AN: So I have this set sometime after Knockdown and before Knockout and I realize that wasn't exactly summer and summer is what they spend apart after she gets shot, but humor me for the purpose of this fic and pretend like summer came sooner. Also I definitely got this story idea from an old SVU fic called "Ropes." Props go to MaddyM, wherever she is these days, for inspiring me.

Months. It had been months. And yet she still couldn't stop thinking about him and that kiss. She had become increasingly flirty with him over the weeks that had followed without even realizing it. She didn't know why she was doing it. Why she was suddenly going down this road she had almost taken last summer when he had invited her to go to the Hamptons with him. Especially when she was already in a steady relationship.

But the way he had kissed her had left her wanting more. Wanting things she shouldn't be wanting from him. This was Castle, for Christ's sake. She shouldn't be wanting anything from him. She shouldn't still be hung up on that goddamn kiss months after it had happened. But here she is, attempting to read a case file, as her mind wonders back to the thought of his lips and tongue.

She needs to stop.

"Can I get everyone's attention for a moment?" Montgomery asks, walking out of his office and into the squad room. "I just got word from the Commissioner that the entire NYPD will be undergoing some team building exercises over the course of the next few weeks."

A collective groan echoes around the room.

"I know, I know, but it involves some paid vacation time," he tells them, trying his best to sound hopeful. "Next weekend, our squad will be heading upstate to participate in a ropes course that is supposed to help strengthen our unity as a team and between partners."

"Our whole squad?" Ryan asks in disbelief. "What about our cases?"

"Another precinct will be handling our cases for the weekend and we will be returning the favor when they get sent out to the course."

"Seems like more trouble than it's worth," Beckett mumbles, continuing to stare down at the file she had been reading.

"I know it's a hassle," Montgomery starts. "But the head honchos believe this could be some good press and so it's happening. I'll e-mail out the course details to everyone later today."

The squad turns their attention back to their tasks at hand, still muttering about the team building. Montgomery makes his way over to Beckett.

"Beckett?"

She looks up from the file.

"I've received special permission for Castle to attend the course with us."

Her eyes widen. "Wait, what? Why?"

Oh no. Do not stick her with him for a weekend of bonding activities. That's not going to end well. Disaster. That's how that's going to end.

"This course requires a partner and he's yours."

He's yours. Her partner. Castle was her partner. That had become increasingly clear in the past couple of months. He didn't just follow her around like a lost puppy anymore. He actually helped, actually managed to save her life a couple of times. But did that make him an integral part of the team that needed to participate in team building? Castle. Her partner.

"Sir –" she starts, hoping that she can get herself out of it.

"I'm not arguing with you on this one, Beckett. Castle's coming. I've already informed him and he's rescheduled a meeting with his editor to come with us."

"Exactly. His editor. He's a writer, not a cop."

"It's not police training or anything. He'll be fine," Montgomery says over his shoulder as he heads back to his office.

Beckett sighs, turning back to her file. This is going to be a long weekend.

"I'd like to welcome you all to Greek Peak Mountain Resort," a tall man with muscular arms greets them when they arrive at the camp. "My name is Jared Meyers and I'm the director of this course. I'm very excited to have this special partnership with the NYPD this summer."

"I can't believe you actually agreed to come to this," Beckett whispers as Jared keeps talking.

"Well as your partner, I'm required to have your back," Castle grins, already enjoying this way too much. "And besides, it sounded like it could be fun."

"I think you and I have different definitions of fun."

"So I'll go ahead and let everyone get settled into their rooms before we begin our first activity," Jared continues. "Room assignments are organized by partners to further enhance the bonding."

"Oh great, I get to listen to you snore all weekend," Esposito groans, shooting Ryan a look.

"Hey, Jenny bought me these new nasal strips and she says they really help," Ryan protests.

Esposito shakes his head.

"Excuse me," Kate starts, trying to get Jared's attention. "Do even co-ed partners have to share rooms?"

The man nods, acting overly excited about it. "All part of the bonding experience."

Castle sidles up next to her, hefting his backpack back over his shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll be a gentleman about it."

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. She had to share a room with him now. Share a room with the man whose mouth she couldn't stop thinking about it. This was so not going to end well.

Beckett mumbles something incoherent and takes off in the direction of the cabins. Castle trails behind her.

"Hey, it could be worse," he tries to tell her. "We could be sharing a bed. Although –"

"Castle."

He shuts up and follows her the rest of the way to their cabin in silence. Beckett opens the door to reveal two twin beds, two dressers, and a small sink with a mirror over it.

"Where are the bathrooms?" she asks through gritted teeth.

"You really weren't listening were you?" Castle asks, claiming the bed on the right side of the room. "Communal showers and toilets, right behind our cabin a little ways."

She groans, scrubbing a hand through her hair and sinking down onto the bed on the left.

"You really don't want to be here, do you?" he asks, pulling a stack of clothes out of his backpack to put in the dresser.

"No, no. I want to be back in the city looking for the guy who killed Linda Harris, not taking a weekend vacation out here in the middle of nowhere to become besties with my coworkers."

"How long you are going to let work be your whole life?"

Beckett scrunches her eyebrows together. "Being here is for work."

"No, I mean you should let yourself have fun and relax here. I know you, Beckett. You have a lot of unused vacation days saved up. Take advantage of the weekend off and stop stressing over murders. The other precinct will find Linda's killer."

"I have plenty of fun outside of work, thank you very much."

"What, with that boyfriend of yours who's never around?"

Beckett stills her movements over her open backpack. "This is so none of your business."

Castle shrugs, tossing his now empty backpack under his bed. "Just sayin'. You deserve some fun."

"Did you miss it earlier when I told you that this isn't my idea of fun?"

"At least try to lighten up a bit, Beckett," he says, pushing open the cabin door. "Not working this weekend will only be worthwhile if you let it."

"Our first activity is meant to test how well you all really know each other," Jared explains once everyone has settled in and circled up on the grassy knoll. "You'll go around and share two truths and one lie about yourself and then your colleagues will have to guess which one is the lie."

"Are we 12?" Beckett mutters loud enough that only Castle and the boys hear.

"Where's Montgomery?" Castle asks, ignoring her comment.

"They have him doing some other course with a couple of other captains that got pulled this weekend," Ryan explains. "No partners and all."

"All right, who wants to go first?" Jared points at Esposito. "How about you?"

"Okay well um," he stammers, caught off guard. "What don't you guys already know about me?"

He rattles off some facts that Ryan sees right through and guesses the lie as soon as his partner's done speaking.

"If you think it's so easy, then you try it," Esposito challenges.

Ryan does, easily stumping the whole squad, and sends a victorious, gloating smile in his partner's direction. Castle goes next. Beckett knows his third fact is a lie before he even says it, and almost doesn't let him finish. His truths, much like Esposito's, were too obvious. They get through the rest of the squad before the circle completes with her. She lets out a deep sigh, still not interested in playing the game.

"I'm really good at cooking breakfast foods. I love strawberry milkshakes. And umm I hate soap operas."

"The third one," Castle says, picking at a blade of grass. "You Temptation Lane fan, you."

"Beckett, you actually watch that crap?" Esposito asks, stifling a laugh.

"She used to watch it with her mom," Castle tells him, shutting him up instantly.

Beckett just nods, shooting him a thankful glance.

"Good," Jared claps, taking control of the group again. "Dinner will be served shortly, and then I suggest you consider calling it an early night. The course will begin at 8 am tomorrow morning, and while tomorrow is just low ropes, I don't want any sleep-deprived injuries on my hands."

"Doesn't he know we're used to running on zero sleep?" Ryan mumbles.

"I'm telling you," Beckett starts, standing up and brushing the grass off of her shorts. "He thinks we're 12."

Beckett stares into the crackling fire, watching the sparkling embers dance around in the firewood. She stretches her legs out in front of her, leaning back against a log and taking a long sip of her beer. She keeps thinking about that stupid game and how quick Castle was to answer her. She'd forgotten that she made him breakfast that morning after her apartment blew up. Which leads her to another thought: she'd forgotten that he more than likely has seen her naked.

Beckett shakes her head, telling herself it means nothing. She knew Castle's lie just as fast. And as for the naked thing…

Castle sits down beside her wordlessly, passing her a marshmallow skewered on a stick.

"This really is fucking summer camp," she says, holding her stick out over the fire.

He holds his own stick out next to hers, placing the ziplock bag of chocolate and graham crackers between them. He holds his beer in place between his knees so he can twist the cap off and takes a drink.

"Are you really afraid of heights?" she asks after a beat of silence, recalling his lie from the game.

"Well I'm not a natural red head, am I?"

"I don't know; the rest of your family is."

Castle throws her a look and she smiles. "I got stuck on the top of the ferris wheel when I was eight. The thing just broke down and I was up there for an hour by myself."

"Where was Martha?"

"Oh I had 'run away' to Coney Island over some stupid argument I don't even remember."

She laughs, pulling her marshmallow away from the fire to test it. Satisfied, she pulls open the ziplock bag to finish making her s'more.

"The high ropes going to be a problem for you on Sunday?"

He takes another sip of his beer, watching his marshmallow catch on fire. "I'll push through."

Castle makes his own s'more, setting his stick to the side with Beckett's. The silence is comfortable as they eat; the crackling fire, crunching crackers, and nighttime forest noises filling the air.

"Look, I'm sorry about that crack I made about Josh earlier," he apologizes after he finishes licking off his fingers.

She shrugs, finishing off her last bite.

"How are things between you two anyway?"

"How are things between you and Gina?"

"Well considering Gina and I broke up, that bad huh?"

She sighs, taking another swig of her beer. "I don't know, Castle. I really don't."

"It's the sex, isn't it? He looks like one of those types. All talk and no action. Either that or really bad action."

Beckett groans, chucking the cap of her beer at him. "I am not discussing my sex life with you."

"Isn't that part of the bonding experience?" he asks, wiggling his eyebrows and mocking Jared.

"You know, I kind of don't think it is."

"Come on, Beckett," he persists, poking her. "Tell me."

"Why do you even care?"

He doesn't respond, continuing to stare at her with the moonlight reflecting off of his eyes. He does have lovely eyes. And a very masculine jawline. A jawline which she had been privy to kiss a few months ago. And that kiss…She catches herself staring at him and shakes her head.

"You know what, I'm just going to go shower and head to bed," she says, starting to push herself off of the ground.

"I accidentally overheard you talking with Lanie the other day," Castle calls after her. "And just for the record, I'm very good at what you have to fake with him."

The whole way to the showers she'd been raking her brain for exactly what conversation it was that Castle had overheard. About halfway there, she remembers complaining to Lanie about how bad Josh was at oral sex. She almost trips over her own feet at the realization.

I'm very good at what you have to fake with him.

Now why the hell was he telling her that? Why did she care that he was good at making women come with just his mouth? No matter how good it had felt when he slipped that tongue of his in her mouth last month, how did she know that wasn't just his ego shining through?

I'm very good at what you have to fake with him.

Beckett makes it to the communal bathroom and grips the edges of the small sink, unable to stop her hands from shaking. He wants her too. The realization hits her like a train. He's taken the flirting level up a notch and… fuck. Her eyes slip closed, her mind flooding with images of Castle's mouth on her.

That masculine jaw line pressed against her. His tongue relentlessly taking and taking until her thighs started shaking and her toes curled and her back arched.

Fuck.

She wanted him.

She wasn't supposed to want him. He was her partner. And she had a boyfriend. She was probably only turned on by the thought because it had been so long since she had received oral sex. Correction: good oral sex. There's no way she could actually want Castle in that way. Right?

Beckett starts to slip her hand down the front of her shorts, craving friction, needing something, anything, to stop the throbbing between her legs. But then the bathroom door swings open and another officer from their squad walks in, causing her to pretend she was simply fixing her shirt. She gives the officer a nod as she exits the bathroom. It isn't until she's outside that she realizes she intended to take a shower.

"Fuck it," she grumbles, heading back to her cabin.

She had planned to wear her hair up tomorrow anyway.