233. Chapter 233

After Secret's Safe with Me, Yet Again

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Safe to say I don't own Castle. Rating: T Time: See above.

Detective Kate Beckett trudged towards her door, dragging her suitcase behind her, the broken wheel making a screeching noise behind her. Water dripped from her clothing, her skin and her hair. She, at long last, reached her home, opened the door and, crossing the threshold, stopped being Detective Kate Beckett and became Mrs. Kate Castle.

"Hi, babe." Her husband called. "How was…"He stopped as soon as he saw her. "Oh my god! What happened to you?"

He quickly strode to the entryway and put his arms around her. She rested her head on his chest and held him tightly. "This was absolutely the worst trip I ever took. They lost my luggage and I didn't get it back until the day I left. The air conditioning in my hotel died in the middle of a Miami heat wave. The witness was a drunk who couldn't remember her own name most of the time. The cop they partnered me with was the dumbest…"

"Shhh." He said, putting his fingers to her lips, "Come on. We need to get you dried off." He took her coat off and hung it by the closet door. Her clothing was soaked from her neck to her feet. He quickly led her to their bedroom and began to undress her. First her jacket, then her sweater and then her bra. "Your nipples are hard." He whispered in her ear.

"They're frozen solid." Kate said, shivering slightly.

He undid her belt, and then the button and zipper on her pants, pushing them below her hips. "Sit down." He said. When she sat on the bed, he first pulled her boots off, then her pants and panties with one smooth pull. Last, he pulled off her socks. He pulled her upright and put his arms around her. "Kate, you're freezing. What happened?" He started walking her to the bathroom.

"Some idiot drove his big rig into one of those double decker tour buses, about six blocks from here, managing to block the whole intersection, both ways. Then another moron decided he'd drive on the sidewalk so he could get home on time." While she was talking, Rick turned on the shower. "Naturally he got wedged between a light pole and a building. So pedestrians started walking into the street to get by him. Then…Oh, hell. The damned cab was stuck in traffic, so I decided to walk. It was hardly raining at all. I no sooner got out than the rain poured down, and as soon as I got my suitcase, the damned wheel broke off and I had to drag the damned thing. And all the time the rain is pouring down like crazy. And just when I turned onto Broome Street, another flaming idiot speeds up so he can get through the intersection before the light turns red and goes right through a huge puddle, every drop of which hit me and knocked me down."

Rick stuck his hand in the shower. The water was hot. "Okay, you get in and take a nice long shower."

"You aren't going to join me?" She asked, rubbing her boobs against his shirt.

"Um, no. And when you get all dried out, could you stay in the bathroom until I tell you to come out? It won't be too long, I promise."

"Why?"

He smiled and kissed her softly. "It's a secret."

"A secret?" She asked. "Wouldn't you rather give me a secret in the shower?"

"Later." He smiled at her. "This is special."

Kate got in the shower and luxuriated in the hot water pouring over her. He soaped herself up and cleaned every bit of her, wanting to be fresh and clean for her lover. She decided to shampoo her hair, which had been hit with the very muddy water from the puddle. When she was done, she stepped out of the shower and dried off, then wrapped herself in a thick terry cloth robe. She decided against blow drying her hair, and simply wrapped it in a towel.

"Can I come out?" She called through the door.

"In just a second." Even as he spoke, she could hear his footsteps coming towards her.

"Ready?" He asked, opening the door.

"I don't know. What kind of secrets are you hiding from me?" Her smile took the sting from her words.

"Come on." He led her out of the bathroom and to the dining room. There, the table was set, candles glowed in the center of the table, and dish after dish of food was set out.

"Dinner?" She said, puzzled. "Your secret is dinner?"

"Not any dinner. This is all of your favorites from the Jade Palace. I had to heat them up in the microwave since I wasn't too sure when you'd get back. "

Kate leaned over and looked at the array of food on the table. "You certainly did get all of my favorites, Castle. We'll be eating Chinese for a week, at least."

"I may have gone a tad overboard." He said defensively. Before she could reply, he sat at the table and pulled her down onto his lap.

"I don't get my own chair?" She teased.

"I'm going to feed you." He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of sweet and sour pork which he popped into her mouth.

Kate reached for a set of chopsticks and snagged a shrimp in garlic sauce. "Then I'll feed you as well."

They sat there feeding each other and laughed at each other. "You didn't have to do all of this to welcome me back from my trip to Miami." She said. Kate had been working a cold case and had flown to Miami in hopes of finding a missing witness.

Castle did his best to look shocked. "You think this is a welcome home dinner? I'm shocked."

"What is it?"

"Kate, this is our anniversary."

For a split second, Kate was shocked that she had forgotten. But only for a split second. "Castle, this is not our anniversary. I do remember when we were married, you know."

"You don't remember?" Castle said, trying to look very hurt. "It was just about this time of night, too, when you tapped me on the shoulder, introduced yourself to me and changed my life forever."

Kate thought back to their very first meeting. "Oh, god, Castle. You're right."

"Of course, I'm right. Was there ever any doubt?"

"Happy anniversary." Kate leaned in and kissed Rick passionately. "But you didn't get your life changed for a very long time after we met."

"It was the next day."

"What?"

"Do you remember? We were sitting there reading my fan mail and you asked me why I was there. I said it was for the story. And I proceeded to tell you your story. About how you had other options, but lost someone and so became a cop."

"And that changed your life?"

Castle nodded enthusiastically. "Just for a few seconds, I saw the pain that you lived with. And I just wanted to take you in my arms, hold you and tell you that I'd do anything to take that pain away and replace it with joy."

Kate put her head on his shoulder. "If you had put your arms around me, I'd have broken your arms, just for starters. But you have taken a lot of my pain away and replaced it with more joy than I ever thought I'd know. I love you, Rick. I love you more than anyone or anything."

"Same here."

"But," she teased, "you're a very generous man. You probably want to help every chest you ever signed."

Castle shook his head slightly. "Okay, I do enjoy helping people. But what I felt when I saw your pain was something I never felt before and have never felt since. I needed to take away your pain. I needed to give you joy. I needed to solve the mystery that is Kate Beckett. I was fascinated by you. Enthralled. Ensorcelled, even. You were a part of me from that moment on."

"As you're a part of me."

Kate rested her head on his shoulder and the two of them sat there, happy to be together. Finally, she nibbled on his ear. "I suppose I should share my secret, too."

"What?"

"I'm pregnant."