Juxtaposes events from before and after. Takes place from anniversary of season 3 with a lot of liberties. Somethings never happened. Non-Canon, of course, but the characters take control of the keyboard from time-to-time and voice their own opinions on stuff - especially Lanie and Alexis.

I have no idea where this will end up. The hit ratio determines updates or deletes. No threat just reality. Tempus fugit.

Then and Now by Oldest Man
Prologue and Chapter 1

May 2014
Pre-Trial Conference
Law Offices of Davis, Jennings and Turner
Monday 9am

"Petitioner, my client wishes to expedite the dissolution of this marriage and agrees to all stipulations as set forth in the filed Petition for Divorce with one minor exception which I'll cover in a moment."

Her lawyer started to say something but his lawyer simply steamrolled over him by slightly raising her voice and directing a glare at the Petitioner.

"My client has liquidated all his assets earned or purchased from the date of his marriage in 2011, and has submitted records to an independent forensic accounting firm that has stipulated that the amounts gained through liquidation and earnings are, in fact, fairly and accurately represented in these", and she opened a leather folder and slid a copy of the Auditor's Report to her lawyer, "documents."

"The amounts earned are shown on lines 3 through 17 and Appendix A lists the sources and dates of said earnings."

Appendix B lists the dates of acquisition and sale of tangible assets from the date of marriage, the original purchase price and the sale price.

Her attorney took the opportunity to interrupt. "Petitioner's entitlements are – "

"IF – I may continue? The total, after taxes, is $37 million dollars. In addition, he gives clear title to the Loft, the deed to, and description of which are in Appendix C and to the house in Easthampton, the deed to, and description of which are in Appendix D."

She started to say that she didn't want the loft or the Hamptons house but again, his attorney simply ignored her interruption and if anything, glared even more contemptuously while her voice hardened.

"Additionally, to further expedite the dissolution, my client has, over our professional objections I might add, prepared this cashier's check," and she again opened the leather folder and removed a photocopy of the check and presented it to the opposing counsel whose eyes glazed over at the thought of his fee, "as settlement."

His attorney looked at the petitioner, the glare never wavering. "My client has given you every single penny he earned during the period of your" and here she snorted in contempt, "marriage, as well as the loft and the house. I have here a Cashiers Check for the amount shown on line 18 of the Auditor's Report."

Her attorney started to say something but she interrupted him herself.

"I don't want the damned house. I don't want the damned loft. I don't want the damned money, either. I didn't intend for any of this to happen. I just wanted to get his attention. Can't you understand? He won't talk to me. He won't answer calls, voicemails, emails, he won't - he won't talk about it."

His attorney almost smiled. She reached over and snatched the copy of the Cashier's Check and the Auditor's Report from Petitioner's attorney.

Her attorney finally spoke. "Take the money. You've earned every penny of it. Take the properties. He obviously is harboring feelings of guilt for what he did – "

His attorney again cut off hers, earning her a glare from opposing counsel. She didn't care one wit what the douche bag wanted to say. This was her show to run and run it she would.

"Let us address the single stipulation that my client disputes and refutes and finds to be an exception: that he abandoned Petitioner."

"HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! None of this is his fault. He tried to explain – but I wouldn't let him and I told him to get out, that I never wanted to see him ever again. This is my fault. This divorce is my fault. I broke our vows, not him. I'm to blame."

His attorney was turning mental cartwheels. Respect for the man sitting beside her increased 10-fold. He'd told her exactly what had happened and exactly how she would react and he'd been spot on.

"Petitioner, none of that matters now. It's no longer a question of blame. My client simply wants you to stipulate that he did not abandon you as you state in your Petition for Dissolution. Oh, and that you immediately petition the court to legally revert to your maiden name. Under the circumstances, my client feels that it's only right."

"Rick! Don't you have anything to say? Are you going to let this – this – "

He hadn't said one word since she and her attorney had entered the conference room. He never looked at her or her attorney. He hadn't taken his eyes off a painting on the opposite wall of the room. His face was hard and his lips were compressed in a thin bloodless line. He looked haggard, careworn and tired.

"Are we finished here?" His voice was hard, cold, indifferent, and his attorney, Shelby Turner, wondered what had happened to the warm and gentle man she'd first met the year prior.

"Rick! Please – " Kate stopped when Castle stood, and in doing so uncovered something that his folded hands had hidden during the brief meeting. It was his wedding band.

"Give her the damned check, Shelby, and be done with it. This has dragged on long enough." He walked out, never acknowledging any of the participants but did nod at the stenographer who had taken down the proceedings as dictated by convention and prudence.

Shelby Turner was a good lawyer, an excellent lawyer, and had handled more than 30 high-profile celebrity divorce cases in the five years she'd been with the firm.

She'd never become personally involved in one before. She'd never wanted to slap some sense into the two warring parties and say "Stop! This is wrong! Don't do this!" before.

There was a first time for everything.

"I hope you're satisfied, Mrs. Castle. Oh, here. You can add it to the chain around your neck." She pushed the discarded wedding band across the table towards Kate using the Cashier's Check instead of a finger. She didn't want to touch it.

"We're done here. Justice has been served. Shelby, it was nice seeing you again. Mrs. Castle. I'll file the necessary petition and forms with the Court and the Decree will be issued before the end of the business day. You'll officially be Katherine Beckett again. Congratulations and – "

"Congratulations? You – you asshole!" Kate picked up the check and wedding band and walked out of the conference room.

She had to get back to work.

12th Precinct
Homicide Squad Bay

Esposito and Ryan were both at their desks but didn't acknowledge Kate's return although they both sensed she was back.

Neither detective had reason to speak with her until she spoke first. It had become an unwritten rule in the Squad since she'd filed for the divorce. "Thou shall not speak unless spoken to."

Kate sat at her desk and unhooked her necklace and threaded both his and her wedding bands onto it and then refastened it. The necklace didn't comfort her as it did in the past. If anything, the additional weight irritated her.

Her desk phone rang and she answered "Castle" and cringed. Tomorrow she would answer 'Beckett'.

"Kate, it's Lanie. Why are you at work and why is your cell phone turned off? I figured you'd be out celebrating." Kate winced at the sarcasm the last sentence carried.

"I'm at work because it's my job. My cell phone was off because they frown on interruptions when you're ending a marriage. They like it to go nice and smooth and in keeping with their game plan. As for celebrating? I have nothing to celebrate other than a cashier's check I don't deserve and the Easthampton house and the loft I never wanted to take from him. Oh, Lanie, what have I done?"

The tears came, then the sobs, and the two men in the squad bay got up and walked out. Men can't handle tears very well but in this case the two detectives left rather than show that they actually enjoyed her misery.

Three Years Prior

Castle walked into the Squad Room and smiled a 'good morning' to Esposito and Ryan. Both were on the phone but nodded or grinned in response.

"Good morning, Detective Beckett." He set her coffee near her arm and took a deep draught of his before leaning back and glancing at her.

Roy Montgomery was on a 2-week vacation and Kate had to pick up the slack on reports and bureaucratic bull in his absence. She was deep in the bowels of a Manning Report and barely acknowledged Castle although she did gently move her hand around until it encountered the coffee in its usual place.

"Thanks," she said absently and went back to the report, trying to remember what value went in what field and what some of the abbreviations meant.

"Do you know what day today is, Beckett?"

"Friday. Yesterday was Thursday so today is Friday." She wished he'd just shut up for 5 minutes and let her finish this damned report.

"It's our anniversary. I've been shadowing you for three years."

"Well, don't plan a surprise party or anything. Josh and I have plans for the weekend. Going away." She didn't look up from her paperwork and her tone signaled her indifference.

"I had no such intentions – " but Beckett interrupted him.

"Good, because I have to finish up this damned report. I can't imagine a good reason why you have to be here Castle." She meant this morning since he knew she was going to be swamped in paperwork and they had no cases active for once.

"I've been sitting here trying to come up with a good reason myself."

"Well, great minds travel in the same direction. I've wondered that for a long time and haven't come up with a good reason yet either." She was trying to be funny but was still involved in finishing up the report.

She would have gotten a lesser reaction if she'd slapped him. Her tone of voice, the indifference, really hurt him and he schooled his features and glanced over at Esposito and Ryan hoping neither of them was listening or could see the effect her comment had on him.

They had but didn't show it. They'd been listening and Ryan had seen the look on Castle's face and whispered to Javier, "$20 bucks says he sucks it up and sits. He's so whipped it's pathetic," to which Esposito replied, "He's had it with her. I'll take your money."

Castle drained his coffee and stood up. "Good bye, Detective." He walked quickly away.

"Yeah, Castle. Bye. See ya Monday." She worked on her report, indifferent to his departure. He bored easily and his watching her work creeped her out after a while. And then when she commented on it, he would start touching things on her desk, moving things around. She didn't have time for it today.

12th Precinct
Squad Room
Monday 9:30am

She looked at her dad's watch for the 10th time since 9 o'clock and sighed. On the one day she could really use her zany partner he decides to be a no-show.

She walked in and got her coffee and felt like the boys were deliberately avoiding any contact with her this morning other than a routine 'Hello' when she first arrived. She pumped the expresso machine and took her wicked brew back to her desk. She needed more than expresso to take her mind off the disaster of a weekend she'd had.

A romantic weekend in the country at some B&B had been in her thoughts. His were a lot different.

Josh had shown up at her apartment dressed in a sports coat with a travel bag and train tickets to Atlantic City. While he waited, looking at his watch every few minutes, she dressed and threw overnight stuff in a bag and they left. He bitched about rushing to catch the train during the entire cab ride and made her feel like it was her fault.

While she planned on the two of them lounging around in bed, savoring each other, he planned on playing blackjack, catching a show and dinner and then getting drunk on free booze and collapsing into bed and falling instantly asleep.

While she planned on soaking in a hot tub and fooling around, he ended up puking all over the bathroom and falling asleep in the tub.

The train ride back had been tense and almost wordless. She had never been quite so angry with him and when he had the cab drop her off at her place and then continue on to his so that he could sleep and pack for a month in Haiti, she'd really gotten angry.

She was still mad Monday morning although she tried to hide it.

"Esposito, did Castle call in?"

"Nope."

"Oh, okay." The look she got from Esposito would have triggered something in her mind if she hadn't been replaying the weekend in her mind. She needed to dump Josh before she killed him. Their relationship was all about what he wanted to do and very little to do with her wants or needs.

His idea of sex was a movie, Fast and Furious, occasionally followed by Fast and Furious 2, but not all that often. Josh was great to look at and in public they looked like the perfect couple but in private, her needs and desires were a weak second. She hadn't enjoyed being screwed when she'd fantasized about being made love to.

She finished her expresso and glanced at her watch again.

"Esposito, are you sure Castle didn't call in?" He looked at her and shook his head. He'd already collected his $20 from Ryan and would be on his way to Lanie's morgue to take his name out of the pot and reclaim his money in a few minutes. Castle & Beckett – no way, not now.

Kate went back to her desk and debated calling Castle and making sure nothing was wrong with him or his family but put it off to finish another damned report. She had no idea how the Captain got anything done with all the crap he had to do that was not really related to finding murderers.

Esposito went into the break room and called Lanie at the Morgue and invited her to lunch. Actually, he wanted an excuse to bring up the pool and cancel out on it. He would rather have $500 in his pocket now than have it sit in Lanie's safe waiting for something that he knew would never happen.

Morgue
Lanie's Office

"So, Javier, you want out of the pool? Why?" She knew something was up and Esposito was known for his awesome abilities to slip out of bets just before he would have lost.

"Castle left on Friday. Said 'Goodbye, Detective' and left. He didn't come in this morning or call in either. Beckett's oblivious to what she's done and I don't see any point in letting my money sit around when I can take my best girl to Atlantic City and have a nice weekend."

"Are you asking me to go to AC with you for the weekend?" She arched one eyebrow and put a hand on her hip daring him to answer.

"Yeah, I guess I am. So, you wanna go with me?"

"Hell, yeah!" She looked around the office and then sat in Javier's lap and hung a long sweet kiss on him. "We'll both take out money out. No sense letting in stay in there when we got slots and poker games to spend it on."

Morgue

Esposito dropped her off after lunch and she called Beckett to get the dope on the 'breakup'.

"Beckett."

"How you doin'? What did he say? What did you say?"

"Doing fine, Lanie. Josh didn't say much at all this weekend. Instead of the B&B I'd imagined when he said 'romantic weekend' we ended up in Atlantic City. He had the entire weekend planned out, gamble, catch a show, drink, screw me in 11 minutes flat including foreplay, then pass out, get up the next morning, another morning's worth of 10 minute passion then off to the tables, lunch, then a quiet train-ride back to New York. He's off to Haiti or someplace else for a month. Told me when he dumped me off at my place without so much as a kiss. He's history. So, got your fix of 'Beckett does Temptation Lane'?"

Lanie paused for about 30 seconds and then almost whispered, "I meant Castle. How you handlin' him being gone and all? You do know Friday was your anniversary of sorts? The third."

"Castle? Gone? He's just – " She was confused. She'd missed something. Something important on Friday apparently.

"Oh, Kate. You're such a fool. Sit down and I'll fill you in since apparently you had your head so far up your butt that you couldn't hear what the man said and what he meant. 'Course the important part is what you said and what he heard – and what he did next."

A/N: Next, if there is a next, I will cover ancient history and modern times. Alexis appears as a catalyst in both but sadly, while Martha is in the historical rendering, she's gone to the big theater in the sky in modern times.