Taken from an anonymous prompt on tumblr: 3x23. When Ashley comes to talk to Castle, Rick answers Ashley's question about ever being crazy about someone who's determined to push you away. Beckett doesn't come right away and he tells Ashley the answer, not knowing Beckett is silent behind him, hearing every word.

"Mr. Castle, have you ever been crazy about someone who was determined to push you away?"

His words hit home and Castle can only gape at him, his mouth opening, then closing, then opening once more.

"Ashley, I…" he begins, but that's as far as he gets, any remaining words dying in his throat.

He looks at the young man again, his expression so sincere and desperate and full of hope, and suddenly, the patronizing "hey kid, it's not my place to intervene" advice that had been on the tip of his tongue seems supremely hypocritical. Of all people, he certainly knows a thing or two about what it's like to be over the moon about someone who persistently keeps you at arm's length. This kid sought him out, mustered up the nerve to speak to him man-to-man, trusted him enough to ask him for advice about his own daughter. He's got guts; for that reason alone, he deserves better than simply being placated and sent on his way.

"You know Ashley, I actually understand that all too well."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do. And in my case, there's the added twist of that person already being in a relationship with someone else."

"Oh man, I'm sorry to hear it, Mr. Castle. At least I get to be pretty sure Alexis hasn't moved on yet."

That makes Castle chuckle; the kid has a pretty decent sense of humor about the whole thing. "No, she hasn't. I can assure you, she's just as miserable about this as you are right now."

"So…what do I do? How do I fix this? Again, I know I screwed up. I should have followed my instincts and trusted that she and I could work this out, and I want to tell her that, but I also want to be respectful of her wishes. God, love is so confusing sometimes."

Castle's eyebrows shoot up at that statement. Love? This conversation is starting to veer into some pretty serious territory that he may not be entirely comfortable with. This is his baby girl they're talking about, after all.

Ashley panics upon seeing his surprised expression. "Um, I mean, when I say love, what I'm actually saying is…well, um…" He pauses then, and Castle watches as the young man's demeanor changes completely, something steely and determined coming over his features. "No, you know what? I'm not gonna lie. I love your daughter Mr. Castle, and I know that's probably weird to hear as her parent and I'm sorry about that, but I don't want you to doubt my intentions toward her. I live to put a smile on her face, and the last thing I want to do is make her unhappy. You can understand that, right?"

Of course he understands. God, when Kate smiles, it feels like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds and warming his face. And some of his biggest regrets over the past few years have come from his interference in her mother's case and the misery that caused her each time. Yeah, he knows a thing or two about what it means to love someone, and he has a sudden rush of sympathy for this young man.

"I do understand Ashley, and I appreciate your honesty. Tell you what, I'll chat with Alexis when I get home tonight, okay? I make no guarantees about the outcome of that conversation, but I can try."

"Thanks, Mr. Castle, Honestly, all I want is a chance to make this right with her. And for what it's worth, I hope things work out with the person you're interested in."

Castle suddenly feels a little sheepish for having brought it up with him, but the kid's heart is in the right place. "Ah, yes…well, it's complicated."

"It's Detective Beckett, isn't it?"

Castle sputters at that, once again rendered speechless by this young man. And how exactly does he know this?

At least Ashley has the decency to look a little bashful for putting him on the spot. "Alexis may have mentioned it to me once when I asked her if you were seeing anyone. She also said that she's pretty sure Detective Beckett feels the same way."

Wait…she said what?

"Mr. Castle, I'm no expert on this subject, obviously. But if you believe for even a second that there's a possibility that you two could be happy together, don't you owe it to the both of you to be honest? To at least give it a shot?"

Castle is practically beside himself now, totally thrown by the direction this conversation has taken. "Uh, Ashley, listen, I know you're just trying to help, but like I said before, it's complicated. She and I, we…we don't have that kind of relationship, and she's got a boyfriend and…and I just, I don't know if I….if we…."

He trails off, unsure of what to say next because the truth is, Ashley is right. Castle knows they could be good together; great even. And since when does he hold back when there's something he truly wants? Why does the thought of baring his soul to this woman terrify him?

He knows the honest answer, of course. If he were to declare his feelings and she rejected him, he worries that not only might his heart never recover, but it could spell the end of their partnership. However, he also knows that the situation as it stands now is untenable; as it is, there have been moments when he's barely been able to restrain himself. He's had to bite his tongue to the point of drawing blood to keep himself from declaring his undying love for her, or curl his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palm to stop himself from wrapping her up in his arms. So remarkably enough, this young man standing before him is absolutely, 100% correct.

"You know Ashley, I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right. I need to tell her that I'm completely, hopelessly in love with her, and that she's my very best friend. After everything we've been through together, I owe that to both of us."

Ashley smiles at that, obviously pleased to have returned the good advice.

"That's awesome, Mr. Castle. Hey, thanks for taking time out of your day to speak with me, and for your willingness to talk to Alexis. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it." The young man boldly extends his hand to him, and he takes it, a newfound respect for this kid blooming in his chest.

"Oh, and, um…good luck talking to Detective Beckett, although I have a feeling that conversation is going to take place sooner rather than later."

"Thanks, Ashley. Wait…what?"

Ashley releases his hand and begins walking back to the elevator, but not before he says, "Hey Detective, nice to see you again."

Castle freezes in place, his eyes slamming shut and the breath leaving his body with a whoosh. He can feel the prickling sensation of his mortification creeping up his chest and face, his cheeks ablaze with embarrassment. Oh God no. This is not how it was supposed to happen.

Struggling to regain control, he takes a few deep breaths before turning to face the music, and when he opens his eyes, Beckett looks…well, she doesn't look at all like he was expecting. She's leaning against the wall and carefully watching him, a soft expression on her face and one hand clasped in the other. He expected anger, or maybe pity, but instead, she simply looks…unsure.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough."

Oh God…she knows. He can't bear to look at her, so instead, he watches the toe of his shoe intently as it nudges at a chipped floor tile. "Ah. Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry you had to find out that way."

"I'm not."

He glances up at her again, really looking and taking in her body language this time, and he realizes she seems uncharacteristically nervous; her fingers are twisted together and she's biting her bottom lip and her entire body seems fidgety.

He takes a step toward her, unsure of what the next step is for them. She knows the truth, so how do they proceed? Do they talk about this? Does she kick him out of the precinct forever? Do they pretend like it never happened?

"So. Beckett. Now what?"

She takes a deep breath before she replies, "Well, it turns out Jeremy Keiper moved back to New York last month so we need to go question him about Amber."

Ah, okay. So option number three it is. He smiles and nods, determined to not let her see how disappointed he actually is.

But then she continues, "And then later on, after I break up with Josh, I'm coming over to your place and we're going to talk over a bottle of wine."

His eyes grow comically huge as he watches her turn on her heel and start walking back to the bullpen. In the space of a breath, he forces his leaden legs to follow and he catches up to her at her desk. He doesn't want to jinx this, mess it up before it's even begun, but he needs to know.

"Beckett…are you serious about this?"

She looks up at him then with an expression he's seen on her face before, but he never knew how to interpret it. Now, he recognizes it for what it is: she feels the same way about him. His heart is beating so rapidly, he worries it will burst from his chest before she can finally answer him.

"Yeah, Castle. I'm serious. And I like red wine, so pick a good one, and I might even stick around for a second glass."

She smiles at him then, wide and bright and uninhibited and ugh, that's it. That's the smile he always wants to see on her face, the one that makes him go weak in the knees, the one he wants to be responsible for putting there, everyday. He can only stand there in wonder, frozen in place with unadulterated joy as he watches her rummaging through her desk and snagging her car keys.

His feet are still firmly rooted to the floor when she begins walking to the elevator, and when she notices that he's not beside her, she tosses him another shy smile over her shoulder and asks, "You comin', Castle?"

He knows he's grinning like a fool when he eventually stumbles toward her, but he couldn't care less. Doesn't she know by now, he'd follow her anywhere?

Thank you for reading...as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.