A/N- Thanks to Jo for your unbelievable help with this. I'm pretty sure I'm more of a project than you meant to take on. All mistakes that remain are mine and I'm sorry.

I'm completely blown away by all the support this story has gotten. I love an appreciate every single one of your reviews. Joanna, Megan and Jan- you guys are the best encouragement and thanks for pushing me to post.

Disclaimer- I do not own Castle or any of it's characters. I wish!

The More Things Change…

…the more they stay the same. Kate Beckett is bored with life, but when a serial killer starts dedicating murders to her- someone enters the scene to aid with the investigation and her life may never be the same. Season 2- AU Caskett meeting.

Chapter 6

"Katie, you're going to miss it," Johanna called from the other room.

"I'll be right there. I thought you said the scarf was hanging in your closet." Kate sighed, pushing through the hangers on the clothing rod.

"Maybe it's in a box on the shelf?" her mom yelled back from the family room. "Just worry about it after the interview. I don't want you missing your boyfriend!" she replied in a teasing tone.

"He's not my boyfriend!" She already regretted the day she had told her mother about Castle and that they had become friends.

"I still can't believe Richard Castle wants to base his next character off of you!" Johanna exclaimed, almost unable to contain her enthusiasm. "We've been reading those books for years. Of course, I've been a fan longer…" Oh God, she was never going to hear the end of this.

"Mom! Not the time right now," she said, shifting through boxes. Of course, they were well organized and everything was labeled because her Mom was more detail oriented then even she was. However, the black silk scarf that she promised was nowhere to be found.

"But still. My daughter the inspiration for one of the world's most well known mystery writers; it's pretty impressive, Katie," she said, beaming.

"Nothing impressive about it. He's shadowing me on cases." Kate stuck her head out of the room and shot her mother a look.

"Just shadowing you?" Kate nodded in hopes that the conversation would be dropped.

"Yes. Castle's a nice guy when he's not driving me crazy, but he's just a friend," she explained, turning back to keep searching for the scarf.

"Oh, so you're friends now?" she teased.

"Mom!" Ugh. Why did she have to open her mouth about him?

"Don't Mom me. You just went from 'he's just shadowing you' to 'friends' in a matter of seconds. So what aren't you telling me?" Johanna asked. "You haven't told me about a guy since Will—and since Richard Castle has entered your life you haven't stopped."

Great. Now she wanted to bring up old boyfriends. This conversation was going so well.

"It's complicated. We're just friends, but I knew you were a fan. So I figured you'd like to know." Kate sighed, ruffling through the sweaters folded on the shelf.

"Hey. You know I always like to girl talk with you, hon. I just don't want you to push him away because you think you're protecting yourself from something."

Her mom knew her so well; either that or she was a little too predictable. After her father's death, she didn't exactly trust men and she tried to keep them at arm's length.

"He has a reputation and I'm just a cop. He's not going to be interested in me that way," she said. This wasn't exactly the type of conversation they should be having calling out from different rooms, but in a way, it made it easier.

"Are you sure or are you just making excuses?"

"I don't— I don't know." Kate stuttered for a moment as she came across a box in the top shelf of the closet. It appeared to have case files in it along with other documentation. Sure, her mom was an attorney, but why on earth did she have these files buried in her closet. However, as odd as it was, it was none of her business. She reached to replace the lid when it popped out at her — her father's name. Kate's finger tips trailed the words of his name in reverence as confusion clouded her thoughts before her mom's voice snapped her out of her fog.

"Katie, it's on!" Schooling her features, Kate walked out of her mom's bedroom and joined her on the couch. "Everything, alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine," she lied. "I just couldn't find the scarf." She painted a smile on her face, but her thoughts were all over the place. What was that box and what was it doing in her mom's closet? She did her best to push the questions aside—it wasn't the time. It just didn't make sense.

"Well I'll help you find it when his interview is over. Here's your glass of wine and I made your favorite popcorn!"

"Thanks." She nodded and cuddled up on the couch next to the popcorn bowl. "I'm glad you convinced me to come over for a girl's night." Reaching for her glass of wine, she took a long sip trying to relax—trying to forget what she saw.

"It was perfect timing. How often are we both free and your boy — I mean your friend - is on TV?" She smiled and patted her daughter's hand. Kate shot her a glare for the slip of words; the subject of a relationship with Castle was apparently not going to be dropped tonight.

"Mom. Friend. Just friend," Kate said.

"Maybe at this point, but I'm not a fool. I see the way your eyes sparkle when you talk about him. You're smitten." Johanna laughed.

"I do not get smitten over men."

"Maybe not usually, but over Richard Castle? You may be fooling yourself, but I'm not buying it. The question is what's holding you back?" That was a loaded question. The main thing holding her back? God she couldn't even admit it to herself.

"It's complicated."

"That's your excuse with any guy you've ever known. Katie, I want you to be happy and I wouldn't mind getting grandchildren one day either—"

"Mom!" Wow. Talk about going to extremes with the conversation and cementing the fact that she would never talk about another guy with her mom again.

"I know that's obviously not in the cards right now, sweetie. What I'm trying to say is, if you never trust a guy enough to give it a real shot you'll never get to find that happiness. Like what I had with your father…"

Her dad—the box—the file…

"Mom, about dad—I found—" Kate was interrupted by Bobby Mann's voice booming through the television and she realized the moment was lost again.

"Please help me in welcoming, Richard Castle!" Castle walked onto the stage and gave the audience his phony smile and wave. This man wasn't the Rick Castle she knew. This man was the celebrity and it was all for show. She knew better by now. He was proving to her that she could trust him and that he was a friend to her. Yet as much as she knew this was true, the idea of telling him her feelings, letting him know that she felt something more than friendship; that she felt a spark. A spark that she swore he felt too. No, she couldn't let him know that.

"He looks good, Katie."

"Yeah, he does." She sighed, trying to ignore the fluttering in her stomach. This schoolgirl crush of hers was getting ridiculous. She took another sip of her wine. More alcohol. Yes that would make things better.

The interview was the typical puff piece to hype his latest book and then they briefly talked about the Derrick Storm books being made into a movie. Interest seemed to spark in the eyes of the guest next to Castle and she started hanging on every word he spoke. Not only hanging on his words, but she started to hang on his body as well. Well, that was certainly one way to get attention.

"And this right here, Mom, is why Richard Castle is not my boyfriend—" The interview ended and Ellie Monroe was still holding onto Castle's arm. She couldn't deny that every inch of her skin burned with jealousy. "She's obviously his type."

"You don't know that. Didn't you say that he had a separate public persona?" Kate scoffed at the question. Sure, she was right, but it didn't mean that his regular everyday self wanted anything to do with Kate. They flirted and teased, but that's as far as it went. There was an unspoken line that was never crossed in the weeks that they'd known each other. Especially now that he was about to start working with her, it would be for the best if he stuck to dating B-rated actresses. She never stood a chance.

"Let's just finish the popcorn and find the scarf. I'm done talking about my non-existent love life for the evening."

"Katie—"

"Mom, please. Let's drop it," she stated in defeat. It was bad enough that she felt sick seeing Castle flirt with the actress. She didn't need to hear her mom rationalize it. He was just her friend and she had no claim over him. Adults could flirt with who they wanted, when they wanted. She would just prefer if he didn't do it on her television screen. Without another word, she watched her mom take her empty wine glass into the kitchen before she retreated into her bedroom.

"Um—were you looking through boxes of paperwork?" her mom called from the other room. Had she left the box open? Hurrying into the bedroom, she found her mom standing over the box of files that Kate had found earlier.

"I came across it when I was looking for the scarf. I didn't really look at it—" she defended.

"Oh—okay—just personal paperwork. Nothing you should worry about." Kate stared at her Mom in complete shocked at the obvious lie.

"I may have not really looked, but I am a homicide detective. Those are case files. Not personal paperwork. And I saw a file with Dad's name on it—"

"Katie, " she said, taking deep breath. "It's just his accident report."

"Why do you have his accident report? Can I see it?" Sure, she was pushing her luck, but something didn't sit well with her. Her mom was hiding something and it was about her Dad.

"No. You know what it says by now. I'm sure you've pulled it at the precinct."

"Exactly. I've pulled it at the precinct. So why do you have a file here?" Kate asked as anger warmed her cheeks.

"Insurance reasons," she replied.

"You're lying. I can tell. You can't even look me in the eye," Kate snapped.

"Katie—I don't want to fight with you about this. Just trust that it's better to leave this alone," Johanna pleaded with her. She closed the box up tight and slid it back into the corner of the closet. Turning back toward Kate, she handed her the elusive black scarf with a sad smile. "I'm sorry. Just believe it's for the best." Kate grabbed the cloth from her hands and stormed for the door. This was not at all how she had foreseen the night going.

The next day at the precinct, Castle came rushing onto the homicide floor carrying two cups of coffee. They still hadn't caught a case since he signed all the paperwork, but she told him he could come in if he'd like. She had expected him to be excited for his first day, but something seemed off with him as he stood before her, holding the cups close to his chest. Beckett couldn't figure it out until he opened his mouth.

"Bobby Mann is dead!" he said.

"Good morning?"

"I'm serious. Bobby Mann is dead. He was murdered," Castle continued.

"Okay. Walk me through this. Today is your first day shadowing my cases, but instead of shadowing a case you're reporting one?" He nodded and squinted his eyes.

"Well, kind of."

"What do you mean 'kind of'? Plus, I saw on the news this morning he died of a heart attack. Which is probably a little rough for you since you just did his show yesterday — but nowhere has it been reported that he was murdered," she replied, staring at the two cups of coffee still in his hands.

"When I was getting ready to leave the set yesterday, he pulled me aside. He said that he heard that I was going to start following the NYPD and that people wanted him dead. Ellie started walking toward us so he got spooked and stopped talking after that."

"What did Ellie Monroe want?" The words fell from her lips before she could stop them. What was with this man that prevented her from using a filter? Castle gave her a little smirk that seemed to acknowledge the jealousy in her question. "I mean—so you didn't hear anything further from Bobby then?"

"No. Nothing else. And if you must know, Ellie said she overheard me talking about shadowing the NYPD and that she kind of had a thing for cops."

"Castle. Let me stop you right there. If you're just going to use your in with the NYPD to pick up girls, well there's the door. I don't have time for this," she said. Jealousy was an ugly color on her, but her hostility was more than just her irritation from him talking about the actress; her sour mood from the night before with her Mom and whatever it was that she was hiding about her Dad's accident still lingered. Hearing about Castle hitting on Ellie Monroe and confirming her worst fears? It was a bit too much for her to take at nine in the morning.

Castle walked a couple steps closer to her and finally handed her a travel mug of coffee, leaning into her as he did. She felt her face heat up when he stepped even closer into her personal space. "I turned her down, Detective," he whispered low into her ear. Before she could even register what happened, he was already standing next to the murder board, writing Bobby Mann's name on it. He was flustering her, he was touching things and the day had only just begun. It was going to be a long day.

The day started off being pretty slow in the beginning and Castle's constant nagging about Bobby Mann's death was driving her insane. After telling Castle that he owed her big time, Kate convinced Lanie to do an autopsy of Bobby Mann which of course confirmed his theory; Bobby Mann was murdered. Standing back at the murder board, Castle turned toward her with a grin.

"I told you I wasn't crazy."

"Castle. I don't think I ever used the words crazy."

"No, but you didn't believe me."

"Okay. I was wrong," she muttered under her breath.

"Wait, what was that, Detective Beckett?" Castle teased with his hand cupping over his ear. "I don't think I could quite make out those words."

"You were right. I should've believed your fake detective slash murder mystery writer credentials," Kate jeered in his direction. She refused to inflate his ego much more on his first day following her. Though his proud little grin was completely ador—nope—she needed to focus.

"Glad I could be of service, Beckett. And if you need any assistance with any other services—"

"Castle! Police precinct. Focus!" It was like he had read her mind. He gave her wink and she shook her head with a laugh. His first day at the precinct and they were already flirting like teenagers. "Let's go down to the TV studio and see if anything unusual had happened in Mr. Mann's life recently." Turning to Esposito and Ryan's desks, she called over to them. "Why don't you guys track down any next of kin? I'll call you with what we found down at the station." The boys nodded as Castle helped her into her jacket.

Castle and Beckett walked toward the elevator when his phone started to ring. He mouthed his silent apology in her direction, answering the call as the elevator doors shut. "Rick Castle. Oh wow. Hi Ellie. I was shocked about Bobby, too... I can't believe we were his final guests… Oh, you want to go to lunch?" He looked over at Beckett with a concerned expression. "I would love to Ellie, but I told you yesterday that probably wasn't a good idea… celebrate life?" He gulped.

This one-sided conversation that she was witnessing was a bit much. Kate needed to figure out what was going on in her head because one moment she was snapping at Castle for flirting with her and the next she was getting jealous over an actress asking him out.

The elevator opened into the parking garage and she stalked out toward her cruiser, leaving a flabbergasted Castle behind. He caught up to her just as she was about to pull out of the parking spot.

"I'm sorry."

"About what?" Kate pretended to be oblivious to the conversation she had overheard. He didn't need to know that it bothered her.

"The phone call. I'm not going out with her."

"Castle, it's really none of my business which actress you decide to go out with. The more the merrier," she snipped. The petty words just hung in the air.

"Beckett, I told you earlier. I turned her down. It's not like that—" he started, but she scoffed in response. "It's not. I think what she's really after is a part in the Derrick Storm movie."

"Clara Strike?" she guessed.

"Pretty sure that's what she has her eye on," Castle agreed, but Kate shrugged her shoulders.

"She could have her eyes on something else as well."

"Probably not, but would you be jealous if she did?" he asked.

"In your dreams, Castle!" She glared at him for a moment, before turning her attention back toward the road.

"In my dreams you're not jealous, you just join in," he smirked. She pinched his arm in response. "Ow!"

That liability paperwork would really come in handy today if he kept this up.

By the end of the day, the case was at a standstill and they had yet to figure out who killed Bobby Mann. Even though there were some small bumps throughout the day Kate had to admit that Castle shadowing her on this case had made the day a little more enjoyable. They made a great team and for the most part she was able to push her concerns about the issue with her mom out of her head. Castle was such a great distraction that he even got her to uncharacteristically agree to come over for dinner. It was all under the pretense of his appreciation for not killing him on his first day.

When Kate arrived at the loft, she was happy to find out that his daughter and mother would be joining them for dinner. The food was great and Castle made sure her wine glass was continuously filled. She helped him clean up in the kitchen at her insistence. It was the least she could do after the gourmet meal he'd prepared. With everything finally put away, she took another quick sip of her wine and sighed. Castle joined her leaning against the counter and nudged her arm.

"Thanks for being great with them." He smiled motioning to his Mom and daughter laughing on the couch.

"It's easy to do. You're a lucky man. They're wonderful." She grinned back at him and then noticed the two redheads walking their way.

"It was nice to meet you, dear," Martha said, pulling her into a hug. "But I'm afraid this is my cue to leave." She waved her hands dramatically toward the door and Kate gave her a soft laugh.

"I agree, Martha. This was nice. I'm glad Rick convinced me to come over tonight."

"I happy you came over as well, Detective Beckett. Dad's been talking about you non-stop lately," his daughter confessed.

"Alexis!" he hissed.

"What? You have! It's nice to finally get to meet her. I feel like I already know you. Maybe you can keep him in line finally." She laughed and poked at her Dad's arm.

"Well I can do my best while we're at work, but I think you'll have to be in charge of keeping an eye on him the rest of the time," Kate stated.

"You both are so funny. I am a grown adult, you know," he said.

"That's up for debate," Kate joked, and stuck her tongue out at him. Castle looked at her with a raised eyebrow and shook his head.

"First day you meet and you're already ganging up on me."

"So just at work? So you guys aren't—"

"Alexis! Kate and I are justfriends," he emphasized, shooting Kate a panicked look. He acted like the mere the mention of them being together would cause her to run out the door. Well maybe that would be her normal reaction, but as she drained the rest of her glass of wine she couldn't help but smile.

"He's right, Alexis. So guess you'll still have to be his babysitter the remainder of the time."

"Maybe so," she said. "Okay. It's been fun, but Dad, I'm headed off to Paige's house, so you'll have to be responsible for your actions tonight." The girl smiled and kissed her Dad on the cheek. She then walked over to Kate and gave her a quick hug. Kate laughed to herself. Apparently all the Castles invaded personal boundaries shortly after meeting people.

"Come over again soon, Detective Beckett. I think you're good for him."

"Thanks Alexis. Have a good night."

"Bye, Pumpkin. Have fun." The door clicked and Castle turned toward her with a smile. "And then there were two."

"I should really be going," she admitted.

"Why? The night is still young. How about another glass of wine?" he asked.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Castle?"

"Would it be so wrong if I was?" Her eyes widened and he laughed. "Kidding! I'm just having a good time tonight and I didn't want you to leave quite yet."

"I guess another glass wouldn't be so horrible." Sure. Drink more wine with the attractive mystery writer; not a horrible idea or anything.

"Perfect." He walked over and grabbed their two empty glasses. Picking up the half full bottle, he poured the remaining liquid between the pair of wine glasses.

"I'm still a little surprised that you didn't take Ms. Monroe up on her offer to 'celebrate life'," Kate mocked with air quotes.

"Nah. I talked to the movie producers and recommended her for the part. She'd be pretty perfect, so in the end I was doing them both a favor."

"Yeah, but a beautiful actress throwing herself at you—pretty sweet deal," she baited and he handed her one of the glasses.

"I've dated a couple of actresses in the past. Sex was amazing, but man were they crazy!" They made their way to his couch and sank into the cushions.

"I don't want to know about your sex life, Castle," she scoffed and took a sip of the sweet liquid.

"Just saying. Crazy sex—"

"Castle." The combination of wine, jealousy, and the constant mention of sex was almost more than Kate could handle. Her attraction was bubbling to the surface out of her control. These last couple weeks of knowing him had been a whirlwind, but she couldn't deny their connection. Perhaps it was the wine rationalizing things to her, but she was starting to lose her reasoning on why this connection was a bad thing.

"Got it. No sex talk. I turned her down, Kate. I wasn't going to sleep with her so she could convince me about a movie role. I have some self respect—but there wasn't anything wrong with some harmless flirting." She closed her eyes, but that didn't stop the heat she felt. All common sense was gone when she opened her eyes and found his.

"You're not supposed to be flirting with her Castle," she whispered. She couldn't believe she was acting this jealous. Shame clouded her vision; either shame or perhaps it was the wine they were drinking finally affecting her.

"Oh, I'm not? And why is that, Kate?"

"Because." Kate started to explain, but then decided on a more direct route. Words were never her strong point, but actions... Without realizing it, she ran her tongue across her bottom lip and a sigh escaped through the opening. She stuttered for another second while staring down at his mouth.

"Kate—"

Her mouth crashed into his, preventing either one of them from speaking further. The intensity of her reaction to this kiss was unlike anything she could remember. Their lips were fighting for dominance, as his hands pulled at her hair and she was clenching at his shirt. The heat of their battle ignited a spark across the plains of her skin. In an almost out of body experience, Kate pushed Castle against the back of the couch and straddled his lap. It was like her body was moving and her brain was ten steps behind in the process. As Castle began to kiss down her jaw line, she involuntarily started to grind down on top of him with a moan falling out of her lips.

"God—Kate. You're killing me," he growled into her ear.

There was nothing that she wanted more than to be here with him, but panic crept into her thoughts. She would just be one of his next conquests and then he'd leave her. Just another notch on his belt. "Rick," she gasped.

"I can hear you thinking," he whispered into her skin as he kissed along her clavicle. His hands hovered over the buttons on her shirt, but could he really sense her hesitancy? He moved his lips back to hers for a moment in a slower exploration of her mouth. No, this was too perfect. God she wanted him, but she couldn't. She broke the kiss and lowered her chin.

Stopping cold in his tracks, Castle caressed her chin to get her to look him in the eyes. "Kate?" Panic swept through her and she shook her head. Before she knew what was happening, Kate pushed away from him and moved out of his lap. Distance—distance would be good. She needed to clear her thoughts—she needed to catch her breath.

"We—we need to stop. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—we can't—" she stumbled across her words and across the floor. She was unclear if it was the buzz of the alcohol or the buzz that she could feel radiating through her body from him where his touch burned permanent reminders against her skin. "We're friends. We barely know each other—this just isn't a good idea."

"Kate—" He tried to reach out to stop her, but she was already rushing toward the door.

"I'm really sorry. I just need to think."

"We should talk about this," he called out, trying to catch her.

"Castle—I just need to go. I'm sorry." And before he could speak another word she slammed the door behind her.

Kate's mind was reeling as the cab drove her home from Castle's loft. What was she doing? She had practically thrown herself at him. Nothing about those actions screamed Kate Beckett. She knew better than to allow herself to be so careless. Maybe going home wasn't the answer; she needed to calm down. The case was still up in the air and while her wine buzz would probably not put her in the most efficient crime solving frame of mine, maybe she could work out some of her aggression in the precinct's gym. If she could get the fog out of her mind, maybe the adrenaline from the workout would help her figure out what in the world could have happened to Bobby Mann.

"Change of destination. Can you please drive me to the Twelfth Precinct instead?"

"No problem, lady," he replied in a manner that led her to believe that he would be taking a longer drive than necessary. The longer the drive, the more time for her to think about what an idiot she was. They were becoming friends and they were having fun. He wasn't the type of guy who would get involved with a cop and have a relationship with her. Hell—she didn't even want a relationship. There was something going on with her Mom and there was something strange about that box with her Dad's accident file. She needed to focus on that. Solve that mystery. She didn't have time for this school girl crush that she was developing on Castle.

She lost track of how long the ride was, but she didn't particularly care. Her mind was zoning in and out of the evening. Paying the cab driver the inflated fare, Kate dragged her body into the building and headed for the locker room. Thankful that she left an extra pair of workout clothes in her locker, she striped out of her jeans and sweater combo and threw on the leggings and t-shirt. As she placed her belongings inside the storage space, she heard her phone buzz. It was a text message from Castle. 'We need to talk'.

Sure, talking was probably a better idea than running away, but nothing within her system could stomach having an awkward talk right now. After tonight, he could move onto the next girl. Someone who wasn't so complicated and would give into being a random hookup. Taking the roll of sports tape from the shelf, she wrapped both hands and walked toward the punching bag. It was time to get some of her frustration out. As much as she tried to get Castle out of her thoughts, he had wormed his way into everything.

She just couldn't go there with him. Not now and probably not ever.

At the end of the day, she was angrier with herself than him. He was who he was; she was the one acting out of character. She hit the bag harder and harder. Pain radiated through her skin and into her bones, but it was a good pain. The type of pain that would hurt far less than the pain of a broken heart… Punching and kicking, Kate was getting so lost in her actions that she almost missed the man standing off to the side.

"Hey," he greeted and walked closer to the punching bag.

"Hi," she responded.

"Need some help?"

"No. But if you're offering…"

"Of course. You're Kate Beckett, right? Homicide?" the stranger asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"No, I just transferred here." He offered his hand for her to shake. "Detective Tom Demming, Robbery."

TBC