Author's Note: There is a nod to The Raven by Poe throughout the story. Some allusions are character inspirations, some are embedded descriptions, but most are stanzas sprinkled at the beginning or end of the chapter borrowed from the master of macabre to honor Castle's writings.

Characters are owned by Andrew Marlow who kindly doesn't stop us from playing with his creations. Appreciation to the actors for making us want to spend more time with them above and beyond an hour of television.

Setting: Castle and Beckett are a couple; their family and friends know they are together, but the relationship has not been made public.

Their coupling was consummated but not cemented. They had not yet been tested in their love for one another. They found their love late in life, and they both knew the importance of making the most of every moment. Castle waited, still patient, for their personal trust to equal their professional trust or private passion.

Monday

Per their usual routine, Rick went home with Kate on Mondays after work. She secured her weapon; he put groceries away. She kicked off her heels and lit a few candles; he took off his jacket and lusted after her with his eyes. She opened the wine; he fixed their dinner.

Tonight Richard was cooking, so fruit and cheese were the starters. Kate took a moment to go through her mail. She looked at Rick in surprise because of an envelop, but his back was to her as he sautéed the mushrooms, peppers, and onions and grilled the meat.

She opened the heavy red envelop embossed with the black and silver pen. She didn't know about Castle, Incorporated, and they (a staff?) wanted to introduce themselves and acquaint her with the business end of Nikki Heat. Beckett was caught off guard. She looked up at Rick as he turned around talking trivia about mushrooms. One look at her face stopped him cold.

"What's wrong, Kate?"

"You caught me by surprise with this, Rick. Lunch with the staff of Castle Inc. You're incorporated?" She held up the invitation with the hand-penned calligraphy expecting a sheepish explanation. Instead she saw a look of surprise or fear; he wasn't still long enough for her to decide which it was. He grabbed the note, read it, and got out his cell phone. What followed was a flow of profanity she had never heard him say. The expression of anger, no, the rage clearly showed as he fired whoever he called.

Beckett was a little scared. Not of Rick, he knew he would never hurt her, but she was scared of whatever it was that was revealed to her against his wishes. When he threw his cell phone across the room shattering it into half a dozen pieces, Kate went to turn off the stove. She had lots of experience dealing with angry people, and her instincts kicked in. She gave him a minute for the fury to simmer down. She didn't run up to him and throw her arms around him even though that is what she wanted to do. She stood nearby and spoke in a low and soft voice that left no doubt of her love. "I don't understand what is going on, so please let me know what I can do for you."

He turned instantly and quickly went to her. Castle wrapped his arms around her. He held her tight, really tight, until he realized he was crushing her. "I'm sorry! I just threw a temper tantrum and now I am man-handling you. I'm just afraid she screwed things up for us, and I'm sorry for all the shit that this is going to cause, and I've ruined a nice evening, and I never wanted… Well shit."

"Rick," she used that sultry voice that always stirred his soul, "If there is something you don't want me to know, that's ok. I trust you. I really do trust you personally as much as I do at work. I can pretend nothing happened since I really don't know anything anyway!" She hoped he might lighten up a little. She led him to the couch and sat intimately close.

He took a deep breath. "I am not trying to hide anything from you; rather, I am trying to keep the money making machine of Castle Inc away from you. I know how you feel about the obscene amounts of money I have. You've never wanted to know anything about my business world. The pubic relations stuff would really push your buttons." He wouldn't look at her and he was oblivious to her gentle caresses.

Kate listened. She didn't like what she was hearing because it was true enough. She really had made no effort to get to know Castle's world other than the bar and an occasional public event. She made a point of keeping a poker face so he wouldn't mistake being upset with herself with being upset with him.

He begun reluctantly, "You've met Gina and Paula. There are also lawyers and accountants I deal with regularly. They are the business half that constitute the board of the private company that is Castle, Inc. The other half the company are personal appointees. The company incorporated because of tax breaks and liability issues."

Kate listened, and she still didn't like what she was hearing. "So you've told people in your company not to contact me, and now you fired someone over it? This is a shitty portrayal of me to these people."

"No, it's not like that. I worried that you'd think I wasn't worth it if you had to deal with all this stuff you hate." He glanced at her face trying to read how much damage was done by failing to keep this new stage of their relationship trouble free.

"Castle, you don't trust me with a major part of your life. I come off like some possessive bitch who wants you all to myself. Or are you afraid I might loose my temper and hurt the bookworm farm? All they want is lunch. Why are you making this such a big deal?" Beckett focused on every nuance of his demeanor.

He wouldn't look at her. He wouldn't answer her.

"When were you going to tell me?" There was a slight accusation to her voice.

He finally snapped back at her, "When I was sure you wouldn't pull away from me."

"Rick, I'm sharing your bed! What more do I have to do show you what you mean to me?" Now she was getting irritated.

"When we get past the notion that great sex makes a great relationship." He knew her walls would never be completely down, but he was afraid of her having one foot out the door in this relationship like she had with other boyfriends. His vulnerability was plain to see.

Beckett ignored the plea for moving in and becoming part of the lavish lifestyle. She chose to distract him with her body. "I love our great sex." She crawled on his lap, facing him and pressed her breasts hard against him as she nuzzled his neck and ears.

When he couldn't resist her any longer, he made sure she got what she wanted. He grabbed her hair to forcefully propel her mouth to him for a searing kiss. He wouldn't break off until he made her moan and gasp for air. Finally he loosened his fist in her hair and slackened his hold on her body. "I am so scared of losing you, Kate." He kissed her again, this time very gently. "I know that was beastly, and I'm sorry." He looked at her with real regret at the way the evening unfolded.

Kate smiled seductively. "Rick, I like turning you into a beast. You know I just manipulated your anger into ardor, so no more apologies. Now that I have your attention, I'll remind you, I am all yours. Never say you aren't worth it to me ever again," driving home her point with a look. She put her finger over his lips as he started to speak. "Why don't you put our evening back on track by salvaging some dinner for us? I'm going to go change and I'll be back in a few minutes."

The interval gave each of them a chance to think over the new development. Castle was still nervous. Beckett wasn't done with him. She wasn't impulsive on matters of importance. The topic would be revisited at her leisure. She returned to the kitchen wearing a maroon silk robe and creamy, short nightgown. Castle commented about it immediately.

"Kate, you are being way too sexy. You know I am putty in your hands when you look like that. Since I expected to be grilled about this stuff, I am worried about your interrogation tactics!"

She laughed but ignored his worries. "The only grilling will be food. Feed me."

"Your wish is my command." He carried two plates of steak fajitas with rice over to her dining table. She grabbed the bottle of wine to refill their glasses. They ate in silence for a few minutes, but held hands across the table. The candle on the table flickered first one way, then another. The dance of the flame mimicked the darted glances shot over the table. After a few more bites, Kate said, "This is really good. I don't want to cause any indigestion, so should I wait before asking a few questions?"

"The longer we wait to talk about this, the more nervous I get. Please ask me anything."

"Who did you fire?"

"Mr. Parker, CEO of the board. I told him repeatedly that you were not to be bothered with anything until I felt the time was right. How mad or hurt are you that I've kept this stuff from you?"

"Surprisingly, I am neither. As much as I hate to admit it, you are probably correct that I will find this uncomfortable. I am more so now since someone was dismissed because of me." She paused and gave him pleading look to undo it. Still, she felt she was over-stepping boundaries. Kate continued, "I am mad at myself for showing no interest in your business. I guess I equated business with money, and I never wanted you to think your money held any attraction for me." She accentuated her words with an apologetic shrug.

"I knew that years ago. I don't want to add pressure to our relationship. We've been together for years, but we are just starting to be intimate. The business isn't going anywhere, so it can wait." Castle hoped that might give Beckett an out to deal with this later.

"Why did Parker think it couldn't wait any longer?" Beckett asked in a voice too soft for the weight she gave it.

Castle lost all hope for the evening. That question brought them to the brink. "He felt it was important to do this before our relationship might be made public."

"What did he know about a change in our relationship?" The trained investigator asked with a pointed look. She was prepared for anything from inadvertent bragging to an engagement ring.

Castle was in agony knowing this would be hard, but not telling her the complete truth would be worse. It was his turn to be proactive: he led her away from the table and back to the couch. Presently my soul grew stronger, hesitating then no longer… After a deep breath Castle admitted, "I changed my will."

Author's Note: The story is written but I am waiting on feedback before doing final edits. Your reviews set the pace and tone for updates. Per my name, I am a self-taught writer looking to enrich my story-telling experience through your input. Thanks for reading.