Title: A Love of Convenience

Summary: Sometimes we can't have the things we want and we have to settle for the things that we need.

Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters I write about. If you recognize a name, odds are it isn't mine. But seeing as this is a fanfic website, you probably knew that already.

Thanks again to Sunshiny-Kate, the best beta a writer could ask for! She also came up with the premise of this story.

Driven. Strong. Committed. Sexy. These are just a few of the many words that can be used to describe Detective Kate Beckett on a daily basis. Somber. Depressed. Forgotten. Hopeless. These are words that can be used to discribe Kate Beckett right now.

She'd messed up. She'd blown it. She'd waited too long and missed her chance. Everything she should have done and said kept replaying in her mind, replaced only by the stupidity of what she had actually done.

She wasn't drunk. You need to consume alcohol to get drunk. Staring at the golden-brown, almond flavored liquid was doing nothing to ease the pain. And yet she still didn't drink. She knew only one thing would soothe the ache in her heart, and it wasn't found in a bottle.

The bartender kept glancing at her, wondering what her story was. The sorrow on her face was almost painful to look at, and he could tell she was fighting back tears. He came back to her end of the bar every so often but she shook her head with every offer of a new drink and was obviously in no mood for small talk. So he finally decided to leave her alone. But someone else had other ideas.

"You know, most people come to bars to have a good time."

Beckett didn't respond to the deep voice that belonged to the man who was now standing next to her barstool. She just continued to run a finger around the rim of the sweating glass in her hands.

"And if they aren't in the mood for a good time, they come to forget something." The man continued. "But that's what the drink is for, and you aren't drinking it. Know what that tells me?" He paused but still received no response. "You've had all the fun you can handle for one night, or you are in so much pain you don't want to forget."

Beckett sighed lightly and turned enough to look at the stranger. Her eyes widened. He was tall. Really tall. And he was hot. His black hair was rumpled, his dark brown eyes were mesmerizing, and his smile was enchanting.

"I know what's wrong with you." He said.

She continued to stare at him for a few seconds before finally breaking her silence.

"You do?"

"I do." He answered. "You have a broken heart." He chuckled at the incredulous look she shot at him. "Trust me. I know hearts."

"You know hearts?" She echoed. "is that some sort of cheesy pickup line?"

"No. I'm a heart surgeon."He flashed another killer smile. "But I can do cheesy pickup lines if you want."

Beckett laughed. She didn't want to. She wanted to stay wallowing in self pity. But she laughed anyway.

"I'll keep that in mind." She said. "So, a heart surgeon? That sounds exciting."

"You've never truly lived until you've held another person's heart in your hands." He paused when a disgusted look swept across Beckett's face. "Too much?"

"A little too much, yeah." She replied with a nod.

"Sorry. So, are you here with someone?"

"Just me, myself, and I."

"I'd offer to buy the three of you a drink, but none of you seem all that thirsty."

"I guess we aren't." Beckett chuckled.

They studied each other for a moment. Beckett was about to ask him his name when she was interrupted by a muffled beeping. She watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pager. He read the screen and then returned it to his pocket before looking back up at her.

"I hate to leave so soon, but I've got to go to work."

"Someone have an actual broken heart?" Beckett asked.

"Something like that." He said with a laugh. He zipped up his leather jacket and smiled at her. "I hope you find what you're looking for at the bottom of that glass."

Before she could reply he was walking away. With a few long strides he reached the door and became the second man to walk out of Beckett's life in one day. She looked back at her now warm drink and frowned. There was nothing left for her here. She put some money under the glass and headed for the exit. Alcohol wasn't going to help her. What she needed was a tub of ice cream and a Temptation Lane marathon.

One month later, summer was going strong in New York City. The sun was rarely hidden behind the clouds but the heat wasn't miserable yet. And on this particular Saturday a gentle breeze was blowing, keeping the rising temperatures perfectly bearable. It was a great day for a motorcycle rally, and Beckett wasn't going to let a criminal stop her from going, so she used a well-deserved day off. She took a taxi to the climate controlled garage where she kept her bike. It required some creative budgeting to afford to keep it there, but that bike meant a lot to her and the sacrifices she had to make were well worth it.

The moment she threw her leg over the seat she was free. There were no bad guys to hunt down and she didn't miss her mom or Castle. There was just her and the rumble of the machine below. She tugged on her helmet and steered her way to the exit, then made her way into traffic.

She took her time on the way to Central Park. She kept the visor up so the wind blew against her face. She wove between cars, not to get anywhere faster, but just because she could. Without a doubt, that Harley was the best thing she'd ever spent money on. It always made her feel like a teenager again, like there was nothing she couldn't do. Something about the control it gave her, the way she could maneuver nearly anywhere she wanted to, it made her feel powerful.

By the time she reached the park her face was lit up with the most genuine smile she'd worn in weeks. She saw the small group of fellow motorcycle enthusiasts and idled up to them. She'd never been to one of these before, but she had read about it in a local newspaper and decided to give it a try. She sighed happily as she shut off the bike and looked around for a few minutes before she got up and lowered the kickstand. She put her helmet on the seat and shook out her hair.

A couple of deep breaths later she started mingling with the crowd. There were men and women, aged from early twenties to mid-sixties. She felt at ease here, there was no pressure. They talked about bikes. Not murderers or crimes or books or authors. Here she was just a bike lover, not a detective or a muse, and she instantly knew this kind of thing would forever be an escape from the brutality of her own life.

An hour later she was listening to a retired school teacher named Teddy Milton tell the story behind his bike's paint job, which was a myriad of different sized purple skulls. She was totally engrossed in his story, and she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see who was trying to get her attention and her mouth fell open in surprise.

"It's you." She said dumbfoundedly.

"It's me." The tall, dark, handsome stranger from the bar said. "The name's Josh, by the way. I guess I failed to mention that when we first met."

"Kate." She replied.

"Nice to meet you, Kate. Officially."

"Likewise, Josh." She said with a smile. "So, you ride motorcycles?"

"I do indeed. That's my Harley."

He pointed to a sapphire blue bike sitting at the edge of the crowd. The color instantly made her think of Castle's eyes, and a quick flutter tore through her stomach. She inhaled deeply and shook her head slightly to erase his image from her mind.

"Mine's over there." She pointed to show him.

"Soft-tail. Nice."

"Thank you. I like yours too. Sportster, right?"

"You know your Harleys." He grinned.

"It's just a hobby." She shrugged, suddenly nervous.

"Hey, this may be a bit forward, but would like to go get a cup of coffee?" He asked. "We can talk about bikes. Or about whatever."

Beckett bit the inside of her lip and regarded him for a full five seconds before answering.

"I'd like that." She said.

"Great." He smiled again. "I know a great place. It's a few blocks away."

"I'll follow you, then."

"Okay."

He trotted to his bike and Beckett did the same. By the time she climbed on hers, he had driven over to her. They nodded, choosing not to try to speak over the engine noise. Josh began driving towards the park exit with Beckett following not far behind.

Beckett wasn't sure how long they'd been sitting there talking, but their coffee was long gone. They gone through a veritable variety of topics. They had discussed everything from their motorcycles to the weather to favorite movies to their jobs. Beckett decided not to mention Castle. She didn't know if the hottie heart surgeon considered this a date, but whatever it was, the topic of a man following her around at work seemed taboo. Plus, she didn't want to get into the whole Nikki Heat thing. And honestly, she just didn't want to talk about Castle.

She didn't want to keep thinking about him. How he was up in the Hamptons, sipping mixed drinks with little umbrellas while Gina rubbed sunscreen on his back. She didn't want to dwell on the fact that he'd left so easily, shaking hands like co-workers and throwing a thin promise to see her in the fall over his shoulder. She'd never been so strongly affected by a man leaving. A break-up had never left her rehashing what went wrong.

But this was different. This hadn't been a break-up. You have to be dating to break up. No, the thing that bothered her the most was her own relutance to let herself go. She was mad that she let herself stay locked up behind that wall. She also hated the the fact that she'd actually thought he liked her. He'd said it himself. He'd only invited her to his place as a friend. What ever had possessed her to think that he, Richard Castle, a man who could have any woman, would want her? These things were why she was still so upset about the day he'd left. Because nothing made sense.

"Earth to Kate? Hello? Are you still with me?"

Beckett blinked a few times as she realized that Josh was talking, and she was completely ignoring him.

"I'm sorry, Josh. I was thinking about a case." She lied. "What were you saying?"

"I said that I have really enjoyed talking with you today."

"Oh." She smiled. "I have too. With you, I mean."

"Do you want to get dinner sometime?"

Okay. That kinda cleared up the date question. Beckett licked her lips and saw Josh look down at them. The same way she would look at Castle's lips. No. She had to stop this.

"Yes. I'd like that." She answered.

"Great. How about tomorrow?"

"That should work as long as I'm not too tied up with a case." She answered, making sure she had an out in case she changed her mind.

"I get off shift around seven. Can I pick you up at eight?"

"Yeah. But why don't you call me when you get off work. By then I'll know if I'll be able to make it."

"Works for me." Josh replied, widening the grin that hadn't left his face since they'd sat down.

Beckett returned the smile and grabbed a napkin and a pen. She wrote down her number and her address and handed it to Josh.

"Thank you again for the coffee. You really didn't have to do that." She said.

"It was the least I could do in exchange for such pleasant company."

Beckett smiled again and they both stood up. They headed outside and made their way to the bikes.

"I'll pick you up in my car tomorrow." Josh told her. "As I'm sure you know, New York at night isn't the best time for motorcycles, especially with two passengers."

The idea of riding behind him on the bike with her arms wrapped around his waist sent a pleasant shudder thorough her. She quickly shoved the thought to the back of her mind.

"Sounds good. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye, Kate."

"Bye, Josh."

They put on their helmets and swung onto their bikes. After starting the machines up they nodded a final farewell before going their separate ways in the afternoon traffic.

Beckett knew her heart wasn't broken. But it was all out of sorts. And maybe, just maybe, a doctor was exactly what she needed to straighten it out.

A/N- So, here's the thing. Most of us don't like Josh. We feel like he got in the way of Caskett. But it wasn't his fault. He cared for Kate, and she cared for him. This story will explore the parts of their relationship we saw, and a few we didn't, but from their perspective. I think it will be an interesting little journey. I hope you'll come along with me. Thanks for reading. Until next time, Paige