DISCLAIMER:
However much I would like to I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights and ownership of the characters belong to ABC.

11:12 pm - Bullpen

Kate took the last photo off of the murder board. She looked around for Castle; he usually hung around her at the end of a case so that he could ask her out, but he was nowhere to be seen. It surprised her how much she missed him, she stared at his chair longingly, she had been doing that a lot recently. God, she was a grown woman, she shouldn't be feeling so smitten by him. It was late, he had probably gone home, but she couldn't but help feel entirely disappointed. She picked up her coat to leave and headed down the empty corridor. As she approached the elevator door she heard his voice, she turned the corner and saw him. She couldn't help her face from lighting up as she saw him. He was talking to an attractive, dark-haired woman, about Kate's age. Her face instantly fell, but as she got closer she recognised the mysterious woman and nearly fell over in shock.

"Adrianna?" Kate called in disbelief, her mouth agape.

"Hey Kate!" She gave her a sultry smile, hugging her and greeting her with an air kiss. Adrianna was stunningly beautiful in a deep red dress that cut a sultry line across her bare legs. She has dark eyes, curves, tanned skin, a prominent jaw line and an unwavering air of self-confidence.

"Ignore anything she has told you about me," Kate quickly told Castle as she was released by her friend. He chuckled at how serious she was.

"Are there any more hot ex-roommates you're keeping from me Beckett?" But he looked at her as if to say 'Hot, but not you'. She caught his glance, her eyes locking to his gaze, understanding. Adrianna's laugh broke the spell

"Oh, I'm sure she's been keeping me a secret..." she winked at Beckett who looked away embarrassed as Adrianna placed a hand on Castle's shoulder and leaned towards him, whispering in his ear softly "...I know all her weaknesses." Castle's breath quickened, she pulled back.

"Oh really?" He asked. Beckett could tell he was loving this. He opened his mouth to say something but Beckett quickly interrupted.

"I thought you moved to Italy," she half-scowled at her friend.

"I did, but I decided to move back, the women there were nice."

Kate looked at Castle and couldn't help but smile as she saw him realise that he was not Adrianna's type.

"So what went wrong?" She continued through her smile.

"The majority just wanted to dominate me," Adrianna stated matter-of-factly. Beckett laughed.

"Ha! Now you know how I felt!"

Castle's eyes nearly popped out off their sockets. He was actually lost for words. She could tell he was imagining them together. Having Adrianna around might not be so bad after all...

"Layers Castle, Layers," she jested as she teased her tongue in her teeth.

"So many..." he breathed trying to tear his eyes away from her mouth. He gave himself a mental slap, 'Keep talking Castle, stop staring like a gormless idiot,'he collected himself, "I was just about to ask Beckett here if she would like a drink at the Old Haunt. Would you care to join us?"

"The Old Haunt?"

"You know it?'

"I love that place, I've never had the time to visit though.'

"Rick owns it," Kate casually added with a smile. She was using his first name, and showing him off to her, the realisation made his breath catch in his chest.

"Hmm, impressive, I can see why she likes you," Adrianna added as she slowly turned around, he looked at her as if questioning Adrianna's statement. Kate was having far too much fun, she just smiled innocently and followed Adrianna to the lift.

11:38 pm - Old Haunt

"Round three ladies," Castle was carefully carrying their drinks back from the bar, the place was bustling. They were sat at a small table, he sat himself on the side nearest the bar which put him adjacent to Kate and opposite Adrianna with one seat to spare.

Kate was animatedly retelling a story as he returned. "There was that one time, do you remember, when we managed to get into the backstage of that concert by convincing the bodyguards that we were the lead singers' lap dancers!"

Rick was enjoying having Adrianna around, he didn't feel threatened by her relationship with Kate, anything substantial they had had was obviously long in the past, but they had a good friendship and she was making Kate happy and he was certainly enjoying learning more from Kate's past.

Adrianna laughed, "Yeah, we had to make out for quite some time before they believed us. I bet you still use that move."

"Actually," Kate replied looking at Castle, her eyes glowing, "I did use it this one time on the job." She remembered posing as a couple with Castle to distract the guard to the building where Lockwood was holding Ryan and Esposito.

"Really, who with?"

Rick cut in, "I believe I drew the long straw there," he joked, "but then everyone else was kinda tied up..."

Kate rolled her eyes at the bad joke, laughing all the same. She picked up her cocktail, giving Rick a 'thank you' look usually reserved for her morning coffee. She started playing with the cherry around her lips, fully aware that Castle was fully fixated on the motion.

"She's a good kisser isn't she?" Adrianna asked as Beckett hit her shoulder in protest, finally eating the cherry.

"Err..." he looked at her desperately, not sure whether he was supposed to answer that or not. Adrianna continued unashamedly, looking at Kate

"Oh come on, you are though. You were great in bed too."

"Adrie!" Kate protested.

Castle choked on his drink slightly, his free hand flying to cover his mouth. Adrianna laughed.

"She only calls me that when she's angry," she paused as if wondering how far to test her, "or when she was talking dirty."

Rick had put his drink down, now desperately trying to concentrate on swallowing. Kate was laughing, blushing adorably, she realised she would be tormented more if she continued protesting.

"You haven't changed a bit you know, still speaking your mind," she added mock annoyance to the last part.

"It's the best way to live," Adrianna grinned.

'I'll bet,' Rick thought to himself trying not to stare at them. He was amazed at how open and tolerant Kate was being, but he could see that it was because Adrianna had earned her trust. But he could tell that Adrianna was also obviously not a relationship person, she was an experimental person. This interested Castle, as he would never have pegged Kate for sexually experimental. He thought about how she must have been such a relaxed person before her mother's murder. He glimpsed that person now. He smiled at her, she caught him looking and smiled back, holding his gaze slightly longer than she should, their eyes locking and seeing deep into each other. Both knew they should look away but neither wanted to. They both felt a wave of anxiety and electricity as the seconds passed, neither conscious of anything but each other. Adrianna watched as the air between them practically sizzled. Someone at another table dropped a glass, shattering their moment. Kate drew a much needed breath and excused herself to the ladies' room. As soon as she was out of sight Adrianna stole her seat.

"Listen, Rick, I know Kate very well and I know body language very well, but I don't need to know either to see what is clearly going on here. That 'moment', just now, beyond sexy. You both clearly have feelings for each other, but neither of you is making the first move-"

"But-" Rick attempted to interrupt, failing.

"Take it from someone who has been there Rick, she will not make that first move. I know she's going through a lot right now, but you are exactly what she needs. She just doesn't know it," she smiled at him pausing, "she's become afraid of the unknown. I used to be an unknown to her and we were amazing. Be her unknown now Rick, she needs it." Castle was rather astounded at the sudden seriousness that Adrianna was eliciting.

"But how?" He managed.

"I like you Rick, so I'm going to give you some...cheat codes, if you will."

"Cheat codes?" He squinted at her not quite understanding.

"Yes, think of them as codes for unlocking Kate. We spent a lot of time together, I know she's not the type to change her...intimate preferences, and if anyone needs them, it's you."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, I mean, surely she'll figure out you told me, and she'll be pretty mad with you, and me...mainly with me."

"Rick, if you get this right, mad is the last thing she'll be."

Kate returned from the ladies' room having calmed down from her earlier fluster. He really must stop doing that to her. She smiled as she saw them from the other end of the room. She had wondered how he would cope with a woman who wasn't interested in him. She knew Adrianna was attractive, but he hadn't even looked disappointed when he had realised that she was gay. For some reason this pleased Kate.

"Should I have said 'no conferring' before I left?" She laughed as she jolted the two from their conversation.

"Oh hey, you're back," Castle smiled at her, moving his chair so that she could sit back down. Kate looked at Adrianna, she was smiling too. She narrowed her eyes.

"What're you guys smiling about?"

Silence, 'Suspicious,'she thought.

"You guys both have terrible poker faces."

"Hey!" Castle interjected, "I believe I won our last poker match!" She laughed looking at Adrianna still holding her "not-guilty" face. A thought crossed Kate's mind, she scowled at her thoughtfully.

"You showed him the photo didn't you?" Adrianna laughed.

"No, no I didn't. Honest." Castle paused.

"Photo?" His raided his eyebrows, his mind was racing.

"Maybe another time Rick, when she isn't around to kill me, or handcuff me."

"I swear if you show him that-" Kate interrupted. A phone rang, Adrianna swiftly answered.

"Hey!...Okay, great...yeah...yeah, see you in a minute...bye," she put her phone away, standing up. "Looks like my date has arrived. It was lovely meeting you Rick," she gave him an air kiss, " and it was great seeing you again Kate," she hugged her, "take care of yourself," she stroked Kate's cheek with the back of her finger as she held the small of her back with her other hand.

"You too," Kate smiled, looking up at her through her lashes. Then they watched Adrianna walk away swishing her hips, getting checked out by almost everyone as she left.

"Did you want a lift back to mine?" Kate asked remembering they had taken her car there and his was still at her place.

"Yeah, thanks," Castle picked up Kate's coat for her, holding it for her as she put it on. He thought about everything Adrianna had told him; 'If you get this right, mad is the last thing she'll be.'He really wanted to get this right.

1:41 am - Beckett's Apartment

They walked into Kate's apartment. Castle had left some folders earlier when he had come in his car with a break in the case. He located them, picking them up and walking up to her.

"Oh, one thing I have to check before I go," he added, putting the files down on a counter, "turn around," he twiddled his finger in the air to reiterate. She raised an eyebrow at him. He looked back at her seriously.

"As your ex-massage therapist told me earlier..." his said with a combination of disbelief and admiration, "...you had a problem with your shoulder. She made me promise to check it and text her, as she was worried and didn't have time."

"You got her number?" Kate couldn't believe it, she had left him alone for five seconds...

"She gave it to me!" She had literally groped into his pocket, fishing out his phone and put her number in as she told him the plan, he had been quite taken aback.

"I can check it myself Castle," she said, instantly knowing how stupid that sounded.

"Really? Unless you're Elastigirl, I don't think you can reach." She looked at him, he was right. She sighed and begrudgingly turned around remembering how concerned Adrianna used to be with her shoulder. She had taken off her long trench coat since walking in and was now holding it so that when Castle placed his broad, right hand on her shoulder they could feel the heat from each other's skin through her thin pullover. He started circling his thumb slowly along her shoulder blade, his other fingers placed along her neck. Her brain instantly reacted, hot and cold at the same time, a confusion of emotions.

"She was right, you really are tense up here," he sounded genuinely concerned. His voice was soft, softer than the mess in her head right now. She concentrated on that as he pressed slightly harder with his thumb, his fingers lightly brushing her neck as he changed pressure.

"Expert masseuse are you know Castle?"

"Not as much as I hear you are," he smiled as he saw her laugh at the double entendre, "and I'm only doing as I'm told, she's kinda scary when she wants something...anyway, I've been told I'm actually very good with my hands, all that typing makes me very dextrous." She laughed. However, this was going on longer than she had anticipated, she wasn't sure she could maintain her self-control much more than this.

"Have you finished yet?"

"Jeez, she said you were always impatient."

"She what?"

"You know, this would go a lot quicker if you just relaxed." Kate sighed and loosened her shoulder muscles into Rick's hand.

"If you're gonna do this, can you at least do it properly; with both hands. I feel all unbalanced," she tried to sound as casual as possible, noticing the tremor in his breath.

"Sure," he was pleasantly surprised at her decision.

'She'll need to be 100% relaxed for you to have any chance of making a move on her,'Adrianna's words echoed in Castle's mind. He placed his other hand on her left shoulder, as he did he moved himself forwards, his elbows at hers, her hair brushing his lips. She had relaxed completely, he could feel it in her body. Kate knew she was a tense person and was always busy; she barely had time to eat, let alone relax. Yet, with what Castle was doing to her shoulders, she could feel the weight being lifted off of them. He was good with his hands. Her brain threatened to lead her down a dangerous train of thought. She unintentionally let out a quiet moan that Rick wasn't even sure he heard at first. This was his signal, he placed the lightest kiss on the bare skin of her shoulder that his hand wasn't covering. He prepared himself for her seizing up, but it never happened.

"Rick," she spoke softly as if her own body was trying to suppress her speech.

"Shh," he replied just as softly, placing another kiss on her, slightly firmer this time, but still as delicate as a feather as if he was expecting her to break beneath him.

"Rick, I-"

"No talking, or I tell Ryan and Espo about your little trip to Amsterdam," he whispered.

"She told you about Amsterdam?" Kate breathed, "Oh, I am so going to kill her," her threat sounding very nonthreatening as she spoke in her half-asleep state.

Castle chuckled as he kissed her neck again, "That was talking Kate, but I'm not gonna count that, 'cos I'm nice," he whispered in her ear, with every formation of a letter on his lips being felt on her skin. She went to speak again and then thought of the humiliation the boys would reap on her if they found out what had happened in Amsterdam and decided better of it. Besides she was quite enjoying this; the presence of his mouth at her ear, his hands on her shoulders and his body so close to hers. He continued to nuzzle her ear and neck and placed tiny kisses on them every so often. Experience made him expect someone to come bursting in, or for something, anything, to interrupt them. But nothing did. He took a risk and traced the tip of his tongue up her neck where he has been kissing. He waited for a reaction. Nothing, so, he moved his hands off of her shoulders down to her waist, holding her in a secure backwards hug.

'You've got to make her feel safe the whole time,'Adrianna's advice flickered into Castle's mind again, 'If she feels like she can escape, she will. Hold her confidently but not possessively.'

The feeling of his warm grip on her and his hot, wet tongue on her neck obliterated her self-control. She tried to think of a reason not to do this, her brain came up completely empty, she wanted him and he wanted her. She flipped around in his embrace and looked him in the eyes. His face almost broke her heart, he was wincing, his eyes closed, like he was preparing for a blow. She realised how much she had bruised his ego over the years, not that he didn't need it, but recently it must have cut deeper than she realised.

"Apples?" he whispered slowly opening one eye.

She tried to find some words to reassure him, coming up empty again she decided actions were louder and closed the space between their lips. Finally feeling skin to skin, she kissed him, at first intending to be reassuring and measured, but quickly found herself desperately searching for his lips like she needed them to survive. She placed both of her hands on any part of him that she could, needing to feel him close, moaning softly, losing herself to him. Castle couldn't believe it, Adrianna's advice had worked, he hadn't screwed up, she hadn't bitten his head off, she hadn't ignored his advances and she hadn't retreated into herself. She was responding, rather enthusiastically too. He kept his end of the kiss calm and soon she matched him, both of them realising how quickly the situation could get out of hand, neither wanted to ruin their relationship with a rash decision. It amused him that he had been the one to calm her down, but then he was learning a lot of new things about Kate Beckett tonight. They broke apart reluctantly, both breathing heavily. Castle tried to think of something witty to say to break the silence, but his mind failed him.

"What, no rapier wit?" Kate smirked at him, knowing what he was thinking.

"Well, I...you..." Castle stammered. Kate laughed.

"Ha, the famous Rick Castle lost for words."

"Well, can you blame me, you are very good with your lips," he pointed out, unabashed. She raised an eyebrow at him, he looked at her innocently.

"Yeah, well, yours aren't too bad either Castle," she looked him in the eyes so that he knew she meant it.

"Why thank you, so good that in fact that I believe all my words have returned to me now."

"Does that mean I'm gonna have to kiss you every time I want you to shut up?"

"Absolutely," Castle retorted quickly, smiling as they embraced.