Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters used on ABC's Castle. If I did, there'd be less "Will they, or won't they?" shenanigans going on. They would have been going at it since the first episode, and would be still going strong today. Hope you enjoy this new story!

Murder at The Gilded Stallion

Chapter 1:

Castle, Stripper Extraordinaire

It was a day like any other. Beckett sat completing the mountains of paperwork that had accumulated on her desk from their last case, and Castle sat in a chair opposite her. He would occasionally crack a joke in order to try to lighten Kate's mood, but all he earned was a stern glare before she returned to her paperwork. Sighing heavily, Castle returned to playing an intense game of Angry Birds on his phone while he waited for something exciting to happen. His prayers were answered when Captain Montgomery burst through the bullpen.

"Castle! Beckett! I need you in my office immediately!" he said sternly, the tone in his voice allowing no room for any kind of argument.

Sighing once again, Kate pushed back her chair and rose, turning to follow. She proceeded to take three steps before she halted, looking over her shoulder. Castle was still seated in his chair, his concentration clearly on the game before him. Kate walked back to her desk and wrenched the phone out of his hands.

"Hey!" he exclaimed indignantly. "I was close to beating my high score!"

"Later, Castle. The Captain needs us."

"I thought that was more of a "he needs you" thing, and not a "he needs the both of us" thing. After all, I'm not a cop."

"And I continue to ask myself on a daily basis as to what you're still doing here."

Castle looked at her blankly. "I'm here for research. I thought we've covered this already."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I sincerely doubt that's the reason right now. You've been following me around for what? Four years now? I should hope that you've accumulated enough research by now to write at least ten more books."

Castle scoffed. "You can't rush perfection, Kate. I want my books to be totally authentic. If I just were to write what I think you do for a living, I would be totally missing key points."

"And yet, I have never seen you write anything about the glamour of paperwork in any of your books. That's part of the job, Castle. And you're missing it."

"But paperwork's so boring! I'd lose readers if I inserted anything about tedious tasks. My readers demand excitement. That's how I become the best at what I do."

"Are we done here? Because we do still have a meeting with MY boss. You might know him. Tall, dark, powerful. Friends with the mayor, who is allowing you to stay here. Has the power to take this partnership away if you don't move your butt right now…"

"All right, fine. You've made your point. You, madam, are seriously cranky when you don't immediately get your way. You need to work on that."

Kate turned then, ignoring him and walking toward the Captain's office. Castle scrambled after her, suddenly intrigued.

"Ah, Castle. Beckett. So glad you could join me. Listen, I just got off the phone with the 18th Precinct. There have been a series of homicides in their district, and the body count keeps rising. The 18th isn't quite as equipped to handle that kind of issue, so their captain called us asking you your help. I think it would be good press for us, so on your behalf, I've accepted."

"Sir, I really appreciate the honor, but I still have a lot of paperwork to do from the last case," Kate managed.

"Which is why I'm going to saddle Karpowski with that honor of finishing everything for you for the duration of this case. Ryan and Esposito have also been freed of their duties to help you. Believe me, you're going to need all the help you can get. The case involves a strip joint by the name of The Gilded Stallion. It's run by Little Sal Moroney, who is closely linked to the Italian mob. It's not innocent bystanders that are being murdered, here. It's his male dancers. The 18th hasn't been able to get a handle on anything by trying to ask questions, so I suggested using my team to go undercover and see what we can flush out."

"Isn't that a huge liability though? And what exactly does this undercover assignment entail? We can't obviously go in there as it stands looking like cops."

"Well, I've been doing some thinking. Since all of the strippers in the joint are male, I was thinking of sending Castle in to be our eyes and ears. No one would suspect him of being linked to the police."

"But he's still a New York Times bestseller. How can you be so sure someone won't recognize him?"

"That's where I've got everything figured out. You'll go as his makeup artist. Most of the strippers in that joint come with a manager or agent of sorts. We'll change your appearance and give you a fake identity so that you won't be detected. Ryan and Esposito are working out the details now. We are suspecting that Little Sal is the ringleader in the murders, so I want your main focus to be on him. However, if you find anything useful to prove otherwise, be sure to notify us."

"So let me get this straight," Castle interrupted. "I'm to be dancing in a strip club? Undercover? So cool!"

"Sir, can I talk to Castle alone for a few minutes?"

"Sure, Beckett. Take all the time you need. We start preparations immediately. I have to go fill Ryan and Esposito on their assignments for this case anyway."

After they were alone, Kate turned to Castle. "Look, you don't have to do this. This is extremely dangerous. You could get seriously hurt."

"Why, Katherine Beckett…do I sense actual concern for my welfare?"

"I'm just thinking about the fact that you're not exactly trained for this. A lot of things could go wrong. I don't get why you're not even bothering to think about the possible consequences of doing this."

"Look, Kate. This is my chance to finally be able to get an account of what it takes to prepare for an undercover assignment. I could possibly use this for one of my books."

"And what if I can't protect you? What am I supposed to tell Alexis and Martha? That you just wanted a shot to play boy hero for a damn paycheck?"

"Mother and Alexis completely understand that what I do here is completely my choice. They know better than to say anything against me, because I'll still do whatever the hell I want at the end of the day. You want to nail this guy, don't you? Well, then let me do this."

"Fine. But the instant I sense this thing going south, I get to drag your ass out of there. It's still not your fight."

"Thanks, Kate. I'll be fine knowing you're going to be around to protect me. You're my manager in this, remember?"

"Right. But I refuse to do anything that involves seeing you naked. I'd be scarred for life."

"No, you'd be forced to think about what things you'd like for me to do to you when I'm naked. And how good I'd make you feel."

"Mighty sure of yourself there, aren't you?"

He invaded her personal space then, challenging her. "Oh yes. I'm quite adept at the art of seduction."

He held her gaze for a few more seconds, sending chills down her spine with the intensity of it. Damn, this was going to take all of her resolve just to resist the urge to jump him.

How exactly was she going to be able to resist him?

A/N: This little ficlet has been nagging at me to write it out for a while. I hope you enjoy it! I'm also starting the process of wrapping up Unwinding Beckett as well. Like this new story? Hate it? Tell me in a REVIEW!