Thankyou to InkyCoffee for the prompt - I could've gone so many ways with it. I really hope in the end I did it a little justice and I'm sorry it took me so long.

Thankyou also to my wonderful betas - it's harder than it looks and I really do appreciate the time you took to help me out,

The prompt will appear at the end of the story - thanks everyone for reading; reviews are welcome.

Acknowledgement: Some of the dialogue is taken directly from "Little Girl Lost" Castle: Episode 1.09

It Started As A Lie

Chapter One.

It had been a long and exhausting day – even by Kate Beckett's standards – and she was trying not to let the feeling of unease settling in her chest get the better of her. Beckett didn't like to admit that the Candela case was affecting her more than cases usually did, but she also couldn't deny that the similarities to the previous kidnapping case and its tragic outcome were playing on her mind. Will Sorenson's presence had done nothing to help. He felt so close all the time - crowding her both physically and mentally… and it left her feeling drained and craving fresh air.

She grumbled audibly. Beckett had also realized she was missing Castle; a fact she was loathed to admit. The battle of the egos he and Sorenson had insisted on displaying right in front of her had left her feeling a little pissed at both of them. They both acted immaturely and she was reminded of her days as a senior, when boys shamelessly jostled for the popular girls' attention. It was pathetic and quite frankly embarrassing, and the boys at school obviously had no self respect.

Beckett hadn't considered that she might actually miss his presence when she had sent him home and now that she was left with only Sorenson in the Candela's home, their earlier conversation was running through her mind.

She'd been frustrated and tired, and when he asked what he could do to help, she told him he needed to go home. Castle had looked pointedly at Sorenson and then in a very un-Castle-like turn of events, he had done exactly what she asked.

"Okay. But if you need me, call. Even if it's just to talk-"

He just left. No arguments, no whining. No "please, Beckett, pretty please, let me stay?" The man was not opposed to groveling and begging to be included in casework and yet tonight he'd had the sense to do exactly as he was told.

Kate pondered Castle's offer - since when did they 'talk'? Well, okay, obviously they talked – she was starting to get used to the banter and the 'pulling of her pigtails'– and lately she had found that she was actually enjoying including him in building theories and examining the facts. Ryan and Esposito seemed to genuinely like him and she had to admit that he fitted neatly into their little posse (although Kate would never give him the satisfaction of admitting that thought out loud).

Still, they never really talked. Not about the important stuff, about feelings or anything personal. In fact Kate didn't really talk to anyone about that stuff – it just wasn't her modus operandi. But Castle did have a sensitive side. She had seen glimpses of it, particularly when he was with his family. Perhaps he understood how she felt about this case, about working alongside Sorenson in such similar circumstances, without her actually having to explain her feelings? It certainly seemed that way; he had left an open invitation for her to call him if she needed the support. It was sweet, and one way or another, Beckett had to admit that the writer had begun to get under her skin.

Earlier that morning, when she'd first arrived at the scene, Castle had casually presented her with her regular coffee order and she had been surprised that he'd known her drink of choice. Of course he'd waved it off as it being a novelist's job to notice things, however she was starting to think that it wasn't just his occupation that enabled him to remember details.

Castle was abnormally good at noticing things, particularly where she was concerned.

Would it be awkward spending the night working on the case at the Candela's home with Sorenson? Beckett had the feeling that he was trying to connect with her again, that maybe seeing her after so long reminded him how good they'd been together… until they weren't good together.

The end had been painful for Kate and the fact it hadn't seemed as painful for Will (is it ever as bad for the one doing the 'leaving'?) had made it even more difficult to endure. He had just upped and left, making a career decision and leaving her out of it entirely. That one moment had told her more about him than she had learned from the whole six months they were together; but as much as she told herself she was better off without him, it still hurt intensely for an incredibly long time after he left.

Beckett didn't want to allow Sorenson the opportunity to open up old wounds, or to reminisce on what 'might have been', and so when she walked into the Candela's kitchen in the dead of night and found him making himself a cup of coffee, she briefly considered turning on her heel and slinking right on out again. She was stronger now though, she had installed walls to protect her heart and she was focused completely on this case – she wasn't about to let her past relationship get in the way of finding the Candela child. The past was just that – the past.

"Hey", she greeted him, hoping to come across as more together and confident than she felt.

"Hey, yourself. Want some?"

The coffee he offered had looked tempting and was probably exactly what she needed right then to keep a level head and stay alert; they might need to jump into action if a new development arose in the search for little Angela. She accepted the steaming hot mug gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks. So, I just got word from my guys, and Ellers is a dead end. The owner over at Paradise Diner on East 62nd vouched that he was having his usual poached eggs this morning."

Sorenson quipped, "Would have been too easy right? Or over-easy."

Beckett looked at him and smiled suddenly. "That's like something Castle would say."

"You like him". It's a statement, not a question and it was laced with disappointment and a hint of resignation.

"No. I just, um…I don't know. I think he's interesting."

The conversation was starting to take an awkward turn. Beckett didn't necessarily want to share how she felt toward Castle with Sorenson, particularly when she didn't really understand it herself. The years since they'd last spoken had mended the gaping hole he had left, but Kate was slightly uncomfortable having this conversation in the darkness of night with someone who seemed to have forgotten that she didn't talk about this stuff. Why did he think this level of familiarity was appropriate? She found it irritating and now wished she hadn't been so hasty to banish Castle earlier.

Sorenson had inched ever so slightly closer to where Kate was standing and uncomfortable was starting to feel more like the need for flight or fight. He almost looked like he was going to…no, he wouldn't have the audacity to try and kiss her, would he?

"So you're not…?"

"Together?" It took a split second for Kate to make up her mind. It was like she was standing in the observation room, looking through the one way mirror and watching the whole scene unfold before her eyes. She could go one of two ways. She realized that she had found a teeny tiny opportunity to hurt Sorenson and a way to get him to back off, rid herself of the feeling that he was crowding her. In that split second she had found a way to get some fresh air and she made the decision to take it.

"Actually, yes. Yes, we are together. Um. It's complicated."

Oh God, what was she saying? Trying to work out how she felt about Castle in the privacy of her own home was one thing but had she just told Will Sorenson that she and Castle were together? Ugh. She had.

Sorenson looked bemused.

"Complicated, huh? That doesn't really surprise me Kate. It's always complicated with you." He sighed. "Are you two serious?" There was a hopeful edge to his question and she felt bad about her lie.

"Well, you know, we're just taking things slowly. It's, um, early days so we'll have to wait and see." Kate could hear herself digging an even deeper hole and was seemingly unable to stop.

"Kate, I just want you to be happy. Does he make you happy?"

Beckett closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath before she answered truthfully this time.

"Will, he does. He's funny. Smart too. And he cares. Sure, at times he can be an ass, but – mostly – it's just his public persona."

Sorenson released a long, slow breath.

"I can see the difference in you, you know. You're alive, Kate. Your whole life had revolved around work and solving murders. You were consumed by it, consumed by finding justice for your mom. I can see the effect he has on you. And it's obvious that he's under your spell; he's whipped," Sorenson snorted. He had just witnessed Kate's face light up, her features suddenly more youthful and carefree the moment she had opened up about Castle.

"It was hard Kate, you know, leaving you behind. My career…well it was important to me. I missed you though. Missed us. Sundays in the park. Those ridiculous neon ice skates at the Rockefeller Center."

"I'll have you know that those ice skates are awesome." Kate aimed to try and lighten the moment; things had suddenly gotten way too real.

"It wasn't the skates."