Authors Note: So, as I said in my other Castle story, State of Grace, my mom bought me seasons 1-5, which means I'm having Castle marathons with myself and my cat. Anyways, I'm on season 4, and just watched Cops and Robbers, so far, my favorite episode of season 4. I'm sure this has already been done a million times over, but I wanted to add what I thought would happen once Castle and Beckett were alone for the night.

Hope you enjoy. All mistakes are mine, I'm beta-less...but I did read over it several times.

Reviews are love, leave some

Krystle

Martha had managed to drag Alexis to bed an hour ago. The poor girl was so exhausted between what happened at the bank, and breaking up with Ashley.

She tried to protest at first, not wanting to leave her father, which made Rick smile. No matter how old she got, she'd always be his little girl, and he'll always be her daddy. He convinced her that she needed sleep, the day was over, and he was safe because Kate saved him and the others. Alexis gives in and hugs her father goodnight, kissing him on the cheek and telling him she loves him. Rick smiles bigger when Alexis makes her way over to Kate who is seated in one of the chairs in the living room.

Without saying a word, Alexis pulls Kate up and wraps her arms around her middle. Kate eyes Castle, but returns the girl's hug. Squeezing Kate tight, Alexis whispers, "Thank you."

"For what?" Kate asks, rubbing the girls back.

Sniffling, "for saving my dad and my Gram."

"Oh," Kate whispers, smiling, trying to lighten the mood, "that."

"I know that I wasn't the nicest person when I was talking to you earlier today-"

"Alexis, you were scared, I understand."

"I know, but it wasn't right. I may have been scared, but that doesn't excuse how I talked to you. You know how much they mean to me, and I know that you were just as scared as I was. So I'm sorry for that, I just wanted you to know."

"Well, apology accepted," Kate smiles.

Alexis smiles, "You know, you're like a part of the family. Thank you again, and I love you too, Kate."

After a moment of stunned silence, and trying to hold back tears on Kate's part, she returns the sentiments, "I love you too, Lex."

She shakes her head of the moment she shared with Castle's daughter, still amazed that he's managed to stay quiet for as long as he has. She looks over at him, and he's staring at her, "What?"

"I was just thinking about today," he answers, "Mother thought I blamed her for putting us in the situation we were in. She insisted that we go to the bank today to get a loan, and she said that had she not insisted we wouldn't have been in trouble."

"Yeah, but Castle, it would have happened if you were there or not," Kate says, trying to reason with him. "Think of it this way, you were there, you were able to get help, you were able to save people, including a pregnant woman and her baby. I'm sure she won't be forgetting that anytime soon."

"I know," he says, standing and grabbing their wine glasses, "You're right. I just hate that she felt that way."

Kate follows him to the kitchen, and pulls herself up on the counter, "Give her time. She'll be back to herself in a few days."

He nods, and pours them each another glass of wine, "Well, here's to today, great detective work, friends and family."

"Cheers."

"I think I'm going to get to bed," he says, after taking a couple sips of his wine. "There is a guest bedroom second door on the right. You've had four too many glasses, please stay."

She smiles softly at his concern for her, and doesn't even try to fight him, "Okay, but I'm going to need something to sleep in."

"Well, Alexis has some laundry in the dryer, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you wore something of hers," he says, making his way to the laundry room, he appears a minute later with a cami top and pajama bottoms. "Try these."

When Kate appears after trying on the clothes, she shakes her head, "Alexis's clothes are too small for me."

"I've got something for you to wear then, if you're comfortable with it?"

Her eyes meet his, and she doesn't know why she's suddenly nervous. "Uh, yeah, that's fine."

CB

Kate sighs and looks at the clock on the bedside table. She's been lying in bed for an hour, and she can't sleep; but not for lack of trying. Every time she closes her eyes, she hears the explosion, and she's walking off the command post bus, staring at the smoky bank.

It hits her that she almost lost him today. She's working through her issues, to be a better person, to have the relationship she wants-with him-and he almost died. Had he died today, she would have never known what it would feel like to be held by him, to love him fully with everything she is.

She doesn't realize she's crying until a tear rolls down behind her ear. She stubbornly wipes the tears from her face. She's tired of hiding behind her shooting. She's tired of lying about remembering what happened that day. Maybe if she just checks on him…

She makes her way down the hallway and stairs quietly so she doesn't wake Martha or Alexis. She walks through his office, and quietly opens his bedroom door. She jumps when he moves to sit up. She thought he was asleep.

"Kate? Is everything okay?"

She sighs, "Um, I, uh…" She takes a deep breath, and shakes her head. "No."

Turning his bedroom light on, he swings his legs over the side of the bed, "Want to talk about it?"

She thinks for a moment, but nods. "Yeah, but you have to promise me that you won't get mad."

"Why would I be mad?"

"Just, please-just promise me before I tell you what I need to, please?" she begs him, looking into his eyes.

He's confused, but nods anyway, "I promise. Beckett, what's going on?"

She closes her eyes and gathers her thoughts. She takes a deep breath and whispers, "I remember, Castle."

At first he was going to say of course she remembers, the bank robbery and explosion was only a few short hours ago. But as he looks at her, he realizes that she's not talking about the explosion or the robbery. She's talking about five months ago, when she was shot.

"You remember."

"Everything."

"You remember everything."

"Castle, you promised that you wouldn't get mad." He closes his eyes, and she can see the hurt that washes over his face at her secret. "Just, can I please explain? Before you say anything?"

"Fine."

"Look, I just…I needed to figure things out. Remember when I told you that I couldn't have the kind of relationship that I want until my wall comes down?" he nods, and she continues, "Well, when you said that you loved me, all be it, it's still kind of fuzzy, but I do remember; I was trying to speak, to reply to you somehow, but I couldn't. My voice wasn't there.

When I got out of the hospital, I went to my dad's cabin. I needed to be away from everything that reminded me of that day, so I could sort through this mess. While I was up there, every single day, Castle, all I could think about was you. Everything that we'd been through, the fights, the pushing, everything. That's when I knew that you were so much more than a partner to me. In the last four years you've somehow managed to wiggle your way into my life in such a permanent way that I can't stand the thought of losing you.

Today, when I heard the explosion," she pauses, to take a breath, and hold her tears a bay, but fails, something that doesn't go unnoticed by Castle; she shakes her head, "when I heard the explosion, my heart stopped. I didn't know if you were alive. All I wanted to do was get in there and find you.

When I heard your voice, I knew that I could relax. I knew that you were alive. I just wanted to hold you." Her eyes finally meet his, his face has softened, and his eyes have lost any trace of anger, and if she looks closely enough she can see that the anger has been replaced with love. She stubbornly wipes away the tears that have fallen during her monologue.

"I know I'm not the easiest person, I've told you that before, but if today has taught me anything, it's that life is too short, tomorrow isn't guaranteed," she finally walks to him, and kneels down in front of him, tentatively placing her hands on his knees, she's more to his level now. She takes a breath and finishes her thought, "Today has also made me realize just how much I do love you."

Her eyes search his, and she doesn't pull away when his hand comes up to rest on her cheek, instead, she leans into his hand, and turns her lips to kiss his palm. "Are you done?" he asks, his thumb brushing against her cheek bone.

She nods, "Yeah, yeah I'm done."

"Good," he says, and he smiles, "I'd like to kiss you now, Kate."

She smiles, "really?"

"Mmhmm."

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

He smiles at her, and pulls her in for a sweet kiss. This kiss is different from their undercover kiss, but just as amazing. She leans into him, one of her hands finds its way to his hair and she lets out a small moan. She's being pulled up, and is soon straddling his lap. Once the need for air is apparent, they break their kiss, foreheads resting on each other.

"Love."

"What?" she asks.

"You said 'loved' when you were telling me that you remembered, but its love," he brushes a curl out of her face, "I love you, Kate; present tense."

She smiles, "Even after I lied to you?"

"Yeah. It hurts knowing that you kept this from me for five months, but I understand why you did. That day a lot happened, and you needed time."

"I love you," she whispers, "I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to say it."

"It's better late than never."

"Yeah, I guess," she says, giving him a soft kiss. "So, what, now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what are we now?"

He smiles, "Well, I would like to be able to call you my girlfriend, but if you're-"

She kisses him again, and smiles, "I would love that."

"Good."

"Good," she echoes, and giggles.

"What's so funny?"

"I finally found a way to shut you up."

She's taken by surprise when he tosses her onto the bed and covers her body with his. He kisses her again, and smiles, "It is a very effective method, one I hope you take advantage of, often."

"I plan on it," she whispers, "but right now, I want to do something else."

Lying underneath him, she comes to the realization that she just wants to be as close to him as possible. She wants to feel him, every inch of him. She runs her hands down his sides, searching for the hem of his night shirt, but her hands are stopped by his.

"Kate, we don't have to do anything tonight."

She smiles at him; he doesn't want to push her, even though she's the one initiating the moment. "I know we don't have to, but I want to. I need to, Rick. I need to feel you, to know that this is all real, that I'm not going to wake up and you not be here. I just want you, okay?"

That's all the convincing he needs, he drops his hands from hers, allowing her to pull his t-shirt over his head.

CB

They take their time, removing each other of their clothes, in their back and forth method that they've perfected over the last four years of theorizing. She was worried that being with him like this, being intimate with him, would be weird. It's not. It's the most natural feeling in the world to be with him like this.

It's like he knows where she wants his lips, and when she needs just a little more attention to a certain area of her body. Her moans surprise her, as he nibbles on her neck. "Rick if you give me a hickey, you're in trouble."

"Scarves, they're a wonderful invention," he replies.

She can't bring herself to care as he moves down her neck, to her topless chest. When she feels him stop, she opens her eyes to find his staring at the scar between her breasts. She swears she can see the onset of tears, and she runs a hand through his hair.

"We came so close to not being here, Kate."

"I know," he looks up to find her eyes misty as well. "But we're here now, and I don't plan on giving this up without a fight."

He nods, and bends his head down to kiss her softly, and then moves back to her chest, kissing her scar. He palms one of her breasts, as his mouth moves to the other to give it the attention she craves.

"God, Castle," she moans, and moves her hips against his. "While I'm enjoying this, we have plenty of time to go slow. I need you. Please?"

But he shakes his head, "No, Kate. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I want to taste every inch of you. We will get to the fun part later."

Before she can protest, he slides down her body and pulls off his sweat pants she's wearing. Her legs fall open, the cool air dancing upon her heated center. Her head falls back, deeper into the pillow, if that's even possible, when he starts kissing her leg, down to her hip, skipping where she wants him most, to pepper her other leg the same way.

She's not ready for it, the reaction of her body when he finally comes in contact with her moist center. Her hips buck involuntarily, one hand flies to his head, fisting his hair, and the other bunches his sheets.

"Oh, God, Rick…" she moans, as his tongue darts out to finally taste her. "Don't stop."

Her back arches as his lips close around her clitoris. He pays special attention to her, rubbing her with his tongue, he hums softly, the vibration shakes her and she wonders to herself why they waited so long to do this. She feels his fingers, and she swears she sees stars when he puts a long skilled finger inside of her; her walls instantly gripping his digit.

First one, then another; in, out, in, out. She feels herself climbing higher, she feels weightless, no cares, no worries, just her and him. When he curls his fingers and hits her right there, she's gone.

She's spiraling out of control, her hand on his head, pushing him into her, her hips bucking wildly, and his name falling off her lips. Her body shakes, and she can't believe that he just made her come undone with his mouth and fingers.

If the movie is anything like the previews...wow.

When she finally opens her eyes, she sees him between her legs, a smug smile on his face. She reaches for him then, pulling him down to her, tasting herself on his lips. She grips his wrist, and her eyes never leave his as her tongue darts out to clean his fingers off. She sees his eyes darken even more, and her stomach does a flop.

"That was amazing, Rick," she sighs, and kisses him once more. "But I need you."

He nods, "What about-"

"Don't need any, I'm clean, and I've been on the pill since I was sixteen," she answers, knowing what he meant. She runs a hand down his face and asks, "You?"

"Clean as a whistle."

"Please, Rick," she whispers, her hips moving underneath him.

He positions himself at her opening, and as he slips inside her, he covers her mouth with his, swallowing her gasps and moans. He gives her a moment to adjust to him invading her, and their kiss breaks.

"Gaawd," she hisses, he's much bigger than her previous lovers.

"You're so tight, Kate."

"You're so big," she retorts, kissing him again, "I need you to move."

He starts off slow, not wanting to hurt her, but when her legs come up higher on his hips, and he goes deeper, he can't be gentle anymore. His mouth goes to her neck, her nails scratch down his back, and he hears her pant his name, and asking him to go harder.

"Rick…mmm….harder….yes…right there…oh God…Rick."

Her teeth sink into his shoulder, and he whispers to her to let go. She shakes her head violently, and moans out, "With you."

"I'm with you, Kate," he tells her, slipping his hand between them, his thumb rubbing circles over her clit once again, and his last word has her falling apart again, "Always."

Her cries of pleasure, her walls clinching around him, his name falling off her lips pushes him over the edge and he spills into her.

He rolls off of her, pulling her to him; her head resting on his shoulder, and her hand on his chest. She smiles sleepily when his lips brush across her forehead, and his hand strokes her hair. She kisses his chest softly, reaching down to grab a sheet to cover them from the cool air of the loft.

"What are you thinking?" he whispers.

She smiles, "That I'll need to wear a scarf tomorrow, and think of a reason why I'll be limping."

"Did I hurt you?"

"No," she answers, turning her face towards his, "It's just been a long time." She leans in and kisses him again, noting his droopy eyes. "Go to sleep, Castle."

He nods, "one thing though."

"What's that?"

"Promise me you'll be here when I wake up?"

Her heart clinches, he doesn't believe that she'll be here; either he thinks he's dreaming or she hurt him more than she realized. She brings her hand up to his face, cupping his cheek, "Hey, look at me. I promise you I'm not going anywhere. There are no regrets, Rick. I meant what I said. I love you."

"I love you too, Kate."

"Always?"

"Always."

Fin