Chapter 1

Kate Beckett was ready. She was ready to get out of there. Be done with all her assignments and settle down. Find a nice apartment, apply for the NYPD, get a life. She wants what her dad thinks she has. She will. Soon. After this last assignment. She waits outside his door, thinking about what she's going to tell him. She hates talking to him in person. Usually she would just call him so he can tell her all about her assignment and he would send her the necessary information she needs to complete it but this time, she needs to speak to him face to face.

"Are you going in or do I have to throw you out?" The security guy right next to her looks her up and down.

She knocks three times.

"Come in."

She opens the door and steps inside closing the door behind her. He's wearing his usual suit and tie, reading some documents without looking up to see her face. He knows.

"Beckett."

"Sir, hi." She coughs nervously. She's always nervous when she's about to talk to him. He makes her nervous. "I was called just a couple hours ago, do you need anything, sir?"

"Yes. I have an assignment. It's a pretty big deal so you can't fuck it up, okay?" He looks up for the first time, meeting he eyes with a smirk on his face.

"Okay. Can I say something first?" She's looking down to the floor. See realizes this and looks up again.

"Of course."

"This is going to be my last assignment." She tries to look tough. She's not taking a no for an answer.

"Why not quit right now?" He starts playing with his pen. He's having fun.

"I need the money." She looks down to her feet again. Fuck.

"Aaah… That's right… Because I'm the one paying your dad's rehab… When is he getting out? In like , three weeks?"

"Two, actually, sir."

"You can call me William," He smiles. "come on, we know each other, I've trained you, I've taught you all you need to know about life, I know what you have been through, I've seen you come and go out of this facility completing assignments every fucking week because of your dad." He stops talking. She looks up to meet his eyes again. "Do you think he'll make it this time? Or will you just give up and tell him the truth?"

"No." She interrupts. "He will make it this time. I know it. This time is different."

"That's what you always say. I see you suffering, Kate." She quickly shoots him a look. "Sorry." He says putting his hands up in surrender. "No Kate in this facility."

"Sir—"

"William."

"Bracken, I need this to be my last assignment. I'm done."

"Okay. Fine. But your dad will eventually find out the truth." He sighs. "Either that or you come running straight to me because you need money."

"He knows everything about me."

"He doesn't know you don't own an apartment like you told him you did. He doesn't know you've been working illegally, under the table just to pay off his rehab. He doesn't know you've been investigating your mother's murder since the night she was killed. He doesn't know shit, Beckett. I do. And I hope you remember that when you're alone in your car, trying to sleep regretting this decision." He takes a breath. She doesn't move a muscle.

"You only need me because I'm your best option, but I don't need you cause you don't pay me enough for what I do."

"I don't pay you enough?" He looks around sarcasically as if he was looking for someone witnessing this conversation. "It's not my fault your dad sucks up all the money I pay you for your work, sweetheart. And if you didn't need me you would have quit a long time ago." Bracken takes the document he had in his hand and passes it over to Kate. "I think you're familiar with these faces. I want her."

Alexis Castle.

"Alone?" She knew he was going to come up to her eventually. She's been sensing his eyes on her for quite some time now. When she saw him enter the bar she wanted to leave, but she really needed a drink. Maybe tonight she got lucky and got to spend the night in a bed. She wasn't in the mood to flirt though, she just wanted to get right into it if it was necessary. But not with this guy. Anyone but him right now.

"Richard Castle," She smiles up to him. Oh those eyes, fuck he looks even prettier in person. "I would really appreciate it if you left me alone right now."

"Okay, fair enough." He leaves a couple of stools between them and sits down before ordering a scotch, looking back at her, he studies her. Long brown hair, prominent jaw line… he notices the papers she has tried to hide in her purse, important job, maybe? He wants to know more about her, wants to take his mind off his books for a while.

"Could you stop staring, please?" She shoots him a look before going back to her drink.

"I'm sorry, you're beautiful." He smirks.

"Seriously?" She scoffs. She needs to leave, can't have any contact with the father of her assignment, this is wrong. She picks up her purse, the papers almost falling out, she tries to put them back in but some of them fall. "Shit." She quickly stands from her stool and picks them up.

"Look I'm sorry, okay? I don't want to seem creepy, you clearly have some stuff going on…"

"Yes. I do. That's why you shouldn't bother women when you don't know them. Guys can go to a bar to get drunk but women can't?" She's about to walk out the door when she hears footsteps behind her.

"You're completely right. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry." She stops in her tracks when they're already outside the bar and turns around to face him.

"You're forgiven." She tries to smile at him, this is hard, being so mean and rude to strangers has always been hard. "Now you can go back inside and try to flirt with a woman that looks like she wants to be annoyed by a guy. Uncomplicated."

"I don't want uncomplicated." He smiles. "Come on, it will be good to unwind with a stranger."

"You're Richard Castle, I'm no one. I want to be alone." She says trying to make him understand. How the hell did they end up at the same place at the same time in this huge ass city? And why today?

"Okay, I get it, you want to be alone, but hear me out. We both have stuff going on right now, we don't know each other, we have the entire night and the entire city to ourselves." He looks hopeful. "Wouldn't it be nice to just live for one day? Not think about anything?." She takes a breath and a step back.

"I really, really wish I could. I really do. Maybe in a couple of years if we see each other again, we can have this night back, but today, of all days, Castle, I can't, I'm sorry." He looks down, obvious sad because all he wanted to do was have fun, find inspiration anywhere else that wasn't his whiskey bottle at home. "Go find another person to be what you need tonight. You'll find someone, this is New York, the night is young. Have fun while you can." She turns and heads to the nearest taxi. She looks back and finds him still staring at her. Can't do it. Won't do it. She opens the door and gets in.

She sighs and looks out the window. He's gone. Good. She gets out of the taxi and starts walking towards her car, where she'll be sleeping tonight. As always.