DISCLAIMERS: 'Castle' is the property of Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC Studios Productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

TITLE: Getting to Know You

RATING: M

SUMMARY: Season 5, set between 'After the Storm' and 'Still.' The early days of Castle and Beckett's new relationship. Most of this will be fluffy, but there will be some serious discussions also.

A/N #1: I know I've written about this subject before, but this time I want to approach it from a different angle. I want to write about the giddiness and joy of being in a new relationship.

A/N #2: The first chapter will go slightly AU after Beckett's confrontation with Bracken at the end of 'After the Storm.' There will be 10 chapters in all. Spoilers for 'After the Storm' in this chapter.

A/N #3: This story is complete, so I will be posting a chapter every other day.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

CHAPTER 1: In the Early Morning Hours

Due to the complexities of her job and the often early morning phone calls about body drops, Kate Beckett had always been a light sleeper. Her brain always remained on high alert even when her body was at rest. This was one reason why she didn't like sharing her bed with lovers. They didn't understand why she didn't sleep soundly. Or why, after sex, she was more apt to be wide awake and wired instead of sated and sleepy.

She had been with Castle for two days now. A lot had happened in two short days. Besides the fact that she and Castle had been spending a lot of that time getting to know each other a lot better, they had discovered the name of the person who had ordered the hit on her mother. His name was William Bracken and he was a United States Senator. Which made him untouchable in the eyes of the law.

Kate had approached the senator earlier and had threatened him by exposing the contents of a file that she didn't really have. A file that a man by the name of Michael Smith was supposed to have possession of. Only Smith was now dead and the file blown to smithereens. But Kate knew the number of the account that Bracken's hush money had been wired to and that had been enough to bluff him into backing off. At least for the time being. She wasn't sure how long her bluff was going to last before Bracken figured out that she didn't have anything and he sent his goons after her.

Now here she was lying in bed beside the man who had pursued her for the better part of four years. The man who only days before had told her that he was right there, just waiting for her to open her eyes to see. Now she turned on her side to watch him while he slept. She was sure that he'd done it that first night they'd spent together. In fact, she knew that he had because she'd woke up sometime in the early hours of that morning to find him watching her with a dopey grin on his face.

The sheet had slipped down his body leaving his back and ass deliciously bare. Kate thought that he had a truly gorgeous ass. She lightly trailed her fingers down his back, watching his muscles ripple at her touch. She swept her hair back and bent down to follow the motions of her fingers with her lips and tongue. She heard him groan before he slowly rolled over and smiled at her, reaching out and pulling her down to his chest, his arms warm around her, holding her securely against him. "You can't get enough, huh?" He teased, reaching up and pushing her hair behind her ear.

"No. You're like a wonderfully addictive drug. I never want to get enough of you," her lips closed over his, his mouth opening to her tongue as they kissed, slowly and languidly, taking their time for once.

"I have to leave for a few hours this morning," he murmured against her mouth. "I have to take Alexis and my mother to the airport."

"Oh, Alexis' graduation present. I almost forgot. How long will they be gone?"

"Three weeks. But we'll have the loft to ourselves once they're gone. We won't have to hide," he softly stroked her neck, glad to see that her bruises were finally starting to fade slightly.

"I know that you don't like hiding, Castle. Neither do I. If I hadn't agreed to the suspension, we could tell everybody. Do you mind if I ask what's wrong with staying here?"

"I have a better bathtub," he answered, looking at her as if the answer was obvious.

"A better bathtub? That's the best that you can come up with?"

"I have food," he kissed her neck. "Food that hasn't expired."

"Keep talking."

"I want to share my home with you."

"That's so sweet," she cupped her face and softly kissed him. "I'll pack a few things while you're gone. Text me when you get back to the loft."

"The hell with that. I'm coming to pick you up when I leave the airport."

"Okay," her smile was huge.

***CCC***

Castle's graduation gift to Alexis had been a 21-day European tour. Their first stop was going to be London, followed by Paris, Rome, and finally Madrid before she and Martha returned to New York in time for Alexis to get ready to begin college in the fall. Castle had hired a town car to take the three of them to JFK. He walked inside with them, stopping short of the security checkpoint. "You have everything, right?" He asked her.

"Dad, I've got everything that I need. I've got money, I've got my passport and I've got my phone. I promise that I will call you if I need anything."

"Keep your grandmother out of trouble," he warned her.

"Darling, I'll be fine," Martha kissed Richard on the cheek. "You make sure that you keep out of trouble and don't do anything that I wouldn't do. We'll see you in three weeks."

"Have fun," Castle hugged Alexis tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too, dad. Thank you so much for the trip."

"You're welcome. Call me when you arrive at your hotel. If I don't answer, just text me to let me know you arrived safely."

"Do you plan to be away from your phone, darling?" Martha arched an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Well, I have some writing to do and you know how I get when I'm in the zone," Castle was quick to cover his tracks.

"Uh-huh," Martha gave him a funny look before turning to her granddaughter. "Come along, sweetheart. We have a plane to catch."

Walking back out to the car, Castle wondered if his mother had seen Kate duck into the closet that morning. 'Nah,' he finally convinced himself, getting into the backseat of the car and giving his driver the address of Kate's apartment.

***CCC***

Kate had thrown a few items of clothing into a small suitcase and was now in the bathroom, packing her makeup bag. She looked in the mirror, wincing when she saw the still visible reminders of her battle with Maddox. The battle that had led her to seek Castle out and finally pour her heart and soul out to him.

Her skin flamed hot and she bit down on her lower lip when she remembered that first night. Their first round had been hot and heavy, but the second round a short time after the first had been much slower. Castle had taken his time learning every inch of her, not allowing her to hide her scars when she tried to. She'd been satisfied with letting him take the lead the past two days, but now she wanted an opportunity to learn him the way that he was learning her.

Castle rang her doorbell shortly before twelve, smiling when she opened the door with a huge smile on her face. "Are you ready to go? The car's downstairs."

"Yeah, just let me grab my bag."

"No, I've got it," he stepped in and picked up her small suitcase.

"Thank you, Castle," she followed him out of the apartment and locked the door behind her.

Kate had been a guest in Castle's large loft a number of times, even spending a few nights after Scott Dunn had blown her apartment up several years before. But this was the first time she'd been in his home when his mother and daughter weren't also present. "Come on, I'll show you where you can put your things," he motioned for her to follow him into his bedroom. "When I came home to get Alexis and mother, I took the time to make some room in my closet and the bathroom for you."

"Did they ask where you've been the last couple of nights?" She asked him.

"I told them I was helping with a case and catching catnaps at the precinct. They don't know anything about your suspension."

"Thank you for clearing space for me," she smiled, walking over and wrapping her arms around him, feeling him hug her tightly.

"You're welcome," his chin rested on the top of her head. "Can I ask you a question?"

"What's on your mind?" She pulled away, eyeing him suspiciously.

"What happened last night with Bracken? All you told me and the boys was that you reached an understanding. When I woke up and found you gone, I thought that you were going to kill him, Kate."

"That was my original intent," she admitted, watching Castle close his eyes. "But when I confronted him, I thought of you. I meant it when I told you that I just want you. I also meant what I said last night when I told you that I was going to get Bracken. I don't know how and I don't know when, but I'm going to get him. And I want you with me when I take him down. Okay, Castle?"

"Okay," he smiled down at her. "I was thinking that I could make us some lunch and then we can relax this afternoon. Maybe watch some TV or do some reading," he teased, remembering what they'd talked about the morning after making love for the first time.

"I would love to do some relaxing with you."

"Come on," he took her hand and pulled her back into the main living area. "Let me see what we have in the refrigerator." He walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, peering inside at the contents. "How about omelets?"

"Omelets sound great. Do you need help?"

"You're my guest," he smiled at her as he began pulling ingredients out of the fridge and placing them on the counter.

"Castle, point me to the knives. I can help cook us breakfast or lunch."

"The knife block is right behind you," he pointed to a knife block on the opposite counter.

Kate chopped various vegetables while Castle mixed the eggs and chopped up ham and bacon. He then took out an omelet pan and placed it on the stove to heat. Once the pan was hot enough, he poured the eggs and added the meats while Kate added tomatoes, peppers, onions and mushrooms. Once the omelets were cooked, he poured them each a cup of coffee and took a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. "Oh, this is good, Castle," Kate closed her eyes when she took a bite of her omelet.

"When Alexis was little, she wanted omelets every morning for a while. I had to get pretty good at making them. We experimented with some weird combinations, but the tried and true are still her favorite."

"These are almost as good as my mom's."

"Wow, I'm going to take that as quite a compliment," he smiled.

"He was so smug, Castle," she said. He put down his fork to listen to her. "That's why I hit him. He told me that nobody was going to take the word of a disgraced cop over a state senator. How did he know I'd been suspended?" She suddenly asked. "It's not like Gates took out an ad."

"He's keeping tabs on you?" Castle guessed.

"He must be. I'm taking him down, Castle, if it's the last thing that I ever do. Smith never told you what was in the file that Roy sent him?"

"No," Castle shook his head. "I can't help thinking that if Roy had sent that file just one day earlier, we wouldn't be having to face down a senator."

"Castle, I'll understand if you want out. After all, you have your mother and Alexis to think about—"

"Kate, no," he took her hand in his. "I'm the one who started this. If I hadn't asked for that file—"

"Rick, stop," she stood up and moved between his legs. "I don't have any regrets about anything that has happened over the last three years. Well, except for Roy's death. I don't even have regrets about my shooting, anymore. We are going to get him. There has to be a way. There has to be something that we're missing. For now, let's enjoy my time off," she slid her hands down to the collar of his shirt before moving closer and kissing him.

"I'm going to clean up in here. On one of the bookshelves in my office, I have a bunch of DVD boxed sets. Go pick out something for us to binge watch," he stood up, giving her another kiss before picking up their plates and going into the kitchen.

Kate made her way into Castle's office, smiling as she looked around. She couldn't believe that she was actually able to look around his office. Sure she'd been in here before, but this was the first time that she could indulge one of her fantasies. Two bookshelves were filled with books, his own and those of his friends, Patterson, Connelly, and Lehane. The other shelves were filled with CD's and DVD's. Kate perused the titles, smiling at his tastes in TV shows. She finally took out Season 1 of 'Lost' and returned to the living room. "Ah, the mysterious island," Castle walked over to her. "The lady has excellent taste. I'll make some popcorn."

Castle made a huge bowl of popcorn and grabbed a couple of sodas from the refrigerator before taking Kate's hand and leading her over to the sofa. He put the DVD in the player before coming over and settling against the arm of the sofa, stretching his legs out and pulling Kate down against his chest. He then picked up the remote and started the DVD, pressing 'Play All' before tossing the remote over to the table.

Resting against Castle's chest, Kate felt the most relaxed that she'd felt in a long time, even with the threat of Bracken hanging over her. It was nice to be able to watch TV with someone without having to worry about a phone call regarding a body drop. She fully intended to enjoy every second of the next week. She snuggled closer into Castle's chest, smiling when he lightly trailed his fingers over her abdomen. She squirmed against him, feeling him start to harden. She turned over so that she was facing him, her smile wide as she kissed him, her fingers reaching down to the front of his jeans and rubbing him with her fingers. "Wh. . . what are you doing?" He finally managed to stammer. "I thought that we were going to watch TV."

"Castle, do you really want to watch TV when we could be doing this instead?" She sat up and pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it to the floor before reaching down and unclasping her bra, throwing it to the floor as well.

"You are so fucking beautiful," he said, bringing his hands up to cup her breasts in his hands, his palms rubbing against her nipples. He frowned when she grabbed his hands and pulled them over his head. "What . . . was I doing something wrong?"

"Not a thing," she gave him a devilish grin before sliding down his legs and unbuttoning his jeans and tugging, giving him a look that told him to lift his hips so that she could pull his jeans down his legs. She stood up and removed them the rest of the way, letting them fall to the floor with her discarded clothes. His shirt was the next to go, leaving him clad in black silk boxers, which did little to hide the evidence of his growing erection.

Moving up so that she covered his body, Kate's lips met his, their tongues clashing in a mad duel. "I think kissing you is my new favorite thing to do," he gasped when they broke apart.

"Really? Then you're going to really love what I'm about to do," she gave him another wide smile before kissing down his bare chest to the elastic waistband of his boxers. He let out a low groan of pleasure when she gently nipped his stomach, a groan that grew even louder when she reached her hand into his boxers, wrapping her hand around his growing erection.

"Beckett," her name came out like a whispered oath when she replaced her hand with her mouth, her tongue swirling around the tip before she moved further down on him.

The first night they were together, she'd gone down on him, but he'd stopped her before reaching the point of no return. Kate had no intention of stopping this time around. He'd shown her how talented he was with his lips and tongue, so she was out to return the favor. He arched his hips and grabbed the sides of the sofa as she continued working her magic on him. "Kate, please?" He begged as she smiled around him.

"Hmmm?" She hummed around his length, which earned her another groan and a few new curse words.

"I'm not going to last long."

"That's the whole point, Castle," she removed her mouth from him, but continued stroking him with her hand, moving the way that he'd guided her their first night together.

"Kate, no," he started to sit up, but she pushed him back down.

"Yes, Castle. It's okay," she smiled. "Believe me, it turns me on, too. Relax and enjoy it."

She licked a stripe up one side of his cock and down the other before taking him in deeply once again, using her hand to stroke him while she ministered to him. She moved her hand down to his balls, rolling them in her hand and smiling against him when she felt his hands tangling into her hair, holding her closer to him. She felt him tighten up, a sign that he was getting ready to come, yet he was still holding back. "Castle, let go. Believe me, if I didn't want you to do it, I'd tell you," she once again took him in deeply, pumping deeper and faster until he finally came with a loud cry.

His heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest when he finally felt Kate sliding back up his body, kissing a path along the way. He finally managed to open his eyes to find her looking at him with a very self-satisfied grin on her face. "Just so you know, that was . . . awesome. As soon as I get blood flowing back to my brain, I'll be far more coherent. But that was . . . wow," his body released another aftershock as Kate buried her face in his shoulder, chuckling against his bare skin.

"And to think I haven't even used ice cubes, yet," she lifted her head, her eyes bright and shining.

"If you use ice cubes, you're liable to kill me," he brushed her hair back from her face. "I think before this week is over, I'm going to make love to you in every room and on every surface of this loft."

"Not every room, I hope."

"God no," he looked at her, mortified. "I should say every room in the downstairs portion of the loft."

"It's all right, Castle. I knew what you meant."

"Would it be awful of me to say that I'm glad that Maddox almost threw you off of that roof?"

"Well, I was going to come over for a John Woo marathon, remember? That is, before we had that awful fight."

"Do you think we would've got together and done things other than watch John Woo movies if you'd come over that night?" His fingers stroked her bare back.

"Probably. We would've had the loft to ourselves, so the chances were pretty high. Can we be serious for just a minute, though?"

"Sure," he sat up as she curled up beside him. "What's on your mind?"

"We don't need to talk about it now, but I need to warn you that I suffer from episodes of PTSD. I don't want to freak you out when it happens."

"I knew about the PTSD, Kate. And we'll deal with it, okay? You're not going to scare me off."

"I'm glad, because this is where I need to be. You're where I've always needed to be; I was just too damn stubborn to see it."

"Well, you're here now and we're going to work through things together."

"Good," she moved closer and kissed him, moaning when his fingers began to caress her bare breasts. "You were saying something this morning about your spectacular bathtub."

"You want to see it now?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm just getting started," she stood up and held her hand out to him. "Are you coming, Castle?"

"Oh, yeah. The answer to that one is most definitely."

A/N #4: This story is going to have a lot of M-rated stuff in it, so if it isn't your cup of tea, skip it until my next story.

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