A/N: I'm glad the last chapter generated some interest! So, you might've noticed that there was a time jump, which should indicate that this series will not be in accordance to the original order of episodes, but I figure this shouldn't be too bothersome seeing as these are non-related one-shots! Enjoy!

Every time. Every time it happened she got chills and her body heat seemed to rise to no end. Aware that it was quite the contradicting statement, Kate wasn't bothered by it as it so accurately described her current state. It would just come up out of nowhere; she would start talking and he would continue, always in sync with her train of thought, and from there they would build theory and weave tales of murder and gruesome killings.

It's exactly what happened when he realized how valuable their said "fist" truly was. And then of course there was the magnetic pull. Their words drew them closer to each other and soon enough they were only separated by mere inches. Her blood boiled with the thought that they if they were too different people, in different settings, they would probably be kissing right now. But she doesn't let that get in the way of their case solving. Wait a minute, kissing-

"That's not likely,"

She looked up to find a well-dressed blond waltzing into the room. Kate could practically feel the confidence oozing off of her in waves as she cut off their rapidly progressing theory. Kate smirked, already finding that this woman would be a character but nothing she couldn't handle. She let her finish her own musings, effectively shutting down their earlier idea. Okay, so the vent was an option and not a bad suggestion but never would she voice that thought.

That's another thing; this woman was smart. Most women her age acted as though they knew everything there was to know about anything. But she was no blond bimbo. Looking over at Castle to suggest that whatever the circumstances, this woman needed to get the hell out of her crime scene, she found his eyes glued to the object of her contemplation.

Oh, no-

No way was she staying now. Not when Castle was looking at her with that fascination in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm Serena Kaye, the museums insurance investigator," she replied, not bothering to glance in Kate's direction.

Challenging her, she went with her line of thought, "So, if the thief entered through the vent, how did he get out?"

As soon as she asked, the answer entered her mind and she grimaced at the idea that she had just given Kaye an opportunity to shine. The catering vans; which is exactly what she proceeded to explain.

She saw Castle looking at her "Oh, she's good," he said in a low voice.

"At theory, but what about proof?" Kate asked the question she usually reserved for Castle.

"I don't need proof to know that I'm right, it's my job and I could help you with yours." She said this with confidence and the fact that Castle noticed didn't get passed Beckett.

"How so?" she asked as politely as possible, seriously attempting to keep calm.

"I get a one percent finder's fee for recovered objects, I want that fist. You want your murderer; we have common goals. I could consult on your case and offer my insight."

"You know, that is an intriguing idea-"Castle cut in.

"No, thank you, that won't be necessary," Kate quickly concluded. How dare she ask to consult like that? You don't just do that! Okay, granted, maybe that happened some times, but no, there was no way she was tagging along on this case. Ugh… the thought of Castle, looking at her like that was really starting to piss her off. And then the way she simply walked away like she couldn't care less. Kate was the one with the team; the highest closure rate in the precinct, if anything, that women needed them, not the other way around. She was leaving though, so it's not like she'd be a nuisance for much longer.

As soon as Castle opened his mouth to say that they could've used her and that she had valuable assets, she rolled her eyes. Classic; all men think the same apparently.

"Not those kind…" Really, Castle? He expected her to believe that he hadn't noticed? Maybe that's not what he had been alluding to right this moment, but he noticed alright.

She reluctantly called Ryan so that he could check on what Kaye had pointed out as a lead.

"There, was that so hard?"

"I know something else that might be hard after she walked in wearing such a short dress," she dead panned.

"First of all, it takes a little more than a short dress, I'm not a teenage boy, and secondly, I'm offended that you think so low of me, Detective," he said in a voice that told her he wasn't the least bit offended.

"Hey, you make it easy," she said as she walked out.

Okay, admittedly, it had just slipped out. Kate hadn't meant for it to sound so condescending but what did he expect? It's not like he didn't know that she didn't like having consultants around, let alone those who wore short dresses. Kaye wasn't staying and that was final.

The nerve of that woman! She actually showed up at the precinct and persuaded her Captain to let her consult on the case. And then looked her right in the eye and said "I look forward to working with you". It had taken all the willpower Kate could muster not to reply anything inappropriate.

Okay, maybe that was a bit much. She hadn't really done anything worthy of such anger but it wasn't uncommon for two people not to like each other from the very first moment the met. And then there was the way Castle had said that Serena had been right. It was his excited and awed tone that had set her off and caused her to argue that it had been a lucky guess, nothing more. And the use of her first name really wasn't helping. It's not like they knew each other. They had barely met, for God's sake! Ugh, she really hoped they solved this one quickly.

As Ryan brought Kaye up to speed, Kate saw Castle smiling at her. What the hell did he think he was doing? First of all, they were at the precinct, there wasn't any time for flirting, they had to concentrate and focus all their energy on the case. And secondly, it's not like Castle hadn't seen other nice looking women before, couldn't he just reel in his obvious approval of her being there? Kate glared at him and he looked down guiltily. Yeah, he knew.

And then of course Espo had to walk in and notice her as well. Castle didn't wait a second longer to introduce her as part of the team and although the detective simply went with it, the way Castle had carefully pronounced the syllables of her name didn't go unnoticed by Kate, who shot him another daring look.

As Kaye left telling them that her people wouldn't talk to cops and Castle followed, she really didn't know what to do. Sure, it was great that Castle was taking that initiative seeing as he could report back to them and tell them what exactly happened. But that also meant that while he wasn't with her, he was with Kaye. There wasn't much she could say to stop him, but in that moment her heart squeezed within her chest. Maybe she should've said something.

"She's an uncooperative, cocky, stubborn, little know-it-all."

"But she is good at her job," supplied. That wasn't even the point! Her job didn't consist of flirting relentlessly with Castle every time she was in the room.

"Well, Castle seems to think so," was her only response.

"And that bothers you," he stated simply. It wasn't a question. Even she wasn't blind to the fact that her tone was dripping with jealousy and annoyance.

"Yes! Of course it bothers me!" She needed someone to know just how much it bothered her. This relationship she had built over the years with Castle wasn't a school yard crush. They both knew it, but they were determined to wait for the right time to move it along, to take that next step. Well, Kate knew she needed to wait, she just hoped Castle was willing to wait for her, because she wasn't ready. She knew that this was what was best for the both of them. He deserved someone better, and she was desperately trying to stay afloat in order to find that person within herself.

"Why?"

Ugh, how she hated that question; it seemed to be the only one that really stumped her every time. In the case of a murder investigation, it was the key element, the one Castle helped her build and figure out every time. But here, within the four walls that enclosed her therapists' office, she dreaded it.

"Because he's supposed to be…" Kate started, knowing exactly what she was about to say. But then her throat tightened and her stomach flipped and she just needed to take a deep breath. Sitting down on the arm of the large chair facing the man asking her all these soul bearing questions, she looked down at the coffee in her hands.

Yet another reminder of Castle. He brought her coffee every morning, because he cared and because it had become their thing. He always seemed a little more at ease when she accepted it with a smile. That's all it took. She would give him a simple smile and it would linger between them as good energy, a force that kept them going through the day.

"Be what?"

"My partner?" She asked incredulously. It sounded funny to her ears. He was so much more than that. He was part of the reason why she got up in the morning, determined to make New York a safer city. That persistence used to be fueled by the death of her mom. But she soon found that it was the thing that kept trying to pull her deeper into the water rather than what kept her straining to stay above and breathing. Castle was that force, constantly pulling her up when she tip-toed along the edge. "But it's more than that. He's supposed to be on my team. He's not supposed to be all smitten. He's-"

There it was again.

"He's supposed to be in love with me."

There. She said it. He told her he loved her and now he was all smitten with this Serena Kaye? He couldn't just drop her when another good looking woman came along, that's not how relationships worked.

"But it's complicated," she added. And it was. Nothing about them was ever simple. Because she hid and he prodded her, just enough not to scare her off and when she reluctantly came out, she didn't open up as much as she'd like.

"Why is it complicated?"

"You know why." Out of all people, he still asked why, after she'd told him everything that happened between her and Castle. Well, only the important things.

"Only what you've told me." Well, crap. He didn't need to know her entire life to understand that this was hard for her. She was trying so hard to evolve but Kaye coming into the picture had really messed up the order of things.

continued, "What are you really scared of? That he won't wait for you or that he will?"

What in the hell did that question even mean? Did he honestly think that she didn't want Castle in that way? That she didn't love him as fiercely as she thought he did? Because she did. She was so very deeply in love with this man and now that she had opened herself up to the idea of it, everything was clear. If her therapist, the one person she told everything to, wasn't even sure about it, how could she expect the man to whom she said nothing, to understand? How could she have been so hard head and not seen that?

"I need to go," she said as she grabbed her coat and walked out of the office.

Kate waited at her desk, waiting for Castle to come in and hoped that he would be alone. She heard the elevator doors ding and shot up from her seat only to meet Castle's gaze from across the room. He made his way to her and she met him half way.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey, I figured that you were with Serena." Well, that came out wrong. That's not at all what she had been thinking and really not what she had wanted to say.

"No, she had a meeting with her boss' this morning."

Her heart clenched and she felt her eyes begin to sting. God, Kate, keep it together, she thought.

"Oh, so you already saw her this morning." She didn't say it as a question, the way he said the previous statement, basically implied so.

"No, she texted me. Oh, you thought that we were….?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's pretty obvious that she really likes you, so…" she filled in, her eyes glued to the floor. This was coming out all wrong. How did this even happen? It sounded like she was encouraging their coming together. She was literally telling him that this other woman was interested, as if he didn't already know.

"It is?"

She nodded. What was she even doing?

"So then you think that I should, pursue it?"

"No."

Wow, that came out of her mouth really fast and without her consent.

"No?" He asked.

"No," she repeated and walked away, towards the bathroom. The tears were threatening to break through her resolve and there was nothing she was going to be able to do to stop if one made it past that barrier.

Stupid. Wow, she was getting really, really stupid. So first she told Castle that she didn't think he should pursue it and then she turns around and sets them up on a date so that they can search her room. Okay, yes it was just a method of distraction, a way to stall her, but they would still be on a date. Great, what an amazing job Kate.

As she searched the room with Espo, she knew he was on to her about something.

"You really want to nail this chick don't you?"

He said this as she opened Kaye's under garments drawer. The thought of Serena wearing this with Castle in the room-

Nope. That was not a safe train of thought to follow. Focus, Kate.

"Yeah, well, it's what we do; catch bad guys," she replied simply. No need to stimulate his imagination about why she wanted to get Kaye so badly.

"Yeah, but, it seems like it might be about more than that."

She glared at him. "Just keep looking, okay?"

A few minutes later, just as she went through her e-mails, Espo found the equipment to get into the museum in her suitcase. They had her.

She saw the text from Castle the get out a few minutes after he'd sent it and eagerly responded telling him to stall her, that they were leaving. Opening the door on her way out, caught up in the thrill of having found their murderer, she failed to register what was happening in front of her. Only for a second. Her step faltered in the doorway and Espo bumped into her.

She watched as Castle grabbed Serena, pushed her against the wall and-

"Hey!" She heard herself saying just as Castle's lips where about to brush their believed thief's'. He pulled back immediately, hearing the sound of her voice and Kate could tell he looked guilty. She felt the anger build up inside her and her body flush with the desire to take down the woman with the sorry excuse for a dress.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Arresting you for theft. And murder," she managed to say through clenched teeth.

"Wait, so now you're telling me that you don't believe she's in on this? Good to know where your loyalties stand." They had started this conversation in the hallway beside the interrogation room, but after further reflection, she moved them to the break room and closed the door.

"My loyalties? Kate, this has nothing to do with loyalties, it's about being guilty, and she's not. Why would she tell me she's a thief, why give that up?"

"Of course it's about loyalties; you're choosing her over me!" Okay, crap. That hadn't been supposed to come out of her mouth.

"Kate… I'm not choosing her over anyone, and certainly not you."

"Really? Because it looks like your brain was choosing with the wrong body part." She deadpanned.

"I was trying to stall her! She basically told me she was inviting me in her room so that we could sleep together. You guys weren't out yet, so I did what I thought would look inconspicuous."

"So you were going to sleep with her?"

"No!" he answered incredulously.

"Then why were you following her to her room?"

"Because anything else would have betrayed my act! You asked me to charm her and then when she suggests we take it to the next level; I was supposed to say no, like I wasn't interested?"

"So you are interested?"

"Would you stop putting words in my mouth?"

"Well, kissing her wasn't part of the plan."

"I didn't kiss her!"

"Good!"

"Good? That's all you're going to-"

She grabbed the lapels of his shirt roughly and brought her lips to his in a bruising kiss. She could tell Castle hadn't been expecting this but he responded eagerly after only a second. His fingers travelled through her hair and angled her face so that he had better access to her mouth. Kate parted her lips, granting him access, and he wasted no time in tangling their tongues together in a battle for dominance. The embers in her stomach ignited with the fuel that was his kiss and he swallowed her moan as it escaped passed her lips.

Coming up for air, they separated, but kept their faces mere inches apart. "I didn't want you to kiss her," she said, a smile making it passed her lips.

"Now look who's thinking with the wrong body part," he teased and she slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Shut up, Castle."

This is who they were, and in that moment Kate realized that even though the nature of their relationship might have taken a slight curve, they were still the same. They wouldn't change. They would still banter and she would roll her eyes at his crazy theories, and he would still bring her coffee in the morning. She realized that she didn't want any of those things to disappear.

"I'm going to break her," she said as she moved towards the door. Seeing him follow, Kate put her hand on his chest and added, "you're not coming in there with me."

"What? Why?"

"Because," she said moving up to press another chaste kiss to his lips, "you've been compromised."

This chick was going down. Now that Kate was sure she had Castle, there was no way she was letting Serena Kaye get away with murder.

After the case, Kate had to admit that Serena wasn't so bad. If she hadn't been so blinded by her love for Castle, maybe things could have gone over differently. But it wasn't that simple; she knew that Serena might still want to go after him and she couldn't let that happen.

When he showed up with coffee for both of them, Kate thanked him and kissed his cheek. The display of affection didn't go unnoticed by the art retriever and she glanced knowingly at Kate, giving her a slight nod.

"Everything okay?"

"Fine, I'm just going to go file some stuff," Kate said, and left them both there.

Ultimately it was up to Castle to make a decision, but she didn't doubt that he would still be there when she same back. And he was.

"So, you two didn't go out, huh?" She asked coyly.

"He looked at her teasingly and answered, "Nope. I can't afford it. The museum just slapped me with a bill for that exhibit I broke," he said presenting her with the fee.

"Woah…" That was something she could never afford on a cop salary. Kate decided it was best never to stand too close to all the other pieces the next time she visited the museum.

"Well, I guess the least the NYPD can do is take you out for a hamburger," she said, with a smile. Castle pretended to contemplate her answer but accepted nonetheless. "Let's go," she said.

They made it all the way to the elevator but when the doors closed, all bets were off. He was on her in an instant, pushing her up against the wall and parting her lips with his tongue. His hands spanned her waist and Kate moaned as she ran her fingers through his already disheveled hair. Feeling the gravity shift as the elevator made it to the first floor, Castle pulled away and nipped at her bottom lip.

"How about we skip to desert?"

"Okay," she barely managed to say before her lips covered his again in a hungry kiss. Feeling their hips brush, Kate gasped but chuckled as one of their earlier conversations crossed her mind. "Apparently, it doesn't take very long for you to get affected like this, ."

"Only where you're concerned," he finished and sealed their lips once again.

A/N: That was the second chapter! Hope you enjoyed! This one was pretty long to write, but I really loved this episode. I'd love to hear what you think, so please review! Also, feel free to tell me which episode you'd like me to write about next.