Why hello there!
Anyway, onto the story, which I had a stroke of inspiration for a couple of nights ago. I was rewatching all the old episodes of Castle, like, season one, and I'm all caught up on this season (which I shouldn't be, living in Australia, where season three hasn't even started yet. But let's not talk about that) and I thought that I'd try my hand at my very first Castle fan fiction. This chapter is the shortest that I've written so far, but it's just an introductory passage. Chapter two is a little bit longer, and then chapter three is quite long. And I am really, really liking where this is going, so I should be able to finish it for you, not leave it for long periods of time like my other ones because I got the dreaded block. Anyway, enough about me, on to the story!

A/N: I have never been to New York City, so excuse me if I get some details wrong.
Disclaimer: If the events in this story had actually happened in the TV Series, do you really think I'd be writing about them?

Detective Kate Beckett stirred groggily as she heard the distant sound of her phone ringing. She opened her eyes and turned to look at the clock radio that was positioned on the dressing table on the opposite side of the room. Six in the morning? Sighing, she answered the phone.

"Beckett," she said, yawning.

"Homicide, corner of Fifth and Lex."

"I'm on my way, sir," she told Captain Montgomery, lifting herself out of the bed. "Bye."

Crime writer Richard Castle had had a stroke of inspiration for his next novel sometime around midnight, and, having woken up straight away, almost ran to his laptop and started typing. At about five past six, his phone rang. Normally, when into his writing like he was now, he would have just let it go to voicemail, but he knew that the only person that would be ringing at six in the morning would be Beckett, and she would have a dead body somewhere. He picked up his phone.

"Castle," he answered, closing the lid to his laptop and getting his coat.

"Stop sounding so awake, it's annoying," Beckett groaned. "Fifth and Lex, soon as you can. Don't do anything until I get there."

"Understood," he said, then hung up the phone. He was out the door a second later.

Ten minutes later, holding two scolding cups of coffee from the nearest cafe, Castle stood with Detectives Ryan and Esposito, and Lanie, the coroner. "Where's Beckett?" he asked, anxiously looking around. He knew that she should have been here by now, the scene being only a five minute drive from where she currently lived. It wasn't right for her to be late like this, and not tell them.

"What do you got, Lanie?" Esposito asked, evidently sick of waiting.

"Single gunshot wound to the chest, died instantly," she said. "Standard run of the mill murder. I'd still like to have the body taken back to the lab, so I can look for anything out of the ordinary."

"Okay," Ryan said. "Any ID on him?"

"None that I can find," Lanie shrugged. "Sorry guys."

"It's okay, have CSU canvas the area, see if they can find anything."

Castle stayed away from the body. Beckett had told him on the phone not to do anything until she got there – and by now, he'd learned to do exactly as she said. Well, that, and he was fairly sure that there was something wrong with Beckett. He put the cups of coffee on the top of his car and pulled out his phone, dialling his partner's number.

"Beckett," came the voice on the other end.

"Hey, Beckett, where are you? We've been waiting for fifteen minutes!"

"Oh, sorry, Rick, got held up in traffic. I'll be there soon."

"Yeah, okay," Castle nodded, before hanging up the phone.

"Something wrong?" Esposito asked, leaning against the car. "Where's Beckett?"

"Guys... I think Beckett's been kidnapped.