"Honest about what?" He glances down at her hand holding onto him.

She rolls on her side to look at him and grips his arm tighter to get him to sit up with her. Her cuffed hand rests on his knee while her right hand holds his cuffed one. She takes another deep breath and stares into his eyes. "I know how you feel about me. I remember what you said when I was shot," she confesses, "I had to deal with so much, and those three words complicated things. I didn't want our relationship to change."

He stares back at her, his mouth drops, and he manages to say, "Wow. You heard me. You remember…"

"I've been in therapy, and I'm at the point where I'm ready to move forward from my mother's murder. You are part of that, but I'm scared of how everything will change."

"Don't be, Kate," he assures her, "We'll still be excellent partners." He pauses to think through all that she has admitted to him. "When did you remember," he asks.

She looks away from him and says, "Don't be angry." She takes a breath and answers, "I knew right away. I remembered everything shortly after waking up in the hospital." She looks back at him. "Everything."

He runs the fingers of his right hand over her face. "I can't be angry. I know you've had a wall up and have been living your life dedicated to your mother's murder. You have a lot to sort out. I just can't believe…all this time… You've known how I feel."

"Rick, whatever happens, we have to take it slow," she says, "But being here… Who knows how long we'll be in here or if we'll ever make it out…"

"Do not think like that. You're stronger than that."

"But just in case… I had to tell you."

They stare deeply into each other's eyes. Beckett bites her lip and scans his lips. Her eyes return to see that his are staring at her lips. "I'll be honest with you too," he says.

"Oh?" She very curious as to what he needs to tell her.

Castle looks her in the eye again and tells her, "The way you bite your lip is very sexy."

She blushes and replies, "I always knew you liked that." She leans in to his ear. "That's why I do it." She pulls back to see him smirking. A flirty grin spreads over her face, and he says, "There must be something I do that you think is sexy."

"Well, hmmm… Let me think," she says, even though she already knows her answer. "Everything," she whispers and bites her lip again.

"Ooooh, you're easy to please," he says softly.

She laughs, letting her head fall forward onto his shoulder. There is no better sound than her laughter. Lifting her head, she replies, "You really have no idea, Castle. Rick."

"You can call me Castle all you want," he tells her, "I love how it sounds."

Suddenly, her stomach growls, and they both chuckle. "God, we've been here for hours. You don't happen to have a candy bar or something on you, do you," she says.

"We're out of luck," he responds.

"When we get out of here, I'm buying you a huge dinner," she declares.

"And dessert," he wonders hopefully.

"What would you prefer," she asks.

"You and something chocolaty," he answers.

"Mmm, chocolate sounds good," she agrees.

"Chocolate cake or a huge chocolate chip cookie with lots of icing," he recommends.

"Okay, stop talking about food. You're making me hungrier," she commands.

"Yeah, me too," he says. He brushes some hair behind her ears while gazing into her eyes. She gazes back, and they become lost together as their eye contact is extremely intense. They don't need words to convey their joint desire to kiss.

Beckett leans in close, her mouth mere inches from touching his. "Do you dare kiss me," Castle asks. "I want to take things slow, and there's no going back once we kiss," she replies.

"We could still take things very slow," he assures her, "Just…when alone in our spare time, we'll kiss. A lot. Preferably with tongue."

"You're being very irresistible."

"Aren't I always?"

"Always," she whispers, knowing that word means so much to them. She glances at his lips. Throwing caution to the wind, she kisses him. Soft and tender, he follows her slow pace, not wanting to rush her into anything. She surprises him by kissing him more urgently and beckoning his mouth to open with her tongue. He opens his mouth, and their tongues meet, causing them both to moan deeply. His right hand travels to her waist, gripping her tightly. Her cuffed hand clutches his knee firmly while her right hand grabs his shirt collar. Their tongues wrestle furiously as they enjoy kissing each other more than they could have ever imagined. The kiss they shared once when they were on the job undercover pales in comparison to this. They cannot get enough of each other.

Needing air, Beckett breaks away breathlessly. "Castle," she whispers, "Wow…" If kissing him was that amazing, she thinks, just imagine what sex with him could be like.

"Kate…" He's just as breathless as she is and cannot believe he just got to kiss the woman he loves in the way he has always wanted to. He falls back on the mattress, bringing her with him. This time, she lands against him and wraps her arm around his neck. They remain silent while catching their breaths.

Castle ends the silence: "That was slow?"

"Well, no," she clarifies, "I couldn't help myself."

"Right," he says. He takes a breath, and a huge grin forms on his face. "Can I just be excited for a moment?" She lifts her head to look at him, and he continues, "I can't believe we just kissed!" She starts giggling and buries her head in his chest. "Me neither," she says.

"Could we kiss again," he asks. "It's not like we have anything better to do."

"And it's not like we're going anywhere anytime soon," she adds, lifting up her head again. "But we're taking things slow," she says seriously.

"But we're also kissing in our spare time. Just kissing."

"Castle, this is not spare time. We've been kidnapped, and we need to find a way out." She looks back up at the ceiling. "Maybe you can lift me on your shoulders, and I can get a better view up there."

"Yeah, let's try it." They sit up and hold onto each other while standing. She stands in front of him, and tells him, "Don't let me fall."

"That won't happen," he says, kneeling down behind her. She opens her legs a bit for him to move his head through. He holds onto her thighs tightly as he stands up carefully, raising her on his shoulders. Her cuffed hand covers his partially, and she wonders aloud, "I'm not too heavy, am I?"

He hesitates before answering, "No! Not at all. You're as light as a feather."

She rolls her eyes, thinking he didn't sound convincing enough.

"Where to," he asks.

They make their way around while being careful not to lose their balance. They end up on the right side of the room, where it's still dark. In a corner, she thinks she sees a square lining that might be a door. With the ceiling so high, how would someone have gotten them down here?

"I think I found a door," she informs him. "If only I could touch it and try to open it."

"We are not that tall, and I am not stepping on my tippy toes."

"No! Don't do that," she says, "There's no way to reach it."

"Then how could they have put us down here," he wonders.

Just then they hear noises from up above, and it's sounding more and more like someone being chased. "Could that be Ryan or Esposito chasing the guy who put us down here," Beckett asks.

"But if there were more than one person who did this…"

"There could be one guy in charge and is keeping watch over us. Anyone else involved could have just been working for him. Or her," she divulges.

Castle takes a deep breath as he continues to keep her steady on him. They stay quiet, hoping to hear a familiar voice. The chase continues, but the noise dies away. They think they hear footsteps get closer to them. She calls out, "Is anyone up there? HELLO?"

They hear the muffled yelling of Ryan: "Beckett, you down there?"

"YES, WE'RE HERE! Castle and I are down here! Get us out!"

They hear a gunshot at the door and are relieved when the door opens. "Thank God," Beckett says when she's sees Ryan's face. He looks puzzled, and she explains, "We figured out how to get a look at the ceiling."

"We found the door," Castle states.

"Just as we nabbed the guy holding you here and found the door ourselves. Esposito took care of him with backup's help. The guy had plenty of other guys working for him," Ryan says.

"They knocked us out with something. Chloroform probably. We woke up on a bed handcuffed."

"To each other," Castle clarifies.

Ryan smirks and wonders, "Handcuffed to each other? Hmm, are you sure neither of you had anything to do with this?"

Beckett gives him a look and says, "Could you get us out of here now?"

"Yeah, let me drop you a key to uncuff yourselves, and we'll find a way to get you out of there," Ryan tells them.

***PAGE BREAK***

Castle walks Beckett to her door. They came from Castle's place, where they had dinner with his mother and daughter, whom had a great laugh over them being handcuffed. His mother suggested one of them had something to do with it, much like Ryan had.

"What a day," Castle says.

"I know," Beckett replies, "Do you think anyone noticed that things are different between us?"

"My mother and daughter are very smart," he says, "We can't hide anything from them."

"Well, I don't want us telling anyone what really happened. We don't need Gates finding out. But also, I still need time. Time in therapy. Time to learn who I am since I cannot be defined by my mother's murder anymore."

"So, we take it slow," he reassures her, "It'll be just between us."

"I appreciate that." She unlocks and opens her door. She steps inside and turns to him in the doorway. "Thank you, Rick. For giving me time, for keeping me going today, for keeping me sane… Thank you for…being you."

"Always," he says simply, making her smile sweetly. Their eyes lock and can't seem to break free. Their eye contact is usually intense.

"You didn't have to escort me home," she says, going inside and letting him in. He shuts the door behind him.

"Well, I had to make sure you got home safely." He watches as she disappears to her bedroom to empty her pockets and remove her watch. All of their personal belongings were found during the search for them.

"Of course you did," she says, returning to him, "You're very protective. Even though you don't always have to be with me." There's an awkward silence between them for a few moments. She walks to him, and they stand close beside her kitchen island. "I don't mean to be so forward, and don't let this go to your head, but…" She stares at him intently. "Could you stay with me?"

He lets out of a soft gasp and responds, "All night?"

"Don't get excited," she says, "It's just… This has been a long day together. And… Is it crazy that a part of me doesn't want it to end?" She runs her fingers through his hair, and he answers, "If it is, then I'm just as crazy as you are." She grins and kisses his cheek.

"May I kiss you," he asks, trying not to sound eager.

She pulls back and slides a finger seductively across his lips. "Maybe later," she says.

"Maybe? What about the kissing in our free time?"

She pulls back further and says, "I never agreed to that." She tried to sound serious, but he can see in her eyes that she was playing with him.

He grabs her wrist, pulling her close, and whispers, "Oh, I think you did. You just never said it. You didn't have to."

She sets her other hand on his face and places a very soft, warm kiss on his lips. This causes him to let go of her wrist. She smiles sexily and says, "I'm gonna go change." Walking back to her bedroom, she calls out, "Help yourself if you're thirsty. Or just relax on the couch."

Castle takes his jacket off and puts his wallet and watch in the pockets. He drapes his jacket over the back of the couch and sits down to wait for her. He kicks his shoes off and leans back, shutting his eyes. He reflects on all that happened between them in that dungeon.

Meanwhile, Beckett strips off her shoes, sweater, jeans, and bra. She leaves her black panties on and opens her closet to find just the right nightshirt. She slips on a smooth, long-sleeve, black nightshirt. She opts not to wear the matching pants and buttons up the shirt but leaves the bottom and top buttons undone. She enters her bathroom to wash her face and comb her hair a little. She checks herself out and smiles, satisfied that he'll like how she looks.

She keeps the nightstand lamp on in her bedroom and emerges to observe him resting on the couch. She sneaks over to him and sits on his lap, throwing her arms around his neck and swinging her feet onto the couch. He opens his eyes and grins at her. "Hi," he says sexily, running a hand down her back. He sets his other hand on her knees.

"Hi," she whispers in his ear. She presses her forehead against the side of his head and chuckles softly. "I don't think I have anything for you to change into."

"You'll have to be okay with me in boxers, which luckily I'm wearing," he says, "I've been known to wear boxer briefs on occasion."

She lets out a soft moan and continues holding him close. "I don't think I could handle boxer briefs," she whispers.

"No, you couldn't." He runs a hand up her thigh slowly as he wonders, "So, what do you wear under your clothes?"

She pulls her head back exclaiming, "Hey, hey, watch that hand, Castle!"

His hand returns to her knee, and he responds, "You can't blame a guy from trying." He gives her a smile and says, "As much as I'm loving this, I feel very overdressed."

She moves off of him, grabs his shirt collar, and leans in to his ear. "I'd help with that, but I don't think I'd be able to control myself." She lets go of him and watches as his mouth drops. "You enjoy teasing me, don't you," he replies.

"I'll never admit to that," she says seriously before yawning. She stretches her arms while yawning and watches as he gets up. He undoes his pants while walking into her bedroom. Inside, he removes them and his socks. She tiptoes to the doorway to watch him slip off his shirt. He feels her eyes on him, and he turns just in time to catch her biting her lip and checking him out. She smiles innocently at him and says, "Blue. Nice."

"Not as nice as what you're wearing."

She goes to the bed to pull back the covers and then walks over to him and says, "Before getting into bed, I have to do this…" She slides her hand to the back of his neck and pulls him into a passionate kiss. He wraps his arms around her, and she moans ardently when he lifts her up to bring her to his level. She instinctively wraps her legs around him. He moans deeply at the feel of her tongue pushing past his lips into his mouth. Their tongues duel for a few moments as they both moan repeatedly. Their kissing slows down and becomes more loving than urgent. Their eyes lock fiercely; their strong feelings for each other are evident.

He carries her to the bed and sits her down, still kissing her. He forces himself to pull away, but he kisses her cheek before going around to the other side.

They slide into bed, lie on their sides facing one another, and pull the covers up. "I'm glad that area on your back turned out to be nothing," he says.

"Me too," she replies.

"And how cool is it that I was right about who the kidnapper was? You know, it was someone who wanted us out of the way while he plotted the perfect crime."

"Only it wasn't so perfect. And you think you were right?"

"Ah, yes. Because I was."

"No, you weren't. I'm the one who said that," Beckett says.

"No! No… It was me," Castle insists.

She sighs and says, "Maybe we're both right. Can we drop it?"

"Yes," he says, "But tomorrow I can't promise anything."

She laughs softly while shaking her head, knowing they'll return to this little dispute tomorrow. She leans forward to kiss him quickly yet sweetly.

"You're not ready to hear how I feel about you again, are you," he asks seriously.

She glances down, not wanting to hurt him. "No, I'm not." Her eyes return to his. "I know how you feel. I could never forget." He smiles, and she continues, "You'll know when I'm ready. I'm sorry you have to wait and that I can't say those three words back to you."

"I have hope that someday you will," he says softly. She smiles and nods her head. He rolls on his back against the pillows, yawning, and opens his arm for her to snuggle up to him. Her head lies on his chest as her hand runs down and up his other arm gently. He holds her snugly against him. He grins, feeling beyond amazed and fortunate to be in a real bed holding the woman he loves. This day turned out to be the greatest day ever, he thinks. She is thinking the same thing.

She reaches up to kiss his neck and says, "I'd love to keep talking, but I'm so sleepy." She yawns, which causes him to yawn also. "Me too," he replies. He raises his hand to stroke her head and run his fingers through her hair. "I've always wanted to feel your hair," he says, "It's beautiful."

She smiles sweetly and responds, "I'm sure there are many things you've been wanting."

"You know me too well," he says, running his hand down her back to relax on her waist.

They don't care if the lamp remains on as they grow more tired and eventually close their eyes. "Goodnight, Rick," she whispers. "Until tomorrow, Kate," he replies. She moans with content, and soon they are both asleep. This is probably the best night's sleep they've ever gotten in a long time, besides the sleeping they did when they were handcuffed, but that was involuntarily.

Something weighs down on Beckett's mind that invades her dreams and eventually wakes her up after two in the morning. She lies more on top of Castle and raises her head to look at the alarm clock and then at him. She remembers how things have changed between them and what she dreamed about. She smiles, thinking that he looks so peaceful and cute when asleep. She would not say the words for a while, but she had to speak them now, knowing there's absolutely no chance he could hear her. "I love you," she whispers, and she could swear that a tiny smile grows on his face. He's probably dreaming, she thinks. She settles back down and is quickly asleep again.

Whatever comes the next day and every day after, their relationship has changed for the better. No matter how slow they take it… They'll be happier. They already feel happier. And they both know it.