Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 34th cycle. Now cycle 35!

YEAR TWO ANNIVERSARY CYCLE! - Within days it will have been two years since I've started this Gleekathon, and like last year I'm dedicating the cycle to commemorating my 21 favorite one shots or chapter stories from year two (up to the point where I did the planning ;)) A number of those I was very attached to, but left sad to see may have fallen through the cracks, so it seems fair they should get a second shot ;)

Last year there were three categories, but this year I've added two new ones: Prequel, Sequel, POV Swap, and now Alternate Ending, and Additional Scenes. In no particular order... Today's story is Additional Scenes to #568-574 "Red Herring" a Glee/Castle crossover story originally posted from May 12th to 18th 2011.

"Welcome to Chez Castle"
Glee/Castle crossover, Brittana, Caskett

The group had felt odd going into the bus without Brittany or Puck, and at any other time it might have been said it was for the sake of their presence being missed, and of course there was some of that as well, but the situation was much bigger now. It wasn't every day they could say that they had to leave two of their own to bunk at the home of a famous mystery writer in order to make a murderer believe they'd been held for questioning, the better to get him or her to lower their guard and get caught.

But then as exciting and potentially conversation-inducing as that could be, it hadn't taken long for the conversation to shift away. The danger had passed. Yes, there was a murderer out there, but they were no longer under suspicion, they would get to go home when this was over, so… the floor was open for a little gossip and curiosity.

"In all this madness I've completely forgotten, I need to tell my dads about this. Oh, they love Nikki Heat, they both have their own copy of Heat Wave and they nearly stopped talking to each other while they were reading because Pop reads faster. And when Naked Heat came out…" Rachel was rattling off, stopping when Kurt put a hand to her shoulder as though to say 'breathe.'

"I swear his pictures don't do him justice," Santana shook her head.

"Do you think…" Tina started, mischief in her eye, "Him and Detective Beckett…"

"I wouldn't be surprised. An artist and his muse…" Rachel practically swooned. "When the connection's there, it's there," she shrugged, her mind wandering away once more. "It's the stuff of great stories…"

There was a silent beat, almost like they waited for something that didn't come… a misguided quip from Brittany, or a snide comment from Puck… except they weren't there… It was Mercedes who turned to Santana, imagining correctly that this feeling of their absence, of the blonde's absence, would have resonated a lot closer to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, and Santana looked at her for a moment and then let her shoulders raise and fall before looking out the window. "She'll be okay. She's safe," she reminded her.

"I know…" Santana replied. She would have raised her hand, stayed with her… But then Puck had volunteered, and his reasoning had both made sense and gotten everyone else swept up into the scenario. So it was one thing that she was safe… she was also not there with her.

Across town, Castle escorted the two teenagers up to his door. He vaguely recalled his mother saying she'd be out that evening, but Alexis would be there. He wasn't worrying about the girl, but then there was the boy, all muscles and danger… and that hair… Alexis wasn't the type to go for that, he had to remind himself, though he still kept a good 'I'm watching you, steer clear' kind of look whenever they had to see eye to eye. As he opened the door and let them in, he called up to the stairs. "Alexis?"

"Yeah, Dad?" she called back.

"Can you come down here, please?"

"Am I in trouble?" she replied in a teasing voice.

"Yes, I am very disappointed," he played, then looked to the two guests, shaking his head to promise they were kidding.

"Oh, but I swear I've been a g…" she appeared, coming down the stairs, then froze mid-step and mid-word when she realized they weren't alone. Her pale cheeks flushed. "Hello…" she greeted the two before her eyes darted to her father for explanation.

"Alexis, this is Brittany and Noah," he introduced. Brittany waved with a smile, while Puck wasn't sure how to respond, having gotten enough warnings from Castle. Finally he just gave a quick shrug.

"Hi…" Alexis still needed more.

"They'll be staying with us for the night. It's police business," he nodded, like it would encompass it all. "Noah will be sleeping, right here," he indicated the couch, guiding the boy by the shoulders. "Is it alright if Brittany shares your room tonight?"

"Uh, sure… Come on, I'll show you," she waved the girl over. Brittany looked back to Castle.

"Thank you," she gave him a smile. He returned the favor and she went to follow Alexis. Once they were in her room, she shut the door and looked back to the girl, who just stood there, unsure what to do with her herself – neither of them did. "You're not from here, are you?" Alexis broke the ice.

"That obvious?"

"I took a guess," she admitted.

"Well, we came from Lima, Ohio. We're supposed to compete at Nationals, with Glee Club. But then there was a murder."

"Was it anyone you knew?" Alexis' eyes grew wide.

"Yes…" she nodded, and Alexis was about to say she was sorry, but then, "We met her when we checked in to the hotel."

"So why are you two here…"

"They thought I was the one who did it, apparently. But then they found out it wasn't me, so they're trying to trick whoever did it by making it look like they still think it's me."

"What about that guy?"

"Puck? If he's not there, we're not okay to participate, so we're more noticeable," she explained. Alexis blinked, processing the information, then decided she trusted the girl and moved away from the topic.

"I should have some clothes for you to change in," she moved to her dresser.

Downstairs, Castle had done the same, providing Puck with something to wear, out of concern he might decide to sleep in his underwear… or worse… He deposited the clothes, silently pointed to the bathroom, and stepped back. After watching the boy disappear to go change, he took out his phone and hit speed dial. He waited until… "Beckett," she answered.

"Anything new?"

"No," she revealed. "How are the kids?"

"Settling in. Listen, if anything changes between now and then…"

"I know, I'll keep you up to date. You're worried about the other kids," she guessed.

"I can't help thinking we've put them in the crosshairs. They may be under surveillance, but they already were – by our killer, who made sure we focused on them."

"Security is keeping an eye on them, being discreet…"

"… which means nothing if our bad guy works there." There was a pause, and she didn't have to say it – she'd thought the same.

"We'll be there early tomorrow," was her way of putting them both at ease, with mixed results. "Get some sleep, Castle."

"You too. Don't stare at that board too long."

"I… Yeah, okay," she promised. After they hung up, and Puck had re-emerged, Castle went into his office. He tried to clear his mind and found himself searching the internet until he happened upon videos of these kids, this club, at previous competitions. It did help clear his mind some, although now he wondered… Secretive as she could get, he tried to imagine… a song and dance Kate Beckett…

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!