Disclaimer : Don't own anything.

Spoilers : Season 3 plus some set pictures floating around on the net and some spoilers about the first episode of the fourth season.

Dedication

They were both sitting on the swings, in a park near his loft. As if they were children. Except they weren't playing. Or were they ? Beckett had surprised him by calling earlier. Castle would have invited her to come over, but Alexis wasn't to fond of her at the moment. He could barely blame her. She had seen her dad jump in front of a bullet. He knew it had scared her. He knew he had been scared too. Thus the park in the middle of a sunny september afternoon, for all their sake.

"Should you be wearing heels ?" Castle asked, his eyes fixed on her feet. She stared at him, silent. "You know. With your injury, it seems it might... I don't know. I'm not a doctor." His heart sank. No, he was not Doctor-motorcycle-boy either. His eyes left her feet and traveled up, stopping at the book in her hands. Heat Rises. He pushed himself a bit, swaying a little on the swing.

"I've been cleared for duty", she said.

"Good", was all he could think to reply.

The silence grew longer. It was unusual for them. But then again, they haven't seen each others for weeks. The guys and Lanie had updated him on her health throughout the summer. But he had ever dared calling.

"So...", he started. "How was your summer ?" He closed his eyes, mentally kicking himself. She laughed, a real laugh, and he jerked his head towards her, eyes wide.

"Well. Surgeries, getting over a bullet wound, reeducation, not talking to my partner. Same old, same old." Her voice was steady, not a ounce of sarcasm or regret in her tone.

But he felt a ping in his chest anyway, thinking about last year and his departure for the Hamptons. Why did they seem to always drift apart in the summer, he wondered.

"I'm sorry", he whispered, not looking at her.

"It's okay, Castle. This time, you had a legitimate excuse. Even if it's the first time you actually obey an order."

She was smiling at him. He didn't understand how she could be smiling at him. He went for the joke.

"Doctor's orders. You have to follow them", he told her with a mischievous grin. She laughed again and he didn't think he could be more happy. "I'm really sorry, though", he added. "He told you, about the... Hum.. The fight ?" His mind wandered back to those ten minutes in the corridor of the hospital, just outside the surgery room. The push, the punches, the yelling : 'Don't ever go close to my girlfriend again !'

Next to him on her swing, Beckett started counting on her fingers : "Actually, it was Lanie, Esposito, Ryan, Allie – she's one of the nurses – and my Dad." Castle started feeling more ashamed. He opened his mouth to apologize again but she cut him off. "But Josh and I did talk about it. Yesterday, in fact."

She paused. He gulped, fighting to remain silent and let her talk. "When I received the book", she held it higher, waving it. She was still smiling, looking at him with kind eyes and something else he couldn't grasp. It puzzled him.

"I read the dedication, he did too. He wasn't very happy about it. I was...", she trailed off, opening the book. She smiled at she read the words again :

'To KB, for listening just enough. Thank you for rising again'.

She looked up, concentrating on his face. "Which led to the loooooooong overdue conversation about the fight." He was finding very hard not to talk. "And finally, we... we broke up."

"I'm sorry", he said once again.

She arched an eyebrow, a side of her mouth turning up : "Three times already, are you sure you okay, Castle ?", she mocked. He didn't smile and she sobered too.

"I listened. And I heard you, Castle... Rick". She was getting closer, still sitting on her swing. He froze, befuddled, his hands gripping the chains holding his. She stopped, her face millimeters from his. He felt her breath on his lips as she repeated. "I heard you." And her mouth was on his. Gentle, warm, soft. He kissed her back softly, eyes closed, not wanting to take a risk. It ended way to quickly. He opened his eyes. His heart was hammering in his chest. He didn't know hers was too. They smiled at each other and he leaned in for another kiss, surprised and delighted when she met him halfway.

"Is that why you called me today ?", he croaked when she pulled back. This time he kept his eyes shut.

Her voice was near and soft as she answered : "That.. and we have a body." He felt her get up and felt the loss. She had been so close, he missed it already. "You comin' ?" She asked from further away. His eyes shot open and he jogged to join her.

"Is it gruesome ?" he asked. She just rolled her eyes at her partner, as they walked away.