A/N: Hi! I started this story in Season 3, then had some health issues (Lyme Disease, ticks suck!) and had to take a break from a lot of things in my life, including fanfiction. Well, I'm back now, and I've reworked this story and am finally completing it. Thanks for checking it out :) Please let me know what you think in a review or if you feel so inclined, on my tumblr (xxmolls). I'm really excited to be sharing it with you all.

Summary:

AU: Castle and Beckett meet in a different way, but are still drawn together by a murder. Their relationship escalates from there as more secrets are uncovered, and they realize their lives may be more intertwined than they thought.

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or any of its characters. If you recognize any lines from the show, they are not mine either (I may throw some Easter Eggs in ;)).

Rating: T, mostly for violence, language, and sexual themes. If there is any especially triggering content in a chapter, I will try my very best to warn you in the Author's Note at the top.

It Gets Better

Part I

Chapter 1

The club was packed, with the distinct smell of sweat and a warm rush of body heat. Detective Beckett, or Kate as the situation called for, rolled her eyes as she lost sight of her friend Lanie in the crowd. She turned nonchalantly to the bar, collapsing on one of the stools and glaring disgustedly at a smug faced man looking her up and down. She tried to avoid eye contact, but he didn't seem to get the hint. She felt a presence beside her a moment later.

"Hi," he breathed. His breath smelled of alcohol and a little bit like garlic. Ignoring him, she got up from the stool and made her way to the dance floor. She was disappointed to feel him following behind her.

"Wanna dance?"

"No, thank you," she spat. Where had Lanie gone?

"You know, you have gorgeous eyes, has anyone ever told you that?" She scoffed in reply.

"No, actually, you're the first one."

"Really?" he asked, hopeful. She shook her head and scanned the crowd, looking for her friend's dark hair.

"I was being sarcastic," she said dryly, and pushed away from him. Unexpectedly, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her flush against him body.

"Excuse me-" she started, but he interrupted.

"Look, you're hot, I'm hot, so let's fuck," the man said, sneering. She felt bile rising in her throat.

"If you don't let go of me in 5 seconds-"

"Oh, you think I'm scared of a little thing like you? Come on, Baby-" the breath was knocked from his chest as she whirled around and he found himself flat on his back.

"Do not call me 'Baby,'" she hissed and walked away into the small crowd that was gathering around the shocked injured man.

She stalked over to the bar again and muttered, "Jackass," under her breath. She felt a presence beside her again and almost screamed in frustration. However, when she turned her head she was relieved to see a different man sitting beside her. He had soft, brown hair and a gorgeous smile. He was quite attractive in her eyes, but then she noticed he was smirking at her.

"What?" she snapped, but he just smiled wider.

"He totally deserved it." She laughed a little, a throaty, seductive laugh. The man continued, "that was definitely the worst pick up line I've ever heard." She smirked and looked straight at him, but he was casually taking a sip from his martini glass.

"You hear a lot of them, do you?"

"Actually, yes. Hang around this god forsaken club long enough and you will too. Though I'm sure you'll hear much more than I will. You see, I'm not a beautiful woman. I am, however, a ruggedly handsome man,"" he winked at her, and she groaned.

"If you end that thought with 'let's fuck'…"

"Oh no, I have much more class than that. Besides, the last woman I fed that line to slapped me, though I have to say that didn't hurt as much as what you did to that guy back there…" She looked back to see the man still on the floor, pushing away a few bros who were trying to help him up.

"Yeah, well, word on the street was he deserved it."

"Yes, indeed." The conversation paused for a minute as she ordered her drink. She looked back over to him to see him staring intensely at her, studying her with kind eyes.

"I'm Kate," she said on a whim.

"Rick," he offered, and shook her hand. They sat there, sipping their drinks for a few moments before he tossed his down his throat and stood up.

"At the risk of you causing me serious bodily harm, will you dance with me, Kate?" She hesitated, as she had just broken up with Josh. Lanie had dragged her out to have fun though, and what was the harm in one little dance?

"All right, 'ruggedly handsome' guy, lead the way."

The lights were streaming onto the floor, all different colors flashing over the moving bodies. He pulled her to the middle, and at first there were a few inches between them as they danced to the pulsing bass. However, gradually they inched closer, and his hands came to rest of her waist as she ground her hips into him. Soon enough she felt his hands sinking lower as they moved in time. After a song or two of vigorous dancing, she felt him spin her around and pull her flush against his body. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest, but her focus was on his eyes. There was something profound looming behind his pupils. Then she saw his gaze flicker to her lips and back up again. In a moment when she lost track of her rational mind, she pulled his head hungrily toward her as their lips met.

At first the kiss was slow and sweet, tender. Then, however, it grew in passion, and she could feel his tongue asking permission to enter her mouth. She let him in at once, and their tongues met as they tasted each other's hot breath. His hands ran through her long hair, and she put her arms around his neck as she pushed her body as close as she could to his. She couldn't understand why it just felt so right, so perfect.

A few moments later they broke off for air. Both of them panting, she stepped back.

"Wow," he breathed first. "That was amazing." Stunned, she felt herself nodding. He suddenly took her hand in his and held it tight.

"Kate, are you all right?" She noticed then that her cheeks were burning and her breathing wasn't slowing down. Her heart was pumping wildly in her chest with no hope of stopping.

"It's just… hot in here," she finally said. "Do you want to go get some air?" She was beginning to feel the effect of the 4 shots of tequila she had taken earlier.

"Yeah, sure," he said, still not convinced though she noticed, and he led her out the club door.

The night was cold, and she was in a skimpy red dress. She could see her breaths coming out into puffs of smoke in the air. She noticed Rick was still holding her hand.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked again, and she looked up into those eyes. She saw only genuine concern in them.

"I'm fine, Rick, but thank you." She shivered then, and he immediately shucked his leather jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"Here," he said. She glared at him, but he only laughed. "I can tell you're an independent woman, Kate, and you don't like help from men… but… think of it rationally. I have a button down shirt underneath that will keep me warm, but you… you're wearing… well…" he gulped and let his eyes rake over the dress. She pretended not to notice.

"Thanks," she said again, and they walked a bit.

"Want me to hail you a cab?" he asked. She looked at him, surprised. "What?"

"Nothing… I just wasn't expecting you to be so... chivalrous." He grinned at her words.

"And they say chivalry is dead…"

"Guess not." They walked a little longer until he saw a cab and waved it down. He helped her into the car after she stumbled a bit. Then, something unusual happened. Maybe it was the alcohol getting to her brain, or maybe it was the fact that she just wasn't herself after she and Josh broke up. No matter the reason, she found herself begging,

"Come with me, Rick." She noticed his jaw drop slightly.

"What?" Suddenly more sure of herself, she took his hands in hers.

"Please, I just- please just come with me." He shook his head.

"Kate, I want nothing more than to do that, but I think it would be best if we-" she cut him off by leaping out of the car into his arms, crushing her lips to his. He tasted like a mixture of tequila and wine.

They pulled back a moment later when the cab driver honked.

"Hey, you want a ride or not?" Both grinning like idiots, she took his hand and pulled him into the car.

The whole way back, they held hands and intermittently made out like teenagers, drunk on each other's taste.

When they got to her apartment building, she led the way up the stairs, fumbling for the light switch after unlocking her door.

She led him to the bedroom, pushing him back onto the bed and unbuttoning his shirt as his hands roamed over her body and eventually down her thighs to the bottom of her dress. He paused for a moment.

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Kate?" She groaned and pushed him back on the bed again.

"Rick, just shut up and take your pants off."

"Yes ma'am," he grinned cheekily, and did as he was told.

They fell together that night, exploring each other's bodies and smiling uncontrollably throughout the whole time, but it wasn't awkward. Everything seemed to be perfect between them, like they had been with each other a million times before.

As he gave her one last searing kiss on her collarbone, he pulled her naked body close to his and pulled the sheets over them. She sighed contentedly and leaned back into him, enjoying his embrace and kissing his arm before they both gave in to slumber.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The ringing of a cell phone broke her from her hazy state. She jumped up abruptly, fully awake. Noticing she had no clothes on, she gasped as her eyes fell on the man in bed with her, and the night came flooding back. She smiled slightly, and grabbed her cell from the bedside table.

"Don't answer it… it's too early," she heard him mumble. She glanced at the clock and saw it was in fact 4:30 am.

"Sorry, Kitten," she quipped, and pressed the receive button.

"Beckett."

"Yo, we've got a body," she heard Esposito say on the other line. Sighing, she got the address from him and hung up.

She looked down at her sleeping lover and brushed some of the hair out of his eyes. He looked so peaceful, so kind and innocent in his sleep. Leaning down, she kissed his hairline.

"I've got to go," she said sadly. "Duty calls." He groaned and popped one eye open.

"What are you?" he asked. "A CIA agent or something?" She grinned and twisted his ear as he yelped and yelled "Apples!""

"If I told you I'd have to kill you, Sir," with that, she slid out of bed and got dressed. Pausing at the door, she turned back around.

"Thank you, Rick, for last night. I had a lot of fun… I really needed it." She hesitated, starting to say what her heart wanted before it reached her head. However, her thoughts were cut off with a large snore from Rick. He'd fallen back asleep. She wondered if this would be the last time she'd see him again.

"Goodbye, Kitten."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

She arrived at the address moments later, walking up to her friend Lanie who was crouched above the body.

"Wow, looks like I wasn't the only one to have a good night last night. You've got sex hair, girl." She grimaced.

"Time of death?"

"You're no fun. But we will talk about this later. Time of death is around 2 am. Victim's granddaughter came down to get a drink when she found her like this, sprawled out on the couch. She tried to wake her, and that's when she noticed the blood."

"Got a cause yet?"

"I can't know for sure until I perform an autopsy because it looks like she was also strangled, but I will say it looks like she was stabbed several times with a knife through the chest."

"Angry lover?" Ryan said, coming up behind them. Esposito walked up too, clamping his hand down on Ryan's shoulder.

"Nah, man… my bet's on an angry actress. Sources say the vic was an actress on Broadway. You know how catty those theater people can get about a part they want. I dated one back in college… she was crazy. And not just in bed-"

"All right, Javier, thanks for your expertise," Lanie cut in, rolling her eyes.

"Has anyone talked to the granddaughter yet?" Beckett asked, holding her eyes shut for a moment as a headache began to form. Ryan and Esposito looked at each other and shrugged.

"We thought we'd leave that for you. You know, you do that… woman thing…"

Beckett raised her eyebrows and glared.

"Excuse me? 'Woman thing'?" Ryan and Esposito shared a glance and scattered two different ways, each raising their phones that hadn't rung.

"Yeah, yes sir, I'll get on that right away…"

"I can't believe you'd date one of them," Beckett grumbled, glaring at Lanie. Lanie sighed.

"Well, we can't all date doctors." Realizing her mistake as the mood sobered up, Lanie stopped what she was doing and laid a hand on Beckett's.

"Kate, you know you're my girl… but you've got to move on. Josh didn't deserve you. You've got to find someone who does." Beckett smiled bittersweetly and pulled her hand away.

"Thanks Lanie. Let me know if you find anything else." She stood up, making her way over to a sobbing teenage girl.

"Hi, Sweetie. I'm Detective Beckett, and I know this is hard, but I really need to ask you a few questions if that's okay. It'll help us find who did this to your grandmother."" The girl sniffled and wiped her red hair out of her face. She looked up into Beckett's green eyes, and Beckett was struck with a sense of familiarity. However, she shook it off, and took the girl's hand.

"What's your name, Honey?"

"I'm Alexis. Alexis Castle."

"Okay, Alexis. I need you to tell me what happened this morning when you found your Grandmother." She absentmindedly stroked the back of Alexis' hand, instantly calming the girl as she choked back a sob. "It's okay, Sweetie. I know this is hard, but it will help us find who did this to your Grandmother."

"Gram," the girl said with an ounce of confidence. "I called her Gram."

"Okay, well tell me about your Gram."

"I woke up feeling thirsty around 3:30 this morning. I had heard noises earlier in the night, but Gram is always throwing parties so I just thought it was that. My dad was supposed to be home, but he wasn't. So I went downstairs to call him, but his phone was off. I got a drink of water, and that's when I saw her," she took a deep breath as another sob shuddered through her small body. "She was on the couch, and I thought she was sleeping. I tried to wake her up and get her to bed, but then I saw the blood, so I screamed. I checked for a pulse, but it wasn't there, so I called 911… and that's when you guys got here."

"Okay, thank you, Alexis. That helps a lot. Now I want you to think, is there anyone who would want to harm Gram? Any old enemies or people she didn't get along with?" Alexis shook her head.

"I can't think of anyone. I mean, Gram wasn't exactly a saint, but she did have a lot of friends and people… people loved her." Beckett nodded, as this was a common response.

"Thank you, Alexis. Have you gotten ahold of your dad?" the girl shook her head and started crying again. Beckett leaned forward and started rubbing her back. "Can you stay with me until he comes?" she asked hopefully. Beckett nodded.

"Sure, Sweetie."

An hour later the crew was packing up the body of Martha Rogers and cleaning up their mess. Beckett sat with Alexis, stroking her back and playing with her hair. They talked about menial things like school and what colleges Alexis wanted to go to. Anything to take the girl's mind off her Gram.

"What made you decide to be a Detective?" Alexis finally asked, and Kate stiffened. She didn't usually broadcast the information, but she felt a connection with the girl, so she bit the inside of her cheek and took a deep breath.

"When I was 19 my mother was murdered," she began. "I was out to eat with my dad and we were waiting for her to come… and then we got the call. And they never found her killer. It was a cold case."" She stopped there, stilling her hand on the girl's back and looked down with tears in her eyes.

"It gets easier," she told the girl. "But I still miss her every day." She felt Alexis put her hand on her arm, and she looked up into the girl's blue eyes.

"Thank you, Detective Beckett," she said, and that's all she needed to say before they fell into a comfortable silence.

A few minutes later, the door burst open. Beckett and Alexis both rose as Rick Castle walked in the room. As soon as her eyes fell on him, she gasped.

"What's going on here?" he shouted frantically. "Where's my daughter?"

"Dad, I'm right here!" Alexis exclaimed, and ran into his arms.

"God, I was so scared, are you all right?" he asked, still not seeing Kate.

"Dad, it's Gram!" Alexis sobbed, and he held her tight. He stroked her back, and cried a little with her. After a few moments, Beckett took a few shaky steps toward them, still not believing her eyes.

"Who's in charge here?" he asked the room. It was now or never.

"I am."

"Kate!?"