Disclaimer: Of course they're mine! (In my dreams) In reality - no.

Hi folks, so I have to say I am VERY nervous about this because it's my first time writing anything smutty, and I am more than likely rather terrible at it :-/ Hopefully you don't think so, but please give your honest opinion or this little writer will never grow... :-)

This will be a chapter story, how long the journey will be, and where the destination is remains undetermined, but hopefully you will join me for the ride!

Thanks so much for reading - ENJOY!

It was a perfect Summer setting outside. But here inside the 12th, it could have been the most miserable day of Winter.

Beckett sat at her desk, pouring over piles of tedious case notes. Just waiting for the next call to come in. It occurred to her more than once over the past two days, that as a cop she had become dependent on people being murdered to have any sort of purpose in life.

The thought had been fleeting and for a moment; frankly sickening.

Castle was sitting beside her, clicking a pen out of boredom. Every few seconds he would let out a sigh, which would be both annoying as hell, and adorable to Beckett.

"Pleeeease ring!" Castle shouted suddenly at the phone, making Beckett jump.

"Castle!" She shouted at him. He looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry", he muttered.

Beckett shook her head at him. "Why don't you go home? I'll call you when something comes in."

Castle considered her. "I could use a holiday." Beckett shot him a look. He could use a holiday?

"Your whole life is a holiday", she scoffed at him.

"Yeah well, I try to adopt the phrase 'life is for living'... unlike some."

Beckett scowled at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Castle opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Captain Gates calling out to them from her office door.

"Beckett, my office. Now." Castle surveyed the disgruntled expression on Beckett's face and decided to play with it a little. "Somebody's in trouuuble", he said in a sing-song voice.

Against Gates' better judgement she then shouted out. "You too Castle." Castle's grin was wiped from his face immediately. Beckett smirked at him.

They both walked cautiously into Gates' office. Before sitting down, she looked at them. "Shut the door", she said.

Castle complied and they all took a seat.

Gates was looking serious - even more so than usual. Although the look she displayed was leaning more toward concerned than angry.

"We've got a fresh one." She said, getting straight to the point.

Beckett was relieved. She wanted to blurt out "Thank God!" But restrained herself, opting for a slightly more kosher. "OK. Why the secrecy?"

Gates' shoulders slumped, something that didn't happen often, she was characteristically a very straight-backed woman.

"The victim is the wife of a very important figure. A former Mayor in fact."

Castle gasped. "Which one?"

Gates shook her head "Before your time Castle. He hasn't sat in the chair for more than thirty years, and they were married just before his term began."

Castle raised. "Wow, more power to that guy", Beckett shook her head at him.

"Doesn't mean they never had their problems though", Gates went on. "In fact they had a well publicized rough patch about ten years ago, which lead them to seek marriage counseling. Nowadays they help other couples by running a 'marriage retreat' just outside Bayonne. Or at least they did." She bowed her head sadly.

Castle and Beckett both watched her with curiosity, they'd never seen the sensitive side of the tough-talking Captain.

"So Sir what exactly is our position here?" Beckett asked tentatively.

Gates inhaled, straightening back up in her chair again. "His worship is a good friend of mine and I have no doubt in my mind that he is innocent. He wants us to find out who did this to his wife, period. They spent every day of the last ten years in the same place. 'The Lasting Vows Marriage Retreat'. So whoever murdered her had to have either been a worker or a current client. They have these two week seminars on how to build and maintain better marriages, and the one running at the moment is half way through."

"So you want us to go down there and question people?" Beckett asked.

Gates looked at them seriously. "His worship is adamant. People's marriages are at stake here. He doesn't want any disruption that could upset the objective they're trying to achieve. He says his wife would have died before she let that happen."

Beckett and Castle both grimaced.

"I know, I thought it was a poor choice of words too. But he is clear about this. He doesn't want anything going on that could jeopardize the retreat, but we need to get detectives in there before the end of the week. Which is why I need someone to go undercover. Well two people in fact; a couple."

Beckett and Castle understood now what Gates was asking. Beckett was first to protest. "Sir; no. It-it just won't work."

Castle's mouth was opening and closing robotically, finally he managed to get a couple of words out. "Why us?"

Gates raised her eyebrows. "Everybody is always assuming you two are together. Let's put that idea to practical use."

Beckett was getting flustered. "Sir, Castle's not even a trained detective, he's a civilian, a very recognizable civilian at that."

"I will arrange new identities to be set up for the both of you. You won't be recognized. We will not jeopardize this investigation", Gates said officially.

Beckett could only sit there, gaping like a fish. She had no more argument.

"That's all." Gate said. "Now go home and get some rest. Starting tomorrow, you two are on duty for a week", she finished conclusively.

Beckett stood up and stormed out of Gates' office.

Castle sat there dumbly for a couple of seconds, until Gates prompted him. "Castle, get out." He quickly left the office, following Beckett to the kitchen where she was making a cup of coffee

"I am going to need something stronger than coffee tonight", she said, her voice shaking with rage. She slammed she coffee pot dow on the bench. "Gah! I could just punch her!"

Castle put his hands out. "Why are you so mad about this?"

She looked at him with wide eyes. Wasn't it obvious? Acting as a married couple, when they had such strong unresolved feelings for each other? It was just way too (As Castle once put it) Meta.

"I just don't understand why it has to be you and I" she said defensively.

Castle shrugged. "Hey, you heard what Gates said... we're sizzling."

Beckett rolled her eyes at him. "You're both delusional."

"Oh come on Kate, you can't deny that we have... something." Castle barely breathed the last word, stepping into Beckett's personal space.

Beckett felt tingles up her spine as his breath hit her face. Well, two could most definitely play this game.

She leaned into him, leaving barely an inch between them. "Oh we definitely have something Castle", she whispered seductively. Castle closed his eyes.

"It's called umbrage!" She said harshly.

Castle opened his eyes and said half outraged, half impressed, "Good word!"

He slapped the bench, hurting his hand and then frowned, shaking the pain away. "Why must you insist on blowing hot and cold like that?" He asked Beckett angrily.

She turned and gave him an evil grin. "We're married now, get used to it."

...

Beckett lay in her bed, tossing fitfully.

She couldn't sleep, she was thinking about what the next few days were going to be like. Pretending to be Castle's wife? She'd never thought about being anybody's wife. Even as a young girl, she was never interested in the idea of getting married and being romantic with one man forever. Romance was something her parents had, something that she almost wanted an escape from. When her mother was killed, she saw how love could hurt, as her father turned to drink. But thinking of Castle, she realized that not only did she want to be romantic with him, she also wanted to be slightly cheeky, highly sexual and fantastically adventurous with him. Forever.

She put her hand to her head and exhaled roughly. She couldn't go to those places right now, she had to sleep... But then again she would have to spend the next week, constantly in Castle's presence, and there was no way she would let him see her thinking of him in this way. Perhaps now was the perfect time.

Slowly she ran her right hand through her own hair. Her fingers then moved to caress her face, where she slipped them into her hungry mouth. She let her tongue play with them for a minute, then carried the saliva from her mouth further down to where her other wetness was. Her hand slithered down over her breasts and torso scratching herself lightly with her manicured fingers. Her fingertips lifted up the waist band of her pajama pants, and, closing her eyes, she blindly found her destination.

But she wasn't blind at all. She saw a thousand images at once. Images of Castle doing to her what she was doing to herself right at this moment. Of their bodies joined as one beautiful, messed up web of heat. His mouth becoming acquainted with her most sensitive parts. His thickness filling her completely, and then both of them riding their way to extrication.

Beckett sucked in and exhaled with a moan, as the images accentuated her arousal, her fingers the talented tools to carry it out.

The images changed and her and Castle were doing nothing more than starring into each others eyes. God that man's eyes. The electric blue of them boring into her own greens was enough to send her over the edge. The innocence of it, the complete lack of contact was what really drove her insane whenever she was around him. It was when she ached for him more than ever.

She lay there, her hand hovering, feeling the pulsing growing slower and slower. Her breathing matching its tempo. Until finally she slept.

...

Castle clambered into bed. He couldn't help thinking that Gates was actually in favor of him and Beckett being together, though the logic of his mind added that it was probably only so she could use their relationship as a means to kick him out of the precinct.

In any case, he was all for the idea of Beckett being his, in whatever capacity that might be, and whatever consequences might arise from it.

The only exception being his daughter. If he had to chose between Alexis and Kate... well he just hoped it would never come to that. Alexis had expressed some concern over her father's relationship with the detective, but they were cool now right? He was pretty sure ever since Kate had saved him from that bank, Alexis had warmed up to her considerably.

The memory of the moment Kate's voice had rung through the air in that dusty, dark bank, desperately calling his name, still made him well up with emotion. And then the way she'd smiled at him, taking him in for just a second, to make sure he really was there in front of him, that there would still be another day, another chance for her to tell him how much she needed him.

Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part.

But then she'd reached out a hand, to tug affectionately at his collar. And it only took a second for them to realize they were both in love with each other, which is when they each began to grin like idiots.

Surely she'd felt that way?

Then, of course his damned mother (whom he loved dearly, but could've strangled in that moment) had interrupted them, before they could indulge in a frenzy of passion.

It would've happened, of course it would have.

He sighed deeply. Why was life so god-damned difficult with her? With any other woman, sex... love... had always been so easy. But her, the one woman he'd ever felt this much for, she had to be the mystery he was never going to solve.

He'd pictured her a million times, while pleasuring himself. She was always the face he gazed upon. The lips he tasted. Hers were always the curves he ran his hands over, and the breasts that hovered over him, daring his mouth to devour them.

He softly stroked his manhood, it was too late to back out of these thoughts now, but he needed to get it out of his system quickly, so he pumped himself at a pace to rival the space shuttle, and exploded in the same fashion.

He lay back in his bed, panting heavily. He really needed to forget all this as soon as possible, get it out of his head. Starting tomorrow, he would be spending the majority of the week in what he imagined would be, very close proximity to her.

...

A/N: What do you think - continue? Yes? No? Comments are appreciated!