Title: The One – Chapter Three
Author: Floss Aus
Pairing: Rick C & Kate B
Summary: Investigating a reality romance show murder has Castle and Beckett realising that secret romances are fun but also dangers.
Spoilers: Set in post Always world.
Disclaimer: ABC and Andrew Marlowe own them, Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic inhabit them and I'm just borrowing them. I' promise to return them all – except Fillion.
Feedback: Thanks for the kind words so far, I really do appreciate them.

"Oh come on," he shouted at the screen, Kate sitting beside him, grinning at his frustration. "That is the like third city she's called the perfect place to fall in love."

"It's not supposed to be real Castle," she laughed at him, as he walked to the kitchen, refilling his glass of water.

"Oh so, this whole reality television thing, it's allowed to have a complete lack of reality," he replied and again she was taken with his frustration. Normally Kate found herself on the other side of such discussions, always the disbeliever, always the cynic. Now though, the idea of manipulated love and terrible dialogue had him enraged.

"I can't believe you're shocked. In fact, I can't believe you've never been asked to be on the show before. They've gotten pretty desperate in the last few years," she mocked, rising to meet him at the counter, placing her notes down.

"I was," he stated matter of factly.

"But earlier, you said you'd never heard of the show?" She raised a curious eyebrow.

"No, I didn't remember the show," he responded. "Now, seeing that ugly rose laden logo, it brings back all the memories."

"When?" she asked, still slightly shocked.

"A year or two before I started working with you, just as Derrick Storm was really taking off. The PR team at the publishers loved the idea," He almost shuddered at the thought.

"Wow Castle, I'm surprised. You and a room full of eager women, wanting show you just how much they love and admire you. I can't believe you turned it down?" She teased.

"Come on Kate," he grinned, moving around the counter to stand before her. "You know me, I'm a chase man. That crap," he pointed to the frozen image of a contestant pouring her heart and cleavage out, "that's for amateurs." She smiled at his response.

"Also, my side profile can be tricky to catch in good light, reality TV wouldn't do me justice." He smirked at her and despite her best intentions to work this evening, despite sitting side by side on the couch all afternoon, and despite avoiding his many suggestions of opening a bottle of wine, she just couldn't resist any longer. Hell, she'd been impressed with her restraint for the past three hours.

She pulled him to her lips, pressing them firmly, passionately against his own and without hesitation he responded, his hands circling her waist, drawing her closer to him. It was like coming home, yet every kiss felt different and new. Richard Castle had a reputation that she assumed was based on his own self circulated hype. Seriously, how good could an author be in bed, she'd often wondered, when talking herself out of their possible relationship time and time again. But now, oh God, now she knew different. Powerful, strong, not afraid to say her name, not afraid to ask her what to do, where to place the kiss, that would give her maximum satisfaction. Fast learner too, boy, he'd spent the past three months clearly remembering every reaction she'd had to his touch and now, he could make her whimper with barely a hand across her stomach.

He pushed her against the bench, lifting her legs to circle his waist, his strong arms holding her above him and placing her onto the slate counter. She tore hungrily at his shirt, buttons popping against her desperate need to touch his chest, feel his skin against her own.

"That's five this month," he mumbled heavily, in between her deepening kisses.

"Five what?" Kate could barely stammer in return.

"That's five shirts you've ruined ripping off me." And she could almost feel his cheeky grin against her neckline, where he was now planting hot, open mouthed kisses against her collarbone, causing her breath to catch.

A knock on the door interrupted them and for a moment, they stood, frozen, Kate perched on the bench her legs wrapped around a shirtless Rick, his hands stopped in the process of removing her own shirt.

The knock came again, and then a voice followed when they still didn't reply, "Kate, it's me, open up girl," Lanie shouted.

"Crap," Kate whispered, running a shaking hand through Rick's hair. "Hide."

"What?" He practically squeaked.

"Hide," she repeated, urgency rising in her voice as she re-buttoned her shirt and extracted herself from his hold. "Just, go in the bathroom," she pointed, almost in a flurry as she attempted to straighten herself out. He rose an questioning eyebrow at her but said nothing, and scurried down the hall, before turning back and grabbing his own shirt off the bench.

"Coming," Kate attempted to sound light and breezy, but knew she was failing pretty badly. Swinging the door open, she found Lanie already suspiciously eyeing her.

"Javier told me you were home watching The One episodes for research," she placed a bottle of white wine in Kate's hands and moved passed her and into her friend's apartment.

"Yeah," Kate mumbled, following slowly, trying to come up with excuses that would get rid of Lanie. For a detective with honed skills on social situations, she was failing miserable in this moment. "Gates wasn't exactly thrilled with me watching them at the precinct."

"Well, you can add to your notes," Lanie pointed to the slightly dishevelled pile on the counter, "that both the victims were drugged. Still waiting for tox results to see exactly what with, but it's not anything common."

"Good, it will be easier to trace then," Kate attempted to usher Lanie to the door, but her friend, stopped suddenly in her tracks, as if struck with a thought.

Kate wasn't surprised Lanie was here. She knew her friend's suspicion had been growing in the past few weeks. Of course, she had no idea that it was Castle that Kate had been seeing, but still, the always postponed coffees, the spring in Kate's step that no matter how hard she tried, couldn't disguise, hell, the tan she gotten sitting on Rick's pool deck in Hampton's for a weekend. Lanie wasn't a fool and she'd been hinting pretty hard for days about Kate's evening whereabouts. Normally, she would have called before dropping by, but Kate knew what this was, this was a surprise attack, hoping to catch in her the act; the very act that was now hiding in her bathroom.

"Um, why are there buttons on your floor?" Lanie pointed to the scattered buttons that had popped off Rick's shirt only moments earlier.

"Buttons?" Kate tried to play dumb and pretended to inspect the floor to no avail.

"Girl," Lanie just stared at her. "You are not fooling anyone here. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Kate slowly responded, the answer more a high pitched question than denial.

"Who is here?" Lanie turned around herself, her sudden rush of excitement, almost making her giddy.

"No one," again Kate's pitch and tone gave her away.

"Beckett, don't you think it's time to give it up." Castle's voice spun Lanie's head in his direction.

"WHAT?" She squealed, staring at the writer who stood in her friend's hallway, his grey shirt hanging open, revealing what Page Six once described as the best abs in American literature.

Kate dropped her head, a smile of embarrassment mixed with pride crossing her face. She could tell Rick was enjoying the moment also. He stood there, his hands on his hips, a cocky grin, as Lanie's head flicked between the two of them.

"I KNEW IT!" she continued to squeal. "I mean, not exactly knew it was you and him this time, but I knew at some point this was going to happen."

Moving towards Kate, Rick grabbed his jacket that had been hastily thrown behind the couch. "I'm going to go now, let you two talk," he kissed her cheek lightly, a farewell of ease and routine.

"Chicken," she whispered to him, causing a soft chuckle from him.

"Lanie, a pleasure, I'll see you both later," he smiled at them both, a gave a slight bow before sliding out Kate's door, a mischievous grin not leaving his face until he arrived at his loft.