Set immediately after the season 2 finale (we were robbed!) Enjoy =) Reviews appreciated =) Feral xxx

Heated Up

"Hey Castle!" Ryan shouted out, following him and the ex-wife down the corridor. Rick turned to face his friend as he caught up to him. "One sec?"

Rick smiled at Gina, who took the hint and headed towards the exit, "I'll be in the car."

"Ryan, what's up?" Castle asked, once his ex-wife was out of earshot.

"Castle, for a multi-millionaire, you are such a simpleton." Ryan sighed, and Castle recoiled, caught off guard by his friend's words. Before he could reply, Ryan continued, hands on hips, "Your ex-wife? Really?"

"Hey, she's good company and she'll keep me focused." Rick defended himself, but was confused as to Ryan's problem and why he should care.

"Yeah, right." He scoffed, his comments seemed more reflective than judgemental. "Look, Castle, you're a good guy and if you seriously can't see what every person in this precinct can see, then you really shouldn't be solving crimes, on paper or here." With that, Ryan sighed and turned to leave Castle dumbfounded in the corridor, and wondering, if only for a split second, he was talking about what he hoped Ryan was talking about.

Shaking it off almost as quickly as the thought flashed across his mind, he took a last lingering look at the precinct, at Beckett's desk, smiled as he remembered their first meeting. From the first moment he found her attractive, beautiful even, but as he began shadowing her and got to really know her, he realised she was different from every other girl in his life; she was layered, complicated, driven by her work and great at it because she cared, and she was smart. She didn't just keep up with him intellectually, she challenged him and through that she excited him. Castle, who was usually so talented at putting together pieces of a puzzle, had realised too late that the reason he hadn't treated her like any other attractive woman he romanced was that she wasn't like anyone else, and his feelings ran deeper than even he knew. He realised the only time he figured it out was when Beckett started seeing Demming; his jealousy paved the way for his true feelings to manifest, the irony being that now, it was too late.

He smiled with self-pity, and left the precinct to meet Gina in the car, determined that his new novel was going to be the best piece of literature he'd ever write, with only Beckett's image imprinted on his memory for inspiration.

Castle ran through the 12th precinct in a flurry: having packed last minute as was tradition, he had the usual panic attack of not knowing where he'd last placed an item essential to a holiday; sometimes it was his lucky pen, others his sandals, today it was his sunglasses. Having deduced that the last time he saw them was on Beckett's desk, the Hamptons took a minor detour to the 12th.

"Castle?" He'd just reached Beckett's desk, sunglasses in hand, and looked up to find, unsurprisingly, Demming. "I thought you were off for the summer?"

"I was, I am." Castle smiled dryly and waved his sunglasses. "Packing has never been my forte."

Demming nodded, leaving a file for Beckett on her desk. "Listen, I know you and I never saw eye to eye, and I think we both know why, but I hope we can put that behind us."

He extended his hand, smile on his face, seemingly genuine. Castle exhaled, "Of course." And just as he turned to leave, Castle felt moved to say, "And Demming... take good care of her."

"Huh?" Demming looked puzzled. "Who're you talking about?"

"Queen Elizabeth." Castle replied dryly, it wasn't enough he had to win but to make him say it as well? "Beckett, who else?"

"No, I mean... she isn't going with you?" Demming squinted, leaning on her table.

"Me? Why would she be going with me? Weren't you and Beckett going for a dirty weekend away together?" Castle tried to make it sound cheeky and suggestive, but it came out slightly less disinterested than he intended.

Demming looked at him blankly. "Castle, she... she didn't tell you?" He looked away, "Man, I would have betted on that one."

"On what one? Demming, what's going on?" Castle was losing patience, as well as cab fare if this went on any longer.

"Castle, she broke up with me." Demming replied. It was like every cheesy movie Rick had ever seen, all sounds went deaf to him, all sights blackened for a split second. "I kinda figured she broke up with me because of you."

"Why'd you say that?" Castle demanded, having only partially heard what Demming said.

Demming looked at him bluntly, "Call it a cop gut feeling. Besides, she said she was gonna go away for a few weeks."

"When? I saw her last night, she never..." Rick took a moment to realise how last night was possibly the most catastrophic moment ever. The way Beckett was talking, he never could have known that she might have said something... and then Gina comes round the corner and he tells her they're going away for the summer. "Ryan was right. I am a simpleton." Rick murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose, a headache starting to form.

"Late last night, after your party." He sighed, before adding sweetly, "Sorry for missing that by the way."

"It's alright, didn't really want you there." Rick smiled. He looked at his sunglasses and back to Demming.

Demming smiled. "I never liked you either."

Rick laughed, "Glad we're on the same page." Rick stood from leaning on the desk and extended a hand which Demming took. "Thanks Demming. I guess I better go talk to a girl about a book."

"Go get her." Demming smiled. "She should still be home for a few hours before her flight."

Having explained the situation to Gina, who was obviously upset, Castle had driven over to Beckett's newly refurnished apartment and sat in his car on the other side of the road. He worked up the nerve to get to her door, and buzzed for her apartment.

"Hello?" Came Beckett's voice through the intercom.

"Beckett, it's Castle." He cleared his throat.

"Castle? Hey... I didn't expect you." Beckett replied.

"Yeah... can I come up?" Castle felt self-conscious standing on the side of the building.

"Oh yeah, sure." She buzzed him in and he ascended the stairs to her place.

She opened the door just as he arrived on the top step, but moved back into her apartment for Castle to let himself through. "I've gotta say, I thought you'd be on your way to the Hamptons by now."

Castle noticed the suitcase by the door, her red leather jacket by the door and her apartment neatly kept. "That was the plan. Are you going somewhere?"

Beckett looked around and laughed. "Yeah. I'm finally taking all that leave the Captain's been pushing me to take. You made a vacation sound like fun, and I could use some of that, take my mind off things." She stood with her arms wrapped around her, as if she was cold, or holding something back. A few moments of silence passed, Beckett breaking the silence. "So what are you doing here?"

"Right. I went down to the precinct this morning, having forgotten my sunglasses," He waved them around for authenticity, "And I ran into Demming. He told me you broke up. I guess, I just wanted to come down here and see if you were... ok." He smiled weakly.

Beckett blinked. "Thanks for the concern Castle, but I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Besides, I don't think this one's gonna be too tough to get over." She smiled forcefully.

"Right. Good." Castle nodded. "I just wanted to... check." A few more moments of silence.

"Have a good trip Castle." Beckett nodded, clearly signing for him to move towards the door.

"Right." Castle nodded, seemingly lost in thought. He did start to move towards the door with Beckett following him, when he paused and turned to face her again. "It's just... Demming said the darnedest thing, he seemed to think that you broke up with him for someone else."

"Oh yeah?" Beckett's mouth dropped slightly.

"He said it was a cop gut feeling. Seemed pretty convinced." Castle continued.

"Yeah, well his gut feeling is way off this time." Beckett replied, practically pushing him out the door, "And besides, since when are you and Demming so buddy-buddy?"

"Bothers you, doesn't it?" Castle baited, smiling.

Kate sighed. "Not in the least Castle, you guys go ahead, bond, become poker buddies, what do I care?"

"So you don't?"

"What?"

"Care?"

"About what?"

"Demming and me. Me and Demming."

"Demming and I." Beckett corrected, with a smile on her face and in her heart.

"Did you... did you just grammatically correct me?" He accused.

"You know, I think I just did." Kate smiled.

"Well I guess I'm rubbing off on you." He grinned boyishly.

"You wish." Kate's eyes glinted, although she would never admit it, she loved their banter; and like every time they solved a crime together, she noticed their proximity, they were practically in each other's faces.

"Kate, I –" Castle began.

"Kate?" Beckett smiled. "You never call me Kate."

"I call you Kate." He defended himself. "I call you Kate all the time."

"Oh yeah, like when?" Kate challenged.

"Like... that time. At the precinct... or outside of it..." Castle squinted, clearly not coming up with any real examples.

"Well I've been proved wrong; with specifics like that you could be an expert eye witness." She teased. Despite all of their talking, they were still just standing in her living room, and nothing was really being said. "Hey, do you want a coffee or anything?"

"Oh, no, I'm good, I mean, unless you do." Castle stumbled over his words and was mentally cursing himself for calling himself a writer and being completely unable to form a legitimate sentence.

She nodded and headed to the kitchen, "So you and the ex-wife. Didn't see that one coming."

"Neither did I." Castle smiled. "You should know though, nothing happened with Gina, I mean nothing last night – "

"Castle, you don't have to explain yourself to me." Beckett smiled.

"I feel like I do." Castle smiled self-consciously, and Kate smiled back with a scrunched nose, signifying that she found Castle amusing when he didn't make sense. He'd noticed that about her. "You know you'd think for all the writing I do I'd have the perfect words, or any words, to tell you..."

"Tell me what?" She asked, her coffee mug reaching her lips, the sip refreshing, and then returning to the table.

"I hated Demming." He blurted out.

"What?" She smiled.

"Hated him. He was all... and the way he... well," He scoffed.

"Excuse me? What about your conquests? The model? Bachelorette number three? Hundreds more with less brain cells between them than a three-year-old."

"Hey, the model was not that bad." Castle replied, losing track of the point.

"Are you kidding me? She thought that your books had pictures. She thought they were picture books, Castle." Kate threw her hands in the air, returning to the living room.

"Books with pictures and picture books are two very different things Beckett, don't confuse them." Castle replied. "But I am getting slightly off point."

"Oh? There was a point to this little visit was there?" Kate asked sarcastically. "For your information, Tom was a good guy, Castle, he deserved a lot better."

Castle took a breath, and smiled. "There isn't any better than you."

Kate looked up at him for any hint of sarcasm that his voice didn't betray and instead found only sincerity. "Some people might disagree." She said it to herself more than anyone, feeling the let-down she experienced the night before all over again.

"Those people are idiots. Myself included." Castle exhaled.

Kate's head snapped up, "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what you heard. Kate I hated Demming because... you were with him. Plain and simple." Castle replied, taking a step closer.

Kate smiled; Castle had finally just admitted to her the one thing she wanted to here, and now she wanted him to actually tell her. "You mean because you have feelings for me?"

"You had feelings for me first." Castle taunted, and smiled.

Beckett raised an eyebrow. "What? I did not. I... appreciated your... individuality."

"Oh is that what the cool kids are calling it these days?" Castle smiled, which was met by a disapproving look from Beckett.

"This is what I'm saying Castle, if you can't seriously tell me how you feel, how am I supposed to know I'm no more to you than your toy Tom was playing with – no! comment." She warned. "You turn everything into a joke."

Castle moved a step closer to her, enclosing her hands in his, and standing well within her comfort zone. "This isn't a joke to me."

Kate looked deeply into his eyes, for any sign of dishonesty, for anything that should make her not trust his word. "You promise?"

Castle smiled, and leaned down to press his lips to hers to feel hers respond. He whispered, "I do." Beckett lifted herself to his lips, wrapping her arms around him, feeling his around her waist; his tongue slipped between her lips, her hands under his shirt. He raised his hand cradling her head, pulling her towards him, feeling her return his passion, his yearning.

"This better not go in your book." She whispered, a smile playing on her face.

"This is a closed chapter." Rick answered. "For your eyes only."