Author's note: This is my first time actually writing a story for everyone to read. So it's kinda nervewrecking right now. Honest reviews please. :)

Oh, and this is a oneshot deal.

"Kate, let Ryan and Esposito handle this one." Josh pleaded with her one more time, to which Beckett just refused again. She picked up her gun and attached it to her holster, her mind already set on a decision. "Look, you've done so much. Dinner's waiting. Let the boys handle it."

Kate let out a tired sigh. "Josh, no. I will not let the boys handle it. This is my case too."

Castle suddenly ambled into the room with his signature smirk that made Beckett's breathing heighten up considerably. Josh was too busy cooking up ways to make Beckett leave work early to notice the blatant attraction that was happening in the room.

"What's going on?" Castle's playful voice made Josh look up, but only put his head down again, muttering, "Nothing you need to be concerned about."

Kate shook her head before running her hands through her hair. She was going through last minute checks in her head to make sure the whole operation went smoothly. Castle noticed the tension on her face and tried to alleviate her troubles by edging towards her dangerously close to Josh's liking.

"What's wrong, Beckett?" He asked.

She snapped out of her reverie and glanced at Castle with a small smile. "Oh, uh, I was just thinking. Have you seen Ryan and Esposito?"

Castle nodded. "Yeah, they were in the break room all dressed up. Are we going out for a raid or something?" he asked excitedly. Beckett could never get enough of that, and she hid a pleased smile. Instead she gave him straight face as she grabbed the flak jacket off her desk. "Not we, Castle. You're staying here."

His face fell, but Beckett knew it wasn't for real. She would have forgotten of Josh's presence if only he hadn't sighed one more time. She couldn't deal with him right now. She just couldn't. He was pissed because she had put off dinner again, but it's not like she chose to.

She had priorities. She had her job.

"What?"

"You heard me. You're not leaving the precinct."

"Beckett, I've saved your life on numerous accounts. Give me some credit here."

She gave him a pointed look, slipping her arm into the hole of the jacket. "And exactly how many times are you going to remind me of that?

"Why can't I go this time?" Castle whined predictably. "What if you need a Chinese translator? Or back-up? I can be your back-up. I'm your partner, Beckett—"

"Castle, there is no way I am letting you come with us with a broken wrist. You're no good to me that way." Beckett put over the last Velcro tape on the jacket. She was about ready to leave, except she hadn't finished this conversation with Castle.

"Ouch." Castle turned to her with puppy dog eyes.

Beckett had fallen for those so many times before that she had taught herself to turn cold at them. "Stay here. I'll update you in the car, if you want."

He collapsed onto his chair with a sad look in his eyes. "Fine. But it won't be as good as actually being there." Beckett couldn't hide the smile anymore as she looked over at him. Castle has proven to be very important to her, and she did want him with her. It's just that he could be in harm's way if she let him go in this condition. She couldn't risk that.

She wouldn't.

"Be a good boy, Castle. I'll see you when I get back."

And without another word, she fled to the break room where the rest of the team was getting ready. Within minutes, they filed out of there with intense looks on each of their faces and again, Castle couldn't help but worry about Beckett's safety. That's all he could think about. She was always putting herself out there and he was afraid that one day, it could hurt her.

Castle turned to look down on his hands when in the corner of his eye, he saw the long, black haired doctor sitting on Beckett's chair with his head partially in his hands. Unable to resist the urge to say so, and to avoid the awkwardness that always seemed to follow the two of them, he said, "You know, Beckett doesn't like it when someone else sits on her chair. It makes her snappy."

Josh looked up slowly. "Yeah, well, I'm not just someone else, Castle." He replied, somewhat arrogantly. Castle expected this kind of response from him, and decided to have a little fun with this exchange. "Of course. You're the boyfriend. Sometimes I forget."

"Or you want to forget." Josh scoffed.

"Now why would I want to do that?"

"Gee, Castle, I don't know. Figure it out."

Castle shifted in his chair, resting his hands on his lap and crossing his legs at his ankles. Josh gave his best at avoiding Castle's purposeful look, but Castle made it difficult for him to do so.

He had heard the little argument Beckett had with Josh as he was coming in, but he was too far away to get the details. Right now, looking at the forlorn motorcycle boy he had unaffectionately nicknamed, he wondered why he wanted to speak to him so badly. Was it that man to man, he knew when a guy was close to being done, or was he just ever curious to know any information that involved Beckett?

"Saved any lives today, Josh?" Castle asked randomly.

"Yes, Castle, I did something of worth today—unlike you who's been following Kate around all day like a lap dog." Josh snapped, running his fingers through his longish hair. Castle's face turned dark and the light disposition he always had suddenly withered away. He turned to Josh with an unreadable expression.

Even Josh almost looked like he regretted the words that left his mouth. "Where the hell did that come from?" Castle asked, a deep frown setting on his features. He'd always been an easy guy to be around, and though he was often attacked with jokes, Castle had been the type of guy to have a big smile on his face like nothing could make him upset.

Well, what motorcycle boy just said made Castle feel very unsettled.

Josh looked at him with his mouth agape and then he slowly sighed. "Sorry. I'm sorry, Castle. That was—that was a stupid thing to say."

"Look, I get it, you're mad because tonight things didn't go your way. But don't take out on me. I'm just trying to help out... in some way." Castle replied. "You seem down, and I've had the habit of cheering people up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But either way, I'm happy about it."

"Must be why Kate likes you around her so much." Josh's next words were, and this surprised Castle. Josh said that with a small smile, sitting up straight in his chair. "Aw, yeah, sure. Could be. But I am pretty useful on cases too. I like to think that as a writer, I have this very different view of things." Castle answered him, laughing nervously.

"Castle, c'mon." He said with a little, impatient sigh. Rick's laugh went dry as Josh continued. "I'm not as dumb as you think I am. I can see it. She looks at you in this way..."

"What do you mean?" Castle asked quietly.

Josh looked over at Castle with a resigned look, his eyes looking very clouded.

"The way Kate looks at you, Castle—she never looks at me that way. And... and ever since we've been together, I've been hoping to get her to look at me the way she looks at you."

Castle played with the buttons of his dress shirt as he glanced up at Josh. "No. Kate—Beckett loves you." He gulped.

"You think so?" Josh retorted. "Because I keep telling myself that and it doesn't work."

"Josh, there is nothing going on between us. I work with her and we're partners, but it'll never come to that point."

"Do you keep convincing yourself of that, Castle?"

Now it was his turn to steer clear of Josh's intense gaze.

"I would never ruin anything for you guys."

Josh chuckled. "I know you wouldn't. But it's not just about that now. She likes you, Castle. More than she'll ever feel for me. And honestly, it sucks. And it hurts." Castle could see the pained look in his dark eyes; a side that he'd never seen. "I just want Kate to be happy."

"Me too." Castle said, smiling a small smile as his thoughts drifted to the beautiful brunette.

"You make her happy, Castle."

He turned to Josh with a startled look at the admittance. "I-I do my best."

Josh rested his hands on his knees, nodding. "I've been trying to get this relationship to work. I don't know what else I can do anymore, you know. I care about her alot and I'd do anything for her but I can't give her what she wants. I'm not you, Castle. And she wants you."

Castle could hear the blood pounding in his ears and his emotions easily clouding his logic. What was Josh trying to say? Other than that—Kate. If it was true, then everything he thought he knew would change forever.

"You guys have had a tough night."

"A tough year would be exact." Josh interjected.

"You'll work things out. Everything will be okay." Castle said in an even tone. He was controlling the thoughts that were rushing to his head and the overwhelming wash of dizziness that came over him. Josh stood up and shoved his hands into his jeans. "Not this time. Not this time." He repeated. "Take care of Kate, Castle."

"What about dinner?" Castle asked, slightly frazzled. "What about your plans for tonight?"

"Tell Kate that dinner got cold. It's no good anymore and I'm done trying to fix things."

Josh shuffled past Castle quickly before Castle was up to his feet, staring after him with torn feelings. This is what Castle wanted, right? Josh out of the picture. And now he got it. But somehow it didn't feel right. To every action there is an equal reaction and Castle could only imagine what Beckett would feel.

"Josh, Kate doesn't deserve this! Talk to her!" Castle found himself calling out to the tall cardiac surgeon who was nearing the elevator. "Don't do this to her."

The elevator doors dinged and there was nothing he could do except stare at his retreating back. Josh didn't even look up once until there was an inch between the doors left, and he was taken down to the ground floor.

A rush of thoughts surged through Castle's head. Should he chase after Josh, beat some sense into him? Convince him that if he did this, there was no going back?

But was that what Castle wanted to do? Or was it something he needed to do?

His mind was telling him to move his ass, and run after Josh. If he had to, he'd handcuff him to a chair so he could tell Beckett how he felt to her face, because she deserves that. All the good things were overpowering Castle but he stayed glued right where he was. It was the right to do, it was the ethical decision.

But he didn't want to save their relationship. For the first time, it became clear to Castle what he really wanted from Beckett—and hell, it wasn't friendship.

He had zoned out, buried in his thoughts until Ryan snapped his fingers in front of his face. Castle reacted, blinking his eyes furiously and backing into his chair.

"Ryan," He said, surprised. The blue eyed detective peered at him curiously, having a small smile on his face. Castle wondered how long he'd been standing like a mannequin and thinking about Beckett. "Is this a new experiment for a new Nikki Heat book? How long you can stand still without blinking or moving?"

Castle chuckled. "No, but, that's a good idea. How long was I in that position, exactly?"

"We arrived about four, five minutes ago. Saw you like that when I came out of the elevator. Went into the break room to get water, brew a little coffee and walked to my desk—and you were still like that, so, it's been quite a while. What's up?"

Castle shrugged. "I don't know. Must have spaced out."

Ryan nodded at him and Castle noticed his vest was still on. "How did the operation go?"

"We caught them red-handed and we had alot of manpower plus Beckett, so we apprehended them quickly." Ryan grinned at him. "You missed out on all the fun, Castle. Told you to be careful. We don't have stunt doubles at the NYPD, man."

He looked down on his bandaged wrist with a slight shake of his head. "Oh, I wouldn't say that." Castle responded dryly. "I had a pretty... revealing time here."

"Sure, whatever makes you feel better." Ryan slapped his back, passing him and to the break room.

"Where's Beckett?" Castle spun around and asked. Ryan stopped at the door and shrugged. "Must be cleaning up in the lockers. She'll come around soon."

Castle's imaginative mind went on a frenzy as Ryan's words took on a life of their own. Cleaning up? Why did Beckett have to clean up and Ryan didn't have to? Did she hurt herself? Was she cleaning up her wounds?

He felt his chest tighten as he struggled to ask, "What do you mean? Is she hurt?"

"You worry too much about me, Castle." Her familiar voice came from behind him. Castle turned around, catching Beckett's smirk. She ran her fingers through her long, brown hair before sitting down on her chair.

"You said you'd update me from the car." Castle replied, moving around his chair. "We couldn't take the car, it would have taken too long. Besides, the crime scene wasn't far and it was a good workout." Beckett crossed her long legs.

Castle gave her a pouting look. "Oh, come on, Castle, it's not like you were dying from information deprivation."

"How would you know that? You didn't call to check."

Beckett smiled widely, her eyes meeting Castle's. "I'm positive that you'll live. And you had company. Which reminds me, where did Josh go?" She started looking around.

Castle took that time to organize his thoughts and mask his expressions. Playing poker did do some good to him as Beckett turned to him again with an expectant look.

"He was called. To work." He blurted out. "It was an emergency and he really had to go."

Beckett's face froze and she cast her eyes away from him for a short few seconds. When she looked up again, Castle could see the disappointment swirling in her emerald eyes. "Josh didn't want to leave, but he—"

She raised a hand, silencing Castle before he could finish. "It's okay. I'm used to it." Kate let out a forced laugh. "Well, uhm, that's... that's Josh. Always saving the world."

An easy silence fell upon them—a common thing whenever Josh came up. Castle felt it wasn't safe to look at Beckett, yet. He was afraid she would see right through him.

It took Castle all of his inner strength not to shudder when Beckett gently touched his good hand. "Have you eaten yet?" she asked. He shook his head, a smile edging its way to fullness. "No. But I know a good place."

"It's not Chinese?" She made a face. "I've had enough of those at home."

Castle grinned. "I was thinking American food. Burgers, hotdogs, fries, shakes—"

"—calories." Beckett finished, laughing.

Kate blushed when Castle cocked his head to the side adorably. "So what about it, KB, you up for it?"

"Oh, if it's about food, I'm going all the way." She grinned at him. Castle jumped from his seat and offered a hand to Beckett and she took it, very grateful for his company. She thinks Castle knows she loves having him around. Kate needed the child in him.

While Beckett collected her purse and her coat, Castle started to fiddle with the bandage that had covered his wrist and the hard cast over it. He fingered the words Beckett had signed on, and he felt a genuine smile at it.

"How's your wrist?" She asked. Castle looked at Beckett, her eyes filled with concern. "Is it hurting? The doctor said you're not supposed to feel any pain." Beckett covered the space between them, her hands reaching out to Castle's injury.

"Now who's worrying too much?" Castle grinned.

Beckett let out a throaty laugh, but gave him a nod of approval at his comeback. "Well done, Mr. Castle. Come on. I'm starving." She pressed her hand on his shoulder, pushing him towards the elevator. "But you are okay, right?" She asked again.

Normally, Castle would have started to tease here right then and there, but now, staring into her eyes, Castle could see infallible concern in her eyes. His mouth closed off from any crack remarks.

"Yeah." He answered seriously. "I'm okay, Beckett."

Kate smiled, pressing the down button. "Good."

The doors open, and a few people came out. Castle and Beckett entered the elevator alone, another moment of silence passing them.

Castle thought he was doing a great job at being more mature—in a sense, when Beckett started to giggle. He gave her a confused look as she turned red. "You are just itching to say something right now, aren't you, Castle?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." He couldn't contain his grin. "Does this mean I can go with you and nab the bad guys next time?"

"I'll think about it, Castle."

"Come on, I'm good to go! Besides, I can shoot with one hand."

"I said I'll think about it."

"What's there to think about?"

"Rick." She said in a warning tone.

"Katherine." Castle shot back, back to his sugar rush hyped self. Beckett opened her mouth, but nothing came out. They both stared at each other for a few minutes until Beckett revealed her pearly whites in a loud laugh, turning away from Castle. Then he started to laugh with her.

In the end, they were quite sure that their laughter was booming down the floors as they went by.