A/N: Okay so this isn't a new story. I posted it before but it seems that the time has run out and it's gone into the archives. So I'm re-posting it. I hope you all enjoy it again.

Rolling to his side, Rick reaches out and finds Kate's side of the bed cold. Lifting his head, he looks around the room until he sees the light is on in the bathroom. Pushing the covers back, he softly pads over to the door. He taps softly. "Kate." He says.

"I'll be out in a minute." She says, finishing her business as he shuffles back to the bed.

He's laying there waiting for her when the door opens and she flips the light off. "Is everything okay?" He asks, as she comes back to bed.

"Yeah. I woke up needing to use the bathroom." She says, slipping back into bed. She lies down as he reaches for her. Kissing the side of her neck as he slips his hand under her shirt, she pushes him away. "We can't Castle." She says, rolling to her side.

"Why not?" He asks, in the little boy pouty voice that usually would make her smile. Looking over her shoulder, she looks at him and he says. "Oh, can I hold you at least?"

She looks at him and then moves into his arms, laying her head on his chest as he wraps his arms around her. His soft sigh caressing the top of her head, she closes her eyes, trying to force the disappointment from overwhelming her. She was late by a few days and once she realized it a part of her latched onto the possibility that she could've been pregnant. They didn't always uses caution when they were together and that found her thinking about having a little boy or girl with all the characteristics of Castle that she loved so much. Sighing, she closes her eyes and tries to go back to sleep, with Castle oblivious to the thoughts running through her head, for the moment at least.

She and Castle walk into the bullpen shortly before nine am. Ryan and Esposito are already there, going over paperwork from the case they had closed the night before. Putting her bag on her desk, she sits down with Castle sliding into the chair beside her desk. Picking up a file, she settles in to finish up the final paperwork left to her after closing the case. After about ten minutes, she glances up and finds Castle looking at her. "We're back to watching me do paperwork." She asks looking back at the report she was finishing up. He doesn't answer her. Something about her today felt off but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. She seems happy enough. They had shared the shower but nothing more than that happened. She smiled when he handed her the cup of coffee he had made her while she was getting ready. But something was off. "Are you really going to sit there all day and watch me do paper work? At least take out your phone and play angry birds or something, check out your twitter page, something." She says, as he pulls out his phone and she goes back to her work.

An hour later Beckett's desk phone rings. "Beckett." She says, as she picks up the phone. "Alright we'll be right there." She says, reaching for pen and scribbling down the address. "Ryan, Espo, we got a body." She says, standing up as Castle looks up. He quickly puts his phone away, following her out of the bullpen with Ryan and Esposito following behind them.

When they reach the street Kate says. "The bodies in an alley, two blocks east of the Marriott Marquis between the Marquis and the Roosevelt."

She opens her car door as Ryan and Espo jog over to their cruiser, getting in, she and Castle back out of her parking place beside two other black and whites. As she reaches the corner, Espo and Ryan pull up behind her. It's a slow trip to the crime scene because of mid-town traffic. As she gets out, she grabs her note pad before she slams her door. Castle glances at her but doesn't say anything. Closing his door, he follows her quietly. Lanie is already working the scene as they walk up. "What do we have Lanie?" Kate asks, as her friend glances up.

"Two victims, male and female, it looks like she tried to run." Lanie says, pointing to the victim further away from them. "They've both been shot. This one looks to be point blank. I'll have more when I get them back to the lab."

"Time of death." Kate asks.

"Judging by lividity and liver temp between midnight and four am this morning, I'll know more..."

"You'll know more when you get back to the lab." Kate says, finishing her usual statement. "Who found them?" Kate asks, looking around for a witness as Ryan walks up.

"Anonymous call to 911, they used a cell phone so no address from the call."

"Alright, you and Espo, set up a canvass see if you can find the person that called it in. Maybe they heard something in the night. Do we have id's on the victim's yet?" She asks, looking at Lanie.

"The female is First Lieutenant Tiffany Lewis, and the man is Captain Whitney Parker Peyton Rodgers, both US..."

"Did you say Whitney Rodgers?" Castle asks, looking at Lanie.

"Yes, a Whitney Parker Peyton Rodgers. Both are US Army."

"Do you know him?" Kate asks, looking at Castle.

"I don't know. Can I see his id?" He asks, looking at her. One of the CSU guys hands him the id and as Castle looks down, he takes a deep breath before he looks up at Kate. "I know him. He's my cousin." Castle says, handing the wallet back to CSU.

"You're cousin, you're sure?"

"Yes." He says. "He looks exactly like my Uncle Whitney the Second." He says, as Kate stares at him. "He's my mother's older brother."

"You're mother's older brother. I... I never, well you never talk about your mother's family and I never thought about it but I guess you would have cousins and aunts and uncles."

"Don't worry about it Kate, it's not like I'm close to them. In fact, they've practically ignored me and my mother for most of my life. I've only seen them like once in my life and I was really, really little when that happened and I don't think it was intentional." He says, as Kate stares at him.

"You're sure it's your..."

"I'm sure Kate." He says, looking at her.

"Okay, we'll go back to the precinct and see if we can contact their next of kin." They walk away as Rick pulls out his phone. "Who are you calling?"

"My mother, she might be able to tell us how to contact his next of kin." He says, as Kate reaches out to stop him.

"Maybe we should wait." She says, looking at him.

"Yeah, I guess that's not the best way to find out your nephew is dead." Castle says, putting his phone away.

"We'll do a search when we get back to the precinct." Kate says, opening her car door. They get in and leave.

They're a couple blocks away when Castle says. "Go ahead and ask me Kate."

She glances at him and then smiles. "Sorry, I'm just curious. You never saw any of your mother's family?"

"No, we were pretty much left alone after Mom had me. Her father was strict military type and didn't approve of my mother's more flamboyant side. When she found out that she was pregnant with me, she went to him for help, but he basically told her to either give me up or raise me on her own. She refused to give me up and he refused to acknowledge her bastard son."

"Rick, you are not a bastard." Kate says vehemently, as he smiles.

"Alright, illegitimate son, the only time I remember having any contact with them was when I was about five. My grandfather died and she brought me with her for the funeral. Something happened that weekend because she left immediately after the funeral and she never returned."

"Where is her family from?"

"Upstate, Fort Drummond."

"We were just there Castle."

"I know."

"You never said anything about your family being from there."

"That's because I don't think about them. I never have since that one weekend. My mom was upset for weeks after that weekend, so I let the questions leave my mind."

"So, you had no idea who your father was until Paris and you have had no contact with your mother's family."

"That's right." He says, as she reaches for his hand.

"I'm sorry Castle."

"Don't be, I've never missed them or my father. You can't miss what you never had and my mom more than made up for not having a family around us." He says, squeezing her hand.

When they pull into the precinct, she double parks and then gets out with Castle following her as he always does, holding the door for her as she walks in. They take the elevator up to the bull pen. As the doors open, she looks at him. "Maybe we should let Gates know about your connection to this case."

"Why?"

"He was your cousin, Castle."

"And someone I never met, he's related to me but I didn't know him so there's not conflict of interest here."

"Still, we'll need to tell her..." He opens his mouth. "Just so she's prepared, in case the press finds out."

"Alright, fine. But if she tries to send me home, I have the mayor on speed dial." He grumbles, as he follows Kate over to Gates's office.

She smiles as she knocks on Gates's door. "Come in." Gates says, looking up. "Beckett." She says when Kate opens the door. "...and Castle." He smiles.

"Good morning, Sir." Castle says, smiling at her.

She ignores him, turning her attention to Kate. "Is there a problem Det. Beckett?"

"Not really a problem, Sir. We just wanted to give you a heads up of sorts." Kate says, glancing at Castle.

"Mr. Castle, what did you do?"

"Nothing sir, Castle hasn't done anything." Kate says, jumping to his defense. "It's about the body we just got." She glances at Rick.

"Okay." Gates says, looking at both of them.

"What she's so delicately trying to tell you Sir, is that one of the victims is my cousin." Rick says.

Gates looks at him, trying to figure out if he's actually serious or playing around with one of his crazy theories or something. "It's true, Sir. One of the victims is my Uncle Whitney's son, my cousin." Castle says.

"In that case, Mr. Castle I expect that you will not be working with..."
"I have every intention of working this case, Sir." Castle says, getting his back up.

"You're personally connected to the victim, Mr. Castle. I can't have you going off on your own to get justice."

"I assure Sir, I will not be going off on my own with this case. He may have been my cousin, but I didn't really know him, Sir or any of my family for that matter. Helping Kate with this case will not be any different than every other case we've worked."

"Sir, I think everything will be okay. And I'll take personal responsibility for anything Rick does." Kate says, as Gates looks at her.

"Alright, but if anything happens Det. Beckett, you will be held responsible."

"Yes sir." Kate says, turning to go.

"Oh and Mr. Castle, I am sorry for your loss." Gates says.

"Thank you Sir." Rick says before following Kate out of Gates's office.

When they get back to her desk, she pulls up her computer as Castle sits down beside her in his chair. Pulling up the database to search for Capt. Rodgers next of kin, she glances as Rick. "Maybe you might want to let your Mom know about this." She says quietly.

"She's in class right now. I'll tell her tonight after we're home." He says, sitting there quietly. She reaches for his hand. He looks at her. "I'm fine Kate. I didn't know the man."

"He's still your family and I know a little bit about..."
"Your mom's case is totally different than this. You were personally involved with her, knew her. I met my cousin once, so he's a stranger to me, just like every other victim we get justice for."

"Okay." She says, waiting for the system to bring back next of kin.

By the time Ryan and Espo come back to the precinct, Kate has already contacted the next of kin for Castle's cousin. "Did you find anything?" She asks, as they walk in.

"No, I'm beginning to think that call was made by the murderer after they left the scene. Because none of the people around the scene heard anything and no one called 911 this morning." Espo says, walking over to them.

"When did the 911 call come in?" Kate asks.

"Ten minutes before we rolled to the scene, from a cell phone, so they could've been two doors down from the victims, or they've could've been at JFK about to board a plane to leave. We have no way of knowing."

"Do we know why the victims were together?" Ryan asks.

"No, so start looking into their backgrounds. They are US Army so contact Fort Drummond, find out if they were stationed there. Maybe they know these two. I've already contacted the next of kin for the male victim and they are coming in from upstate." Kate says, after pausing for a moment.

"What about the other victim's next of kin?" Ryan asks. "I haven't been able to get a hold of her. She's listed as a Mable Green out of Celina TX. While we wait for the male's next of kin, you guys check out the Army connection while Castle and I see if Lanie can tell us anything." Kate says, standing up with Castle following her.

Lanie looks up as Kate and Castle walk into the morgue. "Girl, I just finished."

"Was their anything out of the ordinary?"

"No, pretty straight forward, we're still running the toxicology test, but the COD was GSW to the chest, double tapped actually."

"So this was a pro?" Castle asks.

"I can't say that for certain. But I pulled two slugs from each victim's chest. They were from a standard 9mm." Lanie says, anticipating Beckett's next question. "But find the gun and I'll be able to match it through ballistics."

"Alright, thanks Lanie." Kate says, turning to go.

"Hey Castle, I didn't get to say this at the scene, but I'm sorry about your cousin."

"Thanks Lanie." He says, following Kate out of the morgue.

"Maybe this isn't the right question to ask, but do you have any wild theories here Castle?"
"Sorry, no. But I kind of find it odd that a First Lieutenant was with a Captain when they were killed."

"Maybe they were here on Army business and were mugged and killed."

"With their wallets and jewelry still at the crime scene, I'm not expert, okay I am, but the ring on the female victim's hand. It's not a large ring, but it's still an engagement ring."

"You think they were involved with each other?"

"Maybe they were and someone didn't like it. A Captain out ranks a First Lieutenant by a few ranks, maybe this is someone's way of revenge for being passed over to a promotion or something."

"We'll head back to the precinct and see if Ryan or Espo has found anything out from the Army." Kate says, leaving the OCME."

When they walk into the bullpen, Ryan is hanging up his phone. "Hey Beckett, just got off the phone with CSU, they went through the victim's wallet and found a hotel key card for the Roosevelt."

"Get the card and go over to their hotel, see if you can find out anything from there, and take CSU with you." Beckett says, putting her purse down. "Where are you going?" She asks, looking at Castle.

"To get a coffee, want one." He asks. She pauses for a moment and then nods yes. He looks at her and then turns to go as Espo hangs up from his call.

"Yo Beckett, got some info from you. Both victims are retired army, less than six months out. Fort Drummond is emailing their records to us, but they did tell me that both have been deployed overseas to both Iraq and Afghanistan, the last time being about a year ago."

"So, they both survived a war zone to be killed in Manhattan." She says, sighing softly.

"It looks that way. Oh and the male victim was the female's commanding officer, until they both retired. I doubt the relationship was public if they were in a relationship." Espo says, as Castle brings Beckett her coffee.

She smiles when he hands it to, but the smile doesn't quite reach her eyes. He notices but he turns to Espo. "Did you say the male victim was the female's commanding officer?"

"Yes."

"So, it's unlikely that they were involved with each other and that engagement ring wasn't from him.

"It might've been from him. They were both retired army, less than six months out with several tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq between them." Kate says, sipping her coffee.

"Where's Ryan?" Espo asks.

"CSU found a hotel key card from the Roosevelt in the male victims wallet, he's gone to looks the room over."

"Did Lanie have anything for you?" He asks.

"No, straight forward GSW to the heart..."

"But they were both double tapped." Castle says, as Espo looks at him. "It's her term." He says, as he looks at Kate.

"So do you think it was a pro?"

"Can't say if it was or not, an amateur might've double tapped them to make it look like a hit because usually a pro would do heart and head. The gun was a standard 9, if we find the gun she'll be able to get ballistics."

"Maybe I should catch up to Ryan, help him check out the hotel room." Espo says, turning to go.

"We'll be right behind you." Kate says, looking at Castle.

When they walk into the loft, Castle walks into the kitchen while Beckett puts her gun away. Taking out a bottle of wine, he opens it as she walks up to him. "Are you hungry?" She asks, walking up beside him.

"Not really." He says, pouring them both a glass and offers one to her. She takes it after pausing for a split second and he notices.

"Come sit down." She says, taking his hand and leading him over to the couch.

They sit down. "What are you thinking?"

He sits back. "I don't know why I feel this way. I didn't know him."

"But?" She asks, taking a small sip of wine.

"I feel angry. And I don't know why." He says, looking at her.

"You have every reason to feel angry. You lost someone today."

"Yeah, but it's not like I knew him. I met him once and I was five."

"He was still your family. And could it be that you're angry because you didn't know him." She asks, as he looks at her.

"Maybe, I've never spent much time thinking about the things I missed not knowing my father, never being around my mom's family, not knowing my grandparents. My mom made everything okay. It was just me and her and it was the same for me and Alexis. And then I realized today there was so much I missed. Maybe I've been realizing since Paris. Like you're mom's not here for our wedding, neither will my Dad but he could be." He says, as the door opens.

"Richard, Kate." Martha calls, sweeping into the loft. Richard gets up as she walks into the living room. "I found the perfect..." She stops when he looks at her. "What's wrong? Did something happen to Alexis?"

"No, Alexis is fine Come sit down Mother." He says, taking her arm. "I need to tell you something." He says, guiding her over to the couch and sitting down on the other side of her as Kate moves down.

"What happened? You're still getting married." She asks, looking at both of them.

"Of course we're still getting married. This isn't about me and Kate. We caught a case this morning." He says, taking a breath as he looks at Kate.

"What we're trying to tell you is that one of the victims is related to you?"

"What do you mean they're related to me?" Martha asks, looking back and forth between them.

"He was Uncle Whit's son." Castle says softly, as she looks at him.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"It was a double homicide." Kate says. "Rick id'd the male victim as your brother's son." Kate says.

"How could you possibly know Whit's son?" She asks, looking at him.

"I looked at his id and he looks exactly like Uncle Whit." Castle says.

"How do you know that?"

"I remember from Granddad's funeral."

"You were barely five years old."

"It's kind of hard to forget a man that stood 6'4 and over two fifty with flaming red hair and brilliant blue eyes, so blue in fact that they appear white."

"What happened?" Martha asks, looking at Kate.

"It was a GSW to the chest."

"Has anyone contacted...?"

"I spoke with a Justine Arlington and they will be coming in from upstate."

There are several moments of silence before Martha says. "I want to be there when you tell them."

"That's fine." Kate says, as she nods.

"Are you okay?" Rick asks.

"I'll be fine." She says quietly.

He reaches out to help her up and when she's up, she squeezes his hand before she walks away. Castle sits back as Kate moves over beside him. Lifting his arm, she snuggles against him as she lays her head on his shoulder. Reaching up, he gently caresses her hair. After a little while he says. "I'm glad you're here."

She leans up and kisses the side of his neck. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." He pulls her closer. "Do you want something to eat?"

"I need to eat, but I don't feel like cooking."

She pulls away. "Go take a shower and I'll order dinner." She says, getting up.

"You could join me." He says, looking up.

"I'll be in after the food gets here." She says, after he stands up .

Reaching for her, he pulls her to him, kissing her. After several moments, he moves back. "That's just to inspire you to come quickly." He says, before he turns away.

As he walks into his office, she reaches for her cell phone as she walks into the kitchen. Noticing that she has a message, she dials her voice mail and listens to Espo's message before she deletes it and orders Castle's favorite pizza from the pizzeria around the corner from the loft. After the food arrives, she puts the phone on the bar before she walks through Castle's office to their bedroom.

Walking into the bathroom, she's surprised to find him sitting in his tub instead of in the shower. "What are you doing?"

"I thought this would be easier." He says, with a mischievous grin.

"Easier for what?" She asks, unbuttoning her blouse. He doesn't answer her. He's focused on her fingers and the small strip of skin her open shirt reveals as she unbuttons each button. "Easier for what Castle?" She asks, taking a step closer.

He looks up and catches her small smile. "For relaxation." He mutters, watching her shrug out of her blouse. It flutters to the floor but he ignores it

She sees the anticipation in his eyes and she can't resist teasing him a little bit. "I don't think you're very relaxed." She says, unfastening her bra and shrugging out of it. Reaching for the button on her slacks, she unbuttons and unzips them before pushing them over her hips, taking her panties with them. She looks up and catches the flash of desire dash across his face and she smiles. Holding out his hand, she walks towards him. Taking his hand, he helps her into the tub, making room for her to sit between his legs. She leans back against him and feels his body's response to her. "No, not relaxed at all."

"I'll be okay." He says, wrapping his arms around her and softly kissing her neck.

"I didn't mean to tease..."

"Beckett, you never tease me. I want you every moment of every day." He says, still kissing the side of her neck.

Turning her head, she kisses him. After several moments, she pulls away with a frustrated sigh. Laying her head against his chest, she takes a deep breath. "I'm happy to hold you." He says softly, caressing her back. She settles against him and he wraps his arms around her again. Laying her head against his chest, she can hear his heart beat and feel the rhythm of his breathing. After several seconds, he asks. "Can I ask you about something?"

"Sure." She says, thinking that he wants to talk about the case.

"I've noticed some changes in you today. They were subtle but I noticed them and I was just wondering what they were about."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She says, even though she does.

He kisses the side of her head. "Kate, I'm pretty good at reading you I think. So, I know when some thing's up. And like I said, it was subtle but there is something bothering you. Are you worried about the something or thinking about your mom?"
She gives up hiding from him. "It's not about…." She says, taking a deep breath. "I'm just a little bit disappointed, that's all."

"Because you're mom..."

"It's not about my mom. You remember when you woke up this morning and I was in the bathroom."

"Yes, it's a certain time of the month. I understand that."

"It is, but it's also later than usual, but only by a couple days." She says. "But when I realized I was late." She takes a deep breath and says quickly. "I sort of thought maybe I could be pregnant."

"Oh." He says a little surprised.

"I know it's silly, but I sort of started thinking about what our little boy or girl would look like and their personality and then I woke up cramping last night and realized that I wasn't pregnant."

"And everything today, the coffee, and the wine reminded you that you weren't pregnant."

"Yes." She says, blushing slightly. As he leans over, kissing her neck again.

"I would be so stoked if you were." He says, as she turns to look at him. "It wouldn't be so bad to have a shotgun wedding." He says, with his mischievous smile.

"I think my dad would have a few words to say about that." She says, turning to look at him.

"He can't say too much. I would marry you with or without the shotgun." He says, as she settles back against him again.

After a few moments, she asks. "Would you really want to have another baby?"

He reaches up, turning her face towards him. "You, pregnant, with my child, I can think of nothing more incredibly sexy than that." He says, leaning in to kiss her.

She finally pulls away when they are both struggling to breath. Looking up, she says. "Maybe we should finish this bath before the pizza gets cold."

"Pizza, you ordered pizza." He says, as she laughs and he reaches for the shampoo, as she sinks down into the water.

The plane touched down in Dallas shortly before noon. Walking through the airport, he ignores the TV's running the news. He didn't have any checked luggage so he immediately leaves the airport and as he steps out of the terminal. Heat rolls over him as he tries to suck in a deep breath. It's like sucking on a hot wash clothe. He quickly walks to his truck, parked in long term parking. Getting in, he starts the truck and immediately turns the a/c on full blast before he pulls his cell phone out.

After a couple rings, a man picks up. "Hello."

"It's done." Jesse says, as the man takes a deep breath.

"So you talked to her and she's coming back."

"No, I mean yes I talked to her. Gave her you're pitch, she wasn't interested so I had to come up with some other plan."

"So, why are you calling me?" The man demands getting up and closing his office door so that his secretary won't hear the conversation.

"Relax, Reverend. It's a burner phone. No one is going to trace it to you or me. So it's done. She actually didn't put up much of a fight."

"I don't want to know the details. You were only supposes to talk to her. Try to bring her back home." The Reverend says.

"Come on, the other was implied and you know it. I did what you were too self-righteous to do, Reverend."

"Stop calling me that!"

"What am I to call you then? You are the Reverend of Celina Texas's Baptist church, are you not?"

"You know damn..." He offers up a silent prayer for cursing within the walls of God's house and then says. "It doesn't matter who I am, so what are my options?"

"Well, I did your implied instructions, including calling the NYPD before I left town to report the incident. They're probably still chasing the army angle."

"You were to leave that out of the..."

"She's retired Army. Her and that man she was with. She met someone. She had a nice size rock on her finger when I finally caught up with her, which made it all the more enjoyable for me. So, I'm back in..."
"You can not come back here. What if they trace anything back to you?" The reverend demands.

"Relax, Reverend. The cops are idiots in New York. There's no way they'll link this back to you or your organization."

"You still can't come back here." The Reverend says, hanging up.