"Detective Beckett." Gates glared up from some documents when she found the detective standing in her office. The walk through the precinct had been something like a walk of shame for Kate. It seemed the other detectives had been instructed not to walk towards her or talk to her, but they eyed her with a mix of disbelief and curiosity. She'd spotted Demming leaning towards a wall and had quickly rushed into her boss' office after that.

"You've got a lot to explain. And I have got even more to explain to the DA. We falsely identified someone and that will harm the precinct's reputation if we don't handle this very carefully." Although the look in her eyes was stern and magnified by the square of her glasses, she didn't look as angry as Kate would have expected. Though there was definitely a disapprovement in her eyes and voice. Then, in a move that took Kate by surprise, a warm smile crossed over Gates' face. "But like I said, detective, I am glad you're okay."
"Sir, thank you. Also for… getting me out of there." Kate cocked her head and bit her lip hesitantly. She wanted to know a question that had been conjured up in her mind, but she didn't want to risk Gates changing her attitude about her whole 'stunt'. Gates took a file in her hand that Kate assumed to be hers and glanced at It before answering.
"My detectives are under my protection and when I feel like they're in trouble, I prefer to keep an eye on them. I've already lost enough detectives." It came out almost matter-of-factly and with just a small glance to Kate, but it brought Kate back to the few funerals she had attended over the years as a detective. It didn't happen often, but she was right, it always happened too often. Her mind especially shot back to Montgomery's funeral. The day that she died for the first time. The former part of what Gates' said in took a while to sink in and Kate furrowed her brow as she tried to figure out what she meant.
"Sir? Keep an eye on me?"

Gates looked up and saw Kate's eyes. She could almost see the detective trying to figure out why she was alive, she hadn't stood a chance from the beginning, had she? Gates nodded and turned the file around so Kate could look at it. "After they identified you I soon noticed that some things didn't add up. It reminded me of something I had seen before in the murder of a very dangerous serial killer. I had already pulled Ryan and Esposito from your case because I don't want vendetta's in my precinct. The faults in the report and investigation originated from the medical examiner's office, so I went to dr. Parish and confronted her with her fault. She eventually told me what you were doing and begged me not to expose you, because it would mean your death."
Kate stared at Gates, dumbstruck. She couldn't conjure up words at the idea that Gates had known about her faking her death. Gates, of all people, had kept her secret along with Lanie. Gates caught Kate's eye and shook her head. "Kate, if faking your death was that easy, people would do it all the time." There was a slight hint of a denigrating tone in her voice, but Kate couldn't bother to pay attention to it.
"Anyway, with a little help from Lanie I got some detectives to keep an eye on you. Earlier the detectives came to my office and showed me a recording of the phone call that was made to you. You know the rest."

It took a while for Kate to regain her ability to speak. "Thank you, sir, and I'm sorry." She eventually managed to get out and Gates seemed to be inspecting her, before nodding and a small smile appeared on her face again. "I'm sure you had a good reason to run, Kate. Now go, I don't want to see you back here for a while. Go to your friends and talk to them. That is an order." She looked sternly from under her glasses and Kate let a relieved puff of air out in something of a laugh and nodded before walking out of the door.

She stood in front of his door, hesitant. She had been here before, but in times long past, before things had happened and words had been spoken. She had gone to his house immediately after Gates send her away. She knew she hadn't fixed things with Ryan and Esposito either, that she still had to have a lot of heart-to-hearts with Lanie, but her mind was too preoccupied with the look in Castle's eyes to think about that. She had to see him, she had to make him talk to her, because she couldn't bear his silence. She knocked again when no reply came and breathed nervously. She knew he wouldn't, but she needed him to forgive her.

Alexis Castle opened the door. Her face immediately hardened when seeing the detective who had wrecked her father's heart and spirit. She didn't invite the detective in, slamming one of her hands against the doorpost as if to keep her out. Kate should have expected something like this, but seeing his daughter's eyes that reminded her so much of his own staring at her with undisguised anger, still hurt her.
"Alexis…" she began. Starting out on an apology, but unable to bring it out. She kept her gaze focused on the young woman's eyes, hoping to convey everything she still had to say, to explain. "I need to see your father. I need to… talk to him." She bit her lip but kept her eyes focused on Alexis's. "Please. I need to explain this." She whispered, unconsciously playing with the ring around her neck. Alexis finally breathed and turned around before walking in too the loft.
"He might not want to talk to you." She added in a voice that implied that she would completely understand that.
"How's he doing?" Kate whispered, but her apology went lost into the air.
Alexis scoffed. "He was doing better when you were death." Kate knew she didn't mean the words the way she did, that she was just upset about her breaking his heart. Again. But it still hurt, the very idea that by coming back she had destroyed him again.
She couldn't help but glance around the loft and what she saw struck her with an unexpected feeling of guilt. The lights were turned on in an effort to make the loft look bright and lively and there was a pleasant coffee smell in the air. But there were still things hinting at how Castle had spent his days lately. There was a bottle of liquor, nearly empty, on the coffee table. Her face filled a big screen that seemed to serve as a murder board and his laptop was lying on the table, still opened. She supposed Castle had been far from in the mood to clean up and Martha and Alexis had probably been too busy with others things to bother with it. Her gaze crossed his bookshelf and she halted at the Nikki Heat series. She title of the last book sprang into her eye. Soaring Heat. She hadn't read it yet, but she hoped he didn't kill Nikki off. She had to restrain herself from walking to his shelf and grabbing it, just for a minute to read the last page. She couldn't do that, not anymore. This was not her place to be anymore, she'd lost the right to anything here just as she'd lost the right to his heart. If she wanted it, she would have to claim it back.

She didn't know what she had expected, but Castle looked normal. Uncannily normal. His hair, his clothing, even his smell were as they'd always been. The only difference was the slight tension in his posture that betrayed the small smile on his face and the stone wall in his eyes. As soon as he saw her the smile disappeared from his face and for a second she caught a glimpse of sadness, anger and perhaps something of the reassuring blue she had come to love. Then without warning, he put a strained smile back on and cocked his head to her. "You cleaned up nicely detective." He smiled at his own joke, but his voice was as strained as his smile or his eyes. Defense mechanism, she realized, hiding whatever he felt behind his jokes, smiles and charm. He didn't mention what had happened, didn't mention her faking her death, didn't mention him seeing her die again. She wanted to talk about it, but seeing him desperately trying to hold himself together, to brush her off with jokes and smiles, made her want to walk out of his door and never return. She breathed and balled her fists against the urge.
"Castle, don't do this." She repeated her words from earlier, but the look in his eyes didn't change. "We need to talk." She nervously tapped her fingers against her father's watch, willing for him to answer her. Castle flinched at her words.
"I'm tired Beckett. I want to go to bed." There was no joke this time. Just a strain in his voice as he turned around and walked away from her. "Good night Beckett." He added before walking up his stairs. She had started walking after him, but his words stopped her dead in her tracks. She knew she had screwed up her chance at Always, but something in her had still expected tomorrow. She bit back her tears and turned around to walk out his door. Tears clogged her throat and were bursting to come out, but she wouldn't allow them. This was her fault.

Now it was her turn to wait.

I've always had a soft spot for Gates, haha. (That's a lie I hated her in the beginning)
Not too sure about this chapter. R&R?