there should be stars


She's in the observation room, worrying her lower lip between her teeth as she studies the man at the metal table. His file is on the side table in front of her; she's looked it over, discovering a few interesting things about his life that she hadn't known before. He had told her about the whole 'borrowing' of a police horse but had conveniently left out the fact that he had been bare-ass naked at the time.

He's fidgeting, never could sit still for long, glancing around the room. His fingers trace the scratches along the surface of the desk and for a moment, she can't help but remember what else his hands are capable of.

Grabbing the file off the table, Beckett hits the button to start the recording and swings out of one room and into the other.

"You've been informed of your rights, Mr. Castle?" she asks, shield of professionalism in place as she sits down across from him.

"Really?" Skepticism mixed with mild amusement flits across his face as he watches her. "You're not even gonna ask me how Boston was?"

She doesn't respond. Instead, she pulls one of the photos from her leather folder. "Allison Tisdale. She's the daughter of real estate mogul Jonathan Tisdale."

"She's cute," he muses, head tilted so that his hair flops across his forehead. The same lock of hair that she has always felt the urge to push back off his face, mocking him about needing a haircut.

"She's dead," Beckett says without a beat. "You ever meet her? Book signing? Charity event?"

His thumb touches the photo, brow furrowing as he looks at the girl. "It's possible. I mean, she's not in my little black book, if that's what you're asking," he says, smiling up at her. "Not like you a -"

"What about this guy?" she asks quickly, cutting him off as she pushes another picture at him. "Marvin Fisk. Small claims lawyer."

He chuckles, leaning forward so that he is far too close to her. "Oh, most of my claims tend to be on the, um, large side. You know that." When she rolls his eyes, he smirks.

She fights the urge to kick him under the table. "Fisk was found murdered in his office two weeks ago. I didn't put it together until we saw the Tisdale crime scene tonight."

The crime scene photo makes him blink, eyes darting back up at her as if it's some joke. "Flowers for Your Grave?"

Beckett keeps going, taking another from the stack. "And Marvin Fisk was found like this." Her voice quiets, drawing his gaze up. "Hell Hath No Fury."

He smiles. "I always knew you were a fan."

"Does Black Pawn still keep your fanmail?" He nods. "Because in cases like this, we find that the killer attempts to…"

"Contact the subject of his obsession?" he breaks in. "I taught you that, Beckett." His smile softens, smoothing out the lines on his forehead, lightening his eyes. "You look good."

"You look good too," she sighs, sitting back in the chair, letting the façade slip for a moment.

"Yeah?" he asks breathlessly, grin widening.

She takes back the photos, tapping them into line even as she tries to pull herself together. "You don't have any objections to us going through your fanmail?"

He grabs for the pictures as she stands. "Knock yourself out. But hey! Can I get copies of those?"

"Copies?"

"You know my poker group," he's explaining, waving his hands. "They'd be so jealous that I have a copy-cat. I think only Cannell has had one before and it'd just be really cool if -"

She leans on the table, face inches from his. "People are dead, Castle."

He's grinning and she isn't sure if she wants to slap him or kiss him.

"I'm not asking for the bodies," he says slowly. "Just the pictures."

"I think we're done here." She moves away before she can do either of the things she had been thinking off, opening the door for him. "We'll call if we need your assistance again."

As he walks past her, he ducks his head down so that his breath feathers the short hairs at her ear. "I could see down your shirt a moment ago," he murmurs a moment before pressing his lips to her cheek. "Nice seeing you again."

She gaps, watching as he saunters over toward the elevator, hands in his pockets. Then she follows him, tossing her folder onto her desk and ignoring the pile of paperwork and a few pens that it knocks off. She gets to him at the door to the break room, wrapping her hand around his wrist and yanking him into the empty room.

He has a moment to open his mouth, corners of his lips turned up in a smile before she shoves him against the wall. She presses herself to him, already at his level thanks to her boots, swallowing his remark with quick, hot kiss to his mouth. His hands bracket her hips, spinning them so that she's got her back to the wall with a sharp exhale, one of the pushpins holding up some poster about gun safety poking her in the head. Her fingers find his shirt, the crisp white fabric turned soft having lost the starch from the night of partying, and using it to keep him against her even as his mouth moves down along the column of her throat.

She feels him grin when she shudders out a breath as he nips lightly at the muscles where her neck joins her shoulder. It turns to a whimper when he bites down on her collar, tongue soothing the skin a second later.

"I've missed you," he groans, words vibrating along her body. "God, I've missed you."

Her breath is heavy, caught in her throat. She gasps as his hands circle around her ribs, thumbs brushing over her breasts. "We can't do this," she manages, fingers curling around his upper arms, unsure if she's trying to push him away or bring him closer yet.

He laughs, pulling back from mapping the exposed bit of her chest with his mouth. "Beckett, we've already done this."

"Now," she amends, shoving him away even as her head spins. "We can't do it now."

"Fine. My place. Tonight."

She starts to shake her head but he catches her chin, halting her as he slants his mouth over hers, tongue stroking in along the roof of her mouth, capturing her moan.

"Please?"

Her body is trembling when he steps back, fingers trailing along her cheek as he drops his hand to his side. "Okay."

He begins to smile, the warm one that reaches his eyes and makes her melt just a little. "One work for you? It's late but Mother and Alexis should be in bed by then."

She swallows the desire that is still bubbling at the surface, heated and ready and just lingering there, and nods once.

"Good." The next kiss is chaste, just touching the corner of her mouth, a marked contrast to what just nearly happened. "Be safe."

He's out of the break room and she can hear the elevator doors open and shut by the time she's able to stand without wobbling. Dragging a hand through hair that has to look like she was just involved in a make-out session, Beckett touches her fingers to her lips as if she can still feel him. It doesn't work; she wets her lips and can almost taste him there.

Shaking her head, she goes back into the bullpen. Some uniform put her things back on her desk, neatening everything in the process. But she doesn't sit. Instead, she snags her keys and purse. It's late but Lanie works the same long hours; she should still be at the medical examiner's office.

Because right now, she doesn't need autopsy results or forensics reports. She needs her friend to set her straight.


Lanie isn't down in her autopsy suite when Beckett gets to the office. Perlmutter said something about finishing up filing a report when they passed in the hall. So she pushes open the door to Lanie's suite, flicks one of the lights on, and boosts herself up on the empty table. Her dad texts her, asking how her day went, and she types out a response, swinging her legs under the autopsy table. She leaves out the part about making out with her ex in the break room.

The door swings open as Lanie pushes it with her hip, a box of files in her hands. Beckett waits until her friend puts the box on the other table, starts pulling her white lab coat off before she speaks. "Hey."

The other woman jumps, shaking her head. "Damn, girl, you scared me." She hangs the coat up, moving over to Beckett.

"Lanie, you're surrounded by corpses," she says, waving a hand at the row of refrigerated storage along the back wall.

"Yeah, I don't expect the living after seven o'clock," Lanie sighs, boosting herself up onto the table next to her friend. "What's up? Cause you and I both know I have nothing on Tisdale yet so this has got to do with Castle."

Beckett groans, letting her head fall into her hand. "You could be a detective."

"He didn't do it, sweetie," says Lanie, squeezing her free hand. "You know he couldn't hurt anyone."

"It's not that. He's cleared. At a book party all night." She rubs at her forehead, pushing her hair back. "I kissed him, Lanie."

"So?"

"So then he had me up against the wall in the break room and…" She exhales sharply, hitting her thigh with a clenched fist. "He left!"

Lanie looks confused. "Left you in the break room?"

"Left me to go to Boston. I can't… I shouldn't… Not after he just up and left."

"Forget him then," Lanie says, sliding off the table. "Let's get a drink."

"I'm meeting him. Tonight at his apartment," she mutters, following out of the autopsy suite.

Her friend shoves her shoulder, turning on her. "You are meeting him? Kate Beckett!"

"It was a mistake!" she shouts, letting her head hit the wall once before she starts back down the hall. "This whole thing is a mistake. I don't know what to do."

"You go to his place and you get your freak on."

"It's the wrong thing -"

"How long has it been for you?" asks Lanie, calling ahead to Beckett as she charges toward the exit. The question stops Beckett at the front door. "Huh? How long?"

She sighs, resting her head on the cool glass of the door. "I'm not going to just use him and leave him, Lanie."

"Then go and talk. Don't run from him like he ran from you." Lanie loops her arm through Beckett's, tugging her out to the sidewalk. "Come on. Drive me to my place then go to Castle's. I'll have my phone on. Call. You know, if you don't end up screwing each other's brains out. Don't call me then."

Beckett laughs, finding her keys in her purse. "Get in," she says, nodding to the passenger seat.


We are going to be bumping up a rating next chapter. Just keep that in mind so it doesn't surprise you.