Emergence

Chapter 1

"You know, I was thinking," Castle told Kate as Agent Fallon strode away, "you and I need a better celebration than a beer with the boys. When I opened my eyes after they rescued us from that freezer, I expected to see Saint Peter - or his opposite number, not the face of some paramedic. And to know that you'd survived too…. And then when we kept that bomb from going off…."

"You kept that bomb from going off, Castle," Beckett interjected.

"It was a group effort and blind luck. Anyway," Castle continued, "after that, it seemed like we were making a new beginning. When we were in isolation, you said that you wanted someone who would be there for you and you'd be there for him, and you could dive into it together. I don't think anyone could have dived any deeper than we did, Kate. So, come home with me. Mother and Alexis are going to stay in the Hamptons until I call, and even then, with the traffic, it will take hours for them to get back. We could open a bottle of wine and sit by the fire and talk. I know that after our arctic adventure I could still use the warmth."

"I could too," Kate admitted. Alright, Castle, right now a visit to the Bat Cave sounds pretty good."

Castle handed Kate a glass of wine and gratefully sank down next to her on the couch. Kate shifted her body to face him. She was acutely aware that their knees were touching, but she didn't pull away. Even if she had just been trying to avoid freezing to death when they'd been locked in the cold storage trailer, it had felt right being in his arms, and physical contact with him was welcome. If anything, she wanted more of it, and for an entirely different kind of warmth. "Castle, where do we go from here?"

The backs of Castle's gently curled fingers were a feather touch against Kate's face. "Where do you want to go from here, Kate?"

"Honestly?" Kate queried.

"Please," Castle urged.

"Your bedroom. I'm just not sure it's a good idea."

"Why not?" Castle asked.

Kate raked her fingers through her hair. "Because we've just been through a near death experience together, three really. I don't know that I trust what we're feeling now is real."

Castle took both her hands in his. "Kate, for me, this has nothing to do with near death experiences. I've wanted you from the moment you walked into my book party, and not just as a muse, although you're a stupendous one."

Kate sucked in her lower lip, briefly nibbling the ample fullness. "When Natalie Rhodes told me that you refused to sleep with her; she said the way you write about me - about Nikki - is verbal masturbation. Was she right, Castle?"

"Natalie was very direct. I'm not sure I would put it that way. That's certainly not all it is. I have a truly impressive collection of periodicals for that purpose." Castle smiled crookedly. "I have to keep moving them to keep Mother or Alexis from finding them. But what I get from you, Kate, is more than titillation. You challenge me, and not many people do that. And you get under my skin like no one ever has. Even if I never wrote another Nikki Heat book, I'd want you in my life."

"And in your bed?" Kate pressed.

"Only if you're sure you want to be there. Regardless of how you describe my behavior, I'm not a teenager. I can wait until you're sure, Kate. I've been waiting almost three years. The choice is yours. It always has been."

Kate leaned toward him, over their clasped hands. "Then I'm making it," she whispered and brought her lips to his.

The slow burning fuse had reached the gunpowder. Need exploded inside Castle. He craved her, every inch of her. His lips found her neck, drawing the tender skin into his mouth. The taste of her only fed the flames. His breath coming in gasps, he reached for the buttons of her blouse, impatient with the sudden awkwardness of his fingers. Kate was eager to help, pulling her top open and unclasping the bra beneath. She plunged her fingers into his hair, guiding his head downward to where what had been freed from its restraints, strained for his attention. Heat surged through her veins at the touch of his lips and tongue. "Castle, Rick!"

He pulled back panting. "Tell me what you want, Kate."

"You, I want you."

Castle swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom, shouldering the door shut behind them. Even as he laid her on the bed, she tore at her clothes, then reached for his belt. Clothing was frantically dispatched, but even skin to skin wasn't close enough. The bedclothes tangled beneath them as they grappled, merging their bodies as they had so often unified their thoughts. Time and space faded in the tempest of passion that enveloped them. The final explosion ripped through their souls, leaving them both filled and drained.

Castle wasn't sure he'd ever be able to move again. With Kate beside him, he wasn't sure he'd ever want to. "You were right when you told me I had no idea," he murmured.

Kate burrowed into his side. "That makes two of us, Castle." She heard the sound of the front door and the unmistakable voice projection skills of Martha Rodgers. "Richard, we're back."

Kate's eyes widened. "Castle, what do we do? I know we can't shock Martha. She thought we were sleeping together after my apartment blew up. I think she was disappointed that we weren't. But what about Alexis?"

"Alexis knows there's such a thing as sex, Kate. She actually taught me a few things when we had "the talk." And she knows that her father is not celibate. I think she'd worry about me if she thought I was. But there are details she would prefer not to visualize. I feel the same way about my mother's intimate exchanges with her various inamorata. So, what we do is get dressed, smile, assure them that we're fine and that we're glad they're home. Or - you could hide in the closet."

"I'm not hiding in the closet, Castle," Kate insisted.

"Good. I just hope your blouse isn't missing too many buttons."

Alexis immediately threw her arms around her father. "I'm so glad you're all right!" She gazed at Kate. "I'm glad you're all right too, Detective Beckett."

Martha regarded the couple, her eyebrow rising. "Yes, you both look very well indeed. Alexis, it's been a long drive. Could you take my things upstairs for me?"

"Sure Gram," Alexis replied, picking up both her own bag and her grandmother's.

"Well, I must say it's about time!" Martha exclaimed as soon as Alexis had disappeared to the upper rooms. "I was beginning to think that you two would never get together. Now don't look at me that way, Richard. It is part of my craft to observe the subtleties so that they can be internalized and portrayed on stage. In any case, there's nothing subtle about the two of you. You have that satisfied radiance that's unmistakable. So, are you two finally a couple now, or was this just heat of the moment one-time sweating between the sheets?"

Castle reddened. "Mother!"

Kate looked up at Castle and offered him her hand. Entwining her fingers with his, she announced, "Definitely a couple."