N/A: Warning, partly M rated.

'I can't help but be wrong in the dark

'Cause I'm overcome in this war of hearts

I can't help but want oceans to part

'Cause I'm overcome in this war of hearts'

x

Castle woke up and opened his eyes to the glaring light of the rising sun like a ball of fire, the already warm rays cutting through the thick glass of the french doors. Groaning, he turned his face into his cushion - why had he left the curtains drawn open? As he closed his eyes into the slick silk of the cushion, he caught a whiff of a scent he recognized all too well, though not his, and lurched forward. Sitting there, the sheet pooling on his thighs, he blinked as his eyes scanned the room, confusion clouding over: that was not his apartment. He glanced next to him, and while that side of the bed was empty, it was clear that there had been someone, and oh! A small, albeit bewildered sigh escaped his parted lips as snapshots of the night before flashed before his eyes - a lot of bare skin. They did that, they definitely had. That would explain why a certain part of his body had stirred so fiercely the minute the smell had hit his nose, why his pulse had broken into a wild canter, why the hair on his arm stood stubbornly. She had definitely left her mark on him - not good.

He knew what it had been, he wasn't stupid; she had taken what she'd needed from him, and so had he - and that was it. He was okay with that, and was hardly a stranger to meaningless one night stands, but a small part of him was crying out for more, and he had no control over it. She'd broken into his mind way more finely than into that house, and he knew he wouldn't forget that night any time soon - every detail of her carefully mapped and stored into his brain.

He remembered being angry at her, yet he'd completely forgotten about what. If that had been her goal, she was crazy good - indeed, she was. He shook the thought away, and threw his legs out of the bed, glanced at the clock. Uh, way too early, but it felt entirely too wrong to go back to sleep in her bed while she was out there - he considered himself lucky she hadn't throw him out yet, he wouldn't push his luck any further. With a sigh, he went looking for his clothes, and was surprised to find each item folded, and piled up on a dark wooden dresser - had she? He ran a finger over the fabric of his jeans with furrowed brows, his inside burning and churning with the need to grab her, and bring her back to bed. She didn't get to do that, didn't need to be so thoughtful, folding his clothes.

What the hell, no, Beckett.

He huffed, something sharp and forced, and dressed quickly, let his eyes swept the room more openly now that he was fully awake. He could see why she had picked it (that is, if she had indeed been able to choose at all); It was made of a medium-sized main room, and a bedroom with its attendant bathroom, all warm brown, and beige tones, a lot of light, and white flowers, - Lilies at first glance- here, and there.

He shuffled into the living room and main room with a loud yawn that he didn't even bother to smother. And, as he had suspected when finding the sheets cool, Beckett was back on the floor, her nose into her notes. Right. That was what he'd been mad about. There was something admirable and truly remarkable in her tenacity, how hard she worked to make things right. But he could see how that could be dangerous, too in her line of work. He'd seen that play out before his eyes, before.

"Up early," he muttered as he stepped to the coffee table to take the bag of takeout he'd abandoned here the night before, headed to the small fridge at the far end of the room to put the boxes to rest - hopefully, it would still be good. Noticing she'd ordered up a pot of coffee, he poured himself a cup before joining her. If she had heard him before that, she showed no sign whatsoever.

"Hey," she said softly as she - finally - looked up at him with a shy curl of her lips. He arched a dubious eyebrow that she more or less ignored as she hid her face into her mug. Now she was shy? Interesting. He didn't mind, he loved how her lips stretched lazily as a rosy tint crept up her chest, and spread along her cheeks, deep green eyes shying away. "Yeah. Trying to figure out this heist," she added, her eyes dancing around as she pinched the nail of her thumb sharply between her teeth, a hard line between her eyebrows that he ached to smooth way. "I probably would have figured it out by now if it wasn't for you," she teased as she shot him a provocative look, though he could hear the reprimand in her voice. Oh, really, she wanted to play that game?

"Hardly heard you complaining last night," he retaliated flatly, arching a suggestive eyebrow at her as he took a sip of his coffee. She rolled her eyes with a brief shake of her head before returning on her notes. She knew he was right. She was too proud to say it, but he knew that she knew.

He chuckled quietly under his breath hoping it wouldn't reach her ears - she would kill him, and she looked entirely too adorable right now; her glowing chestnut hair framed her face in blurry waves that he could see she hadn't brushed yet, her NYPD top pooling down to her hips as she sat cross-legged, pink panties just peeking out. He needed to stop staring, he really did, or else he'd have to explain to her why he needed to take a shower right here, and now. But he couldn't, she attracted him like a magnet, and he couldn't resist the pull.

He walked behind her to take a look over her shoulders at what she was looking at. "'That Kelvin North America?"

She nodded, and he watched how the play of light in her hair made it glow and shine with soft reflections of gold, and copper. He wanted to touch, but perhaps it wasn't such a good idea. Instead, he curled his hands into fists and swallowed it down. Ignored the hungry gaping mouth inside his chest. "Yeah. Kelvin said that the last time that vault was accessed was at 11:46 Tuesday night."

He hummed. "Well, that must be when our thieves stole the high tech ammo."

Dissolving bullets, he still couldn't quite wrap his mind around that. He'd heard of ice bullets, but that was just crazy - though, kind of awesome, too. Not that he would say that aloud, she'd twist his ear - or worse.

"800 pounds worth. And they would have had to take it out the loading dock," she started as he rounded the coffee table to sit on the far end of the warm brown leather couch, so he could see her and the photos spread before her. He nodded into his mug; she was right, but-

"But that guard's stationed there. I remember seeing that when we went in. There's no way they could get all that ammo past him without a little insider help," he finished following her train of thought.

She looked up at him, a small smile teasing the corners of her lips, her eyes burning with a determination that was all over her face, though something else was there too. He couldn't tell whether it was surprise, or thrill. "Exactly. So, I called the security company, and they said that the only guard that was stationed at the loading bay that night was some guy named Reggie Walsh," she added with an eyebrow arched up as she held her head high, and stood to sit next to him - so close that he could feel her body thrumming with victory, had his own pulse with something else entirely. She was so sharp - it made him hot.

He blinked as her soft scent of cherry blossoms, and something that was just very her washed over him, want stirring fiercely low in his belly and wrapping his mind into a cloud of dust he couldn't see past. "Now, you got something, there," he forced out, as her eyes scanned his face, her eyes flashing and darkening into a tormenting green - his guts twisted in a knot when they fell to his lips.

"He asked to be reassigned the next day," she said slowly as her eyes snapped back up to his, a sly smile playing along her lips.

He swallowed past the heavy lump in his throat, his breathing hitching hard when he noticed her eyes trained on the flexing line of his throat. "All right. What's next then?" He squirmed, and cleared his throat in a weak attempt to keep his shit together. If she could just stop looking at him like she wanted to jump on his lap and have her way with him, perhaps he'd manage to be more eloquent.

"We need to question Reggie Walk," she let out easily, eyes wide and focused on him - searching his. She angled her chin down, looking up at him suggestively under raised eyebrows, as if he was supposed to understand some underlying meaning there.

Instead - his mind blanked out.

He frowned at her, didn't understand what that look was for. His brain jumped the gun, and his mouth ran before he could even have a say in it. "Why are you looking at me like that? Are my jeans back to front- I wasn't paying attention, it's a nice room-" He glanced down his lap, and then at her.

Her lips were pursed tightly together, as if something would burst past them at any moment. A vivid glint in her eyes danced around with mirth as she slapped a hand against her mouth, a strained hiccuping sound coming out of her mouth in a wheeze as her body swayed forward. He stared blankly at the back of her head as her forehead hit his thigh, her shoulders shaking.

All he was aware of was of his galloping pulse as her laugh flooded his eardrums.

When she raised her head and sat straight, her eyes were clear and sparkled brightly as she shook her head at him. "Castle, oh my god, stop," she said around a labored breath, her hand falling to his thigh where her forehead had been.

"What?" he asked, the only response he could come up with because he had no idea what was going on. He usually wasn't so slow, he liked to think he was pretty quick-witted himself, but she got under his skin and hacked into his brain with the smallest flash of a smile.

She gave him a duh look, her fingers scraping against his jeans. "I can't go after him, I'm not a cop here, remember?"

Yeah, that he knew, so what.

"Right, so what?" He asked, his fingers playing with hers on his thigh.

She let out huff, the sound scraping her throat. "So! You are," she pointed out with a tip of her head, big wide eyes staring expectantly at him.

Oh, he was an idiot.

"Oh, oh. You want me to bring him in," he realized suddenly.

She nodded, her teeth trapping her lips in a very appealing way. "Will you do that for me?" She asked, dragging herself closer.

"Always." The word flowed out of him easily, too easily as they stared at each other with matching smirks. That was until he saw her lips quirk up cheekily, and her gaze turn sly.

"But first, shower," she said, gripping the fabric of his tee-shirt to drag him up with her. "And you're coming with."

He was? "Wh-What?" he croaked out, a blinding spark bursting through his system, splashing a patchwork of colours behind his eyelids. He had not seen that coming, not really. He'd figured it'd been a one time thing, but if she felt that pull between them as deeply as he did...

"You heard me."

Yes, Ma'am.

RATED M

He tripped over himself so comically when she started dragging him toward the bedroom, that the laugh just burst out of her before she could think of doing anything about it. She let go of his t-shirt to pull her own over her head and threw it on the floor when they reached the bathroom. When she glanced at him over her shoulder, he wore on his face the perfect mask of wonder - as if he couldn't quite believe what was happening - though, she didn't miss the way his eyes darkened fiercely as they ran along her back. She couldn't read the guy; he was so broody and serious at times, only to turn into a clumsy teenager the minute she showed the smallest patch of skin - it was refreshing, but destabilizing.

She loved that dark side of him that lured, and stayed dangerously at bay; it made her skin tingle, and her stomach clench just thinking back on those dark, heated looks he'd given her the night before. He had shown her he could handle her, could easily have her at his mercy, and while she would never admit it, it turned her on more than she'd have imagined.

But, she loved the more gentle, attentionate side of him too; how careful and smart his fingers were when they drew a hot path on her skin, how soft his lips were when he guided her through a climax, how warm and clear his eyes were when he looked at her - even now when surprise and wonder showed through. Though, that was harder to deal with. She could handle anger and lust, but sweet and slow meant things she didn't have time for. That didn't mean she couldn't let herself enjoy it for the time being.

He distracted her in the most delicious yet consuming ways. She'd come here battle ready to find Royce's killer. Yet, the moment she had felt Castle wrap his large, wide hand (and those fingers) around her own, all she'd been able to think about was having him. And, she had had him, all right. For some reason, she couldn't get him out of her system, however hard she tried, he'd become part of her system. If anything, it'd made it worse - especially now that she knew how well they fit, and yet clashed, like fire and water. She'd just enjoy the connection they had for the time they still had left, and go back to her neat life. There was nothing wrong with it. He sure was not complaining.

She was confident they would find her training officer's killer very soon, they made a good team - perhaps that was why she allowed more of that to happen.

Still, it'd have to be quick this time.

She let her panties drop to the floor, and walked into the gorgeous Italian shower to turn the hot taps on, let it run to flood the room with a thick steam.

"No funny stuff all right? We gotta be quick," she warned as she spun on her heels to face him. She almost laughed at the way he openly ogled her, his glazed eyes travelling over her naked figure with a hard swallow as if he'd never seen it all before.

"Uh-uh. Quick, got it," he forced out as his eyes jumped up to meet hers - arousal sparkling right back at her.

She shook her head at his stunned look, and stepped back into the shower, giving her hips an exaggerated swing to get him moving

"You coming, Castle, or what?"

He nodded vividly, as if snapping out of a daze, did quick work of getting himself naked, and stalked toward her. With a satisfied smile, she played with the taps, and faced the nose of the shower, let the hot water pound on her as she covered her face with both hands. She felt him at her back like a thick wall, his obvious arousal pressed against her buttcheeks. She hummed as she angled her face on the side and away from the water, let her hands fall to her sides so she could reach backward, and grip him by the hips, her nails cutting hard into his skin. Her smile spread as he grunted, and rewarded her by diving into the stretched line of her neck, biting, and nipping there. His hands came to cup and play with her breasts, his thumbs circling her nipples in that deliciously way he'd done the night before. She gave out a dry moan, sparks of arousal snaking viciously from her nipples, and straight to her core. She bucked into him, her inner self reveling in the moan he let out.

His mouth drew a hot path up and down her neck, and while that felt amazing - they needed to hurry. She blinked past the droplets of water nestled on her eyelashes, and turned into his arms, her hand instantly wrapping around his cock. She watched as he threw his head backward with a guttural, a raw sound that scraped at his throat, and set her nerves on fire. She moved her hand smoothly up and down, alternating with pressure, and barely there contact, the water making her hand so slick that his flesh glided easily inside her palm. She watched him under wet eyelashes, the rough flexing of his throat as he swallowed hard.

"Kate, you've got to stop," he muttered under a heavy breath, as he lowered his head and looked at her, his pupils completely blown.

"You clean?" she asked around a labored breath, the muscles of her abdomen clenching and twitching in anticipation.

He nodded silently, and she let a finger run along his abs, her eyes mesmerized at the way they jumped under her treatment. He was right, she needed to stop teasing, and he needed to be inside. Her teeth bit hard into her lower lip, so hard that she could taste the sharp tang of blood. She shot him a look, and rested her arms on his shoulders, a slow smile curling her lips. "Up." The word popped out, and she arched an eyebrow when he grabbed her ass, and hoisted her up and against the slippery wall of the shower. She curled and secured her legs around his waist, threw her arms around his neck as the head of his shaft nudged her open.

She couldn't quite suppress the mewl that escaped her as his large hands cupped her ass, one of his fingers probing right next to himself at her entrance, testing the waters. "Move," she croaked out, her head rolling backward against the wall. As soon as the word was out, he thrust hard and deep, the momentum pressing the scorching hot skin of her back against the cool tides. She shuddered hard as her breath stuttered. Her mouth fell wide open when he drove into her smoothly, her feet curling and pressing into his taut ass as he attached his mouth to her collarbone, sucking the drips that pooled there like liquid pearls with a sinful noise that had the muscles of her centre grip him harder. She felt him bite hard into her skin at that, his groan smothered by the sound of the running water.

Everything was on fire, the air so stuffy that she could only let him hold her against the tiles, and pound into her as she took it. He withdrew fully, and bottomed out to slip his cock through her folds, and up to her clit, drawing a raw moan out of her as the wicked waves of electricity ran through her, her back bowing with the intensity of it all. He smiled against her skin - that jerk - and slammed himself back inside as far as he would go, their skin so slippery that he had to grip her buttcheeks so hard she was sure it would leave marks, before finding a pace that worked best for them both as the pressure climbed wickedly, and they neared their climax. She keened as she felt it build inside her, her breath stuck low in her throat. Kate exploded hard the moment he slipped a hand between them - how - to press a firm digit against her clit and rub firmly, her breath rushing past her lips and out of her lungs into a cry. She curled forward hard, her face diving into his neck as she squeezed her legs around him, her mouth wide open against his skin. She felt his release pulse inside her as he shouted out her name - the sound so feral that the walls of her sex spasmed on their own accord. He held her tight for a moment, his breathing hard and ragged, before letting her down slowly on her feet.

They stood staring at each other as both struggled to recover their breath, and he gave her a small smile that found echo on her lips. She reached up and lay a hand against the side of his face, a hand curling around his ear to bring him down. She sucked his lip into her mouth, and laved it with light touches of her tongue, as he moaned low into her mouth, but let him go before he could deepen the kiss. She traced the shell of his ear with the tip of a finger as he looked down on her with drugged and veiled eyes; he was a sweet man under the rough mask, and she couldn't help but think - however stupid it was - that if she wasn't so deeply wounded and broken inside, perhaps she would give him more than that.

But she was, and that was all they would ever be - temporary partners in crime with mind blowing benefits.

She patted his cheek in an attempt to make him come back to her, "Come on, Castle, scrub my back. We've got a killer to catch."

They'd found Reggie and tricked him into coming with them way too easily, the guy only offering an ounce of resistance. Though, she could hardly blame the guy. Castle had stood like a solid rock, and faced the poor man with a face as hard as stone, apparently aiming for intimidation - destabilization. It had worked. Reggie had sworn to tell them everything, and all it had taken to lead him to the cruiser was a raised eyebrow. Beckett knew the man's guilt had been at play here, but Castle had definitely known what he was doing. It'd been hot. She hadn't stepped in, had hardly needed to. And while she wasn't used to stepping back and watching, she hadn't minded it one bit. She wondered who of the two of them would be the bad guy if they teamed up for real. Probably both.

Kate shook her head - dismissing the thought as she looked through the window. They were heading to his precinct, and she actually was curious to see him there, how he moved, how he talked - like a cop. She hadn't seen him act as one much before today. She knew he had it in him, could picture him drawing a gun, but she wanted to see it. The ride so far had been quiet, and quiet allowed her to think - probably too much. Something had been nagging at her, and perhaps it was nothing but-

"Hey, Castle?" She asked, her teeth biting into her lips as she shifted in her seat.

Eyes fixed on the busy traffic, he merely glanced at her briefly. "Yeah?"

She watched his face closely as she weighed her options. But really, there was only one way to know. "You have no partner?"

She noticed how his jaw tensed in reaction, the creases around his eyes strained as his grip around the steer wheel tightened. There was something, there. She hadn't just imagined it.

"No, I don't need anyone," he offered flatly. It only encouraged her to ask for more. Push. She could feel there was something there. She knew he had people at his precinct, the same way she had Esposito and Ryan, but he very rarely had consulted them, never actually. A few texts - that had been it. She had no partner -by choice- but still, she had people she could rely on. It seemed that he didn't even have that. Something fierce stirred inside her chest - the need to figure it out, figure him out.

"Yeah, see, that's not what I think. What about that 'I could use a partner' speech?" She asked, her tone way too pushy even to her own ears. She winced as he let out a grunt. She knew she was touching a raw nerve just by the way he refused to look at her, but she was too intrigued to stop now. "Something happened, right? Every time I call, or mention Espo and Ryan - you flinch, or switch off on me."

"It's nothing, Beckett. Leave it," he answered more harshly, the low tone of his voice strangely dark. Now she recognized the guy from the night before, the one that had thrown her against her hotel room door. So, there was a reason behind his strong reaction.

"Now you're shutting me out? I don't know Castle, I kind of think you owe me an explanation, don't you?" She pushed harder, holding her breath for a second when she saw him take a deep intake of breath, his nostrils flaring. Shit, she truly was walking a thin line.

Before she could see it coming, he pulled over out of nowhere, the car lurching and screeching as they came to an abrupt halt. She braced her hands before her with a gasp, the man in the back seat letting out a confused grunt. She stared at him hard as she watched his jaw work. "What the hell, Castle?!"

He turned to her sharply, the icy blue of his eyes cutting right through her. "You wanna know what happened? Fine. My last partner of ten years blew up, and went up in flames because he didn't listen to me, trust me. So yeah, I don't need anyone playing the vigilante on my watch, and taking unnecessary risks- that goes for you, too," he snarled - his voice clipped, words so sharp they sliced through her.

She swallowed hard as his eyes bored into her so deep that she felt naked, and not the nice kind. Fuck. He turned back to face the steer wheel with a deep shuddering sigh. He turned the engine back on, his face closed and unreadable. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she let her eyes run over the hard edges of his face. She had hurt him. She'd seen the pain in his eyes, the kind of pain that came with a memory you'd rather keep buried. She knew better, she had known somehow - and still had gone for it. That was yet another reason why they would never work; she was self-destructive, but not only. She was a cataclysm that stormed into people's lives, only leaving devastation in her wake.

"Aww. Hey, look man, pretty awful what happened to you friend there, but can you please do that later, it's kind of tight back here," Reggie called from the back seats.

Both their head whirled around in his direction with matching glares. Kate glanced at Castle when he shifted back to face the road. He returned the glance, but shook his head dismissively as he drove the car back into traffic, his lips tightly drawn into a line. She held her breath as she faced straight ahead, the dull grey of his eyes anchored behind her lids.

He was disappointed in her, and she couldn't blame him.

Thoughts?

Again, thank you so much for such a heartwarming support. x