A.N: Hey guys, I have been planning on writing this for quite awhile, and I finally got around to it. I thought I should probably get it up before Always, because after that people may be a little distracted. Hope you like it.
It had been a long hot summer in New York City, and a busy one for the NYPD. It seems that the heat makes people a little crazy; when it rises, so does the crime rate.
Detective Kate Beckett and the rest of her team had been going non-stop since the minute the calendars changed from June to July. They worked nights, weekends and almost every other moment in between.
One night in early August, the team is finally granted a night off. They had just wrapped up a triple homicide and were due for a break. Ryan rushed home to Jenny immediately, while Esposito muttered something about dropping some evidence off at the morgue before scurrying off.
Kate and Rick were left standing alone in the bullpen, unsure what to do.
'Well it's funny, now that we are finally getting a night off, I don't feel tired anymore' Kate laughes nervously. 'Do you want to grab a burger at Remy's?'
'I'm sure it's just all that coffee you've had. As soon as your head hits the pillow, you'll be out' Rick replies brushing her off. 'We should both head home and get some sleep', and with that he picks up his coat and heads for the elevator.
Kate stands in front of her desk shocked for a minute and then sets off towards the stairs. The last thing she wants right now is an awkward elevator ride with Castle.
Things had been so strained between them lately; it was almost as if he was pulling away. He rarely showed up at the precinct anymore, and when he did he usually had his bimbo of the week hanging on his arm. Kate didn't understand his sudden change but she suspected it had something to do with her. She waited too long, and he is moving on.
All week she had been trying to talk to him, tell him how she feels, but something always interrupted them- a break in the case, the boys, or one of his bimbos.
Kate has to admit that he was right, she is tired, but she knows that she won't be able to sleep tonight. She picks up Chinese on the way home and half an hour later she is curled up on the couch, clean, warm, and with a full belly.
She tries and tries but sleep won't come, her mind will not shut off. All she can think about is him, Rick. She wants so bad to fix things, to make it right, but it is too late.
She flips on the TV, there is nothing on but infomercials. Turning it off she slumps into the cushions, and lets her thoughts run wild.
Sleep finally takes her around 3 am, but she is only granted fifteen blissful minutes before the ring of her cell phone jolts her awake.
'Beckett' she mumbles into the phone.
'Yo we've got another one' Esposito's voice bellows at her through the speaker. 'Looks like a home invasion. Upscale apartment on Central Park West; looks like a B&E gone wrong.'
'Okay' she replies, 'Give me twenty.' And with that she pulls herself off the couch, flipping on the coffee pot on her way to find clothes.
Twenty minutes later Kate pulls up at the crime scene. Espo had been right; it is a very fancy building, far beyond anything her pay grade could afford. Beckett notices the boys standing near the entrance to the building. She feels a pang in her heart when she notices Castle isn't with them. She will just have to learn to deal with it- him not showing up. Schooling her features she strolls over to them.
'What have we got?' she inquires.
'Vic's name is Veronica Callahan, late twenties. Husband came home around 2 and found her.' Ryan relays.
'Anything missing?' she asks as she follows the boys to the apartment.
"Jewellery, electronics, and some expensive art; we've put a call into Robbery, and someone should stop by and see us when we get back to the precinct.' Esposito replies.
'Hey where's the Writer Monkey?' Ryan adds, earning him a head slap and a look from Esposito.
'He didn't pick up, I left a message' Beckett mumbles. She is hit with a wave of sadness at the thought of working this case without him, but she pushes that aside and switches back to work mode as soon as she walks into the crime scene.
Back at the precinct Detective Tom Demming sits in the Homicide break room sipping that fancy espresso he had missed so much. He is waiting for Detective Beckett to come back from the crime scene. Much to his dismay he has been the Robbery detective assigned to her new case. He has no idea how working with her on this case will go. He'd be lying if he said he didn't still have feelings for her, but she broke-up with him and he is trying to move on.
At the same time downstairs Richard Castle is stepping into the elevator on his way up to the homicide floor. He has made a decision that this will be his last case with Detective Becket and he is really going to try to make the best of it. He can be friendly with Kate, he tells himself. But as he steps off the elevator he sees something that stops him in hi tracks. Demming. What is he doing here, Rick thinks as he walks towards the break room.
'Detective Demming, what brings up to our break room?' Castle asks as nonchalant as he can manage.
'Castle… Um hey… Just waiting for Kate actually, I need to talk to her.' Demming replies.
At the mention of Kate, Castle's face falls. Does Demming want her back? Is he here to tell her he made a mistake in breaking-up with her? He feels a pang of jealousy, before he remembers that she doesn't love him; she lied about hearing his confession and she is too nice to turn him down. That jealousy is quickly replaced with anger, if he can't have her why should Demming get the chance to win her back!
'Really you are going to try to get her back?' Rick snarls at him. 'Don't you think you hurt her enough when you broke up with her? You don't deserve to get another chance.'
'First of all, I am here on a case, not that I wouldn't love to get her back' Demming replies calmly. 'Second, I think that you've got it wrong, didn't she tell you how things ended?'
'Tell me what' Castle iquires, suddenly more interested. But before Demming can say anymore, Detective Beckett and her team are stepping off the elevators, and heading towards the break room.
A.N: So thoughts? Should I continue with this? Any suggestions? Please review!