Growth II

The loft was silent. Outside an early snow fell, slowing the traffic and damping the sound. Castle lay quietly, arms around Beckett, breathing the scent of her hair and feeling the warmth of her back against his chest. He could have spent the morning holding her, but a siren screamed in the distance, bringing her to instant awareness. Pulling on a shirt that Castle had discarded the night before, Beckett went to the windows in the great room. Wearing his boxers, Castle came up behind her. "What do you see?" he asked.

"Nothing," Beckett answered. "Maybe the snow caused a pileup somewhere."

"Probably," Castle replied. "An inch of snow and this city comes to a screeching halt. We could take advantage of that," Castle suggested, kissing the hollow where her neck met her shoulder. "Come back to bed."

"I'm awake now, Castle," she told him.

"You want to wake me up too?" he asked.

"Well, I'll do my best, Castle," Beckett said leading him back to the bedroom. Beckett left Castle sitting on the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. Castle could hear water running and Beckett returned with wet hands, beginning to trace patterns in water on Castle's bare chest.

Castle pulled back. "Cold!"

"Up now? Castle" Becket asked, stroking cold fingers down his arms and back.

"Completely, and ready for breakfast." Castle replied as he began nibbling on her shoulder.

Beckett pressed against him as he continued his feast moving down her body, until unable to be still, she pushed his head up and covered his mouth with hers. Castle pulled her tightly against his body, but it was not enough. They fought to draw closer and closer until the inevitable ravenous joining, when they fed on each other until they lay sated, hands clasped, side by side.

They were roused by Beckett's cell. There was a body.

She lay with the red of her blood staining the surrounding snow, snowflakes coating her brows and lashes. She wore a business suit, off the rack but high end. Her shoes were low heeled but of good leather and matched the purse at her side.

Lanie Parrish knelt by the body. "What have we got?" Beckett asked her.

"She had her throat cut, a single cut from behind severed the jugular. It's harder to tell in this weather, but it looks like she died some time last night, but not here. There's not enough blood for that kind of wound. She was killed somewhere else and dumped."

Esposito walked up and continued the narration. "According to her I.D. Her name is Margaret Burns. She works for someplace called Up."

"I know them," Castle said. "They're a non-profit that works with the developmentally disabled. I've been to a couple of their fundraisers."

Beckett looked at Ryan who stood next to Esposito. "Ryan, see what kind of video you can come up with. Do we have a next of kin?" Esposito shook his head. "OK Espo, let's find one. Castle and I will check out Up."

The offices of Up didn't open until 9 A.M., so Castle and Beckett sat in a Java Hut with their hands curled around warm lattes. "Mmmm," Castle sighed, "I needed this."

"It is good," Beckett agreed. "sometime I miss having you arrive with my coffee."

"If that's what you want," Castle said, "I can bring it to you in bed. You know how I feel about foamy richness in the morning."

Beckett rolled her eyes but laughed, "Yes Castle, I do."

Up was in a modest office in a glass and steel office building above a bank. As Castle and Beckett approached the reception desk, the middle aged woman behind it looked up and smiled, "Mr. Castle, nice to see you. "

"It's nice to see you too, Felicity, but this isn't a social call. This is Detective Beckett. We need to ask you some questions."

"Ms..." Beckett began.

"Bergan," Felicity filled in.

"Ms. Bergan. I need some information about Margaret Burns."

"Maggie? What's the matter? I can't imagine her doing anything wrong."

"She hasn't, Ms Bergan, but we do need to get in touch with her family. Would you have emergency contact information for her."

Felicity eyes filled with concern. "Mr. Castle, you work with homicide. Is Maggie dead?"

"Ms. Bergan," Beckett told her. "This is an ongoing investigation, I can't comment right now, but I do need that information if you have it."

"Please Felicity," Castle said.

Felicity nodded. "Of course."

Felicity brought up Margaret Burns' file on the computer. "Maggie has a sister, Vera Mortisse. I'll print out her contact information for you."

Beckett called Esposito to let him know that she had next of kin for Maggie Burns and asked him to look into Maggie's financials. Castle and Beckett went to see Vera Mortisse.

Vera lived in a tiny row house in Brooklyn. Beckett knocked on the door, showed her badge and asked if she and Castle could come in. With the empathy uniquely Beckett, Kate broke the news of Maggie's death.

"Ms. Mortisse," Beckett asked. "I know that it's hard, but can you think of anyone who would want to harm your sister?"

Vera swiped at her eyes. Castle reached for a nearby box of tissues and handed it to her. "No," Vera told her. "Oh my God! Does Roger know?"

"Who's Roger?" Beckett asked.

"Roger Donnegan, her fiance."

"Do you have an address?" Beckett asked.

Vera nodded. "I'll get it for you.

"You're very quiet," Beckett told Castle on the way to Roger Donnegan's address in Manhattan.

"I'm thinking about Roger Donnegan," Castle said. "I'm thinking about how I'd feel if something happened to you, how I did feel when I thought you'd died. It's going to be rough for him."

Beckett reached out and squeezed Castle's hand.

Roger Donnegan lived in a loft in Soho, not far from Castle. "Castle are you sure you what to do this?" Beckett asked. "I could just drop you at home."

"I'm your partner," Castle said. "It's a little late to start quitting when the going gets tough."

Roger Donnegan sat with his head in his hands while Castle brought him a glass of water.

"Mr. Donnegan," Beckett asked," are you up to answering a few questions?"

Roger took a sobbing breath. "Whatever I can do to help."

"Is there anyone you know of who might want to hurt Maggie?"

"I don't know," Roger told her. "She was an accountant for Up. In the last couple of weeks she told me that she found some discrepancies. She was looking into it."

"Thank you, Mr. Donnegan," Beckett said.

As Beckett and Castle returned to the car Castle asked "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to do some research on Up," Beckett told him.

"Can you drop me at the loft now? Alexis is coming for dinner tonight and I want to get things started."

"Oh yeah," Beckett said. "Sure, what time is she coming?"

"About six."

"OK, I'll drop you off now and see you later."

Castle started enthusiastically to prepare dinner. It would be the first one since Alexis had returned to her apartment and he wanted it to be special. The star of the dinner would be a chocolate ice cream pie with an Oreo crust that, even with Castle's sub-zero freezer, would take some time to set. Castle got it put together and sliced the mounds of fresh vegetables for pasta primavera.

Beckett came through the door of the loft at about ten minutes before six, just before Alexis. Martha showed up just in time to have a glass of wine before dinner.

Alexis picked at her food. "Something wrong with the pasta?" Castle asked. "Alexis gave him a weak smile. "It's great Dad, I was just out with my friends earlier and we had munchies."

When the pie came out, Alexis asked for a very thin slice and in the middle of eating it sweat broke out on her face and she ran for the bathroom. Castle started to follow, but Martha put a hand on his arm. "I'll do it," she said.

Martha held Alexis' hair back as she was sick, and handed her a glass of water when she finished. "Alexis," she said, "is there something we should know?"

"Gram, its probably just the 24 hour flu. A bunch of kids at school have had it."

Martha nodded. "If you're sure."

"Richard," Martha said as she and Alexis returned. "I'm going to take Alexis home."

"Are you all right?" Castle asked Alexis.

"I'll be fine, Dad, I just need some sleep."

"OK," Castle said. "Feel better."

Castle and Beckett cleaned up while Martha was gone. When she came back to the loft, Martha told them that Alexis seemed to be fine, but that Buttons Dutton was with her in case she needed anything.

With Martha in her room going over a script, Castle lay on the couch with his head in Beckett's lap while she stroked his hair. "You're worried about Alexis," Beckett said.

"Are you going to tell me not to worry?" Castle asked.

"No," Beckett said. "It's part of who you are. That's one of the things that attracted me to you."

"Do you know what attracted me to you?" Castle asked.

"What?" Beckett asked.

Castle reached up and brought her lips to his. "Everything."