Just before I start this chapter I'd just like to say a special thanks to LittleLizzieZentara who gave me some idea on how to go about Chapter 9. Thanks .

& sorry again about the delay. It seems that everytime i post a chapter i apologize about that, haha.

Beckett was still staring at the paperwork on her desk. Castle had just left to make them coffee, so that she'd be able to actually focus, which she was having a hard time doing. She started to reflect on her thoughts for the past couple of days. There was something very different about the way she was thinking about her partner lately. She had secretly crushed on him, before she knew him anyway. After all he was Richard Castle, the sexy mystery writer. And he was just so charming. But why now? She'd worked with him for three years and all of the sudden this was happening now? Okay, she did have moments where she'd wonder if, you know, they ever hooked up. But those were just fleeting moments that never really meant anything. Even after she refused to go to the Hamptons with him, it took her sometime but she had gotten over it. She'd found Josh, and she was happy for a while. But now..? Was it because she was feeling lonely or was it because the two of them were finally single?

Beckett cleared her thoughts and tried again to focus on her work. It was taking Castle longer than usual to make coffee and she was becoming impatient and fidgety.

Castle finally made his way over to Beckett's desk with two cups of coffee in hand. He was still trying to figure out exactly what Esposito had just said. It didn't make sense yet. Why would Kate discuss her break up with Tom with him? Everyone knew she was pretty private about things like that, even Esposito. What does the timing of their break up have to do with him? Yes, it was kind of odd that she ended it with Schlemming just before they were supposed to go away together but she probably had a very good reason for it. Yet, the way Esposito put it, it seemed as though Castle was included somewhere in her reasoning. It all just didn't add up.

"Thanks," Beckett said as she reached out and took the cup of coffee that Castle handed her before he sat in his seat. "You okay Castle?"

Castle jumped a little at the sound of his name. "Hmm?" he asked not yet realizing what Beckett had just asked. "Oh yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay. You just look a little confused." Beckett's face changed from a look of concern to one of mockery as she said, "Don't tell me you blew up the coffee machine again..."

Castle looked up at the stunning brunette and faked a laugh at her reference to the time where he had thought he'd blown up the expresso machine due to the curse that he believed he'd been under. "Very funny detective. Mock me all you want, but don't be cruel to the expresso machine."

Beckett raised her eyebrow in question at his last remark. "You called it a 'coffee' machine," Castle said in a matter-of-fact way.

Beckett rolled her eyes at him, looked down at her work, shook her head slowly, and while smiling she muttered, "you and your coffee machine."

"What was that Detective Beckett?" Once again there was an eye role from Kate. "Nothing," she replied. Oh how she loved to tease him.

"You know—"

"Don't bother."

"But—"

"Focus Castle, focus." By that time both of them were smiling but Beckett was having better luck at hiding hers.

"Wait. What exactly am I supposed to be focussing on?" That was Castle's way of asking Beckett if she needed any help.

"Just drink your coffee Castle."

"See? You've done it again!"

"What?" Beckett turned her head and looked at him waiting for an explanation.

"Mistaking this foamy richness for coffee," he explained pointing at his mug as he spoke.

Beckett's hand was now hiding her smile from him as she tried to focus on her paperwork, again.

A couple hours later Beckett looked down at her watch to find out that it was 9:36 pm and she still wasn't quite done her work.

Castle, noticing her glancing down at her wrist, offered once again to help, "You know, you don't have to finish this all on your own. I'm not completely useless."

"Are you sure about that?" She joked. It seemed that the last three hours had carried on just like where there conversation was about to go; Castle would offer his help, Beckett would poke fun at him, and they would continually joke and flirt until the cycle was repeated. Even though it was more or less a waste of time, Beckett couldn't think of anything she'd rather be doing at that moment. She knew that if she'd been alone she'd probably have finished her work in an hour, maybe less. But she could use the company, and she thought that Castle seemed to be enjoying himself, so there was no harm done. Well, except if her paperwork wasn't completed by the next morning, then there'd be some harm done. But other than that, at that moment, everything was perfect.

"That's it. I'm just going to have to show you how useful I really am." Castle smiled that goofy smile of his.

The wording of his statement caught Kate's attention more than it should have. She blushed a little as she looked at him, her mouth forming a small "o". Castle caught wind of what she thought that he had meant. "...how useful I am at tackling paper work. Don't get too excited now Detective. Unless you'd like to take this somewhere more private..?"

As if on cue, she rolled her eyes but she couldn't take her eyes off his lips. Every time she looked at his lips she'd wonder how it would be to kiss him. And every time she thought of kissing him, she was reminded by the kiss she shared with him in the parking lot not too long ago. They had done it while they were undercover. She was just about to pull out her gun on the lookout who wasn't buying their acting when Castle grabbed hold of her face and kissed her, slowly but with great urgency, and she had reciprocated with a great deal of enthusiasm. She remembered wanting more when he had pulled away; probably surprised that she hadn't twisted his ear or maybe even slapped him. Actually her actions had surprised the both of them. But that didn't stop her from locking her lips with his once again, but this time for much longer yet not long enough. At that moment it was though nothing else in the world mattered except the way Richard Castle intertwined his tongue with hers. The kiss was full of so much eagerness on both sides, and Kate remembered wanting so much more. But just when she was about to lose herself completely she had remembered that this was an undercover job and that's when she bashed the lookout over the head with her gun, ending the intimacy between herself and her partner. Of course Castle being, well, Castle had to make a comment. That was amazing, he'd said as though he'd read her mind. He was right; it really was amazing but it was also so wrong. She was with Josh at the time. Even though that kiss may have just saved Ryan and Esposito's lives it didn't sit well with her. She wasn't the kind of girl to cheat plus she'd loved Josh and a small part of her still did. But he was never there and things, well, they just fell apart.

Beckett's thoughts drifted back to Castle. She wanted their first kiss to be special and not to end in her banging some guy over the head with her gun, although she would have no problem if it ended with Castle banging her with his gun. Now that would most definitely be a great ending to just about anything.

Her lips slowly formed a smile at the thought. She looked up and realized that she had just lost herself in a moment about Castle's lips. What was wrong with her? And in the precinct too? Thank god in reality it was only a couple of seconds, she thought silently. If Castle noticed he didn't show it. Instead he yawned and did a little stretch.

"I'm going to call Alexis and make sure she's home," He took out his phone and started looking through his contacts for his daughter.

"You know you can actually go home and check on her in person."

"And leave you all alone in this dark and lonely precinct? Who will protect you if a bad guy breaks loose?"

"My gun."

"Hmm. Fair enough. I'll see you tomorrow Detective. Don't work too hard."

"Hah! You already made sure of that. Night Castle." And with that Castle grabbed his coat off of the back of his chair, and walked towards the elevator.