Thank you all for the wonderful response to this story so far guys! And thanks to Ally for being my beta.

This next chapter has been split into two parts because I want to try and keep them all about the same length. Chapter three should be up sometime over the course of the next few days.

As stated previously, I don't own anything you recognize and anything written in italics is dialogue taken from the show. In this case, it comes from 'Heartbreak Hotel.'

For the guest that left a review referring to my incomplete stories, this one is obviously my priority right now, but I do intend to pick the others up again over the summer. So if you have a preference for which you'd like me to tackle first, drop me a line either here or on twitter at 'justleanneee'.


Chapter Two

Castle is not a morning person, it has to be said; which is why it surprises him when he wakes up before the alarm. What is even more surprising is that Beckett is still sleeping. Nestled in his finest thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets, with her hair fanning out across the pillows, he allows himself the rare luxury of watching her uninterrupted. She's beautiful when she sleeps. Not that he hasn't thought she's anything less than beautiful since she walked away from him at the end of their very first case. But it's a different kind of beauty. Here he is being afforded a rare insight into the girl she must have been before she became jaded by the cards her life has dealt her. Gone are the ever present frown lines of someone who carries the entire weight of the world on her shoulders. Detective Beckett doesn't exist inside the four walls of his bedroom. She's just Kate. And she's content. She's happy.

It has been almost three weeks since the bank robbery, three weeks since she woke up in his bed for the first time; wearing a Green Lantern t-shirt that was several sizes too big, a pair of leggings and a sleep-infused smile. Since then they've been taking baby steps towards becoming something more; movie nights have culminated in them sharing a bed, after the one occasion which saw them falling asleep on his sofa and regretting the aches and pains they awoke with the following morning. Despite his assurances that they're going to take things slowly, it hasn't deterred her from spending the night several times, and it goes without saying that kissing Kate Beckett has become one of his new favourite pastimes as they explore this new territory together. It's a testament to how serious she is about this new development in their relationship, because he's even managed to persuade her to let him take her out on a date tonight.

He manages to carefully extract his arm from where its pinned beneath the weight of her body, and it is a measure of how much this last case has taken it out of her, because she doesn't even stir. Twice so far, he's found the space beside him empty after Kate stayed the night, awaking to find a note on the pillow, informing him she was going for a run. Once the feeling has come back into his arm, Castle reaches blindly behind him, sliding his hand along the nightstand until his fingers close around his phone. He checks the time and it confirms his previous thought, that it is still relatively early. They have about an hour before the alarm is due to go off.

In the extremely rare event he does wake up early, he'll spend a couple of hours reluctantly writing before joining her at the precinct, but on days like today that holds less appeal than before. So he lets the phone drop back down beside him and settles back down beside her. His movements cause her to stir, and he stills instantly waiting for any signs that she's awake. When her breathing remains consistent with being in a deep sleep, he rolls towards her and slings an arm across her midsection in a movement which already feels like second nature to him. Kate unconsciously adapts to this new position, back arching slightly and leaving their bodies flush in a way that leaves him biting back a groan.

He knows when she has awoken though, even though she gives him no indication. Her entire body suddenly tenses and then relaxes almost as quickly, and the more precise rotation of her backside against his groin does nothing to reduce the slightly elevated pounding of his heart. Needless to say, it also only adds fuel to the fire that is the racy thoughts his writer's imagination is producing right now.

A smile tugs at the corners of his lips and he buries his face in the curve between her neck and her shoulder. When she still doesn't betray any sign that she's awake, Castle's smirk widens and he allows his lips to traverse the soft skin where the t-shirt has slipped down off one shoulder. Challenge accepted. His actions change from the barely-there brush of lips to open-mouthed kisses and the bristle of stubble where he hasn't shaved in two days. She'll never admit as much to him, but he knows that she likes it and a look of triumph spreads across his face when the hitch in her breathing betrays her. He hears it again when he seeks out the sensitive spot along her neck, telling him he's found his mark.

Castle sucks at the pulse point, gently at first but then varying the pressure and feeling a smug sense of satisfaction when she finally gives in. "What have I told you about leaving hickeys?" She tries to sound stern but she'd be a lot more convincing if he couldn't hear the smile which accompanies her words. She rolls 180 degrees and lifts her body just enough off the bed to be able to angle herself down towards him.

He ignores her, reaching up and running his fingers through her hair, using the grip he has on her to pull her mouth down to his. "Good morning," He murmurs, about an inch from her lips.

His mouth has opened a little in anticipation, and she ducks her head to meet his, lazily engaging him in their first morning kiss. Her teeth graze his lower lip and her hands slip beneath the gray t-shirt he wore to bed. "A very good morning," She agrees, when they break for air after about a minute, expression reminiscent of the proverbial cat that got the cream. Her lips skim his jaw and he lets out a contented hum, "What time is it?"

"About half six," He keeps his voice low, unwilling to disturb the comfortable atmosphere that lingers between them. "We've got plenty of –"

His words are cut off by the incessant ringing of her cell phone and they let out a collective sigh as she wordlessly extracts herself from him to retrieve it from the nightstand, "Beckett."

He immediately misses the contact between them and moves into the space behind her, despite the glare she shoots him when he prompts her to shift forward. It doesn't stop her relaxing back against the broad expanse of his chest, and reveling slightly in the sensation created by his fingers tracing patterns against her stomach. "Mhmm, where?" She wedges the phone between her ear and her shoulder, accepting the pad of paper and pen which Castle seems to have produced out of nowhere and scribbling down the information being relayed to her, "Okay – I'll be there in twenty."

"We got a case?" He checks leaning over to decipher her handwriting, and dropping a kiss against her shoulder in the process.

"Mhmm," She murmurs unenthusiastically, "I need to head home and change." She really would have to start leaving a change of clothes at the loft, if the amount of times she'd accidentally ended up spending the night so far were anything to go by. She untangles herself from the embrace he's created but instead of leaving his bed, Kate swings herself around, rising up onto her knees and straddling his lap.

Her fists close around the material of his shirt and she pulls him into another kiss, "I'll see you at the scene."

"You still on for tonight?" Castle checks, hoping he doesn't look as nervous as he feels. He's waited a long time for this chance and toyed with the idea of asking her on an official date for a full twenty-four hours before he worked up the nerve to do it.

Kate's lips twitch with a hint of amusement, and if she hadn't just felt the first flutter of nerves herself, she'd probably toy with him a little more. As it is Castle is rewarded with an almost shy smile, "You'll pick me up from mine at six thirty right?" She leans in and kisses him again, not waiting for a response, "I'll be ready."

She feels his grin against her lips and they kiss once more before she pulls away and they rest with their foreheads touching and her fingers tracing the bone structure of his cheek. "I really need to go," She sighs regretfully, kissing the place where her hand was just moments before.

This time her weight leaves his bed and Castle watches as she moves about his room, gracefully gathering up her things and half dressing. Flashing him one last brilliant smile, she opens the door and leaves.


He arrives at the scene fifteen minutes after she does, handing her the cup of coffee in the same way he has done almost every day for the past three years. The only difference now is that she allows the brush of his fingers to linger – and more often than not – is the one to initiate the extended contact. She gives him a grateful smile and her eyes stay on his for longer than she'd normally let them.

By unspoken agreement they've managed to keep this change in their relationship out of the precinct, both fully aware what the regulations dictate with regard to inter-departmental relationships. Maybe the fact that Castle isn't technically a member of their team would have held some weight in Captain Montgomery's day, but with Gates at the helm this could be just the ammunition she needs to order him out of her precinct. It's still under wraps from their friends too, at least until they figure out where exactly their relationship is headed. They maintain a respectable distance at crime scenes and at work, standing further apart now than they did when things between them were still strictly platonic. There have been a number of occasions over the past few weeks where they've been in close proximity in the bullpen, and she's had to physically walk away from him.

If Beckett is honest, it is more for her benefit than his because she knows she can trust him not to behave inappropriately. The problem is that she's not sure she can say the same for herself anymore; he's spent four years testing her will power something chronic and she's resisted. When she stopped burying her feelings so deep down, they simmered beneath the surface until the night they shared that undercover kiss and its been like slow burn ever since. Something has to give and with the newly physical aspect of their relationship, it seems its going to happen sooner rather than later.

She realizes she's still staring at him, when he coughs softly to catch her attention and has to force herself to remember all the reasons why they've agreed to take this slowly. Her focus clears and she brings him up to speed with what little they know about the victim so far, the co-owner of The Sapphire casino and hotel in Atlantic City.

And then she allows Lanie to outline the cause of death, "Guy cashed in his chips between nine and eleven, took a small caliber to the chest. Muzzle flash burned his shirt at the point of entry." The M.E points with the tip of her biro.

Beckett's forehead creases as she slips fully into work mode, "Shooter was standing close by," She concludes.

"Mm-hmm," Lanie makes a noise of agreement, "Close enough to give him a bloody lip before pulling the trigger."

Castle leans in closer to them and it causes Beckett's heart to do a little flip in her chest, which she tries to ignore. "So what's a guy like Siegel doing in an abandoned delivery dock in New York City at this time of night?"

"Must have been something important enough for him to drive down from Atlantic City," She muses, tilting her head slightly in thought.

"You know, the man owned a casino. A guy like that, you'd think he'd have a driver," Castle points out.

"Especially since he was expecting trouble. He came heavy. It's a .357 magnum with all six still asleep in the cylinder." It is almost as if they can all feel a sudden drop in temperature at the arrival of Esposito and Ryan, and nobody misses the way in which he and Lanie deliberately avoid making eye contact.

Ryan jumps in, in an attempt to diffuse the tension, "He didn't even pull it out of the glove box" He confirms. "If he did, we'd be standing over the other guy."

"Well you gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em," Castle's quip earns him an eye roll from Beckett, but there's a look of amusement on her face and he gives her a winning grin in response.

"Know when to walk away and know when to run," adds Esposito, his eyes briefly flicking to Lanie so there's no way anyone can miss the implication of his words. There is an almost collective intake of breath and Castle lets out a low whistle, his eyes flickering between the two of them. If looks really could have killed, there's no doubt in Beckett's mind that those would be the last words Esposito ever spoke.

As it is, the M.E straightens up from where she was examining the body and glares directly at him, "Detective Esposito, a little respect please? I mean there is a dead body here." The use of his professional title gives them all cause to wince and Castle nudges Beckett, exchanging a look which plainly says uh-oh.

"What did I do?" Lanie suppresses a snort as Esposito pleads the fifth, not even dignifying him with a response as she resumes her examination of their victim.

"You broke up with her," Castle supplies helpfully, either completely oblivious or deliberately ignoring another look from Beckett, telling him not to get involved.

"We broke up with each other," Esposito counters. "That's different."

Castle shakes his head, "Yeah, you'd think it'd be different, but no," He explains and Beckett gets the feeling he's speaking from experience.

"What did you tell him?" Esposito's next question is directed at her, and she shoots Castle a pointed glare. He just can't keep his mouth shut.

"Nothing, I told you I'm staying out of this one." She sighs, because this is exactly what happens when personal relationships compromise working ones. Suddenly she's faced with the stark reality of just how bad things can get and she has to force herself to breathe evenly. She can tell Castle has picked up on this because he keeps deliberately trying to catch her eye and she – equally deliberately – goes out of her way not to look at him as she gives the boys their instructions.

The beginnings of a headache are beginning to brew at her temples and she heads over to where Lanie is supervising the removal of the body into the coroner's van, "Hey, you okay?" Kate checks, giving her a quick once over.

Lanie straightens up from the body bag, "Why wouldn't I be?" She sidesteps the question breezily, the picture of professionalism. It isn't washing with Kate however; they've been friends for too long now and she knows all her little tells too well to believe she's completely fine.

"You and Espo –" Kate starts, and there's a flash of something in her friend's expression so she changes tack, "I thought you said things were amicable between you two."

Lanie mutters something incomprehensible under her breath before exhaling sharply, "Everything was amicable, until it wasn't anymore, I thought you said you weren't getting involved." She mimics the detective's tone.

"Yeah well, turnabout is fair play," Kate quips, trying to lighten the mood a little. "I've lost count of the times you've told me that and still chosen to impart your well-meaning advice." She teases, recalling one such time back when they'd only known each other a matter of weeks – as a result of Lanie discovering that there was more than met the eye to her partnership with Mike Royce.

"Well I always figure someone could benefit from it," Lanie replies, throwing a glare at Esposito's back and Kate knows she isn't imagining it when her friend raises her voice a little. "Hell honey, if I knew how to take my own advice I'd never have hooked up with someone I worked with."

There's a moment of silence and Kate is suddenly flooded with pure panic as all the doubts she's been fighting so hard to let go come rushing to the surface. She instinctively searches out Castle, but he's engaged in conversation with the boys and remains oblivious. Something must have registered on her face, because she's brought back to the conversation at hand by Lanie trying to get her attention. "Girl, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Kate answers, forcing a smile and falling back on her favourite lie, before deflecting the conversation from herself. "You know if there's anything you did want to talk about –"

"I don't, but I could use several Margaritas with my girlfriend," Lanie nudges her, "You up for a night on the town?"

"Tonight?" Kate checks, biting the inside of her cheek as her plans with Castle swim to the forefront of her mind, leaving her even more panicked. She instantly feels guilty because when Lanie nodded, there was a half-second where she contemplated accepting. "I'm gonna have to take a raincheck," She says apologetically, realizing the M.E is still waiting for a response. "I've actually got plans tonight."

"Like a date?" Lanie's eyes widen in surprise, and her brows shoot up into her hairline. "Have you been holding out on me Kate Beckett?"

"Not exactly a date," Kate hedges, not ready to give too much away, "Its still pretty new and I don't know what we are, so I'm gonna hold off on details for awhile."

Lanie stares at her for a long minute and Kate forces herself not to quail, because she knows that look. It's one that says, you really are holding out on me. "Fine," Lanie relents, "I'll take that for now, but don't think you're completely off the hook because enquiring minds need details."

Kate grins, "We'll go for drinks in a couple of weeks," She promises, "Meanwhile I've got a murder investigation to solve."

"I'll give you a bell once I've had the chance to take a closer look at the body," Lanie calls before climbing into the van. Beckett, after another quick sweep of the concrete where the body lay, heads back over to Castle and the boys, just in time to hear his last contribution to whatever conversation they've been having.

"It's almost as though the thought of marriage fills him with an impending sense of doom," Castle chuckles at his own words, "Oh no, wait! That's me."

Beckett tries to shake off the pained stab she felt when his words registered, and she quickly schools her features before addressing them. "Sorry to interrupt the little bromance you three have got going on," She starts, with an almost unnerving sharpness and no trace of her usual humour, "But in case you hadn't noticed, we do have a murder to solve."


They drive back to the 12th under the cover of an oppressive silence, and twice Beckett notices that Castle is on the verge of speaking, before apparently thinking better of it. She lets him get away with it, almost glad that he appears to have found his filter, because she's not convinced she can trust her temper not to flare up at him. In the silence, all the reasons why she kept her distance for so long filter through the chambers of her brain and she is terrified. What if they can't do this? What if she's still too broken? What if she lets him down because she put her own selfish need to be more above the impact it could potentially have on their relationship?

She's gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles are turning white and only relaxes when Castle makes a point of letting his palm slide along the length of her arm, his touch instantly calming her. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asks eventually, when he's sure she isn't going to snap at him in the way she'd done at the crime scene.

"Talk about what?" She deflects his question with one of her own.

To his credit Castle doesn't express the frustration he feels whenever she exhibits signs of avoiding a topic, "Whatever it is that has got you so worked up that you can't even look at me," He answers calmly. She almost wants to glance up and prove that there's no truth to his words, but she can't, because she's a lot of things but a hypocrite isn't one of them. "Kate?" He presses her gently when she doesn't reply.

"Don't Castle –" She can only hope that her voice doesn't sound as shaky to his ears as it does to her own, and she finally looks up at him. "What are we doing?"

Castle doesn't speak for a minute, eyeing her intently and trying to gauge where she's at in her head. The intensity of it all unnerves her slightly, because its probably written all over her face, and even if it isn't, he knows her better than anyone. Hell sometimes she's even convinced he knows her better than she knows herself, and there's no doubt in her mind that this time is any exception. "We're taking this a day at a time," He starts slowly, taking advantage of the fact that they've just come to a stop at a red light and reaching for her hand. "We're chipping away at that wall of yours brick by brick."

Any other time Kate would have reverted back to the subtext because that's their common ground, but she knows that if they're to stand any chance of making this, the days where they danced around an issue are long gone. "And if it doesn't work out?" She's looking at him directly as she speaks, biting her lip so hard and instantly betraying the fact that she's afraid of his answer.

"Then at least we tried," Castle answers, squeezing her reassuringly, "It may not seem like it, but I have as much to fear from going into this as you do. With my track record I can't promise you that I'm not gonna screw this up any more than you can make me the same promise. But what I can promise is that I'll do everything in my power not to let this blow up in our faces. We're going to have fights; things are going to hit bumps and get a little messy sometimes, because life is messy. We don't control that Kate, and I know that you know that."

In spite of the seriousness of the conversation, Kate manages a smile, a small one albeit but it's there. "You make it all sound so easy," She comments.

"Its only as difficult as you make it out to be," Castle replies. "So Lanie and Esposito didn't make it –" He looks at her knowingly. "But at least they gave it a shot." They fall into silence as she contemplates the truth to his words and it is several minutes before he speaks again. "We don't have to do this, you know? You can give up now, you can walk away. I won't hold it against you, but I don't think you want to spend the rest of your life wondering if we could've worked. I know that I don't."

Castle's words seem to spark something in her and her lips quirk up into a proper smile, "Not trying isn't an option anymore. I – I don't think I could walk away from this if I tried." Her words come out quickly and she feels a rush of exhilaration because in this moment, it feels like the most important thing she's ever done. "But I just need you to be patient with me for a little while longer."

She lets go of his hand and returns it to the wheel as their lane of traffic begins to move again, so instead Castle's hand comes to rest comfortingly on her knee. "As long as it takes," He assures her, "Brick by brick, Kate. Brick by brick."


Next time: Amidst fears that their new relationship status has come to light, Castle and Beckett take trip to Atlantic City.