So Little Time

He hadn't wanted to miss her at the airport. With their luck, it would've happened. He'd go to baggage claim to look for her and she would head out to ground transportation looking for a taxi. Miss each other again.

Castle waited for her at home, the place empty but for the dog, both of them restless and prowling, room to room. He took the dog out for a walk, came back inside and unhooked the leash, dropped it on the couch. Charlie butted his thigh and followed him around again, but Castle couldn't figure out what to do while he waited.

He mainly tried to distract himself.

He heard the key in the door when he was in the study, trying to catch pennies off his elbow - he was up to a stack of twenty-eight - and the coins scattered over the wooden floor, bouncing and hitting the bookshelves, the desk, the couch. But Castle ignored them and ran for the entryway.

When the door opened, his big, dumb dog jumped her first.

Kate startled but held her own, laughed as Charlie put his paws on her shoulders and licked her neck, making Castle inanely jealous of his own dog. He strode forward and wrapped his hands around Charlie's front paws, lifted him off. Kate was still stroking the dog's ears with both hands, kissed him between the eyes as Castle moved him away.

"Come on now. The dog gets a kiss before I do?"

Kate turned to him then, the smirk on her face unable to override the joy. "Is that your huge dog, Castle, or are you just happy to see me?"

He laughed, loving it, and let go of Charlie to step into her, wrapping her up in his arms. She squeezed him back harder, even as she lifted up and pushed her mouth against his, her tongue darting out to stroke the seam of his lips.

"You're home," he sighed, opening his mouth to her.

She had him around the neck, tugging him into her, and he pressed an arm up her back, fingers cradling her head, driving them back against the door to close it.

Kate hummed into his mouth, stole his breath for another kiss, her teeth at his lower lip. She pushed off against the door, bumping his hips with her own; he groaned and gripped her tighter, lifted her up so he could trail down the side of her neck.

Her mouth was on his ear, the pant of her breath. "Missed you. Missed this-"

He grunted his agreement, sucked at the skin just above her collar, tasted salt and lotion. He grabbed her thigh, squeezed the firm muscle that flexed and hooked around his waist, then he pushed her back against the door.

She pulled her head away, eyes hazy, mouth smudged and open. He leaned in to claim her, but at that moment, his dog barreled between them, knocked him sideways with enthusiasm. Charlie had his leash in his mouth.

"Oh, damn," he groaned. Kate dropped her hands from his neck, oh so slowly, brushing down his chest as if reluctant. Or a tease. Probably both.

"Can he wait?" she murmured.

"Of course he can. He thinks any person coming through the door means a walk. Drop it, Charlie."

Kate glanced down, brushed her fingers over the dog's head. "Sorry, Charlie. I get him first."

Castle looked up at her, his chest tight with it, and reached for her hand, pressing it to his heart, slid his arm around her waist to hold her. Just - just hold her. Warm and present and breathing against him.

"I'm so glad you're here," he said.

"Finally."

He took in a long breath like a shudder, like he'd been crying and only now could catch his breath; it felt the same - a release. He pressed his lips to the warm skin of her cheek, at her ear now, gentling them both.

"I'm glad he interrupted. I want to do this right," he murmured, stroking his fingers up her sides. She shivered hard and clutched his biceps. "Kate, come to bed with me."

"Yes," she breathed and kissed him slowly.

"Is it the morning after yet? Or is this more like night after morning?"

"What are you mumbling about, Castle?"

She lifted her head from his pillow and watched him, ruminating aloud on his back, chest bare and appealingly wide in front of her. She uncurled an arm from under her body and slid her hand across the small space between them, touched his rib.

He jumped, a breathless laugh that piqued her interest, but he rolled onto his side and scooted in, nose almost touching hers. She felt his knee push between hers, let him slide even closer.

"Morning after. Since it was already afternoon-"

"I think it doesn't count if we've already had a morning after," she said.

"But it's been sooo long since that first time that it feels new all over again."

She lifted her eyebrow, but raised her hand to touch his cheek, brushing her fingers on his jaw. "Oh yeah? Forgot me so soon?"

"NO." He shook his head emphatically and drew an arm around her waist. "Never. Not possible-"

"I'm teasing you, Castle." She touched a light kiss to his nose, to the crease of laugh lines around his eye, lifted up a little to reach his ear, nipped it. "Don't you know what it sounds like when I'm teasing you?" she murmured, licked his skin.

He growled and wrapped both arms around her now, pulled her on top of him. "Maybe you do need to remind me. One more time."

"You want me to just tease you? That's it? I'd have thought you'd be sick of teasing-" She suckled at his earlobe, drifted her fingers lightly down his chest, barely there.

"Never mind. You're right. You've got me confused. All I want to do is this-"

She sucked in her breath at the feel of his hand, pressed her forehead to his chest, her knee sliding to rest beside his hip, making room.

"Castle," she gasped.

Then he stopped suddenly, slid his fingers up her spine now, dipped his thumb into her parted mouth.

She groaned.

"Teasing, Kate. Just teasing."

"That is so not fair. I - I could seriously hurt you right now."

"Oh, please do."

She lifted her head, saw the glittering fierceness in his eyes that made her heart pound even harder.

"You asked for it."

When he came back into his room, she was curled up on his side, asleep. Castle placed the coffee mugs on his bedside table and brushed his warm fingers over the cool line of her cheek.

She stirred and opened her eyes, blinked up at him. "Oh. Fell asleep."

"You're tired. Two seven-hour flights."

"Yeah, but you're the one who's jet-lagged," she yawned.

He nodded to the coffee but she waved it off.

He sat down on the side of the bed. "How much sleep did you get?"

She shrugged and shifted back, giving him just enough room to get in with her, no more. He didn't even have to drape her long limbs over him, she did that herself.

Not snuggling but arranging. She just arranged herself exactly where she wanted to be.

"I didn't sleep at all," she admitted. "Too excited. Nervous. Both times."

He scraped her hair out of his mouth, smoothed it down her head, tucked it behind her ear. She had her hand over his sternum, suddenly stroked her finger at the hollow of his throat. It shouldn't be arousing, but it was. He had pretty much nothing left, and yet-

"Nervous?" he said, trying to distract himself.

"I missed you. I built it up in my head. Or - or I was afraid I'd built it up in my head."

"Oh?" Built up what, exactly? Their relationship or their reunion? Because those were two different anxieties.

"No need to worry, Castle. You're just as amazing as I remembered."

His grin answered hers, but her half-teasing words warmed him, shot a jolt of energy back into his body too. She shifted, brushing her knee against him.

"You're more than amazing," he said back, though it sounded rather cheesy. "But I was nervous too. About seeing you again."

"Yeah," she said softly, turned her mouth to his shoulder and pressed a kiss there. "This is - this is harder, I think."

He laughed deeply at that, had to roll over so he could sit up and breathe as he laughed, even while she glared at him.

"Not that. Well. That is too - getting there-" She paused to let him let out another startled chuckle. "But," she insisted, shaking her head. Kate untangled her body from his to sit up with him against the headboard. "I meant."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. It's just - I was already wishing I was twenty-five so we could just go at it all night and tomorrow, and then you said that, sounding so hopeful-"

She rolled her eyes and shoved on his shoulder.

"Sorry. You were saying something serious." Castle dragged her back to him, all cool skin and heat underneath, like she was made of material that worked so efficiently there was nothing that escaped, perfectly regulated at all times.

"I was saying," she huffed, pushed against him to lift up. "I thought maybe being together in person would be hard - ah, more difficult."

"Is it?"

She nodded. "A little."

"Why? This is so much easier. I'm not constantly sighing longingly after you."

She did give him a little smile for that, as if she appreciated the attempt. "Not at all?"

He shrugged. "Okay. Still a lot of sighing." He sighed for good measure and got a wider smile for it, all beautiful eyes and laugh lines and joy.

And she grew serious again. "It's harder because when I didn't have you here, there's only room to think about how much I want you. But when you're actually here, it gives room in my head to think about all the things - all the other things."

"What things?" He traced the edge of her knee under the sheet. "I'm still thinking about how much I want you, to be honest."

She slid her fingers down his forearm, her eyes watching her hand and not him. That was okay, so long as she kept touching him.

"Things like - where am I sleeping tonight? And if I stay here, then what does that mean about tomorrow? What do I do if I can't - can't deal - and I need - space or - I don't want to hurt you - but sometimes-"

He swiped his thumb over her lips, effectively silencing her. He was impressed with himself, with her too, actually. Impressed that the things she'd just admitted didn't hurt at all, and impressed that she'd admitted them.

"You're right, Kate."

She lifted both eyebrows.

"You were right. I'm glad we were apart for so long. You said that it was easier to talk to me - easier to say what you wanted to say. I think it's made a difference to me too. It's made me know, for sure, what I've got with you. It's made me certain. Maybe because you said all those things to me, maybe because I could hear it in your voice then and still can now. Maybe - I don't know. I just know that what you told me? It doesn't shake this; it doesn't make me doubt this."

Kate drew her fingers down to his wrist, circled it tightly. "What does that mean?"

"That means - if you can't deal, Kate, all you have to do is take a walk. Go home or take Charlie out or head for the precinct. I'll be here. I might come find you after a while, or I might just get some stuff done - laundry, write some more on the book. Whatever. It's okay. I survived years of being in love with you, and I survived the last five weeks too. I can survive this - in fact, more than that - I'll be just fine."

She laid her head against his chest, right at his heart, her palm flat against his skin. "Because you know I'm coming back."

"No," he said softly, brushing his fingers through her hair. "Because I know you haven't gone anywhere in the first place."

She let out a long sigh; he felt her lashes against his skin and drew his arm around her.

"I won't go anywhere, Castle. Even if I - you're right. I won't be anywhere other than here. I love you."

He leaned down and pressed his mouth to her forehead, a seal for the promise she'd given him over the last five weeks. "I know, love. I know you do."