"Well, that's the last of it," Rick said, stepping off the ladder. He watched his handiwork and nodded in satisfaction. The loft resembled a day at Disneyland with cartoon characters, colorful balloons and streamers everywhere.
He turned to look at Kate who was washing the dishes, humming in that rich, velvety voice that he has heard so many times when she cradled their daughter. He watched her for a moment, feasting his eyes on the beauty. His eyes became fixed on the long climb of her sun kissed legs (thank you Lord for short shorts!), the skin soft to the touch, but with the promise of brute force hidden in the lean, strong muscles beneath that soft skin. The way those long, long legs usually wrap around him in passionate-
"Staring is still creepy, Castle," Kate said, her voice dancing with amusement. She turned around, a smile flirting with the corner of her mouth, her mirth-filled eyes teasing him.
He choked out a laugh, surprised and pleased at the same time. He cleared his throat and threw an arm out towards his handiwork. "So? What do you think?"
Kate walked towards her husband, a drying towel slung over her shoulder, a strand of unruly hair curving around her plane of her cheek, her toes bending against the hardwood floor. She came to stand beside him, slowly tracking her eyes over the scene - the streamers hanging from the roof, the colourful balloons floating from every corner of the loft and the famous Disney characters that were just... everywhere.
Lizzy's first birthday bash was going to be a blast.
"I'd say-" she turned towards her husband, eyes soft and affectionate, a hand curling around his elbow. "-that you are the best daddy in the whole world," she murmured, pressing a kiss against his cheek. "And that our daughter is the luckiest girl to have you as a father," she said before kissing him softly, her lips feather-light in her appreciation, a taste of unspoken gratitude and pride.
He grinned against her mouth. "Mmm. I am good at birthdays, aren't I?"
Kate wrapped her arms around him, pulling her flush against his body, her lips hovering tantalizingly close to his.
"You sure are, Mr. Castle."
[][][]
"Rick, where are we going? I told you, there is no need to do anything." She knew she sounded like a petulant child, but she was tired after a long day of work and she just wanted to have a quiet evening at home with her husband, a nice dinner and maybe a bubble bath and a good book later on. She didn't want to do something for her birthday because- "We had our anniversary just two weeks ago."
"Quiet, woman, and just follow me," Rick responded with a cheeky grin, practically dragging his wife along the shady-looking little alleyway.
Kate scowled at him. "Don't tell me to be quiet and don't call me woman," she grumbled sourly. He had insisted on them making a quick detour after leaving the 12th. Unfortunately, she gave in and now her feet were killing her in those six-inch heels and she could feel a headache starting to form at the base of her skull. So, it was her birthday. Big deal. Everyone on the planet had one of those once a year.
Rick sighed and stopped walking, turning around to face her. "Fine, I won't. But would you just let me do this, babe? Please?" He was watching her with those big, sincere, puppy-dog eyes all the while caressing her hand with his thumb. It was kinda hypnotizing. She could feel the cool metal of his wedding band against her fingers.
One year.
They have been married for one year (and two weeks). A year filled with unforgettable memories of building a home together, crazy, sometimes dangerous cases, nasty fights, hot make-up sex, a lot of hot sex in general, the forging of their respective stories into one narrative, into a book of love.
One wonderful, exciting, head-over-heels year.
She smiled at him, affection lining the curve of her lips, love flooding her eyes. "Yeah, okay. Sure." She gave him one, two quick kisses, a hand cradling his jaw. "I'm sorry. Lead the way, Mr. Castle."
He smiled at her, boyish exuberance giving life to his features, his whole being. "Come on, we're almost there. You're gonna love it, Kate. Trust me."
She couldn't help but smile like an idiot at the adorableness that was her husband. While he was chatting away, she was watching him closely - the way his shoulders flexed beneath the material of his clothing (so very, very sexy), the way his hair flopped over his forehead, his animated hand gestures as he talked, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled.
Beautiful. He was her big, beautiful man.
She was shaken out of her thoughts when they suddenly came to a stop in front of an inconspicuous metal door. "...And here we are," Rick said with a flourish, his eyes twinkling with delight.
She looked at the door and then back at her husband. "This is it? Rick, where are we?" Her interest was definitely piqued now.
His grin grew. "Time to find out." He let go of her hand and stepped forward, knocking on the door three times.
After a while, the door opened, revealing a tall, scrawny-looking man with long, dark hair, wearing paint-covered overalls. He smiled broadly upon seeing who his visitors were.
"Rick! Good to see you," the man said, extending his hand.
"You too, Jackson," Rick replied, shaking his hand. He turned towards Kate.
"Oh and you must be Kate," Jackson said, his smile widening as she held out a hand towards the detective. "Pleased to meet you. I've heard so much about you already."
"Please, come on in." He gestured them to enter. "Excuse the mess, I've been quite busy." Jackson led them through his studio, paintings and various works of art scattered around the large room.
"Is it ready?" Rick asked.
Jackson turned around and smiled. "Yeah. Just give me a sec while I get it." With that he disappeared into another room.
"Mmm, let me guess, a painting," Kate said, tapping a finger against her mouth, her lips curving into a grin.
Rick turned to her and smiled, his eyes warm. "You should be a detective," he said softly, taking her hand in his again and leaning down to kiss her cheek and the corner just beneath her right eye. Her brow furrowed slightly. She expected him to be a little smug and impressed with himself, but there was a tenderness, a gentleness coating his every touch, every movement of his mouth, every expression on his face.
But before she could say anything more, Jackson came back, carrying a large canvas. "Well, here it is," he said, placing the canvas on an easel. He excused himself and stepped away, revealing the painting. It was a scene of a woman and a little girl, presumably a mother and her daughter, sitting on the floor opposite each other. The little girl was watching her mother while the woman was busy putting what seemed like a ballet shoe on her daughter's small foot. The scene was decorated with light and illuminated colours; streams of sunlight adorned the background, giving it a dreamlike quality. The little girl and the woman were both smiling, but their faces were unrecognizable due to the impressionist style of the painting. However, something about the small, intimate scene struck Kate. She stepped closer, her brow creasing as she looked at the scene. There was just something about it. Something vaguely familiar. She had a faint memory of her and her mother in a similar-
Oh. This was it. Oh... wow.
She whipped around, eyes wide, her mouth parted in wonder. Rick was watching her with a small, serene, closed-lipped smile; his eyes bathed in softness. She slowly stepped closer to him, her parted mouth curving into a wide, dazzling smile that revealed all of her joy. His heart stuttered at the sight. She was at her most beautiful when happiness was made home in the curl of her mouth, in the glittering sparkle of her eyes. And it was because of him. This unbridled, untamed joy that gave wings to her beauty was because of him.
"Do you like it?" Rick asked softly.
Kate looked at the painting again. She and her mother, a cherished moment between a mother and her daughter, her little girl. She could almost feel her heart breaking open with a lightness, a gentleness that stilled everything inside of her, that calmed all the stormy seas.
"I..." she started, but stopped, shaking her head in amazement; that smile still parting her lips and teeming in her eyes. "It's beautiful. So, so beautiful," she rasped, feeling the tears in her voice, her eyes already wet. "Thank you, Rick." She turned to look at her husband again who was, by now, grinning like an idiot.
Adorable man.
Kate suddenly wrapped herself around him in a fierce hug, burying her face in his neck, her nose pressed against his skin where the musky scent of his cologne still lingered strongly. She took a shaky breath and placed a kiss against his jaw, his cheek before whispering another quiet 'thank you' into his ear.
"Anything for you, Kate," he responded before feathering a few kisses on her cheek and down the corner of her mouth.
She finally let go of him and wiped at her eyes, slowly shaking her head, happiness still lifting the corners of her mouth. "How-"
"Remember when we organized all of our photo albums?"
She nodded and her smile grew. That was a fun day accompanied by a lot of laughter. They had ended up on the living room floor, family photo albums strewn all over the carpet, while the two of them rolled around in a fit of giggles after discovering photos of Kate's grunge rock-phase and Rick's prep school days.
"Well, I saw that photo of you and your mom where she was putting on your ballet shoes. And you were in that adorable tutu. I just remembered the look on your face when you talked about it. That gentleness, that fondness. It was just... beautiful. You were just so beautiful. So, I thought, why not do something to make that moment even more... memorable," he finished with a shrug and a shy, lopsided smile.
Gosh, she was so in love with this man.
"I love it and I love you, Mr. Castle," Kate replied, weaving her arms around her neck again. "I'm a lucky woman to have you."
He grinned and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, well, third time's a charm for me." She smiled widely and he couldn't help but kiss her then, drinking in that smile, that joy. "I love you."
[][][]
"Mmm, I left a mark," he rumbled against her skin, tracing his handiwork with a finger. "Sorry." Rick grinned and continued to place lazy kisses on her shoulder and in her neck.
Kate huffed a laugh and turned around to face her husband, all adorable blue eyes and floppy hair and stubbly cheeks. Sleepy and sexy.
And oh-so-deliciously naked beneath the sheets.
"You're definitely not sorry. In fact, you seem quite pleased with yourself," she murmured, pulling a leg up over his hip and purposefully brushing against him. His smile faltered and her grin grew.
Such a tease.
"Katherine Castle," Rick warned with absolutely no conviction. He loved her teasing. Absolutely loved it.
She bit her lip, dark eyes toying with him. "Yeah?" She was gorgeous dressed in only white sheets, pale sunlight and glorious, glorious nudity.
He was in such trouble.
"Don't tease me," he breathed against her throat, lightly biting and soothing her pulse point with his tongue. Her hips jerked violently in response, heart rate jumping. Rick grinned against her skin.
Ah, sweet victory.
"You're being the tease, Richard Castle," she panted into his ear in her bedroom voice; heat and fervor and lust flavouring each syllable.
So, so sexy. And arousing.
Rick flipped his wife over, possessing her with his mouth and tongue and teeth; his body heavy and warm and sexy as hell on top of her.
"Not if I plan to follow through."
Oh, yes please.
Kate's legs fell open up on a moan, cradling his hips within the frame of hers. She welcomed his tongue into her wet, burning mouth and pulled him down further on top of her, body arching into his. His hips rocked slowly against her, driving both of them to the edge; the movement a tormenting promise.
"Castle," Kate groaned, clutching at his shoulders and scratching his back.
Way beyond turned-on.
He continued to place feathery kisses all along her jaw line, the slope of her throat, her collarbone and in the valley between her breasts.
"Patience, lover... patience," he mumbled, his breath wafting over her flesh.
"Shut up," Kate grumbled while wrapping a leg higher around his waist, making her message crystal clear:
Take. Me. NOW.
"Feisty. I like it," he said with a smile before invading her mouth again.
She whimpered in response, unable to form any coherent thoughts while her husband's talented hands and mouth were doing very talented things to her. And driving her insane, completely bonkers. They were so different, even in this: he liked it slow and sensual, she liked it quick and dirty.
Yin and Yang - a perfect fit.
They had quick and dirty (twice) last night. So, this morning was going to be slow and sensual. And thorough - very, very thorough. Just the way he liked it. She was not on call this weekend, after all, and it was still early, barely 7h30. They still had some time before-
The doorbell rang.
-someone interrupted.
Rick grunted in disapproval, his breathing laboured. "Seriously?"
The doorbell rang again after a few moments of heavy breathing and hoping that the interruption would go away.
"Castle," Kate said, pushing on his shoulder and lowering her legs from his waist. "Come on. Up and off."
He rolled off her onto his back, eyes closed, jaw clenched, heart pounding. Everything hard. Kate got up and got dressed in his boxers and one of her t-shirts, watching her very sexy, very aroused husband with a smirk. Hopefully they could still have that morning delight-
The doorbell ran for the third time, snapping Kate out of her mind's wanderings.
She sighed, threw on his robe and headed downstairs, hair tousled, sexed up and frustrated.
She opened the door and was surprised by by the presence of a delivery man at their door so early. "Hi, can I help you?"
"Uh, hi. Yes, uh, yeah. Here's a delivery for a Mr. Castle," a young delivery man said, staring openly at Kate.
"Well, I'm his wife, so I can sign for it," she replied with a small smile, holding out a hand to sign the receipt.
The young man shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, ma'am, I- I have specific instructions that Mr. Castle has to sign for this package. And also to make sure that hegets it."
Kate frowned. "My husband isn't available right now. Can't I just-"
"Hey, who's at the door?" Rick called out, bouncing down the stairs, his hair flopping (adorably) over his forehead. He was dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a white t-shirt, looking calm and collected.
"Here's a delivery for you," Kate replied, eyeing the delivery man suspiciously making him gulp at her intense perusal. "You have to sign."
His eyes lit up. "A present? For me?" He smiled at her. "Honey, you shouldn't have."
Kate rolled her eyes and stepped away. "Oh, I didn't, Castle. Maybe it's one of your deranged fans."
Little did she know...
[][][]
"Looks like I have a fan."
"Yeah, a really deranged fan."
He fought a grin."Oh, you don't look deranged to me."
Wait. What?
Shit.
"What?"
She was cute. An intimidating hard-ass with a badge and a gun, but cute nonetheless. Well, actually she was hot, really, really hot. Striking, gorgeous face; beautiful, dark eyes; a strong jaw line; a soft, delicious-looking mouth. He bet she tasted like strawberries and cream. And maybe a little vodka.
Detective Kate Beckett. Mm, he was intrigued.
"'Hell hat no fury'? Angry wiccans out for blood? Only hardcore Castle groupies read that one," he remarked with a lopsided grin, his eyes laughing.
He was smirking at her. Arrogant, self-absorbed, sexy-
No. No, no. Stop it. He wasn't that good-looking.
"D-do any of these groupies ever write you letters," she said, flustered. 'Damn, pull yourself together, Kate'.
He nodded.
"Disturbing letters?"
"Oh, all my fan mail is disturbing. It's an occupational hazard."
"Because sometimes in cases like this we find that the killer attempts to-
"-contact the subject of his obsession." She stared at him in surprise. "I'm also pretty well versed in psychopathic methodologies. Another occupational hazard." He sat forward, leaning in closer to this beautiful mystery of a woman. "And do you know, you have gorgeous eyes?"
Ugh. Lame. Seriously? She had to resist the urge to roll her (gorgeous) eyes... again. And ignore his gorgeous eyes.
"So, I take it you won't have any objection to us going through your mail."
"Knock yourself out." She got up. "Can I get copies of those?"
She frowned. "Copies?"
"I have this poker game. It's mostly other writers. Patterson, Cannell. You know, best-sellers." Really? He was name-dropping now. What an arrogant ass. "You have no idea how jealous those would make them."
She was still confused. "Jealous?"
"That I have a copy-cat. Oh my gosh, in my world that's the red badge of honour. That's the criminal 'Cooper's Town'."
She came forward, her face inches as she towered over him, lean and tall and sexy as hell.
Mmm, feisty...
"People are dead, Mr. Castle."
"I'm not asking for the bodies. Just... the pictures."
Did he really think those baby blues and little boy expression and sexy, sexy stubble was going to make Kate Beckett cave? Ha! She was stronger than that.
She gave him a brief, sarcastic smile. "I think we're done here, Mr. Castle."
Little did they know...
[][][]
She camped outside his building waiting for the delivery man to get back. She saw him go in with the package and was anxious to know whether it was delivered or not. Her hands felt clammy and her heartbeat erratic while she paced on the sidewalk across the street. She glanced up again at the top loft, hoping to see something like the last hundred times she did that. Nothing. Well, no worries, she'll be seeing him soon. Maybe even in said loft. While he made her dinner... or breakfast. It wouldn't be long now. They were meant-
She spotted the delivery man emerging from the doors sans any packages in his hands and stopped pacing, smiling widely. He got her gift on their three month anniversary. He was going to read the message and he was going to remember her.
He just had to.
She glanced at her watch and sighed - she had an appointment with Dr. Burke today and couldn't miss another one. She already missed her last three appointments. She cut her eyes one last time to his loft, her lips curling.
'Soon. Very, very soon.'
[][][]
"Wow. I thought, I had nutty fans. But this... is just... bizarre."
"What is?" Alexis inquired, bouncing down the stairs still in her pajamas.
Rick glanced up to his daughter, trying to smile. "Uh... just some fan mail."
"Really strange fan mail," Kate added while cajoling a cranky Lizzy into another bite of oatmeal.
A fan sent him a signed copy of his book, the latest Nikki Heat-novel. With red lipstick kisses on the first pages of the book. Where he had signed it.
Mm, weird.
He turned to the dedication page again where his dedication to Kate was scrapped out and replaced with:
I love you. We belong together.
"That is just... creepy, Dad," Alexis commented, leaning over his shoulder to read the strange message.
"You really do have deranged fans, Castle," Kate said while wiping her daughter's hands. She tried to smile, but there was an anxiousness eating away at her. Something about this was off. Call it instinct or intuition or just a gut feeling - her Spidey senses were tingling.
"Yeah. That was... interesting," Rick said, putting the book - distorted gift or whatever it was - away and attempted to smile. He also felt uneasy. Something about his was off. But that uneasiness melted away when he heard his baby girl's delighted giggling, thoroughly amused by the game of peek-a-boo her mother and big sister were playing with her. He smiled softly as he watched them.
Kate turned to look at him, a wide, beaming smile decorating her face. Utterly beautiful. She had Lizzy in her arms, the little girl an adorable, giggling mass of plump limbs while Alexis kept on entertaining her little sister, her hands on Kate's shoulders.
He was so in love with them - his girls, his family, the beating of his heart.
[][][]
She's talkin' to me with her voice
Down so low I barely hear her
But I know what she's sayin'
I understand because my heart and hers are the same
Title - Avett Brothers' song, 'I and Love and You'; lyrics at the end - Avett Brothers' song, 'January Wedding'.
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