Love in a Week (Castle/Beckett)

[Katheyrn Mae Wilson MD♥]

Summary: Beckett wakes up late morning and isn't too sure if she should be upset about it or not. Future-fic. Castle/Beckett.

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Thursday
The room was pitch-black and the blinds were drawn, even though it was nearly ten on a Thursday morning. A few clangs echoed from the kitchen, but they weren't loud enough to wake the woman still curled in bed. But, after a few moments, she woke, more from the feeling of having enough sleep, than the banging of pots in her kitchen.

Kate Beckett sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, before turning to look at the alarm clock on her bedside table. Upon seeing it's time, she nearly jumped out of bed, wearing nothing but a loose-fitting t-shirt and ran to her closet, rummaging in it. She sighed, dropping onto her bed, and collapsing back onto it.

Rolling onto her stomach, she reached into her drawer, pulling out the simple silver chain that held her mother's ring and slipped it over her head. Sitting up again, she crossed the room, pulling open the blinds and grabbing a pair of cotton pants from her dresser.

She headed down the hall in a rage, grinning internally at the main reason she had slept in so much, before she stopped in the kitchen doorway.

"Yes?" Rick Castle looked over at her, "You wanted something?"

"It's almost ten!" Beckett cried, looking at him, "I was supposed to be at work nearly two hours ago!"

"You needed your beauty sleep," Castle flipped a pancake on the stove, "Don't worry, everything is completely under control."

"Oh, I'm sure it is," Beckett laughed, taking the cup of coffee he handed her. "Who did you speak to and what did you tell them?"

"Ryan and I told him that your car broke down." Castle tried, "Am I in the clear now?"

"No you are not," Beckett set down her coffee, "You shouldn't have told Ryan, especially because he knows that I sometimes come in with Lanie if I have car trouble."

"Well I'm sorry," Castle faked a pout, "Would a hug help?"

"Not really," Beckett accepted the hug she was offered anyways, stepping into Castle's embrace.

"It obviously did," Castle smiled, "Good morning my dearest Kate."

"Morning Rick," Beckett kissed his lips lightly, "I love you."

"I love you too," Castle replied, letting go of her and turning back to the stove, "You get a quick shower and get dressed, by then breakfast should be done."

"Then we go to work, right?" Beckett smirked, sipping her coffee.

"No, then you go to work and your handsome boyfriend follows you." Castle leaned over, kissing her cheek, "I'll be ready in about twenty minutes, scoot." He slapped her butt playfully, earning a reproachful glare in return as she headed down the hallway to her bedroom.

[Katheyrn Mae Wilson MD♥]

Monday

Beckett woke, blinking in the harsh light that lit the lounge room of the 12th Precinct, and she rubbed her eyes.

"You're awake," Lanie was sitting besides her, a magazine on her lap and cup of coffee besides her.

"Huh? Why did I sleep here?" Beckett looked around, smoothing her hair and grabbing her own cup of coffee, "And where's everyone else?"

"Everyone else went out to search the victim's home," Lanie followed Beckett out of the lounge, "You stayed up late girl, Castle said that you needed to sleep."

"Why are you here?" Beckett looked over her shoulder at her best friend as she dug through her purse, trying to find her keys.

"They aren't in there," Lanie smiled, knowing what Beckett wanted to find. "Castle didn't think you'd mind if he borrowed your car." She grinned at her friend's shocked expression, "He said you can punish him later," she added a wink, causing Beckett to blush.

"Stop it!" Beckett gave a laugh, hitting Lanie with a newspaper on her desk, before she unfurled it, looking at the headlines, "Oh." She stared at the cover page of the Arts section, spotting a large, blown-up photograph of Castle, spotting his newest Nikki Heat book.

"Yup, that's why," Lanie grinned at the title, "Look the title, think it was intentional?"

"Summer Heat?" Beckett stared at it, "I thought he finished the series last year."

"Apparently not, and check this out." Lanie grabbed the paper, flipping open to the excerpt of Summer Heat that filled half the third page. "Right here." She jabbed the paper, pointing. "Read this."

"'The air crackled with tension built up as her eyes swept the room, Heat was angry, angrier than anyone had ever seen her. But it wasn't about the lies she had been told about the victim's true identity - it was the leaked secret that her and Rook's relationship had swept like wildfire through the precinct. And now, Heat was going to make the one person who had told everyone pay.'" Beckett read aloud, looking at Lanie. "What about it?"

"Castle's writing your and his relationship into his books," Lanie began.

"So?" Beckett smiled to herself, "He did that from day one with his Nikki Heat books, not that anyone could stop him."

"This," Lanie held out a hard package, wrapped in newspaper, "Was the real reason Castle told us not to wake you. Go on," she pushed the package into Beckett's hands. "Open it."

"Okay, okay," Beckett nearly tore off the paper in excitement, before she smiled, holding the book in her hands.

"He gave you one of his books?" Lanie asked, "He's your boyfriend, you can get them ..."

"No, it's Summer Heat," Beckett flipped through the paperback book, "It's still in editing, he must have gotten me a copy ahead of time."

"That's sweet," Lanie nudged Beckett as Castle and Ryan headed towards them, Esposito behind them. "Go talk to him."

"Fine," Beckett dropped Summer Heat on her desk before marching up to Castle, placing a light kiss on his cheek.

"Good morning Kate," Castle took her hand and they walked back to her desk, "Hope you don't mind us going without you, you needed your sleep."

"That's what Lanie said," Beckett took her seat, Castle sitting besides her like always, "And I'm glad you're worried about me."

"I always will be." Castle smiled, kissing her forehead.

[Katheyrn Mae Wilson MD♥]

Friday

"Hey, Kate," Castle's voice woke her and she rolled over in bed, looking at him.

"Yes?" She blinked up at him, smiling, "What is it?"

"You snore," Castle lay back down, having propped himself on an elbow to look at her, "It's loud."

"Well get used to it," Beckett yawned, loudly, snuggling under the covers, "You're the one who hinted at the movie night turning into a sleepover." She smiled back at him, kissing his lips lightly, before looking at the clock.

"Sorry...?" Castle ducked at Beckett hit him over the head with a pillow. "You were up late last night, I wanted to let you sleep."

"I have to be at work in ten minutes Richard Castle, I cannot be ready to go by then," Beckett nearly flew out of the room, trying a bathrobe around herself quickly.

"Kate," Castle followed her downstairs, watching her as she rummaged through the fridge, searching for something to eat. "I'll make breakfast," he pulled her away from the counters and into his arms, "Go shower, breakfast will be ready when you're done."

"Hey Beckett," Alexis appeared in the stairway, as Beckett hurried past her "Dad." She nodded at them, seeing their slightly embarrassed expressions as Alexis brushed past them, grabbing a bowl of cereal from the cupboard.

"Morning," Castle took a seat at the counter, "Want to pour me some too?"

"Get your own dad," Alexis handed him a bowl, "See, I did half the work."

"Cute," Castle tried to hide his grin, "Do we have enough milk or should we pick some up later?"

"Stop deflecting what you know I'm about to say," Alexis handed her dad the cartom of milk, "What was Beckett doing here?"

"Case," Castle lied, reciving a smack on the head with the newspaper as Martha trapised into the room.

"No it wasn't," Martha sat besides her son, "They were at Beckett's of a while then came over here."

"You were at Beckett's last night," Alexis looked at her father, "Beckett spent the night here and I didn't know about it?" She repressed her urge to scream and hug her dad, settling with a wide grin, "What's going on between you two?"

"Who, Beckett and I?" Castle was surprised when he realized how strange Beckett's last name suddenly felt on his tougne, "Nothing you two girls need to know about."

"He lies," Beckett was back from her shower already, wrapped in Castle's robe and her hair still damp, and she sat besides Castle, lacing her hand with his.

"You … two...?" Martha looked between Beckett and Castle's joined hands and Castle's embarrassed look, "Finally!" She hugged them both, breaming.

"Yes!" Alexis hugged her father and Beckett as well, a grin on her lips, "Took you two long enough."

"Only two years," Castle wrapped his arm around Beckett's waist, "Now, someone here is going to be late if she isn't ready."

Alexis and Beckett both jumped, glaring at Castle, before laughing.

"Alexis, you're fine," Castle kissed Beckett's forehead lightly, "You go get ready Kate, I'll get you something to eat when you're done."

Beckett rolled her eyes at him before hugging Alexis quickly as she left, before disappearing up the stairs, yelling something about punishing Castle for allowing her to sleep in once again.

"Don't you worry about that," Martha grinned at her son, "She's only looking for punishment that she's gonna enjoy too, don't forget, she's got a nice shinny pair on handcuffs."

"Mother!" Castle hit his mother lightly on the arm with the newspaper, "Stop it! Kate's my girlfriend, not a trophy. Besides, I want her to stick around here for a while."

"Trust me, it's going to be that way," Martha left the room, taking her usual "dramatc pause" upstairs, leaving her son alone with his thoughts.