A/N: Words words words excuse excuse apology. No one really reads these anyway. Words words words. On with the story.

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Kate and Rick sat in their booth for hours just talking about their past. Some memories sounded foreign to her. Others she could vaguely remember. The latter made Rick immensely happy. As the night drew on Remy's slowly emptied out leaving Kate and Rick as the only customers.

"Wow it looks like we're the only ones here," Kate blushed slightly. "I should probably head home."

"We could keep talking," Rick blurted out. "Not tonight of course because it's. already late or actually early. But maybe tomorrow night?"

Kate smiled as she stood up. "I'd like that. Good night Rick."

"Until tomorrow."

Kate's brow furrowed as she studied him. "Why didn't you just say night?"

"Because until tomorrow is more-"

"Hopeful." Kate blurted out this time as Rick smiled.

"You remember."

"A little," Kate's laugh was matched with Rick's as they stood and left Remy's. The air was brisk as each silently wished for spring. Ever the gentleman, Rick hailed a cab and gave it to Kate. Ushering her in and watching as the cab took her off into the night. With a sigh he turned and threw his hand in the air ready to await a cab for himself.

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The next few days seemed like a dream for Kate. She would spend her days doing the things she never had time to do because of her work schedule. She visited her mother's grave and laid fresh flowers for her. Visited her dad instead of just calling him. She even attempted to research herself. Her memory was returning slowly but it was frustrating to have to wait in limbo until she could return to work. A quick Google search provided her with a handful of sites that linked her to her old police academy as well as a few articles that had been written about some of the high end cases she's worked.

There was almost nothing written about her and Rick. Surely if he really shadowed her for a few years there would be some mention of their work together. On the bottom of the second search page something jumped out at her. An interview with Cosmopolitan. That was definitely not a normal venue for a police article. Clicking the link, Kate watched in amazement as the article opened to a picture of Rick standing in her bull pen sandwiched between two models dressed as uniformed officers but with half the clothing. The nonchalant expression on his face had her jaw dropping as she tried to mentally process the image. Looking away to try and rid the image, Kate refocused herself. There was supposed to be information in this article about her. Scrolling down she bit her lip. This article was at least three pages long. It started off talking about Rick and just continued in a steady stream of consciousness. There was no telling when she would be brought up. Hitting the control and F key at the same time, she quickly typing in her name and waited for the computer to hone in.

"The last paragraph. Of course," Kate thought to herself as she adjusted herself in her chair and leaned a little closer to the screen.

Kate Beckett is a tough, smart homicide detective with the NYPD - a first-class investigator known for being a closer.

"A closer?" Kate asked out loud as she read.

She's also gained a reputation as a detective who's intrigued by the "freaky ones," the sort of cases that don't fit neatly into a box.

"A rep that took me many years and a lot of hard work to obtain summed up as 'intrigued by the freaky ones'?"

It's a reflection of her ongoing quest for justice.

"Oh."

Having joined the force after the murder of a loved one was never solved, she has a rare ability to empathize with the victims and it's this that fuels her unceasing drive to capture the people responsible. Forced to work with Castle, she was at first frustrated by his presence but over time began to appreciate him. Even though he drives her crazy, everyone knows they make a great team.

"When was this written?" Kate scrolled back up to the top of the page. "Amy Saunders, September 23, 2009." Kate let out a groan. That was eight years ago. This was just a waste of time. Maybe she was imagining something more with Rick. Maybe he really was just her partner.

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Thoughts?