Beckett glanced at the phone, fingers inching towards the numbers. After everything with Castle, the utter insanity that was him and the recent strange twists in her relationship with him, Beckett needed something uncomplicated, something simple and fun, to get her mind off the pain and fear that threatened to swallow her whole. As such punched in the numbers and listened to the dial tone, she did everything she could to put Castle and that blonde out of her mind.

She could hear Lanie's voice screaming in her head, questioning why she was playing these games. The dressing up with Hunt to get the finger prints, just to get a reaction from Castle, taunting him about his date like she was a petty high-school cheerleader, refusing to talk to Castle about her feelings and instead seeking out Collin's company...

"Hello?" Hunt asked.

Beckett couldn't answer. Everything felt wrong. Not the whole thing with Castle, though that was wrong too, but this wasn't right. She didn't shy away from reality. She didn't let her fears get in the way...that is why she was such a great cop! She didn't let things go on when they didn't work for her...and she didn't let problems fester...

Beckett blinked. Her desk was gone, as was the entire precinct. Hell, the entire world was gone, leaving her only floating in a white nothingness, dressed in a non-descript gray jumpsuit. Memories flooded her mind, of all the times she had spent in this place, of all the fights and arguments and battles...things she shouldn't have known she suddenly remembered, and she felt her anger bubbling deep within her.

"CASTLE!"

Richard Castle popped up beside her, dressed in the same gray outfit. He stared at her for a moment, a thousand emotions flashing through his eyes...before he grabbed her and kissed her hard. Beckett wrapped her arms around him, forgetting her frustration for a moment as she surrendered herself to the kiss, feeling so warm and safe and loved in his arms.

Sadly, he had to break the kiss, though he refused to let go, instead holding onto her like a lifeline, his forehead resting upon hers.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"None of that..." Beckett whispered, brushing her hand along his cheek.

"But that stupid blonde...and all those horrible looks I gave you..."

"You told me not to apologize last week, after...that reveal...and you don't need to apologize this week." Beckett kissed him once more, this time more softly, tenderly. "YOu aren't the one to blame..." she looked up at the white nothingness. "YOU are."

"Come on guys...it was a great episode!" The voice changed, week to week. Sometimes it was a man. Other times a woman. Some days it was someone they had heard before, other times a brand new voice. But it didn't matter...for the past 4 years the voice had been pleading the same case, over and over, and Beckett had reached the end of her rope.

"I don't care if it was a great episode! I thought we had a deal!" Beckett shouted.

Castle nodded, shifting her so Beckett's back pressed against his chest, making them a united front. "That was you idea of a good story?"

The voice let out a whimpering sigh. "Come on guys, I tried! But the producers and ABC felt that having Beckett talk to Castle about her feelings was-"

"realistic?" Beckett said with a snort.

"A waste of dramatic tension! We made this big deal about Castle finding out about the secret, and then to have it be solved the next episode...and not even during sweeps..."

Castle frowned. "There wouldn't have been a secret if you hadn't made Beckett lie in the first place."

"Of if I hadn't been shot!" Beckett shouted. "And what the hell was up with Roy being part of this conspiracy to kill my mother? Where the hell did that come from?"

"Well, we thought it would be a real nice twist..." The voice sounded more whiny than normal.

Beckett shook her head. "It was stupid. My mother dies...and suddenly it is this major conspiracy that threatens all of New York? Are you kidding me?" She glared at the nothingness, wishing the voice had a face so she could punch it. "I am getting tired of you lying to us and jerking us around! You promised to catch my mom's killer...then spring this on us!"

"And you promised to have Kate finally fall for me...and you make me get back with my ex-wife?" Castle exclaimed. "Are you high?"

"Maybe."

"What?"

"Nothing," the voice said, trying to sound innocent.

"Four years we've let you string us along...you've manipulated us and made us play out your little game...and each time when you promise we'll finally be allowed to be together...you rip us apart," Beckett pulled Castle's arms tighter around her. "Why can't you just bring us together."

The voice let out a long sigh. "Listen...it is expected! You are two characters in a romanatic mystery show...there is going to be will they/won't they tension! And we don't want to have the Moon-"

"If you say Moonlighting Curse I will find a way to rip your head off...assuming you have a head!" Beckett panted, tears stinging her eyes. "We hate this...we love each other and want to be together...please..."

The voice was quiet for a moment. "Ok...ok, I hear you. Well work something out. Not next episode, that one has Castle getting a new partner, but maybe in the season finale..."

"Nope, no way!" Castle shouted. "You do this every time!"

The voice laughed, a hollow, dark sound. "Caught me. But face it you two...you're stuck. Your fictional characters...you have to do what the writers say...just give up..."

"No," Beckett said, eyes flashing in anger. "Not anymore." The white world began to grow dark. "We aren't your playthings anymore...we are going to find someone else to write our love story and they are going to get it right!" The world began to shimmer, Castle and her smiling as they felt the puppet strings that bound them to the voice being cut. They had worked for a long time to find a way to free themselves, and at long last it was time to finally seek their new path.

"Wait!" The voice cried in a panic. "Don't do this! Without you two there is no show! ABC will cancel us and replace us with that sitcom written by Snooki's mom! What about we have you get pregnant, Kate? Little Caskett baby? You can't get married and you guys won't really act like a couple, but hey, that should..."

The voice suddenly disappeared, leaving Beckett and Castle alone in the now black room. They looked around, amazed at the freedom they felt. After 4 years, their strings had finally been cut and all the voices couldn't get to them.

Castle spun Beckett around, kissing her again, wishing he could remove her gray suit (they'd tried several times and failed). "We...we actually did it."

"Yeah," Beckett said, a dreamy smile on her face. "And now we can find someone to write our story...someone that will get it right."

"Yeah...who?"

Beckett frowned. Truthfully...she hadn't thought that far ahead.

The two floated in limbo, time having no meaning as they considered their options.

"I want everything to be different," Beckett finally said. "No more cheesy dialogue. I want some action!"

"Oh, I'll give you action..." Castle said, still hoping to find a way to get her naked.

"You know what I mean!" Beckett floated away from him, pacing. "I want to fight someone other than you. And I want to say really funny things...and have a cool outfit. And I want friends, actual friends, not just getting drunk with Lanie."

Castle snapped his fingers. "I got it!"

"You do?"

"Yup! We get Joss Whedon to write us! He knows action, has a cult following, writes the best dialogue..."

Beckett wasn't sure, but still she smiled. "Can't be worse than the last guy...ok...let's do this."

The world disappeared around them.

Next Time: Katie the Vampire Slayer