Disclaimer: Nope I do not own the cast of Castle or any songs I use in this fic. If I did own the show Castle, there would be a lot more Caskett make-out sessions. More undercover assignments and defiantly more Jenny and Ryan, along with Javier and Lanie. Oh and I would also make Gates grow a heart, but just give it time and she'll come around.

A/N: So I am back. Closure is on the back burner for now while I work on my novel. Teelduo and I are also re-editing Limbo. Anyway I thought I would write a new Castle story, something more current to the show's timeline. I watched a youtube clip of Caskett with the song 'Pretending by Glee' and this idea hit me and I couldn't concentrate on my current novel until I get this idea out of my head.

Beta-d by Teelduo

Friday – 7th October 2011

Castle's Loft – 20:13pm – Rick's Office

Rick was staring at the screen of his computer, watching the words 'You Should Be Writing' tumble across it. He had left the precinct a little over an hour ago, after making sure that Kate had also left. He knew otherwise she would be there till late.

Bullpen – 19:03pm

Rick looked at his watch and sighed. They had closed the case hours ago and the boys had finished their paperwork and left twenty minutes ago. It was just Rick and Kate left in the bullpen. There were other cops and detectives still at the 12th but not in their area.

"Go home," she ordered, not shifting her gaze from her computer screen. She had finished her paperwork a little of twenty minutes ago; she was just staring at the computer screen, occasionally tapping a few keys to give off the impression of working. But really she was thinking about Rick, he filled her head too much these days.

"No," he told her. "I will leave when you leave." He added.

Kate tore her gaze from the computer screen and turned it on her partner. Bad move, one look into those stony blues and she was lost. She could see concern in his eyes, he was worried about her.

"The case is closed and the rest of the paperwork can wait until tomorrow," he told her. "You need your rest," he added, compassionately.

Kate was touched by the comment. Even though a part of her didn't like being told what to do, the other part thought it was sweet of him. Kate ran her hands over her face and threw brushing her fingers through her hair. She was tired. She hadn't been sleeping well since the shooting. It just replayed over and over again in her head and when she woke up, she found it hard to get back to sleep. Everytime she closed her eyes, one of the events would play in her head.

"Fine, I'm leaving." She told him. "Happy?" she asked, her tone coming out annoyed but she didn't mean it to. She was just tired and he seemed to be in the line of fire.

Rick looked at her serious. "I just want to make sure you get enough rest," he told her, sounding a little hurt. "You look like you've had trouble sleeping," he added.

Kate felt horrible. He cared for her, which was evident. Was it that obvious that she had been having trouble sleeping? She thought the makeup covered the bags under her eyes. Kate fixed her gaze on Rick. She disliked it when he had that sad look on his face, like his puppy had just died. She disliked it even more when she was the cause of it, she didn't like making people sad. Without thinking Kate reached her hand across the table and placed it on top of the writer's.

"I am sorry," she apologized in a soft whisper, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

Rick dropped his gaze to her hand quickly before meeting her eyes again. He knew Kate wasn't big on showing affection in public; it was always the little gestures that let him know that she cares. And those little gestures gave him hope that one day she would let him in. He understood that at the moment she was still hurting and terrified, even though she masked it.

Kate realized what she was doing; she quickly pulled her hand away and turned her attention back to her computer. She began closing it down.

Silence filled the air. Rick wasn't sure what he should do. He just watched her.

Kate pushed her chair back and stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay." She told him, avoiding eye contact as she gathered her things and walked away.

Rick watched her go.

The writer wasn't sure what was going through her head earlier but he liked the feeling of her hand on his. And he could look into those hypnotic eyes all night and the way she bites down on her bottom lip to suppress laughter. Rick couldn't get the beautiful detective out of his head. A few days ago when he had asked Kate if she remembered anything about the shooting, just the way she answered. 'Nope, it's blank'. He just didn't seem to buy it, she avoided eye contact with him and seemed too eager to get away from him.

What if she does remember and is just telling him that she doesn't because she doesn't want to face her feelings or reject him? What if she didn't feel the same?

Rick groaned and pushed all logical thought from his head.

Kate's Apartment – 20:15pm

Kate was now relaxed, soaking in her bath and letting the day's troubles wash away. It had nothing to do with the case they had just closed either, it had everything to do with a certain writer who she just couldn't get out of her head. Seeing him everyday didn't help either, even though now she couldn't imagine her days without him being there. He had imprinted himself into her life and into her heart. It was the little things, like how he bought her coffee or a bear claw. When he discussed the latest about Alexis and asked her for her advice. Everytime she closed her eyes, she flashed back to the shooting and Rick hovering above her.

'Stay with me Kate. Don't leave me please. Stay with me, okay. Kate, I love you, I love you Kate.' He confessed as she slowly bled out and everything went black. She had seen the honesty in his eyes, heard the sincerity and raw emotion in his voice. The brunette had known that the writer had feelings for her for the last year now but she wasn't sure how strong they were until she had been shot and he had confessed.

He was the reason that she had pulled through. It was that plea and those words that kept her holding on. She loved him and didn't want to say goodbye just yet.

Kate let out a deep sigh and re-opened her eyes. Candles and a long bath usually relaxed her but all she could think about was Rick. Hot tears began stinging her eyes, she refused to show emotion in public. She had slipped a few times in front of Rick, but he was always sweet about it.

"Face to face and heart to heart, we're so close yet so far apart. I close my eyes, I look away. That's just because I'm not okay. But I hold on, I stay strong, wondering if we still belong?" The duet sang as soft music played.

Kate turned her head towards her portable CD player; she was listening to the radio. The female detective strongly disliked the quiet. She didn't like to think because her mind would just flash back to painful memories. Music seemed to help, it usually was a good distraction.

"Will we ever say the words we're feeling? Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls? Will we ever have a happy ending? Or will we forever only be pretending? Will we a-a-a-always a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be pretending?"

The words sunk in deep. Kate closed her eyes again and was hit with a past memory.

"How do you know when you're in love?" He asked her.

Kate was a little startled by his question but could see that something was troubling him. A smile curved her lips as she looked at him. "When all the songs make sense," she answered.

He seemed satisfied with the answer.

She reopened her eyes and let a few tears fall freely down her cheeks. She was the one pretending that she didn't love him. He had told her that he loves her. She was pretending that she didn't remember hearing it. She could see the pain in his eyes everytime she said she didn't remember.

A part of her wanted to tell him that she heard him, but the fear that whoever is after her will go after him and Alexis if she made them apart of her life. She couldn't risk Rick, Alexis or Martha like that. She loves him too much for anything to happen to his family.

The brunette let more tears fall freely.

"How long do I fantasize, make believe that it's still alive. Imagine that I am good enough, and we can choose the ones we love. But I hold on, I stay strong, wondering if we still belong."

Castle Loft – 20:17pm – Rick's Office

Rick had the radio going. He was trying to distract himself from thoughts of Kate, even though the song that was currently playing didn't help. The words in the song were hitting too close to home. It was like it was written for them.

"Will we ever say the words we're feeling? Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls. Will we ever have a happy ending or will we forever only be pretending. Will we a-a-a-always a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be?" The duet belted out.

Rick had always found words powerful, that was one of the reasons he became a writer. He ran his fingers through his thick hair and turned his eyes onto a photo he kept on his desk of Kate. She didn't know he had it. He had snapped the photo with his phone one night at the old haunt, months ago when she wasn't looking. Her eyes were filled with laughter and the biggest smile was on her lips.

"Keeping secrets safe, every move we make seems like no one's letting go. And it's such a shame cause if you feel the same, how am I supposed to know?"

Rick turned his attention from the photograph and looked at his phone on his desk, picking it up he scrolled through the contacts and stopped at her name.

"Will we ever say the words we're feeling? Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls. Will we ever have a happy ending? Or will we forever only be pretending? Will we a-a-a-always a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be pretending? Will we a-a-a-always a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be pretending? Will we a-a-a-always a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be pretending?" the music began to slowly fade away.

Rick had his finger hovering over her number. All he had to do was press one simple button. Then what? Was he going to have a random conversation with her? He groaned in frustration, getting out of his contacts and tossing his phone on the desk.

He just couldn't get Kate out of his head. Usually he could channel what he felt for her and pour it into his writing, but tonight that wasn't an option. Everytime he closed his eyes, he saw her face. Heard her laughter or felt her touch on his hand or lips on his. That kiss was several months ago and he still remembered every little detail of it. Still remembered how her lips felt against his and he could still hear the moan that escaped her lips.

This woman was driving him insane.

Kate's Apartment – 20:44pm – Lounge Area

The Brunette had changed into a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt and she was wearing a sports bra underneath. She had the kitchen light on and the TV going. The room was filled with a warm glow from the television. Kate was sitting on her couch, hugging a cushion as she watched the late night movie that was playing. She was tired, but she didn't have the energy to drag herself to her bedroom. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally. Rick had hit the nail on the head.

Kate wasn't really focused on the movie in front of her. Her mind was elsewhere.

Hearing a Beep from her phone pulled her focus back to the present. She turned her gaze to the coffee table and looked at her phone sitting on it. Kate let out a sigh and reached for her cell. Her eyes dropped to the small screen and Rick's name appeared. Why was he texting her? They didn't have a case, even though that hadn't stopped them in the past. They often talked outside of work. The few months she was recovering was the longest they hadn't talked in over a year, and that was her fault.

Kate sighed once again and opened the message. 'Have you eaten yet?' it read.

She couldn't help but smile. He was always thinking about her well-being. When they first met, that annoyed the hell out of her, but now she found it sweet. At the thought of food her stomach grumbled. Kate had forgotten to eat earlier when she arrived home. She had headed straight in the direction of her bathroom, just wanted to soak away the day.

'Yes,' Kate texted back, biting down on her bottom lip because it was a lie. Her heart always ached when she lied to him.

A minute later there was a knock on her door. Kate's eyes shot in the direction of it. A jolt of fear washed over her. Ever since the shooting she had been a little on edge, even though she had her gun with her at all times. The thought of someone still out there wanting her dead, scared the hell out of the detective.

Kate stood up and was about to retreat to her room to grab her weapon when she heard a familiar voice call through the door.

"Kate, it's me." Rick called out.

Kate's racing heart began to slow down a little as she walked towards the door. Her mind began running wild with thoughts of why he would be at her door. Kate stopped in front of it; she reached for the door handle and gripped it tightly. Her heart began racing again as she turned the handle and opened the door.

Rick was patiently waiting outside of his partner's apartment. He had an Eco Friendly Carry Bag in his hands, filled with warm food. Leftovers from dinner since he hadn't been hungry earlier and Alexis always cooked too much.

Kate looked at her partner; he was standing a metre from her with a carry bag. She took a whiff and smelt something good inside of it. "Rick? What are you doing here?" she asked, curious. Her stomach grumbled and she averted her eyes from the writer, dropping them to the ground. Busted!

"Liar," he greeted her with a smile as he walked passed her and entered her apartment.

Kate stood in her spot for a moment, a little stunned. Once again he had just invited himself in to her place without asking. She closed the door, locking it before walking over towards the couch to where Rick was now sitting. He had placed the carry bag on her glass coffee table and was now pulling out the contents of the bag. She noticed two plastic containers and a bottle of wine.

Rick pulled off the lid on each container. The first one containing chicken pasta and the second one was a salad. The bottle of wine was sitting in the middle of them, he had thought long about the wine. At first he was just going to bring a soft drink but wine went better with pasta and Kate looked like she could use a glass. He knew they were on call tomorrow, but he only planned to have one glass with diner and didn't see Kate drinking anymore than that.

Kate stopped a few metres from the coffee table and looked down at his little setup, she was surprised he didn't bring the plates and glasses, along with candles.

"Uh Castle?" she questioned.

Rick turned his attention from his little set up in front of him and turned towards the sound of that beautiful voice. "Mmm," he replied. He could see the confession all over her face and knew she was most likely going to put up an argument about him intruding into her life.

"Um, what's all this?" she asked, gesturing to the food and wine.

Rick stood up and took a few steps towards her, locking his gaze on hers. "I thought you might be hungry," he answered casually. "I know when you're tired, sometime you forget to eat." His replied, seriously. Rick locked his blue orbs on her hazel-greens. He was worried about her.

Kate could see he was being sincere. She was still surprised that he somehow sensed that she hadn't eaten yet. She was amazed how most of the time he could tell how she was feeling. Her stomach rumbled again and Kate gave in, she was hungry and this would save her from ordering something.

"Thank-you," she responded, still holding his gaze. She had to admit that this was very sweet of him.

"Always," he smiled back at her.

Kate bit down on her lip again. That one word, whenever he used it. It made her feel wanted, like she was worth something. Her heart melted at the sight of his smile, it made her speechless.

"I'll get us some plates," she told him, breaking their eye contact and heading in the direction of the kitchen.

Rick grinned. "I'll grab the glasses," he called after her, following her out of the room. She hadn't kicked him out. Rick was pleased with himself.

21:44pm

Rick and Kate were seated on the couch. They had finished dinner and their first glass of wine. At first they had started off at opposite ends of the couch, a bit of distance between the two of them. They were both watching the movie that was playing which turned out to be Beverly Hill Cop 2. Kate discovered that it was one of Rick's favourites, since he was quoting most of the movie. She had to admit that she loved the series, herself.

As time progressed and after they had finished dinner and Rick had cleared the plates, when he returned and refilled both their glasses. He turned off the kitchen light and returned to the couch, sitting a little closer to her then before. The only light in the room came from the television, giving the room a warm glow.

"Yo man, we gotta talk, seriously." Axel's voice filled the room. "Who do you think you are, Clint Eastwood? Dirty Rosewood?"

Kate let a chuckle escape her lips. The brunette couldn't help but laugh. She loved Billy and tonight they were playing all three Beverly Hill Cop Movies.

Rick turned his attention on her. He couldn't help but smile. God she was beautiful, even in sleepwear she looked like a model. She was holding her second glass of wine and her legs were curled under her. She had only taken a few sips of the second drink. His own glass was sitting on the coffee table. Rick was comfortable just sitting on Kate's couch and watching her, watch the movie. He found her intriguing. Rick hadn't planned on staying here for an hour but he didn't want to leave either.

Kate let out another loud chuckle. Rick couldn't help but laugh with her. He hadn't seen her, this happy in a long time. It looked good on her and he loved the sound of her laughter.

"You should do that more," he told her, the words leaving his mouth without him realizing.

Kate turned her gaze on the writer, realizing how close they were actually sitting. Only a few inches between them, when had this happened. They were close enough to almost bump shoulders, yet she didn't mind.

"What?" she asked, relaxed. She felt really relaxed and happy.

He was smiling again, god that smile drove her crazy.

"Laugh, it looks good on you." Rick told her, genuinely.

Kate bit down on her bottom lip, suppressing the smile that was dying to grace her lips. Her eyes were fixed on his; it was like he was staring into her soul. A long minute passed before she responded.

"If I had his badge," Kate replied.

Rick turned his gaze back to the television. "I wish I had a badge," he mumbled.

Kate still had her eyes on him; he was so cute when he pouted. "Join the force," she told him, bluntly. The brunette turned her attention back to the television.

Rick turned his gaze back on his beautiful partner; she was trying to hide a grin that was tugging at the corner of her lips.

8th October, Saturday

Couch - 07:11am

Kate had never felt so comfortable in her entire life. She felt safe and secure and the blanket was wrapped around her tightly. The blanket actually felt more like arms, strong arms and her bed was moving and sounded a lot like a heart beating, softly.

The sleepy brunette slowly began opening her eyes, letting them adjust to the light shining through the room. Why wasn't her curtain blocking the sun? As Kate's eyes finally adjusted to the light she realized that she wasn't in her room but in the lounge room. She was staring at her couch, and felt someone moving under her.

Events from last night began hitting her. Rick had come over with dinner, they had eaten and watched Beverly Hill Cop 2 while drinking wine. Rick had quoted most of the movie, except the parts where Axel swore. Which Kate respected. Then Beverly Hills Cop 3 started; by that time they were sitting pretty close to one another, which didn't seem to bother either of them.

She remembered around halfway through the movie she felt tired and rested her head on Rick's shoulder. He had draped his arm over her and she snuggled close into his arms. She had a blanket sitting on the end of the couch which he had draped over the both of them; they were cuddling closer at that point and she could hear his heartbeat.

Falling asleep was her last memory of the night.

Kate could feel that his breathing was even, so he was still asleep. She actually felt really comfortable and safe. She hadn't woken up once that night. It was the best sleep she had had in months, maybe even years. Her body was moulded against his, the only barrier between them, was clothing. Their legs were intertwined and he was holding her close, his arms circled around her waist.

The brunette bit down on her bottom lip. She had fallen asleep in Rick's arms and they were cuddling. The scary thing was that she actually enjoyed it and didn't want to move. She wanted to hold onto this little moment for as long as she could.

Kate was warm in-between the blanket and Rick. She was on call this weekend, but that didn't mean she had to move right now, she would just get in a few more minutes before she had to get up.

08:11am

"Dadadadadadaddadadad," Rick's phone screeched on the coffee table.

Rick's eyes shot open at the sound of his daughter's high pitched plea. "Alexis!" he called as he tried sitting up, only to find that he wasn't in his bed or alone.

"Five more minutes," Kate mumbled, snuggling closer to her body pillow.

Dadadadadadaddadadad," the phone screeched. Rick detached himself from the beautiful detective and reached over her, grabbing his phone

"Hey pumpkin," he whispered.

His daughter's voice flowed over the phone, a little panicked.

"Dad where are you?" she asked concerned. "It's eight o'clock and why are you whispering" she demanded.

"I don't want to wake Kate," he whispered without even thinking. He then clamped his eyes shut when he realized what he had just said.

"Kate, as in Detective Beckett?" his daughter questioned. "You're at Kate's. Are you two..." she began to ask, not able to finish that thought.

Rick couldn't believe he had a slip of the tongue. He had always been honest with his daughter and didn't plan on lying now.

"I brought her dinner over and we crashed on the couch, fell asleep watching Beverly Hills Cop 2 and 3." He told her, honestly.

Silence filled the air for a minute. He then heard his daughter sigh.

"Okay, I was just worried when I went to check on you this morning. You seemed a little distracted last night when you got home," she confessed to him.

Rick smiled. He loved that girl. "I am fine pumpkin. I'll see you in a bit," he promised. "I love you," he added.

"Too the moon and back," Alexis replied before hanging up.

Rick closed his phone and turned his attention back to his sleeping partner. She looked so at peace, a few strands of hair had fallen across her eyes, so he carefully moved them.

Kate had woken up during that phone call. She just didn't want Rick to know that she was awake yet. She didn't want things to become awarkward. That was when she felt his fingers touch her face and brush her hair from her eyes. She was finding it hard to keep pretending to be asleep, her heart picked up a few beats.

She could feel him staring at her, and she couldn't pretend anymore. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times before her focus settled on the writer. He was watching her, intently.

"Morning," he greeted, looking a little nervous.

She was still a little stunned that he was this close to her, she was lost for words. When she didn't say anything, he spoke up.

"I am so sorry, Kate. I didn't mean to fall asleep on the couch, I swear I didn't plan ..." He began rambling, nervously.

Kate bit down on her bottom lip, holding back the grin. She removed her arm from around his waist and placed her finger to his lips to shut him up. "Rick! It's okay," she told him.

She held her finger tightly to his lips so she could speak without interruption. "We just fell asleep watching some movies. No harm done," she told him, removing her finger from his lips.

Rick was astounded. Kate Beckett had just told him that it was okay that they fell asleep in one another's arms. He would love that to happen every night for the rest of their lives. He couldn't help but stare into those hypnotic eyes, their faces were only inches apart. And as much as he was dying to kiss her, he didn't want to ruin the magic of last night with a stupid move like that.

"How about some coffee?" He asked her. Not wanting to leave the closeness of their bodies but knew that she would be craving caffeine.

Kate didn't expect that being the first question to leave his mouth, but at the same time she was kinda relieved that he wasn't gloating. She had noticed over the last year, how much he had matured. Whenever they had a little moment, it was their's and he didn't brag about it to the boys.

"Coffee would be great," she smiled.

Neither moved from this close embrace as a long minute passed.

"Um Kate? As much as I love being this close to you, you're kinda trapping me in," he told her.

Kate's faced all of a sudden felt very hot. She felt the blood rising to her face and turned her head away so he couldn't see her blush. She regrettably detached herself from him and hopped off the couch, a sharp pain shoot through her as she closed her eyes, a gasp escaped her lip.

Rick heard the gasp as he sat up, his eyes fell on the detective and noticed her hand over her wound. "You okay?" he asked worried.

Kate opened her eyes to find his locked on her, filled with worry. "I'm fine," she assured him, giving a weak smile. It was that damn wound of hers, a reminder everytime she looked in the mirror that somebody wanted her dead.

Rick wasn't sure if she was telling him the truth, it pained him to see her in any sort of pain or discomfort. He would have taken that bullet for her. He would have died for her, even though that meant he wouldn't see her or Alexis ever again. He knew Alexis would be fine since he was leaving her to Kate. Two years ago he had changed that in his will after he had asked her that day at the precinct when he thought he was cursed. He had asked her if she would look after Alexis, when she agreed, he saw his lawyer and made it official.

"I promise you, I'm fine Rick." She assured him, placing her hand on his cheek and giving him a heartfelt smile. "You cannot get rid of me that easy," she joked.

He didn't laugh. His face remained still. "I watched you slowly slip away before my eyes and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it," he softly whispered, raw emotion evident in voice.

Kate's hand was still resting on his cheek as she felt a tear slip from his eyes and slid down his face, falling over her fingers. She had only seen him in this much pain once before, at Roy's funeral when he admitted how he felt. Kate could feel the emotions building up inside her and feel her heart aching, because she was causing the man she loves great pain.

"Rick," she whispered, taking a step closer. The two now only centremetre's apart, she could feel tears on the verge of spilling over. She moved her hand from his face and reached for his, bringing it up to her chest and placing it over her heart.

"Do you feel that?" She asked him, softly.

Rick was stunned at first that Kate and grabbed his hand and placed it to her chest. He felt her heart beating a mile a minute, it was strong.

He just nodded, he was lost for words.

"It's proof that I'm alive," she told him. "I am standing right here in front of you," she pushed on.

"I won't leave you," she promised.

She looked so vulnerable and human. He could see that she was trying. He removed his hand from her chest and enclosed the distance between them, pulling her into a hug. At first he felt her hesitate, but a few seconds later she softened and melted into his embrace.

Kate's head resting on his shoulder, and a few tears slipping from her eyes.

I decide to leave the first chapter here because if I continued writing this scene, I don't think I would have been able to stop. Like all of my novels and Fiction, this will be case related but also have a lot of Caskett and the rest of the team in it.

Let me know what you think. I would love to hear your thoughts.