A/N: This is continuation of my Castle AU: It follows my story Castle: Chasing Ghost. I hope everyone enjoys the story and please keep the reviews coming. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Castle series or the characters. This story is based solely on the entertainment of the readers.

Castle: I'm coming Home

Prologue

Upper West Side

Manhattan, New York

The sound of the pounding feet on the pavement was drowned out by the sound of the music coming through the runner's ear buds as she ran along the Hudson River in the Hudson River Greenway. She dodged around the occasional biker who was braving the cold weather on the path. She continued her pace as she ran down the path towards Columbia University. Yet as she ran around a blind corner another biker came out of nowhere forcing her off the sidewalk and into the grass on to her butt.

"You bastard." The female shouted at the biker who continued riding down the path. She got up and started to brush herself off when she sighed in disgust. Her butt was wet from when she landed in a puddle. She wiped the back of her yoga pants to get off any debris from them, but screamed when she brought her hands back up covered in blood.

Rick and Kate's Loft

SoHo, New York

"All I am saying how is it my fault?" Castle stated as they came out of their bedroom. His wife was smiling behind him as they made their way towards the island to start their morning. He put Kate's tea K-cup in the machine first as she opened the fridge grabbing the milk and orange juice. "Like I told him the last three times not to cooperate so we can't tell his sex."

For Rick and Kate the last three sonogram appointments they could not tell the sex of the child due to the fact the baby didn't want to cooperate with the doctor in order to get the image needed to tell the sex of the baby, after deciding they wanted to know the sex of their baby.

"Our child does carry half of your DNA babe." Kate replied with a wide smile as she grabbed bowls and cups from the cupboard. She pulled down her cereal which she had grown accustomed too since being pregnant. "Besides I never said it was your fault, I just said he takes after you making things difficult sometimes."

"Are you two at it again on the sex of my brother or sister?" Alexis stated with a smirk as she walked into the kitchen pulling. She kissed both Kate and Rick good morning before pouring her a glass of orange juice. "Geez, can't you turn the kid to find out?"

"Not so simple when he has half of Kate's DNA." Rick replied with his own smirk. He felt Kate's hand on the backside of his head. "Ow."

"Still half of yours too Castle." Kate replied with a smirk as well. They heard the door open and saw Martha coming into the loft. "Morning Martha."

"Oh the discussion of whose fault it is about not finding out the sex of my unknown grandson or granddaughter." Martha replied with a smile on her face as she reached the K-Cup machine and set her mug and pod in. She looked over at her son with a smirk. "If the child hasn't been that cooperative it must be a boy and take after his father there."

All the Castle ladies laughed as Castle sat dejected on the barstool. "I am surrounded by too many women right now. Heck even Ryan agrees with you. I need Esposito back."

Alexis looked over at Kate as her father made that comment. "Yeah, why did he extend his assignment?"

"The man who was going to replace him, his wife had a baby, so Javi said he extended his assignment to give the man time with his new born daughter." Kate replied with a smile on her face. She sipped at the tea that her husband had made before tossing him a look. "Don't worry babe, I'm pretty sure most of the precinct will side with you."

"Doubt it because they like their jobs." Rick replied with a smile that got everyone smiling, as his phone rang. He looked at the screen. "Good morning Russell."

Kate sighed as she saw her husband write down the address after Alexis brought him a pen and paper from the fridge when he answered with Detective Jennifer Russell's name. She waited till the call was finished. "Body drop?"

"Yeah on the Hudson River Parkway near Columbia." Rick remarked as he got up from the island and moved towards the bedroom. He heard his wife sigh. "What's wrong?"

"Stuck in budget meetings, meeting community leaders, crimes stats briefing all day while you work with the team." Kate remarked getting up and following Rick into their bedroom. She watched from the doorway. "I miss it babe. Now I know why Gates rubbed her temples every two hours every day."

Rick looked at his wife knowing there was more coming and smart enough he kept his mouth shut. "This job wasn't meant for a pregnant cop who made her career by getting the bad guys off the street and behind bars. Did I make the right decision again?"

Luckily for him, Kate's cell phone went off right after she asked that question. She looked at the screen and gave a disgusted sigh before coming over and giving her husband a kiss. "Have a good day."

Castle just looked at his wife as she made her way to the bathroom.

Hudson River Parkway

Manhattan, New York

"What do you mean she just vented about being stuck in the office?" Jennifer Russell, Castle's partner asked as they walked up and ducked under the tape leading to the crime scene. She sipped at the coffee that she brought from home to try and ward away the cold. "Are you sure this just wasn't a mood swing?"

"I think it was a mood swing but also more along the fact is the administrative side is really getting to her." Castle remarked as they were walking up to the crime scene. They stopped for a moment. "Think about it, we have had what since the holidays. 2 murders and maybe before that 4 at the most. And those were relatively solved within a couple days. For all of those she was literally tied to meetings and briefings and even a trip out of town for one. She is bored of being in the office all of the time."

Russell nodded at the comment before they started walking again to where Lanie and Ryan were waiting. "Well Castle it's not like she a detective anymore, she has to oversee an entire precinct."

"I know that. What I wanted to say that, but also told her to come out and remind her I would support anything she would decide." Castle answered as they finally walked on to the scene. Lanie and Ryan looked at the both of them. "I just kept my mouth shut."

"Smart man writer boy." Lanie remarked with a smile on her face. She got up and looked at Russell and Castle. "Kate complaining again about not coming out?"

"She did it to you?" Castle asked getting a nod.

"Yesterday during lunch we were having a good time, then suddenly goes off into a mood about how she hates the job." Lanie answered as Russell and Ryan looked at them. She chuckled. "Oh Ryan honey, I know you what we are talking about?"

"I do and I just stand back and let her vent." Ryan replied with a smile but saw the look on Castle's face. He shook his head. "I think with the whole desk thing now especially with her in her second trimester just hit her. She'll adjust."

"Maybe, but for now let's focus on our victim." Russell remarked that got everyone nodding. She turned to Lanie. "Doctor Parrish what do we got?"

"Forty-five year old Hispanic male shot stabbed multiple times in the chest and neck." Lanie remarked as they stood near the body. She pointed at the body. "Prelim COD was exsanguination from the stab wounds."

"Time of death Dr. Parrish?" Russell asked making notes of this.

"With it being cold and last night below zero, I placed the TOD around 11 pm and six am." Lanie remarked as she bent down motioning Russell to follow her down. "That's not what is interesting. This is what got my attention. Our boy is holding something in his hand."

Russell looked as Lanie removed a crumpled up business card from the man's dead hand. She handed it to Russell. Russell unrumpled the business card and read the name "Sierra Potter New York Times."

"The reporter that tried to get us to talk about the ISIS cell take down back in early fall?" Ryan asked getting a nod from everyone as Russell stood up. "I haven't seen her since right before the end to the Schroder case."

"Well maybe she is onto a different story." Russell remarked as looked around. She didn't see the investigative reporter anywhere. "Ryan who found the body?"

"Oh female jogger over there." Ryan said pointing to the female talking to the uniform officer. Ryan took a little longer to stare for moment. "She fell off the sidewalk after a cyclist forced her off and she landed in the blood pool."

"Maybe the city should outlaw cyclist during the winter." Castle quipped that got him looks from everyone. He quickly moved on. "ID Lanie?"

"No wallet or driver license in any of the pockets. I checked." Lanie remarked as she closed up her notes. She motioned for her morgue team to come on over. "If I find anything else, I will let you know."

"Thanks Dr. Parrish." Russell answered the remark by Lanie as she walked around the area. She looked at the way the body was position and compared it to the sidewalk. "That's a blind corner right there, because of the bush and the trunk of the tree. So his attacker could have waited for him to reach this spot."

"But if he was attacked earlier into the death window the blood pool would have frozen over so the time of death has to be later." Castle remarked as he looked around the area as well. He walked over towards the sidewalk. "What if he wasn't coming around the corner, but waiting there on the grass?"

"He would still have trouble seeing around the corner, but not by so much." Ryan remarked as he walked on over towards where the body was laying and stood next to Russell. "He was using the corner for cover?"

"Cover from what?" Russell remarked as she looked around the area. "And what does this have to do with the reporter? Ryan, find her and ask her to come on in."

Castle looked at Russell as Ryan nodded and gave her a not to happy face. "Great, more of headache for my pregnant wife."

Russell looked at Castle with a sympathic face and shrugged her shoulders.