Apologies for the delay … I have been writing this chapter for a while. The blending of the original and the AU stories, was a little more detailed than it has been which has caused the chapter to be longer. It shifts into M zone for those who enjoy a bit of fluff… so enjoy.

"Here we go," Kate sighed the second her Police phone pinged with an incoming text message. She turned the phone over in her hand and leaned towards Castle as he did.

"Lanie?" He inquired. It was rhetorical.

"Mm." They read the text.

Hey girl. Heads up. Writer boy left the bar with a gothic woman last night.

"Gothic?" She asked looking at his eyes.

"Arrrhh… gothic, no. Fucking sexy hot woman yes," he whispered close to her ear. As the elevator came to a halt he stepped away, but said, "And I mean that."

Kate bit her bottom lip, and gave him the sexiest look she could muster before she moved closer to the elevator doors when they opened.

"Lunch in a hotel room today, Beckett," he strongly suggested when he followed her out the elevator and fell in beside her.

"Sure," Kate replied, a devilish smile growing, "I would love to break my lunch time PB." She looked at him with, then ahead. She missed the expression she caused, missed the way he stared at her ass as she walked into the bull pen.

On the way to her desk, she tapped a message to Lanie.

He's allowed. You know he likes his bimbos.

The phone was discarded on her desk and she dumped her bag on the floor beside the chair.

"Morning Beckett," Esposito greeted as Beckett sat down and Castle pulled off his jacket. It was odd that they arrived at the same time first thing in the morning. He stopped near Beckett's desk holding a mug of fresh steaming coffee from the coffee machine.

"Morning." Beckett and Castle replied simultaneously.

"You two catch a ride in together this morning?"

"Uh, no." Rick casually replied, glancing at Beckett who gave a slight pause as she sat at her desk. He'd heard the tone in Esposito's question as had Kate. "Just timed it…. I went for my coffee… Beckett's running late." He shrugged dissmissively.

"Not running late, Castle, you're early," Beckett shot back as she turned on her desk top computer.

Esposito gave Beckett a quizzical look. "Hey Beckett, is that a hickey on your neck?" He pointed right at the supposedly well concealed bruise on Kate's neck.

"No." She replied sharply, maintaining great strength to not shoot Rick a dark look nor cover the bruise with a hand. That would be an immediate concession. She said, "There's nothing there."

Esposito instantly laughed, glancing to Castle and Ryan. For once, Rick didn't join in. He quietly sipped his coffee and stared ahead, reminiscing about how that hickey, which was most definitely present on her neck, got there. He'd certainly been in the moment when he'd put it there. How had she termed it? Latched on. He smirked to himself. Another great time with his girlfriend who was consequently under sufferance at the moment.

Ryan opted to remain out of the conversation and instead, focussed on his computer monitor.

"Castle," Beckett hissed in warning. "Wipe it." Her fingers whipped across her face.

Castle's gaze turned to Beckett, his smirk morphed to a smile and he ignored her demand. "So, Beckett, we were all out together drinking. What did you get up to?"

Refusing to look at him she calmly replied, "I stayed in. Alone." She sat back, took her coffee cup. "So Rickie, a little birdie told me you went home with some gothic woman."

"Gothic? No. Exotic? Yes." He gave a nod, sat forward and replied, "Yes. I did. Had the best.."

"Castle." She warned.

"What?" He looked to the boys who'd sprung up to gather around the desk to hear.

"We don't need to hear about your…"

A hand waved her off. "Yes, we do…" Esposito said. "So, what happened, Castle? Did you get…."

Castle cleared his throat. He could feel the pressure from Kate to keep his mouth shut. "Let's just say I did the walk of shame early this morning."

"Yes!"

"Ewwwwhhh."

"She was gorgeous." Esposito stated mostly at Kate's disgust.

With the boys unable to see her face, Kate let her jaw hang open in horror. They were drooling over her without even knowing it. Rick sat there like the cat who got the mouse. He did get the mouse. A few times.

Kate cleared her throat "Go easy boys. This is umm-" she hesitated, glancing at the writer, "Ricky's personal life, even if he does like to share."

"Not sharing," he replied. "Everyone in the group saw me leave with a European woman. As Espo said, she was gorgeous." He raised an eyebrow. "You jealous?"

Kate's brow furrowed. Her eyes darkened. "No. No!" She abruptly stood with her coffee, pointed at the break room. "I'm going over there while you men get this out of your system, whatever it is." She huffed and stormed off to the breakroom. The second she was gone the boys put their heads together. Kate pretended to drink her coffee while she peered through the blind at them.

Her phone pinged in her pocket with another text. She pulled it out and unlocked it. Lanie had sent a text that read.

Had you been there, it could have been you who left with Castle.

She released a giggle. "If only you knew."

She wrote back.

Ewwgghh. I read a book.

The boys laughed aloud from the bullpen, most likely at Castle's fabricated story of his evening with the European woman.

Seconds later, Lanie bounced back.

That's why you're still single.

And I'm fine with that.

Movement out in the bull pen caught her attention. Esposito waved at her holding his phone.

"A body has dropped, Beckett." He called.

She nodded and returned to the bull pen. Esposito passed her a sheet of paper he had written an address on. She read it, reaching for her coat that Rick held up for her.

"An art gallery?" She asked.

"Yeah." Esposito replied, "We'll meet you there. You need to put some concealer on the hickey, Beckett."

Kate instantly covered the bruise with a hand, then swept her hair forward. She glared at the detective who laughed. "Shut up, Espo."

"Beckett." Rick called, mainly to bring her back to him. She obeyed and slipped her arms into the sleeves of her coat that he held up. "Ignore him, Kate." He whispered.

A sigh of frustration came from her, "It's…" She stopped.

"I know." Rick cut in, "I promise I won't leave one in a visible place again." He glanced to her then returned his eyes to the road ahead. He'd been given the keys to drive so she could fix up the make up.

She glared at him, "When Lanie finds out-"

"Oh. She won't find out." He replied.

"Esposito." They said together.

"Castle, should I tell her about us?"

"No. Tell Lanie, she will tell Xavier. He has loose lips and will tell Ryan." He glanced at the buildings. "I must be close."

Kate pointed to the building, "Right there."

"You used to have benefits with your personal trainer right?"

"Um… how do you know?" She cautiously inquired, licking her neck with the make up sponge.

"I'm a writer Kate."

"How?"

"I've seen how he looks at you."

"Looks at me?"

"C'mon, you work out in your skimpy lycra pieces and when he can check out your perfect ass, he does like a man who's been there."

"Are you telling me to tell the masses I hooked up with my personal trainer last night?"

"Well, you did train with him last night, right?"

"Yes."

He killed the engine and looked at Beckett, "So I didn't see you last night, which means you could have hooked up with him."

"You're okay with me saying that."

"Of course I am. We're both single. I fucked some woman named Katerina, and you were going at it with the trainer. Covers everything including that hickey I completely enjoyed marking you with." He smirked with pride.

"Marking me? What is this?"

"I don't know. Blowing smoke…" He pretended to be distracted and pointed, "Look! A dog, Kate. Isn't she beautiful?"

Kate grunted, but peered over to the side walk just as her cell phone started to ring. She looked at the screen. "Its Lanie. She knows. And Castle, we're not finished with the marking me talk."

"Yes, we are." He replied and waved a finger at her work phone, "Here's your opportunity, Beckett. Rise to the occasion with Lanie." He got out the car and closed the door.

Kate answered her phone. "Hi Lanie."

"Hey. Have you got something to tell me?"

"Espo has loose lips?" Kate responded and smiled because of what she saw Rick doing. He was down on his knees on the side walk, getting friendly with a retriever that was excited about the attention.

Lanie giggled. "Yes. That he does. Who did it?"

"Who did it?" Kate asked her voice up an octave. She stepped out of the car and buttoned up the red coat. It was a little chilly.

"Espo said you have a love bite on your neck."

"I know he did." She sighed then quickly said in hushed tones, "I was with my personal trainer last night. Got lucky."

"Hook up with the trainer?"

"Mmm… Things got a little rough."

"Rough?"

"Carried away?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Lost in the moment. Been a while since I've been with him."

"Oh. Clearly. Haven't heard about him for a while," Lanie said.

"Yeah. Well, he's been, he's been busy." She laughed, "You should see Castle, Lanie. He's on one knee fussing over a dog."

"He should be fussing over you, girl."

"Yeah, well…. He likes bimbos, not women like me."

"He likes you. Take the glasses off. We need to catch up. Tonight for dinner?"

"Sure. I'll text you later about that. Have you been called out to the body at the gallery?"

"Yeah. Here now."

"I'm out on the street. See you up there." Beckett closed the connection and pocketed the phone as she stepped to the curb. Her boyfriend was at the dog's level petting the dog who was responding with a ton enthusiasm. On several occasions, Rick had said he would like to get a dog when he settled down and here he was over this one like a rash. It made her love him a little bit more and she couldn't resist asking, "On one knee, Castle?"

Castle said to the dog, "That's a good girl." He then looked at Kate, as he stood up "I am."

"What's up? You proposing?" She inquired with an inquisitive raise of an eyebrow.

Castle tidied his clothing, wearing a boyish grin, "Oh, no. Just waiting for you." He replied then realized what he said when he saw Kate's eyes widen. To rescue the moment, he held up his phone, "Was it a painful conversation?"

She shrugged, "Not too bad. Lanie thinks I hooked up with the trainer last night, all night." She commenced to walk towards the building the police were hanging about the doorway to.

"All night?" Rick asked as he caught up with her.

"My narrative. All night."

"Fair enough. I did the walk of shame this morning."

"My place. We fucked at my place, the trainer and I."

Rick nodded. "Alright, then.

They took the stairs to the first floor gallery. On the way Beckett commented, "You two make a cute couple, Castle."

Castle gave her a smart ass smirk, "Yeah. Hey, you think I should get a dog?"

She paused half way up a flight of stairs, "What am I, your wife?"

Castle smiled, amused, and made the decision to play along. Esposito and Ryan must have already arrived by the way she was digging at him. "Yeah, you're my work wife."

"No, I'm not your work wife." She replied then continued up the stairs.

"I could get a bloodhound." He continued caught up in his own imagination, "I could name him Sherlock, and then I could- I could bring him to crime scenes."

"No, you couldn't."

They entered the art gallery which was mostly barren but for the paintings hanging along the walls.

"Oh, what? It'd be adorable. I could get him to wear a little Sherlock hat, train him how to carry a little magnifying glass." Rick paused when he saw Kate's expression of distaste, "Oh, see," he stated, "Right there. Disapproving, judgmental. You're totally my work wife." He then followed her eye line where he saw a body slumped in an uncomfortable twist on the floor, blood pooled on the floor. "Hmm. The blood's bold, but it works."

Beckett glanced at Rick, "Not sure he'd agree."

"Hmm. Well, obviously, he was into art."

Esposito frowned at Rick who observed the art work. He said to Beckett, "The vic is Victor Fink, forty-three, and he's the gallery owner. There's no sign of forced entry. Tenant upstairs called in gunshots to nine-one-one at ten fourteen pm."

"Thanks." Beckett said, "Any idea what he was doing here so late?"

"No," replied Xavier, "But according to his assistant, Darius Langley, they close at eight. As far as he can tell, there's nothing missing off the walls or from the back. Nothing taken over night."

Castle pointed at the bubble security cameras to each corner, "Anything off those security cameras?"

Esposito took a casual gaze to the security cameras. "Fake." He stated. "Not even hooked up."

Beckett sighed, "Lucky break for the guy."

"Unless he knew." Castle suggested, "Just like he knew Fink was working late and alone."

"Or made plans to meet him here," Beckett replied, "Can you please check with the assistant, Espo?"

Esposito nodded then departed leaving Castle and Beckett with the body and the medical examiner who approached, a mischievous expression quite obvious.

"He had some fight in him." The doctor said, her eyes locking on the side of Kate's neck, exactly where the bruise was. Kate's eyes doubled in size as her fingers felt whereabouts the mark was. Her cheeks colored. Lanie continued speaking, now directing her attention on the deceased as she pointed with a biro, "Abrasions on the forearms, on the hands." She then shot a look at Kate's wrists. "Mm."

Beckett cleared her throat, disliking the squeeze coming from Lanie. She was aware Rick was secretly laughing his ass off about Lanie's subtle digs. There was a smug look on his face she dearly wanted to smack off. She rose above it, inspected the wounds Lanie had referred to then stated, "He fought."

"And then he made a run for the stairs." Lanie continued.

"Only to be shot in the back." Rick finished.

"Twice, nine millimeter. Shooter fired from over here." Esposito explained as he returned in the company of a young man wearing a artsy styled coat and scarf. When Kate saw her coworker she almost jumped at the opportunity he gave her to escape the corner she had been backed into by Lanie. "Excuse me for a minute." She said.

Beckett quickly turned her attention to Esposito, relieved to escape the death squad of one, being Lanie. If they went out for dinner later, she would have to concoct a story as to how the hickey got there. She would seek the writer's counsel before meeting the doctor. He'd have a story up his sleeve.

"… He'd already left by the time I locked up at eight." Darius Langley responded to the detective's question and Kate waited for him to finish speaking and for Esposito to hand over the conversation.

"Mr Langley? I'm Detective Kate Beckett. How long have you been Mr Fink's assistant?"

"Two months. I'm an art student. I take night classes at Tisch."

"Is that where you were last night?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. Mr Fink totally supported me being in school, he'd let me leave early to make classes."

Beckett smiled and gave a nod, "Do you know if Mr. Fink had any enemies? Any unhappy clients or artists?

"Nothing out of the ordinary. I can get you a contact list, if you like."

"Yes, please." Beckett replied.

Darius gestured for her to wait a moment then left the detectives to retrieve the list. Meanwhile, Ryan approached.

"Hey. We got a little problem." Ryan began, glancing between Esposito and Beckett.

Beckett responded, "Mm-hmm?"

"We dug these two slugs out of the wall." He pointed to where the forensic guys worked and held up a plastic bag that contained two spent bullets, "We dug these two out of the wall and Dr. Parish has another two in our vic here."

Esposito smirked, "So, our perp's not a sharpshooter."

"But we've only found four bullets, and there are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 shell casings on the ground."

Castle who overheard the conversation, searched the floor said, "There's no blood trail leading out of here."

"Exactly. And not a drop of blood outside of the spatter from our vic here." Ryan replied.

Beckett unconsciously searched all around them for any sign of another victim but there was nothing other than the body Lanie Parish worked on. "So, there's no second victim."

Castle who had also engaged in a visual hunt, gave everyone a glance and asked, "So, where's the fifth bullet?"

Uniformed Officer Marino entered the bull pen mid-afternoon with a tall, good looking gent perhaps in his mid-thirties at his side. He waved to Detective Ryan who happened to look up with the bell of the elevator had tinged, "Hey, Ryan. Got a sec?"

"Sure," Ryan replied, "Witness?"

"Not exactly." Marino replied, and glanced to the guy, "Hang here, buddy, okay?"

The guy stopped, unsure of himself and the environment he was now in, "Of course."

Marino stood by Kevin Ryan and said, "I found him on the canvass, by the art gallery."

"He isn't a witness?"

"Yeah, no. I mean, the guy's got no wallet, no ID. He wasn't making sense when I questioned him so I thought I had better bring him in."

"Okay," Ryan rubbed his chin, thought for a moment or two, "Did you ask him his name?"

"Yeah, I asked him his name, I asked him where he lived, you know." He took a deep breath and scratched his head, "Here's the funny part, Kev."

"What is it?"

"The guy says he don't remember."

Kate plonked herself in the lounge chair in the break out room, stirring a cup of soup. Rick was at the coffee machine, playing out the entire interview with Angelica Fink, the victim's wife, almost word for word. She couldn't believe Rick was able recollect the conversation, but he also made it funny. She took a sip of soup as she listened to his recite.

"Did my husband have enemies?" He mimicked as he scooped coffee, his voice high pitched. He looked at Beckett.

"Apparently so," he continued. "Every artist who couldn't get in his gallery, and every artist who was in his gallery was an enemy. He'd sell, like, five pieces, and they'd want to know why he didn't sell six." He hit the button and the machine commenced to run hot water through the coffee.

He cupped his chest like he was grabbing breasts and turned to Beckett, "What am I supposed to do with these, huh? I didn't want them. I did them for him, and now he's dead." He playfully squawked his eyes wide. Then he grinned because Beckett was laughing at his antics.

Kate lightly scorned, "Stop it Castle."

"Rocco, the flea is the accused." He went on which caused Kate to laugh harder. During the interview with the deceased's wife she's had to restrain herself, but now in the breakroom with the doors closed she laughed her ass off.

Castle went on with his monolog performance. "Victor Fink's old assistant. He fired that little insect over money. Rocco went crazy, made all kinds of threats. Rocco, he wasn't even a man. He was more like a flea. A flea!"

He turned to finish making their coffees thoroughly enjoying the vivaciousness of Beckett's giggles.

As he carried the coffee to the coffee table he asked, "You suppose the flea had a gun? A tiny gun with vanishing bullets?

"Fleas with guns? Do you have writer's block again?"

"Stephen King wrote stories of bloodthirsty cars and sold millions of copies. I figure, why be limited by logic?"

Beckett shrugged, "Rocco Jones, Fink's old assistant. Because the wife said that Rocco called and left threatening messages for Fink, I will get Espo and Ryan to follow it up.

"What's up with Ryan?" Rick waved finger through the glass internal wall. They could just see Ryan talking with a guy in a conference room.

"I don't know. I'll ask Esposito when I finish my soup."

"The guy got hit on the head and can't remember who he is." Esposito replied to Castle inquiry as he read the sheet of paper Beckett had handed him.

Castle said, "Oh, missing bullets are cool, amnesia's even cooler." He walked towards the conference room where a guy had emptied out his pockets. Ryan and the stranger were rifling through the items.

"Inhaler, grocery bag, keys." The guy listed off.

"Are you telling me you don't remember, at all, what any of that's for?" Ryan asked, unsure what to think about this guy who couldn't remember a thing about himself.

"Yeah. How ridiculous is that?"

Castle entered the conference room, nudged Ryan and quietly asked, "Hey. Hey. So, has he, uh, really got amnesia?"

"Yeah. But apparently, my hearing's fine." The guy replied.

Castle smiled at the stranger then said, as he held out his hand to shake, "Well, that's good." He shook hands, "Richard Castle."

"Hi..." The guy smiled hesitantly, "I'd introduce myself, too, but..."

"Yeah, we're just going through his pockets trying to find something that could tell us who he is."

"Oh, and apparently I've been reading, as well." He tapped a top pocket of his coat then pulled out a thick paperback novel. He handed it to Castle who held it up to read the front cover.

Castle said, "Ah, Crime and Punishment. Dostoyevsky. Classic. You have excellent taste."

"Castle." Ryan reached for the book and Castle handed it over. Ryan turned the book around to show Castle a bullet hole in the back cover.

Ryan said, "Nine millimeter. I think we just found our fifth bullet."

Ryan opened the novel to find the bullet lodged in the pages.

The team waited at the bullpen for the psychiatrist to arrive. He talked with the stranger in the conference room alone for a half hour while the team tried to discover who he was. Beckett viewed it like a puzzle. Rick thought it was a mystery he needed to solve and Esposito and Ryan viewed it as progress in their case if they could get the guy to remember who he was.

Beckett said to Ryan who had just returned from ballistics, "His fingerprints aren't in the system, and we don't have any hits on Missing Persons."

Esposito said, "This is crazy. We actually find a witness to our murder, and we don't know who he is and he doesn't remember what he saw."

"Ballistics confirms that the bullets came from the same gun as the others. Whatever happened in the gallery, he was there." Ryan stated as he sat on the edge of Beckett's desk.

Beckett said, "Not only was he there, but someone tried to kill him, as well. Good thing he reads."

"Good thing he reads Russian literature. If the guy was a Nicholas Sparks fan, he'd be dead." Ryan replied.

Beckett said, "Have CSU check the coat for gunpowder residue, blood, fibers. Maybe it can tell us what happened that night. And check photo IDs on Fink's artists and clients."

"Think he might be one of them?" Ryan asked.

Beckett said, "A girl can dream." Beckett got up, marched off her eyes on the white road. She bumped into Castle as he carried a coffee to her. It spilt all over her white shirt.

Wide eyed, shocked and embarrassed, Castle said, "I brought you coffee."

Beckett peered down at her wet top, "Thank you, Castle." She pressed her lips together.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see you." He honestly declared, his blue eyed wide and worried."

"I know. I wasn't looking where I was going." She replied, holding her shirt from her skin.

"Good bra for this, Kate." He whispered.

"Yep. I need to go change, Castle."

"I'll make you a fresh coffee." He turned and headed back to the breakroom.

Beckett and Castle sat with the unknown man and the State psychiatrist, Dr. Holloway for about twenty minutes.

It was established the guy was suffering from a type of episodic memory and the psychiatrist didn't have answers everyone wanted. The stranger had suffered a blow to the back of his head and coupled with psychological trauma, each had lead to amnesia.

But the guy knew how to sign his name and it had Castle amused the entire way back to his loft that evening. Give a guy a pen and tell him to sign his name. He had without a thought. They kind of had a name for him, well, they knew his name started with a J.

Photographs of the victim, and the assistants in the art gallery hadn't prodded any memories to come forth.

Esposito and Ryan had interviewed Rocco, the assistant who had been sacked by Fink but the guy was clear but they had learned that Fink that paid him Rocco to paint forgeries of high-end paintings. Rocco was struggling artist and needed the dough,
Fink had sold on the artwork them like they were the real thing.

The team had called it quits at that point and Rick had headed off before Beckett would.

Almost an hour after, Beckett was naked, straddled across Rick's lap, her fingers holding his shoulders. He was seated on their pink love chair, his hands to her waist. He gazed quietly at her breasts inches from his eyes that were half closed. With a hand pressed to her back he brought her closer, drew her right nipple between his lips and rubbed the tip of his tongue around her hardened flesh.

"Mmm. You taste of vanilla coffee."

She was deeply into what she was doing, her pelvis slowly rolling but she paused and replied, "I bet I do. It went all the way down there too." Her right eye brown rose.

"Tease. Very tasty. Extra tasty," he mumbled, gave an extra suck then popped her breast from his lips.

He smiled at her little groan of pain and pleasure, as he looked down to their point of joining, appreciating how much she was physically enjoying their intimacy.

Castle paused his movement, which opened Kate's eyes to his, in question. He said, matter of fact, "The bullet was made of ice."

Her brow furrowed, "Huh?"

Castle continued, "Someone fired the ice bullet, it melted before we could find it."

Kate sighed, then continued with fucking him. Her hands gripped his shoulders a little tighter. "Castle." She growled, dissatisfied with his lack of effort.

"An ice bullet!" He pressed, "Hello? An ice bullet? Are you even paying attention to me?"

"No!" Beckett stopped moving and her body dropped upon him, which caused her to feel a pang of pain and Rick gave a grunt of approval.

"What?" He queried.

"You aren't saying anything worth paying attention to and besides that, your attention should be completely on my body and satisfying me before I leave."

"Oh." He smiled, "Shop talk is out."

"We're having sex, Rick."

His mouth fell agape as he peered down their bodies. "Oh my, we are too." He grinned at her eyes, his bright.

She laughed, "I could kill you."

"I know." His hand lowered to the point they were joined. "But if you kill me, you won't get this." He slipped over her swollen bump. Her hips bucked. She shuddered.

"Castle."

"Mm.. a threat." He growled, stared at her eyes as he worked his magic on her clit. In a matter of seconds she was falling apart. Her inner thigh muscles trembled. Hear rate had increased. Her hips slowed. "Get on with it girl, or do I have to take over?"

"Get on with it?"

"Yeah. Move those hips. Fuck me," he ordered, his tone deeper than usual "Fuck me on your chair like you mean it."

She smiled fondly, amused by his dirty talk, then leaned in and kissed him on the lips. The body resumed its rhythmic movement assisted by a pair of long slender legs. He groaned his appreciation. Her fingers gripped the back of the chair, hardly able to hold off the orgasm that bubbled within. She nuzzled at his jaw, nibbled on his ear lobe. She breathlessly whispered close to his right ear, "You need to … fuck me so hard, …. Ricky, that you will ….. have me screaming."

Breathing rapidly, she sat back, ensuring her muscles worked on his cock, aroused him further.

Astounded with her dirty talk the ridden asked, "Would you like a matching hickey?"

Kate stilled, "Love bite?"

"Shag stain?" His response was quick even if he'd expected a thump on the shoulder instead of her response.

"Fuck mark?" Her eyebrow shot up again.

So did his. "Whisky kiss? Man handled mark?"

"How about fuck mark?" She queried.

"I love it when you talk dirty," he informed.

"I can feel that…" she squawked in surprise when he thrust his pelvis up against hers. "Sheeeez… faaaarkkk!" She bounced clumsily off his power, clutched the chair and giggled helplessly.

Large hands to her butt took care of her balance. Things after that got serious. Their eyes connected. She released a slight cry. Hands to his neck, their mouths locked and they kissed hard and fast. Her body trembled with increasing excitement, anticipation of what was on its way. Rick aware she was on the edge, fondled her being. Muscles tightly clenched his shaft, her body stiffened. She cried out, lost control of her rhythm as she crashed into a climax.

He closed his eyes, unable to hold off any longer and released the pressure into his lover.

Moments later, sweaty and panting, Beckett stood off her boyfriend, guided by his hands. Light headedness caused her to flop to the bed stretching out on her back a broad, happy smile worn on her dial.

"Best. Quickie. Eva." She declared as Rick fell on the bed beside her.

"It wasn't bad." He answered, giving her thigh a pat. "Baby, you have like twenty minutes before you're due to meet your BFF. You need to ditch the boyfriend and get on your trike."

Kate sat up, grabbed her phone and checked the time. "Oh my God. Shit! You're right! I need to leave." She flew of the bed and ran off to the en suite.

"Off you go." Rick grinned, watched her naked form disappear, then laid back and stared at the ceiling, his palm rubbing his bare sweaty chest. He called out, "Best quickie eva, Detective Girlfriend."

"I bloody hope so." She called back.

"Certainly was." Are you coming back to my place later?"

"Yeah."

"Throw your clothes in your bag for tomorrow and I will take it with me."

"Thanks."

What walked out of her bathroom caused Rick to sit up on his elbows. Kate was in a fitted, simple black dress, brown ankle boots her hair loose and wavy. The lipstick was pink and her cheeks were still rosy from sex. She slung a black jacket over her shoulder and in her hands she carried a sweater, jeans and underwear. She dumped them in her overnight bag glancing at Rick's groin. She smiled.

"C'mon Ricky. Already?"

"When you look like that?" He growled, "I need to put a ring on your finger, don't I. Keeps the circling sharks away."

"One day, buddy." She leaned over the bed, to give him a farewell kiss. "I'll see you at the loft. Lock up when you leave."

"I will. Have fun and keep strong. You know how good Lanie is." He kissed her.

She smiled, "I'm better."

And she was gone.