Short but not as dangerous as Chapter 3. Hope I didn't rush this one too much. It's hard writing a character you dont know, let alone how your known characters would react to an unknown character. Hope you're all still fans.

Beckett darted back into the car at lightning speed. If her cautious body language didn't give her away, she assumed the arched eyebrow clued him into a problem.

"What?" Castle questioned.

"Little problem."

"What?" he groaned, a little more desperate. There was nothing he wanted more at the moment than to get their driver back in his seat and doing his job. Driving them straight home, so he could peel the clothes off the woman who'd taken over all his thoughts. He couldn't escape her anymore. When he was working without her on his books, her voice rang clear as Nikki Heat ordered Rook around. When he lay in bed at night, it was her he thought of. Often when his phone would go off suggesting a new case, he'd already have been thinking of her.

"Natalie Grey is here." She blistered.

"Oh." He pouted. "So get the driver and we'll slip out before she spots us."

"Our driver seems to have acquired a new friend named..." she prompted.

"Natalie Grey." He sighed in defeat, finally coming to realize the extent of the problem. It was amazing how smokers gravitated towards each other, never caring who or what you were as long as their was a cigarette to spare. He pondered a moment before heading for the door himself. "I'll get him."

"Are you crazy?" She protested indicating his problem that while not painfully obvious with his long coat and the pause in activity, was still there.

"Afraid of getting caught red handed Detective?" Castle challenged.

"No." she paused, "But I'd like to avoid her right now for obvious reasons." She explained in her professional tones, the implications of the working relationship clear.

"We'll just wave the driver down when she's not looking." He told her, again scooting himself to the door. This time he opened it and stepped out in to the frigid winter air which had settled on New York. He kept his body tucked in the door's opening, shielding his lower body from the cold wind and the dwindling foot traffic's view. He waited just only moments before waving at the driver. Except he wasn't the only one who saw him. He watched in horror as the driver and Natalie both nodded and waved back respectfully, each noticing the other indicating towards Castle. As they extinguished their cigarettes, it became clear from their facial expressions and flapping jaws that Natalie had revealed their working relationship and had decided to come by to say hello as the driver returned.

"Well? Did he see you?" Beckett asked, frustration apparent in her voice.

"Er, yeah."

"I don't like the sound of that. This whole mess is your fault. You had to drag her into our lives and the station."

"Well the good news is that he's coming back."

"And she is too." Beckett supplied.

"This is as much your fault as mine. I wanted to do dessert first from the beginning. Besides, we would even be here if it wasn't for her." He whined.

"My point exactly." Beckett watched him shift back and forth on his feet slightly, before he began chirping in his professional networking voice as her second tagalong approached the car, "Natalie! What a surprise."

"Are you having dinner Rick? Can I join you?" She asked. Beckett studied their legs from her vantage point in the car. She wasn't happy with the closeness, despite the door barricade between them.

"Well, we were."

"Oh. We?" She questioned.

"Beckett and I." He examined, "But I was just waving the driver back so we could head out. Too busy in there."

"Without eating? Should I put in word so you can get a table?"

"Oh, we had a table." He defended, he'd gotten it with help of James Patterson, one of the restaurants regulars, "it's just somethings come up and we need to go."

"Is there a break in the case?" Natale gleefully perked up, not even noticing his broken trains of thought.

"No. It's just that..." He fumbled. Castle never fumbled and inside the car Beckett smiled. He needed her to save him.

"It's that one of my other detectives needs help with a personal matter." She peeked out from behind him.

"Oh is it that Esposito/Ochoa and the coroner woman, Lanie? I saw them making eyes." She quirked, clearly not sensing their need to leave. The driver however, was more in tune with his clients and had slipped into the front cab in preparation to leave.

"No." Beckett said curtly. "I'm not obligated to share."

"Classified." Castle winked, leaned over and kissed her cheek good bye.

"Oh, well never mind. I've got an appointment for hair." She smiled. "Going brunette by morning."

"I look forward to seeing you more in character." Beckett tried to end the conversation on a positive note, giving a gentle tug on Castles coat, "We really need to go though... Now." She scolded and yanked him in abruptly. Leaving Natalie Grey starring quizzically at the closed car door.

"Don't you think that was a bit rude?" He teased as the driver started back into traffic.

"No. I don't share well with others." Beckett revealed with a secret smile of her own.