Disclaimer: Don't own the show Castle or any of it's characters. this is just made for fun.

A/N: Hi! This is my second Castle fanfic. I know that up to now it doesn't look interesting, but next chapter will be a lot better :) It's definetely a Caskett story, but involves other relationships, friendships, family, etc. It's slightly AU, as a new character appears and changes everything. So that's it for now. Thanks for reading and if you wanna make me extra happy, review! :)

xo, L

Ready To Love Again

Chapter 1.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from his face, his features dimly lit by the soft light next to his bed. His eyes were blue pools of desire, darkened by their proximity, telling her all he couldn't speak aloud at that moment. His left hand cupped her face as his right one circled her waist, pulling her closer. And then, his eyes, that had never left hers since they'd entered his loft, lowered to glance quickly at her mouth. She bit her lower lip instinctively while staring back, just to see as fire burned in his stare, now reunited with hers. He bent down until their lips were mere inches apart. "Beckett", he whispered sensuously. "Beckett… Kate". She purred softly at the sound of her name, a chill running down her spine. If her head had been clearer she would be cursing herself for letting a man had this effect on her, but right there and then all she could think of was his tongue… in her mouth. "Kate" he said again while closing the space between their mouths. His lips were just about to touch hers…

And suddenly it was all over.

"Kate!"

She jumped on her seat, eyes wide open, now fully awake, from the most mind-blowing dream she had ever had. She sent a death glare at Esposito who just grinned back at her.

"Taking a little nap at work, huh? Or was an all-night sleep? Did you even left from work yesterday?"

At a loss of words she tried to come back from her daydreaming. Too many questions were confusing her. Focusing on her surrounding she realized she was on the now-full precinct, by her desk, and it was around six in the morning. And what's worse: she had fallen asleep while working. The past few days had been really busy and last night they had wrapped up their last big case, leaving a whole lot of paperwork to do. As always, Esposito and Ryan had suggested going for beers to celebrate their latest accomplishment, and as expected, Lanie had agreed and Kate had said she had work to do. But both mentally and physically exhausted, she had only been able to stay awake for barely a couple of hours after they had left.

"I...I was… just..."

She tried explaining herself but all she could come up with just sounded stupid. Esposito chuckled at her confused expression.

"It's ok, nobody saw you. You should have gone home; that last case really worn you off."

"No, I'm fine, just need caffeine."

She quickly stood up, fixed her hair and headed to the break room. Placing a cup in the machine she leaned against the table and closed her eyes. "It was just a dream… just a dream, Katie." She kept repeating herself to get the image of her and Rick getting cozy in his bedroom out of her head. "He's in the Hamptons, he's with… her". She couldn't say her name, even in her thoughts. The truth was she didn't loath the woman, just the idea of her taking him away from her arms.

It had been two very long months since his departure, since she had last seen him or heard his voice. Well, at least out of her head. There hadn't been any phone calls, texts or sightings of him on the news, just an empty chair next to her desk that constantly reminded her of what she had lost. Sure, he would be back in a month… but what if things weren't the same? How could she act as if nothing had happened between them, as if she hadn't been ready to take a leap and he had left her hanging on? Sure, he wasn't even aware of that, but it still felt like a punch in the guts. Grabbing her cup of coffee she made her way back to her desk. A busy day full of paperwork awaited her, and it didn't thrill her as it gave her extra time to think about him. Thankfully someone had other plans for her.

"Yo, Beckett, we've got a murder. You in?" asked Esposito, a worried look on his face.

"Yes. I'm fine" she answered reassuringly, gabbed her jacket and run to the elevator smiling. This day had just gotten much more interesting.

Coffee in hand he stepped into the elevator. Loosening his collar he tried to calm himself down. Everything was going to be the same. He was back; they were going to work together, as if nothing had happened. Right? At least he hoped so. He was cursing himself for not having self-control whatsoever. Since he had finished "Naked Heat" two weeks ago and came back home, he had swore himself he wasn't coming back to the precinct till it was fairly necessary. And yet, here he was, dragging himself to her feet like a lost puppy.

After having seen Kate and Demming in the middle of a make-out session, he realized he couldn't bear seeing her with anyone else but him. So, he had run to the Hamptons, hoping that being with another woman would help him forget all about her. Instead, all he had managed to accomplish was finishing his book and realizing that he couldn't live without her. Even if the idea of watching her with another guy made him want to throw up, the idea of not seeing her at all was far worse. And that's how he had ended up in the precinct, one month before settled, and with peace offers.

Reaching his floor he walked through the hallway, finding it rarely empty for this time of the morning. He stopped by Ryan's desk only to find it empty too. They might be out in a case. That had to mean she was out there too, he thought disappointed. But turning around he found her sitting by her desk. The chair was turned round, as she was putting her heels on. Her now-long caramel hair fell to the side, slightly curly on the tips and lighter than how he remembered it. How should he come up to her? A simple "Hi, it's been a while" seemed ordinary and also recalled the fact that he hadn't called in the time he had been away.

No matter how hard he had tried, getting certain female detective out of his mind had been impossible. Everything reminded him of her: his book, his manager/ex-wife that always repeated him not to fall in too deep for her, and his phone, always inches away from his hand, tempting him to check up on her. A couple of times he had dialed her number but never reached to talk.

As he was reaching the desk, Kate rose up. He gave a step forward and trying not to sound scared, smiled his signature smirk and jokingly said:

"Fancy shoes you're wearing this morning, Beckett. Seems like summer treated you well"

By hearing her name she turned round, frowning at him, confusion clearly visible in her deep hazel eyes.

"Excuse me?"

Castle mirrored her expression, as confusion overwhelmed him. The woman standing opposite him seemed like Kate Beckett. Actually, she looked like a teenager, naïve, delicate version of the Detective he was so used to shadowing. It took her just a few seconds to recognize him and the change was crystal clear. She straightened herself up, put a hand on her tiny waist, and smiled broadly at him; a glint of realization and naughtiness in her stare.

"Well hi there. It was about time for us to meet."

Castle stared stunned at the lady in front of him. Her squared jaw, marked cheekbones, full cherry lips and devilish smile resembled to Kate's, but by her British accent, skinner form, and arrogance he could unmistakably know she wasn't Beckett. Studying her face he tried to remember if he had seen her before, but came completely blank. So he just stared back at her, watching as she continued to smile sultrily at him. Footsteps were heard nearby, getting close from the corridor.

"Castle?"

Returning from the crime scene, Kate stepped on the precinct elevator, closely followed by Ryan and Esposito, who kept talking on his phone to try to ID the vic. Her face had been so beaten up that it was unrecognizable, and Lanie was taking her to the morgue to do an autopsy and run her footprints. The ding announced the arrival to their floor and as they walked to their desks Beckett kept thanking god for such a tricky case to keep her busy.

However, entering to the bullpen her face dropped as she took in the sight of Castle, standing by her desk. You've got to be kidding me! What the hell is he doing here? Suppressing the emotions that overtook her, she managed to put on her bossy voice.

"Castle?"

He turned round and faced her. He looked even better than in her dreams. No!, she couldn't be thinking like that right now. He had left her, and hadn't called or texted. She was mad at him… but he looked so damn adorable with that confused expression. Trying to go back to reality she looked round to Ryan and Javi, who were smiling broadly. Yet, their eyes weren't set on Castle but further away, pass her desk, at a long-legged beauty that stood gracefully, hand in her hip, long brown hair and sultry smile. Kate's face mirrored Castle's as she took her in. It couldn't be! Or could it?

"Allie?"

"Hi Katie! I'm back"

Little did they know that from that moment on everything was about to change...