Title: Bitten

Rating: PG13/T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of ABC. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Castle. No copyright infringement is intended.

Synopsis: Castle and Beckett work through their feelings while working a most bizarre case.

Chapter 1 - Crash

"So what do you say about us hitting the ice cream place around the corner?" Castle leaned over and shoulder bumped Alexis as they strolled down the street after stopping for pizza.

Looking up at her father, she curled her arm into his and squeezed. The two were as close as a parent could get with a child. Castle knew that past of that had to be her being wise beyond her years. Sometimes he wondered who exactly was the adult when they ran around the loft playing laser tag and dress up.

"I think that would a wonderful idea. Of course with those little," Alexis stopped and looked above her as she heard noises coming from up above. Looking up above her, Castle pulled her back as a shadowy figure crashed through the awning and landed where she had just stood.

Hearing her scream, Castle took her and whipped her into his body as the figure landed in front of them with the thud. "Dad?"

"Don't turn around," he warned as slowly the pavement was painted red. Keeping one arm around his daughter, he pulled his phone out and hit the speed dial.

"What do you want Castle?" Beckett responded after seeing his name on the caller ID. She thought she had been perfectly clear that she was spending the night reading and relaxing.

"A body."

Beckett laughed. "Castle, are you drinking?"

"No, there's a body." For someone usually known to write for a living, the words wouldn't come to him the way he had hoped. Something about holding his daughter next to him made the words more difficult.

"Castle…"

"Beckett, a body fell from the sky. 54th and 2nd near Pinkberry. You might want to get down here." Beckett listened to the twinge in his voice and felt he couldn't be pulling her leg. He was a jokester but he wasn't joking. "I need to take Alexis home. Are you coming?"

Beckett paused. Alexis saw it and that was nail that made her believe the story wasn't a joke. "I'm on my way. Ten minutes."

Castle hung up the phone and shoved it back in his pocket as a crowd started to gather. "Dad?"

He watched as Alexis turned slightly in his grip. "Alexis," Castle strained as she pulled from him to turn around. Castle watched his daughter as she stared at the body on the pavement.

"Do you think that someone in the building did this? Couldn't the person get away?" Castle knew what she was implying.

"Just so you remember that the last time I was caught with a dead body, I was arrested by Beckett and you had to come get me from the station." He tried to joke, but was more concerned by the minute shivering that Alexis was doing in his arm.

Castle continued to stand with her, watching as she seemed to size up the event in front of her. He watched as people took pictures and gasped at the body that clearly was helped out of the building.

"So what do you got?" He heard her delicious voice behind him as Beckett appeared in jeans and a simple purple button down shirt. She looked around Castle's shoulder and saw the body, still wrapped in the awning that he came through. Turning and looking at Alexis first, she hugged her around the other shoulder and then swallowed as she looked at Castle.

She usually called him or found him when a body showed up. She glanced in his direction and saw the concern on his face as Esposito and Ryan came from around the corner. "Guys," she pointed at the people that still snapped pictures, now of her and Castle more than the body. Leaning into Castle and in front of Alexis as much as possible, she whispered, "Go home. Take care of her. I'll give you the rundown tomorrow."

Castle nodded as he felt her hand on his shoulder and gazed at her as she ran her hand down Alexis' hair. She smiled at Alexis as Castle pulled her in the opposite direction. She watched as the guys dispersed the crowd and Lanie passed Castle on the sidewalk.

Lanie saw the look on Beckett's face as Beckett ran her hand through her hair. "Not a good situation huh?"

"Alexis saw the whole thing. I'll talk to her soon, but Castle's taking her home." Beckett turned and put her hands on her hips. "So what do you think?"

Lanie walked around the body before putting her gloves and started making notes. Pulling the awning back from the face, the gruesome sight didn't quite appear as a face anymore. Putting the vinyl back down, she shook her head. "Not sure without moving it how many bones broke, but I can tell you that out vic was dead way before falling from up above."

Beckett looked at the torn awning as Ryan tried to calm the store clerk that had just arrived on the scene. The man stared at the body complaining how much the incident would hurt his business and the damage it had caused. Beckett passed him and worked her way around to get a clear view of the building. "Esposito, get a canvas out on the area and thorough look at that floor up there." Esposito looked up and could see the material that waved in the small breeze.

"Lanie, is the vic missing any clothing?"

Lanie lifted the bottom of the awning. "Pant leg is torn."

Beckett nodded at Esposito who followed her up into the building. On the fifth floor, she pushed an open door ajar in the newly renovated space. No signs of forced entry were present and there was no typical blood stain on the new floors or drywall. The building was clean except for the window. Walking up to the window, she ran her gloved hand along the edge where the pant material flapped.

"What you think boss?"

"The place is clean. We're going to need to see if we can get prints, footprints, fingerprints. Nothing is here for the naked eye. His pant leg caught on what looks like an old laundry hook, which means someone pushed this body."

Beckett walked back down to the street level and looked back up in the direction of the window. "Lanie, call me when you get something."

Lanie looked up from the examination and grimaced. "It'll be tomorrow." Beckett nodded and spoke to the traffic cops that showed up to help with the scene.

"Guys, get with Internet security and see if we can trace any photos that may go up on the web. We really don't need this to be turned into some book jacket knockoff."

The guys watched as she headed back toward her car and drove off.

"You think she's afraid the body pics will go viral or the pics of Nikki and Jameson on a case?" Ryan tried to joke, but Esposito punched him in the arm.

Beckett didn't honestly know why she was standing there in the elevator. He really didn't need her help. He was her father; she was old enough to know what her dad saw every day for the last couple of years. It was absurd that she continued to stand there. Hearing the elevator ding, she quickly moved out in to the hallway and looked around.

If she left right then, no one would know she had been there. She heard voices coming form the other side of the door. The voices appeared to get louder, which meant they were getting closer. Looking from end to end in the hallway, it was built like the typical fancy loft hallway with no décor and therefore no hiding space. She swiftly started toward the stairs but stopped when she heard her name.

Turning she bit her lip, "I was coming by to check on Alexis and then felt it was silly." She stopped back in front of the elevator and hit the button.

Castle stopped her by standing in front of the elevator door. "She'd like to see you. In fact, I have this sneaking suspicion that you need to talk to her anyway." She watched as the elevator doors opened and his arm stayed firmly in the way.

"I was pretty sure that anything she could contribute you could just tell me tomorrow. I don't want to bother her with the details." Beckett took Castle's arm and tried to remove it from the door but turned when she felt someone else step out into the hallway.

"There's pricks on his arm." The two both looked as Alexis moved back into the doorway of the loft.

"What do you mean?" Beckett started following Alexis back into the loft to Castle's relief. Beckett didn't know, but Alexis needed to talk about it. She had been asking to call her since the moment they walked back into the loft. Castle didn't understand the bond the two had. It wasn't a mother daughter relationship, but it wasn't best girlfriends either. It was complicated; just as complicated as he and Beckett were.

The two sat down on the couch with Castle sitting to the side. Kate waited silently for Alexis to obviously find her composure. Her eyes were a bit read and her cheeks were puffy as if she had been crying. She glanced in Castle's direction as the somber look on her face confirmed her thoughts. He generally met her glances to throw her off, but this time his eyes never left his daughter.

"Pricks like pin holes. He obviously was dead before hitting the ground. No screams."

Beckett rubbed Alexis on the back as she talked. "Like needles? Drugs maybe?" She glanced at Castle who continued to fixate on his daughter.

"No, it wasn't what I would think a needle would do. These are visible on his arm. He looked stiff."

Beckett hugged her closer as she glanced over at Castle. "You see all the same thing?"

Castle nodded and Beckett could see him chewing on the inside of his lip, a habit he seemed to have when he was nervous.

"Alexis," Beckett turned the teen toward her and held her by the shoulders. "Just keeps this between us. If your friends see pictures of you at the crime scene, just tell them you can't talk about it. Ok?" Alexis nodded and hugged the detective before hugging her dad.

"I'm going to try to get some sleep. Thanks for coming by Kate." The two watched as Alexis ascended the stairs. "Kate, what do you do to get to sleep. You deal with this every day."

Beckett smiled and sighed. The girl was right; she spent her days looking at corpses and her evenings trying to forget them, at least for a few hours. "I read. Like tonight, I was reading…"She paused and looked at Castle wondering if she was going to say his books. "Something light, romantic, fluffy. Something that unlocks completely from work."

Alexis smiled and shook her head. She wondered if Kate had merely given her answer she wanted to hear. Heading on up the stairs, she disappeared into her room and shut the door. "You think she'll be ok?" Beckett asked as Castle pulled out a bottle of wine from the fridge.

"She's tough like her dad." Castle sat one wine glass half full in front of Kate and then leaned over the counter toward her. "Thanks. I know that was hard considering where we're..."

Kate set the wine down and gazed across the bar at him. He wanted to go there tonight. "Castle, it's late and you know we have an early day tomorrow. Lanie's expecting us."

Castle watched as Beckett downed her wine in just more than one gulp. She was nervous talking about it. She never ventured into the territory. It had been weeks since the setup that turned into the kiss that solidified it for him. But she wouldn't talk about any of it. He hadn't heard about Josh or even if there was still a Josh. For all his investigative prowess, he knew nothing.

He watched her get up and head for the door, so he stepped in front of her to open it. "Early. Got it," he tried to play cool.

Kate turned around as she watched the elevator doors open. "Castle…goodnight."

He watched as the doors closed and returned back to the loft. Putting the wine glasses away, he headed upstairs and peaked into Alexis' room. Her light was still on tonight, but she had fallen asleep with her book. Closing the door gently, he left the light on.