Inspired by Kate Christie's post on Tumblr:

You can't sleep?

Me either.

Let's can't sleep together.

There are no secrets or spoilers. I'd say this takes place in a blend of Season 3 & 4 time because they haven't admitted their love to each other (yet), but there are mentions of how ready she is for a relationship with him as if she's been working on her issues. Overall, this is just fun, lovable, sexy fluff. Will be at least three chapters long.

Rated M for language and hot sexy times.

*Thoughts are italicized.*

*Texts are bold.*

Sleep With Me Part 1

Kate tosses and turns in bed, trying to get comfortable. She had a tough day at work. So tough that Castle talked her into taking a quick nap in the break room to refuel herself. She came home around 10, ate a little leftover Chinese food, did her laundry, and took a shower. It's now 1, and she's been trying to get to sleep for a half-hour. She pushes the covers back and swings her legs over the side of her bed. She grabs her purple nightshirt and puts it on. She had been wearing it, but it got too warm. So, she opted for sleeping naked, which she likes to do on some nights. She heads to her kitchen, seeking out a late-night snack. She opens her fridge, but nothing stands out. She spots her wine rack after closing the fridge, and she thinks that wine could be the trick. She wanders around her apartment, sipping her red wine, trying to figure out if there's something to do to keep her entertained and/or tire her. She knows reading is an option, but she feels bored with her current Patterson book. She's secretly eagerly waiting for the next Nikki Heat book to be released. Hopefully, he'll give me an advanced copy.

She sits at her kitchen island to finish her wine and pictures Castle sleeping in his bed. If he's sleeping, why can't I get to sleep? It was a tough day for both of us. She sighs and goes to set her glass in the sink. She uses the bathroom and returns to bed, grabbing her cellphone from a bedside table. She lies down on her back, not bothering with the covers, and browses some Temptation Lane clips on YouTube. She watches a few and shuts her eyes at times to get sleepy. But she's still very awake. She gives up and sets her phone back on the table. She tosses her nightshirt off and pulls the covers back up. She folds her arms, sets her hands behind her head, and stares at the ceiling. She takes a breath, closes her eyes, and sighs, "Rick…"

Rick sits at his desk writing and glances at the time. He realizes he should get to bed, but he isn't tired. The case he worked on with Beckett was extra tough. A man was responsible for his so-called beloved nephew's death, and it was difficult to track down evidence that pinned him as the killer. As trying as it was, he's surprised he isn't tired. He finishes up his current paragraph and eventually reaches a stopping point. He shuts things down, grabs his cellphone, and heads to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He strips on his way to the bathroom and grabs a quick shower. While he's toweling himself off, his mind wanders to Kate. I can't believe how good she looked today. I swear she gets more beautiful every day. She wore a simple red t-shirt, black blazer, and jeans. Those jeans were tight. The t-shirt too. I'd have been happier if she completely ditched the blazer. Her hair was down, a bit curlier than usual. Her hair's gorgeous no matter what she does with it. But today…wow. He wraps the towel low around his waist and goes to sit on his bed. He imagines her lying in her bed on her stomach, her hair fallen all around her. Her gorgeous hair… What was it about her hair? He's never been so affected by a woman's hair before. It must be because it matches her gorgeous face so well. He lies back on the bed, still feeling pretty awake. He reaches for his phone, which he had thrown onto the bed, and checks out Twitter. Then he messes around with Bike Baron and Angry Birds Space. He sets his phone on a bedside table and stands up to retrieve his boxers. After slipping them on, he ventures out to the kitchen to find something to drink. He takes a glass of water back to bed, slides under the covers, and puts the TV on. He flips around for a while and settles on Pawn Stars on The History Channel. He finishes his water quickly, setting the empty glass down on the table beside his phone. He picks up his phone to look at the time: 2 o'clock. It was a long day, and now it's a long night. He moans in frustration and shuts his eyes to will himself to sleep. Despite his mind returning to Kate.

Kate opens her eyes and groans at her failed attempt to sleep. She suddenly has a craving for something sweet, but she knows the only sweet stuff in her fridge is fruit. And that's not what she wants. Her thoughts flow back to Rick, knowing he loves ice cream and all kinds of other sweet junk. Maybe he's still awake too. Only one way to know… She reaches for her phone and sends a text his way.

Rick is startled when his phone buzzes, thinking something might be wrong with whoever has texted him. He grabs his phone and is more curious when he sees the text is from Beckett.

Hey. You still awake?

He smiles, assured that everything is alright and wondering what she wants.

Hey. Yeah. What's up?

She grins, feeling not so alone, though she didn't realize till now that she felt alone. She takes a breath, pondering what she really wants. Do I ask him? What if he's not interested? She decides to try diving headfirst and not look back. She's had some wine, is naked, and believes sleep won't come anytime soon. Why not?

My fridge and freezer are empty. Not completely. Don't think I'm starving myself. (At this he chuckles a bit.) I have a sweets craving. All I have is fruit.

And you're texting me? What's wrong with fruit?

She shakes her head, snickering.

Yes, I'm texting you, and I'm not hungry for fruit.

She laughs at that text as she sends it. If it "sounds" angry, she didn't mean it that way. He's taken aback and smiles at her for choosing him to text, even if it's only to rant about her empty fridge and freezer. He can't decide what to text back, and his phone buzzes again.

Do you have whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and ice cream?
Duh, of course you do. You, Castle, are a sweets freak.

She laughs when she sends it, and he laughs when he reads it.

Sweets freak? Is that your new pet name for me?

Cue the classic Beckett eyeroll that he knows will happen. And he's right, though she's smirking when she does it.

WHY would I call you that? It's ridiculous.

Hahaha!

Don't make me shoot you through the phone!

Don't make me laugh.

Through the phone? Really, Beckett?

*glaring eyes*

She's not really glaring. She's just messing with him. But Castle doesn't know that. He jumps a bit; he can picture her glare so clearly. He doesn't get the chance to think of a response because his phone buzzes again.

Don't fret, Castle.

He grins and returns to the topic at hand.

You were saying you're hungry for sweets. And yes, you're right, I have all of those yummy items.

She breathes deeply and texts…

You want to come over and bring those items with you?

After hitting SEND, a slow blushing grin forms on her face.

Rick looks dumbfounded, and it's a minute or so before her phone dings again.

I… Uh… Yeah?

I'm serious, Rick.

Oh, it's 'Rick' now. Well then… He gets out of bed quickly, his mind travelling a million places. He's so frantic while putting plaid green pajama bottoms and a plain gray t-shirt on that he doesn't think to text her back. He slips socks on, pockets his phone, and heads to the kitchen to pack up the sweet goodies and a couple icepacks in a cooler. He whips his phone out to double check something.

What kind of ice cream? Do you have an ice cream scoop?

She's relieved when she "hears" from him, not sure how he reacted to her last text. She figured it would take more convincing that she's serious.

I think I do. What kind do you got?

I'll bring one anyway. Just in case. How does vanilla bean sound?

Excellent! (She feels a sudden burst of excitement.) You're really coming over?

He adds an ice cream scoop to the cooler and zips up the cooler before reading the text. When he does, he grins.

Yes, Kate. I'll see you soon.

He goes to slip shoes and a jacket on. He pockets his phone and keys. Just before returning to the cooler, he decides it's best to write a note for Alexis and Martha. His note is simple:
~Kate called and asked me to come over. If I don't come back before sunrise, I'll see you eventually during the daylight hours. Don't worry.~

He tapes the note to the refrigerator and ponders packing an overnight bag. It is after 2 AM; how can he really expect to come home when it's already that late? Then he remembers the bag of spare clothes and necessities he has in his car just for emergencies. Perfect. And soon he is in his car on his way to Kate's apartment.

Kate stays in bed a while, kinda in disbelief that Castle's coming over and they're going to eat ice cream in the middle of the night. She wants more than ice cream, of course. She wants him. She's always wanted him. She can't get her mind off of him. Being naked doesn't help control her thoughts, but it's oddly warm tonight. Her mind wanders to the real reason she wanted him to bring whip cream. She doesn't want it for the ice cream. Her thoughts take her to all the sexy things they could do with it, and she's sure he's game. But wait… Shouldn't she feel nervous? After all, she and Castle have not yet taken that step or any steps close enough to that step. Why am I not scared to death? I guess I'm more ready than I thought I was. She gets up out of bed and slips on her nightshirt. Feeling braver and braver, she doesn't put anything else on. She heads into the bathroom and combs her hair a bit, leaving it down because she knows he likes it that way. She stares at her face, and she thinks she doesn't look very tired. She splashes some water on herself anyway and quickly pats herself dry with a hand towel. Feeling satisfied with her looks, she leaves and proceeds to the kitchen with her phone (just in case). She opens a cabinet and ponders pulling out two bowls. He's bringing chocolate syrup, so they do need bowls and spoons. No eating from the carton this time, not that she usually does. She stands beside a stool waiting for him, the bowls and spoons sitting on the island in front of her. She's barefoot despite the floor feeling slightly chilly. He's gonna flip when he sees me. I know he will. She tugs on some of her hair, twirling it while smiling and thinking of him. She pulls at her large nightshirt to uncover one of her shoulders. Yeah, he'll like that. She shakes her head, still smiling, still not fully believing how free she feels and that he's coming over…until there's the knock on her door.

Rick rides the elevator in her building, not believing he's about to be with her in the middle of the night sharing ice cream and who-knows-what-else. He sure hopes there will be more than ice cream sundaes involved, but he doesn't want to push it. He'll take her lead. If nothing else, it'll be a fun, childish night between best friends. And maybe he'll get to know more about her, get some more glimpses of the fun side she hides. It'll be a slumber party. He snickers at that, thinking of the countless slumber parties Alexis has been to and hosted. Slumber parties are such a girl thing, and yet, he's about to have one with Kate. Funny! Maybe we'll share secrets and play Truth Or Dare. But of course he realizes that those activities could lead to other, more adult activities since there's a strong attraction between them. Follow her lead. Don't lose control. We'll probably end up watching a movie. He soon reaches her door, takes a breath, and knocks. When she opens it, there's a huge grin on her face, and the next thing he notices is her bare shoulder. He eyes her up head to toe and back again. Oh shit.

She sees him checking her out, and it makes her smile more, if that's even possible. "Hi," she says, shyly.

His eyes lock with hers, and he replies, "Hi." He smiles, and she moves aside to let him in. After shutting the door and locking it, he hands her the cooler, and she watches him drop another bag, looking puzzled. "I don't think I'll be returning home tonight, do you," he says, explaining, "So, I brought the bag of spare clothes that I usually keep in my trunk.

"Smart thinking," she says. "Uhh, you can put that in my bedroom. If you want. Or near my bedroom."

He stands dumbfounded; she just said "my bedroom" twice. That's always seemed like forbidden territory to him. Somehow in the process of considering what she told him, he manages to tug his jacket off and hang it up. She takes control thanks to his silence: "Here. Give it to me. And you take the cooler to the kitchen. The bowls and spoons are already out." She hands him back the cooler, and she takes his bag to her room. He kicks his shoes off, walks into the kitchen, and sets the cooler on the island, opening it and pulling out the goodies. He stops when he sees her walking back to him. He stares at her long, gorgeous legs. They look so smooth. He wonders about the nightshirt. She has to be wearing something underneath, right? He eyes her breasts. It sure doesn't look like it. She stops in her tracks when she observes him staring, and she stares back. Hmm. Gray t-shirt. Green plaid… Looks really good. He looks really good. She continues to the island and grabs the ice cream scoop. "You want to make your own, or should I make it for you," she asks, standing next to him.

"I can fix it myself," he responds, "I'm a big boy."

She smirks and teases, "I'm sure you are. (She pauses.) But you don't always act like one." She opens the ice cream and scoops some into her bowl. She squirts a mess of chocolate syrup on top.

"Haha, detective." He scoops his own ice cream – a lot of it – and squirts just the right amount of syrup on top. He watches as she grabs her spoon and looks at her, bewildered. "You requested whip cream. Why did I bring it if you don't want it on your ice cream?"

"I… Umm," she stutters, trying not to reveal her truest desire for the whip cream. "I'm saving it for later," she states simply without so much of a hint as to what she's hoping they'll do with it.

"Later? What could possibly be later?"

She glares at him and says, "Shut up and eat your ice cream." She walks away to the couch with her bowl and spoon, and she can feel his eyes on her. His breath catches, and she knows it. He has no idea.

They're sitting on her couch eating ice cream as if they've done this a million times before. Kate's legs are crossed towards him, and she glances at him while spooning another bite into her mouth. She looks away, and then Rick peeks at her. "Nice slumber party, huh," he says.

She puts the spoon in her bowl, which she then lowers. She turns and gives him a look. Not a glare. Not a smirk. More of a blank expression, but she is amused. "A slumber party?"

"When we're two friends sharing ice cream in the middle of the night in our PJs, what do you call it?" He takes another spoonful.

"I guess you're right," she replies, "I didn't realize that when I asked you to come over." She pauses, stares ahead, and smiles softly. "This is good. The ice cream, I mean." She continues eating before adding, "The slumber party too."

"It's all good. Ice cream can't not be good," he says, and he gets a sudden fun idea. "Want to see who can finish first?"

"You're not worried about brain freeze?"

"Never, Beckett!"

She smirks at him, and he smirks back. "Game on," she declares.

Thirty seconds or so later… "DONE!" A spoon clangs loudly in a bowl, and Kate leaps up, lifting an arm in victory. She looks down at Rick with a huge smile on her face and watches him finish the last few morsels in his bowl. She lowers her arm and heads to the kitchen. She puts her bowl in the sink and is quickly beside him again. He sets his bowl on her coffee table and tells her, "Congrats…on not being a loser."

"You just hate it when you don't win," she responds, "So, what do I get?"

He looks at her puzzled. "Huh?"

"Well, I won. The winner should get something, shouldn't she?"

He shakes his head. "We never set that rule."

"Because you rushed me into a competition without giving me time to think about rules," she says, annoyed.

"Who needs rules," he wonders.

"Figures you'd say that, Mr. Rules-Are-Meant-To-Be-Broken." He doesn't respond right away, and she adds, "The point is: I won. Deal with it." She takes a breath and leans in close to his ear. He freezes, feeling surprised at her closeness. She smiles sexily, but it fades… "I can kick your ass in anything, Castle." She pulls back with her serious detective face on, but it doesn't last. Her face softens, and he smiles at her. "How about a little Truth Or Dare," he suggests.

"No one can win at that game," she counters back, "That's no fun." She pouts, and he thinks it's the cutest thing in the world. "Oh, there can be plenty of fun in this game," he informs her mischievously. The pout disappears in a flash, and she asks, "Truth or dare?"

He chuckles and sits back against the couch, pretending to ponder which to choose. "Hmm, decisions decisions…" She's watching intently and jumps back, laughing, when he sits up and gets in her face, exclaiming, "Dare!" Now she sits back, wondering what she should make him do. A couple moments go by, and she says, "I dare you to call Espo and when he answers, hang up on him." She tries not to giggle as he pulls out his phone. He's not going to turn down such a simple dare.

"Really, Beckett," he says, waiting for Esposito to answer, "How childish of you."

Esposito rolls over as his ringing cellphone blares in the silence of his bedroom. He can barely open his eyes, and he almost drops his phone after he grasps it. "What the hell does Castle want," he groans. Reluctantly, he answers, "Castle, this better be good or I'm gonna whoop your ass." The next thing he hears is the dial tone, and he curses the name Rick Castle.

Beckett is laughing up a storm once Castle tells her how Esposito greeted him, and he joins in the laughter. He almost cracked before he hung up. What makes them stop and freeze is his phone ringing; Espo's calling him back. Their eyes lock, and she says, "I never said to answer if he called back." They stare at his phone, and it soon stops ringing. Then, there's another ding-a-ling notifying that he has a voicemail message. He calls in to his voicemail, puts it on speaker, and holds it up for both of them to hear.

Espo's sleepy-but-frustrated message: "Castle! What the fuck, bro? If I see you tomorrow… No. The next time. I see you. You're gonna… I'm gonna… I'll get you back, and you won't see it coming. Don't mess with a bro's sleep. I'll tell Beckett on you."

Kate cannot hold back her immense laughter as she listens to the message. She falls back, lying on the couch, once it's over, laughing so hard that tears form in her eyes. Rick pockets his phone and can't help but laugh too, but it's mainly because of her laughter. He cannot believe how much she's laughing. Her hands cover her face, and she tries to calm herself and wipes the tears away. "He has no idea I'm in on this." She laughs again, not as hard, but he stops when he spots how her nightshirt has risen up, exposing more of her delicious thighs.

She takes a few deep breaths before sitting back up and warning him, "You might wind up dead when you see him again."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll love it when I tell him it was all thanks to YOU."

"There's no need to tell him that."

"I'm sure he'll have a good laugh over it. He'd never kill you."

"He might still kill you, Castle, no matter the reason you called and woke him. But if you're good…I might have your back." She nudges his shoulder, and he gives her a warm smile. He turns to her and returns to their game. "So… Kate, truth or dare?"

"Oooh, that's tough," she responds, closing her eyes. There's no telling what he could make me do. Or what he could ask me. She opens her eyes and makes her decision. "Truth," she states, facing him almost completely.

"Excellent choice," he says. He looks her up and down and asks carefully, "What are you wearing under your nightshirt?"

She blushes. Tries not to. Tries to hide it. But he sees it, and he knows her answer will be good. "Well, Rick…" Before she continues, he interjects, "Remember that this is Truth Or Dare. You have to answer honestly." She nods in agreement and looks down. She can't look him in the eyes when she says softly, "Nothing."

Rick perks up and almost loses his breath. "What's that, Kate?" He wants to hear it louder.

She looks him in the eyes this time. "I'm wearing nothing underneath," she says in her normal voice. She laughs at his sexy smirk and asks, "Truth or dare, Castle?"

"Truth," he says, without looking away and very curious about what she wants to know about him. He watches as she licks her lips. She believes she should ask a question that's just as juicy as his. "What do you usually wear to bed?"

He smirks again and says, "Why, Beckett, you didn't have to resort to Truth Or Dare to ask me that."

"Answer the question," she demands.

"Okay okay," he responds, "Don't shoot me." She chuckles and listens intently. "There are nights when I sleep naked, and other nights I sleep in boxers."

She closes her eyes and has to catch her breath. Opening her eyes, she inquires, "But most nights you wear…"

"Boxers." he answers, "And I'll usually put a t-shirt on when I wake up. Cause sometimes I let Alexis come in to snuggle or motivate me to get moving. Or she pops in to see me before she heads out somewhere." He takes a breath and leans in to her ear to murmur, "But sleeping naked is very comfortable. You should do it sometime in my bed. With or without me. You'd never want to sleep in your bed again." He pulls back and sees that she's shivering. He looks at her arms and sees goosebumps. He knows both have to be from him. After a few moments of silence, she speaks without thinking, "I bet your bed's spacious too. Lots of room to roll around doing God knows what."

"What" he asks, stunned at what she said.

"What," she bounces back quickly, locking eyes with him.

"Don't think I didn't hear you," he says.

Kate smiles and leans in close, not breaking eye contact as she reaches for his empty bowl. Rick can't stop staring as she takes the bowl to the kitchen sink. God, she really isn't wearing anything underneath that. Wow!