Growth

Beckett let herself into the loft to find Castle sitting in semi-darkness on the couch, scotch in hand. "It didn't go well with Alexis?" she asked.

"You have a gift for understatement," Castle replied. "She wouldn't accept my apology. She wouldn't even accept make-up ice cream."

Beckett snuggled up next to him and put her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Castle, but you've been putting Pi down for a while and she loves him, or thinks she does. I can understand why she'd resent it and I think you can too."

"She also resented that I didn't tell her I was proposing to you, but seemed to think that I shouldn't have minded that she didn't tell me she was bringing home a boyfriend."

"Castle, of all people, you should know that feelings don't necessarily make sense." Beckett brushed his hair off his forehead and kissed him softly. "Consider us."

Putting his glass down, Castle pulled Beckett into his lap. "That's all I want to consider right now," he said, bringing his lips to hers. As Castle slipped his arms under her, Beckett wrapped her arms around his neck so that he could carry her to the bed. Castle drew his comfort from the taste of her lips, her chin, and the sensitive skin in the gap in her blouse as he pulled it aside. Beckett rose to meet him, pulling at the buttons on his shirt. The clothes fell to the floor as they were skin to skin. Fisting his fingers in her hair, feasting on her, he drew her closer, until they came together in a desperate joining. Finally sated, they lay entangled in sheets and each other.

As the sun was rising, Beckett's pants buzzed. Regretfully disentangling herself, Beckett got out of bed to retrieve her cell phone. It was Esposito. A body had dropped in a public garden.

Beckett and Castle met Esposito. Ryan was taking a statement from a visibly shaken young woman in overalls. Esposito inclined his head toward Ryan. "Lady over there found the body when she came to do her early morning gardening. She didn't touch it, just called 911. She doesn't know who it is. I have unis canvassing to find out if anyone saw something."

Lainie had not yet arrived, so they examined the scene as best they could without disturbing the body, which lay face down in the dirt. It looked as if his head had been bashed in with a shovel lying nearby.

"Truly a man of the soil," Castle quipped to an eye roll from Beckett.

Lainie finally arrived, took her pictures and asked Esposito to help her turn over the body. Castle and Beckett looked down in shock. It was Pi.

Castle drew his hands over his face. "Alexis! I have to tell Alexis. How do I do that?"

Beckett took his arm. "I'll go with you."

Though Castle had driven his BMW to the scene, Beckett took the wheel for the trip to Alexis' and Pi's apartment near Columbia. A distraught Castle sat beside her. After making their way up the stairs, Castle knocked on the door.

Alexis opened it and stared at them. "Dad," she said. I don't want to talk to you. It's too soon." She started to close the door and Beckett pushed on it saying, "Alexis wait, we really need to talk to you."

Catching the seriousness of Beckett's tone, Alexis opened the door. "Honey," Castle said, "you need to sit down. Alexis sat in one of the chairs she and Pi had lovingly retrieved from a dumpster. Beckett and Castle drew up two more chairs and sat opposite her and Castle took her hands. Alexis pulled them back, but he took them again. "Alexis, Beckett and I had a body at a public garden downtown. There is just no easy way to say this. It was Pi, honey. He's dead."

Alexis jumped up, her blue eyes flashing in anger. "Dad, what is this, some kind of twisted Halloween prank? That has got to be about the worst joke you've ever pulled. Get out of here!"

Castle put his arms around her even as she struggled against him. "Alexis, it's not a joke. You know I can be an immature jackass, but I've never been cruel. I'm sorry pumpkin, but I'm telling you the truth."

Alexis looked up into her father's sapphire eyes, now brimming with tears, and at the stricken look on Beckett's face and broke down sobbing against Castle's chest. He picked her up as he had when she was a little girl and sat in one of the dumpster treasures, rocking her in his arms.

When the sobs subsided, Beckett slipped into her professional mode. "Alexis, is there anyone we should call, anyone we need to notify?"

Alexis shook her head. "Pi's parents are gathering plants in the Amazon. They're unreachable until they check in. That won't be for at least a couple of days. His sister is in Africa somewhere, I'm not sure where. His parents would know. I don't know what to do now."

Castle hugged her to him. "We'll take care of it together and Beckett and I will get whoever did this. I promise."

Alexis looked around the apartment, which seemed to scream Pi's absence. "Dad," she asked, "can I come home with you?"

Castle kissed her hair. "Always."

Castle took Alexis up to her room in the loft and tucked her into bed. She hung on for dear life to Monkey Bunkey and after a few minutes drifted off to sleep. Beckett met him at the bottom of the stairs with a glass of scotch, which he accepted gratefully.

Castle propped himself against the end of the couch with his feet up on a stool and Beckett lying against him. "I'll admit there have been times when I've thought about it, but who'd want to kill Pi? He was a bee counter. He ate fruit."

"I don't know Castle, but we're going to find out," Beckett told him, getting to her feet.

"I'm going to call Mother at the school to see if she can stay with Alexis. When she gets here, I'll join you," Castle said.

"OK, call me, and I'll let you know where I am," Beckett told him. "Or just call if you need me."

Castle stood and kissed her. 'I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too."