Two Weeks

Epilogue

"Don't go."

Strong arms wrapped around her middle, tugging her back into a solid frame.

"I'm on shift," she reminded, attempting to wiggle out of his hold.

He grumbled, but relented, releasing his tight grip on her. Kate stifled a grin. She glanced over at a pouting Richard Castle, and bent down over him, tenderly brushing back the hair that had flopped down over his forehead. Her heart still fluttered at the sight of Richard freaking Castle, sleep rumpled, in her bed, despite it being well over two months since their meeting in the Hamptons.

"I wish we could just stay in bed all day," he murmured, tracing his fingers up and down her bare arm.

Kate shivered, the gentle trickle of arousal slowly building in her core at his light caresses. "I know," she commiserated. "But we have responsibilities, Castle. I have work. And you have a book launch party to get ready for, so you're going to have to get up and shower, then get over to the loft and change."

He shrugged his shoulders, or at least as best he could while lying on his back in her bed. "I'm in no hurry."

"Well, if you wanna join me in the shower, then you best get up," she announced, bending down to plant a quick kiss to his lips, before rolling out of bed.

Castle groaned, and she smirked, feeling his eyes roam her naked body, lingering on her ass, as she bounced off towards the bathroom. He stumbled in, not long after, grinning wolfishly when he caught sight of her in the shower. She flashed him a sultry look, purposely rubbing her soap slick hands down the front of her body and between her legs. He licked his lips, and her insides clenched in anticipation.

Ducking his head, Castle stepped over the tub's edge and joined her under the cascade of hot water. Kate turned into him, rising up on her toes to press a delicious kiss into his mouth. Castle's eager hands skimmed down her back and grabbed her ass, holding her to him as he pressed his arousal against her flat stomach.

"All slick and soapy, just how I like you," he husked out, and a growl rumbled low in his throat. Oh God, she loved that sound. Her insides turned to hot mush, and she moaned wantonly, rocking into him. "Can we?" he asked, sounding just as desperate as she was.

"We've got time, yes," Kate confirmed, pushing back up for another kiss.

She let out a yelp of surprise as he grabbed her by the hips and spun her around, crowding her from behind. His large and talented hands slithered down her naked body, stopping to play with her breasts, before sliding between her legs. Her mouth dropped as her breath stuttered. She rocked her hips back into him as he worked her with his clever fingers.

Arching her neck, she sought out his mouth, and Castle dipped his head down, meeting her halfway. He ravaged her mouth as his fingers did their job well, soon sending her falling over the edge. He caught her, stifling her moans of pleasure with the seal of his lips. She bent forward, pushing up on her toes, presenting herself like an animal in heat. Castle need no further invitation. He gripped her hipbone with one hand to help her keep her balance. His other hand slid tenderly down her back and gave her ass a playful pat, before dropping between them to angle his erection towards her center.

He entered her from behind, slow and deliberate. Kate groaned and arched her back, feeling him stretch and fill her just how she liked it. She always liked it. Always. Castle nudged her torso up, and hugged her back to his broad chest as he started to thrust his hips, slowly at first, letting her adjust to his welcomed intrusion. She groaned softly, needing to push up on her tiptoes to keep them properly aligned. Castle dipped his head down and latched onto that sweet spot between her neck and shoulder with a hot mouth, sucking.

"You better not leave a mark," she warned in a terse voice.

"I'll do my best," he chuckled into her throat.

Knowing she was straining her legs to stay upright—their height difference was a disadvantage in this position—Castle shifted them, allowing Kate to drop back down to stand more comfortably on her feet. She bent forward, bracing herself against the tiled shower wall with outstretched hands. Grunting hotly, Castle gripped her hips and pounded back into her, sending a jolt of pleasure rippling through her body.

"Yes!" she cried out, relishing the feel of it. Of him. Of them.

It wasn't long until Castle picked up the pace, pumping his hips faster and harder. Kate swayed with him, bucking her toned backside into him, meeting each of his thrusts. They moved together like a well-oiled machine, yet it never felt routine or formulaic. No matter the position or situation, it was always unique, always amazing. Perhaps they were still in the honeymoon phase of the physical side of their relationship. Somehow, Kate got the distinct feeling that they always would be. The passion might wane at times, as things often did, but she highly doubted it would ever truly vanish.

She'd always want him.

And he'd always want her.

She drove her ass back into him, and he grounded into her. The bathroom filled with the erotic sounds of their wet flesh slapping together, combined with heated pants and gasps. It was fast and frantic. Everything she needed to jump start her day. Castle stretched one hand around her torso, palming and squeezing her breast, before sliding it down her taut abdomen, making her stomach muscles flutter with anticipation. He soon found purchase between her legs, right where they were connected. Kate let out a pleading mewl as she wiggled back into him. Cocking her head, she glanced over her shoulder to see him grin. His clever fingers found her sensitive bundle of nerves with ease, and he caressed and teased until she was clenching around him and screaming his name.

"Castle!"

He followed her soon after, gripping her hips tightly as he pushed himself deeper into her. She wiggled and squirmed against him, unable to contain the contented purr from escaping her lips as they both came down from their mutual highs.

She couldn't help but whimper in disappointment when he slipped out of her. It earned a smug grin from him, which she soon wiped away, smearing her mouth against his, adding a flick of tongue. Castle retaliated by dancing his fingertips along her ribcage, tickling her. A giggle tumbled from her mouth, and Kate jerked away, flashing him with a watered-down version of her fierce glare.

Castle just smiled, holding up his hand and wiggling his fingers mockingly. Kate shook her head and pursed her lips. Life definitely wasn't dull with him. And oh, how she loved it.

"I love you, Rick," she gave her feelings voice, purposely using his first name.

"I love you, too, Kate," he spoke in a soft, reverent manner that always made her heart skip a beat. How had she been so lucky to find such a man as him?

She draped her arms around his neck and they swayed together under the spray of water. Castle sighed, wrapping his arms around her, fingers clutching at her. Closing her eyes, Kate leaned into his embrace.

"Do you really have to go to work?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so," she answered, semi-breathless. "I'll try and make it to the launch party, but I can't promise anything."

"I'll miss you."

"I know," she soothed, running a hand down his back and giving his magnificent ass a squeeze.

He grinned against her temple.

"Well," he announced, stepping back. "Best get you cleaned up then."

XXX

Detective Kate Beckett sat at her desk, working on paperwork. Knitting her eyebrows together, she tried to keep focused, but her gaze kept slipping up to the digital clock on her desktop screen. It was almost end of shift, and she'd promised her boyfriend that she'd try to make it to the book launch party for his last Derrick Storm novel. She had been hesitant at first, but when he'd told her Alexis and his mother would be there, it relaxed her.

Being Richard Castle's girlfriend hadn't necessarily been easy over the last two months. They would always have to contend with his fame. Kate hated the public eye, but they'd managed to keep it mostly on the downlow, to a certain extent. And Castle never forced her into doing something that made her uncomfortable when it came to attending events or functions. He was very protective of her. Of them. His love clear and evident.

It was breathtaking.

For the first time in her adult life, Kate was truly happy. It was almost too hard to believe how much she loved him. She'd never thought it possible, had written off finding that kind of love, yet here she was. He made her believe in such things. And despite their relatively short time together, Kate already knew that their relationship would be lasting. She could see a future with Castle that she'd never envisioned with any other boyfriend.

Lanie had almost spontaneously combusted at the news. She was thrilled of course, and was eagerly trying to arranged double dates, hoping to utilize Castle's fame and social network to secure reservations at prime and exclusive restaurants. Much to Kate's chagrin, Castle had been keen on the idea, having no problem using his resources to coordinate. As she'd predicted, Castle and Lanie got along swimmingly. They even already had their own secret language, which she suspected they used to discuss her. Luckily, she had her own ammunition, which she greatly enjoyed deploying.

A smile touched her lips.

It hadn't been lost on her colleagues that ever since her two-week vacation to the Hamptons, she'd been more relaxed than ever. Her stress levels had decreased, and she wasn't as snappy with her fellow detectives, unless Castle was annoying her with his on-again, off-again requests to shadow her at work. She'd squashed the idea the moment he'd originally broached it.

"But it would be so much fun, Kate! I'd get to see you kicking ass and taking names, being all badass and hot," he'd insisted. "And I'd get loads of inspiration for Nikki Heat."

"I bet," she'd retorted with a derisive snort. "But it won't work. You'd get in the way—unintentionally, of course—and I'd be too worried about you that I'd get distracted, which is dangerous when out in the field. I love you, Castle. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you."

Castle had accepted, albeit reluctantly, her decision. But that hadn't stopped him from continuing to ask. He'd even tried asking again, after giving her a mind-blowing orgasm, hoping she'd be too blissed out to realize what he was asking before it was too late and she'd agreed to his "research" proposal. Sly bastard. Luckily, she'd had enough wits left to see through his scheme. Needless to say, she'd retaliated with her mouth and tongue, and had him whimpering in surrender. God, she loved the power she had over him.

"Yo, Beckett!" Detective Javier Esposito's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Lifting her eyes, Kate saw her colleague standing up at his desk, slipping his jacket on. Shit. They'd caught a case. She'd have to text Castle and apologize. It wouldn't be the first time she'd had to cancel on attending an event with him, and it wouldn't be the last. Despite her earlier misgivings, Castle hadn't really minded her hectic work schedule as much as she'd feared. Besides, he always reminded her that if she was unavailable, Alexis was more than willing and happy to go in her stead.

"McNulty and Ryan are already on scene," Esposito announced as she locked down her computer and stood, pulling her gun out of the desk drawer and strapping it into her hip holster. "Brian says it's one of the freaky ones."

Kate let out a gruff chuckle. "So, too complicated for McNulty."

"Yep," Esposito chuckled, joining her at the elevator as he checked his phone. "Ryan's taking over, starting the canvassing. Lanie's already on route."

"Good," Kate said, adjusting her blazer as they waited for the elevator.

Esposito glanced at her. "Bet your boy's going to be disappointed," he spoke tentatively, always anxious about talking personal life, but unable to resist teasing. "And he had a dress picked out and everything."

Kate narrowed her eyes, but didn't rise to the bait, much to Esposito's disappointment. The elevator doors rattled open, and Kate stepped in, smirking. "Yeah," she said with a dramatic sigh, which she'd learned from Martha Rodgers. Castle's mother was a fount of interesting knowledge. "And we were all looking forward to seeing you in it."

Esposito's mouth dropped and his eyes went wide as he started to stammer out objections. Her lips turned up in a triumphant smile as she bounced on her feet.

Round One: Beckett.

XXX

Detective Brian McNulty was just shuffling out of the apartment as they were arriving. Looking as rumpled as ever, he stopped at the door and nodded. "All yours, Beckett," he said, hooking his thumb over his shoulder. "Ryan's inside. Dr. Parish, too. She's already started in on her prelim."

"Right," Kate said, then narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized the other detective's appearance. "Go home and catch some shut eye, McNulty. You look like hell."

"Always the flatterer, Beckett," the man said, placing a hand over his heart.

"Careful, dude," Esposito warned. "She's cranky."

McNulty grimaced as he exchanged a look with the other detective. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Paradise has never been better, gentlemen," Kate interrupted with a smirk, snapping on a pair of blue latex gloves. Used to the joshing. "And if you two girls are done gossiping; Detective Esposito, we've got a crime scene to investigate."

Esposito bobbed his head, and McNulty held up a hand in surrender, before hurrying off. Kate gave Esposito a long look, before he shrugged.

"Sometimes you're no fun, Beckett, you know that?" he asserted.

"Castle doesn't think that," she stated absently.

"That's because you sleep with him," Esposito grumbled.

Scowling, Kate slapped him across the back of the head for that comment. "You're lucky I'm your friend, otherwise I'd be reporting you to HR," she admonished.

Esposito grimaced, and bowed his head, properly chastised. "Sorry," he mumbled, and then rushed ahead, afraid of her lasered eyed glare.

I work with children, she thought.

Shaking her head, Kate followed him inside the apartment. Crime scene techs were already swarming around, taking photos and collecting evidence. The body laid in the middle of the room, on full display atop the dining room table. The blonde woman was nude, covered head-to-toe in rose petals. Two sunflowers had been placed over her eyes.

Kate frowned. The scene seemed oddly familiar.

Shrugging it off, she stepped forward and crouched down, exchanging a brief hello with Lanie, who was making notes on her clipboard, before gazing at the young woman's pale face. "Who are you?" she asked the victim, barely above the whisper.

"Alison Tisdale," Esposito announced, reading from the notes McNulty had handed over. "24. Grad student at NYU, part of the social work program."

Kate glanced around at the high ceiling and expensive décor. "Nice place for a social worker."

"Daddy's money," Detective Kevin Ryan informed her, appearing behind Esposito, no doubt returning from his canvas. "Neighbors called to complain about the music. When she didn't answer they had the super check in."

She straightened up and paced around the body. "No signs of a struggle," she said, thinking out loud. "He knew her."

"He even brought her flowers," Lanie put in, gesturing at the array of rose petals covering the body. "Who says romance is dead?"

"Not me," Kate smirked, thinking of her hot romp with Castle in the shower that morning.

Lanie scowled. "Quit rubbing it in. I used to find it cute, now… not so much." Narrowing her eyes, she shifted away, pretending to work on her notes, grumbling to herself. "First times she actually listens to me, and goes off to the Hamptons for two weeks, and of course, then that's when she comes back with a handsome and rich boyfriend. Not me. No. I try it and end up with a severe sunburn. No fair."

With a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, Kate tuned out Lanie's complaining, and sauntered back around the table and returned her attention to the body. "So, what did he give her besides roses?"

"Two shots to the chest," Lanie answered, still miffed, gesturing towards the bullet holes visible beneath the blanket of rose petals. "Small caliber."

Stopping at the head of the table, Kate placed her hands on her hips and frowned. Okay. From this angle, it definitely was starting to seem familiar. She glanced around at her colleagues, surprised that they didn't seem to notice anything as well.

"Does this look familiar to anyone?" she asked, baffled it didn't.

Esposito stopped conferring with Ryan and cocked his head as he stared down at the body. "Nope," he shook his head after a beat. "But I'm not the one with the thing for freaky ones. Just give me a Jack shot Jill over Bill so I can get my collar and go home."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Oh, but the freaky ones require more. They reveal more. Look at how he left her." She swung her hand out over the body. "Covered modestly."

Ryan's brow furrowed. "So?"

"So," Kate went on, like she was a patient teacher waiting for her students to catch on to something that was obvious, "despite all of the effort, all the preparation, you won't find any evidence of sexual abuse."

"You really get that from just this?" Esposito asked, sounding doubtful.

Kate nodded. "This. Plus," she crossed her arms over her chest and frowned, "I've seen this before."

"You've seen it before?" Esposito echoed, raising a dubious eyebrow, unconvinced, but still intrigued. "Where?"

"Roses on her body? Sunflowers on her eyes?" Kate said, wondering if she'd have to actually spell it out for them. She hissed out a frustrated breath. "Don't you guys read!?"

Esposito and Ryan blinked lazily. Shaking her head, Kate strolled back around the table and exchanged a look with Lanie. Her friend's eyes went wide as she finally made the connections.

"Oh!" Lanie exclaimed. "Castle!"

"What about Castle?" Esposito asked.

"The scene," Kate explained, gesturing at the body laid out, covered in flowers. "It's straight out of one of Castle's books. Flowers For Your Grave."

"Really?" Ryan questioned, scratching his temple as he stared back down at the body. "Oh… um… maybe we should bring him for questioning."

"You don't think he—"

"No," Kate cut Esposito off.

Lanie let out a loud chortle. "Judging from T.O.D., I doubt that. I'd say Castle was busy doing something—or rather someone—else."

"Lanes!" Kate hissed, her cheeks flushing with a vibrant blush.

"Huh?" Bless Ryan and his innocent cluelessness. Esposito jabbed him in the side, and his eyes went wide with realization. "Oh!"

"Still, Kev's right," Esposito interjected. "We should bring your boy in. We might have an obsessed fan on our hands. Who better to help out than the author himself?"

Lanie clapped her hands, excited. "Oh, this should be fun. Better than shark week." She glanced up at Kate and smirked. "Payback's a bitch, girl."

Kate couldn't help but groan in dismay, scrubbing a hand down her face. Esposito was right. No one was a better expert on Castle's books than Castle himself. She glanced back down at the body, and scowled. She already knew what was going to happen. Her boyfriend would use this as the perfect excuse to weasel his way into shadowing her on cases as an "expert consultant, civilian". Letting out a sigh, succumbing to the inevitable, Kate spun around and stalked towards the exit.

Despite her misgivings about having him joining in on the investigation, a smile broke across her lips.

Castle was going to love this.

Detective Kate Beckett marched down the hallway, her two partners hustling to keep up. She pursed her lips and set her face into a professional mask.

It was time to crash a party.

The End

*A/N: I know most of you would have liked more, and I probably could have continued, but it would have felt like I was forcing the story beyond its original ending. This was how I'd planned it, so I stuck with my plan. Hope you all understand that. When I started this story, I never thought it would reach 50,000 words. I struggled with certain sections, not really sure if I was doing it justice, but in the end, I'm satisfied with how it eventually turned out. Thank you for reading. All the reviews and comments are greatly appreciated. Until next time.