A/N- Thank you to everyone who is reading this little story of mine. Hope those that celebrate Thanksgiving had a lovely holiday. (J&J - thanks to my personal cheerleaders)

Jo- thanks for all your help and patience with my ramblings :)

Disclaimer- Castle is not mine, but all the mistakes are.

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 15

"Do you have to?" Castle asked with a whine, tugging on her hand before she could get into the driver's seat and back into his arms.

"You knew I had to be at work on Tuesday," Kate said, with a smile as she brushed a kiss against his cheek.

"Yes, but Tuesday came so quickly." He tightened his hold around her waist. After spending all weekend in his arms she didn't want to leave either. Duty called though.

"It followed Monday as usual," she joked.

"And Montgomery won't let you have any more time off?"

"Castle, I need to go back to work. Back to the case—"

"The case you promised you wouldn't look into alone?" he asked looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, that case. And I'm still not going to investigate it alone. I just…" She didn't know what she wanted to even say. She had promised him, but if he was going to insist on helping her she needed a game plan, so looking through the files to prepare wouldn't be so wrong…

"I'll be back in the city by the end of the week. We can look into it then."

"I'm glad you aren't staying here all summer."

"I am too. Paula said the heat from those pictures has died down already. Plus, this little visit of yours has provided me with enough inspiration for several chapters of the book. Hell, I could probably even have it finished before I get home," he replied with a smirk.

"I must be pretty inspirational," she teased, reaching up for a quick kiss.

"That's why you're my mu—" She covered his mouth with her hand, preventing the word from escaping his lips.

"If you ever want to see me naked again, you won't call me your muse. 'Kay?"

"Okay," he replied with a wink. He hugged her a little tighter and brushed a kiss onto her cheek. Why did she have to leave again? She took a deep breath as she lost herself in his scent and his embrace.

"If I don't leave soon, I may never—"

"Why was that bad again?"

"My job. The case," Kate reminded him.

"Job, yes. Case, no."

"Castle, this is the most important case I've ever investigated." She wanted him to understand where she was coming from, but the concern in his eyes made it very apparent that it was a losing battle.

"And probably the most dangerous, from what you've explained," he replied as Kate ran her hands across his shoulders, down his arms.

"Exactly. Which is why I'm not completely on board with you helping me; I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt because of this. You're not a cop, Castle."

"No, but I'm someone to back you up. I've followed you around for a couple cases and I followed Shaw around for a few. I know that doesn't make me a trained professional—but Kate, I don't want something to happen to you either."

"And I could never ask Ryan or Esposito to risk their career by helping…" she said, lost in thought.

"So that leaves me. Do you trust me?"

Wait, what?

"Castle, of course. It's not—that's not why. You're someone I trust, but I've kinda grown attached to you."

"Is that so?" he beamed.

"Yeah and I want to keep you around. So I don't want any of your crazy ideas getting you killed." She cupped his face with one of her hands and pulled him into a lazy kiss. Breaking the kiss, he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Beckett, I know how much this means to you. I would never risk anything to do with this case."

"I know," she admitted.

"You're just coming up with excuses?"

"Maybe…" God he could read her like a book. Novelists, she thought to herself with a smile.

"We agreed that we would figure this out together and I meant it."

"I'm not going to be able to convince you to sit this one out, am I?" Kate asked in defeat.

"Nope."

"Fine. I'll lay low. Maybe I'll try to talk to my mom again instead," she sighed.

"You know you don't want this coming between you two," he replied, tucking her curls behind her ear.

"I hate when I fight with her. We haven't been this estranged since I was in my wild child phase, but then my dad—what happened with him..."

"It brought you closer," he paused. "So don't let this come between you. At the end of the day, she did this to protect you. I'd do the same thing for Alexis. I'd do anything to protect her."

"I know she didn't do it to be spiteful."

"And maybe some of her ideas haven't been the best, like calling the press, but she did it out of love."

"You're starting to make me feel bad about getting angry with her."

"Not my intention and I can understand why you're upset with her. It's just—I understand where she's coming from."

"You are so wise," she said with a smirk and a roll of the eyes. "I'll talk to her if I don't catch a case when I get back. I'll see you Saturday?" She reached up to press a kiss onto his lips as she wiggled out of his arms to get into the car.

"Saturday. Movie night? Maybe have a little sequel to our first date?"

"Sounds perfect," she beamed. God, he was making her into one of those sappy girls that she had always hated. This relationship was all encompassing. Hell, practically life altering at this point. Kate Beckett was in love. After this time at the Hamptons she couldn't deny it, but she still couldn't voice it. By all conventional standards, it was way too soon. However, looking up at him, she was grinning and couldn't lie to herself. She loved him.

She shut the door before Castle could try to pull her out again, but rolled down her window.

"You can pick the movie."

"I feel honored," she teased. "Okay, I'll talk to you later Castle. It was an amazing time."

"It really was. Thanks for coming." She started to roll up the window but he started talking again. "Beckett—Kate, wait. I need to tell you. It may sound insane, but I need to get it out. I lo—" He stuttered and then paused, looking so unsure of himself.

"Rick?" She reached over and grabbed onto his wrist for reassurance. The conversation was taking a turn back to serious and if she were to guess, she knew what he wanted to say. What he needed to say, but he shook his head instead with a smile.

"I had a great time with you." He brought his other hand up to hers and gave it a squeeze, releasing it from his wrist.

"Bye," Kate said with a small turn her lips. Hell she wanted to say it too, but she was just as tongue-tied as he was. There would be another time to tell him.

A better time.

Walking into the Twelfth on Tuesday morning, Kate felt like a completely different person from a week ago. The time in the Hamptons helped ease some of the negativity and allowed her to recharge her battery. Stepping into the bullpen, she felt lighter. Happier.

"Yo, Beckett. Have a nice little vacation?" her partner asked, meeting her at her desk.

"Hey Espo. And it wasn't exactly a vacation, Montgomery made me take the time off, remember?"

"Yes, but I heard from a reliable source that you didn't spend the entire time at home…" he said, with a teasing look.

"Lanie," she sneered.

"I would never reveal my sources…" he started to say but then caught the glare she shot him. "…Yeah, it was Lanie."

"Considering the fact that she was the only person that knew—she called while I was there, it was a safe bet," she laughed, sorting through the paperwork on her desk.

"So how are you and lover boy?" Kate dropped the papers into a folder and shot him a look.

"Lover boy? God, Espo, stop reading the cheesy romance novels. You're friends with Castle, so don't be creepy about it."

"I wouldn't be doing my job as your partner if I didn't give you a little crap about it. But honestly, Beckett—if he makes you happy then, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks?" The questioning tone in her voice hung in the air, as she raised her eyebrow to look at him. Was she missing the punch line? No more snide comments about the photos or her weekend away? Just that he was happy. Perhaps this was a parallel universe? Or perhaps if she was coming up with that as a theory, she had spent too much time with Castle. "Where's Ryan?"

"He took the day off to spend time with Jenny's relatives from out of town."

"Wow, meeting extended family. Must be getting pretty serious."

"Yeah. I don't know what has gotten in to you or him. Single life has its perks," he stated, popping his collar and brushing his shoulder off.

"Okay—if you say so," she said with a loud laugh.

"Now there's a laugh I've missed." She would recognize that voice anywhere, but it couldn't be... Whirling around, she was shocked to see her old training officer was indeed standing there.

"Royce?"

"Hey I'm with him, Kid." He indicated Esposito with a jab of his thumb. "I've never been one to get tied down."

"What are you doing here?" she stuttered.

She hadn't thought about him in years and hadn't laid eyes on him longer than that. True, he was her training officer, but at the time he'd meant so much more. At one point she'd idolized him, even had thought she was falling in love with him when they worked together. She had been young and naïve though. Looking back at how things were then, it wasn't love.

She'd just followed him around like a puppy; completely unrequited.

The feelings she had with Castle weren't comparable.

"Your partner here, and Ryan, picked up someone I had a bounty on, but with the holiday, things couldn't get processed until today. Seems to have worked out nicely if the second trip meant that I got to see you," Royce explained with a smile.

"Yes, it's been a really long time. Too long. Are you in town for awhile?" Long since extinguished romantic feelings aside, she had so much she wanted to ask him. Hell she had so much she wanted to tell him.

"Just in the city for a bit of business and then I'm gone, I'm afraid."

"That's a shame. Next time you're around we should have dinner to catch up." Kate tried to hide her disappointment in the rejection, but it had been years and this sudden meeting was a reminder that he'd not only left the force, but he'd ended their friendship too. "Yeah, or we could all go out for drinks. I know I personally always love hearing old stories about Beckett," Esposito suggested.

"You would," she said, rolling her eyes and flicking the back of his head.

"Hey, I'm taking some of those stories to my grave because anything I have on her, I'm sure she has something far worse on me!"

"Oh and I have some good stories," Kate teased with a wink.

"Maybe next time."

"I'm sure Castle would love to hear all about young rookie Beckett," Espo said, sitting on the ledge of her desk.

"Which is exactly why Royce won't be sharing any details," she warned, pushing him off.

"Who's Castle?" His confusion made her love her partners a little more. They hadn't gossiped about her when she wasn't around on the weekend; either that or Royce lived in a bubble.

"The writer that's following her around and who happens to be her b—" Well apparently it was okay to gossip about her in front of her face.

"Um, hello? I'm standing right here. I can talk about my own life," Kate said.

"Uh huh. Sure you can," Esposito countered.

"Castle is a novelist who is writing a story about an NYPD detective who is vaguely based on me." Vaguely was definitely her word and not Castle's. After both seeing and hearing about his writing process this weekend it was safe to say that he pictured Kate when he was writing Nikki Heat.

"Very interesting. Where is this writer now?" Royce asked his tone a little off. It didn't sound like jealousy, but the curiosity in his question was odd.

"Finishing up some work in the Hamptons," she explained with a proud smile.

"Weren't you just in the Hamptons?" he asked with a chuckle shooting Esposito a knowing look. "Kid, you always played it close to the vest. I saw the way your eyes lit up when you mentioned him. He seems good for you. You seem happy."

"I am happy," she agreed.

"Well good. On that note though, I need to go claim my perp from booking so I can get my money!" He chuckled and then gave her a quick hug. "See you around kid."

"Good seeing you, Royce."

Her former training officer walked away and she felt a pang of remorse in her stomach. If only he was around longer, she would have loved for him to meet Castle. Royce could've seen that she finally had it together, that she was happy now and not the lost kid she once was.

"Any good cases while I was gone?" she forced herself to ask; her mind was a million miles away, so her voice cracked mid sentence. She shook her head, snapping from the trance she was in.

Esposito nodded. "You did miss one that was slightly Beckett-flavored. Guy was on a fake spy-adventure and was shot by his girlfriend's husband."

"Ouch." She winced.

"Yeah it was kinda twisted."

"Castle would've loved that," she guessed.

"Mmhmm. So is Writer Boy gone for the whole summer?"

"He was going to be, but things seem to have died down a bit with the media. And his publicist pulled a couple extra strings to divert any remaining attention," she said fidgeting with the pen on her desk.

"Who would've thought that a writer would get this much attention…" He had a point. Castle was a writer, not a rock star. Facts were facts though. The papers and the public both loved Richard Castle.

"His people love to spin it into book sales."

"It's a different world you're getting involved in," Esposito said.

"Definitely different than being a cop. But he's different. You know him. You know he's not like his public image." Even though Castle hadn't spent that much time at the precinct, the boys had hit it off with him and were now pretty good friends.

"True, I know him. But not like you know him. I'm sure you got to know him a lot this weekend," he said with a smirk.

"And this conversation's over…" She laughed at him as she walked into the break room for coffee.

Sighing to herself, she poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot; Castle's coffee had spoiled her against this sludge. She took a sip, shuddering. He was right, this stuff really was awful.

Friday had snuck up on her.

Flinging her front door open, she almost fell through the threshold, barely making it to the couch before collapsing. Exhausted wouldn't even begin to describe how she was feeling. She needed a long shower and a long sleep; maybe until Monday. The case they had caught was a complete whirlwind and she couldn't rest until she caught the man responsible. In the end they found the killer, trying to hop a plane to flee the country. After the marathon investigation, Montgomery told her and her team to go home and take the weekend off to catch up on much needed rest.

With the demand of the case keeping her occupied, Kate had played phone tag with her mom all week. She had wanted to tell her mom all about Castle and their plan to investigate the accident. She knew her mom wouldn't be completely supportive of the idea, but she wasn't going to let her father's death come between her and the only parent she had left.

Resting her head against a throw pillow on the couch, she bit her lip to try and hold back a smile. She just remembered. Castle would be back tomorrow. So much for spending the weekend in bed - she wouldn't be sleeping, in any case. Laughing to herself, she rolled her eyes at herself; Kate Beckett was a love sick fool. Maybe she'd fail at this relationship but maybe, just maybe it would be extraordinary.

She wanted to do something special tomorrow. She had the day off now and she wanted to plan a date with him. More than just the movie night that they originally had decided on, tomorrow she would tell him she had fallen in love with him.

Kate reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone. Scrolling through her contacts, she hovered over his name before selecting his name. She wasn't sure why she had butterflies in her stomach, but she suddenly felt very giddy at the idea of asking Castle out on a date.

After several rings, she ended up with his voicemail.

"Hey Castle, I know you're back tomorrow. So how does dinner sound? Wear something nice? See you soon," she said with a tone more energetic than she even thought possible at this point.

Laying her cell onto her chest, she groaned. Her whole body felt sore and all she wanted to do was crawl into bed. She felt gross though, definitely needed a shower beforehand. Kate dragged her body toward her bedroom, pulled her phone into the charger, and hopped in the shower.

The only thing standing between her and sleep.

The ringing from her cell phone snapped her out of her thoughts in the shower.

Peeking around the curtain, she turned the water off, dried her body, and pulled her robe on. The steam from the shower had transformed her bathroom into a little sauna. It was near heavenly. Of course, by the time she walked into her bedroom in search of the phone it had stopped.

"Castle," she said, looking down at the missed call on her screen. With a smile on her face, she was about to return the call when she heard a crash coming from the other room.

What the hell?

"Hello?" She rolled her eyes at her own insanity. Did she expect an answer? As quietly as possible, she searched around for her gun. Her hand had barely skimmed the steel when she was knocked to the ground, hard. Her head slammed onto the floor and she could feel the warmth of blood running down the side of her face.

It took her a moment to register the hit and when her eyes fluttered open she watched as a figure, dressed in all black and ski mask, kicked her in the side. Wincing in pain she rolled her body over, trying to trip her attacker but her body wasn't responding the way she needed it to. Even as she felt the adrenaline pumping through her veins, the weight of the week was taking its toll on her strength. Whoever this person was, he had almost 100 lbs on her and it was obvious he had hand to hand combat training.

She managed to connect a single punch against the man's jaw, stunning him long enough for her to scramble toward the door, almost making it into the living room before he knocked her back down by grabbing her ankle and dragging her across the floor. Kate used all the energy she had left to try to kick the man, but he blocked her, using her own momentum to flip her body over. Every nerve ending was on fire and the pain was causing her to lose consciousness.

"Why are you doing this?" she choked out, her thoughts blurred and her eyelids heavy. She tried to fight, using every skill she had learned through all her years of training, but nothing was enough. He was going to kill her, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. She didn't want to beg, but it slipped from her mouth. "Please," she cried before everything went black.

She could hear footsteps through the fog of her brain.

"No, no, no, Kate." Castle? He was here? Oh please God. He needed to leave. He couldn't get hurt because of her. She felt his gentle touch against her abused skin. He was here. "Kate, please. Stay with me, Kate." She wanted to open her eyes. She wanted to tell him that he needed to run. She wanted to tell him so much, but her body wouldn't allow it. She couldn't even open her eyes.

"Kate, I love you. I love you, Kate."

She loved him, too. She had waited to tell him.

It was too late.

TBC

Thank you for reading! I would love to know what you think. Next chapter will be in Castle's POV