Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or its characters, Andrew Marlowe does. I'm just taking them for a ride. (:

Author's Note: HEY, I'M BACK! I honestly have like seven fics partially written that I just haven't had the inspiration or motivation to finish or post. If you guys want me to post them or want to give me suggestions or ideas, let me know in the reviews or PM me!

So, this is a random one-shot that for some reason I wanted to post. At first, I wanted this to be a fic about kinky drunk Kate, but that would be so OOC so I decided not to.

This is set in Season 4, obviously before our favorite writer and detective were together. Hope this makes the hiatus semi-easier… (lol jk nothing makes hiatus manageable)

ANYWAYSSS… Hope you enjoy this!(:

"Beckett, Esposito, Ryan," Captain Gates says to the detectives as she steps out of her office. "Congratulations on closing the case. I know it was a tough one. Put the paperwork aside, it's been a long week. Go home; all three of you have the weekend off. See you Monday. Have a good New Year."

"Happy New Year," Esposito and Ryan say in unison.

"Thank you, Sir. Happy New Year to you, too," Kate said, smiling to her superior.

Kate was ecstatic. Finding out she got the weekend off was the perfect ending to a long, hard case. She packed up her things and shoved them in her bag. Espo and Ryan did the same and they all walked to the elevator together.

On the ride down, Kate's phone buzzed. She reached in her pocket to grab it and see who the text was from. Smiling, she read the message from her partner.

Still at work? Remind the boys about the party tomorrow night.

Kate had almost forgotten about the party. "Castle's having a New Year's party at his loft tomorrow and he wanted me to let you know that you guys are invited. The party starts at eight. Bring dates, whatever, Castle doesn't really care," Kate explained to them.

They looked at each other for a few moments and contemplated the invite. "A New Year's Party thrown by Castle? Hell yeah, I'll be there!" Esposito states.

"Jenny was trying to find something for us to do. Count us in, too," Ryan replies.

"Great, I'll let Castle know. See you guys tomorrow!" Kate said as they stepped out of the elevator and walked to their cars. Kate made sure to text Castle before she forgot.

Just got out. The boys will be there. See you tomorrow.

On the way home from the precinct, Kate contemplated what she was going to wear. Obviously she wasn't bringing a date, so who did she have to impress? Ha, what a stupid question. Of course she knew that she had someone to impress. Mr. Richard Castle himself.

Unlocking her apartment door, all Kate wanted was a hot shower, food, and sleep. She set her purse and work bag down on the floor by the door and kicked her heels off. She hung her coat in the closet and made a beeline for the fridge. When was the last time she ate? Not since breakfast, she concluded, which was thirteen hours ago. Her stomach grumbled loudly, so she found a frozen pepperoni pizza and threw it in the oven. She went into her bathroom to shower while the pizza was baking.

After her shower, she threw on yoga pants and a purple tank top, and threw her wet hair into a low messy bun. She took the pizza out of the oven and ate half of it before she was too full to eat any more. She put her plate in the sink and got a glass of water before retreating to her bedroom. She brushed her teeth quickly and pulled back the covers on her bed. She slid between the sheets, let out a comfortable sigh, and fell asleep instantly.

Kate jolted upright in bed the next morning. She knew she had a nightmare, but didn't remember what it was about. She wiped her hand across her face and realized that she was crying. Damn, must've been a pretty bad dream. She looked at the clock on her bedside table and read 10:34. Holy shit! She never slept that late!

After having coffee and breakfast, Kate decided to pick out her outfit for Castle's New Year's party that night. She sifted through her closet and found nothing adequate, until she came along a black dress that she had worn to a friend's bachelorette party a few years back. Should she wear it? Castle said that attire was casual, and it wasn't a fancy dress.

She tried it on and realized why it was in the back of her closet. The dress was skin-tight, and boy was it SHORT! It barely covered her ass.

After looking at herself in the mirror for awhile, she decided that it was perfect. It made her look feminine and sexy, and it was going to drive Castle CRAZY.

Kate made sure to put on more eyeliner and mascara than she usually did. She made sure it wasn't too much, though. She wanted to look sexy, not slutty. She finished her make up and went to grab her dress out of her closet. She threw her towel off and shimmied her way into it. She looked at herself in the mirror and nodded her approval at herself before messing with her hair to make sure that her long, curly brown hair was sitting perfectly on her shoulders. She quickly hair sprayed it so it would stay in place and took one last look in the mirror before going back to her closet and grabbing her red stilettos. They added color to the outfit and made her look even sexier. She grabbed her red clutch, put her coat on, grabbed her keys and phone, and walked out the door.

Kate showed up about twenty minutes after the party had started. Walking down the hallway to the loft, she could hear the music and voices inside. Geez, how many people did he invite? She knocked on the door and a few seconds later, the door flew open to reveal an already-buzzed Martha.

"Kate, darling! Hello! Come on in!" she yelled, pulling Kate in for a bone-crushing hug.

"Hi, Martha. Nice to see you!" she replied, laughing.

Kate took off her coat, hung it in the closet, and made her way to the living room. She easily spotted Lanie in the crowd and made her way to her. Lanie caught her eye and ran to her, giving her a bone-crushing hug just like Martha's.

Stepping back to look at her best friend, the medical examiner gasped. "Damn girl! You look hot!" she said.

"Thanks, Lanie!" Kate said, blushing.

"Trying to get it on with someone tonight? By that dress I'd say so!"

"Lanie!" Kate said, a little embarrassed. "It's not that bad!"

"Mhmm, sure, whatever you say, girl." Lanie shot back at her, winking as she walked away.

Kate looked around to see if there was someone else around that she knew. She wasn't in luck until she caught the eye of her partner, the party thrower himself, Castle. His eyes lit up when he saw her, and he made his way to her quickly. Once he was in front of her, he stopped and stared. She looked stunning. Her hair and makeup looked perfect, but, oh God, the dress. He could feel his erection growing in his pants as he looked her up and down. Her short- VERY short- dress hugged her perfect body in all the right places. It showed off her round ass and her perfect breasts. Her toned, bare legs looked perfect and her tall stilettos added to her sex appeal.

"Castle, you're staring," Kate said, noticing his eyes roaming her body. "My eyes are up here."

"S- sorry," he said, startled and a bit embarrassed by her noticing him eyeing her. "I just... wow, Kate. You look... stunning."

Kate looked down at the floor to hide her wide smile and blushing cheeks. "Thank you. You look great yourself," she said, eyeing his black pants and light blue button down.

"Thanks. Can I get you something to drink?" he asked.

"Wine sounds great," she said. They walked to the bar together, saying hello to people they knew as they walked by.

"3...2...1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone yelled. People clapped, cheered, and couples kissed after the countdown. Castle and Esposito were standing together and did a bro hug at the end of the countdown by the bar, beers in hand.

"Dude. I swear, I think that's the tenth shot that they've poured and downed. Do you think we should stop them?" Esposito asked, referring to the very buzzed Kate and Lanie sitting at a table, laughing and hugging about twenty feet away from them.

"Nah, let them do whatever they want. And, if need be, I have a guest room and couches that they can crash on." Castle replied. Esposito shrugged and walked away to join Ryan and Jenny.

Around three, everyone had left except for Esposito, Lanie, Kate, and the Ryans. Martha had left with some man that her age that looked to be having a great time with her.

The remaining partiers were having a great time talking, laughing, and reminiscing. "Anyone up for poker?" Castle asked. Everyone happily agreed, and within ten minutes, the chips were being thrown in the middle of the table and the cards were being dealt.

"Ugh, fold," Ryan says, throwing his cards down. Castle looked around the table. He was still in the game, and so was... Beckett. They were the only two left.

"Looks like it's just me and you, Beckett." he said, smirking.

"Looks like it. Want to fold, or are you feeling risky tonight?" she shot back.

"Nah, I'm good where I am, thanks," he replied.

"Okay," she said.

Everyone was watching them intently. They both stared each other down, neither flinching nor saying a word. Castle then came up with an idea.

"How about we make this interesting, Beckett. If I win this round, you have to kiss me."

Beckett laughed loudly. "What!? No way in hell I am kissing you, Castle," Kate said.

"Oh, scared you're going to lose?" He shot back at her.

Kate's eyes narrowed. "No. You know what? Fine, I'll do it. But, if, or should I say, when, I win, you have to profess your love to Gates." As soon as she laid her bet out, Esposito and Ryan busted out in laughter.

Castle's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? No, that's not happening. I will not do that."

"Oh, who's scared about losing now, Castle?" Kate said with a smirk.

He hated her for being such a tease, but he felt that he had the better hand, so he didn't decline. "I'm not, so let's do it."

Rick held put his hand for Beckett to shake. As she shook his hand, he said, "You first."

Beckett took one last look at her cards before throwing them down. "Straight flush."

Castle's jaw dropped slightly as he looked at the cards on the table. When Beckett saw his expression, she felt a wave of victory come over her.

"Damn, Beckett. That's a really good hand." Castle choked out. "But... not good enough," he said, as he slammed his cards down on a table. "Royal Flush!" he yelled and fist-pumped.

Kate's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Pucker up, Beckett," Esposito said, laughing.

Kate gave him a sharp glare. She just wanted to run away and hide forever.

But then a fire burned in her. She had kissed him once before, and she remembered how her heart raced. His soft and gentle lips against hers made the heat rise in her stomach. Sure, it wasn't a real kiss. It had happened while they were undercover, but nonetheless, it happened. She desperately wanted to kiss him again, but she wanted to do it out of love, not forcefully because she lost a bet. And certainly not in front of her closest friends.

"Well...?" Castle said, noticing that Kate was lost in thought.

Kate flinched as his words brought her out of her thoughts. "Yeah, yeah, you won. I get it. You won the bet," she said with a shaky voice.

"So?" he said, smirking.

She gulped hard. He turned in his chair and faced her completely. She blinked a few times and noticed that he was leaning toward her. Her eyes flashed to his lips and she felt the heat pool in her stomach and the blush overcome her cheeks. She leaned toward him too, and before she knew it, her lips were on his.

Her eyes slipped closed as she let the wave overcome her. At first it was just a sweet chaste kiss, but then he parted his lips and she did the same. He slid his tongue into her mouth and she moaned. She let her tongue slip around his and before she knew it, she slid her tongue along the inside of his lip and she slid her arms around his neck.

Meanwhile, Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, and Jenny all watched the partners with dumbstruck expressions. Beckett is not one to lose a bet and not deal with the consequence, but she let the kiss deepen, as if she wanted it to happen.

Lanie was the first to break her gaze away from the two of them and nudged Esposito.

"I think we should let them be," she whispered, smirking.

He nodded and elbowed Ryan. He gestured toward the door. Ryan grabbed Jenny's hand and the four of them slipped out the door while the couple was still making out, oblivious to the world around them.

Once the door shut, Kate was awaken from her lust-filled haze and broke away from Castle.

"Castle. They all just left. I should probably go too," she said breathily, standing up.

"Woah, Kate, hold on a second," he said, grabbing her arm. "Did it occur to you at all what just happened!?" he said. "Kate, that was the most real and incredible kiss I've ever shared with anyone. Please tell me you felt something, too. And, if you tell me that you didn't, then you can leave. But if you did, then I'm telling you to stay, because I don't want you to walk away from this."

"Walk away from what, Castle? It was just a kiss. I lost a bet, it's no big deal. You make it sound like we're dating."

Castle's mouth immediately turned into a frown when she explained herself.

"That was not 'just a kiss', Kate. That was a full-blown make out. So that meant nothing to you? You felt nothing?" he asked, almost pleading.

As soon as the words escaped his lips, she turned away and blushed a shade of crimson. The truth was, she did feel something, and she knew what it was. Oh yes, Detective Kate Beckett knew exactly what it was. It was love. She loved Richard Castle. He had told her that he loved her before, and she wanted to say it too, but she felt that she just wasn't ready to yet.

"Kate," he pleaded.

Her heart led the way as her brain was forgotten. She turned around and smiled at him. No words were needed because he knew from her gorgeous smile that she wasn't leaving. He stood and slowly walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and stared into her olive green eyes as she stared back into his aqua blue ones. He leaned in once again and captured her lips in a searing kiss. She brought her arms up around his neck and kissed him back, immediately letting his tongue into her open mouth.

He led her backward toward his bedroom door. She let him take her there, knowing exactly where she was going. She was done fighting her feelings. She was done telling herself that she wasn't ready. She was done dating guys for the hell of it and keeping only one foot in the door. She was ready to commit. She was ready for her one and done. And her one and done was Richard Castle.

As he backed her up to the bed, he laid her down gently. He stared into her eyes, still having difficulty believing that it was really, finally happening. He came down to kiss her again before tugging her dress down over her legs. He threw it behind him and sucked on her neck. She squirmed underneath him and let out a moan when he nipped at it. She messed with the buttons of his shirt and once they were all undone, she slid it down over his shoulders and let her hands slide down his bare, muscular chest.

As soon as his shirt was off, she was messing with his belt, eager to get him completely naked.

She got it undone and pulled down the zipper on his pants. He grabbed the waistband, slid them down, and stepped out of them so he could climb back on top of her. Now, he was in only his boxers and Kate was clad in a black bra and a black lace thong.

"Damn, Kate," he said, before letting his lips trace a pattern down her chest. He reached down to unhook and throw off her bra. He looked at her perfect breasts for a moment before taking the right one fully in his mouth. He bit her nipple and she let out a breathy moan. He continued to suck on her breast before letting it out and moving to the other one to give it the same treatment.

"Mmmmm," was all she could conjure, the rest of her senses turning to complete mush.

When he came up from her chest, he looked into her eyes which were nearly black from arousal. They both smiled at each other. He loved this woman. He's known for so long. He was beginning to think that maybe she was starting to believe it, too.

She reached down to slide his boxers off and he grabbed her hand. He wanted her to know that he really cared, that it wasn't just about the sex. "Wait," he said softly.

"What's wrong, Rick?" she replied.

He was taken aback at the use of his first name. "Kate, stop. We don't have to do this. You know how I feel about you, Kate. I don't want this to be just 'for the hell of it.' I want this to be real."

She stared into his eyes with anxiety and confusion, wondering if maybe he just didn't want to do it with her. He loved her, she knew that. And she was finally admitting to herself that she loved him back. She wanted this. She really did.

A wide smile made its way to her face. Her reply was a short, simple, promise. It was one word, their word.

"Always."

He smiled back at her and let her tug his boxers down as he practically ripped off her thong.

She grasped his manhood in her hands and stroked it gently. "Oh God, Kate!" he yelled.

She flipped them over so she was straddling him. At first, he was shocked by her eagerness, but then he took notice of her gorgeous, naked body smiling down at him. "God, you're beautiful," was all he could manage.

She let out a short, quiet giggle as she slid down to his erection. She kissed the inside of his thighs and his hips bucked up at her. She kissed his tip a few times before slowly,completely taking him in her mouth, which made him groan loudly. She sucked him for a while before he finally had to stop her.

"Kate, if you don't stop, I'm going to come right now. I want us to do it together."

She smiled at him and made her way back up to his mouth. She kissed him and immediately opened her mouth to him so he could swirl his tongue in her mouth and taste himself. He flipped them back over so she was beneath him and he pushed her legs apart. He kissed her again before breaking the kiss and slowly sliding into her. They both moaned at the sensation.

It had taken them almost four years to do this.

He slid out and back into her. She adjusted and wrapped her legs around his waist to let him know she was ready. He started pumping into her, slowly at first, but once he felt her walls clenching around him, he pumped harder and faster, burying himself entirely in her. Her breaths were short and hitched as she screamed his name and let her orgasm take over her body. After a few more thrusts, he groaned too, letting himself spill inside of her. He collapsed on the bed next to her.

"Oh my God. That just happened," Castle said.

"Yeah, yeah it did," Kate said, giggling.

She snuggled into him and he wrapped his arms around her body, holding her close. He kissed her forehead gently.

He just had sex with Kate Beckett. And it was the best sex he's ever had.

"Rick," she said a few minutes later.

"Hmm?" was his reply.

"What are we, now? I mean, do you want our relationship to change? I think sex kind of changes it a little, don't you think?"

"I'd say so," he said, chuckling.

"We can be whatever you want to be, Kate. You already know how I feel about you. You know what I want in this relationship. If you don't want that yet, then we can-"

He was cut off by her lips on his. When she pulled away, she looked into his eyes and said. "I want us to be a thing, to be together. It's taken us almost four years to do this, but for at least two I've known what I want, but I just haven't found the right words or the right ways to express it. I just want you, Rick. I love you."

His eyes widened and he smiled the biggest, brightest smile Kate had ever seen. She moved out of his embrace to straddle him again before leaning down and cupping his cheeks.

"I love you, Richard Castle," she whispered.

"And I love you, too, Katherine Beckett."

Ooooooh God. Oh God. I just wrote smut. I'm gonna go… over there now…

Review, yes? No? Maybe? 3