She sleeps restlessly, haunted by dreams she doesn't remember when she wakes up the next morning. The summer heat is stifling and she finds herself sweating during the night – it's unpleasant and uncomfortable and it's the reason she wakes up in a bad mood.

On top of that, she's also frustrated that she doesn't know where she stands with Castle. Their two encounters have done nothing to define their relationship and she doesn't like not knowing. She pours herself a cup of coffee, making a mental note to buy new filters for her machine. Maybe the caffeine will give her the clarity she desires. The first sip does wonders for her, the bitterness traveling through her system, jolting her senses awake. She feels slightly better already.

The phone on top of her kitchen counter vibrates and for a moment she forgets that she's no longer a cop and almost answers her phone with a curt bark of her last name. She pulls the pen and pad she has sitting on the counter closer, and then realises it's probably not dispatch calling.

Because she's not a cop anymore. Right.

She pulls herself together just in time and picks up the call with a quiet "Hi, Kate Beckett speaking."

"Honey, it's me," Lanie's voice comes through the phone and Beckett leans over the counter, smiling as she realises who it is. "What are you up to tonight, want to get drinks somewhere?"

Beckett weighs her options, knowing that Lanie means well. She can accept the offer to go out and get moderately drunk, or stay home and mope about her 'not-sure-what-this-is' relationship with Castle. She runs her fingers through her hair and sighs, making a decision.

"Okay, sure Lanie. Sounds good," she replies. "What time do you get off shift?"

Lanie hems and haws on the other end for a few seconds, clearly not expecting Beckett to agree to the idea so easily. "Eight okay?" she says eventually. "Old Haunt?"

Beckett blinks at the suggestion, and then shakes her head. No. Not his place, not tonight. "Uh, can we go someplace else?" she asks, praying Lanie won't ask too many questions. Thankfully the ME doesn't, but her 'sure, chica, whatever you want' is laced with suspicion and Beckett knows she'll get hammered with questions when they meet up later that night.

She glances up at her clock and sighs. Well, at least she'll have the rest of the day to prepare for it.

The bar they both eventually agree upon is a new one and Lanie is positively shaking with excitement when they meet up at its entrance that evening. It's flashy, music pumping obnoxiously from within the walls and Beckett's suddenly very apprehensive about their night out. It doesn't seem like the kind of place that will be conducive for meaningful conversation between the two friends; instead it looks like the only conversation that the bar allows for are the ones that take place between its patrons and the bartender.

They go in anyway, Beckett tailing Lanie through the front doors, inching past the burly bouncers and following the crowd straight to the bar. Lanie shoots Beckett a knowing smile when the bartender asks for their order, and ten minutes later they move away with two very strong Long Island Iced Teas in hand. The alcohol burns a path down her throat and Beckett enjoys it, not having been able to let loose properly in a very long time.

"So, why not the Old Haunt tonight?" Lanie, true to character, gets straight to the point when they find a table in a secluded corner of the bar.

Beckett takes another long sip of her drink before answering her. "Castle and I are in a very weird place right now."

Lanie snorts in disbelief and shakes her head. "You two are always in a weird place. That's not new. I would've thought that you being currently unemployed would mean you two would be sorting all your crap out. Clearly I was wrong."

"We had a fight before …. Before the roof incident. And we haven't really talked much since then," Beckett revealed. "Sort of."

"Sort of?"

Beckett's about to launch into a very well-rehearsed recap of the last few days when a hand comes down on her shoulder, startling her. Her drink splashes over the rim, dripping onto her fingers and she turns around to glare at the offender, a few choice words ready to spill from her lips.

"Espo? Ryan?"

Her surprise is drowned out by the loud music however, and she can only sigh at her two friends, finally leaning into the one armed hug Esposito extends towards her. Ryan joins in, pulling Lanie along with him for a little group hug. It hits her then that she really misses her boys. She misses going to work, going to the precinct, pounding the streets – and while it's nice to have the time to catch up more regularly with her dad, it really isn't quite how she'd expected to spend her down time.

"Hey, Castle!"

Ryan's cheery greeting sends a chill down her spine and she stiffens within their embrace. She extricates herself seconds later, pulling back from the huddle and turns around to make sure she isn't hearing things. Sure enough, standing by their little table looking a little unsure of himself is one Richard Castle. She grits her teeth and scowls at Lanie. This entire situation has her name all over it – it's definitely her handiwork and Beckett's going to have words with her about it later. The boys move to greet Castle excitedly and as annoyed as she is, she's secretly glad that their falling out hasn't affected the relationship between the three men.

"Lanie, you did this, didn't you?" she whispers accusingly into her friend's ear.

Lanie cackles and takes another a big mouthful of her drink. "So what if I did? You said so yourself, you've been weird with him. Go un-weird yourselves out. Go, go, go!"

Beckett's shoved towards Castle as Ryan and Espo back away from him, their own sneaky grins adorning their faces.

"Uh, hey," she mumbles. "Didn't know you were comin' tonight, Castle."

He smiles easily at her and – god, how is he so calm and collected when she's essentially freaking out on the inside? She avoids looking him straight in the eye, instead she takes the rest of him in and can't help but admire just how good he looks. He's standing in front of her in a dark red shirt, long sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the top two buttons undone under his collar. His hair is immaculate as usual and he's opted not to shave for the night.

Oh, that would feel so good against her skin if he just …

What?!

She blinks and realises he's actually said something to her that she's completely missed.

"… thought I'd join you guys," he finishes with a knowing smirk on his face. There's no way he could have known the direction her mind had taken just then … is there? The twinkle in his eye suggests otherwise and he takes a step closer to her, invading her personal space. She feels her cheeks warming up and she's suddenly grateful that the only illumination the club offers is the laser lights strobing across the room. Her heart's racing, beating against her chest in time with the rhythmic thud-thumping around her.

"You look nice tonight, Beckett," he yells over the loud music, making a point to trail his gaze along the length of her body. "Really nice."

She feels the heat in the way he's cataloguing her attire, notices when he lingers on the sweetheart neckline of the dress she's wearing. The expression on his face is similar to the one he had when they were otherwise preoccupied the other night; intense and desperate – wanting.

Despite… everything, I still want this.

His voice echoes in her head and she's inclined to believe that he meant it when he said it. He certainly looks like he wants her, and he's being blatantly obvious about it. She can hear her other friends speaking among themselves behind her over the music, undoubtedly catching on to the heightened tension between them. She knows they're already placing bets on what the outcome of the night would be and honestly, she's so completely over this. He's standing right there in front of her, solid and real, as if he's waiting for her to give him the okay to whisk her off onto the dance floor, hold her tight against him as they bump and grind to whatever beat the DJ spins.

It's an image she can't seem to shake from her mind's eye and she swallows, trying to tamp down the desire that surges through her.

They have so many things they haven't dealt with yet – words that should be exchanged, conversations that should be had. But how exactly is she even supposed to do any of that with her annoying friends sniggering at her back and with him looking like he wants to devour her for dinner?

Oh, now there's an idea.

Well, fuck.

She tips the rest of her drink down her throat – wow, strong – and takes Castle's hand, spins around and drags him towards the bar.

"You look good too," she tells him finally. "Let's get you a drink."

He's taken by surprise at her sudden insistence, but he follows her nonetheless. "What do you – oh," he's silenced by her lips on his, rough and needy. She nips at his bottom lip, sucks on it hungrily and she groans. The taste of him, tinged with the sweet aftertaste of her drink is completely intoxicating. Her fingers glide up his shirt to curl around his collar, tugging him even closer still.

She pulls, he pushes, and she's pressed right up against the bar, the edge of the countertop digging uncomfortably into her back. She's not complaining though, not when she's busy being thoroughly ravaged by him. Her hands travel down his back and she slips her fingers into the back pockets of his jeans. Her nails scratch at the material and he bucks his hips involuntarily at the sensation.

"Kate," he groans when she pulls away from him eventually. "Kate."

"I'm done, Castle," she announces fiercely. The music in the background thrums around them but she knows he hears her loud and clear. He'll always be able to hear her. "I'm done fighting this. You want this. I want this. Let's just … be."

Castle blinks stupidly at her, as if he can't quite believe what he's hearing. If she's being honest with herself, she can't quite believe it either. Twelve hours ago she was in her kitchen overwhelmed with frustration at how the two of them seemed to never get anything right. Twelve hours ago she was almost ready to call it quits and leave the ball in his court.

And now? Now she's going to fight for him, even if it takes her forever.

"Okay."

His voice is deep and rough, overcome with emotion. "Okay," he repeats. "Let's do this, Kate."

She grins at him and takes his hand in hers. She pulls him away from the bar, further away from the crowded dancefloor and tosses a saucy look at her dumbfounded friends as they pass them on their way out. She stops in front of Lanie and sends her a withering glare.

"Do not call me tomorrow morning, Lanie. I will be busy." She tilts her head at Castle standing behind her, his chest snug and warm against her back. "With him."

Thank you so much for all the favourites, follows and reviews. Completely floored by the response to the previous chapters. Thank you, and hope you enjoyed this!