Tangled Web

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. The plot started as a dream whilst at an extended 6 day Castle meet-up... and quickly developed in to this.

Chapter One

Shadows fell across the floor. The sound of echoed footsteps bounced from object to wall to object. Ghosts of voices lost left an impression in the very atmosphere of the room.

The warehouse was seemingly abandoned or so it looked with its rusted windows and door frames. Paint peeling from the wooden facade and metaphorical tumbleweeds rolled across the yard. But nobody would have even guessed that this warehouse was the regularly used space for a group fondly labelled as Parasites by the other activists in the area.

Lights flickered and danced up the walls, mocking the almost statuesque stance of those inside. Whispers were how words were crossed, never a shout, and this night was no different. Anger laced the words as they rippled through the group and the occasional growled command shattered the otherwise muttered calm.

With a shift in emotions, shadows turned to one figure.

"We have recently discovered a mole of kinds that sends shivers of true disgust through me."


Castle rolled over on to his side and pulled a pillow over his head. The insistent whirring from the kitchen was slowly drilling in to his brain causing a slow twitch behind his eye. He pulled his pillow closer to his face and was in danger of suffocating himself when Beckett spoke.

"Castle, I thought you spoke with Pi."

"I did." his voice rumbled through the pillow. "Though I'm pretty sure he classes a mere increase of a second as 'later'."

Beckett slid her hand around his chest and buried her face in his back. "I think we should go to my place tonight." She sighed. Rolling on to her back she threw an arm over her face. "For my sanity if nothing else." A guttural groan was ripped from her throat as the whirring noise seemed to get louder.

Castle threw the pillow off his face and rolled over to face her and slid an arm around her back pulling her close to his chest. Running a finger down the join between her neck and shoulder, he pushed her long curly hair off her shoulder placing a kiss on her pulse point. Lifting his head, he raised an eyebrow. "That sound should only be from my doing."

Beckett bit her lip and frowned, flicking her gaze between his lips, the door and his eyes. "Is the door locked?"

"It makes it more," He lowered his lips back to her neck and placed open mouthed kisses up across her jaw till he reached her mouth. "exciting," he mumbled against her lips, "if we don't know."

Beckett groaned again and shifted her right leg over his hips and opened her mouth up to him. Sliding her right hand up in to his hair she arched in to his kiss, pushing herself closer to him. She shifted against him until he groaned in to her mouth and his hands slipped under her t-shirt and flexed in to her back, hard.

"Mr C, future Mrs C... breakfast shake?" Pi pushed the bedroom door open and stepped in to the bedroom.

Castle's grip around Beckett tightened as he pulled away from her mouth. "Pi." He gritted his teeth and counted to ten in his head. With each number he let his fingers stroke down her spine and allowed her shivers in response to distract him.

"I've tried a new recipe today: More bananas," Pi threw out an arm and brought his fingers close to his face and made a pinching motion, "and just a hint of kiwi for a kick."

Castle closed his eyes. "I'll give him a kick in a moment." His mumbled words were a breath away from Beckett's cheek and her eyelids fluttered shut. "How long do you think it'll be before he goes away?"

Beckett shook her head as she shuffled further down in the covers, Castle stroking his spine had made her skin sensitive to every whisper of a touch. All of which was very embarrassing when Pi was still practically standing over them. "It's not polite to ignore him. You should make a bit more of an effort." She leaned in closer, her lips brushing against his ear lobe as she continued. "You remember what I told you about my years of rebelling?" She waited for his nod. "You really, really don't want to tempt fate."

Castle sighed and with a great effort he rolled over and away for her arms, even as her arms clutched first at him and then the covers. "Sounds great, Pi, any chance of adding coffee to the mix?"

"Now, Mr C, I've told you before that too much caffeine isn't good for you. " Pi grinned. "At your age you need to be thinking seriously about your health."

Castle's gaze on Pi remained unblinking as he swallowed down all the words he really wanted to say. The eye-twitch from when he woke up, returning with vengeance.

"Thank you, Pi. We'll be right out." Beckett slipped a comforting arm around Castle's shoulder but the amusement in her voice cancelled out the feeling it should have given.

Pi hesitated a moment longer, as if still waiting for Castle to respond, before slipping back out of the room with a jovial shrug, pulling the door closed behind him.

"I... he..." Castle struggled to choke out his words as he stumbled over each of them overwhelmed with annoyance.

"Shhh," Becket slid her hand up his shoulder and across his jaw, resting a finger on his lips. "I think we have about 10 minutes before he will interrupt us again."


He whispered a quick, silent prayer as he gripped the glass and raised it to his lips. Alexis had been watching him since he sat down on the stool and he knew that this was turning in to some kind of test to see if he would accept something that Pi had made.

Together, Castle and Beckett raised their glasses as one and took a sip. Both struggling with the grimace at the sharp taste of Pi's smoothie, they blinked and took a breath.

"The kiwi certainly gives it... kick... Pi." Beckett schooled her features as Alexis and Pi glanced up from the fruit they were preparing together. She placed the glass back on the counter and continued twisting her hair up in to a loose bun. "Just what you need to wake up."

"Don't you just love the variety of flavours that fruit provides?!" Pi bounced round the kitchen counter gesturing to the array of fruit scattered around. "I love trying out new flavours." He turned to Castle. "So, Mr C. What's the verdict?"

Castle took another small sip as he tried to smile and think of how to phrase his answer. "It has definitely woken me up, Pi. Which I suppose is a good thing."

"Well there would be no point having a smoothie that sent you back to sleep, for breakfast, dad." Alexis rolled her eyes and smiled up at Pi. "He's a bit of a genius with his colour blending."

"I'll win you over yet, Mr C." Pi smiled warmly. "Will the two of you be joining us for dinner?"

Castle glanced over at Beckett desperately looking for a way out. Just as the paused silence started to become awkward, Beckett's phone rang.

"It's the precinct." Holding her phone to her ear she slid off the bar stool, exchanging a smile with Castle as she wandered over towards his office. "Beckett."

"So," Castle turned back to Alexis and Pi, "I guess we'll let you know closer to the time." Forgetting the taste, he knocked back the last of his smoothie and swallowed. This time not managing to hide his grimace.

"You okay, Mr C?"

"Yeah," He glanced nervously at Alexis, her face showing her annoyance. "it's just, um, brain freeze." He gripped his head and let out a small groan. "Get's you every time." Castle turned back as he heard Beckett closing the door to his office and making her way back over to them, a pair of boots swinging from her fingers. "Body drop?"

"Yeah, and Ryan says it's an interesting one." She sat on the edge of the sofa to pull on her boots.

Castle's face lit up. "Interesting?"

Beckett let her hair fall across her face to hide her grin as she continued to finish pulling on her boots and zipped them up. "I guess we'll find out." She headed towards the closet to collect her coat and glanced over her shoulder. "Are you coming?"


Castle stood frozen as he looked at the familiar scene. His mind flicking back to the last encounter with a man so crazed with his own power of the perfect murder that he had become invisible; hidden in plain sight. It was like watching a teen horror movie where you know what is happening and part of you doesn't want to believe that it could be that obvious. That some twist is sure to blind-sight you and knock you sideways. But this just seemed... bold. It seemed to have both aspects of his name plastered all over it. The tradition and the new seamlessly tied together.

He was sure to be watching this; his sick fascination with the two of them too strong to stop him.

"You see it too, don't you?" Lanie glanced up at him from her crouched position next to the body of a young woman, the arms carefully positioned over her chest.

He blinked. "I knew it." Shaking himself out of the stupor he had sunk in to, Castle looked around for Beckett. She was stood by the yellow tape talking to what looked like a jogger. He could tell she was mildly agitated from the way she held herself; back stiff and arms tense.

"He discovered the body." Lanie stood up carefully and stepped closer to him, waving a hand in front of Castle's face. "Hey, are you with us?"

"Yeah." He resisted the shudder that wanted to shoot through him at seeing the copper-tinged blonde hair and finished pulling on his blue gloves. "TOD?"

"I can't be quite sure, but from the looks of the body temp it appears to be at least 6 hours ago, so some time between 12 and 3am." Lanie smiled as his curiosity seemed to help him get over his shock. The unspoken question that hung in the air had her shaking her head sadly. "The ligature marks appear to be the same but I can't confirm that till I can do some tests. "

"She looks so peaceful." Castle looked down at the body, finally allowing her appearance to settle in. "Her hair."

"The M.O. doesn't always fit. You should know that by now, Castle." Lanie stepped away from the body to allow it to be collected. "I'll call when I have some definitive answers." Turning slightly to follow Castle's gaze, she allowed a grin. "Don't be the one to assume the worse; she sometimes needs that silver lining."

Castle closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "I just wanted to believe that she was right; that it was over." He dragged a hand down his face. "I wanted to believe that it was all over."

Lanie laid a hand on his now folded arms. "We don't know for sure yet. Let me do my tests before you start to worry too much. I know it looks similar but so many of the details were leaked to the press it could just be a copycat."

"Or maybe it's so similar because he's back... and this was just his warning." He looked down the street to the front steps of the 12th precinct.


AN: Thank you for reading. =)

AN2: Thank you, Leanne, for being my soundboard. Thank you, Katie, for being a bemused soundboard. AND, thank you, Dai, for having a quick read of the first half of this chapter which reassured me that it wasn't a pile of rubbish.