Disclaimer: Violets are yellow, Roses are brown, I suck at colors and I don't own Castle.

The first thing he noticed was her hair. It was much shorter than it was a year and a half ago when they first saw each other. The long chestnut brown waves that used to tumble past her shoulders now darker, with a slight reddish tint curled around her ears and brushed the top of her neck.

The second thing was her choice of clothing. She wasn't wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans and a long white blouse, she wore black suit pants pulled up to her stomach and held up by a slim black belt. She also had on a red colored button up, similar to the color of wine, covered by a black suit jacket that slid past her hips. No matter these differences to her appearance, he would never forget those striking hazel green eyes even if he wanted to.

Kate froze slightly when he said her name like that, breathlessly and not at all like that day in the diner. She couldn't think about this right now, all she had to do was take him back to the Precinct for questioning then send him back to his book parties and playboy ways. She built her protective police walls back up and lifted the golden shield up high enough to be in his line of sight.

"Detective Kate Beckett. NYPD. We need to ask you a few questions about a murder that took place earlier tonight." She watched as the smirk on his face faded away when he set eyes on the badge.

Castle stared at the shimmering object nestled between her fingers for a moment before turning back towards his daughter and kissing her cheek, leaning in to whisper something into her ear.

"Make sure you and Gram get back home okay, this shouldn't take long." He turns back around and eyes Kate for a minute before asking her what he should do now.

"I'll drive you down." She shot a quick apologetic glance at Alexis for taking her father away before turning back towards the front door and walking out to her car, the same one she had when they last met, Castle noticed.

He quickly ran around the side of the car and opened the driver's side door for her, just because he was being questioned by a homicide detective doesn't mean he can't be a gentleman. After that he pulled open the door to the back seat and slid in behind her

The ride over began silently, just as Kate wanted it to be, but of course this was Castle. He wouldn't keep his mouth shut for the whole way over and if he did, it would be classed as a miracle. He started off by inspecting the back seat of the vehicle, finding it cool how he was in the same place many other vicious criminals were. Once he was bored with that he quietly unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned forward to turn on the radio which Kate quickly switched off. Plunged into silence once again, Castle decided the only thing left to do was talk.

"So Kate," He started before being interrupted.

"Let me stop you right there, it's Detective Beckett, not Kate." She stated, not taking her eyes off the road as she came to a complete stop at a red light.

Castle rolled his eyes from the backseat and pouted slightly. Kate glanced at the rear view mirror to watch him, momentarily thinking he looked like a cute little boy when he pouted before widening her eyes at herself and shaking her head, She sighed and pressed her foot down on the gas pedal when the light in front of her turned a bright shade of green. She shot glances at Castle throughout the remainder of the trip, he kept silent the rest of the way.

Once at the precinct parking lot, Kate pulled into the spot reserved for her car and pushed open the door after grabbing the key from the ignition. Castle got out behind her and followed her to the elevator in silence. When she leaned forward to press the appropriate numbered button he finally spoke for the first time since the car.

"So...Detective Beckett," He said with a slight edge to his voice. "how's life?" Castle leaned against the back of the elevator and studied her. Her posture was different, many things had changed about her since that day and he found himself wondering what caused all these significant differences.

"Fine." She replied curtly.

Castle sighed audibly before the elevator doors pulled apart and they both stepped out, Beckett first and then Castle at her heels like they developed some sort of routine in the short time they've known each other.

"Interrogation is just up there," she steps closer to him and points down the hall a ways, accidentally letting the scent of her cherry shampoo waft up and fog his brain. "I'll be there in a second." She finished before leaving. He stared after her, not knowing her last instruction on account of her distracting and glorious smell. The ghost of a smile crossed his lips as he finally came back down to earth and went down the hall to the room she pointed him towards.

Kate took a deep breath before peeling away her black suit jacket and hanging it on the back of the chair at her desk, grabbing two files, one containing his police records and one carrying all the information on the latest case after she was finished. She held the folders against her thigh as she shot another glance at the room he now occupied. Telling herself it was just another job and she should just suck it up. She took another breath straightened her back, trying to appear confident and superior as she strode down the narrow hallway.

"Mr. Castle." He looked up when she came into the room and spoke his name, watching her with interest as she shut the door behind her and moved around the front of the metal table.

"Drop the Mr. I feel like I'm being interrogated by a homicide detective." He replied with a smug grin, crossing his arms over his chest and pressing them against the table.

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Beckett stopped skimming her eyes over his file to glare at him. She was really not in the mood for this right now.

"Just trying to lighten the mood a bit.." He murmurs, suddenly looking sheepish and turning his head to the side, pressing his chin to his shoulder.

She looked at him curiously, she never meant to make him feel bad, she didn't even know she could make the great playboy Richard Castle embarrassed.

"Uh...Nevermind. Let's just carry on." She slides his folder away, abandoning the thought of asking him about the whole nude on a police horse thing and instead skipping straight to the case instead.

He laid his forearms back on the table and watched the detective pull a few shiny photos from a folder next to her person.

"Allison Tisdale. Daughter of real estate mogul, Jonathan Tisdale." She slides the first picture across the table as Castle pulls his arms apart, laying them on either side of the photo.

"She's cute." He says, once again trying to add a bit of humor to the situation as he stared down at the glossy item.

"She's dead." Beckett counters quickly without a hint of emotion before continuing on.

"You ever meet her? Book signing...Charity event?" She asks, shaking her head softly and grinning sarcastically as she lists off a couple of places where this cocky pretty boy could of met a woman like her.

"It's possible." He murmurs, eyes still fixed on the woman's face

"What about this guy?" She asks as she reached into the file and pulled another photo of a man wearing a tuxedo with a boutonniere pinned to the lapel, seemingly attending a wedding or something of that caliber. "Marvin Fisk, small claims lawyer." She cocks her head to the side and watches his eyes rake over the picture.

"Most of my claims tend to be on the um...large side." He looks up and replies, pausing before saying the final bit with a cocky grin and suggestive tone.

She rolls her eyes at him before deciding to just finish this up as quickly as she could.

"So what's this got to do with me?"

"Fisk was found murdered in his office two weeks ago. I didn't put it together until we saw the Tisdale crime scene tonight." She hands over another glossy photo of the woman from before but this time naked, covered modestly in rose petals, separated slightly to show the two bullet holes to her chest. Her expression blank with a sunflower on each of her eyes.

Castle reels back slightly and takes a closer look at the photo she just passed over before uttering the title of one of his earlier novels. "Flowers for Your Grave."

Beckett nods at him slightly, waiting for him to recover slightly before placing the second picture on top of the previous one.

"And this is how we found Marvin Fisk." She slides over the photo of Fisk, lying with his limbs spread out in the middle of a star drawn into a circle, at each point a lit candle. "Right out of Hell Hath No Fury." She finishes, watching as he stared down at the photos, taking all the information in.

"Look's like I have a fan."

"Yeah, a really deranged fan."

"Oh you don't look deranged to me." He continues to look down at the photos while she stares at him slightly flustered and questioning.

"What?"

He looks up and smiles at her. "Oh c'mon. Hell Hath No Fury? That was one of the bad ones if I remember correctly, only hardcore Castle groupies have read that one." He explains, flicking his gaze between her and the photos in front of him to appear less interested in what her excuse was.

She's taken aback for a moment before swallowing and carrying on with the questioning.. "Do any of these g-groupies write you letters?" She finally manages, but not without stuttering over a few of her words.

"Of course." He scrunched his eyebrows together and shrugs his shoulders.

"Disturbing letters?" She questions.

"Oh, all my fanmail is disturbing, it's an occupational hazard."

"Because, sometimes in cases like this we find that the killer-"

"Attempts to contact the subject of his obsession" He interrupts, nodding along as if he's been investigating murders as long as she's had.

Her eyes widen as she gives him a stare full of questions.

"I'm also, pretty well versed in psychopathic methodologies, another occupational hazard- and do you know you have gorgeous eyes?" He trails off, leaning forward slightly to stare into her now deep brown, lightly speckled in gold eyes.

"You know what?" She smiles sweetly before starting to gather up the pictures strewn over the table, tapping them lightly against the surface before tucking them into the folder. "I'm pretty sure I have all I need her. Actually, just one more thing. I'm guessing you wouldn't mind my team looking through your mail?"

"Go ahead." He leaned back in his chair and stared up at her as she pushed herself out of the chair.

"You're dismissed." Beckett waves her hand towards the door slightly as she pressed both of the folders against her chest, opening the door for him.

"Alright." He got out of his chair and made his way to the door, he was halfway out before stepping back and into Beckett's personal space.

"But don't think this is going to be our last encounter, Detective." He grinned before moving closer and pressing a light kiss to the milky skin of her cheek.

A/N: The next chapter is going to end up being M rated so I was wondering if you guys would rather me just include it in this story or add it sold separately. Otherwise...Chickens.