Healing all wounds

This is set after Head Hunters and AU after that and anything after Undead won't happen. Also there are jumps with dates, these will be noted.

Also I don't have a beta reader but would love one if someone is interested. All mistakes are mine, some of the stuff in this story is from personal experience.

I have several more parts written and will try to update every few days.

Crime scene, early morning

May 28th 2012

Beckett slowly approached the crime scene hoping her phone would beep with the acknowledgement of her text to Castle. Though it was early she knew he usually jumped at the chance to be at the scene of the crime. It had been three weeks since she had seen him appear around the team or the station, in fact with the exception of his text last week saying sorry he was busy writing and maybe next time, no one else had seen or talked to him either.

The last time she had really spent time with him had been when he was following Slaughter and she was helping the DA. The court case had been settled quickly and within a week and half she was back at the station. The next case was another of the wonderful weird ones that her team seemed to attract and was solved with some hard work by everyone and acting of the original suspect that had become one of the victims. It was a case made for Castle and she actually missed the wild theories he would have been spitting out. Heck he would have loved the gang of zombie walkers that Espo and she confronted.

She went back in her mind to the text that said he was busy writing. That one threw her for a loop because he was usually always looking for a reason to not write. Oh well whatever was up with Castle she was sure he would come around eventually, he always did. Of course that line of thought really didn't make the hole in her heart feel better. She needed him and this coldness was killing her.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Lanie.

"Hey girl, no shadow again this week?" Lanie queried as she wrote notes on her clip board.

Ignoring her friend's question, "what have you got for me today?" She asked glancing at Ryan as he came up beside them.

"Thirty year old male, two wounds in the chest, looks like small caliber, a few defense wounds on his hands so he put up a fight before he lost." Laine went over after giving Kate a glare that said later. "Sometime around 3am is estimated time of death right now. I will know more once I get him back to my table."

Kevin started reading off his notes, "No one saw anything so it looks like a mugging gone bad. No phone found and his pockets were picked clean. So far no missing person report yet so no further ID but will run his prints once we get back to the station."

Esposito added on as he joined the group, "The uniforms are going to ask around some more but so far nothing from anyone."

"Double check for any cameras and let's see if we can get name with our body." Kate ordered as she looked around the scene once more.

"Kay," Ryan knew who she was really looking for, "No Castle again?"

"Missing your mentor Ryan?" She snapped back upset that she was caught.

"No but it's been awhile since he's missed two murders and we all know the zombie case would have been right up there in his top ten." Ryan answered as he tried to shrug off the hints of missing Castle.

"You keep track of Castle's top ten cases?" Kate asked as she tried to keep from sounding like she was upset

"Yeah Castle Jr.? Do you keep track of them?" Espo asked as much as he wanted to punch his partner for bringing up Castle when all knew how much Kate was really missing him.

Ryan stuttered, "No, no I don't but you know that it would have been a top ten?"

"Well add this to your top ten, get me the video, a name and find something that helps with this case."

"Yes, right on that." He sputtered out as Javi grabbed his jacket and pulled him down the alley way.

Kate shook her head as the two guys walked away, she felt Lanie come up to stand beside her, "I waited too long."

"I'm sorry girl. Maybe you need to call him and see what is really going on?"

"No, I made it through the last time he left my heart on the floor, I will this time too." Kate said as she made herself stand a little taller. "Call me when you have something. Kay?"

"I will."

Lanie watched as Kate walked back towards her cruiser. "I really hope there is a good reason for your absence Castle because I don't know if we will be able to ever crack her walls again if you don't."

Castles Loft, Same time

Rick sat nursing a glass of scotch as the sun came up to start a new day. It was how he ended the day before, in the same spot nursing a glass from the same bottle. All night he had been reviewing his life, the mistakes and pondering if the verdict was atonement to his erroneous ways.