Title: The Gravel in Your Guts

Author: Spike Speigel

Rating: R

Classification: Castle/Beckett

Disclaimer: My fourth Castle fanfic. As usual, these characters don't belong to me. I'm just taking them for a joyride.

Spoilers: Everything up to and including Knockout is fair game. Also, you don't have to read The Continuing Day by Day or Love Let Her, but these do occur prior to events in this fic.

Summary: Castle's past comes back in the worst way. Luckily, Beckett won't let him face it alone.

Author's Note: This is my love letter to Jason Aaron and R. M. Guera. Also, my affinity to the Old West and Native American history.

She can feel the rigidness of the bark digging into her back as she tries to push herself up against the large juniper tree behind her. However, her legs won't move. Her arms are barely paying attention to her as it is, her right hand pressing against the bullet wound in her gut. It's her liver, she thinks to herself. She's been shot in the liver. That explains the consistency of the fluid seeping through her fingers. Sticky yet viscous all at the same time.

There's bile in her blood.

She coughs, even though she doesn't have a cold. Is this what the body does when it knows it doesn't have long for this world? Does it try to scream out to the world in whatever way it can? Even through the simple act of coughing? She coughs once more, her other hand pushing against the dirt beneath her as she tries to get up once more.

Unfortunately for her, she finds that her body still isn't listening to her. Bark against her back. Bile in her blood. And now dirt in her hand. It's as though the world is conspiring against her. Calling her home.

She slumps against the juniper, her breathing becoming ragged as she turns her gaze from the wound in her gut, looking up at the person that put it there in the first place.

"You…you didn't have to…do this…"

She can feel the strength leaving her body, leaving with her blood. She can no longer hold her gaze with the person standing in front of her, her neck lolling back against the towering tree behind her. She blinks the tears away from her eyes, feeling them stream down the sides of her face as the stars come into view. And, for some reason, she finds it sad that it's a new moon. Because she knows that she'll never see the moon again after tonight.

But she will have the stars. She takes solace in that fact as she blinks once more, her vision coming into focus on the celestial bodies above her.

"You didn't…you didn't…"

She can hear leaves crumbling underneath footfalls. And heavy breathing. She tries to move her head, but it doesn't respond to her command, just like the rest of her body. So she looks at the stars as the footfalls get closer. She wonders if any of the stars in the sky are actually alive. Or are they all dead, their light just reaching her at this precise moment.

What an odd thing to think about, she muses as the voice pulls her from the thought.

"Close your eyes, Carol. You shouldn't see what comes next."

And finally, Carol Two Trees' body obeys her. Because she closes her eyes, not wanting to see what comes next. Unfortunately, she can feel the blade against the hairline of her scalp as she whispers her final prayer to the heavens.

"You're staring again."

"Mmm. What's that?"

Beckett tries to hide her smile, but Castle's fingers gently tracing the swell of her breast makes the task difficult, to say the least. "They're just breasts, Castle."

Castle props himself up on his elbow, his gaze moving from his hand to Beckett's face, catching the smile that disappears from the side of her lip. "Yes, but these are special."

Beckett chuckles softly, the smile finally emerging on her lips as she speaks. "Oh. And how's that?"

His voice doesn't waver as he answers her question. "Because these are the breasts of Detective Katherine Beckett."

She prays that he doesn't see her blush, rolling her eyes at him as his fingers move slowly between the cleavage of her breasts before moving onto the other one. "I'll never understand men's fascination with them."

Castle's head jerks up from his current position, looking out into the distance, as though he's just remembered something. "We've had this conversation before."

Beckett looks at him for a moment, staring out into the darkness of her bedroom, before realizing that he's right. Three years ago, they had a similar conversation. However, three years ago, he was looking at some blonde's breasts when she asked him about men's fascination with breasts. But in the here and now, Castle was treating hers as though they were the most sacred things on the face of the earth.

Her hand reaches up to him, cupping the side of his face as she speaks. "Speaking of conversations, what about this?" Her hand brushes against his beard, the one he's had since coming back from Dubai. "Is this going to be a regular thing now?"

Beckett's hand turns Castle's gaze back toward hers, a grin forming at the corner of his mouth as her hand continues to graze against the short stubble.

"You don't like it?"

"I didn't say that…"

Castle cuts her off, his face turning in her palm just enough for his lips to press a kiss against the heel. "You hate it, don't you?"

"It's just…" Her hand moves from his face, her fingers threading his hair as she continues. Her voice is quiet. Almost embarrassed, one could say. "It's just…it tickles a little bit when I kiss you." Castle smiles at her honesty, as well as her shyness. He's never seen Beckett like this, and decides that this is a Beckett he'd like to see more of. But, before he can think about shy Beckett, a thought crosses his mind, his subtle grin now a full blown smirk. Beckett catches the gleam in his eye, her voice worrisome yet curious. "What?"

"Ticklish. Really?" Before Beckett realizes what's happening, Castle leans over her quickly so that the side of his face comes into contact with hers. His hands move from his side as he holds her arms before he begins to rub his beard against her cheek.

Beckett begins to lose herself in her laughter as Castle continues his childish ministrations. "Stop…stop…I can't…breathe…"

Castle finally relents, pulling his face away from hers until he's hovering above her, mere inches away from her. Her laughter begins to subside as he smiles at her. He's never heard Beckett laugh like that before. It's a welcome sound. "So, what was that about the beard now?"

Beckett returns Castle's smile as she answers. "You're a jerk. You know that?"

"Yeah. But you love it."

Her response is sincere as she arches her neck up toward him. "I do." Castle ponders her words for a moment, his eyes locking on hers, the sincerity in them evident. She bites her bottom lip before speaking once more. "So, do you think you're ready for another go round?"

Castle leans down, his lips pressing gently against hers before pulling away to respond. "Even with the beard?"

Beckett smirks at him, leaning up to capture his lower lip between her teeth. They share a brief kiss before Beckett answers. "Even with the beard." Castle begins to lean toward Beckett, his lips grazing hers, but the shrill tone of his cell phone breaks the silence. He turns his head toward the nightstand before returning his gaze back to the woman currently under him, wondering if he should answer it. After all, it was well past most people's bedtimes. Fortunately, Beckett gives him his answer. "Go ahead. It might be important."

He leans down, placing a small kiss on her forehead before rolling over to the side of the bed. He can feel Beckett's hand on the small of his back, gently caressing him as he looks at the screen of his phone. Castle frowns slightly upon seeing the name before accepting the call.

"Gina. It's almost one in the morning. What's wrong?" Beckett can only see Castle's back from her position on the bed, but judging from the way his muscles begin to tense, she can tell that he's not comfortable talking with his ex-wife. "I didn't pick up at home because I'm not at home." She can barely hear Gina over the receiver, but Beckett can tell by the tone that she's not pleased to make the call. "Why does it matter where I am? The last time I checked, you were my publisher and my ex-wife, so my whereabouts shouldn't be any of your concern." She hears Castle sigh in frustration and frowns slightly at the predicament. Beckett wraps the sheets around her body before sliding up behind Castle, her arms snaking around his waist as she leans against his back. She can see him smile at her touch before he continues with Gina. "I'm at a friend's house." Castle shakes his head upon hearing Gina's words, finally relenting under the cavalcade of questions. "I'm with Kate. Happy now?" Castle pulls the phone away from his ear, holding it close to Beckett as he continues. "Say hi to my ex-wife, Kate."

Beckett hesitates for a moment, giving Castle a slightly embarrassed look, as though she's just been caught doing something she shouldn't have been. "Um. Hi."

Castle moves the phone back to his ear as Beckett buries her face into his shoulder, still trying to work out in her mind that this was actually happening. "So now that we've established my current location, can you tell me what this call is about? Because I don't owe you another book for a while." Beckett pulls her face away from Castle's shoulder, her gaze falling upon the side of his face when she sees his expression change upon hearing Gina's next words. "Carol Two Trees? I don't know…Ellroy?" The way Castle's voice drops in timbre tells Beckett everything she needs to know. There are only a few reasons someone gets a call this early. And right now, Beckett's mind was going to the reason that was associated with her profession. "Yeah. Give me the number." Castle reaches for the notepad on the nightstand, the pencil previously resting on top of it now in his right hand as he holds the phone against his shoulder with his head. He quickly scribbles down a phone number before placing the pad and pencil back on the nightstand. "Okay. Thanks, Gina. Good night."

There's a brief moment when Castle just sits at the edge of the bed, the phone cradled against his shoulder, before he moves once more. The phone falls into his still injured left hand as he lifts his head. As Castle turns the phone over in his hand, Beckett finally breaks the silence, concern in her voice evident as she does so.

"Everything okay?"

Castle stirs from his thoughts upon hearing Beckett's voice, looking over his shoulder at her as he responds to her query. "Uh, no. No." Castle leans over to the nightstand once more, placing his cell phone on top of the notepad, before he continues. "A friend of mine was murdered. Her mother's been trying to reach me to invite me to the funeral."

Beckett hates being right about the nature of the call. Nevertheless, she squeezes the man in her arms, offering him consolation. "I'm so sorry, Rick."

Castle reaches behind him, his hand squeezing Beckett's forearm as he responds. "Yeah. Me too."

Continued