It took me quite a while to think up this chapter, so I hope it lives up to your expectations!


"Please Lanie." Castle had just finished explaining everything he knew about the situation to her including what he'd heard Beckett say aloud to herself.

"Not a chance."

"Why not?"

Lanie ignored his question altogether and decided to ask one of her own, "how exactly did you find out about her break-up?"

"Esp-uh, um, a little birdy told me," he fumbled.

"Mhmm."

"I just want to know what I did wrong, and what her breakup had to do with me," he raced, hoping that the slip of his tongue would be forgotten.

"Boy, slow down. What the hell does this have to do with Beckett being upset now?"

"The thing I told you about the partner; when I heard her talking to herself," Castle explained quickly growing more and more impatient.

"You have got to stop doing that."

"What?"

"Listening in on people. If Kate knew—"

"Yeah I know. She'd kill me; I get it. But—"

"But what?" It was Lanie's turn to cut Castle off.

"I need to know what I did so I can fix it."

"Wait, so you're thinking..." She paused for a moment and looked at the man across from her. She nodded slowly as if she suddenly understood what was going on.

"What?"

She smiled and raised her eyebrows as she spoke, "You think you're the 'partner'." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Uh," Caste ran a hand threw his hair. "Yeah, uh, I mean, uh, maybe? It's, uh, I mean it's not entirely impossible." He shrugged, his hand never leaving his hair as he spoke.

"You know, I'm starting to understand how you might've become a bestseller," she said more to herself than to him.

"S-s-so I'm right?" He stuttered wide eyed and hopeful.

"Now, not so much," she said in regards to her earlier comment.

"Lanie," he nagged.

"What?" She shrugged, "Just trying to figure out how the hell you manage to solve the mysteries in your books if you can't solve the ones staring you right in the face."

"What?" That was the third time he'd asked that, and he was really starting to get annoyed with that word. "Because I wrote them. And this is not a mystery; this is Beckett."

She gave him a pointed look.

"Okay, maybe she is a mystery," he mumbled quickly. "But how does that have anything to do with my books?"

"How the hell did you become a bestselling author?"

"Uh, I wrote good books?" He wasn't sure if he was more annoyed or confused. "What does this have to do with Beckett?"

"Everything writer boy, everything."

"Wh-uh-huh? Well can you help me figure it out?"

"You slept with her."

Castle nearly jumped up in surprise. That was most definitely not the answer he was expecting. "W-w-what?"

"In your first book. Page 105. Remember?" She still hadn't gotten around to reading the second one yet although she had a feeling that there was another sex scene in there.

Castle didn't realize he was holding his breath until he exhaled. "Oh. Yeah, that," he laughed nervously. After a moment he realized what he'd just said and tried to correct it, "Actually that was Jameson Rook and Nikki Heat who, uh, who aren't real. No, no, um. They're, uh, they're...they're pure fiction." His voice started off sounding confident but faltered towards the end as he become subject to a demanding stare from Lanie.

"Did you sleep with her?"

"No!"

"Didn't think so," she said sounding quite disappointed.

"W-why?" Castle was suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

"Boy, I'mma slap you."

"Uh?" It took a moment for Castle to gather his thoughts, but when he did he got straight back to the initial question that brought him to the morgue in the first place, "where did I go wrong?" He took his hand out of his hair and hoped for an answer that actually answered his question.

"Inviting Beckett to the Hamptons was a big doo doo." Lanie gave up. The man was oblivious and definitely needed her help.

"The Hamptons? But she said no, plus she was going to some cottage with Schlemming."

Lanie raised her eyebrow at the nickname Castle had given Beckett's ex but chose to ignore it for now. "And then she broke up with him."

"Yeah, I know that."

"Mhmmm..." She encouraged him to go on.

"What does her break up have to do with me and the Hamptons?" Lanie watched as a light bulb lit up in his head. "Wait, she broke up with him so she could go to the Hamptons with me?"

"Well it's good to know that you've still got some brains left in that writer head of yours."

Castle wasn't even listening to her anymore, he was caught up in his own thoughts. When Beckett pulled me aside after the case she was wanted to tell me something but she never really got to it because Gina interrupted us, his mind was racing. Was she going to tell me that she'd changed her mind? Was she going to ask to accompany me to the Hamptons?

"Now that was the worst idea I've ever heard; inviting your ex-wife to the Hamptons for the summer... What is wrong with you boy? I should've smacked you and miss publisher."

You're partners, that's all. You will not go down that path again, all you're going to achieve is a day in bed and a pillow full of tears, not to mention feeling like a complete idiot. That's what she had said. "I'd made her feel like an idiot because I invited Gina and she broke up with Schlemming to be with me."

"Mhmm. What took you so long?"

Castle turned to Lanie vaguely aware of all the comments she had made, "Thank you Lanie. I wouldn't have figured this out with you."

"Damn right you wouldn't have and it would have stayed that way if Esposito had kept his mouth shut. But I'm glad he didn't because you two lovebirds are so blind!"

"I never admitted that it was Esposito who told me anything. Just that there might've been a little birdy helping me out, remember?"

"Mhmm."

"Thanks again, really. I owe you one." He turned around and headed for the door.

"You bet your ass you do. And where do you think you're going?"

"To find to Beckett," he stopped and turned back around.

"Hah! Boy, are you crazy?" When she saw that he was dead serious she decided to take a more direct route, if you will. "If you breathe one word of this to Beckett you'll be my next patient."

"Uh, I...Um..."

"Use that writer brain of yours and make up something believable."

"Like what?"

"Do I look like a writer to you?"

"No, but—"

"But nothing. Now get your ass out of my morgue and find your girl."

"Yes ma'am."

Just as he started walking again Lanie called after him, "believable Castle."

"Huh?" He paused and turned around once again.

"The story. It better be believable."

"Oh. Yeah." He was heading towards the door for the second time.

"Cause if it ain't, I'll make sure it comes back to bite you in the ass," she called after him.

"Don't worry, I make up stories for a living. She won't suspect a thing," she heard Castle yell.

"Mhmm," she responded although she was sure he was out of earshot. It was a good thing too because her voice was no longer threatening, instead her tone conveyed nothing but joy.


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