Hey everyone.

Not going to lie or beat around the bush, it has been a very long time since I've had the time or motivation to write. I must thank BamfCaskett for the kick back into gear in the form of a review. I am very very sorry that you've all had to wait so long to hear from me. So that review, along with a uni break, have lead to this. I will try and write more soon, now that I have begun to make time to write.

Now, last time there was a fight scene, someone told me in a review that it was a bit much for them. So, just as a pre warning, there is a few paragraphs here that may make someone who really dislikes violence a bit uncomfortable. Also, a reminder to everyone that this fic is rated M for a reason!

Well, with that, hopefully you all enjoy it, and thank you for the patience at the huge gap in time! As usual, reviews are most welcome.

Happy reading, all my love x

"I know we're not together anymore, but I just..."

She trailed off, taking another sip of wine. In the background, I saw a now fully dressed Castle move back into the kitchen and continue cooking.

"I just didn't realise how much I missed him, that's all," she continued, showing no signs of noticing Castle.

"Do you want to get back together with him Lanie? I mean, unless you tell him he can't know that he's upsetting you," I said softly, scooting closer to her.

"I don't know, I mean we broke up because we both wanted different things. We couldn't work out what we wanted for our futures." She looked up to me, and the sadness in her eyes almost broke my heart.

"Lanie, you and Esposito are good together. You can't deny that, right?" She nodded, taking a sip of her wine and avoiding my gaze. "You can't avoid a relationship because of the possibility of things that might happen in the future. You have to take things a day at a time."

I saw a small smirk twitch at the edge of her lip, and I laughed.

"I know how hypocritical this all sounds, given the fact it's taken me so long to get past all of my issues and make the right choice and the move. But in the end, it was the right choice. It still is." I looked over her shoulder at Castle, who was pouring out pasta and sauce with a glowing smile on his face.

Lanie rolled her eyes and laughed. "Girl, you're getting soft on me," she said softly, a hint of her usual sass and cheek back in her voice and her eyes.

"But seriously Lanie, speaking as your best friend, I think that you should at least give it another chance. You obviously still care about him if seeing him with someone else upset you. Speak to him," I implored, pausing to take a sip of my wine.

Over her shoulder, I saw Castle pull his phone out of his pocket and check it. His brow furrowed and he pressed a few buttons before putting it away again. He finished dishing up the pasta and grabbed his jacket.

"I'll be back soon Kate," he said softly, smiling at Lanie and slipping out of the door before I could question him further.

I blinked, not quite understanding where he was going. I turned back to Lanie, who simply shrugged.

"Men," she said with a slight hint of venom, before finishing her glass off. I dashed off to my room to get properly dressed, and upon returning topped up her glass and sat down on the couch with her. I tried my best to take her mind off of Esposito, but I could tell by her distracted movements and the way her gaze wouldn't quite meet mine that she was still bothered by it.

Several glasses of wine later, she excused herself to go to the bathroom. As I waited, I felt my phone vibrate on the couch beside me. I opened the message from Castle.

I'm at the bar down the road. Ryan messaged me because Esposito's hammered and upset about Lanie. Turns out it was his ex girlfriend from a few years back and they're not together. Esposito practically loves Lanie, and he's drowning his sorrows. Get Lanie here, and we'll get them together somehow.

Rick

I suppressed a groan. They've been practically dancing around each other, shunning their feelings to the side the whole time. It was practically the same situation that I had put myself and Castle in. Except this time, I was determined to help them get their relationship sorted out.

I jumped up and practically ran to the kitchen, so that when Lanie returned from the bathroom I was ready.

"Right, get this in you, then we're hitting the bar for a girl's night out," I said, pouring her a shot of tequila, knowing that it got her in a dancing mood.

She laughed, and shook her head. "If I hurt in the morning, I'm blaming you."

A few shots later we headed out, and I hoped that Castle and Ryan knew what they were doing. Lanie seemed happier, and I knew that the alcohol was beginning to take effect.

We took three steps in the door and Lanie stopped dead in her tracks. Esposito was in the corner booth, leaning heavily against the wall. Ryan was next to him, and I saw a tiny bit of the top of Castle's head over the chair. Esposito paled when he saw Lanie in the doorway.

"Nu-uh. I'm not doing this. Not tonight," she said quietly, tugging on my arm to try and turn me around. I steered her into a booth on the other side instead, where she collapsed into my side, trying to do her best to hide herself away.

"Look Lanie, I'm sure there's an explanation, and if you're this upset about it you have to talk it out or it's really going to mess with you both. I know that you still care for him, and from everything I've heard from him, he's still got feelings for you too. Now stop fretting and just talk to him."

I finished talking, and she looked up at me, worry in her eyes.

"Kate, he was with someone else today, that means he doesn't have feelings for me at all, so what's the use?" She sat back against the booth, and before I could try to think of a reply, Esposito appeared at the side of our booth.

"Hey Beckett, Lanie," he said, his words slightly slurred. His eyes were riveted to Lanie, and she avoided his gaze.

"Look, Lanie...Can I have a quick word with you?" He said, his voice low and somber. I looked to Lanie, who hesitated before nodding to me. I squeezed her arm before sliding out of the seat to leave Lanie with him.

I headed over to where Castle and Ryan were watching apprehensively.

"What the hell?" I said quietly, looking over to where Esposito had seated himself across the booth from Lanie and was speaking earnestly.

"I don't know." Castle said, also watching the pair closely. "I got a text from Ryan asking me for help because Esposito was getting really drunk and he was going to need help getting him home."

I looked to Ryan, whose furrowed brow betrayed his concern for his partner. He looked at me, nodding in agreement to Castle's story.

"I came out with him, and I could tell something was off from the start. Turns out that he was out today when an old ex girlfriend of his came and started talking to him. He was with her when he saw Lanie."

Here I nodded, because his story lined up perfectly with Lanie's. Ryan continued.

"He explained the look of shock on her face, and that he instantly knew she'd assumed the wrong thing. He also realised that if she was worried about him being with another girl, then they still had a chance, but he just didn't know how to overcome their issues."

"Hence the drinking." Castle said quietly. I nodded, frowning over at the pair. Esposito was leaning over the table between them, gesturing furiously with his hands. I could hear Lanie's arguments getting louder and louder.

"I wish they'd stop fighting each other," I said slightly miserably, watching as Lanie stood up, almost yelling now. I felt Castle's arm slip around me, pressing his fingers into my hip affectionately.

We could hear snippets of their argument now.

"Well what am I supposed to think? You had your hand on her back, she was looking at you all doe-eyed, I don't know what you expected me to think!" Lanie said with venom. She managed to keep her face angry, but I could hear the jealousy in her voice.

"You're not supposed to think anything if you don't care!" Esposito countered, stood up so that he was no longer looking up at her.

She simply huffed and looked away.

"Well if that upsets you so much Lanie, then I'd say that you still have some kind of feelings for me," Esposito said angrily. Lanie simply shook her head, folding her arms across her chest.

Then as we watched, all the anger seemed to fall from his body.

"Why are we arguing about this Lanie? We used to be so good together, what the hell happened?" I could read the hurt in his face even from the distance we were away from them.

"We couldn't decide what we wanted. That's what happened," Lanie muttered quietly, and I found myself pleading to them under my breath.

"Lanie, just be honest for a moment. You still like me, regardless of our disagreements over the future. Please, Lanie," he pleaded, so softly that I almost couldn't hear it.

Finally, she nodded her agreement.

He lunged for her within seconds, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her face in for a kiss. She floundered for a moment, before pushing him back.

"But that girl today..." She began, but he silenced her with a quick kiss.

"She was an old ex girlfriend from the academy. One I haven't seen in years. She's married with three children-"

He couldn't finish his sentence as Lanie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as if her life depended on it.

I felt the tears well up in my eyes, so I blinked them away fiercely, aware of the tight grip Castle had on my waist. I looked up at him to find him positively beaming. He ducked down and gave me a quick kiss, after muttering "mission accomplished."

I laughed, looking over to see Ryan watching the pair with a similar grin of satisfaction on his face.

We all clapped and cheered, and the couple stopped kissing, looking over to us slightly sheepishly. They came over to the bar and we got drinks in celebration. Ryan called Jenny and invited her to come.

"You lot," Lanie said after a while, narrowing her eyes and pointing at Castle, Ryan and myself, "you planned this all along didn't you? And you, you cheeky woman, girl's night...sure, right!" She said with a laugh, pushing me gently on the shoulder.

Castle looked vaguely sheepish, but I merely raised my eyebrows and nodded towards the way that she was tucked securely in Esposito's arms, and didn't look like she was moving anytime soon.

"Are you really that upset with us Lanie?" I said smugly, and she just rolled her eyes, giggling slightly and throwing a look at Esposito.

Several drinks later, the music had slowed down and the alcohol from earlier was coursing pleasantly through my body, making me buzz slightly. Lanie and Esposito were wrapped around each other on the dance floor, and Ryan and Jenny were talking to each other in soft voices and with gentle eyes.

Castle's hand trailed along the base of my spine, making me shiver slightly.

"May I have this dance, pretty lady?" He said in his mock pompous voice. I laughed and offered him my hand. He pulled me up and we headed to the centre of the floor.

I looped my arms around his neck, and he wrapped his hands around my waist. I watched him carefully, trailing my fingers through the soft hair at the base of his neck.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He said softly after a while.

I smiled, kissing him softly and sweetly, feeling my heart skip at the way we fit so perfectly together and the way his hands were so warm wrapped around my hips.

We broke apart when we finally had to breathe, and I touched my nose to his, laughing slightly at his breathlessness.

"What was that for?" He said with a smile.

I moved back, nodding towards Lanie and Esposito, who were simply holding each other, barely even swaying to the music anymore. They were so completely in a world of their own that it felt almost wrong to watch them, as though we were breaking the peace.

"Them. The fact that they denied themselves for so long, and were in so much pain for so long, that it seems ridiculous to outsiders," I paused to see if he was following, but the furrow in his brow showed he wasn't.

"It's exactly the same as us. We danced around each other for so long, getting so close it hurt, and then pulling away at the last minute. It's taken us so long, and looking at the same situation for another couple it seems so ridiculous to make such a big fuss over it."

Castle's hands pressed a little tighter around my waist, and I felt myself pulled flush against him.

"I don't care; you were worth waiting for. You're worth making a fuss over," he touched his lips to mine lightly, and then pulled me in for a hug.

I buried my face in the crook of his shoulder, inhaling the rich, familiar scent of his cologne. I pressed my lips against the skin just above his collar, just leaving tiny butterfly kisses along. My fingers were roaming through his hair and along the broad expanse of his back.

"Besides, I'd rather have waited for this," he murmured into my ear.

"For what?" I breathed back, feeling his hands drift lower along my back.

"For you to be ready. For you to be so open to me, to let me in so much. For this, I'd have waited forever," he said, his voice low and gravelly.

I pulled back to look into his eyes. They were that same, intense blue that they became when he was serious about something. They were practically glowing, and I couldn't help but smile and press my lips to his, gleefully letting him in so that our tongues were dancing together. He tasted slightly of whiskey and of Castle, and I could feel his hands tightening on my waist.

Then we heard a loud giggle behind us, so we broke apart to see Lanie and Esposito slipping away to the door with enormous smiles on their faces and eyes only for each other.

"Bye then kids, have fun!" Castle yelled playfully, and they spun around to look at us with smug grins on their faces. "Don't do anything we wouldn't do, which isn't much."

Lanie arched an eyebrow suggestively, and I blushed furiously as I realised what Castle had said. I smacked him on the shoulder, narrowing my eyes as Lanie laughed and Esposito wolf whistled.

"Oh don't worry, we'll be making up for lost time. We'll be having plenty of fun," Lanie said in a seductive voice, before dragging an awkward looking Esposito out the door.

Ryan and Jenny were laughing at the blush still tainting my cheeks as I slapped Castle again.

"Oi!" he protested, moving away from me with a wince.

"I don't need my partners knowing about my sex life," I hissed lowly, trying to hide my embarrassment. "You'll pay for that."

His gaze turned from scared to lust in about two seconds flat.

"Oh really? What, you going to spank me?" he said in a low voice, so that Ryan and Jenny couldn't hear. He grabbed me by the waist, pulling me up against him before waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Are you going to punish me, Detective Beckett?"

I raised an eyebrow, feeling the slight bulge in his pants pressing against me.

"Would you like that Rick? If I punished you?" I let my voice drop to low, seductive tones as I pressed my body against his. "I wasn't aware you had a submissive or masochistic side to you."

"I don't. I hate being submissive, but you were made to dominate me, to boss me around. You've been doing it since the day I met you. The day you first clipped those cuffs on me," Castle growled in my ear, causing a shiver to slip down my spine. His fingers tightened their grip against my flesh, pulling me tight against him.

"I've never met a woman who was so in control, who seemed to put me back in my place so effortlessly. You have no idea what that has done to fuel my imagination."

My knees turned to jelly at the sound of his voice and I felt my hips rock uncontrollably into his hips, his own arousal now straining against me. I took a deep, unsteady breath, trying to slip into my detective mode, pushing my own arousal down.

"Well then Mr. Castle," I purred, running my fingers up the lapels of his jacket, grasping hold of one and pulling him closer. "It's about time I properly put you back in your place." With that, and the low growl I could feel emanate from deep in his chest, I turned in my spot, making sure that I pushed my ass up against his crotch.

I nodded briefly to Ryan, who was once again wrapped around Jenny, who nodded in return with a smug smirk on his lips. A small smirk crossed my lips, and I stalked out of the bar, one hand sliding down and grasping Castle's wrist, practically dragging him behind me.

I heard a sharp exhale behind me, and a brief mutter that may have been a curse. I stifled a laugh, stepping out into the fresh air and watching for a cab.

As we stood waiting, I could feel Castle's breath on the back of my neck, and I turned around to meet his gaze. I ran a thumb over the corner of his mouth, and was about to lean in and meet them with my own, when a sudden movement in the alley behind him caught my attention.

I frowned and stepped past him, seeing two people tussling in the shadows. The sound of raised men's voices reached my ears, and I started moving towards them the moment I saw the first punch fly.

As I reached them, I saw the situation more clearly. The taller of the two men had the other pinned to the wall and was punching him freely, taking no pity at all. The other was yelling and crying out.

"Stop, NYPD," I yelled, wishing I had thought to bring my gun with me. The attacker turned to face me for a moment before spinning and fleeing down the other end of the alleyway.

"Damn it," I breathed before beginning to pursue him. I reached where the alley ended and branched off into two streets behind the pub. By the time I had reached it, the man had disappeared into thin air, and I knew there was not much point chasing shadows.

I turned and jogged back up to where Castle was helping the beaten man to his feet. He spat out a mouthful of blood, swearing. Castle and I helped him back into the light out the front of the pub.

I was beginning to ask him if he was okay, and the words died on my lips as the light fell across his distinct features.

Though he was bloody and beaten, there was no doubt that Castle and I were helping Duncan Reed, our current suspect.

All of the control and dominance that Duncan Reed had exuded in the interrogation room had disappeared. His normally slick silver hair had fallen in his face, which was covered in blood, his hooked nose looking decidedly broken.

His suit was rumpled where the assailant had obviously grasped the front of it, and his white shirt was stained with the blood dripping from his lip and nose. His composure was gone, and in its absence he seemed wild, bordering on hysterical.

"Mr. Reed," I said, the surprise evident in my voice. "What happened? Do you know who that was?"

He pulled his arm out of my grasp where I had been helping him walk, looking at me with barely controlled rage.

"Of course I know who the bastard was," he spat, his black eyes glittering dangerously. "He told me at the start of the night, before he started accusing me of murder. I tell you right now that I will most definitely be pressing charges too!"

"Who accused you?" Castle said, stepping back from the man who was now bristling with anger.

"Louise Turnpike's father," Reed said angrily, "came in here, where I normally get a few drinks and started pointing the finger and blaming me for Maria's death. I don't know where he got his information from, but he's barking up the wrong bloody tree."

I opened my mouth, trying to think of something to say, but nothing would come out. I couldn't help but think that if Louise had told her father of her suspicions, I didn't really blame him for the way that he had acted.

A brief glance at Castle's face told me that he was thinking the same kind of thoughts, but another look at Reed's face told me that we wouldn't be able to get away without bringing the father in and charging him with assault.

"Well Mr. Reed, why don't we get you to a hospital and get that nose looked at, and tomorrow morning you can come down to the station to see me and I'll bring him in for questioning," I said, desperately not wanting to go in to work at this hour of night.

He narrowed his eyes at me, then sighed.

"Fine. But I will be in first thing. He will not get away with this," he hissed, striding away from us to a sleek black car that he sped away in.

I turned to Castle, mouth hanging open in shock and puzzlement.

"So not where I saw this case going," he said, mirroring my expression of surprise.

"Me neither," I said, shaking myself slightly and heading back towards the road to see if we could get a cab.

"Great," I muttered, sliding into the back of a cab a few minutes later. "Now I have to deal with Reed being all indignant and victimized tomorrow, when really, if he did it, he deserved it."

Castle made a brief sound of agreement.

"Not to mention it was a hell of a mood killer," he said solemnly, making me laugh. He smiled, knowing he had achieved exactly what he wanted - making me dismiss Reed and Louise's father as a problem for tomorrow, one that could wait.

I smiled at him. This was why he was so good for me. He knew exactly how to extract me from a case and bring me back to life outside work. It was something I was not very good at, but he was good at being distracting when I needed it.

I slipped my hand into his and we sat in a comfortable silence until we arrived back at my apartment.

We reheated the pasta he had made earlier, making casual small talk and banter as per usual. The only difference from our usual interactions was that we touched each other at every opportunity, whether it was a small brush of fingers when passing the salt, or running a hand over the other's shoulder. It was intimate, and comfortable. I loved it.

Before we knew it, the clock was hitting eleven, and I stifled a yawn. Castle grinned, and took my hand.

"Come on you, time for bed I think," he said, leading me to the bathroom.

I smiled, and we went about our usual nightly routine. He ran his hand over my ass as I bent over to spit out my toothpaste, and I had to stifle a moan as my earlier arousal sprung back to life.

I turned around and met his lips hungrily, tasting the freshness of his toothpaste along with mine.

But then, he was pulling away, pressing more chaste kisses to my lips.

"It can wait. We're exhausted, and we have to deal with that creep Reed tomorrow," he said gently, and I felt the fatigue underneath my arousal. I knew he was right, but my body didn't want to listen to reason.

"Mmh, I suppose," I said, kissing him again before heading back to the bedroom. I stripped off my clothes, knowing he was watching my every move. I could feel his gaze on me like a physical touch, but I knew that there was truth behind his words.

So after unclipping my bra and slipping off my panties, I jumped into bed, looking up at him expectantly.

He swallowed briefly, before undressing, flicking off the light and climbing in beside me.

I rolled onto my side, grasping his hand and pulling it up to rest under my breast so that he was wrapped around me. Tangling our legs together, I smiled as he pressed a few random kisses to my neck and hair.

"Night," I murmured, feeling sleep coming more rapidly than I had been expecting.

"Night Kate," he replied softly, pressing a final kiss to my hair.

I woke suddenly a while later, feeling a light sheen of sweat covering my bare skin. My heart was racing, my breath coming fast. I had been dreaming about Castle, and the dirty things he had been doing to me in the dream had woken me in a state of frenzied arousal.

I looked at the clock. Not yet three o'clock. I rolled over in Castle's arms to look at him sleeping peacefully. I almost felt too bad to wake him until another throb of arousal shot through my core.

I flicked the sheets over until I could reach his crotch. Gently, I traced my fingers along the length of it, my heart pounding in my ears. After a few minutes of increasing pressure and attention, he grew firm under my touch.

He was gasping slightly, clearly not quite awake yet. I smirked at a particularly loud groan, wondering what he was dreaming about. Finally, I could wait no longer.

I grasped him a little harder, and swung my leg over him so I was straddling his hips. I slid myself along his length, gasping at the contact with my hot, slick core. Then, with a groan, he woke up properly.

"Kate, what..." he mumbled, reaching up to grasp my hips, which were rocking against him uncontrollably now.

"It couldn't wait," I breathed shakily, grasping him and moving over him. "I couldn't wait," and before he had a chance to respond, I was guiding him to my entrance and sinking down on him.

I let out a short sharp gasp at the sensation of him filling me, and moved my hand so that I could grasp his shoulder and the bed for support. Then, as soon as I could manage, I began rocking against him.

His fingers bit into my hips and he sat up, sinking himself deeper in me. I lost my rhythm for a moment, faltering with a cry on my lips. Then I picked it up, rolling my hips against him. I angled my hips slightly and with a low moan found that I could grind my clit against his pelvic bone.

The angle was perfect, the rocking of his hips was causing him to press against that spot deep inside me that made me shudder, and the movement was causing the most delicious friction against my clit. He continued to grip my hips, but rather than guide my movements, he just assisted them, letting me control the speed and movement.

The slow burn that was building in intensity was beginning to take over. My gasps were falling sharply from my lips, and I felt my back arching and my eyes falling shut.

Then I felt Castle's hot breath on my breasts, and then his lips were closing around a nipple. I moaned at the sensation, opening my eyes to find that the arching of my back had given him direct access to my chest.

I continued to grind against him, my actions becoming more frenzied as I felt myself nearing the edge. Everything was just so right, so perfect. My rocking motions began to lose their rhythm, my gasping and whimpering almost constant.

He continued his exploration of my nipples, taking the time to run his tongue along my neck to suck at the soft spot just under my ear.

I dug my nails into his back, running one hand up to entwine in his hair as my pace became almost desperate. I was getting so close.

Then, he nipped my earlobe and spoke for the first time since waking.

"Come, Kate."

I tumbled over the edge at the sound of his husky voice, rough from sleep and arousal. A strangled cry left my mouth as my movements became more disjointed. I felt Castle's hands on my hips, which up until this point had only been assisting, start to guide my hips in their motions, continuing to grind against him and draw it out.

It rocked through me, the pleasure crashing over me as I gasped for breath, crying out as the intense tremors racked my body.

I felt him go rigid against me, his hips jerking into mine as he came too, growling deep in his chest with pleasure. I felt myself go limp, falling against him slightly as I trembled, feeling the sweat on my skin and the way I was clenching around him with the aftershocks.

He let out a low groan and took a deep, shaky breath. Then, he lay back, taking me with him. I let out a cry as he slid out of me, a shudder rippling through my body.

We lay for what seemed like hours, gasping and trying to regain our breath. My legs felt like jelly, and I could feel sleep start to pull me under.

"Better?" Castle asked, his voice sounding ever so slightly amused.

I hummed contentedly, turning into his body so I could tuck myself under his chin. His arm came up to circle my shoulders protectively.

"Yep." I said sleepily, letting my eyes close, feeling my body hum with post coital bliss before sleep finally overcame me.