I don't own Castle,if I did somethings would have gone differently in the past season. I am not making any profit off of this or trying to claim ownership of the show.

Chapter 1.

It had been a long six months for Richard Castle but at last he was trying to put his life back together. It had hurt a lot first to have Kate Beckett lie to him and then to have her tell him that it was over and she was going to DC for a new job. That had been like being stabbed through the heart. He had been a wreck after that and vowed that he wasn't going to let a woman get as close to him as he had let Beckett get again. All his plans for the future had been tied up with her and when he found out she didn't need him in her life that had sent the whole thing into a tailspin. He didn't know what to do with himself. He had put his life on the line a few times for that future and it had all come to nothing.

Not that it was completely her fault he had taken her for granted at times and just assumed she wanted the same things out of life that he did. He came with a lot of baggage. Two failed marriages,and a daughter who was in college who he didn't want to leave. That was a lot to deal with not to mention his playboy past and the fact that no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get the serious outlook on life that she needed him to have. He just didn't know how to shut up and stop making jokes. In the end he had failed to improve himself to the point where he was good for her. So he didn't blame her,it was not her fault that he wasn't good enough for her. Still knowing he was the one who was messed up didn't help him feel any better.

He had needed to move on with his life so that was what he had done. He had started by cutting his ties with the NYPD,without Beckett in his life there was no point in his going in there any way. He was sure this had been a god send to Captain Gates who would no longer have to deal with him. He had then finished off the Niki Heat series. To protect a girl who was a witness to a crime that was linked to the corrupt mayor Niki had to break too many rules and in the end had to leave the NYPD. This helped because now Castle wouldn't have to worry about fictional Beckett either. What Castle hadn't been ready for was for Black Pawn,his long time publisher to cut him loose.

They were polite about it of course and they made it known that they would be happy to publish any future books he wrote but they no longer wanted Richard Castle under contract to them. It had just taken him too long to write each Niki Heat book and in that time they had contracted several new younger writers who could provide more then one novel a year. Also the Richard Castle brand of crime fiction was just going out of style. Now it was all vampires and zombies and that wasn't what he wrote. He wrote hard boiled characters in situations that were somewhat based on real life. Richard Castle now found that the world he used to be king of had passed him by. In retrospect he knew he should have seen it coming. People had stopped noticing him at crime scenes and it had been a year or two since he had gotten a reaction when he introduced himself to someone. The fact was he was not famous any more but he had been too focused on Beckett to notice.

Castle had never felt more useless in his life. He spent every day looking at a blank computer screen waiting for a new idea that would put him back on top to come to him. The idea just did not come. He had in effect lost his job at age 42 and that was an awful feeling. It wasn't that he needed the money but without cases to work or a relationship he just felt empty. He did have his mother and daughter but even they didn't need him any more. Alexis was in college and apart from a bout of panic now and again brought on by her kidnapping was doing fine and didn't need him in her day to day life. Even his mother seemed to be stable(for her) and didn't seem to come home all that often. She always seemed to be busy with some new acting class or play. She didn't even need his money because her acting school was doing so well. Rick Castle just wasn't needed by anyone. In fact he felt like a bystander in his own life. It was as if even if he wasn't there his life would still somehow go on without him. It was as he was pondering these grim thoughts while sitting in his study in his boxer shorts waiting for a new story idea to come to him that his cellphone rang. He looked at the caller ID and despite the fact that the number did not ring a bell he answered it any way. That was how low he was feeling,he was answering numbers he didn't know.

"Castle." He said trying to sound normal.

There was a female voice that he knew all too well on the other end of the line. The voice didn't bring back good memories but he listened because he was intriged. This was the last person he had ever expected to call him. " I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time. This is Captain Gates of the 12th" The voice said.

Rick over came his shock just long enough to answer. "No,you didn't. What can I do for you Captain?"He asked.

" if you can fit it into your scheduel I would like to have a meeting with you in my office either today of tomorrow. There is something I would like to talk to you about." And for the first time in the two years he had known her it sounded like "Iron Gates" was asking for a favor,this peeked his interest.

"I can be there in about an hour." He said trying not to sound too puzzled but the old mystery loving part of him was starting to wake up after months of sleep. "Do you mind if I ask what this is about?"

"I would rather talk about it in person. Can you come in?" Gates asked.

"Yeah I will be there in an hour." Castle answered trying to sound like an old pro who wasn't phased by any of this.

"Okay I will tell the front desk to expect you in an hour . Now if you will excuse me I have to go." and then the line went dead.

It took a lot to get Rick Castle out of the house those days but this seemed like it would be worth it. He knew it would be painful seeing the old 12th again but he had to know what was going on. He showered and then got dressed as quickly as he could. He didn't bother shaving the unruly beard he had grown over the past few months but other then that he looked like his old self when he looked himself over in the mirror. He could feel himself coming alive again and he didn't know why. "Hadn't he always gone into the 12th for Beckett and she wasn't going to be there,so why was he starting to get excited?" He couldn't answer that at that moment but he guessed it was because for the first time since his last book tour he had a purpose in life and somewhere to be. Even if he didn't know what it was it was a purpose.

He got to the 12th twenty minutes ahead of time. He was hoping to use the time to talk to Ryan and Esposito and find out how things had been but to his surprise he was buzzed right into Gates' office. It was as if she couldn't wait to see him. Now that he had to choose between the two he decided he liked it better when she was trying to kick him out,it was less weird.

Gates was just getting off the phone when he entered the small office and she motioned for him to take a seat. Before he could ask any questions she started to speak in her normal,calm,professional manor.

" I trust you know I would not ask you here without a very good reason so I hope you will hear me out before you make a choice. There is no reason for you to take this job except that my team thinks and when confronted with the facts from passed cases I was forced to agree that you could save some lives."

This shocked Castle but he had to speak up. "I never saved anyone's life and I am not a real cop I can't think of any case I could be of help to you on." He said flatly.

"Well there is one case that you have brought the NYPD closer to cracking then any other. In fact you are the closet thing there is to an expert on how this suspect thinks. You have managed to predict what he would do in the past and we would like you to come on board for this one case and help us nail this bastard."

That last part gave Castle all the information he needed and he knew this was not a case he wanted to get mixed up in again. Gates never got emotional so it had to be the worst person he could think of if she was calling him a bastard. "You mean 3XK." He said in a hushed tone as his name out loud would cause him to somehow appear in the room.

"Yes he is killing again and has killed at least three woman in the past ten days,we are no closer to him then we were at the start of the case." Gates said gravely.

"I thought the offical stance of the NYPD on 3XK was that he was dead." Castle said looking up at Gates.

"It was until this case." Gates responded. "The fact is when you said he didn't die on the bridge you were right and that is yet another reason why we would like you on this case. We need to nail him for good."

"Well I can see that but I am not a cop and the last time I went up against him it nearly cost me my life. I don't want to repeat that. I'm sorry but I am sure you can find some other expert." Castle said standing up.

"Of course " Gates said now standing too. "I just thought I would ask. I trust you can show yourself out."

Castle turned to go but something was bugging him and he had to ask one last question and this one would change his life. "How do you even know it is him?" He asked turning around.

"DNA doesn't lie and when he strangled his last victim with his bare hands he left plenty behind." Gates said matter of factly.

Castle then nearly panic and he raced back over to the Captain's desk. "I will take the case!" He said quickly. "But you have to get police protection on my daughter and mother right away!"

"Why?" Gates asked clearly puzzled by this turn around.

"Because there is only one reason he would use his bare hands and leave DNA behind,he is calling me out. He is letting me know he is back and he is coming for me." Castle said very quickly. He had not felt this way since Alexis was kidnapped. He then continued. "I am the only one that he cares about beating and he wants me to know that if I don't get him he will get me so my family needs police protection Now!"

Finally Gates nodded her agreement. Castle sat down to write out where his mother and daughter could be found for her. This was the worst way it could happen but Castle was back on the case.

I promise I will not leave you hanging like last time. I have a whole story mapped out in my head and I have already figured out how I am getting into it so I will not get stuck like last time. I hope to update once or twice a week. I am sorry it can not be more then that but I am working on other stories too. Any way please let me know what you think and if you think somethings can be improved please let me know. This is my first real attempt at this type of story so all feedback is welcome. Thank you for your time and support. See you next chapter:)