I own nothing. ABC owns Castle and all the other characters.

I wish this stuff would just go away and leave me alone.

I did just get one story cleared out from my head When this one appeared.

CHAPTER 1

Detective Beckett is concerned about what will be waiting for her at work this Monday morning. She had just spent the previous 2 days with her new love at his mansion in the Hamptons. She can't call it just a home. It is way more than she ever thought it was. Honestly it was never fully and completely described to her other than a vague reference 3 years ago when Richard Castle was trying to get her to come stay with him for a long weekend. In describing his place away from the city he really only mentioned the secluded pool and suggested she might want to skinny dip. She was sure back then that his intentions were anything but pure.

It is amazing how a couple of years later things can and do change. How his intentions of just having a week end fling with his detective muse turned into true love. Her intentions of keeping him as far away from her heart as she could turned into her wanting him to be always by her side.

But with fear now in every strand of her being, she is readying herself for an onslaught at work from the other detectives. She is absolutely sure that her partner, detective Kevin Ryan has told the entire precinct that her and Castle have finally done what everyone thought had already been done years before. And that was to hook up. Of all things to blow their cover was a suspect in a murder case. After interviewing in the Hamptons police station, he gets interviewed again by Ryan and as Ryan tells it. "Told me everything he knows". And Beckett is aware that "Everything" includes the fact that she was there with Rick in the interrogation room. And by being there meant they were together as a couple.

Rick asked her if she wanted him to go in with her to the station to give moral support. She thought it might just make it worse. She figures that everyone knowing will be bad enough. But having him there, her new lover will just add fuel to the fire. So Castle agrees to wait the usual 30 to 45 minutes before arriving with her coffee. Kate tells Rick that if she is terminated for dating a co-worker, then this gives her time to clear out her desk and he can just pick her up. She says that if she is on the sidewalk outside the door carrying a box, he will know.

Detective Beckett walks up the steps of the station and opens the front door. As she walks in she is sure that every eye in the lobby is looking directly at her. Several officers in the lobby smile and wave as she steps toward the elevator. She notices Officer Hastings at the front desk is smiling from one ear to the other. As Beckett gets closer Hastings holds her hand up apparently offering a high five and says "Way to go Beckett!"

OH! NO! It is worse than Kate thought. It appears everyone including the patrol officers are in the know about her and Rick. Today is going to be totally humiliating. She lowers her head and directs herself to the elevator as fast as she can manage. She presses the button to call the elevator and it seems to be taking forever for the car to return to the ground floor. She can feel her face burning. She knows that she has got to be blushing so bright, they might mistake her for a red traffic signal right now.

The elevator bell rings and the doors finally open. She rushes in, turns and pushes the button for her floor and looks up to the crowd that has gathered in the lobby. They are all smiling and several are giving her thumbs up. After what seems like forever, the door closes and Beckett is finally alone. At least for a moment.

What is she going to say when she gets to her floor? What is she going to tell Esposito when he asks why she kept her mouth shut and not telling him? What is Lanie going to do to her for keeping the secret from her best friend? And especially, what is she going to say to Captain Gates when she asks about the improper relationship between her and Castle? Just when Kate thought it could not possibly get any worse. The elevator doors opened.

She comes face to face with the entire 12th precinct group of detectives standing, applauding. They have hung a banner over the hallway saying "Congratulations" They have put balloons all along the partition wall separating the hall from the desks in the bull pen. More balloons are on her desk and attached to her chair. There is a cake on her desk with "Way to Go Beckett".

Well so much for keeping her and Rick's relationship a secret like they wanted to.

So for the moment she can only smile and say thanks to everyone as they walk by and offer congratulations. Then she hears the voice that has been spreading fear since her stationing as captain of the station. "Detective Beckett, can I see you in my office for a moment?"

Kate swallows hard. She is positive that all the blood has now drained from her face. "Yes Sir!" she responds as she places her jacket on her chair back and starts to walk toward whatever fate that Gates has planned. Will it be suspension? Termination? Hopefully, the captain will only force Castle to no longer be allowed into the station to help. He of course will not be allowed to shadow Beckett anymore or go to any crime scene. Beckett can accept that, even though she won't like it. It is better than the other options.

She knows she will have to face the music and accept whatever the department wishes to dish out to her. She feels fairly lucky that she was able to take back her resignation earlier and go beck in. But she thinks this will not be nearly as nice an ending as the other.

Beckett enters the captain's office and closes the door. Captain Gates looks up at Beckett. Kate is never exactly sure how mad Gates is by simply looking at her eyes. The chief is very good at hiding how angry she is before releasing the barrage onto the guilty party.

"Detective. Are you aware of why you are in here?"

"UH! No sir, not totally, sir" Kate is going to try to play dumb. She does not know how much Ryan told everyone. She is not going to offer more fuel to whatever fire that is getting ready to be ignited.

"Well detective Beckett, you have achieved something that has to go down in the record books. It has not been done before. You surprised everyone here with your ability to….."

With those words, Beckett starts thinking of where she might try to go to work after today. She is positive that Gates is getting ready to tell her that since she has gone into this relationship with Castle that her chances of staying at the NYPD are nill. She needs to go to her desk, pack up, leave her badge and gun and never darken the door of the police department of this city again. As Kate's thoughts return to the conversation at hand, she hears.

"… and, Detective you have brought great honor to this precinct. And before the Mayor formally presents you with the plaque, I wanted to tell you, myself just how proud we all are of you. So, for your personal viewing, here is a copy of the letter going into your personnel file."

WAIT a minute. While Kate was thinking about her upcoming unemployment, she missed whatever Gates was saying. When she recovered, she saw a letter in her hand and the captain giving her a firm handshake and saying congratulations.

Beckett stuttered "Thank you sir, I don't, uh, I don't know what to say.

Gates responds "well, let's go back to work and do more of the same things that brought us here today"

After Beckett returns to her desk, she starts reading the letter in her hand. She is still shaking from the pure fear that had engulfed her. Trying to read, she sees something about 100% case closure and 6 months and something about promotion to sergeant.

As she tries to return her breathing to something near normal, she notices Castle has arrived with two cups of coffee. He sets one down on the desk and comments

"You look like you might need decaf today"