No, you aren't seeing things, this is a second story from me in 24 hours. I blame the promo for Monday's shifted episode for a plot that just seemed to flow out my fingers. Spoilers for everything up to this episode.

On a serious note, we have the shifting of 'The Squib and the Squall' and 'Still' due to the horrific events in Boston a week ago. It sickened me to see the tragic scenes that day, but one thing that I think the globe will remember are the people who ran into the carnage, ran into the chaos without a second's thought to save lives. Those are the people that history should remember, not the two... Brothers that caused so much destruction.

Disclaimer - I have no connection to Castle, bar being a big fan.

Stepping out of the lift onto the Homicide bullpen floor, Castle expected to hear the noise that accompanied the usual hustle and bustle of the bullpen. This time however, Castle arrived to the sound of Beckett's screaming voice coming from the interrogation room.

Dropping the two coffee's he was carrying, Rick darted across the silent bullpen, it's inhabitants all silently staring in shock towards the closed blinds. As Castle reached the closed door, he found himself nearly barged out of the way as Gates shot into the room.

'What on earth is going on in here?' Gates stared agog at the sight before her.

Castle entered the room to a scene that both shocked and concerned him. Vaughn, the arsehole that Kate had been ordered to protect was bent over in the corner of the room, his hands over his face and blood dripping between his fingers. On the other side of the room was an apocalyptic Beckett, her face purple with rage as she was being forcibly held back by both Ryan and Esposito.

'DETECTIVE BECKETT!' Gates bellowed to no reaction from the still shouting detective, 'STAND DOWN!'

If Kate heard her captain, there was no visible reaction as she continued to hurl curses in three separate languages.

Pushing past Gates, Castle put himself between Kate and Vaughn, 'Kate?' Castle's voice held a heap of concern as he softly spoke.

Instantly Kate stopped struggling against her friends and went silent as he wide eyes bored into Rick's. With a strangled sob, Kate wrenched herself out of Ryan and Esposito's arms and shot out of the rear entrance into the interrogation room.

'Rick, 'Ryan's concerned look turned to the taller man, 'Go after her, now!'

Castle was moving before Ryan had finished talking.

'I don't like repeating myself,' Gates' icily cold tone bit out.

'Sir,' Esposito started, 'We brought Vaughn into the interrogation room as we all felt that there was something amiss with the case and Beckett wanted to affirm some of his statement. Beckett wanted it to be a casual conversation with the two of us watching from the other room...'

'Which was why they weren't seated,' Ryan took over, 'Vaughn said something that triggered Beckett's memory and she did her internal thinking thing.'

'Her what?' Gates glanced between the two detectives.

'Her internal thinking thing,' Ryan shrugged, 'When she's organising the evidence in her head, she kinda pauses and stares off into... Well, somewhere else. She's here...'

'...But not here,' Esposito jumped in, 'Beckett disappeared into that, but Vaughn carried on like nothing was amiss. When he started talking about how sexy she was, Ryan and I started towards the door as we could both see that Becks was still in her zone.'

'As Javi opened the door,' Ryan continued, 'I looked back and Vaughn had started kissing Beckett.'

'We burst into the room as Becks slugged Vaughn with a textbook right cross,' Esposito glared at the man standing quietly in the corner, 'we then stepped in as it was clear that Beckett was beyond furious.'

'And we were concerned she might do something she regrets,' Ryan finished.

'Rebebs?' Vaughn's speech was muffled behind the clearly broken nose, 'I bant her charbed!'

'For what?' Gates spun and laid one of her ore severe glares on the younger man, 'Defending herself from the unwanted advances of a leacherous moron?'

Vaughn stared in confusion, 'Bat?'

'I must remind you that we have video cameras operating in this room,' Gates pointed to the three devices hanging off the ceiling, 'These will back up my detectives claims if you decide to press charges, and I will be happy to use it against you in the sexual harassment charges I will put upon you. The threat on your life is over, so get the hell out of my precinct.' Gates pointed at the open door and Vaughn got the hint quickly, scurrying out without another sound.

'I thought the cameras were busted?' Ryan frowned after a moment of staring at the open door.

'Dude,' Esposito facepalmed as Gates levelled an exasperated glare at the Irish detective.

Sprinting down the corridor, Castle spotted the nearby stairwell door swinging. Rick heard the sounds of sobbing as a door slammed a few floors down as he crashed through the door and he proceeded to take the stairs two at a time. Spotting the doorway to the floor that contained the morgue, Castle skidded to a halt, his brain registering the fact that Kate had a refuge on this level. Lanie Parish.

His suspicions were confirmed as he rapidly approached the morgue. The heart wrenching sound of Kate openly sobbing cut Castle in two and the sight of her shoulders heaving as she wept into Lanie's shoulder cut him further.

Carefully stepping forward, Rick caught Lanie's completely confused gaze as she attempted to calm a frantic Beckett down before she threw herself into a rare PTSD episode.

'What the heck happened,' Lanie's face projected silently to Rick.

'No clue,' Rick just as silently shrugged and held out both his hands and wiggled his fingers, 'Give her to me.'

Nodding slightly, Lanie pulled Kate off her, earning her a soul wrenching sound of pain. Feeling her resolve shatter, Lanie found some strength and turned Kate towards her partner.

Despite the fact he was barely inches from her, Castle staggered as Kate literally threw herself on him, her legs wrapping around his waist as her arms snaked under his and her hands fused onto his shoulders.

'I'm sorry Castle!' Kate wept repeatedly into his chest, her dark hair fallen loose down her back, hiding her face from view.

'Whatever for Love?' the endearment slipping past with the same amount of ease as his voice found to waiver. Feeling his still recovering knee start to protest at carrying Kate's light frame, Rick turned and rested Kate on a nearby empty slab.

'He... he...' Kate hiccuped, 'that bastard kissed me.'

'He what?!' Castle froze, the words entering his mind were ones he had not expected to hear.

Feeling Rick tense under her, Kate's sobs intensified as she tightened her grip on his body, 'I didn't want him to Rick, you're the only man I want kissing me. I know I have been flirting with him these last few days,' Kate babbled, 'but it was only because...'

'Two nights ago,' Rick hummed, the memory of that night a very pleasant memory.

'What was two nights ago?' Lanie found herself breaching the intensely emotional scene before her.

'When i'm jealous it seems I get rather...' Rick laughed softly.

'Horny,' Kate muttered, Lanie's bark of laughter helping to ease the tension in the room.

'We were so glad that we went back to Kate's empty apartment that night,' Castle found his face heating up slightly, 'We, well we never made it out her hallway for an hour.'

'So I'm gonna haveta start calling him Writer Man now I take it?' Lanie's dirty smirk told Kate that she would be expecting questions later.

'So he kissed you,' Rick shrugged after a few moments of calm silence, 'And I take it by his bloodied face, you decked him?'

'Hard,' Kate nodded, 'Would have kicked his ass hard had the boys not restrained me,' Kate blinked and looked at Rick's face confused, 'Did I switch languages?'

'I definitely heard French in your shouting,' Rick thought back, 'and something that could have been Russian.'

'Yeah,' Kate sighed, 'I often slip into Russian when I hit a certain level of fury. Didn't know I add French in there as well.'

'You do, and it was hot!' Kate's answering chuckle was strangled with another sob, 'love?'

'I thought he was you Rick,' Kate wept brokenly, 'I was so lost in my head that I thought that Vaughn kissing me was you...'

'You kissed him back?' Castle sighed, a noise that had Kate tighten her hold on him so hard that he was mildly concerned about his rib cage with a moan.

'I thought he was you Rick,' Kate sobbed, 'you are the only person I want kissing me like that and my distracted mind didn't register the differences till it was too late. I'm so sorry Rick, I didn't want to do it, I don't want to kiss anyone else for the rest of my life. Only you Rick, I just want you.'

For what felt like an eternity to Kate, but in reality was a couple of seconds, Castle stayed silent as he processed what she had proclaimed into his chest. The thought of Kate kissing anyone, even briefly, was something that caused Rick near physical pain. But he himself had interrupted one of her internal moments with a kiss a fair few times since that amazing night and he'd caught her look of surprise and confusion each and every time as he mind caught up with her body.

The ferocity of her fury when Rick had entered the bullpen and the sheer agony in her cries were an indicator to just how terrified Kate was to his reaction upon finding out and the obvious internal anger at herself for her loss of her precious control, even for that brief moment.

'Forgive me?' Kate breathed.

'Always Kate,' Castle instantly replied, feeling Kate begin to shake with silent cries, 'You have shown me how loyal you are over the years and just how much you truly love me and I know that you would never have willingly kissed that 'Mr Fantastic' wannabe. There is no need to seek forgiveness from me Kate, because you didn't do anything that I need to forgive you for.'

Reaching down, Castle gently prised Kate's face off his chest and turned it towards his.

'I love you Kate,' Castle beamed.

'I love you too Castle,' Kate's heartfelt confession rang out loud in the room as she dove to kiss Rick with a passion.

A sudden burst of icy cold water in their faces broke the kiss with a sharp shock.

'LANIE!' the two adults barked at the now smirking ME, an empty glass in her hand.

'You two have been going at it for about four minutes now,' Lanie's smirk widened as the duo blushed, 'I love the two of you dearly, but I don't want to find out the two of you got a start on the little Castle babies on one of my nice sterile slabs!'

'Chica' Esposito's voice cut in, causing the three people beside the slab jump in surprise, Kate's hand automatically going to her hip, 'Thank you for that mental image. Sorry to break up this adorable scene, but Gates wants to see you in her office Becks. Yesterday.'

'Do you want to press charges Detective?' Gates' voice held a rare soft tone as she sat next to Kate on the small couch she had in her office.

'Charges Sir?'

'If you say the word,' Gates waved a hand, 'I'll have sexual harassment charges drawn up and filed for that scumbag within the hour.'

'Sir,' Kate sighed, 'Thank you, but we won't be needing them. I've caused enough mayhem in this place today as it is.'

'Can I ask what caused such a reaction today Kate?' Gates carefully asked, her tone approaching motherly.

Kate was silent as she bit her bottom lip.

'Off the record,' Gates added, 'Despite my reputation, I do have the ability to care about people.'

'I thought he was someone else for a moment,' Kate confessed, 'And I briefly kissed him back.'

'Then your brain shifted out of...' Gates turned to stare at where Castle was speaking with Ryan and Esposito, 'What did they call it?'

Kate blinked in confusion as Gates snapped her fingers, 'They called it your internal thinking thing.'

Kate chuckled, 'Yeah, I can disappear into my head when I'm figuring things out. Vaughn caught me in one and thought my lack of response was a signal to continue.'

'Bastard,' Kate head Gates mutter.

'The fact that,' Kate blushed, 'He tasted different snapped me back and, well, you saw the result.'

'Different?' Gates cocked an eyebrow causing Kate to blush harder.

'I'm in a relationship right now and my boyfriend uses a different flavour toothpaste,' Kate found the confession bordering on humiliating.

'I'm making you uncomfortable I can tell,' Gates looked apologetic, 'Just one more question if I can Kate?'

Kate nodded.

'It's him isn't it?' Gates waved her hand towards a laughing Castle, 'the man that has eased the terrors of this job. The man with the different toothpaste.'

Kate's wide eyed frozen pose was enough of an answer to Gates, her gaze becoming wary, 'How long?'

'Since... Since the night I resigned,' Kate confessed.

'Dammit,' Gates muttered as she stood from the comfy sofa. Reaching into a draw in her desk she pulled out what looked to be a rolled up stack of $20s and opened her office door.

'Detective Esposito?' Gates' resigned voice called across the room. The man in question turned and Gates threw the item in her hand to him before closing the door.

'You know you just cost me nearly $300,' Kate's jaw dropped in shock, 'Oh come on Katherine, do you really think you and the loved up man out there could pull the wool over my eyes for long?'

'I...'

'Admittedly it wasn't until the 3XK debacle that I could say for certain,' Gates shrugged, 'your actions during that case were the confirmation I needed.'

'But?' Kate spluttered.

'Why didn't I say something?' Gates finished the question, 'You did your job Kate, you went out there and followed the evidence, even though anyone who looked at you could see just how traumatic it was to you. I think I respected you a little more after that.'

'And as for that man out there,' Gates glanced over her shoulder as the terrible trio burst into loud guffaws, 'I saw the CCTV from the bridge, the trust you had in his accuracy with your backup weapon and it was clear as day to me that I don't think I have ever seen, nor ever will see such a close and capable partnership. I had no idea Mr Castle could shoot, let alone with the accuracy he displayed.'

'I quickly learnt that Rick was adept with a weapon,' Kate smiled at the memory.

'As my daughter often says to me,' Gates smirked, 'TMI detective.'

Gates burst into laughter at Kate's shocked, and blushing, face.

'Dude,' Ryan murmured as the trio froze at the lesser heard noise, 'Gates is laughing? After she gave you the $300 she put into the pot?'

'Pot?' Castle's questioning eyes flickered between the two men.

'There's a bet between a fair amount of the building on when you two will eventually start a relationship,' Esposito admitted carefully, 'I suspect that Gates has finally had it confirmed to her about just when you two became a true couple, and she predicted wrong.'

'She bet for us getting together?' Castle stared at Esposito in surprise, 'And yet she still rode my ass so hard?'

'Had to be sure Richard,' Gates joined the conversation as Kate hooked Rick's arm around her shoulders and slipped a finger into one of his belt loops, 'Plus it was kinda fun.'

'I...erm,' Castle stuttered.

'I've made Richard Castle, Wordsmith master, speechless?' Gates grinned, 'then I should kick the four of you out of here before I ruin my nice mood. Take tomorrow off and finish the paperwork on Wednesday.'

'Yes Sir,' Kate nodded as the boys voice their agreement. Giving the group a small smile, Gates turned and cheerily went back to her office.

'Is it wrong that I prefer the hard ass Gates?' Ryan stared, 'This new Gates is going to take some getting used to.'

Looking around his friends, Castle grinned, 'So, my place tonight? It's just struck me that we haven't properly celebrated the little Ryan under production. You and Jenny should come over tonight, I'll have a meal ready for you all for, say, seven-ish?'

Noticing movement in the corner of her eye, Victoria Gates glanced up from the folder she was reading to watch Kate Beckett walking out of the bullpen plastered to Richard Castle's side. Smiling softly she picked up her phone and pressed the first digit.

'Honey,' Gates sighed into the phone as the familiar voice answered, 'You were right, they are together.'

Laughing softly, Victoria toyed with her necklace as he husband replied.

'Yes, that does mean you get to pick dinner tonight,' Victoria sighed, 'I'll speak to you later honey, I need to get on with this blasted paperwork.'

The warm voice spoke in her ear, 'Love you too,' Gates softly spoke before placing the handset in it's cradle and cracking on with the work before her.