None of Castle is mine. I own nothing but the flights on which Marlowe takes my imagination. This is my first fic in ages and I'm a bit rusty let me know if you like it.

As we sat at the bar I stared at my fiancé that wasn't, and could clearly remember the day I met Kate Beckett for the first time. The look on her face as she flashed her badge, the smirk that I now knew meant, "gotcha jackass". She was insanely cute, sassy and oh, so sexy in that suit, that did its best to make her look authoritative despite the appeal that rolled off of her in waves.

But that in this world that moment never happened.

That day that we should have met, she was at home wrapped in blankets and cools towels. She had gotten sick the day before with the stomach flu from some bad nachos she eaten during a baseball game with her dad. I missed Kate because of NACHOS! The idea was almost too ridiculous to say the least. To say it all fell apart in the face of congealed cheesy chips made my head and heart ache.

I knew there was a reason I sorta hated baseball.

She had moved on from what she knew of the Tisdale case and was now talking about the last case she solved as a detective, involving a sword wilding vigilante. Most of it sounded vaguely familiar except for how it ended.

I distinctly remember at the end of that case, the awkward departure as we realized the couple was acting on the very thing we denied ourselves for so long. I recall perfectly the hint of flushed embarrassment that pinked her cheeks as we watched the elevator doors close.

"…Once Montgomery retired, his recommendation made it solid and I was made Captain the next day."

"Wait…what? Montgomery's alive?"

"Uh, Yeah?! Sends me post cards from his fishing excursions." she laughs softly. "Caught a 6 foot sturgeon a few months back. Travels all over the country looking for an excuse to get in boat and float away. Guess he can now that he's divorced."

Rick wrinkled his nose at the news.

Everyone was alive and doing relatively well but it seems he had more George Bailey in him than he originally thought.

Beckett never knew him, Alexis would rather be with her mom, no Jenny and Ryan, and hence no Sarah Grace, no Esposito and Lanie, and now Roy was divorced. Maybe some were better off without him, but wow this was a fucked up world.

She was staring at him now with that look she gives particularly difficult suspects. "Mr. Castle, I'm really flattered, you think I'm interesting, but I really don't understand your intentions here?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes I'm going to write about you."

"Me? Okay."

"So, the youngest woman to ever make Captain? That's impressive."

"No." she said with a hint of sadness.

"No?" Wasn't this the life that she wanted. To be her own boss. To run the precinct as she saw fit? Justice and the win?

"It's not all that's it's cracked up to be. And if you really are basing a character on me, then she's going to be boring." Kate looked a little disappointed in herself as she spoke the words.

I knew enough of her 'Rebel Becks' stories to know that there could be no version of Katherine Haughton Beckett that could ever cast her as boring."Whoa! Whoa! I doubt you could ever be boring."

"Well my life mostly consists of paperwork and politics." She smirked at her own predicament, which she seemed to hope hammered home her mind-numbing state of being.

"Ah, you miss the streets." It wasn't a question. I knew Kate better than I knew my own name at times. She was a cop to her core. She was a doer not an overseer. That's what made me love her more every day.

She attacked life, her job and in the beginning me. To think that all of that never happened here made me ill all over again.

She looked mournful now, like there was a sad truth hiding behind those gorgeous hazel eyes I love so much. "Um…Truthfully I-I don't think I was meant to be a homicide detective."

I was completely rocked. Kate was the epitome of what all detectives should be; Smart, savvy, resourceful and completely beautiful inside and out. I never saw her doubt herself like this. It was strange; she was more vulnerable in this moment with me, a perfect stranger than I'd ever really known her to be. "Why would you say that?"

"Because the case that made me want to be a cop, I was never able to solve." As she fiddled with the small symbolic golden hoop, I suddenly realized the peril of the butterfly wings I set in motion. I was never there to reopen her mother's case, Montgomery lived and she never got shot, but Bracken never faced justice for his crimes. Maybe it was better this way.

"Anyway back to you. Why did you kill off Derrick Storm?"

"Ah, it's complicated." At that moment she spotted our 'dates' true intent and I braced for impact.

"Wait what is this place. I thought this was date?"

Yes! She thought it was date too. Win! "Okay, hang on, hear me out!"

"You're still working the case!" Kate's face was incredulous.

Great now she thought I was using her. Damnit! Damage Control time. "Listen, the crimson rhino is the mascot for an Australian rugby team, if our suspect has a tattoo of it on his neck; he's got to be a major fan. I looked it up and there is only one bar in New York that plays their games live, and there's one on right now."

"I knew this was a mistake." Kate looked so disappointed and rejected. I imagined it was the look she wore whenever she got down on her own worth and thought she was just some cop with a world famous author, and it broke my heart to know that I was using her to get her back to…well, her.

"Beckett, wait!"

As she stood I saw her eyes connect with someone familiar. "It's him."

"Stay here."

Not a chance in hell. I'm her partner no matter what universe I'm in. As she confronted the thug I stared on, pride buzzing my veins as I watched the love of my life do the job she was born for. As the thug clattered to the floor I realized there was one universal truth. "We make a pretty good team you and I."