Hey everybody, it's me again! Ashley or Gabielle, or whatever it is you want to call me! (Yes, I've recently revealed my real name. It's Ashley... and it was kind of awkward for me when I mentioned Ashley (Alexis' boyfriend) in this fic...)

Anyway, I thought that today, in commemoration of Nathan Fillion's birthday, I'd write a short one-shot about Castle's birthday. Slightly AU, in the fact that Castle and Beckett are already dating, but nobody else knows about it... Uhm, it's set whenever you want after 3x10, I guess.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and enjoy the rest of your day!

-Ashley

PS: I think the ending is too cheesy. Thoughts?

Detective Kate Beckett sat at her desk with her head perched lazily on her right hand. She was supposed to be doing paperwork, but she was having a hard time trying to decide what to get her boyfriend – and it felt so weird for her to call him that – for his birthday, and it was eating away at her. She did not want to screw this one up.

"Yo, Beckett," Espostio called out across the bullpen. "You OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded, jumping up and getting back to work, trying to press on even though she couldn't concentrate.

Ryan walked in and sat down at his desk. "Esposito, you get anything for Castle for his birthday?"

"Nah, man, the guys already got a bar. What can we get him that'll be better than that?"

"Everything does pale in comparison. And when you think about it, anything we get him, he's probably already got. Damn it, I hate being friends with rich people. Beckett, have you gotten him anything?"

"No," she scoffed, scribbling her pen mindlessly on a brainstorm, not even flinching when her phone rang.

"Detective Beckett," she answered. "Oh, hi. What's up?"

Ryan, who was curious as to who Beckett was having a very cryptic conversation with, picked up the extension that was usually used for tracing and listened in.

"So, I was wondering if there was any way you'd be able to keep Richard away from the loft while we get ready for it, and then maybe you could bring him around at about seven? Everything should be ready then, right Alexis?"

"Sure, Martha, I'll see what I can do. I'll see you at seven?"

"See you at seven," Martha beamed, and Beckett hung up, glaring at Ryan.

"Surprise party for Castle?" he asked. "Are we invited?"

"That may have been a very private conversation," she snapped.

"But it wasn't, it was Martha."

"Who says I can't have a private conversation with Martha?" she asked.

"Well, I was just - are we invited?"

"Of course we are," Esposito said. "Didn't you get Beckett's email yesterday? We have to be there at 5.30 to help with the setup."

"Good thing we don't have a case," Ryan grinned.

"Yet," Beckett said. "We don't have a case yet."

At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and Castle exited, holding two cups of coffee.

"Morning, Castle," Ryan said, waving.

"Can I speak with you, please?" Beckett asked, getting up from her seat and heading towards the break room, Castle not far behind. She sat down at the table, her back facing the door so that Esposito and Ryan wouldn't be able to lip-read to find out what she was talking about, because they would no doubt be standing at the door.

"What's up?" Castle asked her as he handed her her coffee.

"You haven't told anybody about us, have you?" she asked him, taking a sip.

"No," he answered, shaking his head. "Why do you ask?"

That smile!, she thought as he grinned at her slyly. How she'd successfully managed not to jump him for the past two years was now a complete mystery to her. "I just thought you'd have told people about it, if not Ryan and Esposito then at least your mum and Alexis. But nobody's made any quips about it, so I was just... wondering."

"You're cute when you do that."

"Do what?"

"That thing you do where you ramble with absolutely no point and then you just falter off to one word."

"There was a point!" she defended. "So you really haven't told anybody?"

"No," he said. "Why, have you?"

"Castle, if I'd told Lanie we were dating, I'd probably have died from not being able to breathe," she said to him, knowing exactly who he'd meant when he asked.

"Fair point," he said. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

Damn, Beckett thought. She hadn't thought of what to do to keep him occupied for the day. And she wasn't going to let him know that she knew it was his birthday, because that would probably ruin the surprise for tonight. "Uh, well, the boys and I were just going to do paperwork, if you'd like to join us. And then we'll all be ready if a body drops."

"Sounds like a plan," he grinned.

"Can you believe it?" Esposito asked when he and Ryan got up to leave at 5.30. "Not a single body drop all day!"

"I know, it's amazing," Castle said. "You guys wanna do something tonight? Drinks on me at The Old Haunt?"

"Sorry, Castle," Ryan said. "Can't. I'm going out with Jenny."

"Taking Lanie out," Esposito shrugged. "Sorry man."

Castle closed his eyes and nodded. "Don't worry about it," he said, as they left. He wasn't going to let on to them, but he was way past disappointed. He thought they'd know his birthday by now, working together for the past two and a half years. Well, he hadn't mentioned it to them, but he still thought that Beckett would know, what with her being a closet fan of his for many years now.

"What's up, Castle? Something wrong?"

"No," he sighed. "I just thought I had some friends here. Obviously not."

"Because they won't go to The Old Haunt with you because they've already got plans?" she asked. "How's this? We go out for a drink after I finish up this paperwork, okay?"

"Okay," he said. "What about dinner?"

"Oh, no, I'm going out with my dad for dinner tonight," she said. "Don't want to spoil it."

He looked at her in exasperation. "How come I didn't know about these plans?" he asked.

"Look, Castle, I may be in a relationship with you, but you are not my datebook. You do not have to know every single one of my plans, 'kay?"

"Okay," he said, dejectedly.

"What's really wrong?" she asked him, glancing up from her papers. She figured that if she kept him talking, the longer it'd be until she was finished, and the less time she'd have to kill before taking Castle back to his loft. "I told you I'd have a drink with you."

"I know," he said. "But Alexis is going out with Ashley tonight, and mother's going out with some friends or something. And nobody wants to spend time with me."

"Why don't you work on your next Nikki Heat book?" she asked him, daring to shoot him a glance. "Isn't the new manuscript due soon, or something?"

"I don't want to work on it tonight," he shrugged. "I want to spend time with... somebody. Anybody!"

"So, you're choosing to stay here bothering me instead of just going home and finding something to do?"

"I like bothering you," he smiled, the same smile from before. "Besides, if I leave now, I probably won't even get a kiss."

"I dunno, Castle, I might be able to get one of the uniforms to kiss you, if you like."

"Funny."

"You think so?" she smirked.

An hour later, after she'd finally finished the paperwork, she woke Castle up from his snooze and led him out of the bullpen. Nobody else was there, so she took his hand and leaned into him, even though he was still a bit angry.

"I'm meeting my dad at half past seven," she said, looking at her watch. It was ten to seven, still ten minutes before she could take Castle back to his loft. "How about we just get some coffee and then go back to yours for a bit before I have to leave again?"

"Can't you just cancel dinner with your dad?" he whined, desperate to hang out with somebody now. "Or, I could go with you!"

"With my dad? Uh-huh, no way. Come on, let's have a drink at yours before I go. Then I'll come back after, okay?"

"Fine," he said, leaning his head on her shoulder as they stepped into the Spring air and hailed a cab. The two of them experienced an awkward silence on the way back to his apartment in Tribeca, and as they exited the taxi, Beckett pulled out her phone and sent a message to Alexis – we'll be about two minutes.

An immediate reply of 'OK, we're ready' arrived, and Beckett pocketed her phone.

"Who are you texting?" he asked suspiciously.

"None of your business," she said, following him into the lift. She smiled. "It's just my dad, don't worry."

When they arrived at his door, Castle unlocked it and walked backwards into the room. "What do you want?" he asked. "Vodka?"

"SURPRISE!" came the sound of fifty people jumping out from behind couches as he turned back to the room.

Beckett put her lips to his ear and whispered, "Happy Birthday, Richard." He didn't get a chance to reply before he was attacked by his family and friends coming up to wish him a happy birthday.

Hours later, after most of the party guests had had too much to drink, Castle found Beckett waiting for him in his study, her feet up on the desk.

"How did you know it was my birthday?" he asked, sitting down next to her feet.

"Castle, I thought you knew that I creep around the fan sites," she smiled.

"Really?"

"Well, it's how I found out when your birthday was, yes," she blushed. "But your mother called me the other day and reminded me, and we organised the party, if that's what you were wondering."

"Oh," he said, yawning.

"You really thought we'd forgotten your birthday, didn't you?" she asked, sitting up straighter. "Even Martha and Alexis?"

"Well, you know, Alexis has her boyfriend, mother's busy with the details for her acting school... you three had paperwork. I can't believe that we didn't get a single body drop all day."

"Yeah, New York homicide rate seemed to be on your side today... So, uh, I feel really bad, Castle, but I couldn't find anything for your birthday that I thought you'd like. And I know that's a really bad thing to do when you're in a relationship with someone, but everything I saw you either already had or you'd think was stupid, or -"

He cut her off by kissing her gently on the mouth. "You're doing it again," he told her. "That thing where you ramble."

"You're not angry?" she asked.

"No," he said. "I'm just glad that you remembered."