Here it is. The dreaded last chapter.
Dreaded for me, definitely.
Dreaded for you, hopefully.

And the Long Authors Note (Not dreaded, I hope!).

The alphabet has never been so much fun to read for me. I mean the song, yeah, it's great, but this little adventure has been so great. This was for me, a challenge. A lesson to learn. An experiment, really. Now I feel like I can write something in under 500 words. I feel like I have learned many new things, grown as a writer and now I can say the alphabet without singing it (mostly). I hope- oh Ido hope- this has been as much fun for you, the reader, as it has been for me.

Blah, Blah, Blah, the reader says. Okay.

And now, for the last Note: Z

Zipper

Kate Beckett entered the loft, the air heavy with the aroma of cooking dinner. She opened the door, stepping into the foyer and slipping out of her heals, unable to stop the soft sigh of relief when she did. She used her foot to tuck them neatly under the small table just inside the door, dropping her keys on the marble chess-board surface and shrugging of her coat. The loft was dim-lit and cloaked only in a soft light, and it immediately put her at ease. She padded softly down the hall, draping the coat over one of the bar chairs as she came to it, sneaking a sideways glance into the kitchen.

It was empty, but the stove light was on, and she could see the oven light indicating it was, indeed, on. She kept moving, past the cleverly concealed laundry room, where she could hear the soft hum of the washer and dryer running simultaneously. She continued until she reached the living room, noting the man sitting on the couch. She made her way behind the couch, loud enough to prevent alarming him but stealthy enough to be sneaky.

She slid an arm over the couch, down its worn, brown leather surface, until she reached his arm. She snaked it over that, too, until it was traveling along the expanse of his broad shoulders and chest. She bent her head so her lips brushed his ear when she whispered: "Dear."

"Hmm?" Rick looked up from the book he was reading, pretending to just notice her.

"The dishes are done," she informed him, nipping at his earlobe, lightly.

"Are they?" he asked, a smile pulling at his lips as he set the book onto the end table, gently.

"Mmmhmm. And the laundry is done," she punctuated this point by tracing her tongue to his pulse point, planting her lips there.

"Well if I am not mistaken, they are still running," he explained, cheekily, as his arms reached for her, one hand traveling slowly up the arm she had wrapped around him. "But if you had come home twenty minutes later, I have this funny feeling they would have been folded in your drawers by now."

"Who's in my drawers?" she asked, and he in response, he pulled. She was caught off guard, and his grip on her sent her over the back of the couch and onto it. Onto him.

The laughter bubbled from inside of her, pouring out and mixing with his. He looked her full in the eye, now that she was facing him straight on, adjusting himself on the couch to better accommodate her, so she was laying half on him and half on the couch cushions. "You're making dinner," she said, her voice now soft, not teasing but loving.

"I'm making you dinner." He corrected, his heart warming to goo at the sight of the smile his words earned.

"I must be dreaming," she said, a bite of sarcasm only noticeable by the trained ear in her voice.

"I can't tell if that was a line or an insult."

"Both."

"I love you," he told her, brushing her hair from her face. "I love you so much."

It was her heart's turn to ache. She reached up, brushing his face with her fingertips, as if he were a puzzle she couldn't solve. "I love you too." And then after a long moment: "I love you too."

He shifted so she fell completely onto the couch, using his arms to balance his weight above her. He bent his head, his lips starting at the base of her throat and working upwards, along the column of her throat and along her jaw until he reached her lips, hovering right above them.

"You are so beautiful," he told her, and the breath of them sent a shiver down her spine. He touched her nose with his, once, lightly, and then nuzzled it again with more enthusiasm.

She craned her neck, willing to play along, planting lingering kisses along the underside of his chin and along the scruff lining his mandible, carefully avoiding his mouth. If he wanted to drive her crazy, two could play that game. It made her smile when he was the one to break, at last capturing her lips with his in a passionate kiss.

Her tongue traced his bottom lip, asking for entrance that he gladly gave, deepening the caress further, her arms circling his neck and fingers threading his hair.

He carefully shifted his weight to one hand, using the other to snake around her body, finding the zipper to the dress she was wearing, pulling at it, dragging it down, careful not to catch her skin.

"Rick," she murmured into his mouth, unwilling to break the kiss, and his hand froze.

"Hmmm?" he hummed, equally reluctant.

"Dinner," she mumbled, too distracted to elaborate.

"It's got at least another hour to fully," he was cut off by a small bite to his bottom lip, followed by her mouth pressed firmly against his. "marinate," he managed, her need and eagerness only fueling his.

"It's a damn good thing I didn't come twenty minutes later, then, huh?" she told him, before arching her back, pressing her body flush against his. Her only response was something resembling a growl "You're wearing too many clothes."

And again, he reached for her zipper.

I hope this homey little chapter tied this fic into a pretty bow for you (I thought it was serviceable.)

Thank you to Susan, for keeping me in line (and taking care of myself), to Emily, for being so damn hot, and to Andy, for all the support (and a few chapter names ;D). I also have to take a few words to thank VACastleFan, ages and ages ago, for the title suggestion for this chapter.

As for those who have asked for a sequel, you will be happy to hear (you will be happy, right?) that I, too, have grown rather attached to this piece, and am planning a companion piece to be posted sometime in the future.

'The Lost Notes,' I'll call it.
Yeah.

To hold you over, though, I have a full-story fic in the works and I'm looking to have it published in the very near future, so look out for it ;D or Subscribe, so you don't have to. Just sayin.

I would, for the 26th time, love to hear your thoughts in the form of a review or PM.

l'amore sempre,

softer