."

"Am... not," she managed, the last word expelled on a breathy pant.

He affixed her with a disbelieving raise of the eyebrow, merely waited her out.

"Fine, maybe. She stuck her cleavage in your face and it was so obviously fake. I don't understand why women think men find that attractive when..."

"Kate..."

"...it's clearly..."

"Kate."

"Hmmm?"

"Her cleavage means nothing to me. Her giggling over being my 'biggest fan' holds no meaning and no place in my memory, okay? I have you, and no amount of fake cleavage doused in way too much perfume is going to change that."

"I know."

"Good. Now," he walked back around to the table, snagged his jacket from the back of the chair. "Let's go home."

"I thought you wanted to go out for pizza," Kate reminded him.

"I did, but that was before you got jealous."

"What's your point?" she asked teasingly, knowing full well that he loved when she was riled up.

"My point," he breathed in her ear, hand coming to rest on her lower back, "is that you're so hot when you're jealous. You get all possessive and sexy and..."

"I get it," she cut in, silencing him before a patron overheard his words.

"Let's go."

They did eventually order pizza... at eleven o-clock that night.

"You know, now that you mention it, the rest of that night was pretty fun," Castle pointed out, smile on his face as images of a jealous Kate floated through his mind.

She whacked his chest. "Shut up."

"You didn't enjoy cuffing me to the bed?" he asked in mock petulance.

"I think you know the answer to that," she breathed against him.

"Care to... recreate the scene?"

Kate raised an eyebrow. "I dunno, Castle. Think you're up for it?"

He waggled his eyebrows. "For you, Detective, I'm always up for it."

This time the eye roll was expected. Irritating, endearing, annoying, insatiable man.

She replaced the journal on the nightstand, slid open the drawer and extracted the handcuffs. She leaned back onto the bed, cuffs dangling from one finger as she blinked demurely up at him through her eyelashes. He reached for the cuffs but she was faster, pinning him to the mattress and securing his hands over his head, leaning forward and providing him a perfect view down the front of her shirt.

He groaned, dropped his head back as she bent down to press her lips to his.

"Problem?" she whispered sexily.

"No," he croaked, voice caught in his throat as he heard the cuff lock into place over his left wrist.

He was so not going to survive this, but oh, what a way to go.

"No problem at all."

Thoughts?