A/N: Sorry! Hurt my thumb more than I thought!

A/N #2: ... naw... I got nothing... enjoy!

Alexis slipped the last of the Spanish omelette into her mouth (She had steadfastly refused to allow her father to put marshmallow fluff in it) before wiping her hands and standing. "Thanks, Guys. Okay, I am out of here. Don't wait up. I'll be home late. We have a lot of information to go over."

Castle watched as she carried her dishes to the sink. "How late is late?"

The redhead threw him a sarcastic look. "If it's after dawn, I'll call."

"That's all I ask." He smiled when she kissed him on the cheek.

Alexis turned to Kate. She hesitated for a moment and then quickly pecked her on the cheek as well.

The two women smiled shyly at each other for a moment.

Then Alexis grabbed her bag and headed out the door with a wave and a cheery "Later!"

Kate watched until the door closed and then turned to Castle. "And you raised her?"

He smiled. "Let's just say it was 50/50 and call it a day."

"She's a wonderful kid, Castle."

"Despite my best efforts..." He looked up thoughtfully. "I'm still not sure where I went wrong..."

Beckett came around the counter and wrapped him in her arms. "Even your mistakes are perfect."

"Careful... comments like that may go to my head."

She slipped her hand inside his pants. "Which one?"

His thighs bucked into her, making her laugh.

"Sadly, we don't have time."

She tried to move away but he caught her by the hips and pulled her up against him. "We have time... later..."

He ground into her and Kate inhaled sharply.

"I have to go home tonight, Castle."

"Why?" His lips traveled up the line of her neck, biting at every sensitive spot she had.

"Clean clothes?" She breathed.

"Why?"

"Because the boys will notice if I wear the same thing every day?" She licked his lower lip. "Water my plants?"

"You don't have any plants."

"You gave me a ficus."

"I release you from your ficussian duties." He nibbled on her chin.

"Is that even a word?"

"I'm a writer... trust me."

"CASTLE!" She grabbed his hands, which had been working their way under her bra. "I have to go sometime!"

"Why?"

"Because it's my home and I live there."

Rick opened his mouth.

"I swear to god, Castle, if you say why, you can catch a cab to the precinct."

"I wasn't going to say why!"

She burst out laughing at his little pout. Not that he needed to pout to make her think of him as a boy.

"I was going to say that it doesn't have to be that way."

"I'm..." Kate went completely still. "I'm not ready to have that conversation with you... not yet."

Rick's grin was huge. "I know. I just didn't want you to forget."

"Like I could." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't you have some writing to do, anyway?"

"I can't think of a single thing more inspiring than you draped over the chair across from me; wearing nothing but one of my shirts and reading one of my books while I write another about you."

Kate took a deep breath, dropping her head in defeat. "You don't fight fair."

He kissed her tenderly. "Fair is irrelevant."

The last of her reticence melted away. "Fine! But I am going home Friday night! I want you to have at least the weekend with your daughter before your ex gets her claws into her."

"I can live with that. I think."

"You've known me for three years, Castle. You lived just fine before that."

"I lived." He kissed her deeply. "I wouldn't say I was fine."

FRIDAY 01:00 HOURS

"I can't believe it was the butler!" Castle shook his head as they walked into the loft. "So many lines... so many missed opportunities."

"I dunno, Castle. You seemed to have enough fun as it is." Kate hung her coat on an empty hook, realizing that over the last three days it had somehow become her hook. It was always empty... like it was waiting for her.

"Are you hungry?"

She blinked. It wasn't the question she was expecting. "What do you have to offer?"

"Well, I don't have the goods for midnight margaritas but... I think I can come up with something even more appealing." He waggled his eyebrows. "Why don't you get ready for bed? I'll bring it to you."

"Get ready for bed?" Beckett grinned.

"For once, just take off your clothes and don't make things hard!"

Kate bit her lower lip. "I thought that was the point."

He dropped his head, trying not to look at her as he backed out the door. "La,la,la,la,la,la!"

Beckett smirked to herself as he disappeared.

He was...

She swallowed. a hard breath escaping her lips.

He was perfect for her.

He was silly... when it was needed. He was serious... When it was needed.

He was hers...

Always.

Pulling her shirt over her head she quickly undid her pants and slid into bed.

She just made it.

Castle threw the door open, his grin huge as he carried a tray into the room.

Cocking one eyebrow at her, he leered. "Did someone say hot fudge?"

"I still don't get how they can just ignore it." Beckett licked the back of her spoon. "The corruption... the misappropriation of funds..."

Castle reached out and touched her lower lip, startling her.

"What? Did I miss some fudge?" She wiped her mouth with her napkin and presented her face for inspection.

Rick laughed, returning his fingertips to her lower lip. "No. It is your mouth."

Kate blinked, biting her lower lip to pull it away.

"Like that." He slid closer, the heat, the weight of him warming her entire left side.

"Like what?" She breathed into his mouth.

"That little bite thing you do. That's playful Beckett." He watched her eyes darken slightly. "Aaaand that's snarky Beckett, about to tell me that I'm..."

"Creepy?"

Castle nodded, his grin huge. Then his hand cupped her cheek and the smile faded into something more... awestruck. "You say a thousand different things just by twitching your lips. Do you realize that? I could spend a hundred years just describing your mouth."

Kate couldn't help the little gasp that escaped when he slid further, covering her completely with his body; holding most of his weight on one arm, the hard heat between them enough to make them both pause.

It was exquisite, the way they fit. Her curves into his muscles, his mass filling all her empty places...

It was heaven...

...and hell.

Now that she had had him... how could she ever live without him?

Beckett woke slowly, a small giggle escaping her lips as something tickled across her chest. Opening her eyes, she tilted her head to one side, looking up at Rick quizzically as he leaned on one arm and dragged something smooth and slightly pleasant over her skin.

"Castle?" She mumbled, trying not to smile. "What are you up to now? What is that?"

"This?"

His voice was low, husky with sleep. Coupled with the feel of... whatever it was he was now trailing over the top of her breasts... She couldn't help it.

She moaned, arching her back, feeling the hardness of him rubbing against her stomach.

Kate reached up with both hands, burying them in his hair; using it to try and pull him down on top of her.

"Mmm... I like the direction this conversation is going but you have to let me finish first."

"Finish what?" She craned her neck up, trying to see what he was doing. "WHAT is that?"

Castle smiled brightly. "This..." He held up his hand with a flourish. "Is my favorite pen."

For a minute Beckett thought she was still sleeping and shook her head to clear it. "Your what now?"

"My favorite pen."

"Your favorite..." She pursed her lips. Oh, what the hell. "Okay, I'll play. If it's your favorite it has to be special. Is it one of those solid gold pens I read about in Excess Magazine?"

Rick smile turned impish. "Rollerball. $.98 at the newspaper stand on the corner. I almost got a MARTE by Omas. It was their tribute pen to Jules Verne. But even I couldn't justify a $43,000 pen."

Becket raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay I could justify it me I just couldn't justify it to Alexis."

"Ahh." Kate nodded knowingly.

"Besides it's not what it costs... It's how it writes. And this is the smoothest rolling pen I have ever put to paper. I won't waste Moleskine on anything else."

"Okay... which leads me back to... What are you doing?"

Castle moved back, letting her sit up. She flipped on the bedside lamp and looked down at her chest for several long moments before looking back up at him. "Okay, just so you know? Yeah,the light didn't help. What the hell, Castle?"

Her mouth dropped open when he shot his hand out and made one last mark.

Rick's eyes followed the criss-crossing lines that ran from her collarbones down to the swell of her breasts and across to both of her arms.

"It's perfect."

"I'll take your word for it. What is it supposed to be?"

He suddenly looked very young. "My muse. The Constellation of Beckett." His fingers trailed over each of the freckles he had connected. "I have wanted to do this since I first saw you in that red dress, standing in my doorway; shoulders bare, dusted in your own little stars."

Kate swallowed, laughing weakly. "Jeez, Castle. Can't you just say that you like freckles?"

"I thought I just did."

She laughed. "How do you make the silliest crap seem so romantic?"

Rick capped his pen, tossing it onto the dresser. "Pure..." He settled himself on top of her. "Raw..." He shifted his hips and Kate automatically relaxed her thighs. "Talent."

Beckett wrapped her arms and legs around him, a wicked grin settling on her lips. "Prove it."

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