So for those of you that don't follow me on twitter (lyoung_09) I have recently lost my dog who had just turned a year old in May. I have been having a rough time with it, so I haven't been writing much lately. I don't know if I like this or not, it was more of an attempt at getting back into the swing of things then it was anything else. Hope you all enjoy it anyway. I imagine this to be set around "BOOM!".

Disclaimer: Castle and all of its characters belong to ABC and Andrew W. Marlowe. "Love to Burn" belongs to Alexz Johnson.

Brooklyn, New York

1932

The club was swanky, cigar smoke clouding the air thickly and the smell of perfectly aged whiskey wafted into Detective Richard Castle's nose as he pushed his way through the crowd. Men in dark, pin striped suits sat at tables, laughing and joking amongst themselves. This wasn't his usual hang out but, frankly, that was the best part about it, the most alluring even.

He slid onto one of the barstools, setting the fedora in his hand on the polished oak of the bar. He let out a long sigh, trying to expel some of the pressure that had built up over the past week. The captain had been piling cases on him since he had returned from his suspension and the workload was killing him.

"Evenin', Detective Castle. Usual?" Kevin Ryan asked him, wiping a beer stein with a white towel.

"Yeah, thanks, Ryan." He said quietly. The Irishman poured him a beer and slid it in front of him before draping the towel over his shoulder, rolling the sleeves of his white dress shirt up to his elbows and leaning on the bar in front of Rick.

"So, tell me what's on your mind, Castle." He said, looking at Rick through his intense blue eyes, waiting for a response.

"What says that there's anything on my mind, Ryan? Ain't usually much going on in there, why would today be any different?" He took a long draw off of the stein.

"Well, that look on your face, the fact that you have a coat of hair on your jaw fit for a cat, and the fact that you have bags under your eyes like I've never seen on anyone before begs to differ, my friend. So, let's have it." Rick was silent, suddenly becoming very intrigued with the bottom of his beer mug. "Oh, come on. I'm a bartender, it's part of the job description to listen to your problems. At least make sure my boss is getting his money's worth, eh?"

"It's nothing much, really, Ryan. Work has just been busy. And the whole ordeal with Meredith leaving me and Alexis." He whispered the last part, he didn't exactly want it floating around town that his wife had divorced him to run away to Hollywood with one of her costars. Wouldn't exactly give him the best reputation.

"If you ask me, I think you and the kid are better off now that she's out of the picture." Came the familiar voice of Javier Esposito who had just sidled up to the bar, his wife Lanie on his arm. Esposito was Rick's partner at the police department, and over the past six months he and Ryan had become Rick's two best friends. Alexis, his eighteen month old daughter, was at home with his mother while he had a night to himself for the first time in longer than he could remember.

"Yeah, Rick. She was always a little crazy any way. And you do so well with Alexis that I'm sure you don't have anything to worry about." Lanie agreed, laying her hand on his forearm comfortingly.

"Thanks, guys. You're all too sweet." Rick said, swallowing down the last of his beer and signaling Ryan for another. Just as the other man set the full mug in front of Castle, the smooth, enticing sound of a tenor saxophone and jazz piano filled the air. The first notes of the song were blended into the back ground noise of the club, but when the singer's sultry voice wafted into his ear like honey, he snapped to attention and turned around, facing the stage.

I've seen you falling in and out of things.

Your heart heats up, your heart gets cold,

Lights up and yearns again.

What's your story?

I don't want a flash of glory.

Then the crash, the what was that? And why'd I fall so fast?

Slow down, we've got time.

I need to know that you're all mine.

Her brunette locks were pulled into a couple flowing buns on her head, pinned up by flower decorated bobby pins. Her dress was red, satin, and clung to everyone of her curves in a way that had Rick grasping at straws for something to say. He felt his heart jump into his throat when her flaming green eyes met his blue ones, her white gloved hands tightening on the mic stand as she bent her knees, leaning into the note that she belted flawlessly.

Have you got love to burn?

Kisses for days?

Don't you wanna grab on to something real and never let it get away?

I don't have love to burn, time to waste,

Cause I've waited far too long for this spark to become a flame.

And if it comes true, I'd only have love to burn

For you.

Rick felt himself being pulled towards the stage, the gravity of this woman's voice was far too much to bear. He could vaugely hear the voices of his friends in the background, but could not bring himself to respond or acknowledge them. He walked foward until he found an empty table in the front row and settled down at it, placing his beer on the coaster in front of him on the table. She had watched him the entire time, her subtle movements intriguing him and drawing him in closer, her eyes beckoning him to feel the fabric of her dress, her slender fingers on the mic stand telling him that she wanted him and couldn't wait any longer. The woman was sex on two feet, oozing with a desire that burned from his head to his toes.

I can live without you, I'm happy by myself,

But you get to me, you make me feel like there is no one else.

What you doin',

Leaving hearts in ruins?

Can't you see, for us to be, that just won't fly with me.

Slow down, let's get it right.

Make it last, let's start tonight.

The woman threw her hand up in the air, emphasizing the note, as she led into the chorus once again, her eyes never leaving his. He felt an arrow of heat fly to his groin, drawing a soft groan from his throat. He shifted subtly in his seat, placing the fedora on his head and pulling the brim down in a feeble attempt to hide the arousal that scorched through his body. Her hips swayed to the stacatto beat of the drum, the sticks brushing across the snare and the hi-hat in tandem with the beat of his heart. Somewhere, the pulse of an upright bass thrummed through his muscles and shook the very core of his sensibility. When she led into the bridge, he knew that she was singing directly to him.

I'd see it through,

If I was sure you'd feel the same for me.

It's gotta be much more than anything we said

For love to ever last I need to know that you are here to stay,

Here to stay, yeah, that you are here to stay.

Have you got love to burn?

Kisses for days?

Tonight we won't let anything get in our way.

The woman removed the microphone from the stand, stepping down off of the stage and swaying towards him. Her steps were deliberate and timed perfectly to the rhythm of the song. She stopped in front of him and pulled the bobby pins from her hair, letting the brunette waves cascade down her shoulders, the dark tandrils brushing across her flawless ivory skin. Her fingers brushed over his jaw line lightly, causing a shiver to run down his back. She swung her leg over his hips, her dress bunching up, and her heated skin ground against his as she scooted forward to get more comfortable. He growled low in his throat in response, his hands lightly grasping her hips and pulling her flush against him. His hardness pulsed against her as she sang the final chorus.

Have you got love to burn?

Kisses for days?

Don't you wanna grab on to something real

And never let it get away?

I don't have love to burn,

Time to waste,

'Cause I've waited far too long for this spark to become a flame.

And, if it comes true,

I'd only have love to burn for you.

The club's few patrons clapped wildly, some of them let out loud whistles and cat calls and the woman on Rick's lap ran her fingers through his hair lightly, their eyes still locked.

"You wanna get out of here?" She whispered into his ear, her tongue snaking out and ghosting across the skin of his neck. Rick's stuttering nod was all the assurance that she needed to pull him out of his seat. He stopped quickly at the bar, threw some money down for Ryan, earned a thumbs up from him and Esposito, and followed the firey brunette into the New York night air. She pulled him down an alleyway to their right, sidestepping a puddle of...God, Rick hoped it was rain water.

"I'm Rick Castle, by the way." He muttered in between the loud sounds of the city night life. The woman in front of him stopped and spun around to face him.

"Oh, how silly of me, I'm Kate Beckett." She said shyly, blushing when Rick reached up to brush a strand of hair from her face. "I'm sorry, I don't usually do this, but... you, there's something different about you. I feel like I know you already." She whispered, causing a grin to spread across his face.

"I know the feeling, Kate Beckett." He leaned in, his face centimeters from hers, heisitating, giving her an out if she wanted one. She didn't move, so he closed the rest of the gap between them and placed a soft kiss against her lips. She let her tongue dart out and sweep inside his mouth, swallowing the moan that he let loose. When they pulled away they were both gasping for air.

"So, Rick, how do I know you're not some crazy man that is going to kill me as soon as he gets me alone?" Rick chuckled at her question, pulled back his suit jacket and revealed the NYPD badge that had been strapped to his belt. "Oh, an officer of the law, eh? Well, I think it'll be best if you walk me up to my apartment. For safety's sake, you know." The woman was toying with Rick, he knew it, and for the life of him he couldn't think of a reason that he should stop her.

"Lead the way, Miss Beckett."

Kate sat, slack jawed, as she ran her eyes over the elegant handwriting of Castle that she recognized easily. The leather bound note book shook in her hands as she read. Standing, she angrily made her way through the quiet loft. Alexis had gone out with Ashley for the evening, and Martha had a rehearsal across town, leaving her and Rick alone in the loft.

She pushed open the door to his office with more force than was necessary. He stared at her from his perch behind his desk across the room curiously.

"Beckett?" He asked when she didn't say anything. "Is there something wro-?" His words died in his throat when he saw the notebook clutched between her hands. "I...where did you find that?"

"It seems that you left it in the nightstand in the guest bedroom." She replied as she crossed the room and threw the notebook onto the desk. "What the hell is this, Rick?"

"Kate, I, let me explain!" He yelped, closing his laptop and standing quickly to back away from her. Kate stalked across the room, not letting him get away that easily. She pressed her hand into the middle of his chest, shoving him against the far wall of his office. He let out a soft 'oof' when his back collided with the wall. Kate stepped forward so that their hips were pressed against each other and rolled herself against him, eliciting a loud groan.

"If you wanted to act out some fantasy, Ricky," She whispered huskily into his ear, her teeth grazing his skin. "All you had to do was ask."

Should I do another chapter? Leave it as a one-shot? Love it? Hate it? Let me know! Feel free to follow me on twitter lyoung_09. Love you guys!