So, I'm glad you all seemed to like that last chapter! Thanks for the lovely reviews!

This one was a little harder to come by, mostly because so much happens. That, and there was a paying gig with an actual deadline holding up progress…

Quick refresher: Kate has finally admitted to Lanie that she spends nearly every waking moment (and lots of not awake moments) thinking about Castle—you know, when she's not thinking about a case. She still needs to apologize for letting loose at the club and dancing with him rather intimately when she wasn't free to do so. More than that, she knows that he stole another woman's phone to keep pictures of their dancing from getting out…

Chapter 32 – Key

Kate's phone sounded from on her nightstand early Tuesday morning. She answered, knowing at this hour, it was likely dispatch calling to direct her to a murder scene. She was right. The sun was just starting to come up, and even though she knew she was headed to a murder scene, part of her was glad to know she at least had a good excuse to call Castle.

Castle answered groggily.

"Hey Castle."

"Body?"

"Yeah, where they are doing construction near the Bowery and East Third. I can pick you up in forty."

"Why so long?"

"I have to get ready. And I have to be presentable for court."

"Shouldn't be too hard. I thought you were supposed to testify yesterday?"

"Is that why you didn't come in?"

"Well, yeah, that, and I was writing, you know?"

"Court was recessed mid-day. They never got to me. See you in forty?"

"Nah. I'll meet you there. Maybe even beat you for once."

Kate hung up. She quickly showered and dressed, all the while thinking about what she could do to make it up to Castle. She really wanted his forgiveness, and though he sounded normal on the phone, it wasn't like him to not accept an offer to ride with her. And then, there was the bigger issue of his short answers each time she had texted him yesterday. Maybe she had been interrupting his writing, but she worried that wasn't the real problem.

Kate wasn't really the card-buying type, but she spent an hour after leaving Lanie's just in the store looking at cards. She didn't know quite what to say herself, but after reading at least thirty cards, she realized nothing seemed right. She finally settled on one with single-frame comic on front depicting a green alien translating for a man as he tried to communicate with a woman. Inside, it simply read: "Translation: I'm sorry."

She had struggled with what message to add as well…even whether to write "Castle" or "Rick" and how to sign her name. She wanted to write "Always," but she over-analyzed it enough that she didn't want him to think she'd always be sorry when it came to him. She wanted "Always" to mean something more, like it had every other time the word had passed between them. It was a promise, not a quest for forgiveness. She ended up with "Rick, I know…they're actually grey. And I sure could use an alien friend's assistance right now to make the mess of words in my head make sense. Or a good writer. Know anyone? As plainly as possible: Thank you and please forgive me. I'm truly very sorry. –Kate"

Card or no card, Kate needed to see him. She wanted to apologize in person.

Kate was just tucking in her shirt and pulling on her suit jacket when someone knocked on her door. Having no idea who it could be, Kate checked the peephole, only to discover a disheveled looking Josh on the other side. Fantastic, Kate thought. What is it with these unannounced visits? At least he's home…

Kate pulled open the door and Josh wasted no time swooping her into his arms, "Hey, Baby! Surprised? My flight just got in. Came straight here."

Kate was squirming to get out of his hold. "Geez, Josh, I'm getting ready for work." Kate pulled back and worked on re-tucking her shirt, expertly ducking a kiss from Josh so that it landed on her cheek. "I have court today," she said by way of explanation.

"You're up awful early, even for court. I was hoping to catch breakfast."

"I can't. Crime scene, and I'm running late. Come on, I'll walk you out," Kate said pulling one of her nicer light jackets from the closet.

"What? You have to go now?"

"Yes. The body's in a very public place. We're going to want to move it as soon as possible, and they can't move it until I assess the crime scene."

"Can't someone else do it?"

"Haven't we had this conversation? Come on. I need to go."

"I was hoping we could...you know…talk." Kate knew what that meant. He wasn't looking to talk.

"No time, but you're right, we do need to talk, but I have to go. Now. I told you, I'm running late."

"Fine, then go. Can I just use the bathroom first? I'll lock the door on my way out."

Kate considered for a moment. "Fine. Just…don't forget to lock up."

Josh leaned in. "I'll call you later, okay?" Kate turned her head, so he kissed her cheek again.

"So, you're not kissing me, now? Are you mad at me?"

Oh, I so don't have time for this now. "Makeup." Kate said, escaping out the door. Then, she thought again about how it really wasn't his fault that she didn't want him there, so she leaned back in. "I really do have to go, but I'll call you later." And she would because they needed to talk. She couldn't keep feeling guilty about not wanting him. She wanted to be with someone she missed when he was away. And she missed Castle.

"How about tomorrow night?"

"Can't. I have plans."

"With who? Doing what?"

"Whom."

"What?"

"It's 'with whom?'"

"And?"

"I don't like this line of questioning," she said, still leaning into her apartment, around her half-closed door, "but if you must know, Alexis, and we're going over her composition."

"What?"

"Music, Josh. I'm helping her with a project."

"Alexis? Isn't that Castle's kid?"

"Yeah."

"Can't you help her later? Wednesday's the only night I have off before Friday, and I have to make sure I'm all packed. I mean, come on, Kate. I'm leaving on Saturday. The kid will still be here."

"I'm not cutting out on her just because you chose to leave. I'm sure you have enough foresight that you can pack on Wednesday. We can meet up on Friday. Sure, I'd rather do it sooner, but—"

"And what if you have a case? What then?"

"What if I do? Can't exactly plan murder. But we're not on-call this weekend, so I can break from anything after five on Friday, at least for a little while. I don't like to leave things hanging, but this is important."

"Great. How 'bout I pick you up on Friday? We can go for drinks, maybe dinner?"

"Sure. Fine. Bye."

Kate was standing at the murder board, adding what little they knew to the timeline. They started the morning with a John Doe, but they'd been lucky that his fingerprints were in the system. Now, the young man's parents were on the way to the precinct to identify the body and speak with Detective Beckett. Ryan and Esposito were still canvassing the area to see if anyone recognized their vic or saw anything, but from the looks of things, they were dealing with a mugging gone wrong, and not in the nicest neighborhood.

Kate glanced at her desk. On top of this new one, she had Hamelin file on her desk. She didn't want that to let that go while they still had Stagstad in custody. They just needed evidence that he knew Scott Hamelin before she could question him again.

The other case file on her desk was ready to be closed out. They caught Liz Brunnette in a lie, she was now in custody. Kate had been able to tell the Dansk family, offer them some closure before the weekend, but she'd saved the paperwork for yesterday, only to spend half the day in court.

Court! Kate glanced at her watch. Crap! She left the file at home, not thinking about it after Josh had arrived. She hated not having all the details right before her and fresh in her head when she was called to the stand. Sure, she'd reviewed it again last night, but it wasn't the same as having it with her. Beckett never referenced the files when she was on the stand, but she liked having it with her, in her hands, just in case.

Kate glanced up to see Castle coming out of the break room with coffees for each of them. He'd spoken only when spoken to at the crime scene and didn't share any crazy theories. He barely even fidgeted in the car on the way back. When they stopped at a stoplight and Kate set the card she'd gotten him in his lap, he'd been so absorbed on the scenery outside his window, he didn't notice. Kate was parked and he was reaching for his seatbelt before he registered the envelope that had slid between his legs.

Castle had looked at her questioningly. Kate only cocked her head toward the card with a just the hint of an apologetic half-smile. Castle shook his head, not really wanting to open the card. He'd put her in a bad spot and now she felt guilty about what happened. He didn't want to see her guilt—not on paper and not playing across her face. He'd rather they pretended it never happened, while he secretly savored those moments when she'd been in his arms. He didn't want to hear how she was sorry, how it was a momentary lapse in judgment. He didn't want to be her mistake.

Kate watched Castle open the card and smile at the picture. He smiled even more when he read the message, but when he looked up at her, his smile was tight and didn't reach his eyes.

"No need to apologize, Detective," he'd said.

Oh, really? Kate thought. Then why are you calling me 'Detective?'

Castle continued, going on about how we all deserve to cut loose sometimes, and it was okay to miss her boyfriend and how he was sorry Josh couldn't be the one at the club with her.

Kate tried to tell him that that wasn't it—that wasn't why she was apologizing, but he interrupted her again.

"Beckett, really—let's not talk about this," he'd said. "We're good, okay?"

Kate wanted to argue. Obviously, they weren't good. Things weren't right between them. She opened her mouth to say more, but Castle stopped her.

"Please," he'd implored, giving her a long look—all but commanding her to drop it, then he'd opened the door and stepped out of the car. They rode in the elevator in silence, and by the time they got off, Castle seemed to pull himself back into their normal routine.

Beckett, however, was still questioning whether all was well between them. As Castle set the coffee down on her desk (rather than handing it to her, she noted), it was just another thing weighing on her mind. Beckett decided she had enough to focus on; she was going to let it go for the time being.

Castle observed her for a moment. She was looking more stressed than normal, though he had tried to set her mind at ease. He knew they were going to have to talk to their vic's family, but that didn't normally leave his partner so wound.

"What's up, Beckett?"

"I have to be in court soon, but I forgot the case file at home. Hopefully, the boys will be back soon. They can run down anything we learn from the family and I can make it back to my apartment before court."

"Or, I could run and get it for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, I wasn't asking in a surreptitious way, Castle. I know you're not my go-fer."

"But, you can't leave right now, and you need it, right? Really, it's no trouble. I'll be back in thirty, forty minutes."

"I, uh…Thanks, Castle."

"Now, where is it?"

Kate's cheeks reddened a bit, realizing where she'd left it…and exactly how her room looked with her unmade bed and clothes from yesterday chucked over the bench at the end of her bed.

"On my night stand." Castle nodded, and started for the elevators. When he rounded the glass partition, Kate saw his smirk.

"Just the file, 'K, Castle?"

Castle turned the key in Kate's door, realizing it was already unlocked, and stepped inside. That wasn't safe and didn't seem like Kate. He'd have to talk to her about it. He glanced around while he pushed the door shut. He liked Kate's new apartment—the exposed wood, the mixed materials, the warm undertones. Castle noticed she'd moved her furniture again since he was last there. The couch was now along the wall again, like it had been the first time he'd been there, but, there was one addition that had been missing before that was impossible to miss now. Josh.

Kate's boyfriend was asleep on her couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, Sports Center playing in the background. Great. Just fucking great. He'd have to walk between him and the TV to get to Kate's bedroom, and damned if her door wasn't shut. It was too bad, too, because he'd wanted to make his way upstairs to peek at Kate's murder board to see if she'd added anything to it.

Castle entered Kate's room, going directly to the nightstand, which held the flower arrangement he'd sent her for Mother's Day. The lilac's hadn't held up—she'd obviously removed most of them and needed to remove a few more, but the peonies still looked full and smelled wonderful. She clearly liked them, or they wouldn't be in her room. Briefly, he wondered how she'd explained the arrangement to Dr. Motorcycle Boy.

Castle turned his attention to the stand's surface, and smiled when he realized the case file wasn't the only thing she'd been reading last night. He picked up When it Comes to Slaughter; it wasn't his best work, but it would almost be vain of Kate if she only read what he deemed his best work. Castle knew she was well-read, so knowing that Kate enjoyed his work best (even though she would never admit it), thrilled him. Castle set the book back down on her pillow, so she'd know he'd seen it and grabbed the case file.

He turned back to the door slowly, looking the room over appreciatively. Kate had good taste. From where he stood, he could see into her bathroom, and though he desperately wanted to finally determine exactly which products came together to make Kate smell so delicious and so uniquely Kate, he resisted the urge. He'd save snooping for another time, when there was no chance of her boyfriend catching him.

Castle stepped through the door, intent on making it out the apartment without being noticed, but Josh was sitting up now, and turned to look at him. Castle froze in the doorway.

"What the hell are you doing here? In Kate's bedroom?" Castle started to answer, but Josh ignored him. He stood up and called out, "Kate?"

Castle walked around the coffee table heading toward the door. "She's not here. I just came by to pick up this file for her. She forgot it here."

"How the hell'd you even get in here?"

"Door was unlocked, but…" Castle held up a key as way of explanation.

"You've got a key to her fucking apartment?" Josh asked heading toward him.

Castle lowered his key chain, somewhere in the back of his mind, he was wondering what it would be like if apartments actually could screw. That weird train of thought was immediately dropped as Dr. Motorcycle boy advanced on him.

"Give it to me."

"What?"

"The key. Give it to me."

"I don't think Beckett would appreciate that. She gave it to me."

"Well, I'm her boyfriend and I don't appreciate another man having a key to her apartment."

'Look, I'm going to go. You can take this up with Beckett. If she wants the key back, I'll give it to her." Castle turned toward the door.

"You'll give it to me. Now."

"No, I don't think I'll be doing that."

Castle was near the door now. He turned, hearing Josh behind him, and was glad he did, otherwise he'd have been taken by surprise. Instead, he sidestepped, avoiding the full force of Josh's body.

"Hey, man," Castle said. "Take it easy."

Josh was pissed though. He spun around and charged into Castle, knocking him into the wall and Kate's ornate candle holder. The candle landed with a soft thud, but the hurricane lamp shattered, sending glass everywhere. The file folder Castle was holding sailed to the floor. Castle pushed back on Josh's shoulders, lifting his considerable weight off him, but Josh reached out for his shirt and ended up pulling Castle with him up to his chest.

"You're not leaving here with it. Give it to me."

"No. If Kate wanted you to have it, she wouldn't have given it to me." He watched as Josh swiftly pulled back an angry fist.

Shit! Castle didn't want to fight with Josh—at least not in Kate's apartment. It wasn't that he didn't think he could take him—he'd beat the hell out of Lockwood, hadn't he?—but he was sure Kate wouldn't appreciate it.

"Fine!" he said, "Shit, man. I'll give it to you."

Josh pushed him back toward the wall again, and sneered, "I don't even know why the hell she lets you follow her around. Lilly-livered asshole."

"Maybe she likes having me around," Castle said, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his key chain. He spun Kate's key from his ring and held it up in front of Josh's face. He promptly snatched it out of Castle's hand and stalked to the door.

"Where the hell do you think you're going? The least you can do is help me clean up this mess since you made it. Kate doesn't need to come home to this."

Josh paused when he said "Kate," and it seemed like he might actually be willing to help. Castle set about picking up the papers that flown from the file.

"Grab the broom and dustpan," he told Josh, looking up at him. Josh started, but hesitated. Castle realized he didn't know where Kate kept them. "They're in the hall closet."

Josh glared at him. "Fuck you," he said coldly, then disappeared out the door.

Castle dropped the now organized file on Kate's desk twenty minutes later than he had planned.

"What took you so long?" Kate asked, not bothering to look up from her paper work.

Castle put both hands on her desk and leaned forward until he was at her level. Kate looked up noticing how upset he looked.

"Your boyfriend was there. You know, maybe next time you could just have him bring you the file?"

"What?" Why the hell was Josh there?

"Yeah. And he was none too happy that I have—no had—a key to your place."

Kate stood up now. "What do you mean had?"

"He demanded I give it to him."

"So you what? Just handed it over? You're supposed to be my partner, have my back—help keep me safe. You're not supposed to hand the key to my place over to random people."

"I didn't think your boyfriend was 'random people'—"

"He's not! He's—I don't just give a key to anybody. I can't believe you gave it to him."

"Well, I wouldn't have, if he hadn't attacked me. Broke your candle holder by the way and left me to clean up the mess."

"What? Josh would never hit anyone!"

"I didn't say he hit me! I stopped him before he did. I didn't think you'd want him to ruin his pretty little surgeon hands."

"I can't believe that. I've never seen Josh lose his temper. You, on the other hand?"

"Yeah, because I'm a damned liar!" Castle stormed off, pausing briefly to nod to Esposito and Ryan as they came into the bullpen. Esposito's eyes flicked over him. Ryan looked between the two.

"Did you two…" Ryan trailed off, unwilling to finish that thought with the obvious tension between Mom and Dad. He realized too late that it wasn't sexual tension this time.

"Yo, Castle, man, what happened to your shirt?" Esposito asked. For the first time, Kate noticed the crinkled material of his normally pressed shirt—and that he was missing a button.

Castle stopped beside his friends and looked up at Beckett. "Apparently nothing. It was just a figment of my overactive imagination." He scooted to the just arrived elevator before the doors could close again.

Kate was already on her phone, demanding that Castle's key be on her counter by the time she got home.

A couple hours later, Detective Kate Beckett was still waiting to testify. She'd glanced over the file a couple of times, but she spent the vast majority of the time trying to come up with a way to apologize to Castle—again. It infuriated her to know how easily Castle could get under her skin. He'd had that power since she'd known him. It was one of the first things about him that simultaneously attracted and irritated her. No one else in her life had that power—no one. The only thing that could get to her as easily was her mother's case, and that wasn't even close to the same thing. And even then, Castle kept the darkness from closing in on her.

Beckett hated being in the court room. It always reminded her of her mother. It wasn't that Johanna Beckett spent every waking hour in front of a judge arguing a case, but Kate had watched her in the courtroom enough times that she couldn't sit here now without thinking about her. Johanna Beckett split her time between the courtroom, the classroom, her offices, and, of course, home. She was just as comfortable in one place as the other, and she'd had no problem letting a young Katie tag along.

Kate especially loved watching her teach. She'd sit at the back of the room with her books, in awe of her mother's command of the room. She had the same talent in the courtroom, but there, she was sometimes challenged by the opposing attorney, and Kate didn't like seeing that. She wished she'd stayed in that "idol mom" mindset, and that she'd never grown to the age where she began challenging her mother.

Kate wished wholeheartedly that her mother were still here to tell her what to do. She doubted she'd argue now—she was so lacking in ideas. And Lanie had been no help. Suddenly, Kate thought back to a time when her mother had won a particularly grueling case. She'd been about fourteen, sitting in the living room, watching Jeopardy with her father. Her mother was getting home late, but she'd called to say she was bringing dinner. When she stepped through the door holding a pizza box, her dad rose to take the box from her and kiss her cheek while she shrugged from her coat.

"Thank God! We were starving here!"

"Uh-huh, you look like you were wasting away."

"So, closed it, huh?"

"Justice for…" Kate couldn't remember.

"That's great, Jo. Congratulations. Now, feed me."

Johanna laughed and reached out to pull Kate up from the couch. "Never forget, Katie. The fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Thanks, Mom, Kate thought, smiling to herself. She pulled out her phone to text Alexis, Martha and Castle.

I'm making dinner tomorrow.

Then she sent one just to Castle. What time will you be home?

Alexis sent her one back. K, but ?

Long story. Sorry if your dad's in a bad mood.

Thanks for the warning

You don't have to.

Please?

Not until 7, 7:30ish. A little late for dinner.

We'll wait for you.

Now she'd just have to decide what to make. The Castles were good cooks. She'd have to come up with something good.

Castle's loft seemed quiet now. Alexis was at the counter, studying for final exams, while Kate put together the salad. Martha had disappeared upstairs after listening to the two practice. Alexis had revised her piece and it sounded a lot better. She had eliminated the jerkiness of the last half of her composition, so they focused most of their time on the transition from the melodic beginning to the faster paced ending.

Kate checked the oven and the rice on the stove before going to set the table. She was nervous about how this would turn out. It had been a while since she made it. They were a pain to make, but everyone always loved them, and it wasn't like she had an arsenal

Martha reappeared. "Red wine or white?"

"Probably white."

Martha came to set glasses on the table and the bottle of wine on the table.

"Everything okay, Dear?"

Kate faltered, not knowing what to say. "Uh."

Not unexpectedly, since they knew he was on his way, Castle walked in at that moment. Kate's eyes found his from across the room. Martha looked at her son, seeing he was still tense, his jaw tight. Martha patted Kate's arm, as Castle made his way to his daughter.

"Say no more, Dear," she said quietly.

Kate smiled ruefully, knowing she hadn't managed to say anything intelligible, and yet, she knew Martha understood. In fact, she probably understood more than she let on, but, blissfully, she didn't say anything else.

They sat down to dinner.

"What is this, Kate?" Martha asked, pulling the chef's string off the turkey wrap on her plate. "It looks delicious."

"Cranberry-Apple Stuffed Turkey Rolls."

"They seem…involved," Alexis said.

"My grandmother's recipe. She used to prefer these over a traditional stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving, so while all the men were in the living room watching football, we spent the afternoon stuffing, rolling and tying."

"You're busy," Castle said. "You shouldn't have gone through all the trouble."

"Mmm. No," Kate said, swallowing, smiling at him. "The bad part is going to the store for all the ingredients you know I don't keep on hand. Actually making it? That was cathartic." It wasn't like she was going to sleep well anyway.

Castle nodded. "Alexis, you all packed?"

"Dad, I'm not leaving until Friday."

Kate looked up, questioning. "Six Flags," Martha answered. "NHS trip."

"Sounds fun."

"Yeah. I guess."

"You're not excited?"

"Well, I don't really like roller coasters," Alexis offered.

"Really?"

"And," Martha added. "Ashley's not an NHS member."

"Thank God," Castle muttered.

"Dad!"

"What?"

"Doesn't matter anyway. He and a bunch of other kids are going to meet us there on Saturday." Castle looked up, worried. "They're not spending the night, Dad. And even if they were, there are chaperones." Alexis smiled at Kate. "Ash loves rollercoasters, so I promised I'd give it a try."

"Always better if you have someone's hand to squeeze." Kate laughed.

"I don't know, Beckett. You haven't seen her on rollercoasters. Try not to break his hand, Sweetie."

"How about you, Richard? Did you have any success flushing out that new character you mentioned for the next Nikki Heat?"

"Are you planning another murder, Castle?"

"Well, I'll have to do that at some point, but no."

"So who's this new character, Dad? Victim? Murderer?"

Rick looked up at his daughter before glancing at the detective, who was watching him. "Actually, he said, forking another bit of salad. "I was thinking of a new love interest for Nikki. Someone better suited to her. An upstanding, do-gooder. You know, someone who listens and is completely removed from the life she leads? I'm thinking she needs an escape."

He was aware of Beckett dropping her head.

"What about Jamie?" Alexis asked. Kate listened intently.

"He inadvertently got her kicked off the force. She doesn't trust him. Sometimes you've got to go where the characters take you."

"Really, Richard. That seems unwise."

"It's a more character-driven plot. What do you think, Kate?"

"I don't think that's what your readers want."

"But, I've got to go where my inspiration takes me. And Nikki doesn't trust Rook, does she?"

"Character-driven plot or not, Dad, they can't take you to a character that doesn't exist. Maybe you should rethink this do-gooder."

"Maybe you're right, Alexis. Maybe he'll just stay a figment of my imagination, like a lot of other things."

Kate set her fork and knife down, and took a drink of her wine. Then she stood up and leaned down to Castle's ear, turning his jaw so that neither Alexis nor Martha could make out what she was saying.

"Stop being a dickwad," she whispered, her lips grazing his ear. "And accept my apology. I don't cook for just anybody, and the only people who have a key to my place are Lanie, my dad and you. I call that trust."

Kate kept her hand on his jaw, so even though she couldn't see his face, she could feel him his reaction. Kate stood and patted his cheek with more force than was necessary.

"I'm going to cut out early, ladies. But, I will see you, Alexis, next week—same time? So, long as—"

"No body, I know."

"Come, Dear. I'll walk you out."

"No, really, Martha. Stay. Finish your dinner." Kate winked, doing her best to save face. "Have an extra glass of wine for me."

Kate disappeared out the door to calls of "thanks for dinner" and "good night" which she echoed with her own appropriate niceties. She didn't slow down on her way out, though. She could feel her arms even her stomach trembling, and had no idea what to make of it. She wasn't exactly angry, nor was she embarrassed. She was a little nervy and a little scared, but this was a different kind of fear than she was used to.

"She makes dinner for you and you drive the poor girl away? I raised you with better manners than that."

"Yeah, Dad. Why'd you have to be so spiteful?"

"You don't even know what happened, and you're going to take her side?"

"We know she made dinner, and we know she doesn't normally cook, so that's kind of a big deal. Tells me, whatever it was, she's sorry."

"Not to mention, we all know how private she is, but she chose to include us, in whatever this is."

Rick took a deep breath. Dinner was good, he thought, but God, when is that woman going to start trusting me? He waged an inner battle. She says she does, but it doesn't matter, so long as she's with Josh. He smiled to himself. But Josh doesn't have a key. Still, he couldn't get in the way of their relationship, or he'd ruin that trust. Get it together, man! Rick's insides were burning with worry. He had been a dick.

Thanks for reading! I debated expanding, several of those scenes, but in the interest of forward momentum, decided not to. Hope it didn't seem rushed or stunted...tried to keep the flow intact! I would love to know your thoughts, so please leave a review before you move on to all those other wonderful fanfics!