Yours, Mine and Ours

"To make one, there must be two."

-W.H. Auden

They need a new bed. They're married and she's finally moved all of her stuff into the loft, and she really needs to come up with a way to tell him that they need a new bed. The loft is filled with his things. Things he's bought, acquired over the years spread out and filling the vast space of the loft. Kate loves his things, but she loves her own as well.

Slowly they've worked together to make room for the things she insisted on bringing with her; her Nona's pan, her mother's elephants, and a few other things that she refused to pack away into storage. The loft has become a collaboration of his and her things and she loves that, but there's still one thing that they need to address. The bed.

She loves his bed for so many reasons. For starters, it's incredibly comfortable. It's huge, allowing them plenty of room and yet they always end up in the middle, bodies pressed as close together as possible. It's a beautiful bed and she likes to credit that to the fact that Castle has great taste, but she's not entirely sure he's the one who picked it out.

And that gets her thinking about all the reasons she doesn't love the bed. She loves Castle, but sometimes she can't help thinking about all of the other women who may have loved him in that bed. He harbored his dad there when he was shot, and the memory of Hunt's blood all over her side still haunts her. She spent two months alone in that bed, wondering if she'd ever sleep beside his warm body again. But her biggest complaint far outweighs the others. It squeaks.

Kate Beckett is a private person. She craves the solitude of their bedroom after long days at the precinct. She counts down the moments until his mother and daughter retire to their bedrooms so that she and Castle can finally retreat to their own. She loves her mother-in-law and step daughter, but time alone with her husband is a rare thing. Lately, the thing she looks forward to the most isn't even enjoyable, because every time they fall into bed together, her wanting body inviting him to settle above her—to press into her, the bed squeaks.

It rings out loudly through the otherwise quiet apartment and she knows that the two women sleeping upstairs can hear it. The knowing looks they give her the next morning tell her that they know exactly what was causing the squeaking. It's no secret to them that she's sleeping with Castle, but she'd like to keep their intimate moments as private as possible. They seriously need a new bed.

Finally the right time comes, one night after she ignores his third attempt to coax her into the bedroom. His mother and daughter have been in bed for well over an hour and yet Kate is still sitting in the same spot on the couch. Castle's frustrated huff against the side of her neck is all the encouragement she needs to bring up the topic.

"Castle, we need to talk."

He leans away from where he's been pressed against her side and blinks questioningly.

"Okay?" His questioning tone tells her that he has no idea what she wants to talk about.

"We need a new bed."

Clearly surprised by what she's just said, Castle frowns, "I uh—I didn't realize that there was a problem with our bed. I know it's a little squeaky lately, but I think that's just because we're putting it to good use."

"No," she shakes her head. "A little squeaky doesn't even begin to describe it. It's loud, Castle. And we've been putting it to good use for a while. Your mother and Alexis can hear it; I can tell by the way they look at me every morning. It's—well it's embarrassing. I want our intimate moments to stay private."

"I didn't realize that they could hear us." He reaches for her hand, cradling it in his lap as he continues. "I know you like your privacy, Kate. I'll have someone come in and tighten the screws, maybe order us a new mattress…" he trails off when he notices the frown forming on her face. "There's more to this than the fact that the bed squeaks isn't there?"

Kate glances away from her husband, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and Castle knows there's more to this than she's letting on. "Kate?"

When she still doesn't answer right away Castle reaches up and gently turns her face back towards his. She releases her bottom lip, taking a deep breath before she answers him. "I love that bed for so many reasons, Castle, but there are things I hate about it too, things that I can't stop thinking about."

When he doesn't say anything she knows he's waiting for her to continue, so she does. "We've been married for a month now and I know that you're all mine, but sometimes I can't help thinking about the other women that got to share that bed with you. And you have great taste, but did you pick that bed out or did someone else?" She doesn't let him answer the question; she doesn't really want to know the answer. "And worse than any of that is the fact that I slept alone in that bed for two months wondering if I'd ever get the share it with you again. I know that you're right here, but babe, the memories are still very real to me."

The emotions clog her throat as those last words leave her and Castle pulls her close, wrapping his arms around her. She didn't mean for this conversation to turn her into an emotional mess, but it seems she feels more strongly about getting a new bed than she realized.

"I didn't realize that it was bothering you this much. Of course we can get a new bed, Kate. I don't want you to dwell on those things. You're my wife, and the only woman I want sharing a bed with me. You didn't lose me and you don't have to sleep alone. We're getting a new bed."

She lets him tug her up from the couch then and into their bedroom. He doesn't try to make love to his wife that night; he just holds her close reassuring her that she gets to sleep beside him for the rest of their married life together.

She gets stuck at the precinct late the next night. Castle leaves early to attend a meeting with Black Pawn and claims that he's going to make her a special dinner. She practically sprints out of the precinct when she finally gets to leave. The loft is quiet when she slips through the door and finds her husband sitting at the candlelit dinner table.

"I sent mother and Alexis to the Four Seasons for the weekend. It's just us, Mrs. Castle." He smiles as he pulls out a chair for her and she settles into the seat.

"Oh, Castle. This looks amazing and the fact that I get to enjoy it with my husband is even better."

They smile like idiots the entire time they're eating and as they work together to clean up the kitchen the smiles turn into laughter and the laughter turns into whispers of love when Castle pulls her close. She lets him walk her backwards towards the bedroom, keeping her lips pressed against his neck until he halts their movement in front of the bed. She lifts her head to look at him, but he merely turns her towards the bed. And oh—oh it's a new bed.

She stares at it for a moment before turning back to face him. The new bed is even more beautiful than their old one and it's exactly what she would have picked had she gone with him to get it. "Castle, it's beautiful, I love it." She wraps her arms around his neck, leans up on her toes to give him a gentle kiss. His smile against her lips causes an even bigger smile of her own.

"This loft is filled with some of my things and some of your things. So, what do you say, Mrs. Castle, shall we make this bed ours?" He winks at her as she tugs him towards the bed.

"Yours, mine and ours? Sounds perfect to me."

They use the whole weekend to break in the bed. Kate revels in all the things she loves about it. It's comfortable, maybe even more so than the old bed. It's beautiful, and something that she knows her husband picked out. It's new, a fresh start for the newlyweds. Most importantly, they've put it to the test and Kate is happy to confirm that there is absolutely no squeaking.

Prompt: Newlyweds need a new bed

Filled as a gift to Tuuli ( tuulip) for a generous contribution to YoungStoryTellers dot com slash ThankYouTerri. See all the prompts and fills at ThankYouTerri dot tumblr dot com.