Author's Note: From this point forward, I will differentiate between the two universes by prefacing scenes taking place in the "canon" universe with "Elsewhere..."

With Richard Castle having traipsed off for a quick shower before dinner, Kate Beckett was left to her own devices in the living room of his spacious – but still disturbingly unfamiliar – loft. Eager to distract herself from that fact, and just the slightest bit nosy, Kate crossed over to the drawer she remembered from the other day, opening it and grinning.

She grabbed the book before padding over to the sofa, letting herself sink into the incredibly soft cushions. She eyed the title with a furrowed brow: Tainted Blood. She shook her head, beyond amused, flipping the cover open and thumbing through the first few pages.

No dedication. That was strange.

Then Kate remembered something Kyra Blaine had told her years ago, about how Castle only wrote dedications for those he truly cared for. Kate felt her heart break all over again. This Richard Castle still had Martha and Alexis…could he really be that lonely?

Deciding she'd had enough emotional heaviness for one day, Kate flipped to the first chapter and started reading. It was definitely his writer, his turn of phrase, his way with words. The names were unfamiliar and the subject matter strange, but this was definitely Richard Castle's writing. She couldn't hide the dopey grin on her face as her eyes scanned over the text.

So engrossed in Tainted Blood¸ was Kate, that she hadn't noticed Alexis entering the loft until the younger woman crossed over to the sofa and cleared her throat.

Kate yelped with a start, placing the book on the sofa and closing her eyes with a sigh. "Alexis…"

"Hey." Alexis was trying to keep her tone light, but Kate could tell by the look in her eyes and the way her hands rested on her hips that she was, at best, suspicious of Kate. Not that Kate could blame her; she'd be pretty damn suspicious too, were she is Alexis' shoes.

The young woman undid her ponytail, black and purple locks spilling onto her shoulders. "Where's Dad?"

"In the shower." Kate suddenly felt self-conscious as Alexis sat down to her immediate right, regarding Kate with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

"What's going on with you and dad?"

Boy, this Alexis didn't beat around the bush, did she? Kate swallowed, panicking because she really didn't know what to say. What was there to say? The truth? Right, because Alexis would believe that.

Kate shrugged and shook her head. "I'm…not sure." She sighed. "I don't even know what's going on with me right now."

Alexis gave a single nod. "Dad gave me the Cliff's notes version." She fell silent again, chewing on her lower lip with a concentrated scowl. Kate watched her, holding her breath. "I'm not gonna judge one way or another…"

Kate swallowed. She sensed a but… coming.

"But…" And there it was. "I should warn you. My dad is not an easy man to know."

Kate frowned at that, more out of confusion than anything. That certainly had not been her experience over the past couple days. Sure, he wasn't quite as witty as her Castle, and he was definitely more worn-down, but he'd been nothing but receptive to her from the start.

Alexis continued. "He's…withdrawn."

Kate's frown deepened. "I thought you two were close."

"We are." Alexis nodded. "But…ever since he killed off Derrick Storm and completely severed ties with Gina, he's been…I guess going through the motions is the way to put it. I can't remember the last time he had a girlfriend." The black-haired girl shrugged. "Just one-night stand after one-night stand."

Kate nodded. And you think I'm another one of those…

"But I saw the look on his face yesterday after you left." Alexis sighed, her eyes full of apprehension and hope. She looked more exhausted than someone her age had any right to be, and Kate felt sorry for her. 'I don't know what or how, but you've awakened something in him."

"And you want to make sure he doesn't get hurt."

"Gram and I can't put him back together again." Alexis shrugged and averted her gaze, and Kate had to suck in a deep breath to keep the tears threatening at bay. Just how broken was this man? Was this what would've become of him had they never met?

A tug of guilt nagged at Kate. She knew he'd been at a crossroads of sorts when they met six years ago, having just offed his meal ticket of a character in search of something new, all while dealing with the fact that someone was re-enacting to fictional murders in real life. Was Kate Beckett flashing her badge at that party really the one thing that brought him out of his funk.

Hearing the shower shutting off, Alexis stood with a sigh. "I don't hate you, Ms. Beckett." Kate cringed at the formality of that. "I'm just…I worry about him."

Kate watched Alexis walk away and head up the stairs before grabbing the book beside her, turning to the back cover and studying Castle's promotional head shot. He was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes. They were blue, but something had dulled them.

She traced her fingers over his jawline before wiping away another tear.

Elsewhere…

Kate Beckett never made it to her office, her mind too busy racing from question to question. The badge and service piece sitting in the passenger seat of her car kept calling out to her, taunting her. She'd operated under the assumption that Richard Castle had stolen them, somehow, and that he was trying to distract her by saying they were hers.

But as she sat in Manhattan's trademark bumper-to-bumper, the uncertainty latched onto her psyche and would not release its grip. She chewed on her lip before grabbing her iPhone, unlocking it, and pulling up her search engine.

With a sigh, unable to believe she was actually about to do this, Kate punched her name into the search field. She held her breath as the results loaded. A taxi driver three cars ahead blared his horn and screamed in a language Kate didn't recognize, the commotion almost drowning out the gasp escaping her lips when the results popped up on her screen.

Mystery writer engaged to NYPD cop.

Meet Kate Beckett: the Inspiration for Nikki Heat.

Senator Bracken Arrested, Charged with Murder.

Her heart rate doubled, and Kate's thumb shook as she pressed against the third link. She felt her breath leaving her as she read the details of Bracken's arrest. Two days ago, this man was deadlocked with her mother in a tight Senate race; now, she was reading about how he'd pulled the strings years ago, strings that led to…

No.

Oh, no.

No!

Tossing her phone to the back seat, Kate gripped her steering wheel with both hands until her knuckles turned white. She closed her eyes and took in a ragged breath, before peeling her car out of traffic and making a drastic – and quite illegal – u-turn.

Cars honked their displeasure at the move, but Kate didn't care. She traced her route back to the loft she had mysterious woken up in that morning, her steps brisk and full of purpose once she found her parking spot and took the elevator to the right floor.

In her solitude, Kate took inventory of her day so far. She'd woken up in the bed of a man she'd never met before, a man who was famous but had written books she'd never heard of. He talked as if they were intimate, possibly even more than that.

He'd told Kate that she was a detective. That the badge and gun were hers. Google seemed to agree; according to the Internet, they were engaged, she was in fact a cop. According to the Internet, her mother's political opponent had…

She shook her head and closed her eyes. No. That wasn't true.

No way. There had to be an explanation for that. There was no way in hell she had read what she thought she had just read. Someone was either very wrong, or they were playing the world's cruelest prank.

She grabbed her phone, making sure the page she'd been reading earlier was still queued up and loaded. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her knees were wobbly. She had to grab the railing in the elevator to keep herself upright, swallowing back bile when the ding announced that she had reached her floor.

She stepped out of the elevator and walked over to the door, despite her psyche telling her to bolt. This was all some elaborate hoax. Someone was having quite a time, pulling the strings on this to make her think she was losing her mind.

How else to explain reading things that clearly are not true on the website of one of the world's most reputable newspapers?

She pounded her fist on Richard Castle's door, tapping her foot impatiently before the door swung open. Castle stood at the doorway with a blue wash towel over his right shoulder, smiling upon laying eyes on Beckett…until he remembered that morning and his expression soured.

If Kate didn't know any better, she'd swear there was anger in his eyes.

"Beckett." He spat the name more than said it. "Should I call my lawyer now?"

Cueing up her phone again, Kate shoved it in Castle's face so he could see the headline. Her hand shook, her heartbeat had gotten even quicker – as if that were even possible – and Kate felt at any moment she was going to be sick.

But she had to do this. She had to know something.

"Mr. Castle…care to explain this?"