Evening Blues Chapter One

It was 9:45pm and the Precinct was pretty quiet only for the faint sounds of drawers shutting, files being shuffled around and typing on keyboards. Beckett and her team were working on wrapping up a case that was so twisted it made you have a migraine just even thinking about it. Beckett was at her desk looking in some files, Ryan and Esposito were examining the murder board and Castle was in the break room preparing a cup of coffee for himself and Beckett. Captain Montgomery was in his office watching the team and could see the tired confused looks on their faces. He straighten his suit and walked out of his office, he could tell Beckett was going to be the hard one to convince to go home so he went up to the boys first, after he explained to them that it was late and they needed some rest, he prepared himself for the argument Beckett was going to put up for making her leave. He walked over to her desk and stood there for a while, she was so caught up in reading the files searching for anything she might have missed she didn't even notice the boys leaving and saying goodnight nor Captain standing there. Captain cleared his throat and broke her out of her trance,

"sir?"

"Beckett it's about 10:00, go home and get some rest, you can finish this in the morning".

"But Sir i…" He cut her off by holding his finger up.

"Beckett I do not want to hear it, it's late, now get out of here, the boys are going to the Old Haunt, I'm going to meet them there, and you're welcome to join us".

As he walked back to his office to get his briefcase Castle walked back to Beckett's desk and sat down, he was just about to hand her a cup of coffee when she stood up.

"Where are you going?" Castle asked.

Beckett stood up, put her phone in her pocket and was putting on her jacket "Captain ordered us to go home and rest, he and the boys are going to the Old Haunt for a drink first"

Castle put his coat on and asked "Well are you going to go Detective?"

Beckett was just bout to answer when her phone started ringing, she took her phone out of pocket and looked at the ID, it was Josh. She answered it "Beckett."

Castle went to pour out the coffee he made to give her some privacy on the phone, as he put the cups in the sink he watched her, she looked like she was arguing but trying her best not yell. She put her phone back into her pocket and starting walking towards the elevator.

Castle hurriedly caught up with her and asked her if she was going again. Beckett stuffed her hands inside her jacket pocket and got onto the elevator,

she sighed "I can't tonight; I got so caught up in the case that I forgot to call and cancel a date with Josh and now he is at my apartment waiting so I'll have to take a rain check for next time."

Castle knew that the phone was from Doctor Motorcycle Boy, he always seemed to call at all the wrong times.

Castle tried to bring a smile to his face as he stepped off the elevator "Maybe next time then Detective, until tomorrow".

Beckett sighed "night Castle"

As Beckett drove to her apartment, she dreaded the thought of going home to an already pissed of boyfriend especially with a case like she had today. She pulled in the parking lot, turned off the car and stepped out. She walked as slowly as she could without making it too obvious to avoid Josh and the argument she knew was about to take place.

When she finally got up to her door she took out her keys and was about to unlock the door when it swung open, "Your finally here" He said with an annoyed tone.

She felt her ears get hot with anger, she thought of a million things to say, but she held back instead, she sighed "Josh I do not want to argue, I'm tired and I want to go to bed".

She walked past him to go change into her pajamas. He shut the door and charged into her room. "Kate this is the third time in two weeks you got 'wrapped up in a case' and forgot to call".

Well great she thought, I was trying to avoid yet another argument.

She turned around with her best cop face she said "look Josh I'm sorry the past few cases have been crazy and we all get so wrapped into solving them before you know anybody else gets killed that we forgot about everything else" the last few parts of her words were dripping with sarcasm and yet he seemed to not catch it.

"Kate who is 'we' and why can't you let the other two detectives handle it by themselves for once?" She was furious.

she threw her purse on her bed and started walking towards him "WE!" she shouted "is me and my homicide team; as in Detective Esposito, Detective Ryan, and Richard Castle, and WE solve these cases together because WE work as a team!"

He started backing up and she walked closer and closer towards him with her ice cold interrogation face on. She didn't even realize when she put her right hand on her gun and she was pointing at him with her left hand. He had never seen her this angry before, and her cop faces and gestures were scaring him. "Kate" he said with a small voice "I just wanted to go to dinner that's all but you never seem to remember that we actually have a date or that I'm even in town"

She was so mad she just wanted to shoot him, but of course she couldn't, the days that she actually needed him he was always off in Africa 'saving the world' and the days that she couldn't leave work he always seemed to pop up and accuse her of not caring or not remembering. Without saying a word she walked into into her living room, past her sofa and towards the door, she opened it and gestured for him to leave. She spoke without a hint of sadness that she knew it was over between them "Because your never here when I actually need you, and because you keep accusing me of not caring or never remembering when I'm actually at my job trying to save people from getting shot and killed, you need to leave and before you go don't forgot to drop your key on the counter and take your extra shirt in the bathroom". He grabbed his shirt from the bathroom hook, threw his key on the kitchen counter, picked up his motorcycle helmet from the couch and stormed out the door.

What a jerk! She thought as she slammed the door. She went to her refrigerator got out a bottle of merlot, got a glass from her kitchen cabinet and poured her a glass. Now she couldn't go to bed, she had too much on her brain. She found a James Patterson book from her bookshelf that she hasn't read in a few years, got her wine and huddled up on the couch, she read for a few hours then she felt her eyes get heavy, before she knew it she was fast asleep curled up on her couch.