Kate Beckett sighed as she stared at her mismatched team. The case was solved just in time for the weekend and she could hear her bathtub calling her name already. Castle smiled and slapped Ryan on the back. Esposito sipped his decaf in his desk chair. Suddenly Kate's phone buzzed.
She picked up quickly "Hello?" The voice on the other end wasn't familiar and he spoke very officially.
"Is this Detective Katherine Beckett?" His voice sent chills slowly down Kate's back and her smile faded. The boys stopped messing around when each one caught a glimpse of her face.
"Yes. Who is this?" Her voice cracked she had heard this call before and dangerous scenarios ran through her head. This voice spoke slowly and quietly.
"This is Agent Booth with the FBI. I'm calling with some bad news. Are you ready to hear?" Kate muttered yes and Booth continued "We found your mother today. I'm sorry but she is dead."
Kate laughed and Agent Booth spoke again "What is so funny?" Kate smiled and answered him confidently.
"My mother was murdered 19 years ago and buried a few days later so you must be mistaken."
It was Booth's turn to speak "Well then will you please come to Washington D.C because we found her remains in a car fire along with another body. We suspect foul play. Maybe you knew the other body or if not you can help us on the case?"
Kate thought for a moment and glanced at Castle. She waved him over to her and told Agent Booth to please wait a moment for her answer. She softly spoke to Castle "Hey can you go with me to Washington D.C this weekend? I will explain everything in the car."
He didn't hesitate. "Sure." Beckett told Booth that they would be there in a few hours and she hung up.
Kate Beckett and Richard Castle walked slowly up the front steps into the Jeffersonian. They were led by Agent Seeley Booth. Booth walked in and they followed. When the group reached the Forensics Unit Booth turned and spoke to Beckett. "Dr. Brennan will be with you soon. Wait here."
He sped away and the two stood there looking quite out of place. Suddenly a woman appeared in front of them. Her brunette hair was behind her ears and beautiful earrings hung gracefully. She spoke. "Hello I am Dr. Brennan and you must be Katherine Beckett?"
"Kate replied cautiously "Yes but you can call me Kate. This is my partner back at the NYPD, Richard Castle." Kate was going to say more but her voice disappeared at a shocking sight. "Is...Is that a child?" Just behind Dr. Brennan walked a girl who couldn't be older than fourteen carrying a tray covered in petri dishes. She had wire-rimmed glasses and wore a uniform that matched Dr. Brennan's.
"Why yes that is one of my lab assistants. She is only fourteen. I know she is young but she is very intelligent." Bones looked over her shoulder and called the kid over. "Kate this is my lab assistant Lindsey Todd. Lindsey this is Detective Katherine Beckett and her NYPD partner Richard Castle."
Lindsey's voice was formal like Dr. Brennan's. "It is a pleasure to both of you and I hope you don't mind my asking but are you the Richard Castle? As in the author?" Her face changed for just a moment she looked like a normal kid. Castle smiled.
"Yeah I am. You've read my books?" She shook her head earnestly and said "Dr. Brennan says that reading helps the brain become more open-minded which helps solve cases." Lindsey glanced up at the doctor next to her and when she received a nod of approval she continued "She specifically recommends crime and mystery novels so naturally I went and researched for an author that had actual experience."
Bones spoke up before they got too far off course. "Lindsey, did you assist Dr. Saroyan with the autopsy? And did you also deliver the samples to Dr. Hodgins?" Bones stared down at the young squintern.
Lindsey answered confidently "Yes Dr. Brennan, and I placed the facial reconstruction points and took the skull to Angela. She should be done now." Lindsey glanced at her watch. Dr. Brennan nodded her approval and spoke.
"Good. Go check and then find us when she is ready." With that, Lindsey walked away still carrying her steel tray.
Castle looked confused. "What exactly is facial reconstruction?" He looked down at his shoes because he felt stupid being the adult and still having to ask a question unlike the child genius running around here.
Dr. Brennan answered. "When we cannot make out the face we have our specialist recreate the face to help with identification Ah, here comes Lindsey."
Lindsey walked up empty handed this time and told them that Angela was ready with the two victims' faces. Bones nodded and Lindsey led the group into an office with one wall covered by a giant computer. A young woman stood holding a computer tablet in her hands smiled at the group.
She was too pretty to be hanging out in this place. She looked more like a party girl than a science freak. When she spotted the young kid she smiled even more. "Hey Linds!" She did not speak to Lindsey with the same formalness as Dr. Brennan had but with a more friendly tone. Lindsey smiled and she lost all of her formalness and hugged the woman. Then catching Dr. Brennan's eye she pulled away and stood like a statue.
The woman noticed and spoke to Dr. Brennan like they were friends. "Hey sweetie, lighten up! You forget she is just a kid." Lindsey's faced reddened.
Finally the woman introduced herself. "Hi I'm Angela." Both Castle and Kate waved hello. Angela looked at the computer on the wall and brought up the first face. "This is the female we found and have identified as your mother. Is this her?" Kate nodded yes. Angela continued
This is the second victim and we have not yet identified him. Do you know him?" The second face came up and Kate's face fell. Her knees buckled and Castle had to grab her before she collapsed. Samantha sprang forward with a chair and Kate slowly sat down. Castle spoke urgently to her. "Kate! Kate, what's wrong?"
Kate's skin was a ghostly white when she finally sputtered out an answer. "That face." She shuddered but continued, "The second victim…the second victim is my father."
Detective Beckett put her head in her hands and began to shake. Castle put his hands on her shoulders as even he began to tear up. Dr. Brennan stared at the woman hunched over in the chair and showed sympathy. She knew how she felt.
Angela, being her kind and gentle self, took down the faces and put her hand over heart in silence. The only one able to function correctly was Lindsey. She walked up to Bones and whispered in her ear. Dr. Brennan smiled for one quick second and then let it disappear. She nodded at Lindsey and the young Squintern stepped toward Kate.
Lindsey put her hand on Kate's arm and the detective looked up. That's when Dr. Brennan spoke and broke the silence. "Lindsey, will you please take Detective Beckett down to my office. I will be down later with Booth."
Lindsey broke one of the doctor's set rules when she did not speak formally to Dr. Brennan. "Yea." With that she led Kate out of Angela's office and into the lab area.
When they reached Dr. Brennan's office Kate sat down on the couch while Lindsey sat in a chair. The young girl kept quiet to let Beckett slowly grieve. Lindsey, like Bones, knew how Kate felt. Finally deciding to break the silence she spoke up. "I know how you feel."
Kate looked up and she now noticed the pain in the kid's eyes, the same pain that had been in hers for years. "Who died?"
"My mother and my father both died in 9/11. And my aunt, uncle, and my older sister were murdered a year ago. That's how I met Dr. Brennan. She solved their case. She also noticed my intelligence and hired me."
Kate forgot about her own loss and focused on Lindsey. "But Lindsey, how do you focus on school with a job here?"
Lindsey smiled lightly. "I do go to school like a normal kid would. But when there's a case someone from the Jeffersonian will call the school and they will pull me out of class. Then usually Angela or Dr. Hodgins will pick me up and bring me here."
Lindsey looked down at her hands and smiled shyly. "They are the only family I have now. Dr. Brennan is like a mom to me and Booth is like a dad. Angela and Dr. Hodgins are like my aunt and uncle. The other Squinterns are like older siblings, always teasing and laughing. And Cam is like the oldest of the siblings. I'm always trying to get her approval."
Lindsey looked up at the wall and stared lovingly at a picture. It was filled with smiling faces. Their eyes gleamed with laughter like they shared a secret joke. They all wore the same blue uniform except for Booth who wore a black suit. Dr. Brennan had her arm around him and in front of the group stood Lindsey. The pain of loss was gone from her eyes. She looked like she belonged, like she was a member of that family in the picture.
Kate suddenly realized how serious these people were about getting closure to the helpless families. She realized that they would solve her father's case or die trying. Kate looked up at the kid in front of her. She smiled and Lindsey smiled back.
There was a knock at the door. A man entered the room and Lindsey's eyes lit up. She jumped forward and hugged him. "Dr. Hodgins!" Realizing how unprofessional she was being she stepped away from the doctor and smiled. "Dr. Hodgins, this is Detective Katherine Beckett. We are working her father's case."
Kate Smiled and shook his hand. "Hi. You can call me Kate." He returned her smile and then turned to Lindsey.
"Lindsey, Dr. Brennan isn't around. It's ok. You don't have to be formal to me." He laughed sweetly to her and put his arms on her shoulders. That seemed to relax her and she giggled like a normal kid should. Kate saw the love and compassion in both their eyes. They are a family, Kate thought.
She smiled and let their happiness sink into her. She knew that they would solve her father's case. She knew that they were going to do their best and she knew that everything was going to be okay.