"Can we look at my candy now?" Julia asked her mother as they entered Castle's loft an hour later.
"Yes, but not for too long, you need to go to bed since you do have school tomorrow," Beckett said, smiling as Julia sighed in exasperation. "Come on sweetie, let's see what you got," she said as she sat at the table and put Julia on her lap.
"No, we have to wait for Castle, Mommy," Julia said quickly.
"I'm coming," Castle said, hurrying over to them after putting the Stitch pumpkin in the fridge. "Okay, who'll do the honors?" he asked once he was sitting next to Beckett.
Grabbing the pillowcase, Beckett upended it on the table, having to stop some of the candies from rolling off the table as Julia and Castle did the same. "Wow, you got more than I thought you would," she said as there was a little pile once everything was in between her and Castle.
"I know, for your first time trick or treating I think you did an awesome job," Castle said. "I say it's because you're very cute, and you make an amazing Anastasia."
Julia blushed deeply and then started to push the candy around, looking for something. She didn't respond to her mother when she asked what she was searching for, instead she pulled out the candy bar that Castle had given her and set it in front of her and her mother. "That's the special one," she said seriously to Beckett and Castle who were watching her. "My very first candy."
"You'll still eat it though right?" Castle asked.
"Yeah," Julia said. She looked at the candy and then asked her mother, "What do we do now?"
"What I used to do," Beckett said, flattening the pile. "Is sort everything, so the Snickers are together, then the M&Ms and all the others. So you can see how much of everything you got, and what you want to keep and what you don't like."
"What do I do if I don't like them?" Julia asked.
"Then see if Castle wants them, or Martha and Alexis," Beckett said, kissing her daughter's cheek. "Ready?" she asked.
"Yeah," Julia said excitedly before she started pushing around the candies and grabbing the Snickers bars she had gotten. "Do you help too?" she asked Castle.
"Do you want me to?" he asked. When Julia nodded he smiled and then started to look through the candies until he started to sort out the small bags of candy corn.
After another ten minutes, the candies were sorted and separated and Julia said in amazement, "That's lots of candy."
"It is, now, what ones don't you want sweetie?" Beckett asked.
"These," Julia said, pushing aside some black licorice. "And these," doing the same with some sour candies. "Those, and these," she said, pushing some chocolates shaped like skeletons and some candy apple lollipops.
"Want to see if Castle likes them?" Beckett then said. When her daughter nodded she looked at him questioningly.
"Not a fan of these either," Castle said. "But I can save them for tomorrow, see if Alexis and my mother like them. Thank you Julia."
"Do you like these candies?" Julia asked quickly, grabbing his sleeve.
"The candy corn," Castle said. "Could I have one?" He smiled when Julia nodded so hard her tiara tilted off her head and told her, "Thanks, I appreciate it."
"Welcome," Julia beamed at him. "Can I have a candy Mommy?" she asked pleadingly, looking back at her mother.
"I think a small one," Beckett said. "How about this 3 Musketeers?"
Julia ate the candy, watching as her mother swept everything back into her pillowcase. "Why don't you eat one Mommy?" she asked.
"I'm fine sweetie," Beckett said, putting Julia down. "Okay, let's take the tiara off," she said as she took the pins holding it in place off and set them on the table. "And you can take off your shoes too," she said as she untied the bow, letting her daughter's hair loose.
"I don't wanna take off my dress Mommy," Julia said firmly.
"Okay, you can stay up for a little longer…" Beckett began when her daughter suddenly started to squeal and ran around the room, dodging the couch and table. "And she's hyper. Crap, I was hoping…" she said to Castle under her breath.
"Halloweens are hard with all the candy. And she had the cookies and punch at my mother's studio," Castle replied.
"I know, I should not have let her eat that candy," Beckett sighed. "Julia!" she said sharply then as her daughter nearly slipped. "Sweetie stop, you're going to fall," she said, trying to grab Julia when she dodged her hands with a shrill laugh.
Castle quickly stood up and managed to catch up to Julia, picking her up to her scream. "Hey, I just remembered," he said as the little girl started to struggle against him. "I recorded the Charlie Brown Halloween special, want to watch it before you go to bed?"
"What's that?" Julia asked, brushing her hair off her cheek.
"It's a cartoon," Beckett said, hurrying over to them.
"You've never heard of Charlie Brown? What about Snoopy? No? Not even Woodstock?" Castle asked. With each question Julia shook her head no and he said, "Man, she has to watch it now Kate."
"She can," Beckett said, not caring how long it would take, she was just relieved that he'd stopped Julia from slipping, or running into something. "Come on, let's get comfortable and then we can watch it."
Julia let Castle carry her into his office, and she sat in the armchair he set her in, waiting patiently while he got the TV ready and her mother grabbed a blanket. "Mommy, did you see this?" she asked once she was sitting on Beckett's lap.
"I did, but a long time ago, when I was a little girl," she answered, kissing her daughter's cheek.
"Like me?" Julia said.
"Like you," Beckett replied. "Shh, it's going to start."
Castle found himself watching Julia from time to time at different points in the show. When Snoopy first appeared he glanced at the little girl, seeing her giggling behind her hands. He leaned back against his chair, feeling she was more calmed down than she had been before, running around, and could see that Beckett was a lot more relaxed as well. He knew she was relieved that the little girl had gotten through her first Halloween pretty well and felt the same way, reaching over and taking her hand.
"Woodstock is cute," Julia said to her mother as Castle went through the commercials.
"I know, I loved him, but Snoopy was always my favorite," Beckett said, stroking Julia's hair as the little girl closed the blanket that was around them tighter. "Cold?"
"Little," Julia said, snuggling against her mother more. "Is there a Great Pumpkin Mommy?"
"I don't think so," Beckett laughed slightly. "They made it up for the show I'm sure. But let's see if Linus gets to see it at all."
Julia nodded, and turned her attention back to the TV as she heard the sound come back. She laughed as she watched Snoopy as the Red Baron, flying his dog house, and jumped a little when there was the sound of gunshots.
"It's okay," Beckett said quickly. "It's just Snoopy's imagination."
"I know, it surprised me Mommy," Julia said quickly. She pressed her cheek to her mother's shoulder, and continued watching until the end when Linus, in the pumpkin field, saw a figure coming up from the pumpkins in the dark. "It's the Great Pumpkin!" she cried, sitting up straight on her mother's lap. She opened her mouth to say something else, when the figure turned out to be Snoopy. She giggled hard and looked at her mother, "It's the Red Baron."
"I know," Beckett said, smiling at her daughter's reaction.
"Linus got scared," Julia giggled. The show ended after that and she yawned a little as Beckett stood up with her in her arms.
"What did you think?" Castle asked, turning off show.
"I liked it," Julia said with a sleepy smile. "Why did they give Charlie Brown rocks?"
"Good question, and why his parents didn't help him out with his ghost costume I can't figure out," Castle said as he followed Beckett and Julia up to Alexis' room where the little girl would spend the night.
"That was funny," Julia giggled as she remembered the ghost costume, full of holes. She yawned widely and then asked, "Do I have to go to bed?"
"You do," Beckett said firmly. "Thanks," she directed to Castle as she took Julia's overnight bag that he was carrying. She went inside the room, and changed her daughter into her pajamas before there was a knock. "You can come in," she said as she zipped up Julia's dress and put it on the hanger that had been in the garment bag. "This was a nice dress," she said as he walked in.
"Do I have to give it back?" Julia asked, bouncing on her knees on the bed.
"No, Martha's letting you keep it. I thought you might like to have it when you want to play dress up," Beckett said, covering it with the bag and hanging it from the closet door.
"Really?" Julia asked hopefully. When her mother nodded she squealed and said, "I want to wear it again."
"Is she not tired now?" Castle asked as Beckett sat against the headboard with her daughter.
"Do you mind reading?" Beckett asked after she had set Julia under the covers.
"Not at all," Castle said, taking the book on Alexis' nightstand that was there for when Julia spent the night. "Okay, let's see where we are…"
"We almost finished it," Julia said quickly.
"I see that," Castle said, flipping through the pages until he'd gotten to where Alexis had left a book mark. "Ready?" he asked Julia. When the little girl nodded he started to read, keeping an eye on her as he began with, "The twelve jurors were all writing very busily on slates. 'What are they doing?' Alice whispered to the Gryphon. 'They can't have anything to put down yet, before the trial's begun.'" He was able to read three more pages after getting through the first, and was just finishing with, "'I deny it!' said the March Hare'," when he felt Beckett touching his hand. He glanced at Julia and saw that she was asleep, leaning against her mother as she clutched her Stitch doll to her. He marked the page and then stood, watching as Beckett tucked her daughter in and kissed her goodnight before standing up. "Thought she would need more," he said after they were outside and the door was closed.
"If she were ten, probably," Beckett said. "And if you hadn't thought of showing her that cartoon too."
"Yeah, you're lucky I get good ideas," Castle said as they went down the stairs, seeing her roll her eyes in mock exasperation. "Coffee?"
"Sure," Beckett said. "I'll be looking to see if there's anything non-horror on TV."
"Good luck with that," Castle said as he turned to the kitchen and she walked over to his study.
Grabbing the remote for the TV, Beckett saw that Castle's laptop was on, and open to his folder for his novels. She paused when she saw that there was a book missing; the newest Nikki Heat he was supposed to be writing. Frowning slightly, she glanced over at him and then turned to the TV. She switched to where he kept the murder boards for his stories, and saw it was blank except for a bubble with 'Nikki Heat' in it. "So the book is going well I take it?" she said, turning when she heard him approaching her.
"You… damn it," Castle swore, looking at her in shock before he looked at the remote and saw it next to his computer. He knew she'd figured out he hadn't even started the plot for his next book yet by accident and he closed the door after his hands were free.
"Usually you share when it comes to your books," Beckett said, sitting on the other side of his desk. "Spill Castle, what's the problem?"
"It's not so much writer's block," Castle said, knowing he wasn't going to be able to change the subject as he wanted to. He sat and closed his laptop saying, "It's more I'm having a problem with the case that I have in mind."
"Which one?" Beckett asked.
"The one I came up with the first time we were in the Hamptons together," Castle said. "I have the idea already of writing about the deputy with a drug dealing business on the side. But getting Nikki into that is a stumbling block for me."
"Well, do you want it to follow how we got onto the case," Beckett asked.
"Not exactly," Castle said, watching as she stood up and started to pace next to him. "I want a differentiation, or else I'm worried Ryan or Esposito might connect the dots."
"That would actually be spaced pretty far apart," Beckett said, leaning against his desk directly next to him. "So I don't think they would really be able to figure anything out. But if you want to go in a different direction… what about Nikki being asked by the chief of police to help with the case. She wouldn't be there in the Hamptons from the very start of the case, but it would get her into it at his invitation in the first place."
"Close," Castle said. "I'm not sure if I want her to know the chief though. I thought about having him be really antagonistic with her."
"I'm assuming you want him to dismiss her finding out the killer is his deputy?" Beckett asked.
"Pretty much, and also to make him slightly different from Chief Brady," Castle said. "Though he was pretty insistent about Vinnie 'The Scar.'"
"Right, do you have the actual murder thought out?" Beckett said.
"Not exactly the same as what happened with us," Castle said. "Since I'm having her- wait, what if I had the mayor of Hamptons ask her to help with the case."
"That would work," Beckett said, smiling as he opened his laptop and started to type. "And it would force the Chief to work with her, that would bring in a little of the antagonistic side of him you want to bring in. But it's not going to be all negative is it?"
"No, just enough similarity to Chief Brady for him to know that it's based on him," Castle said. "Getting an idea in my head. Will have Nikki cornered," he said, his keyboard clacking furiously as his fingers flew over the letters. "And he'll come in and shoot him. I'm thinking maybe have him not realize who it is until he looks at the body of the deputy?"
"Could work, but you might want to have him getting a suspicion that it is his deputy and Nikki was right before that," Beckett said, watching him type again. "And try to dismiss it before he shoots the killer and sees who it is and there's no possible way he can deny it."
"That's pretty good," Castle said, typing it out quickly. "Now I'm thinking of writing some quick interludes from the deputy's point of view. Maybe a view of the underbelly which he's found himself in dealing drugs."
"You want to create sympathy?" Beckett asked.
"Maybe that's too much," Castle said, making a face. "Maybe just have his thoughts about selling, the money, his job, something like that."
"You're thinking about writing a sex scene with him and a woman aren't you?" Beckett asked. She rolled her eyes slightly when he merely smiled; but didn't meet her gaze; and she sighed saying, "I think that might be too much too, but your readers wouldn't be surprised by it."
"My readers or you? Or both since you're a reader as well," Castle said. When Beckett just gave him a look he said quickly, "I was thinking of writing in a prostitute, but I'll set that into a maybe plot point." He then said, "I think I can get the beginning, the opening. From the point of view of the victim, I forgot to mention he'll be a relative of the mayor."
"So it would make more sense for him to call in Nikki," Beckett said. She smiled when he didn't reply, typing again furiously as he stared at the screen. She was still leaning against the side of the desk, so she turned and picked up her mug of coffee she used when she was there. She sipped at the liquid, making a slight face as she discovered their brainstorming had turned it somewhere between lukewarm and cold. She glanced at Castle, his eyes focused intently on the screen of his laptop, and she stood up, walking to the TV. She turned it off, and then walked over to him, sliding her hand over his shoulder and onto his chest. "Castle," she told him, pressing down slightly so he would notice.
Typing so quickly, Castle didn't really register her voice, though he had heard her and knew she was touching him.
Rolling her eyes, Beckett slapped his chest and said loudly, "Rick."
"Ow, geez, what?" Castle said, looking up at her.
"Did you even hear me before?" Beckett asked.
"Yeah, but I was trying to get the beginning down," Castle said, looking at his laptop screen. "I think I've got it. Going to be a very quick prologue, but I think it's good."
"Are you finished?" Beckett said, suppressing a sigh as he went back to typing.
"Just a little… there," Castle said, saving his work. "Should be a good set up, hopefully it'll confuse my reader with the description of where the victim is," he said as he read his first sentence. He nearly jumped when he felt Beckett's hand on his throat, but a second later her lips were at his ear. "Um, are you planning on snapping my neck?" he asked, looking up at her.
"No, but thank you for finally looking at me," Beckett said. "So you're done with the prologue?"
Looking at his computer screen and then back at her as he turned his chair slightly to her, Castle grabbed her arm and pulled her on to his lap to her startled cry. "I think I am," he said before he kissed her hard.
It took Beckett a moment to respond to him, trying to catch up with him since she was a little startled at his abrupt move. But she soon had her hands on his cheeks and was kissing him back when they pulled away. "Any reason for that?" she asked, panting slightly.
"Read this opening paragraph," Castle said, turning back to his computer and pulling his laptop towards them. "Just the first one," he said quickly when she shot him a look. "And that's it, I swear."
Letting out an annoyed sigh since she didn't want to stifle it, Beckett straightened up, not surprised when he held onto her, and she wrapped her arm around his neck so he knew she wasn't trying to get up off him. "Fire and ice, intermingling as arms and legs burned with the effort of cutting through the salt water that surrounded him. Lungs aching as they struggled for air, struggled against the blood filling them. A light shinning down, guiding his way. Air, filling his right lung, left struggling to comply with his body's involuntary demand to live. The tide was forcing him against the shore, he let it drag him, each wave battering his wounded body, making him roll; making him one with the foaming crests. The shock of sand was a jolt against the opening left by the bullet in his chest. Fire and ice, mixing together, darkness pulling him into its grasp. Standing, struggling through the powder-like sand, step after step, closer to the lights, to help. Fire and ice, the fire shooting through his lungs, the ice collecting in the tips of his fingers. Fire and ice…" she read, trailing off as she felt Castle's fingers unbuttoning her blouse and the skin stroking down underneath, skimming along to the top of the curve of her left breast.
Her voice shook as she tried to read those three words again, but wasn't able to finish them, Castle's mouth covering hers. She forgot about having to turn his attention from writing, her reading, and everything else as his hand slid underneath her blouse, fingers tightly clutching at her skin. She realized then why he had wanted her to read, she was experiencing a lot of the fire and ice sensation that he had written down in the prologue. His other hand was finishing unbuttoning her blouse, the cool air making her shiver momentarily as their lips parted and he trailed them down to her jaw, using his hand to push her hair out of the way. His hand under her blouse was stroking her skin then, and she reached up, cupping his cheek as he left a trail behind his touch that burned and made her skin prickle in response. She tilted his face up to hers saying, "I think we need to move this to another room. One with more opaque glass than this one."
"You make a good point," Castle said, glancing over at the book shelves. He let Beckett stand before he followed, closing his laptop as she took his hand. Once the door to his room was closed he pulled her against him and quickly slid her blouse off her shoulders. "This thing was skin tight, any reason?" he asked as there wasn't much space for his fingers even with it unbuttoned.
"Well, since I wasn't planning on wearing a costume I thought I might try and seduce you," Beckett said. "See if it worked as well as some slutty nurse or cheerleader outfit would have."
"You know, it did," Castle said before he leaned down and kissed at her shoulder before trailing up to her neck. "And I have to say, a lot easier to get you out of that blouse than any costume."
"Especially if it was made of vinyl like the ones you've pointed out to me leading up to today," Beckett said. She let him guide her to the bed and after he'd laid her down she told him sarcastically; while he was undressing her again, "So glad for the costume store owner case two weeks ago."
"You know, I was half expecting you to surprise me with something," Castle said before he brushed his lips down along her leg after he'd gotten the rest of her clothes off. "But remembered you have a daughter so it was unlikely."
"She was expecting me to wear a costume too," Beckett said as she sat up and pulled on the shirt Castle was wearing until he raised his arms and she took it off him. "She said I could be Anastasia's mom."
"You could have," Castle said. "I remember seeing a picture of her in that dress with the same sleeves. Would have been interesting."
"And a lot more modest than the blouse I wore," Beckett said with a slight smirk and they quickly worked together to finish undressing him.
"Doesn't matter," Castle said, watching as she pushed on his chest, forcing him to lay down where she'd been a second before. "Still would have been interesting."
"And you? No costume this year," Beckett commented as she pushed her hair behind her right ear.
"I couldn't really think of anything," Castle said, his teeth suddenly clenched together as she started to stroke him. "Ah, I should have read that tell."
"Tell?" Beckett asked in surprise, not stopping what she was doing though.
"Yeah, you always push your hair behind your ear… ugh… your ear when you're going to do this," Castle said, hissing the words out almost as she continued to touch him. He tried to stop her, but she easily slapped his hands away before he instead wrapped his arms around her as she kissed him on the lips.
Beckett decided to take some pity on him, though she knew she would have loved to drag on teasing him; the reason why he'd tried to stop her, so she would get down to actually pleasuring him. She slid down his body, ignoring the slight clench of fear inside her stomach before she slipped him inside her mouth. The fear was a remnant from Queens, it was slight but one she had a little harder time getting rid of, mainly because Harris had been aroused when he'd tried to rape her, which she had unfortunately felt, and it was an instinctive reaction. She quickly turned her attention to Castle, trying to forget everything but him. She relaxed enough to feel his hand stroking her hair, and the last of the tension eased from her body.
Though he desperately wanted to clutch at Beckett's hair, Castle knew that he would be pushing too far with that. Though it had been nearly six months since she had been taken, he knew she was a little apprehensive when she pleasured him in any way. He cursed Harris out in his mind; since she was the reason she reacted that way and because he'd had to almost walk on eggshells with his girlfriend. But he could tell she was recovering and he carefully threaded his fingers through her hair, watching her closely.
Though she knew she was working a little too fast, Beckett didn't stop until he had tensed enough for her to feel it on top of him, his groans changing in tone from what had been escaping from his mouth up until that point. She slid up his body when he was calm, kissing him on the lips briefly before resting her head on his chest. When he started to stroke her back with the backs of his fingers she said, "You know what happens to me when I start."
"Yeah, it's not too hard to tell," Castle said. When he glanced down at her and saw that Beckett was looking at him questioningly, he said, "You hesitate, it's almost imperceptible, but I can feel it. In that state I'm pretty much hypersensitive so to feel you stopping is a pretty big thing."
"I'm trying to get through that," Beckett said. "It's not as bad as it used to be."
"I know," Castle said, his hand rubbing in a circular motion around her back. "But it's a little disturbing that you get so on edge. I can feel it in your back Kate."
Beckett wanted to reply to that, but Castle started to rub his fingers a little harder into her skin, and she groaned a little as he worked against a knot in her muscles. "It's not that I don't enjoy doing that, it's more my body's reaction," she said quickly as both his hands started to massage her and she was moaning a little as he worked against the different points on her skin that were tense.
"This isn't just from any kind of hesitation," Castle said, a little surprised at her reaction. "Why didn't I ever feel this?"
"Because you tend to touch me a lot lighter than you're doing right now," Beckett said. She smiled at him and said, "I'm not made of glass you know."
"No, but the lighter touches get you more excited," Castle said, feeling her relaxing after he'd gone over every inch of her back. "Right?" he asked.
"They might," Beckett said coyly, crying out a second later when he flipped her over onto her back. "The surprising me not so much."
"As naked as we are?" Castle asked, stroking her cheek.
"How much more naked could we get," Beckett said, looking down at their bodies, pressed up close together.
Castle didn't respond to that, instead he slid his hand down her neck, stroking it gently. "Sorry," he said, having forgotten her aversion to her neck being touched.
"No, it's okay, a lighter touch is going to work a lot better here," Beckett said, smiling a little at him. She watched as his hand slid down further, and soon was at her breasts. Before he started to touch them though, he was suddenly kissing her, and she felt his other hand holding her tightly against him. But a second later his hand was cupped over her right mound and she pulled back, her gasp quickly exploding out of her.
Castle quickly kissed her again before he slid his hand that was wrapped around her over her hip. He felt her tense up under him, knowing she was trying to figure out where he was going to go. He answered her by sliding his fingers between her legs, not surprised she pulled away from their kiss again. He began to carefully rub against her heated flesh as she arched her hips against his hand. "Harder?" he asked, kissing her lower lip. He was a little surprised when she didn't answer, so he grabbed her chin with his free hand and made her look at him. "Tell me Kate, what you want," he told her firmly.
Breathing a little hard, Beckett saw that he was serious, and she was a little surprised he was being so forceful, he had been careful with her for a long time. She couldn't blame him for doing that, and she reached down to his hand in between her legs, directing his fingers in the way she wanted him to touch her by pressing down with her own digits. He immediately got the picture and he was moving faster, making her bite her lower lip a little roughly at the rush of pleasure that seemed to spread like a wave of warmth through her body.
Pressing his lips down over Beckett's neck, Castle felt her starting to move her hand away when he quickly told her, "Don't, just… stay." He felt her nod, though she didn't really need to, and he let her control everything. He was a little startled when she suddenly slid his hand lower and it was surrounded by her moist heat. He swore against her skin before he moved to obey her unspoken command, holding her tightly as her body arched until he was moving his hand against her. He felt her thrusting against his fingers in response, and he kissed her on the lips, drawing her over the edge as his thumb at the same time flicked against her bundle of nerves. He quickly pulled away, wanting to watch her as she lost control, her face a mask of pleasure as her body writhed slightly in time with each wave of pleasure that hit her; feeling it himself with his fingers still within her, her hand holding him in place and clutching at him so tightly her knuckles were white.
Catching her breath, Beckett felt a little weak, surprised at the force of her satisfaction, but she soon felt strong enough to turn onto her side. "So I guess we're even?" she asked.
"Oh, I wasn't really doing that to balance things between us," Castle said. "I felt like touching."
"Yes, I know how you are," Beckett said, smiling slightly. "But thank you for that."
"That was a thanks for what you did to me," Castle commented, running his hand up and down her back. "Tired at all?"
"No, and I know you aren't either," Beckett said before she kissing him lightly on the lips. "But give me a second."
"Sure, as long as you need, I'm patient," Castle said quickly, pleased at her response to his query. When she snorted slightly he said quickly, "Hey, I am."
"Then that's a side of you I don't see too often," Beckett replied, lying on her back.
"I waited for you didn't I?" Castle pointed out.
Looking away, Beckett said, "Okay, so you were patient for that, but you know for the little things…"
"I don't know if I want to classify this as something little. It's a big deal," Castle said. "Really, I'm not kidding about that."
"I get the picture Castle, but," Beckett started to say as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. "I'm kidding you know. Just seeing how serious you are."
"I've mentioned you're sadistic right?" Castle asked before they kissed. "But I actually don't mind that too much."
Pulling back from another kiss, Beckett responded with, "Good, because I probably won't be able to stop doing that to you."
Castle covered her lips with his again, and slid his hands under her back, before he pulled her up with him as he got on his knees in the middle of the bed. He was a little concerned not enough time had passed, but when she reached for him, he forgot his apprehension entirely. He moved down to her neck as they started to move together, almost at the same time; he was a little after her as he was concentrating for a moment on the kiss. But he quickly matched the rhythm that she set down, letting his hands slide around her back before he cupped the back of her head.
Beckett's head was tilted back, looking at nothing as she felt his lips sliding around her skin. His tongue was sticking out slightly; the very tip; and leaving a trail of slight moisture and along with it a shock that she could feel shooting through every inch of her body. She tilted her head down once he'd gone to her neck from her jaw, and she cupped his face with her hands, drawing him to her lips. It was a little frantic, as they both fought for dominance over it, but soon seemed to agree without saying a word, his tongue sliding through her lips.
Pressing his hands flat on the small of her back, Castle slowly moved back and looked up at her before he concentrated for a moment on how she was moving against him. He slid his lips over her shoulder, curving down when he reached her neck, moving to the hollow of her throat. He lightly nipped at edge of it, feeling her shudder for a moment before he loosened his hold on her. He felt her lean back against his hands; exactly what he wanted her to do; and he pressed a few kisses to both her breasts before he reached in between them with his right hand.
Her breath coming out rapidly as Castle's fingertips brushed against her scar, Beckett dug her nails into his shoulders as he bent down, his lips following his fingers. She pulled him back up to her, pressing her forehead against his while their lips moved, not quite kissing each other. She knew she was speaking, no words leaving her throat though, repeating his name as she seemed to feel like she could taste her own name in the breath that left his mouth and entered hers. She wasn't too surprised when he closed the gap between them, and they kissed deeply again, grasping on to one another as if for dear life.
At some point, Castle wasn't sure when it turned out to be, Beckett's nails raked down his back in one long, smooth motion before he pulled her so tightly against him that he wasn't sure if he was trying to just hold on to himself as he lost control, or if he was trying to meld her body into his own. He kept moving with her, though their rhythm was pretty much shot by then and the slap of their hips became erratic in the room. But finally they stopped, and he looked at her as she stroked his face once they had parted.
"You know that fire and ice theme you have going for the prologue?" Beckett asked when she was sure she could talk. When he nodded she smiled and kissed him gently before telling him, "It works for a sex scene too."
"Where did the ice come in?" Castle asked.
"Right now," Becket said, pressing closer to him in an attempt to get his body heat.
Castle quickly realized that the room had gotten colder; the steady pattern of rain on the window telling him the storm was the explanation for that; and he hurriedly helped Beckett lay down before he pulled all the blankets and sheet over them. "Didn't realize it was cold," he said. "I see what you mean now."
"Yeah, but that was good," Beckett said, laying her cheek on his shoulder. When he raised his head to look at her she quickly said, "What you wrote earlier. Although it applies to what we just did too."
"Great, I'm glad to hear that," Castle said, rubbing her shoulder. He leaned over and kissed it before he pulled back and said, "I'm talking about what we just did. But going back to my writing, I couldn't have gotten started without you."
"I was just helping you out," Beckett said simply.
"No, but you have a knack for it," Castle said. "You should be a writer."
"And what, you be a cop?" Beckett asked with a smile.
"That would be pretty interesting," Castle said thoughtfully.
Rolling her eyes, Beckett kissed him briefly and said, "It's an amusing idea Castle, you'd end up drowning in paperwork in a short time if you were ever a detective."
"Oh, forgot about that, then I'll leave that to you," Castle said, rubbing her back. "But thank you for the help."
"I'm glad to," Beckett said as she watched him grab her hand that was on his chest and entwined their fingers.
"Less than three weeks left," Castle said after a few minutes of them listening to the rain.
"I know," Beckett said with a sigh. "I'm expecting another visit soon, hopefully it'll be the last one and they won't step up the visits now the probationary period is almost over."
"I don't think you'd have anything to worry about," Castle said. "You had being a mother down pretty quickly. Even before you adopted her."
"I always worry something will come up just before that day I can sign the final papers and she's Julia Beckett," Beckett sighed deeply. "I try and squash that doubt, but it's tough."
"I know what you mean, I had that same fear when my first book was published," Castle said, turning so he was on his side, facing her. "I always expected a letter saying they made a mistake, and wanted their check back."
"Hard to imagine you doubtful about your books," Beckett said, smiling slightly.
"I was," Castle said before he kissed her and then stroked her hair slightly. "But once you sign the papers, there's no going back, you will be a mother Kate," he told her seriously.
"There was never a chance for me to go back," Beckett said seriously as well. "The only chance was when we found out there were no female officers at the crime scene to get Julia out of the hidden room. And even then, I'm sure I would have had to go up anyways, she probably wouldn't have trusted anyone else." She then sat up and said, as Castle quickly joined her, his hand on her back, "I never even thought about being a mother before that point. My job was always there to stop me from considering it. But seeing Julia for the first time… I still can't explain it."
"When Alexis was born," Castle said as he stroked her skin with the backs of his fingers. "I had that same moment. I was her father, but there was always; horrible as it is to think about; there was always a choice for me. I could raise her, or just walk away. But seeing her, I knew there was never any second option. I'm not surprised you went through the same thing with Julia; with your daughter; it makes you a great mother."
Beckett smiled at that as she knew he'd added the last bit as she enjoyed hearing Julia being called her daughter. It amazed her how much she had changed from before she had met Julia. She glanced back at Castle then, still caressing her skin and she lay back on the bed, pulling him down with her. She felt she should say something, to thank him for staying with her while she became Julia's mother; something she'd told him before; but couldn't find the words. But as she looked up into his eyes, she knew that he understood already what she couldn't say; for which she was grateful. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her, kissing him as their hands slid heavily over each other's skin, the sound a sharp contrast to the lightly descending rain as they seemed to fall very willingly into their lovemaking.