I was planning to finish this story before uploading it, but it took too long, so I'll just start uploading and see where it leads :)

Enjoy...

The annoying sound of his ringtone drew him out of his writing haze and he reluctantly picked it up. "Hello," he said, without checking who was calling.

"Casssstle," the person on the other side slurred.

"Beckett?" he asked, his voice an octave higher in surprise. That was the last person he expected to call him, especially at this time of night.

"Mmmm, Cassstle," Beckett slurred again and Castle realized that something was wrong. Either she was asleep, which wasn't very likely, or…

"Beckett, are you drunk?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. He leaned back in his chair and waited for her answer.

"No, 'm not drunk," she denied, sharply speaking the last letter. She sounded childish and sleepy.

"I think you are," Castle teased, he was enjoying this. He loved hearing her voice, it seemed like a lifetime ago since he'd last heard it. Last thing she said to him was, 'See you in the fall' after which he promised that he would but if he was honest with himself he wasn't looking forward to it. Of course, he couldn't wait to see her again but he didn't know if he could watch her make goo goo eyes with Demming all the time.

"Rick," she chirped on the other side of the line, "Rick, I should call you Rick more." A shiver ran down his spine by hearing her speak his first name. She was definitely drunk, though.

"Then can I call you Kate?" he played along.

"You can always call me Kate," she said, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "I like it when you call me Kate."

"Do you now?"

"Yessss," she said, prolonging the s. "So, Rick. What are you doing?" He could almost see her twirling her hair around her finger when she asked that question.

"I was writing," Castle said, "Gina has been harassing me all month." Had it only been a month? It seemed so much longer.

"I don't like her," Becket whined and he could hear her pout. "She interrupted my speech."

"She – What?" Maybe he could get her to tell him what she was actually going to say before he left because he was sure it wasn't just 'Have a great summer'.

"Lanie says I need to hand her the phone, I don't want to hand her the phone. I want to keep talking to you," she whined and he chuckled. He heard some rustling noises on her side and some hushed talking that he didn't understand.

"Hi, Castle," Lanie said eventually.

"Lanie, hi!" Castle replied. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Kate's a bit drunk, though," she said. Lanie didn't sound drunk, maybe she still needed to drive home.

"Am not!" Beckett yelled from the background.

"Yeah, I noticed. How did that happen?" Castle said.

"She was talking about breaking up with Tom and complaining about you and Gina. I think that in the progress, she had too many refills. She called you when I was using the bathroom."

"She broke up with Demming?"

"She didn't tell you?" Lanie sounded surprised. "Now I understand why you left with your ex-wife! You thought she was still going away with Tom!"

"Lanie, gimme the phone!" Kate whined.

"Let me talk to her," Castle said.

"Castle, I am not going anywhere with Tom!" she exclaimed as soon as Lanie handed her the phone.

"So I hear," he chuckled to hide his relief. He had had a good time with Gina the first few weeks in the Hamptons but after a while things started going the way they had gone when they divorced and Castle didn't like it. He supposed he would just finish the book to please the editor side of her and struggle through, hoping that this time they could make it work. But now that Beckett was calling him in her drunken haze, he dared to hope again. "So what did you want to tell me when Gina interrupted you?"

It was quiet for a second but he could hear her breathe. "I was going to accept you offer to go to the Hamptons with you," she said quietly. This time there was no hint of drunkenness in her voice, which made him wonder if she faked it in case she needed a reason for just calling him in the middle of the night.

Castle nodded, even though she couldn't see him. He tried to come up with a response that wouldn't make either of them look like a fool. Eventually he went with the one that just made him look like a fool, ignoring his pride. "I would've liked that," he said just as quietly. He heard her exhale in relief. "So, how drunk are you exactly?"

"I'm not drunk!" she protested again. Okay, maybe she was drunk.

"All right, can you hand the phone to Lanie for another second? I promise I'll talk to you later," he said.

"Okay, but only because you promised."

"Castle?" Lanie said again.

"She really is drunk, isn't she?"

"Well, I don't think she would've ever called you if she was sober. So yes, she really is."

"Does she have any time off this summer?"

"Well, she didn't go with Demming that weekend. She was at work, so I guess she still has those days? Montgomery is probably willing to give her more if she asked. She's hardly taken any vacation days since she started working Homicide."

"Okay, thanks," Castle said.

"I would give you back to Kate but she's just fallen asleep," Lanie said, chuckling softly.

Castle joined her and said, "Take care of her for me?"

"I will," Lanie promised. "You're planning something, aren't you?" She sounded pleased. He just wanted Kate to be with him right now. Not miles away in the city. He didn't exactly have a plan yet but he was forming one in his mind.

"Yes, but I want it to be a surprise for Kate."

"Okay, I won't say a word."

"Thanks."

"Okay, I've got to go," Lanie said.

"Right, bye." They hung up and Castle smiled. He had to arrange some things, starting with what was the most unpleasant one.

He rose from his chair and started towards the guest room, where Gina was staying since their big fight a couple of days ago. He quietly opened the door and checked if she was up, which she was, surprisingly.

"Hey," he said.

"Richard, hi," she chimed. "What are you doing up so late? Were you writing?"

"I was." She looked surprised and he sighed internally. It really wasn't that uncommon. "But then I got a call."

"At one A.M.?" she asked. "Who was it?" She did have the decency to sound at least a little bit concerned.

"A very drunk Beckett," he replied.

"Beckett?"

"Yeah." He didn't know how to say what he had to say, but plunged on. "She told me that she broke up with her boyfriend and that she initially wanted to accept my offer to come here for the weekend."

"And now you want her to come anyway?" Gina wasn't blind, she knew about his feelings for Kate. Why else would he base such an extraordinary character off her? "Rick, if that's what makes you happy and writing, I'll be out of here first thing in the morning. I think we both saw that this isn't going to work. Again." She smiled a sad smile.

He nodded and said, "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Gina replied. "We both knew what we were getting into and why it didn't work out last time, right?"

"Right," Castle muttered and started to leave.

"Rick," Gina called after him and he turned around. "I hope it works out." She was sincere and in that moment he saw the woman he once had married and the one he had asked to come to the Hamptons with him. Too bad she wasn't always like that.

"I hope so, too," he said with a smile and exited the room, closing the door softly behind him. He breathed out, that was easier than he had expected. He went back to his office to turn off his computer but was suddenly struck by inspiration and ended up writing another two chapters.

By five his eyes started to fall shut and he decided to take a break. He lay down and as soon as his head hit the pillow he was out.

Thoughts?