Disclaimer: Castle belongs to ABC. Any fiction involving the show's characters and written by me is purely for my own amusement, not for any financial gain.

This follows directly on the heels of Den of Thieves, the episode that aired on April 19, 2010. It's also my first attempt in the fanfic world, so please offer any constructive criticism you would like to share so I can improve for future attempts!

Castle returned home from his evening at the precinct, glad that another case was solved but oddly puzzled that his usual chipper mood was not in place. Something about the way Beckett had looked at Mr. Handsome-in-a-Suit Tom…it just didn't sit right in his gut. Or his heart.

The flip side of the coin for the evening had come when Esposito had introduced him to Ike, his former partner, by calling Castle one of his partners. He'd always felt like part of the team, but to be truly acknowledged as a key player was a very respectful feeling of accomplishment. Still, even with the high of knowing that his place with the team was cemented, he was beginning to realize that there was only one team he really wanted to be a part of. And it looked like Beckett was focused on an entirely different goal.

It was going to be a long, sleepless night.

Since sleep was a stranger to him, Castle reported to the station earlier than usual in the hopes that there would be something new to start working on. He went to the break room and fixed himself an expresso, not that he needed the extra caffeine but because it was his habit. Then after a brief hesitation, he fixed a second cup for Beckett. He set it on her desk, next to her computer. The screen was dark. Glancing at his watch, he realized it was still early. She'd be along any minute, he was sure of it. Settling in the chair next to hers, he toyed with his phone, flipping through photos of Alexis and trying to find a reason to smile.

Two hours later, the expresso he'd poured for her sat cold. His was only half gone. She was late. Everyone was late. The elevator announced its arrival with a "ding!" – sad that even the elevator seemed to be in a better mood than he was. He lifted his eyes just as the doors opened, and tried to muster a grin as Lanie stepped off, her arms loaded with files.

"Castle," Lanie said, walking toward him as he rose from his seat. "What's up? You look like you lost your best friend!"

Castle glanced down at Beckett's chair, then back at Lanie. "Looks like I'm the only one who showed today."

Pursing her lips, Lanie began to piece the puzzle together. She had known the "new guy," Demming, would throw a wrench in what she had secretly hoped would be a long and lasting relationship between Beckett and Castle…she just hadn't begun to realize how quickly it would happen.

"Kate doesn't take time off, Castle, you know that," she tried to reassure him. "She's probably just coming in late because everyone was working overtime the last few days." Behind her the elevator dinged again, signaling another load of passengers. Lanie turned and her eyes took in the sight just as Castle's did…stepping off the elevator together, coffee cups in hand, were Beckett and Demming.

And Beckett was grinning more than Lanie had seen her grin in a long time.

Lanie turned back to Castle, shifted her files into one arm, and laid a hand on his shoulder, bringing his attention to her face.

"Honey, if you're going to let that new guy win this battle, you're not the real man I thought you were after all," she said, quietly enough to be discreet. "My money's on you, Writer Boy…"