Taken from an anonymous prompt on Tumblr: "Sir, could I talk to you in private for a moment, please?" Montgomery/Beckett pairing.

Set shortly after the events of Knockdown.

When Montgomery finally hangs up from the call he's been on for the better part of the last hour, she takes a deep, bracing breath, screwing up her courage as she steps into his office

"Sir, could I talk to you in private for a moment, please?"

"Sure, Beckett. Shut the door and have a seat. Hey, where's your shadow today, anyway?"

"Oh, well, we don't have anything active at the moment so he's home, working on a deadline."

"Not having a case to work has never stopped Castle from coming in before. Or from avoiding a deadline."

She forces a smile at that, mainly because she doesn't want to give away how much she's already struggling with what she's come in to say.

"Actually, sir, that's why I wanted to talk to you. I don't know quite how to put this, but I'm starting to wonder if Castle hasn't become something of a distraction around here, and if we aren't doing the same thing to him. I mean, I get that enjoys the work, and sure, he's been very helpful at times. But, I feel like I'm constantly behind with my paperwork, not to mention his publisher has resorted to calling me in order to track him down and demand the chapters he owes them. I can't help but think…"

She trails off when she finally notices the look of utter amusement that has come over Montgomery's face. "Sir?"

He clears his throat and straightens up in his chair, possibly in an effort to show her that he's taking her seriously, but she has a sinking feeling that he already sees through her flimsy reasoning. "I'm sorry, Beckett. Please, go on."

She'd continue except those were her only arguments. Wracking her brain, she searches the furthest reaches of her mind for excuses to eject Castle from the precinct, the problem being, she has none. He's got an extraordinary mind for this work. Their clearance rate has never been higher. And her captain is no fool; he's seen the natural chemistry and camaraderie between them, so what can she possibly say that would sound convincing?

She's not lying, though…not exactly. Castle is a distraction, but it's not his silly theories or childish antics that are drawing her attention away from her work these days. Ever since their undercover kiss a few weeks ago, she can't stop…staring. At his mouth, at his hands, at his ass. It's become a real problem, her mind constantly wandering back to that night as he sits beside her desk, his scent wafting in her nose. She grapples with the memory of how it felt to have his soft lips sealed to hers, the hard lines of his body pressed again her own, his tongue and how it…

"Beckett?"

Oh no…not again. And he's not even here. She is so off her game.

She recovers quickly enough, though. "Honestly sir, I think at this point it would probably be fine if he didn't come in for every case. Like, maybe every third or fourth case? Or maybe just the unusual ones? That way I can get caught up, and so can he, and…"

Her voice falters once more because damn it, Montgomery is smirking again, and what the hell is that all about? This isn't a joke. She musters as much seriousness as she can in spite of how awkward she feels.

"I'm sorry sir, have I said something funny?"

Montgomery's expression sobers then, his eyes boring into her own, and she suddenly feels exposed under her captain's scrutiny. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"What is this really about Beckett?"

"Sir?"

"I've heard your explanation and I don't buy it. So I'm asking you, what is this really about?"

Talk about turning the tables; this is not how this conversation was supposed to go. But if there's anyone who has as sharp an investigative mind as her own, it would be the man who trained her, and now that he's called her out, she wonders how she could have ever expected any less of him.

She can't meet his eyes anymore, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment as she stares intently at her hands, folded neatly in her lap. "Sir…I…I just…I told you…my work…"

"Does this have anything to do with your confrontation with Lockwood?"

That gets her attention, and she looks up at him again, searching his face desperately for some hint of what he might know. "Sir?"

"That was a high-pressure, high-stakes situation, Beckett, and Castle came through for you. God knows what would have happened if you had been on your own that night. I would think he's proved his value to you by now, but instead you want him gone. Why?"

Her mouth opens, then closes just as quickly when she realizes she was about to make the same bullshit excuses that Montgomery had already set fire to and blown away. She's got nothing.

He saves her from having to answer when he continues then. "Beckett. I think I know what this is about, but I'm not gonna embarrass the both of us by putting you on the spot."

Well, thank goodness for small favors.

"But when you come in here and ask me to do your dirty work and get rid of Castle for you, I want you to ask yourself if that's what you really want."

It's not. Goddamnit, it's not.

"The truth is, this is my precinct. I can kick Castle to the curb anytime I want. But you'd better think long and hard before you make a request like that."

She can only sit there, still and silent, and absorb what he's trying to tell her. In her heart of hearts, she knows she doesn't want their partnership to end. But this…thing between them, it only grows stronger by the day, and more difficult to ignore. With every case that they solve together, with every working meal and celebratory drink that they share, with every story from her past that she entrusts to him, she finds herself falling deeper and deeper. Their connection has grown beyond partnership, beyond friendship, and it scares the hell out of her.

And that night in the alley? That first kiss may have taken her by surprise, but there was nothing fake or forced about the second one. She wanted it to go on and on. She wanted him to push her up against the closest car, press his body harder into hers, slide his hands over her breasts and between her legs. She wanted him to take her home, strip her bare and make her moan uncontrollably.

It's been almost unbearable since then, feigning happiness and normalcy when she sees Josh, mustering up enthusiasm in bed with him when all she sees behind her closed eyes now is Castle. Castle undressing slowly, Castle settling himself between her thighs, Castle driving her up and up and up with his mouth, his fingers, his body. Making her come hopelessly undone, over and over…

Oh God…enough already.

"I understand, Sir. I'll give it some more thought and get back to you."

"That's a good idea, Beckett, because the truth is, I think he's good for you."

Montgomery makes a nodding motion toward the bullpen as he speaks, and when she turns to look, there's Castle, exiting the elevator with two steaming cups of coffee in his hands. He scans the room looking for her, and when he finally spots her behind the glass partitions of the captain's office, his face splits into a beaming grin as he holds up the cups in invitation.

She can't hold back the smile that takes over her face at the sight of her partner and his obvious enthusiasm, and when she looks back at Montgomery, he has the decency not to look smug.

"Go on, Beckett. Go say hi to your sidekick. It's the least you can do after he's come in to distract you."

She can only nod sheepishly and exchange a knowing glance with her captain before she rises to leave.

"Yes, sir."

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