Title: The One Who Got Away

Author: NickyM96

Rating: K

Summary: A jealous ex finding out Caskett are a couple. Just some fluff to make us feel good about our pair.

Spoilers: General Season 5. So long as you know Castle and Beckett are together, you should be good. Kind of goes it's own way from there.

Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own entertainment purpose and will return them for the next user when done.

Chapter 2

Beckett yawns and stretches, taking a peek at her watch and wondering where Castle has gotten off to. He offered to go get some coffee 20 minutes ago and hasn't returned yet. She figures he's just gone out of the hospital to the cafe on the corner to get the good stuff. He loves her so much he's willing to go out of his way to make sure she has good coffee. She's knows she's lucky to have him and can't stop the smile that always seems to come when she thinks of him.

"Would it be too much to hope that smile is for me?"

She opens her eyes and look up to find Josh staring down at her, a wistful look in his eyes.

"Just thinking about coffee," she admits with a shy smile. She stands so he won't tower over her. "How's my suspect?"

"Right to business, then? Okay," he nods. "I heard that the surgery is over and that the patient is still unconscious. He's in recovery now and probably will be for the next couple of hours. I left instructions to be notified when he wakes. I'll let you know as soon as that happens."

"Fine. I'll leave guards on his door and strict instructions to only allow minimal contact and only with cleared medical staff. I'll come back and speak to him in the morning. He should be awake by then?"

"Hopefully. So you're off duty now?" he asks quickly, sensing she's about to turn and leave. "Maybe we can do that catching up?"

"What for, Josh?" she asks impatiently. "I'm at a very different place in my life now. There's no need to look back on what we had. It's over."

Heat flashes in his eyes and it's all the warning she gets before he grabs her and pulls her close.

"It's not over for me," he growls before crashing his lips against hers.

She immediately pushes him away and even considers pulling her gun.

"What was that?" she practically screams at him.

"Don't deny you missed this. Don't pretend you didn't miss us."

"I didn't! I don't! Josh, we're over. We've been over for a long time. I've moved on," she tells him. "I'm with someone now."

He grabs her left hand and looks at it.

"I don't see a ring. Must not be all that serious. I still have a chance."

"You don't see a ring because … Josh, stop!"

He tries to pull her in for another kiss, and again, she pushes him away. This time, her hand is really on her gun and she's about to draw it when a voice stops her.

"The lady said no."

"You," Josh growls when he looks up to see Castle standing there. "Still following her around like a lovesick puppy, I see."

"You need to step away," Castle says, trying to remain calm. He heard and saw the entire confrontation. His heart froze at first when he saw Josh try to kiss her. But trust in Beckett gave him the patience to let her fight her own battles. Anger flared, however, when the man just wouldn't leave her alone, despite her protests.

"You're the one who needs to leave," Josh shoots back. "Kate and I were having a private conversation. You need to butt out."

"Kate?" Castle looks at her questioningly. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Castle. Give me a few minutes with Josh, then we can go."

She tries to give him a smile, but she is also too angry at Josh's unwanted advances. It's time to shut him down once and for all.

"Okay," Castle nods, still trusting she can handle things on her own. "I'll wait down the hall. Here's your coffee."

He holds out the tray to her to choose one of the cups.

"Give it a rest, Castle. She said to give us a few minutes. Take your stupid coffee and go!" Josh angrily swipes his hand towards the tray Castle is holding out. His hand hits the bottom of the tray and tips the coffees over. The lids fly off and hot, scalding liquid pours all over Castle's hands.

His scream is almost loud enough to wake the dead.

"Castle? Oh my God!" Beckett calls out. "Josh, what did you do?"

"It burns," Castle moans, biting his lip to hold in the unmanly noises he wishes to make. "The coffee was super hot. That's why I had the lids partially off, so that it could cool some."

"Let me take a look," Josh says, reaching out for Castle's hands.

"You get away from him," Beckett growls. "I think you've done enough damage."

"No. Damage is what's going to happen if that doesn't get treated," Josh snaps back. "Now let me look."

Castle finally allows Josh to look at his hands, hissing when the motion causes the burning and stinging to increase.

"Come with me."

Josh leads them into an exam room and goes to the sink. He turns on the cool water on the faucet and instructs Castle to hold his hands under the running stream.

"Keep your hands under the running water. I'm going to get some stuff to treat this burn."

"No," Beckett interrupts him. "You're going to send someone else in here to treat him. I don't want you touching him."

Josh is taken aback by the anger in her voice. Nevertheless, he does what she is demanding. Minutes later, a different doctor has come into the exam room.

Josh waits outside, well aware he isn't welcome in the exam room. What was he thinking? He wasn't thinking, that's the problem. He never thinks when it comes to Kate and Castle. He's imagined this reunion with Kate for months now, since he got back to the states. But his imaginings never included that writer partner of hers. But why didn't it? Every other aspect of their relationship included Castle. She used to talk about him all the time. Josh just assumed it was because she loved her job and everything it included. But maybe he was just being blind. Or, maybe he was just in denial.

"Dr. Davidson," the doctor he found to treat Castle exits the room. "Your friend is going to be okay."

Friend is stretching it. But since Josh didn't want to arouse any suspicion, he just smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Dr. Drake. I appreciate you looking at him."

"Not a problem. For the most part, the burns weren't that serious. They mostly just needed some ointment. But make sure they keep an eye on that second degree burn around where his wedding ring was."

"Wedding ring?" Josh nearly gasps. Castle's married?

"I gave it to his wife to make sure he doesn't get stubborn and try to put it back on before the burns are healed. She seems the only one he'll listen to," Dr. Drake chuckles. "Cute couple, those two."

"They're not a couple," Josh says without thinking. "That's my ex and her work partner."

"Your ex, huh? Well, I hope you weren't hoping for a reconciliation there," Drake laughs, patting Josh on the shoulder before heading off to see his next patient.

Josh stares in confusion at the partially closed door leading to Kate and Castle. Married? He still doesn't believe it. He steps to he door and peeks inside. He arrives just in time to see Kate wind her arms around Castle's neck and lightly kiss him.

"How are your hands feeling?" he hears her ask the pouting man still sitting on the exam table.

"Hurts. Maybe you can kiss them and make them all better?" Castle asks hopefully.

"You poor baby," she coos playfully. She takes both her hands in his and places loving kisses on each.

The sight is like a sucker punch to Josh.

"And maybe you can kiss me other places too."

"You pervert," she laughs, laying her head on his shoulder. Her laughs turn to sighs when Castle begins kissing her neck.

"It'll be tit for tat," he teases as he continues to kiss her. "I'll kiss your ti-"

"I see where you're going with this," she says. Covering his mouth with your hand. "But I already kiss your, uh ..."tat" plenty."

"Katherine Beckett," he gasps in mock indignation. "You have a dirty mind. Who's the pervert now?"

She pushes away from him, rolling her amused filled eyes.

"I'm going to check to see if the doctor left your prescription at the desk so we can get you home."

"Home, huh? Admit it," he says, pulling her back into the V of his legs. "You just want to get me home so you have your wicked way with me."

"Without your hands, what use are you?" She teases. "I'm going to have to have my wicked way with myself."

"Trust me. My hands won't be an issue. I'll just have to get … creative."

He whispers something in her ear that makes her blush furiously and Josh is instantly curious about what he said.

"Really? With jello? How is that even possible?"

Castle whispers something else that makes her laugh out loud.

"No way. I'd have to arrest us if we did that."

She wraps her arms around him again, an almost contented purr coming from her throat.

"This is nice," she sighs. "But I'm so sorry Josh did this to you. I know you two have had issues in the past. I just didn't realize it was this serious. My dad told me about what happened after my surgery."

"We were both just upset," Castle says, trying to downplay it.

"But still, I can imagine you wanting to get back at him today. But you didn't. You didn't push him or rub his nose in the fact that we're happily married now. You were the bigger man. The more mature one."

Josh figures he must have moved and caught Castle's attention. Because at that moment, the man looks right into his eyes and lifts an eyebrow.

"You know me better than that, Beckett. Mature is not a word that has ever been used to describe me."

With those words, Castle kisses Kate in a claiming way. And to add insult to injury, she responds in a way that says she completely belongs to him. Josh figures he's seen enough. He steps away from the door to keep from intruding any more on their privacy.

Minutes later, a nurse walks into the room, prescriptions in hand for Castle. Not long after, Josh looks up to see them all leaving the room.

"I'll meet you by the elevators," she tells Castle, waiting until he walks away before she approaches Josh.

"You're still here," she says flatly, her stone cold glare staring at him.

"I wanted to apologize. I was wrong," he admits. "I was wrong about everything."

"Yes. You were."

"So if you two are married, why no ring for you?" he asks, curiously.

"I tried to tell you earlier, but you kept trying to kiss me," she reminds him. She reaches and pulls out the chain hiding under her shirt. "I keep my wedding ring on this necklace while I'm on duty."

He looks closer at the chain, recognizing it from when they were together.

"Where's your mother's ring? Didn't you keep it on that chain?"

"I passed that down to Alexis when Castle and I got married," she smiles at the fond memories. "She reminds me so much of my mom, I thought it fitting my daughter should have it."

"A happy family," Josh comments, letting out a shaky breath. A family much like one he wanted to give her. "It seems solid. And you seem settled. Content. You don't seem to be … haunted anymore. I can tell Castle makes you feel all of those things in a way I never could."

"It wasn't you, Josh."

"Don't give me that platitude. I know it wasn't me. It wasn't ever about me, that's the problem. I realize now that it was always about him. You always looked guilty, Kate. Like you were cheating. Only now I see it wasn't me you were cheating on. It was Castle. You may have given me your body. But he always had your heart. I could never compete with that."

"I'm so sorry, Josh," she apologizes.

"Don't," he says, holding up a hand to stop her. "I really can't take hearing anything else from you unless it's to say you're going to leave him and come back to me."

Knowing she won't be able to give him what he wants, she just nods and walks away. He watches her join Castle – her husband, he has to keep reminding himself – and fall comfortably at his side. Castle throws an arm over her shoulder and leans down for a brief kiss. The elevator arrives and they board it, seemingly lost in their own world. As the doors close, Josh can only wish it will be as easy to forget about Kate Beckett as it seems to have been for her to forget him.

But somehow, he doubts it. You never forget the one who got away.

The end.