A/N: Oh, early! I know for a fact that I won't be able to update tomorrow. Netball Grand Final's and a ship-load of beer are most definitely going to prevent it. So, you're getting your fix now.

Um, I like this one. Quite a bit, even if it is a bit different from the norm. You'll understand at the end.

SPOILER(S): Nothing too bad, just a little Detective Douche- I mean, Demming…

Ultimate

"Remember when you took my heart and put it back together again?"

Detective Kate Beckett sat on the edge of her desk and stared blankly at the murder board. There wasn't much on it at this early stage of the investigation, but she needed to look. Often things jumped out at her when she least expected it. That was how she had met Richard Castle and Tom Demming. They just popped up when things were going fine for her.

Stupid fate.

She could feel someone standing behind her, but didn't bother looking. Tom would get the picture and leave; Castle would eventually mutter something stupid; and if it were Ryan or Esposito, they would have said something by now. She idly wondered if maybe Tom was going to make some kind of stand, but then the person cleared their throat, and a take-away cup of coffee appeared in front of her.

Castle.

"You looked tired, thought you could do with one of these." He moved so he was sitting next to her, close but not quite touching.

"Thanks." She mumbled and took a sip. Inwardly she smiled, Castle always got it right.

"So, is it talking yet?" he asked, raising his own cup and tilting it toward the whiteboard.

She shook her head. "Not really. Just telling me that there's been a murder, and we still don't have a lot of information." She turned to him and shrugged. "Hopefully when the boys get back they'll be able to tell us something more."

Castle nodded and his eyes drifted over her shoulder, his brow furrowed slightly, before returning to normal as his eyes drifted back to hers. Turning her head in that direction, she saw someone walking away with his hands in his pockets, his head bowed slightly. Sighing, she looked back at the board. "Don't go there, Castle." She warned and took another sip of her coffee.

He nodded again and mimicked her pose, staring at the murder board in silence. He wondered what had happened to make Tom Demming walk away from her like that. He had seemed so dejected; his body language and the look on his face told him more than words probably ever could.

"We broke up." She admitted softly, her head bowing slightly as she looked to her hands.

Maybe not. "I wasn't going to ask." He replied, equally as soft.

"Your Jedi mind trick at its best yet again."

He watched her out of the corner of his eye, wanting to ask more, knowing it was his funeral if he did.

"He wanted me to stop working with you."

Castle let a small smile creep on to his face. "He what?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Exactly. He thought it should be him helping me with my mother's murder, not you. I told him that you were there when the whole thing got reopened and that I trusted you with the case." She shrugged. "I don't think he took too kindly to the fact that I trust a writer with something like that, more than I trusted a fellow cop. And, uh, boyfriend." She paused. "Ex-boyfriend now I guess."

Castle lent in close, bumping her shoulder gently with his own. "It's his loss, you know that, right?"

Kate rolled her eyes again and turned to him, their faces only inches apart. She could see the dark speckles in his bright blue eyes. It very nearly took her breath away. "Thank you."

"You're more than welcome."

"Yo, do you two need a minute, or are we free to tell you what we got?" Esposito's voice broke through their bubble and their moment was gone.

"We're good. What's up?" asked Kate, shifting back into full cop mode. Castle had always wondered how she could swap and change so effortlessly. Maybe it came with practice? Or, maybe, it was a gift she had always had? He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

"Turns out, Mrs. Perfect-wife wasn't so perfect after all."

Castle stood. "Oh, do tell."

"Where would you like us to start? The three previously failed marriages? Her step-children's hatred of her? The gossip from the neighbours?"

"How about, with something other than rhetoricals?" injected Beckett.

Ryan nodded to her. "Mrs. Perfect? Banging the night shift doorman."

"What?"

"Yeah-huh. They were doin' the dirty dance while Mr. Perfect and the three perfect children were otherwise occupied." Esposito looked at Castle. "That is to say, they were at work and school." He mimicked a basketballer taking a shot, his hand staying raised, signalling three points.

Beckett looked to the board, where she had written in the wife's alibi. Walking over, she picked up a red texta, and circled the words she had put there, wondering what else they had been lied to about. "Check with the day guy, maybe he saw them heading out for a rendezvous. I don't think they would have been stupid enough to do it at the building, but maybe I'm overestimating their intelligence? It's happened before." Her eyes drifted to Castle and a slight smile played on her lips.

Esposito and Ryan nodded, turned on their heels, and headed out of the bullpen again. Beckett sat on the edge of her desk again, her eyes fixed on the board, contemplating what they now knew.

"What about us?" asked Castle, slipping onto the edge beside her.

"Us? Well, Mr. Castle, we're gonna take a drive. See what Mr. Night-shift has to say for himself."

He clapped gleefully as he followed her out like an obedient puppy.

XXX

The ride out to the Bronx was travelled mostly in silence. Beckett concentrated on driving, while Castle concentrated on watching Beckett drive. Their usual banter had been missing for a while now, ever since Detective Demming and his classic good looks started hanging around.

Castle wondered if they would ever get back to the way they were; flirting and joking their way through the bleak parts of their day. The parts when Kate let her guard slip, transitioning out of Detective mode and into human mode. He knew he was one of the few who were lucky enough to enjoy its appearance, often when he least expected it.

"You're watching me drive. It is just as creepy as when you watch me do paperwork." She muttered, glancing in the rear-view mirror before switching lanes.

"Sorry." His eyes flicked away, before flicking back. "You wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head. "There's nothing to talk about, Castle. We got into an argument about my mom's case. T… He said he was sick of playing second fiddle to you."

"Second fiddle? You were banging the guy. We've never so much as kissed."

She rolled her eyes. "I know that. And he knew that, but our relationship has always been a sore point." She shook her head. "He hated that you followed me around all day. He hated the Nikki Heat/Jameson Rook relationship. But he learnt to deal with it. I think… I think it got to be too much. For both of us."

Castle nodded and turned to look out the windscreen. "My mother and Chet are coming over for dinner tonight, if you're not doing anything. I know she and Alexis would love to see you. I'm cooking." He added as an afterthought.

Beckett smiled. "I'd like that."

Ultimate – Lindsay Lohan

A/N II: I am well aware of how the break-up went in the actual show. But I wrote this before I saw that. I'll be back on the 'together' bandwagon next time.

Oh, and, I don't know about you guys, but I can't believe this is chapter 10 already! Where has the time gone...? When I started this whole series, I had netball/training 4 nights a week. Now I'm home with... Saturday hangovers! Lol. I miss the netball!

Cheers‼