A/N: So I believe I've been going through a bought of writer's embarrassment and I just haven't felt that anything I've been writing lately has been worth posting. Hopefully this isn't absolutely terrible, but please stick with me; I promise I'm trying.
So here's my take on when Kate finds out about the bets.
When Castle went to go get a coffee, Kate watched him. He'd been acting strangely all day, and she knew something was up. But what? She'd seen him in hushed conversations with a few other detectives throughout out the day. It was far from unusual for him to socialize, but there was something about today that looked shady.
She turned her attention to the murder board, shaking if off as yet another Castle idiosyncrasy. She began updating their information, but could feel eyes on her, and they weren't Castle's eyes, which she was used to by now. She looked up and saw a uniform turn away as if he'd been watching her. What was going on today? Castle was playing super-cop and everyone in the precinct seemed incredibly interested in her case. Everywhere she turned she seemed to find groups of detectives suddenly scattering. Kate liked to think that she was intimidating, but there was no way she was that frightening.
"Hey Stegner." Yet another lurking detective. What was Castle up to?
"Just, admiring the great board work Beckett." Yeah, right. If that wasn't the flimsiest excuse she'd ever heard.
"Care to share any insight?" Well, she might as well see if Stegner would break, she looked antsy enough.
"I really need to, go file…"
"Uh huh." Okay, so maybe that was the flimsiest excuse. As Stegner walked, no almost ran, away, Kate saw Castle in the break room, cash in hand, talking to a few detectives. No. He wasn't. He wouldn't. That was too low, even for him.
"Son of a," She strode across the bullpen, trying to decide whether it would be more satisfying to shoot or strangle him. When she reached him she still hadn't decided, so she grabbed the envelope in his hand.
"Nobody move," she demanded as the two detectives tried to escape; they froze immediately. Yes, she could be intimidating when she wanted to be. She turned to Castle. "What is this?" She held up the envelope, already knowing exactly what it was, but still not wanting to believe it.
"Girl Scout cookie orders." He replied without missing a beat. The detectives nodded in agreement, but Kate wasn't buying it.
"Huh, Girl Scout cookie orders," she mused as she rifled through the cash he'd collected. There was quite a haul there. How many of her colleagues had participated in this nefarious plot?
"Yeah, just, helpin' out the troop."
"Funny, I didn't realize Alexis was a Girl Scout." In fact, she knew Alexis wasn't a Girl Scout, but she wanted to hear how he'd wiggle his way out of it. She walked away from him, sure that if she stood there any longer she'd smack him.
"Oh, she's got so many activities I can barely keep track." Oh, he's got an answer for everything. Where were the boys? No way they weren't in on this too.
"Fricken great." And there they were, perfect timing.
"What happened?" Castle thought changing the subject would make her forget; it wouldn't.
"Ballistics screwed us." Ryan and Esposito said in tandem before Ryan elaborated.
"Our mugger's gun doesn't match the bullet taken from our vic." Before Ryan could sit down at his desk, Kate held up the envelope in front of them accusatorily. Their faces went pale. She could feel a gentle breeze from behind telling her Castle was signaling them to keep quiet, but it wouldn't work. "What's goin' on?" Yeah, Ryan, act all innocent; that will work.
"Betting on murder cases guys? Really?" They tried denial, but guilt was written all over their faces. Castle made a last-ditch effort to save their skins.
"I'm telling you it's Girl Scout ord-" She didn't let him finish.
"Girl Scout cookies are sold in February." She turned on the boys again. "You guys should be ashamed of yourselves. Now get back to work." It was one thing for Castle to screw around, but the boys knew better. She stalked back to the board, staring at it as if something new would materialize if she willed it into being. Castle came up beside.
"Listen, I'm sorry; I know it was wrong. I just thought-" Kate didn't want to hear it, luckily Karpowski cut him off.
"Beckett, you're never gonna believe this." She said as she walked over to them.
"Well the bar on unbelievable is pretty high right now." Might as well throw in one last barb for good measure.
"Vic's husband took out a $3 million life insurance policy on his wife last month." Without thinking, Kate spun to face Castle and held up his envelope.
"Hundred on us."
A/N 2: So I hope is wasn't complete garbage. I know it's pretty straight forward; I just couldn't find a scene that I could really dig into, so I ended up with this. Like I said, I am trying to get my grove back. Hopefully I'll be able to update soon. Please review and tell me your thoughts, I love getting them (seriously, I squeal a lot).