Title: Match up

Author: thousand_miles

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: I enjoy playing with these characters, I don't own them.

Summary: What happened after that poker game? C/B

A/N: I've only just begun watching Castle. This is my first fic in this fandom. So I'm still getting the hang of these characters. Hopefully it won't be too much out of character. Reviews would be lovely, constructive criticism is appreciated, no flames though. Oooh and no promises on updates. I don't even know yet where this fic is going… Enjoy! English isn't my native language, but I try hard to avoid mistakes.

Chapter one

" Loser", she sing songed to him, laying her cards on the table. She was on a roll, third game in a row that she beat him. Oow he thought he was so good at poker. Always beating his Gotham City gang. Sure she'd let him win, like he'd done with her. But this time she wasn't going to give him an easy way out. And so far she'd kept her word. He'd lost all three games. Pretty sure she'd made her point, she decided to call it quits. Time to go home. She pushed the cards towards him and stood up to grab her coat.

" What, you're going home already? Can't take the heat when it's crunch time?"

Leaning into him she whispered. "I can always take the heat." That being said she left him alone at her desk.

Watching her walk away Castle laughed. She was such an extraordinary woman. When he'd first met her, he knew he'd met his match. She didn't back down, she put him in his place and she played the game just as well as he did. He'd never met anyone like her before and he found himself wanting to peel all those layers of the Beckett onion. She intrigued him like no other woman had ever had before. He loved how her mind worked and how she solved cases. Shortly after their first case together he'd caught himself smiling every time she called him in for a case. There was an extra skip in his step as he walked into the bullpen in the mornings. She was a force to be reckoned with and he enjoyed that about her. She challenged him. It was one of the many things that attracted him to her. Sure he'd been known to date women who were less challenging. And at the time that had been enough. They'd been women who weren't going to be a part of his life. Women he'd never introduce to Alexis. Yet he'd had no problem introducing Kate to Alexis. It was significant and he knew it. But for now he choose to put that aside.

Stepping into his apartment he heard his mother and daughter laughter coming from the living room.

" There he is, my crime fighting son." Martha said when she caught sight of him. " What took you so long?"

" Rematch."

" She kicked your ass again, huh." Alexis laughed. Martha had told her about the two poker games. She'd been surprised her father had let someone win a game. He always wanted to win, but he let Detective Beckett win. Another piece of evidence that her father liked Detective Beckett.

He glared at his daughter. " Not again. The other time I let her win."

" How many games did you loose?"

He mumbled something but neither Alexis nor Martha could hear it. " Speak up."

" Three." He admitted.

" Out of?"

" Three."

Martha and Alexis laughed. " Finally, you've met your match." Martha said.

" And not only with poker. She's a keeper, dad." Alexis joined in. She liked Detective Beckett. Her father needed someone who challenged him. Someone who kept him on his toes, made him work for it and someone who could look passed the jokes and immature behavior and see him for who he really was, a great person who loved with whole his heart. She watched her father roll his eyes before he got up and walked to his office.

The following day the bullpen was quiet and Detective Kate Beckett was finishing up her paperwork. Not the most exciting aspect of her job but she didn't mind. Paperwork meant that yet another case was solved, another family getting closure. No, she really didn't mind paperwork. The quietness also seemed to match her mood. She felt contemplative. She wasn't sure why and for the moment that was fine.

Her eyes caught sight of a cup of coffee being placed on her desk. Looking up she expected to see Castle, but she found Esposito and Ryan right behind him.

" You guys had a rematch, yesterday?" Ryan nodded toward the cards that were still on Kate's desk.

" Yeah."

"Did you at least give him one game?"

Before Kate could answer, Esposito did. " Of course she didn't." Pausing he looked around. " By the way, where is Writer boy?"

She shrugged. She really didn't keep track of Castle's whereabouts when they weren't on a case. " There's no case. There's no need for him to be here." She liked having the writer around, though she would never tell him that. He looked at things from a different point of view and strangely enough that usually helped their case. She liked how he kept her on her toes, made her think about every step. Not that she didn't do that before, but he made her consider that step from different sides. However sometimes he could be a bit too much. She liked to compare him to a Duracell bunny, both had an endless amount of energy. In some situations Castle needed to tone down his energy, but that seemed to be difficult for him.

" We're going out for a drink tonight. You gonna join us?"

" Of course and I'll bring Lanie."

" You'll call Castle?"

" For what?"

" He's part of the group too. He should come too."

" What? He your boyfriend now Esposito?"

" He only has eyes for you, Beckett." Esposito countered. " He's a cool guy. He's a part of the gang. He should at least get invited."

" You want him there because he's always surrounded by women."

Well, that was true, Esposito had to admit. "So what?" He paused for a moment. " Are you jealous?"

"No. I don't care about the women. Invite him. You don't need my permission." Grabbing her file she went in search of her friend Lanie and left the two detectives behind.

Ryan and Esposito looked at each other and shrugged. Kate was Kate and sometimes they didn't understand her. "I'll give him a call."

TBC...