Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. I don't make a profit from Castle. I just get wish I did.

A/N: This is going to be a collection of one-shots of Caskett and their family and friends. Only they don't all know that their is a Caskett. Well, now they do. Some stories may fit in canon, others won't. These won't follow any specific timeline or be in the same universe. I'll add new chapters whenever the mood or inspiration strikes. Right now I have a whole list of possibilities with a wide variety of characters and situations. It should be a fun ride if you wish to join me. I'm always willing to take suggestions if you have something you'd like to see as well.

This first one takes place the morning after Always. The boys are concerned for Beckett's safety and come to the one person who is more invested in her well-being than they themselves are.

Castle woke slowly, a warm weight against his side anchoring him down to the bed. Blinking his eyes open against the harsh light from the curtains that hadn't been closed the night before, he looked down at the head of brunette hair that was spread over his chest.

Beckett. So it hadn't all been a dream afterall. She really had decided that she wanted him.

He tightened the arm that was around her waist and pressed his lips to the top of her head, smiling as she grumbled sleepily and smacked her lips together against his chest.

"Kate" he whispered, pressing another kiss to her hair.

She shifted against him, tilting her head up to meet his lips in a kiss as she groggily opened her eyes.

"Morning" she murmured, giving him a shy smile.

"Morning" he echoed, claiming her lips again. She wasn't hiding from him, from them. He was elated.

They shifted, rolling so that they were both on their sides, facing each other. Grinning at each other and sharing sweet, morning kisses, just reveling in being together.

"Richard" A voice rang out from the other side of the door.

Beckett squeaked in surprise, pulling the comforter up to ensure that she was completely covered and Castle's eyes widened in shock. His mother wasn't even supposed to be in the city, let alone in his loft.

"Um, I'm not dressed Mother don't come in." he called back, wrapping an arm around Kate as if she would run away from him. Understanding his fear, she rolled her eyes at him, but didn't pull away from his embrace, instead, kissed his jaw, nipping it lightly with her teeth.

"Detectives Ryan and Esposito are here. They want to talk to you." She called back before the couple could hear her footsteps moving away from the door again.

"Ryan and Esposito?" he asked in confusion. How could they not have heard the boys arrive? They'd never hear the end of it if anyone knew they were so caught up in staring at each other that they hadn't heard the guys knocking at the door and his mother answering it.

"Go get rid of them, I'll wait here." Beckett told him, giving his shoulder a small shove to get him moving.

Stumbling out of bed, he remembered that he was still naked. A fact that Kate seemed to be well aware of and didn't mind at all. Finally, finding his boxers laying against the far wall, he slipped them on and grabbed his robe as well.

Turning back around, the sight of a lacey tan and black bra on the floor stopped him dead in his tracks.

Memories flooded through his mind of Beckett. Beckett in this bra, and out of it. Spinning in a circle he looked back at the bed and the woman occupying it. "Go" she said waving him out with a laugh, still covered by the sheets.

Slipping out of his bedroom and into his office, he made sure to shut the door behind him. He cringed at the sight of Beckett's boots by the doorway. At least they weren't her dead-giveaway heels. A quick glance around the room also revealed both of their shirts, hers on the couch and his flung across the desk. There's no way his mother could have missed this. She had to know that someone was here with him, the only question was if she knew who it was.

"Castle, have you talked to Beckett?" Ryan asked as soon as Castle appeared in the doorway of his office, making sure to close the door securely behind him.

"I, uh" he stuttered not really sure what to say since he and Beckett hadn't had a chance to talk about whether they were telling everyone about them yet.

"Dude, she quit last night and no one has heard from her since, not even her dad." Esposito filled in, worry filling his dark eyes.

Their concern was touching, and he really didn't want to cause the boys to worry, but Kate would kill him if he made a wrong move here and he really, really wanted more than just that one night with her. He wanted every night and every day of the rest of their lives if he were to be truthful, but that would require him not to mess up this first morning.

"Look, guys, I'm sure she's fine, I mean, she's Beckett-" he broke off abruptly at the twin looks he received from the pair of detectives backpedalling quickly.

"Man, if you know something you need to tell us."

"Guys, really I-" he starts again but is cut off by his mother appearing from the kitchen.

"What's this I hear about Katherine being missing?" she asks, leveling him with a knowing look.

He gulps audibly. Crap, his mother may know more than he gives her credit for. Beckett is going to murder him.

"She quit the precinct last night and no one has been able to get ahold of her." Ryan speaks up, explaining things to Martha. "She hasn't talked to any of us and she isn't answering her phone. We were hoping that she might have come here or at least called."

"Oh, well, I wasn't here last night. I didn't arrive home until the early hours this morning because of a phone call I got from Alexis. She's upstairs sleeping by the way Richard." His mother told him, tossing him an undecipherable glance. "Apparently she needed picked up last night and you weren't answering you're phone…"

His eyes slammed shut. Alexis had needed him? She was supposed to spend the night out with her friends having fun. She wasn't supposed to be back until this afternoon, but she had needed him and he'd been… otherwise occupied.

But he had more pressing matters. Namely, the two worried detectives staring at him, waiting for answers.

"Well, um, I didn't talk to her on the phone last night." He answered slowly. At least that was honest. He hadn't answered when she had called, after all. Oh, that's why Alexis hadn't been able to get ahold of him. He had turned his phone off after he'd declined the call from Kate.

"So you didn't talk to her at all last night?" Esposito clarified.

He couldn't help but notice his mother's smirk as she glanced towards the doorway that led to his bedroom and he prayed that she wouldn't say anything that would make this even more difficult for him.

While trying to decide how to answer Espo's question and put the guys at ease without flat out lying to him though, he nearly jumped in shock when the door he was staring at opened, and none other than Kate Beckett stepped out.

Noticing his look, the guys turned, their eyes going wide at the sight of their boss wearing one of Castle's white dress shirts and presumably nothing else, emerging from his bedroom early in the morning.

"B-Beckett?" Ryan stuttered, staring at her in amazement.

"I'm fine guys, leave Castle alone." She answered nonchalantly as if this were an everyday occurrence and they were just standing in the break room of the precinct.

"You knew she was here the whole time and you didn't tell us?" Esposito asked, turning to level a glare on the writer who is still staring dumbfounded at the sight of Kate in his shirt.

"Well, I, uh"

"Relax boys. We hadn't even had time to discuss what exactly was going on here before you came barging in, it's not his fault." Once again Beckett came to his rescue.

"You're sure you're alright?" Espo asks, turning back to her once more, his gaze softening.

"I'm fine Javi, really." She reassured the Hispanic detective, before turning her gaze to Ryan, including him in her statement as well. Glad to see the pair acting like a team again, even if it is just out of concern for her safety.

"Right, well then, I guess we should, uh, go, um-" Ryan spoke up, turning towards the door as if unsure of what to do.

"Thanks guys, you're the best partners I could have asked for," she spoke, turning to include Castle, "I'll call you and we can all get together later at the Old Haunt alright?" she asks.

"Yeah that sounds good." Ryan agrees seeming relieved, Esposito nodding his agreement as well.

Castle ushers the detectives to the door and bids them goodbye.

Turning back, he finds that it's now just himself and Kate… and his mother.

"It's about damn time." The woman says with a grin looking from her son to Beckett, causing them both to let out a breath of relief.

"Your daughter is upstairs sleeping off a hangover. She should be out for a few more hours, and then you can talk to her. I shall make myself scarce." The woman says, grabbing her handbag and following the direction the men had taken out the door of the loft.

Now alone, Castle turns to Beckett.

"My daughter, my 18 year old daughter is hung over."

She bites her lip as she looks at him from across the room before slowly nodding her head.

"This is so not how I imagined this morning" he huffs, but looks up in surprise as Kate's laughter rings out.

"Oh, come on Castle. I'd be more concerned if our first morning turned out to be normal. Now come on, let me help cheer you up." She says, grinning at him impishly and bringing her hands to the buttons on the shirt.

Starting at the top she begins to unbutton the shirt as she turns away from him.

It takes less than two seconds for Castle to follow after her.

She's dropping the shirt at the doorway to his bedroom as he catches up to her.

Yeah, they may not be normal, but who wants normal anyways?