Castle (TV series)/Fanfic Recs

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Castle fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.

You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in The Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.

Authors and Websites
None Yet

General Fics
Move You by whatarush
 * Recommended by Moberemk
 * Pairing: Castle/Beckett, although not necessarily the focus
 * Synopsis: A collection of one-shots based on each episode. a perpetual work in progress - won't be finished until the series is!
 * Comments: Wonderfully written oneshots that fit in with canon episodes, either as prefaces, postscripts, or interregnums. Updates regularly.

Breaking Walls by Mestizaa
 * Recommended by Petrichor
 * Synopsis: "It's like there's always somebody watching my every move. Especially on Mondays." The Fourth Wall is broken. Beckett's acting weird and Castle is just really confused.
 * Comments: A hilariously meta fic that was written pre Season 3 finale, and due to the way things worked out, is Hilarious in Hindsight, though YMMV.

Shipping Fics
Fractured by Cartographical
 * Recommended by Kyoko
 * Pairing: Castle/Beckett, natch.
 * Synopsis: Beckett breaks her leg and has to deal with the long, frustrating road to recovery. Luckily, she has her plucky sidekick by her side to take care of her. With any luck, he'll help her heal both her leg and her heart.
 * Comments: Extremely realistic yet fun portrayal of Castle and Beckett's relationship and how it would develop if Beckett had to depend on him even more than she already does.

Musing by Trapped in a Matchbox
 * Recommended by Kyoko
 * Pairing: Castle/Beckett
 * Synopsis: Kate takes a few minutes to think about the events of "Knockdown" and how it affects her current relationship with Castle.
 * Comments: A short and remarkably insightful perspective from Beckett about the infamous Fake-Out Make-Out.

Crown and Anchor by Floating Amoeba
 * Recommended by Kyoko
 * Pairing: Castle/Beckett
 * Synopsis: A version of how Castle and Beckett could have handled the events of "3XK".
 * Comments: Does an excellent job of showing how they could have finally crossed the line from partners to lovers after the tragic events in "3XK."

A Death in the Family by Sandiane Carter
 * Recommended by Drellade
 * Pairing: Castle/Beckett
 * Synopsis: Kate Beckett doesn't do family gatherings. Then again, her aunt Lily's never died before.
 * Comments: Excellently written story. Many genuine touching moments that always seemed believable and the banter seemed true to character. It's also nice to learn more about Beckett's family.

I'd Get You Out by Minstrel164
 * Recommended by Milarqui
 * Pairing: Castle/Beckett
 * Synopsis: When Castle gets kidnapped while he is on a book tour, it falls onto Beckett the task of finding her partner before it becomes too late to save him, while they start to acknowledge what they feel for each other.
 * Comments: A very well written story, with tons of Continuity Nods from all the series (from Castle's CIA contact to Castle being compared with Steven Seagal). Special mention must be given to Castle's dreams while he is kidnapped, in which both him and Beckett become the main characters of several films and series - among them, the chapter "Shindig" from Firefly, the end of Quantum of Solace and, most memorably, Escape From New York, with Beckett as Snake.

Of Finding Innocence by FanficwriterGHC
 * Recommended by Milarqui
 * Pairing: Castle/Beckett
 * Synopsis: Beckett mentioned that she met Castle years before the series, in a book signing. What would happen if, in that book signing, she crashed into a seven-year-old Alexis Castle and made friends with her favorite author?
 * Comments: brilliantly written, and great development of the characters. Things that are mentioned as past Noodle Incidents in the series get their time in this fanfic - Jim Beckett's problems with alcohol, Beckett's friendship with Madison, break-up with FBI agent Will Sorenson and problems with her mother's recent death, Castle's divorce and problems with Meredith - while Beckett and Castle become great friends at a time where she is still a police officer and he has yet to let his fame get up to his head. The presence of seven-year-old Alexis, an adorable girl, only makes it better, especially when she makes comments on the obvious attraction between her father and Kate.
 * Seconded by Positronic Brain. This is simply *the* Kalexis fic. Written from Kate's perspective, the author makes a great job of developing the younger versions of familiar characters and building a heartwarming story around them - and while Officer Beckett carries all the baggage of her TV counterpart, she still hasn't had time to build enough walls to keep the Castles out once they enter into her life. Of course, that also means she hasn't build enough walls to keep all her demons in...
 * Thirded by cozcat. Obviously an alternate reality fanfic, this is the fic that gets recommended if you say that you're new to the Castle fic world. It is a fascinating take on the characters as they would have been when they were younger, and something that you need to read at least once.

The Plan by Googie
 * Recommended by Milarqui
 * Pairing: Castle/Beckett
 * Synopsis: After discovering that Detective Kate Beckett's birthday is going to be soon, Richard Castle makes plans to make sure his muse enjoys her birthday away from work. Of course, when you take into account that there are still unresolved feelings between them and that they are going to be alone for a lot of time, you know it is not going to end as it started.
 * Comments: Brilliant and funny, well written, but the development of Beckett and Castle's relationship is a bit too fast, although given that they know each other very well it is somewhat believable.

As She Lays Down by Milarqui
 * Recommended by CaskettLover
 * Pairings: Caskett (Castle/Beckett), Esplanie (Esposito/Lanie)
 * Synopsis: What was going through Katherine Beckett's mind as she laid down on the grass, after being shot, while she heard Richard Castle telling her he loved her?
 * Comments: An interesting story, with each chapter being written from the point of view of a different character (as of chapter 19, Beckett and Castle have had 4 chapters, Alexis and Lanie 2 and other characters 1), with the most interesting being Chapter 10, where it explores the events of the Season 3 finale and the rest of that day . Funny, romantic and heartwarming at equal measures.

Meeting Under Different Circumstances by JessieWills
 * Recommended by Milarqui
 * Pairings: Castle/Beckett
 * Synopsis: A recently made cop name Kate Beckett must work undercover as a stripper for an investigation. In the course of her work, she meets her favourite writer, Richard Castle, recently divorced from his second wife. They start a relationship that breaks when Kate's undercover work ends. What happens when they meet again, years later, as Detective Beckett discovers someone has been killing people using Castle's books as inspiration?
 * Comments: A story that has a strange start, with Rick seen as he was after he just got divorced for the second time and a less experienced Kate, only to later give us the series we love so much with the filter of Beckett and Castle knowing each other - in an intimate sense - before the series started.

That Familiar Feeling by chezchuckles
 * Recommended by cozcat, moberemk
 * Pairings: Castle/Beckett
 * Synopsis: Beckett's father was killed instead of her mother. She ends up as Castle's prosecutor for the naked horse ride incident, and he decides to tail her as a lawyer. Obviously, AU.
 * Comments: It takes a little adjustment to get used to Beckett as a lawyer, especially one who is so different to the fairly kick-ass cop that we know from the show. Once you get used to that, it is quite enjoyable, as it looks at how their relationship could have evolved from this standpoint.
 * Seconded by Positronic Brain. Kate's characterization is pure Fridge Brilliance. Being raised by a different parent, and affected by the way her father died, this Katherine Beckett has different hangups and traumas from her television counterpart. However, once Castle enters into the picture, we start getting glimpses of the strong, independent woman lurking beneath the surface. Also, honoring the title of the fic, lines and scenes from the television show are echoed by the story in entirely different contexts. Strongly recommended.

Inherited Traits by chezchuckles
 * Recommended by Positronic Brain
 * Pairings: Castle/Beckett
 * Synopsis: Alexis, after her rejection from Stanford, decides she needs to do more with her life than pad her transcript. Beckett and Castle help her organize a blood drive.
 * Comments: I know, I know, but the synopsis is purposefully deceptive. During the blood drive Kate accidentally stumbles into one of the greatest secrets in Castle's past - one so shocking that she can't even begin to fathom how he has managed to live every day with it. Beautifully written, with the twist tastefully handled and a last line that is a CMOHW for this troper.