Thank you so much to all the wonderful people who took time to review Chapter 1 and also to add story alerts! You all made my day :)

To Jayce Gish - thanks very much for pointing out my gaffe that Ryan and Esposito didn't really respond to seeing Castle at the crime scene...I have added a couple lines in chapter one if you have a chance to check it out let me know what you think!

I have also gone back in to chapter one and updated a couple continuity issues that came up once I secured the timeline of the murder so - in a nutshell - it's Tuesday morning, Castle's flight got in Monday morning...gracias!

Once again to my amazing Beta's Marjo and Stella...thanks for reading and for your comments...you ladies are the best!

Disclaimer - see previous!

NOW - onto chapter 2 :)


Walking into the 12th precinct always felt like coming home to Kate Beckett. She couldn't really explain it. Even though she loved her father and knew that his place and hers were home, there was just something comforting about the precinct. The bullpen chatter and nearly constant movement of the homicide division made her smile to herself. Yes, she loved her job. It was intensely difficult and tiring most days, but she hoped in some small way, she was making a difference.

She could feel his presence behind her as she stepped out of the elevator. Soon he was walking right beside her, as they tended to do. Shoulder to shoulder – partners. They reached her desk and she pulled out her chair and sat down, as he took his normal perch on his seat to the left of her. Settling himself in, he set his right ankle on his left knee, folded his hands in his lap and looked toward her. Sunlight was streaming through the small sliver of the windows visible just in front of him, which lined the stairway up to the next level of the building. She sat, concentrating on the notes she had taken at the crime scene preparing herself for the process of noting the Murder Board, which sat freshly white and vacant to her left – just beyond Castle.

Beckett could feel his eyes on her; she always could. Always.

"Is there something you would care to share with the class?" she asked turning toward him.

"Not really. Why?"

"Because you're staring at me like you're trying to Jedi mind meld me that's why."

"Did you honestly just Star Wars me?" he cocked his eyebrow, his eyes lighting up when she held his gaze and her eyes narrowed just slightly into that classic Beckett glare. "Be still my beating heart…"

"Castle…seriously?"

"Ok, ok…I'm just curious how you're going to go about getting the ID for the victim…"

"I haven't really figured that out yet." She said as she stood, notepad in hand and walked toward the board. Beckett picked up a black marker from the tray on the bottom and uncapped it; ready for her process to begin. With the familiar cylindrical instrument poised she moved her right hand up to the board and began to write the aspects of the case they actually knew...which, she noted sadly as she wrote, wasn't much. Under the heading Victim she wrote unidentified, female – possible ID Evelyn Masters, OR license found in dumpster one block from crime scene, student at Pace University, 21 years old. The Suspect column was blank. She moved to the bottom of the board to trace a long, thick black perpendicular line – the timeline. The timeline was her friend, under normal circumstances, anyways. Today, it was the bane of her existence because it only screamed at her what she already knew…they had nothing.

She drew one small line at a ninety-degree angle from the timeline and wrote 11:00pm notating this as the time that the basketball court across the street from the crime scene was closed on a nightly basis. Then she drew another ninety-degree line closer to the right end of the line and wrote 5:47am noting the time the body was called in to the 911 operator.

"What are you thinking?" Castle asked, noticing the crease in her brow and the way her hands rested on her waist as she scrutinized the Murder Board in front of her.

"Nothing," Kate said as she placed the cap back on the marker and set it in the tray. She turned to him and registered the concern in his eyes. "Really, Castle, it's nothing. I just need a time of death."

"Timeline not making sense?"

"Not really…if time of death is after 11:00pm and the call was made at 5:47am…how would her body be so badly burned?" Kate asked the confusion evident on her face.

"So we ran a search on the address from the license. It's a residence belonging to Garrett and Lisa Masters of Portland, Oregon. We also found a report called in by the Masters' when their daughter didn't call them to check in Sunday night along with another missing person's report filed by a Joselyn Camden…" Esposito said as he and Ryan walked up to Beckett at the board. Esposito handed her a file containing the reports.

"Sunday night?" she questioned.

"Yeah, that's what the report says." Ryan answered as he reached to the file in her hand and opened it to the page noting the date and time the report was filed.

"So if Evelyn didn't call home on Sunday night and we didn't find her until Tuesday morning…"

"Timeline starting to make a bit more sense?" Castle ventured, seeing the spark enter Kate's countenance. He smiled remembering Natalie Rhodes' comment about her posture changing depending on if she had a suspect or not…guess it leaks into all aspects of an investigation, he thought.

"What are you grinning about?" Kate asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"Huh?" he started, and caught her eye. He then noted Ryan and Esposito looking at him. "Um nothing…continue…" he pointed to the files and then settled himself into his seat next to Beckett's desk.

"Joselyn Camden who is she?"

"Evelyn's Roommate here at Pace. She called the campus police Monday morning when Evelyn hadn't shown up for their first class, but she said they acted 'as if they didn't give a damn' saying that she likely just skipped class, but Joselyn said she would never do that…so she decided to call the 'real cops'," Ryan answered.

"Don't we just love hearing that?" Esposito countered.

"Campus cops do tend to be a bit…lax." Kate countered.

"Understatement of the century." Ryan sing-songed from her right.

"So if this body is Evelyn Masters," Kate continued as she grabbed the marker from the tray and opened it. She put marker to board and began sectioning off the timeline, "Then we have three days of details to try and piece together. Sunday night she didn't call her parents to check in. Monday morning she doesn't show up at class so roommate reports her missing. Then Tuesday at 5:47am 911 call is made about a body in an alley."

"So she was likely dead by Monday morning then?" Ryan asked no one in particular. All three pairs of eyes turned to him.

"But then if there were people using that court on Monday wouldn't they have seen something?"

"Not necessarily…" Castle interjected.

"What do you mean?" Esposito asked, his eyes narrowing as Castle shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well, what I'm saying, is that maybe…just maybe, someone lit her up Sunday evening after the court was closed. Then she was done baking by Monday morning before the court would be open but well hidden enough that no one would notice the body…" he ended sheepishly as the faces of the three detectives around him turned quickly from him to each other.

"Where's your report from the 911 caller?" Kate asked Ryan and Esposito.

"In your hand…but I'll break it down for you." Esposito said as he took a seat on the edge of the desk next to Castle. "Junkie by the name of Edmon Wynter went wandering into the alley early this morning looking for some place to hide out."

"He says he went into the alley and went to go sit down behind the dumpster when he noticed a large blue painters tarp lying on the ground on the side of the dumpster facing away from the street." Ryan concluded.

"So…junkie goes looking for something to keep himself warm and thinks he's hit pay dirt with the tarp…" Kate began.

"But then he lifts up the tarp and 'hello, sailor'." Castle finished.

"Your outlandish flare is, as always, entirely helpful, Mr. Castle." Came the stoic voice from the office down the hall and to the left of where the trio of detectives and Castle were gathered. Kate Beckett looked to Captain Victoria Gates standing just beyond the doorframe to her office with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Thanks, Captain, glad to be considered helpful." Castle responded to her with a mix of intense sarcasm and a bit of what Kate could only categorize as longing, in his voice.

"Where are you on the charred remains found this morning, Detectives?" Captain Gates asked placing a slight emphasis on the last word while moving closer to the group.

"Well Sir, so far it's only speculation. We can't say anything concrete until we have the ID and that may not be coming until later today or tomorrow afternoon because Dr. Parish had to call in a Forensic Odontologist from the University. But unless we have dentals to compare to it's going to be difficult to identify her."

"So speculation leads to fiction I take it?" she said looking toward Castle, who shifted just slightly in his seat – his head lowering almost imperceptibly closer to his chest. "Beckett, I'd like to see you in my office for a moment."

"Yes Sir." She said to the older woman's retreating, well tailored back. Kate set the marker she was still holding on the tray below the board.

"What did you do this time?" Esposito teased.

"She hear you calling her Iron Gates again?" Ryan asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No!" Kate retorted, "She only hears it when Castle says it."

"Once! I said it once and she just HAD to be standing RIGHT behind me!"

"They're always standing right behind you when will you ever learn that?" Ryan said.

"Oh, big bad 'I've been married for nine months so I know all' Kevin Ryan…" Castle began.

"Bro, apparently Castle works on a really low grade learning curve." Esposito piled on cutting Castle off mid-sentence.

And the boys were off. Kate could hear them continue their jabbing as she walked away from them and toward her boss' office. She still could not call Gates her Captain. She had tried, honestly, to use the word to describe the woman sitting behind those doors. But she couldn't. She only had one Captain and he always would be. She paused a moment before the doors, took a deep breath in and then exhaled. She placed her hand on the doorknob and pushed through to the room.

"Close the door, please."

"Is everything alright, Sir? I know that the investigation isn't really gaining much headway and we're usually a lot further along than this by now, but…"

"It's not the investigation, Detective, relax. And sit please."

Kate Beckett considered the woman in front of her as she took a seat in the chair on the right side, furthest from the wall of windows lining the wall out into the bullpen. She could just glimpse Castle, Ryan and Esposito. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that the one-liners were flying by now and she found herself wishing she were out there instead of in here.

"Detective…" Gates began, drawing Kate's attention back to her. "I know that the past few months have been a bit hectic. But I really wanted to let you know how impressed I was and am with the work you all have been doing. Some tough cases were put to bed and convictions obtained. You should be pleased."

"Thank you, sir." Kate responded, not completely sure what else to say and wondering if there was an angle behind this meeting. Something in the other woman's tone of voice made Kate wary of the words she was hearing, they sounded pretty and congratulatory, but part of her was waiting for the shit to hit the fan…the other shoe to drop…

"And I'm trying to figure out why you think I would let you work cases with a team of four when you've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can do it with three?"

WHAM! There it was…the shit storm…Castle…

"I…" Kate stammered, "I'm sorry, sir…"

"Beckett, I've told you before, you are an excellent cop. Honestly, one of the best I've seen. And while I know you all seem to like having that pal of yours around, though I'm still not completely sure why, he's not a cop."

"Sir…" Kate began, attempting to correlate her thoughts, but her mind was swimming. She knew in the back of her mind that one day it might come to this. Gates had never seen them work without Castle, and now that she had, she was obviously determined to ensure he wasn't hanging around 'her' precinct for long. "The mayor has asked that Castle be allowed to stay to research procedure and protocol for his novels." She finished. Lame, Kate, she berated herself, SO lame to go that route.

"The mayor, well yes he has asked that Castle be 'involved' while he finishes his 'research', but if I remember correctly the book launch tonight is for the fourth Nikki Heat novel. And wasn't the contract with his publishers only for three additional novels after the first was published?" Gates asked, as she leaned back in her chair placing her arms lightly on the armrests of her chair. Kate could feel all the air leave her body. Was it possible to suffocate from shock? Disbelief? Indignation? She was frozen to the chair, her hands tensed in her lap and for the first time since she was shot in the chest, she could feel every muscle in her body.

"Sir, I know that, technically Castle doesn't have any more research to do…at least for Nikki Heat…but you can't seriously be considering…"

"I am considering, Detective Beckett. I am more than considering. I've made my decision. He can finish out this case and then he's gone."

"And there is nothing I can say or do to change your mind?" Kate asked, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears somehow.

"No Detective, there is not." Gates said resolutely. Kate stood. Her legs felt like Jell-O beneath her, making her wonder how in the world she was supporting her own weight at all. She turned, walking through a haze as she moved to the doors in front of her. With one hand on the doorknob she stopped short. Her hand fell from the knob and she turned back toward the smug woman still sitting behind her desk.

"Sir, if I may?"

"Yes?"

"Why is it that you are so threatened by Castle being here? What is it about him that gets you so on edge? I know he's not a cop…" she stated as Gates began to open her mouth to speak. "But maybe that's why we like having him here. Maybe it helps to break up a day, a case, so that we don't get complacent and start thinking inside boxes and making mistakes."

"Those are all good reasons for him to stay, Detective, I'll admit."

"Then why are you kicking him out?"

"Because they're a convenient excuse, not the real reason."

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't…" Kate began.

"Beckett, my decision is final. He can finish out this case. Once the lowlife responsible for this tragedy is behind bars, he's gone." Gates reached over to her desk and picked up her reading glasses, perching them on her nose. She opened up a file sitting in front of her signaling once and for all to Kate that this meeting, and conversation, was over.

Kate turned. She opened the door and closed it, slightly harder than she had intended to, she told herself, knowing full well it wasn't true. She was thrown. In fact she was upset…no strike that…she was damned angry. As she walked out of Gates' office she noticed Castle still seated in his normal spot, right next to her desk, staring up at the Murder Board studying it. Ryan and Esposito were nowhere in sight.

"Where are Ryan and Esposito?"

"They got the number for the Masters' so they said they were going to call and ask them about getting Evelyn's dental x-rays to try and either ID her or rule her out." He could tell the difference in her carriage the moment he laid eyes on her. She moved past him and pulled out her chair, sitting herself down with more force than Castle thought he'd ever seen from her.

"Everything ok?"

She looked at him. His crystal-clear blue eyes were starring at her. Drilling deep into her and she wondered if she would actually be able to lie to him. Three years ago it would have been all too easy, two years ago even, last year a little less. Now, it was tearing her up inside not saying it, but she knew the moment she said it out loud – well that would make it real. She thought about the secrets she held, this newest one not nearly as earth shattering as the other, and still she couldn't bring herself to say the words to him. Which one would be easier, Kate, she chided herself, tell him you've been lying to him for more than a year or that he's out by order of the Iron Maiden.

"Kate?" his voice ripped into her thoughts and brought her back to the present. His voice. His face. His eyes. His lips…Holy hell where did that come from? She screamed at herself. "You ok? You look like you just had a bucket of ice water dumped on you." He continued. Then she felt it. His left hand had reached over and was now resting lightly on top of her left hand. The look of concern on his face, the feeling of his hand on hers, made her head spin.

"I'm fine, Castle."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. There's just…something I should probably tell you…" Kate began softly. He shifted in his seat so that he could lean in closer to her - placing both of his hands on top of hers. There was that damn flutter in her stomach again. She lowered her head taking in their hands and willing herself to stop feeling what she was feeling. Then his voice broke in:

"You can tell me anything. You know that…"

"I know…" she looked back up and held his gaze. She took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and…

"We got in touch with Mr. Garrett Masters of Portland, Oregon and asked him if he would mind providing Evelyn's dental records to us in order to either confirm or deny our vic's ID." Esposito called as he and Ryan walked back into the bullpen. Kate shifted backwards in her seat, putting a bit of much needed distance in between Castle and her. "Everything ok?" he asked noticing the shift in Castle and Beckett's demeanor as his partner and he crossed to them.

"Mr. Castle, I need a word with you?" Gates' voice crashed through the bullpen like a sledgehammer…oh God, why didn't I just tell him? Kate thought as she watched Gates turn and move back into her office. Castle looked to her, his face conveying fear and a bit of hope that just maybe this could be a good meeting. The look he met with from his partner's face did little to buck up the part that was grasping for hope. He took a breath, stood and walked toward the glass doors. Kate could see the tension building in his back as he moved closer and closer to the door. In an instant, he was behind the doors…how would Gates break it to him. Would she smile? Most likely. Would he try to fight it and change her mind? Even more likely.

"Earth to Beckett…" Ryan said, waving his hands wildly in front of her trying to capture her attention.

"Huh?"

"You ok? You went somewhere else there for a second…"

"Yeah I'm fine…so what did Mr. Masters say?"

"He said he'd contact his daughter's dentist and get them to us as quickly as they could. He also mentioned that he and his wife are going to fly out here as soon as they can…" Ryan finished.

"I figured they might," said Kate, as she stood and moved to the Murder Board. She needed something…anything…to keep her mind from wandering to what Gates was telling Castle behind closed doors. The sound of her cell phone ringing pulled her back. She reached over and plucked the iPhone off her desk, noting it was Lanie calling she pressed the green accept button and held the phone to her ear.

"Hey Lanie, what's up?"

"So still no ID on your vic…"

"Ah Lanie, and here I was hoping for some good news."

"Well good things come to those who wait."

"Why do I doubt that…?" Kate said quietly.

"But, I may have a time of death and a possible cause for you if you would like those?" The comment grabbed Kate Beckett's full attention.

"Really?"

"I think so…if you head over I'll likely have even more to tell you by the time you get here."

"You are the best…"

"Well that's why they pay me the big bucks…oh wait…"

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Kate said in the midst of her laughter at her friend's comment. She heard the other end of the line go dead. She removed the phone from her ear and placed it back on her desk. She reached for the jacket sitting on the back of her chair and looked toward Gates' office as she pulled it on. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed Castle stand and offer a hand to Gates across the desk. To Kate's astonishment, she saw Gates' hand extend and grasp Castle's, shaking it firmly. Their hands released and she saw Castle turn and move toward the office door. The door opened and he stepped out mimicking Kate's action of closing the wooden door just harder than he should have. He looked up and stopped short when he noticed her looking at him. His shoulder's sagged, not much, she noted, but enough that she bet any hope he carried when he walked into that office was dashed to hell. He walked toward where she stood in front of her desk and stopped just in front of her.

"So…"

"So…" she parroted him.

"What now?"


Next time on Castle: visiting Lanie at the Morgue and the book launch party :)

Thanks for reading once again, and also drop a review if you have a moment...would love to hear what you're thinking!

Amy