AN: This is in response to a prompt, which is at the bottom. Just pure fluff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

Kate rummages through the rubble, trying to find anything that she could salvage from the explosion. A few pictures, some clothes, and a couple of trinkets is all she can find at the moment.

"Where the hell is the watch?" she mutters, fingers digging at dust and ash. The tightness in her throat grows as she searches for one of the two things most precious to her. Tears blur her vision. No, she won't cry, not while...

"Oh, Detective Beckett," a sing song voice says from the other room.

He's here.

"What, Castle?" she almost snaps, trying to calm herself. He did volunteer to help sort through the wreckage after all.

"I made a very interesting discovery while digging through the recesses of your closet," he says. "Which, by the way, contains an impressive amount of shoes that I have yet to see you in. From what survived, anyway."

Her lips twitch as she turns, expecting to see him holding some perverse object. However, what he carries makes her mouth grow dry.

"You know, I had wondered what happened to this after the party. I wanted to take it home and put it in my office." Flipping over the cardboard cutout, he smirks. "However, it seems you made better use of it."

Her cheeks grow warm, eyes roaming the paper clone of the man standing in front of her.

"Have I made the great Detective Beckett speechless?" he teases.

"I..." she starts, trying to come up with a good excuse that would save her from embarrassment. But really, what can she say that won't put her into further mortification?

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Really, it had. She'd been so steamed at him for her alter ego's name, which she still asserts is a stripper name, and plucked the thing from the event and carried it home with her. Her smugness at the time had overruled the annoyance from the stares she received clutching the damn thing on the subway ride home.

"Curiously, it was next to a box of darts," he continues, enjoying the situation way too much for her liking. "Hence, the holes." He gestures to the torso, grinning. "You seem to have an obsession with my nether regions in particular. Is there something you'd like to share, Detective?"

Gritting her teeth, she snatches the thing away. "Better than the real thing, right?" she answers. Examining it, she raises an eyebrow. "I'm honestly surprised this thing survived the explosion. It's cardboard!"

"Well, I have a lasting presence, or so I'm told." She rolls her eyes. "But seriously? Ouch." He takes the cutout from her and looks it over. Holes the size of pinpricks litter the piece, mainly centering around his head or his family jewels. It'd been a great way to release her frustrations when she couldn't yell at the real thing when they first started working together. However, she finds herself using it less and less. Truth be told, she'd completely forgotten she had it until now.

"Yeah, well, cardboard you probably deserved it at the time," she grumps.

"Mmm, probably," he agrees. "But, did you actually hate me that much?"

"A strong irritation might be a better description." They both chuckle. "But, I haven't really had a reason to use it lately."

"You've gotten used to me pulling your pigtails, huh?"

She ducks her head. "Yeah."

"Good." Hoisting it under his arm, he snickers. "In that case, I'll be taking this."

"What? Why?"

"Well, you're clearly not using it and I've never kept one of these before, so I call dibs."

She grabs it from him, letting out a scoff. "Like your ego needs to be stroked even more than it already is."

"Looking at my ruggedly handsome twin here, it's clear you think about my ego more than enough for the both of us." Eyebrows raising, he goes to take it back, but she holds fast, pulling it toward her.

Before she knows it, they're in a game of tug of war. It's childish, honestly, but she can't bring herself to care. They yank, both putting in their own respective strength.

"I brought it all the way home."

"But you don't have any interest in it anymore."

"I'm sure I will for future moments. Or like now."

"Getting testy over a cardboard cutout, are we?"

"It's mine."

"You know, women have fought over me before, but this takes the cake."

"Haha. Now let go."

"Make me."

"Make you? Seriously, what are you? Fou-"

The question barely escapes her lips as a horrifying ripping sound emanates from between them. Looking down, she finds herself holding the upper half of the display and him the lower half.

Silence envelops them, and before she can stop it, she feels laughter bubble up in her chest, the sound breaking free and bouncing around the room. Soon, the laughter turns into choking as tears begin to enter her vision again. Her brain barely registers arms wrapping around her frame and pulling her close. He doesn't say anything, just allows her to soak his shirt with her tears.

Once her sobs subside, she hears him say,

"Well, if you feel that strongly about it, you can keep it."

A tentative chuckle leaves her as she pulls away, tossing him a strained smile as his understanding shines in his eyes.

"I don't think it's useful to either of us now."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Looking around, he says, "Well, I don't know about you, but I think we've done enough for today."

She nods, sighing. "I'll come back again tomorrow, see what else I can salvage."

"Good." Tossing aside the now destroyed display, he guides her toward the door. "I think I could go for some fries right about now."

Yeah, she could too, along with a burger. "Remy's?"

"You read my mind."

They leave what was once her apartment, and she restrains herself from looking back. She knows she'll return tomorrow, but the place will never be the same again. It won't be home. At some point, she'll have to start looking for another one. But she will tuck all that away for a few hours and spend some time with her partner. After all, the real thing is so much better.

"I still can't believe you took that thing home," he says as they enter the elevator, tone bordering on gloating.

Well, most of the time.

AN: Prompt: Anonymous asked: "After learning about her literary alter ego's name in 1x04, Kate takes a cardboard cutout of Castle home from the bookstore once the event is over. She also buys darts, which she throws at it every time she's mad at the real thing. He finds out while they're going through her apartment salvaging stuff after the explosion in 2x18."