Headcanon prompt! My 'n' key is not working very well for some reason, so if it's missing (or any other letter for that matter) then please let me know. I'm trying to find the issue right now. Thanks!

Prompt: Has Beckett ever 'faked it'? Did Castle know? If so, how did he react?

They'd been trying for a baby for two months at the time, and she was both numb and exhausted. But still not pregnant.

So they kept trying.

Every single night, like clockwork, he would come to her, shower her body with kisses, and work her up as best as he could with his fingers before 'getting to it' as he liked to say. It made her feel somewhat like a machine, though she never failed to reach her peak by the end.

But today was somehow…different.

She was wet when he entered her, but somehow she just wasn't finding the pleasure tonight; it wasn't quite doing it for her. No matter how quick or hard or deep he thrust, no matter how he used his fingers or mouth on any part of her body, it just wasn't working.

But she couldn't let him know that. Richard Castle was a man who prided himself on his innate ability to bring every single woman who entered his bed to climax. To learn that he couldn't do that with his wife, his always, his third time's the charm?

It would be catastrophic.

So, for his sake, she faked it.

Kate Beckett had prided herself on the fact that she never faked an orgasm—she was not about rewarding a mediocre performance in bed, or anywhere else for that matter. Every man she'd ever been with either gave her an honest-to-god, toe-curling climax…or they didn't.

Simple as that.

So it was very uncomfortable for her to do it to this man whom she loved so very much—who was her world—but it had to be done…for him.

Kate let out a gasp as he thrust particularly hard in her. And then another. And another. Before long, she was gasping and moaning and clawing at his back, her lips attacking his neck as she nibbled at his pulse point, really selling her performance as she forced her internal muscles to clench around him, feeling his hips stutter slightly as he got closer.

Right before he fell, Castle attacked her lips, whispering 'I love you's into her mouth as he reached his climax, coming inside her in quick, hot bursts. Kate sighed against his mouth, her arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders.

When he pulled out of her, Kate let out a barely perceptible whimper, as she always did, before following him to lie on his chest as he settled onto his back.

Castle wrapped one arm around her waist, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into her hip, softly lulling her to sleep.

But as she was about to doze off, Kate heard his words against her ear.

"You faked it." It was neither accusing or angry; just disappointed. Which was even worse.

Kate took a deep breath; there was no way she could lie to him about something like this.

"Yes," she said, after a beat. "I'm so sorry, Babe; I'm just so…tired."

"Of me?" She could tell that he was trying to keep his voice steady and the thought made her heart ache.

"No," she said. "Never you," she assured him, kissing right above his heart. "I just…we've been trying for two solid months, Babe, and I just…I think I've gone a little numb from all your attention."

Castle looked down at her, his eyes wide. "That can happen?" he asked.

Kate shrugged. "I guess so; I might need to see my gynecologist about it, but something like it happened when I used my vibrator too much when I was between relationships in college. Couldn't feel anything for, like, a week. It comes back, though," she assured him. "And when it does…we can try again."

"Promise?" Castle asked, wiggling his eye brows at her.

"Oh, definitely," Kate said. "I don't think either of us could keep our hands to ourselves for longer if we tried."

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