*Sequel to Not Going Anywhere. And yes, I do plan on having this one be a multi-chapter story. This takes place 1 month after the events of Not Going Anywhere, so knowledge of that story might be useful.

Still Here – Chapter 1

There it was, that annoying alarm buzzer going off, disturbing her from the pleasant dream she had been having. But now that the infernal device had woke her, Kate Beckett could no longer remember why the dream had been so pleasant or, for that matter, why she was wishing she was back there instead of here in the real world. So, to calm her irritated mind, she glared with malice at the glowing letters that blinked mercilessly, taunting her. Growling softly, she swung an arm out, whacking the top of the offending machine, silencing it.

Letting out a soft groan of frustration, not wanting to leave the warm cocoon created by the bundle of blankets, Beckett slid out of the covers and swung her long legs over the side of the bed. She sat there for a moment, perched on the edge, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she straightened her back and raised her arms above her head, stretching. Despite her chosen profession, Beckett really did not like the long hours, or the early mornings. In fact, Beckett hated mornings. That was part of the reason she had become addicted to caffeine, especially when it came in the form of a hot cup of delicious coffee.

However, do to recent developments, and on the advice of her doctor, Beckett had given up coffee—just for the duration. Instead, her new morning pick-me-up had become a warm shower. Normally she showered in the evening before bed, but with all the changes happening in her life, she had been forced to shift her routine, no matter how irritating or frustrating that was. It was not something that came easy to Detective Kate Beckett. She had liked things the way they were, yet she had no complaints about the turn in the tide, so to speak. Especially when it provided her with the opportunity to finally be with whom she really wanted to be with.

Bringing her arms down, Beckett smiled softly and ran her hands in slow circles over her tummy. She was only two months along. The first month had gone by without her really noticing, much of it had been filled with her fretting over how to tell Castle and just how to react herself. But once she had found out, she had set herself to doing what had to be done. Her cheeks still went red with embarrassment from the memory of her breakroom confession. Had she really told him that she was his number one fan? And now another month had passed since that faithful day when Rick Castle found out the truth, about both her pregnancy and her highly guarded feelings.

Admitting those feelings had not been easy for Beckett (in fact, it was probably one of the most difficult things she had ever done), neither had the changes that had happened over the month since those confessions were made. Being only two months along, not many people would be able to tell she was expecting. Even so, she could tell the difference… could feel the changes in her body. It was not just the morning sickness, but she could swear that there were the hints of the eventual bump that would form around her middle. It was not visible to the naked eye, but when she ran her fingers down her stomach, she could feel it.

Letting out a contented sigh, Beckett made a move to stand. However, before she could, two arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back down to the mattress. She let out a startled cry, barely audible. Blinking past the last foggy remnants of the dreamland, Beckett's eyes went wide as she remembered the events of the previous day. A small smile crept onto her face as the memories came flooding back to her, focusing primarily on the activities that had occurred later that evening, rather than on the day itself, which it had been dull and boring.

"Mmm, where do you think your going?" he hummed as his lips began to play softly across her neck as he nuzzled her hair. "Come back to bed… I'll reward you if you do. I promise."

Beckett squirmed, more from delight than irritation, and let out a low husky breath as his arms continued to tangle around her middle, pulling her even further back into bed. She loved it how he kissed her, and her pulse always increased when he touched her. And despite what her prenatal doctor had told her, her sex drive had only seemed to quadruple, which, of course, her bedmate was going to start taking full advantage of, now that they had entered the physical phase of their budding relationship.

She let out a soft giggle as his hands began to work their way up her body, tickling her ribs and teasing the bottom edge of her bare breasts. Closing her eyes, she let out a sigh, knowing she needed to get up, and reluctantly pulled his hands away, forcing herself to stand up off the bed.

"Not now, Castle!" she grumbled, annoyed, yet her tone was playful. In all honesty, she was more irritated that she could not stay in bed than with him for enticing her.

Turning around, placing her hands on her hips to ensure he knew she meant business, Beckett glared down at the ruggedly handsome bestselling mystery author who was currently the other occupant of her bed. He sat up and made a pouting face, looking adorable.

"Castle?" he groaned. "Last night it was Rick! Except for that one time… you remember, don't you? It's kind of a blur, but I remember at one point I had you pinned to the floor… or were we still on the mattress—well, I digress—the point being at one point in the evening's frivolity I—Richard Castle—had you screaming Ricky at the top of your strong and powerful lungs." He smirked smugly at her and wiggled his eyebrows. "God do you have powerful lungs! You know what? I might have temporarily gone deaf last night." He paused and narrowed his brow. "Do you think we woke the neighbors?"

Ignoring his question, Beckett rolled her eyes and gave him a hard glare. "Well, Ricky," she pointedly said, raising an eyebrow, loving how he reacted to her calling him that. "Some of us actually have to work for a living."

"Hey, I work!" he protested, sitting fully up and shaking his head as he cleared it of the cobwebs that no doubt inhabited it's interior.

"Uh-huh," Beckett gave a nod of her head. "Not all of us can afford to wile away the time as ruggedly handsome mystery writers."

"Ruggedly handsome, eh?" Castle grinned triumphantly. "Well, it appears you really are my number one fan!" He shifted, scooting over to sit on her side of the bed.

"A moment of weakness, Castle," Beckett objected with a wave of her hand, still slightly horrified she had actually said that. She knitted her eyebrows together and blamed the hormones. Looking back at his boyish smirk, she placed a finger on his chest, putting some emphasis on her words. "Do… not…get used to it."

Castle nodded. "Whatever," he said in his best imitation of a teenage girl, which was actually quite hilarious, but Beckett was determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her laugh. He grinned and stretched. "Anyways, I'll have you know that I've been consulting with the NYPD on homicide cases for almost three years now."

"And are you paid for your consulting work, Mr. Castle?" she smiled playfully as she turned her back to him and began walking towards the bathroom, swaying her hips, knowing the sight of her bare backside would distract him.

"Uh… um…," he stuttered, his mouth hanging open as he stared, transfixed on her rear. "Hey!" Castle shook his head. "Don't try and distract me, you temptress, you!" He jabbed his finger into the air in mocked outrage. Secretly she found him adorable when he acted like a child, though she knew he was nothing like a child… well, sometimes, yes, but not all the time. "I'll have you know, the lead detective thinks very highly of me," he grinned, jumping up off the bed to follow her.

"Oh? And how do you know that, Castle?" Beckett questioned, looking over her shoulder as she paused at the doorway, drinking in the sight of Castle in all his glory.

He gave her a knowing wink. "Well, where should I begin? Oh yes!" Castle turned back to the bed and made a grand display of gesturing to the tousled sheets.

Beckett bit her lower lip and blushed slightly, remembering last night again. It had been her first time with sober -Castle as opposed to the drunk-Castle she had been with two months ago, which had resulted in her current condition. To tell the truth, this time had not been as wild or crazy. It had been gradual, with a lot more foreplay, severe heavy petting that had very nearly brought her over the edge before they had even connected. And when they did finally connect, Beckett nearly wept with how right it felt.

The passion was there, but they went slow, relishing every moment of it as their bodies mingled and molded together, ceasing to be separate and fusing into one single entity. It was a different kind of lovemaking, a kind that Beckett had never experienced before. Because that's what it truly was, lovemaking… not just sex, but true lovemaking—two souls connecting on both an emotional and an obvious physical level, as well.

The most surprising thing about it all was the fact that he had made her scream like she had never screamed before whilst in the heights of ecstasy. The pace had never really gone beyond the slow steady rhythm with which they had begun, despite the fact they had tumbled off the bed and collided on the floor. Remembering that, she laughed slightly. That startling drop off the bed had not even created a pause in their slow yet still heated lovemaking, and had only intensified the passion of it, if not the speed. Even though their first time together had been hot and wild, last night had been more memorable, because of what it signified. Last night had not been a wild fling or a one-night stand, but a culmination of a month of simply getting to know each other outside of the precinct.

The day after she had made her confession to him about being pregnant with his child, not to mention admitting her true feelings towards him, and the fierce and passionate kiss that had followed, Beckett had laid out the ground rules for their relationship. One of those rules had been no sex, at least not until they dated for a while. She felt silly for making it a rule, especially since they had already rocked the world together, so to speak, but Beckett wanted to build something more upon their new relationship that had nothing to do with the physical side of things.

She had been completely thrown when Castle had agreed, especially considering he had no real recollection of their night together. So, just to clarify things, she repeated herself, adding that she first wanted to build a more solid foundation. Not to mention she had still, technically, just broken up with Josh, and emotionally (and physiologically) speaking, she did not want to feel that jumping straight into a relationship with Castle was a rebound thing, because, in all honest, that was what Josh had really been. She had been heartbroken when she had broken up with Demming to go to the Hamptons with Castle only to have him then leave with Gina. Now that she was going to dive into with Castle, she wanted it to be more than just that… more than what she had had with Josh or any other man. She wanted it to last.

So instead of getting her into bed as quickly as possible, Richard Castle was a perfect gentleman—well, one who would occasionally take license to touch her in certain places she had long since denied him access. Their make out sessions were legendary, and more than made up for the lack of any other physical activities. Castle was an expert with his hands. Oh, the things he could do with just a finger.

Beside the occasional make out sessions, which were rather frequent, Castle courted her like she was some royal princess that needed to be wined and dined (minus the wine). He was always there for her, going to her prenatal appointments with her, where Beckett was silently thrilled about being able to show off the father of her child, especially when he behaved more like an adult at the doctor's office. And he was so good with the other couples, much better than Beckett was herself. Then again, she had to remind herself, he had gone through this before… when Meredith (the deep-fried Twinkie, as Castle called her) had been pregnant with Alexis. He would chat comfortably with the other couples, then look up at her and give her his boyish smirk, already scheming to set up play dates for their child.

Then yesterday, after four long weeks, which was how the month had seemed to Beckett, because she could hardly stop herself from fantasying about being with him again, Castle finally made his move. They had been enjoying themselves doing the normal dating things: Going out to dinner, movies, walks in the park, that sort of stuff… avoiding any situation or activity that might lead to sex (except their make out sessions, which were desperately need to make up for the lack of any sex). And to be honest, Beckett had started to become anxious. She desperately wanted to feel him between her legs again, and she was rapidly running out of patience, not to mention excuses for not jumping up to the next stage, especially considering he had already knocked her up, so to speak.

The precinct had been quiet all day yesterday, not that that was a bad thing, it was good that people weren't killing each other, but it did lead to a frightfully dull day. Castle was there, of course, and tried entertaining everyone with his antics. And whenever Beckett and Castle would get up to go somewhere, Ryan and Esposito would make snickering comments about the two going off to "shag" somewhere. Castle would laugh back at them, and oh so nonchalantly imply that they just might be correct. Part of her was annoyed by it all, but secretly she actually liked teasing the boys.

On that note, one day they had gone to the breakroom to get some coffee. Castle whispered into her ear a wickedly hilarious idea, just to get at Ryan and Esposito. So, they shut and locked the door, closed the all blinds, and then proceeded to rattle the table around, making it sound like they were going at it like rabid dogs.

When they opened the door with tousled hair and disheveled appearances, the two wisecrackers seemed stunned and at a loss of words. Neither Ryan or Esposito had expected such a thing, they had only been joking. Beckett straightened her hair and winked at Castle before going back to her desk. The two boys sat there with slack jaws unable to speak. Esposito looked like he wanted to whip out his phone and call Lanie. Then Castle meandered over to them and jumped at them, calling them such easy marks. The two laughed it off, but looked slightly annoyed at having been fooled. As Castle sauntered back to his chair, Beckett had a feeling the two partners were going to try and come up with a way to get back at them.

Well, to make a long story short—TOO LATE—Beckett had decided that it was finally time to bump their relationship up to the next level, but she was unsure how to broach the subject with Castle. For three years they had sexually baited one another with loaded comments and innuendoes, that now that she wanted the real thing, Beckett had no idea how to proceed. Not for the first time, Beckett felt fortunate that Castle could read her so well.

After finishing up the last bit of paperwork she had, Beckett stood up and grabbed her jacket. Castle obediently closed his notepad, placed it in the drawer she had allowed him to use on her desk and stood as well. He gave a smile and a wave to the boys, and then helped her into her jacket. Beckett was still a little uncomfortable with his public displays of affection, especially at work, but she was getting used to him placing his arm over her shoulder when they left the precinct at the end of the day. He had been a good boy for the entire month, and somehow managed to keep his oh so talented hands off her on the job, but once she was off duty, he was always there with the touchy feely stuff.

Leading her to the elevator, they got in and she subconsciously eased into his hold. She let out a sigh, trying to think of a way to broach the subject with Castle without getting caught up in one of their playful banters when he surprised her with making the first move.

Castle leaned over and brought his lips close to her ear. "Why don't we skip dinner and go straight back to your place?" he suggested.

Beckett shivered, feeling his warm breath on the nape of her neck. She slowly arched her neck and looked up at him, smiling coyly. "Yes… I… I'd like that."

Castle had smiled and then kissed her cheek, giving her a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. His hand slipped down from her shoulder and maneuvered itself to the small of her back.

And then they were at her place, slowly tearing off each other's clothes, exploring each other with an ease and calmness that made it seem like they had always been together. However, she could tell that this was a big deal to Castle, because for him—memory wise—this was their first time together, since he did not remember that steamy night two months ago due to his alcoholic induced haze. And as Castle's talented hands explored all her nooks and crannies, Beckett's heart went racing like it had never raced before. As they connected, for what felt like the first time, she was positive that this was it, this was her one and done. Beckett had been waiting her whole life for Mister Right, and never, in her wildest dreams, had she imagined it would be Rick Castle. It was almost like some supreme being had crafted them to be perfect for one another.

XXX

"Becks… Kate?" his voice called her back from her pleasant reverie of last night's delights.

Shaking her head, she blinked and stared back at him. "Rick?"

"Whatcha thinking about?" he asked, inching closer to her, his arms snaking around her middle as he pulled her body flush up against his.

Her cheeks blushed bright pink. "Last night," she confessed.

"Oh," he grinned mischievously. "It was pretty great, wasn't it?"

"Great?" she scoffed, giving him a playful glare. "It was better than great, Rick… it… it was perfect."

"Perfect?" he raised an eyebrow. "You know, Detective, you're setting the bar pretty high for me. How can I top perfect next time?"

Beckett smirked, amazed at how well they slipped back and forth between serious talk and their playful banter, it was one of things she was glad had not changed when their relationship had turned more romantic. "Who says there's going to be a next time?" she retorted, wiggling out of his hold and completing her last few steps past the threshold of the door and into the bathroom.

Castle followed her and leaned against the frame of the door, watching as she turned the shower on and ran her fingers under the water, testing to see if it was warm enough yet. She looked over her shoulder at him and raised her eyebrows.

"What?" he inquired, trying to look innocent.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

"In the shower with you? You bet!" he grinned.

"Yes, that, but later?" Beckett bit her lower lip nervously. Parts of this relationship were still new to her and it was still taking her some time to get used to having him around all the time.

"Oh, for the appointment," he gave a nod of his head. "Yes, of course." Castle stepped over and wrapped his arms around her middle, hugging her from behind. "I will always be there for you, Kate. Always."

She sighed and eased into his touch, moaning slightly as he brushed her hair away from her shoulder to kiss her slender neck.

"Now," he purred into her neck, "why don't I show you how fun a shower with Rick Castle can be."

"Yes… please do," Beckett murmured out in a breathy voice.