Unwinding Beckett

Chapter 1: The Set Up

After wrapping up yet another case, Detective Kate Beckett sat alone in the bullpen completing paperwork. Castle had gone home hours before, claiming that he needed to spend some time with his daughter before she went away to Princeton in the fall.

Being alone gave her time to reflect on the events that had transpired the last few days. The case had been especially hard on her. Beckett always took pride in the fact that she was good at doing her job while keeping her emotions at bay, but this time it had hit too close to home. Lanie had called in saying that a middle aged woman in her late thirties was found stabbed to death in an alley. Her husband and daughter had come home late after having eaten at a local diner. The detective could still envision the pain in the girl's eyes as she told them what had happened. Kate had made sure that she examined every possible suspect thoroughly in order to provide closure.

Castle watched Beckett wear herself down day after day over this case. He felt that she was taking the case entirely too personally, but he never said a word. Knowing Beckett, she probably wouldn't have taken his criticism very well. He hated watching her like this. He wished that he could make her anguish go away. She never knew he was watching her, but he would often see her swipe at an angry tear hat threatened to fall after a particular suspect's alibi checked out, or the evidence collected was found to be useless.

As it turns out, the girl's jealous boyfriend murdered her mother in the end…and for what? A crime of passion. The boy had gotten so infuriated with her mother's constant badgering about the late hours that her daughter was keeping, and had suggested several times that the daughter curtail the dates that they would have so that she would be able to get to bed at a decent hour so that she would be able to be focused for her classes and the internship that she was taking part in.

Beckett ran her fingers through her hair for the thousandth time as she stood up and began clearing all of the pictures of the suspects and notes that were written on the murder board. Her mind wandered to her own mother, who had passed away in a similar fashion years ago, but whose murder had never been solved. Her own pain came to light as she remembered the day that she and her father came home and found the detective waiting for them with the horrifying news. She gently moved her fingers to the necklace she wore around her neck, grabbing hold of the ring that was laying there. She closed her eyes and silently begged the Powers That Be for the justice she so desperately sought.

She was so focused on her own thoughts that she never heard the approaching footsteps. Kate realized she was being watched the instant she heard the familiar voice behind her.

Castle.

"Hey, I thought you might still be here. What's going on? Shouldn't you be at home?" he asked, brows furrowing out of concern as he came to stand beside her.

"Nothing's wrong, Castle. What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you be spending time with Alexis?" She countered, not bothering to make eye contact.

She couldn't bring herself to look at him. The emotions that she was still feeling were still raw, and she felt that if she looked at him even for a second, that she might break.

Castle, however, wasn't about to ignore that. He gently took her arm and brought her around to face him. Taking only a finger and placing it under her chin, he made Kate's eyes come into contact with his. He wasn't prepared for the pain he saw there, nor the tears that threatened to fall.

"In answer to your question, Alexis dismissed me after dinner. She said she wanted to spend some time with Ashley tonight. Secondly, you're not fine. Stop lying. I can see you're hurting, so I'll ask you again. What's wrong?"

At his words, Beckett crumbled. Castle pulled her into a tight hug and ran a hand through her hair. He was at a loss for what to do to comfort her, and was surprised that she was letting him see her in such a vulnerable state.

After a few minutes, Beckett took a calming breath and tipped her head back to look at Castle. Her makeup was smudged, and her mascara was now running in black streaks down her face.

"I don't know why I keep doing this," she began, sniffing and wiping her face with the back of her hand.

"Doing what?" he pressed her, worry being transformed into concern and frustration. When she didn't answer, he tried again. "Kate?"

Beckett closed her eyes, trying to focus on forming an answer. "Putting myself through all of this pain. This last case was horrible. It reminded me of my mother's in a lot of ways. On the one hand, I'm glad I was able to help out and find that girl's mother's killer. However, part of me wishes that I could find that for my own as well. What the hell is wrong with me, Castle? Why is it so easy for me to bring closure to others, but I can't turn around and do the same for myself?"

Castle's expression softened. He had obviously not been expecting that. He considered her for a moment, and then plowed ahead.

"You want to know what I think?" he began, "I think you need a break from all of this. You have been working entirely too hard and have been wearing yourself down for a long time. When was the last time you've taken a vacation, or even a day to yourself that didn't involve you working on something related to your mother?"

"I haven't taken any time off since you met me, Castle. You, of all people, should know that," she snapped. She wasn't really willing to have this conversation, and the way Castle kept looking at her was making her feel a little uneasy.

"Well, I'm taking some time off and am going to the Hamptons for a week. Alexis is busy trying to spend some time with Ashley and some of her friends, and my mother is off on one of her life coaching retreats. I was going to go up there because I need to get some writing done. I would really like it if you would come with me. You could relax on the beach or something. Let your hair down. I realize you might not want to, but I think it might do you some good," he finished.

"I don't have the time to go off gallivanting with you. I have paperwork to do. Murders to solve."

"Suit yourself, Beckett. I've got some packing to do and some loose ends to tie up. I just came here to tell you I was leaving."

"You did that. Now go away and stop harassing me. I have work to do, remember? Go bother someone else," she said, rolling her eyes.

"As a matter of fact, I do have someone I need to "bother" before I leave, as you so eloquently put it. Thanks for reminding me," Castle replied, completely letting go of Beckett and exiting the precinct.

Little did Beckett know, Castle had a plot forming….