Title: What If's and Missing Scenes

Pairing: R. Castle and K. Beckett

Summary: A series of one shots based on season one, will be AU and from different POVs. The goal is to get them together by the end of each chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle

Words: 1050

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Chapter One: Flowers For Your Grave (S01E01)

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RC POV

Since Detective Kate Beckett had come sauntering into my life just a few short days ago with her badge held up high and her commanding voice as well as no nonsense attitude not to mention the high heels, I had been intrigued and entranced by her.

There was something about her that captured my attention and interest like nobody else before ever had and I was uncertain as to just why this was.

One thing that I had picked up on immediately when it came to her was that she wasn't some airheaded bimbo, no; Detective Beckett was multi-layered, complex, and no doubt complicated. She was certainly attractive, her face was thankfully not slathered full of make-up, the minimal amount that she did make use of was subtle and just enhanced her natural beauty even further.

She was smart, able to think on her feet as well as outside the box. I had always liked women who had brains; intelligence was something that I valued. She was also driven, determined to find justice for those who had met their untimely end, she wasn't just going through the motions when it came to her cases. She gave it her all, wanting to find justice for those that were no longer among the living as well as those that had been left behind and were mourning.

She was hurt, deep down; something had caused her extreme pain. Something that she hadn't been able to get over completely and maybe never would. But day after day, she tried to give others what she had never gotten for herself, justice. I was certain that she was seeking justice for whoever it was that she had lost, maybe it was even the main reason as to why she had become a cop in the first place.

She was a mystery, one that I wanted to solve. She was also vastly different from the usual type of woman that I perused, I had long since given up on my happily ever after, but there was something about her that made me hope that just maybe it was a possibility after all.

All of these thoughts swirled around in my mind as I cautiously approached her; she was standing with her back towards me just a few meters away. I had no idea how to say what I wanted to, very rarely did I ever get tongue tied or speechless, I chalked it up to another affect that Detective Kate Beckett had on me.

Clearing my throat nervously, I watched as she turned around, momentarily taken aback by just how beautiful she really was. It was more than just her physical appearance though; her inner beauty seemed to shine out onto the physical plane. I felt like a gangly limbed teenage boy asking out his secret crush to the prom as I stood before her.

"Well, I guess this is it." She spoke up, a slight smile on her face that she was trying to hide.

"It doesn't have to be." I answered quietly, sincerely.

I knew full well what people thought about me, Richard Castle, mystery writer and millionaire playboy with a different woman on his arm every week. And that was partly my fault, when I had started out writing, I had been young and more than willing to play the playboy act up to its fullest, and I was still stuck with it now years later.

I had never really done much to try and shake it though, especially after my most recent divorce. It had been nice to just go out and have fun without any strings attached or over complications, to get over Gina and my disappointment at another failed marriage under my belt.

"We could go to dinner?" I suggested, smiling at her with a small shrug.

I had wanted to add something more to my suggestion, something witty and charming, but I had no idea what to say. So I had instead just ended it there, holding my tongue so as to not say something stupid.

I really did want to spend more time with her, for the first time in a long time, I felt inspired. Words had been drifting through my mind since I had met her, scenes and characters all but coming to the life the more I was in her company.

"Why Castle?" She asked raising an eyebrow slightly. "I have no intention of being another one of your conquests."

"I'm not asking you to be." My reply was sincere and immediate. "So do you want to have dinner?"

I stared into her deeply dark expressive eyes; the ball was now in her court. Either she said yes or no, I was hoping for a yes but I was uncertain if that was the answer I would get from her. Normally I was confident, sometimes overly so even, but at this moment I felt more than a bit insecure. She had made it clear that I was an annoyance to her during the time we had spent together so far while working on the case.

A thorn in her side that she could do without, and to top it all off I hadn't exactly made the best first impression when I had met her. She bit her lower lip thoughtfully, seemingly really thinking my offer over, and as the seconds ticked by I felt my breath hitch in nervousness.

"Alright Castle. But nothing over the top." She finally replied what felt like an hour later.

"Nothing over the top, okay, promise." I agreed eagerly, feeling a grin starting to form.

"I'll call you as soon as I'm done with the paper work." She answered back, a slight flush creeping up onto her cheeks as I continued to stare at her.

I could hardly believe that she had actually said yes, not wanting to do anything to change her mind I decided that it would be for the best if I took my leave for now. I would wait for her call; I would probably spend the time waiting for it by staring at my phone and mentally willing it to ring.

But she had said yes, we were going to dinner, and if I had my way it wouldn't just be a onetime thing.

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