A/N1: Hello peoples and WELCOME to the second Chapter of Dancing with Death I have titled 'Back to the Grindstone'. I have four words for you...

I hate this chapter.

I hope you like it much better than do.

"It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater. One-eyed, one-horned flyin' purple people eater. One-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater. Sure looks strange to me..."

Rick groaned loudly as the really loud cheerful song pierced through his ear yanking him into consciousness. "UGH really, Kate, really?" he groaned, scrunching his eyes shut as beside him Kate woke and stretched gracefully. "The Purple People Eater? And I thought the Muppet Show theme you used to have was weird enough."

'Well bless my soul, rock and roll, flyin' purple people eater. Pigeon-toed, undergrowed, flyin' purple people eater. We wear short shorts! Flyin' purple people eater. Sure looks strange to me!"

"It was a choice between the Purple People Eater and the Monster Mash," Kate replied, silencing the alarm before rolling over and greeting him with a good morning kiss. "But I figured Monster Mash would be more appropriate for Halloween, morning Writer Man."

Rick opened his eyes and smiled as Kate kissed him again. "Morning Mrs Castle," he murmured. "You're looking mighty fine this morning."

"You say that every morning," Kate replied dryly, pressing her lips to his neck and sucking upon the hickey she had left there the previous night.

"It's true...every m-m-morning," Rick countered as he stuttered through a yawn. "W-what time is it?"

"Six thirty," Kate murmured, her lips still firmly attached to his neck. "How about we get ready now then head into Angelo's for breakfast? I'm craving bacon fat."

"Can we save time by showering together?" Rick inquired cheekily as Kate sat up and threw the covers back. "All in the name of water saving, you know me...always environmentally conscious."

Kate shot her husband, her trademark eye roll. "If you expect me to believe that, it only confirms my beliefs that you're deluded," she said dryly getting up. "C'mon, Mr Environmentally Conscious...time to move your lazy ass."

"Hey, I resent that!"

An hour later Rick and Kate left the loft and went down to the parking garage where they got into the Ferrari.

"I think I've put on weight over our holiday," she voiced as Rick started the engine with a roar. "I actually had to suck my stomach in to get my jeans on this morning."

"You probably have," Rick replied as he carefully reversed. "We both probably have. I mean we did spend our whole honeymoon eating seafood with cream sauce and fattening pastries in Paris. And the only exercise we had was sex and despite my great prowess and your incredible skill in the bedroom, we did not have enough sex to burn off all the calories we consumed."

Kate laughed. "True," she said. "We're making good time. Do you want to head to the field office to pick up your Glock before we head to Angelo's?"

"You sure? That'd make less time for us to sit down for breakfast."

"No...I don't mind, besides I like all the guys in the field office. I'll be nice to touch base with them again," Kate continued as they roared out into the street. "And I really want to see if they think you have leprosy because of the hickeys I've left on your neck."

Rick rolled his eyes. "Ha ha hardi har," he retorted. "I married a smart aleck."

"Nah, you didn't. You're just a bad influence on me," Kate replied with a hearty snort of laughter. "A very bad influence."

"Ahhhhh, so you're admitting you're a bad girl?"

Kate reached across the centre console and gave her husband's crotch a cheeky squeeze. "Very bad," she replied. "So much so you're going to have to spank me after work."

Rick's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "How about at work in the break room under the pretence of making a coffee?" he suggested excitedly.

"Cool your jets, Writer Man. We'd never get away with it," Kate replied. "Kevin and Javi would guess what we're up to in a nanosecond and you know Gates doesn't fly with us showing any physical affection at work. I don't think the thrill of canoodling at work would be worth being chewed out by my boss on our first day back."

The Writer slumped his seat and made a face. "Sometimes I think you're too sensible for me," he joked. "Back to the grindstone huh? Dammit."

"The sooner we get there, the sooner we can finish, hubby. Don't be so down," Kate comforted affectionately, squeezing his thigh. "Don't worry, by the end of the week we'll be back in the groove and we'll find it easier to distract ourselves. You'll be back at the field office by then too."

"Yeah...that's gonna suck," Rick grumbled. "But I suppose I'll cope."

Kate grinned and affectionately twisted her husband's earlobe. "You will."

After a brief detour to the FBI field office for Rick to pick up his ID and service weapon, the pair called by Angelo's, their favourite café directly opposite the 12th precinct. As soon as they entered their familiar morning haunt, Kate smiled and inhaled the scent of freshly ground coffee and frying bacon deeply.

"Hungry?" Rick asked, slipping his hand into hers as they waited in line to order.

"Starving," Kate replied as she lifted her eyes to scan the extensive menu. "All I can think of is bacon, bacon and more bacon. I'm craving it with their chilli mince."

Rick's eyebrows shot up. "That's specific." he teased.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up," she grumbled. "It's not specific; you know I have the bacon with chilli mince every time we come here."

"I know, just teasin' Tulip," Rick replied squeezing her hand lightly.

As usual on a Monday morning Angelo's was packed full and it wasn't until half past eight that Rick and Kate got served.

"Yeah, can I have the Canadian breakfast with three extra serves of crispy bacon and a large serving of scrambled eggs and that hot chilli mince?" Kate asked the cashier. "As well as a grand skim latte two pumps of vanilla sugar free and a large orange juice."

"Eat in or take away, ma'am?"

"Take away thanks."

"Hungry much?" Rick teased as the cashier entered Kate's order into the till.

"I'm starving, Rick. I haven't felt this hungry in ages!" Kate exclaimed. "Not since I got shot, when I woke from surgery I ate three full meals and two boxes of double stuff Oreos."

"Well I know you haven't had open heart surgery recently so can I put your vociferous appetite down to being a guts?" Rick piped up with a grin as he stepped forward to order his meal. "Can I please have two egg and bacon English muffins and a hash brown and a Grande hazelnut creamer latte? We're on the same order."

"Of course Sir."

"I am not a guts, I've just been exercising a lot lately and I need to consume the calories I burn," Kate declared, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. "That is my story and I'm stickin' to it."

Rick pursed his lips and struggled to fight off a grin.

Due to the long wait to order Kate and Rick were forced to grab their orders and immediately leave for the precinct across the road. As soon as they entered the ground floor all the uniformed officers began calling out greetings.

"Hey Mr and Mrs Castle, you've got tans!" MJ the desk sergeant called. "Find a 'secluded' beach somewhere, did you?"

Kate rolled her eyes as the older officer made air quotations with his fingers, a wide grin spread across his face.

"That," she said with the tiniest of smiles tugging at the corners of her lips. "Is not something you're going to find out about any time soon, nosey. Don't you have paperwork to do, Sergeant?"

"Want some aloe vera boss? You just got burned," one of the other uniforms quipped as he walked by with an arm full of manila folders.

"You're too good for me, KB. You're too good," MJ shot back with a chuckle. "Good to see you back, you too Castle."

"Nice seeing you again too, MJ." The Writer replied, lifting a hand to wave as he elevator doors opened. "We're going to be teased like that all day, aren't we?" He added as he stepped into the elevator.

"Most likely," Kate replied, stepping in after him and pressing the four button for the fourth floor. "Especially from Javi and Kevin-oh yum."

Kate reached into the paper bag containing her breakfast and pulled out a chunk of maple syrup soaked waffle before stuffing it in her mouth. Rick chuckled heartily when a little drip of maple syrup ran down her chin and a small moan of satisfaction escaped her lips.

"I've heard that noise and seen that look on your face before," he said in amusement. "This morning in the sho-"

"Rick SHHHHHHHH!" Kate hissed. "Behave!"

"Sure thing, wifey."

"Oh brother."

After a brief stop at Narcotics the elevator arrived at the Homicide department. Kate and Rick walked into the department and were immediately greeted by Jane Karpowski.

"Ah, the saccharine sweet lovebirds return!" she said with a great snort of laughter as she embraced Kate. "Good to see you Becke-shit I'm going to have to change that to Castle now, aren't I?"

"I'll answer to both," Kate replied, returning her colleague and friend's embrace. "How have you been? The department?"

"Oh the department's dead, 'scuse the pun," Karpowski replied. "None of us have had a drop for three days. We're even getting down to tidying up the evidence room because there's no paperwork to do. Ryan and Esposito suggested starting up a hackey sack competition if no cases come up."

"Those two are obsessed with that game," Rick commented. "They in?"

"Yep...break room, dissecting the Bulls Lakers game last night and waxing lyrical about the good old days of Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal," the detective groaned, rolling her eyes skyward. "Wait til the Winter Olympics next year, you'll arrive at work to them discussing the finer points of figure skating."

"Is Gates in?

"Yep, good to see you two back anyway," Karpowski replied. "We'll have to hit the Old Haunt this week, the whole department. We haven't been there as a whole group in months."

"I look forward to it."

Karpowski returned to her desk as Kate and Rick made their way to the break room where Ryan and Esposito were having a lively discussion about the previous evening's basketball match.

"Bro, that lass pass was offs-hey!" Esposito exclaimed upon seeing his friends.

Kate strode forward and embraced the Latino detective. "Hey Javi, good to see you!" she exclaimed as Ryan cuffed Rick on the shoulder.

"Likewise chica, you're tanned. Spent the whole honeymoon 'sunbaking,' huh?"

"Oh, don't you start," Kate groaned, putting the bag containing breakfast on the large table in the centre of the room. "MJ's already started the jokes. How's Lanie? I haven't had a chance to ring her since we got back from Paris last week."

"I bet you haven't," Esposito teased. "She's good, she's been itching to ring you all week ever since those paparazzi pictures of you talking to that kid at JFK hit cyberspace, but I convinced her to sit tight til you started back at work."

"We were followed by the paparazzi?" Kate groaned, going to the cutlery drawer and taking out a knife and fork. "Again? Great."

"What site were they on?" Rick inquired, taking his iPhone out of his pocket. "I haven't been online since before the wedding."

"TMZ I think," Esposito replied. "I'm not sure I don't really follow that scene, but Lanie did show me the pictures and it's nothing I haven't seen before."

"The most prominent picture I saw was of you two swapping spit and groping each other's ass by the side of a luggage carousel," Ryan piped up cheekily "TMZ like to blow up pics of you two doing that, but as Javi said it's nothing we haven't seen, you two do in the break room when Gates isn't here."

Both Kate and Rick turned a magnificent shade of scarlet. "Sometimes it sucks being in the public eye," Rick grumbled as he tapped away at his phone. "Well at least they weren't in our faces."

"Once you get back into the routine of your job, they'll drop off dude," Ryan informed his friend. "Being a fed and a homicide cop is boring to the gossip media, they'll only have to wait five minutes til one of the Kardashians drop into town and you'll be able to butt grab and swap spit in the middle of Times Square and they won't care."

"Great, we'll keep-," Kate murmured her voice muffled by her food as a piece of waffle flew out of her mouth and hit Ryan on the cheek. "Oops sorry."

"What's the deal with the three person banquet?" Esposito inquired as Kate took a bite of waffle then a sip of coffee then a sip of orange juice.

"Mmmfmhungry," Kate replied, swallowing with a wince then stabbing a rasher of bacon with her fork.

"You're inhaling that like you haven't eaten in a week, have you kept her that 'busy' bro?" Esposito asked Rick who was looking through the TMZ app on his phone.

"Shut up, I'm just hungry," Kate replied. "So tell me about what's on the books, Karpowski said it was quiet just now."

"Yeah, nothing fresh since Thursday and Eggerstrom and Jameson caught that one so everyone else is just finishing off paperwork," Esposito informed his friend. "So there's not a lot to do really unless you want to open up a cold case."

"Nah, I'm quite happy to wait til a new case drops, start afresh," Kate replied. "Besides, if Castle and I open up a cold case we'll have to go down to archives and my coffee hasn't kicked in enough for me to want to go down there yet."

"Oh apparently fifty seven percent of the people asked in a survey on TMZ want me to be a contestant on the next series of Dancing With the Stars'," Rick piped up. "What d'you reckon boys...can you see me cha cha cha-ing?" he added swinging his hips a little.

In an instant Ryan and Esposito fell about laughing. "Y-yes at Hal-Hall'ween, d-dressed as Batman when you're t-totally w-wasted!" Esposito tittered his round face turning bright red from the effort of laughing so hard.

"Sequins and taffeta?" Ryan added. "I'd pay you to go on national TV in something sparkly like that."

"Oh be nice!" Rick huffed, the corners of his mouth twitching as he fought to cover up his amusement. "I actually quite like the idea."

"You'd win the public vote with the NYPD and FBI behind you bro," Esposito proclaimed. "I'd wreck my phone plan voting for you."

"Me too," Ryan added.

"Gee guys, thanks. Your generosity knows no bounds," Rick replied dryly. "It is the time of year where people start getting asked to be on the show."

"Would you say yes if you were asked?" Ryan asked in interest.

"In a heartbeat," Rick replied with an ever widening grin. "I did ballroom and Latin classes when I was a kid. I liked it but not enough to get into the whole dancing scene, writing and law enforcement held more of an allure."

"Just think if you hadn't decided on writing we wouldn't have met," Kate said thickly as she shoved a mouthful of scrambled egg into her cheek. "We wouldn't be a team."

"Nope, we wouldn't."

Several minutes later Gates emerged from her office and entered the break room where Kate was still scoffing down her huge breakfast and Rick, Ryan and Esposito were discussing Dancing with the Stars.

"Morning Detectives, Mr Castle," she greeted the group as she headed over to the espresso machine on the bench.

"Morning Sir." Came the chorused murmur of reply.

"Castle was discussing the rumours of him being invited to appear on this season's Dancing with the Stars, Sir. Would you vote for him? You have connections in IA, would they vote for him?" Ryan asked with a grin and a little sashay.

Esposito laughed and Kate choked on a mouthful of waffle.

"I would vote for Mr Castle," the older woman confessed as she poured milk into the texturing jug. "And I'm sure with a little encouragement from my husband; every IA office in the service would cast a weekly vote too."

"That's awesome bro, with homicide and IA on your case you're bound to get the mirror ball trophy," Esposito teased.

"Don't forget the feds!" Kate piped up.

"Yeah, those guys too."

"Well it looks like you're going to have to say yes when Paula rings and asks if you want to go onto the show," Kate said to Rick as she drained her orange juice and started on her coffee. "Shall we go shopping for leather pants and sequins after work?"

Ryan and Esposito roared with laughter and Gates pressed her lips together in an effort to hide her amusement.

"Yes...well it's after nine o'clock detectives time to hit the books," she announced, looking at the watch on her right wrist. "Let's see if we can get the evidence room in order today, alright?"

"Yes Sir."

"I'll go help the boys sort out the evidence room you finish up your breakfast," Rick said to Kate sweeping down to kiss her on the lips and getting a mouthful of maple syrup.

"Okay thanks."

"Hang on a sec!" Ryan announced. "Javi and I got something for you, that's essential to your job."

And before either Kate or Rick could respond the Irish detective ran out of the room and into the bullpen.

"Do I want to know?" Kate asked Espo.

The Latino detective grinned.

"Just wait," he said. "You'll like it."

Kate scarfed down another two rashers of bacon before Ryan came back to the break room carrying a long triangular shaped package wrapped in newspaper and tied with a curly ribbon.

"The curly ribbon was Jenny's idea," he said, holding it out to Kate. "It's from Javi and me."

Kate took the package with an inquiring look and carefully unwrapped it. Within the wrappers was a brand new desk name sign with 'DET CASTLE' on it. Her insides melted and she looked up at her friends with a huge smile.

"Thanks a lot guys, this is awesome," she said, running her fingertips over the new inscription.

"We figured you needed a new desk badge," Esposito revealed. "And instead of the service paying for a new one, we asked Gates if we could pay for it. Maybe your old Beckett one can go on your desk at home."

"Thanks a lot guys, it's very thoughtful," Kate replied happily. "The most practical present I've ever been given."

"Anyway, we'll leave you to finish breakfast. Gotta get into the evidence room before Gates busts our ass," Esposito said with a smile. "See you in there, alright?"

"You got it."

"I swear this room hasn't been cleaned out since before I joined the service!" Kate exclaimed later that afternoon as she, Rick, Ryan and Esposito along with Karpowski and Stegner cleaned out and cataloged every item in the evidence room. "Look at this, an ancient cell phone from nineteen ninety two, it's a brick!"

Kate held up the brick like device. "I had something similar once," Rick joked. "God I feel old."

"You look old,' Esposito teased as he put a box of bagged documents to the side to be sent down to archives. "Grandpa."

"Oh shut up."

The group of friends fell into a comfortable silence for several minutes more before the rustle of papers and snapping shut of lids was broken by Kate's iPhone trilling shrilly. The female detective dug into her jeans pocket and retrieved the buzzing device answering it promptly.

"Beck-Castle," she corrected herself

Rick grinned and caught his wife's eye before turning back to the box he was sorting through and letting her concentrate on the call. "Yup, uh huh that's good, alright be there in fifteen."

"We caught a case Boss?" Ryan asked.

"Yep, three twelve East twenty sixth," Kate replied. "Dead body in the storage room, let's hit the road."

"Awesome a solid case!" Esposito exclaimed. "This cataloging was doing my head in."

"Lucky bastards," Ray Stegner grumped, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he furiously scribbled notes down on a large writing pad. "Don't mind us Jane and I will just stay back doing all the grunt work."

"Oh, would you mind?" Kate joked, elbowing her older colleague. "You're the best at this sort of thing Ray."

"Ha ha, ass kisser."

"See you boys there?" Kate said to Esposito as they made their way into the bullpen.

"Yep, you calling it in with Gates?"

"Yeah, you get there canvass the area talk to CSU etcetera."

"You got it."

"I think you can drive this time," Kate said to Rick as she held out the keys to the Crown Vic. "I'm feeling a bit off."

"Are you alright?" Rick asked in surprise.

"I'm fine, just a little off colour," the female detective answered with a soft smile. "I'll go call it in with Gates."

"You got it."

Kate headed off to Gates' office and Rick went to his desk and pulled on his jacket. He checked his Glock making sure it was secure in its holster before waiting for Kate, she emerged from Gates' office moments later and grabbed her own jacket slipping it on as she strode toward the elevator.

"You sure about me driving?" Rick asked as he pressed the down button.

"Yeah, I'm just feeling a bit off, I'll be fine don't worry," Kate replied, flashing him a small smile. "I probably ate a bit too much at breakfast."

Rick stepped into the lift and pressed the button for the basement parking garage before reaching out and patting Kate's bloated belly. "I think it's a given you ate too much at breakfast," he teased. "That was a three person banquet."

"I know," Kate replied sheepishly. "I think I might have to change into my yoga tights when we get back, I actually had to take my belt off at lunch my pants were so uncomfortable."

Rick grinned. "You could always take your pants off," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "I could help you feel better."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Cool your jets, Special Agent Horny," she admonished dryly. "We have to pull back on the touchy feely stuff at the precinct okay? Not that I don't want to..."

Rick smiled and briefly squeezed his wife's hand. "I understand."

The pair reached the underground parking garage and quickly found their Crown Vic; they silently arrived at the Crime scene fifteen minutes later and parked right on the edge of the crime scene cordon.

"She let you drive, Castle?" Officer L.T called as Rick cut the engine and emerged from the driver's side. "Wish I had captured this moment on my cell. No one back at the twelfth will believe me when I tell them you drove a squad car."

"Oh ha ha," Kate retorted rolling her eyes.

"A perk of being married to the lead investigator, I suppose," Rick joked as patrol officer let them under the crime scene tape. "Doubt it'll happen again, maybe before we head back to the precinct I can pose with the keys in my hand so you can get a picture."

"You two boys going to muck around in the sand pit or are you actually going to help me with this investigation?" Kate asked Rick with the tiniest of smile's tugging at the corners of her lips. "Feel free to compare shovel sizes."

"Oooh I think I've been told," Rick said to L.T with a chuckle. "Catch you 'round LT."

"You too Castle."

"You're such a kid," Kate teased as they followed the flow of CSU technicians and uniformed officers that seemed to be heading in the direction of the crime scene. "People back at the precinct will believe I let you drive the car."

"You sure about that?" Rick asked in amusement as they walked down a sloped driveway underneath a multi storeyed apartment block. "Five years I've been shadowing you and not once have you even come close to letting me drive it. I just want a picture for my own record. I'm still having trouble coming to terms with the fact I did drive and I only cut the engine five minutes ago."

Kate just rolled her eyes.

The husband and wife team made their way into the depths of the parking garage and over to a small storage room where the centre of activity was. Inside Lanie was bent over a body that judging by the foul smell had been dead for several days. Kate turned a pasty shade of white immediately clapped a hand over her mouth and turned on her heel running out of the room and vomiting spectacularly into a drain grate. Rick went after her following the retching sounds til he found his wife leaning against a dusty old Citroen expelling the contents of her stomach over a railing and into a drain.

The female detective grabbed his hand and retched again til there was nothing left to bring up. "Uugggggggggggggggggh," she groaned, spitting into the drain in an attempt to clear her mouth of the taste of vomit. "Yuck!"

"What caused that?" Rick asked in surprise, reaching into his jacket and pulling out his handkerchief. "I've never seen you barf at a crime scene...here."

Kate smile and took the handkerchief wiping her mouth and nose with it. "Thanks," she said. "I don't know! One minute I was feeling fine, a little bloated from breakfast and lunch the BAM! I had to be ill ugh."

A moment later while Kate was still bent over her hands on her knees Lanie emerged from the storage room a look of concern on her face.

"Hey girl, you okay?" she asked placing a hand on her best friend's arm. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Kate exclaimed. "I caught the smell of the body and had to barf straight away. That has never happened to me in the twelve years I've been on the job!"

"Have you eaten anything funny in the last twenty four hours?" Lanie asked. "Something that was off or near to being off?"

"No, but I did have a really big breakfast and lunch." Kate replied. "And I've felt bloated all morning."

"Not nauseous?"

"Not in the slightest," Kate replied. "It just hit me like a truck, and left just as quick."

"That's probably because you brought up whatever was making you ill," Lanie reasoned. "D'you want to try and go back in or d'you want me to give you the heads up you here?"

"I'll go back in, I've got nothing left to bring up anyway," Kate replied. "You got something I can cover my mouth and nose with?"

"Yeah sure, come with me."

Kate followed her friend to the gurney outside the store room door and reached into her bag of tricks, pulling out a microfiber cloth.

"It's the best I can do I'm afraid," she said as Kate took he cloth, folded it and covered her mouth and nose with it. "D'you want a barf bag?"

"No, I'm fine. I've got nothing more to bring up," Kate replied, her voice muffled. "Let's get this over and done with and Rick and I can talk to any witnesses."

"What's the story?" Rick asked taking a notepad and pen out of his pocket and they entered the store room again.

"The vic is a white female, twenty to thirty found by a resident of the building," Lanie began crouching over a large duffel bag in which the victim had been stuffed. "Temp and lividity indicates she's been dead at least two days but level of decomp suggests at least ten days. Each knee and elbow appears to have been broken to fit her in the bag from my early examination and marks on her neck and head indicate strangulation and a head injury as COD. I'll know more once I get her back to the morgue."

"Who found the body?" Rick asked crouching down to inspect the victim.

"A resident who lives on the fourth floor," Lanie replied. "Javi was talking to him when I got here."

"Alright thanks Lanie, I better get out of here," Kate informed her friend apologetically. "If anything unusual pops up ring me or Rick okay?"

"You got it girl."

"I haven't been grossed out by a body like that in the whole time I've been in the job," Kate groaned as they headed back toward the driveway. "Jesus, I'm a homicide detective. I shouldn't be vomiting at a crime scene, word'll get back to the precinct and Gates will grill me now."

"I doubt that, only Lanie and the morgue attendants were around. CSU were at the other end of the parking garage," Rick replied. "And you were obscured by a bollard and that Citroen. I'm not going to tell Gates, I think you only barfed because you ate too much, d'you feel better?"

"Yeah a bit," Kate replied spying Ryan and Esposito by the CSU van and waving to catch their attention. "My mouth still tastes foul though, hey guys, what have we got?"

"No one saw anything," Ryan began making a face. "Martin Smith, he lives in apartment forty two on the fourth floor. He discovered the body when he came to put some cardboard boxes in the recycling bin, he didn't see anyone dump the body there but he knows it wasn't there three days ago when the last lot of recycling was collected. He's upstairs in his apartment if you want to go and talk to him."

"We'll do that," Kate replied. "Any evidence of note?"

"Not yet but CSU haven't finished their full sweep yet, we're working on getting the CCTV footage form the apartment super and getting in contact with the truck driver who collected on the last scheduled recycle day to see if they saw anything."

"And I've got uniform questioning the business owners of the convenience store and dry cleaners over there to see if they have any info too," Esposito piped up, jabbing his thumb toward the two stores on the other side of the cordon.

"Great guys, thanks a lot. Hey Espo, d'you have any gum or those little grape candies you bought back from London?"

"Yeah, sure hang on."

The Latino detective dug into his jeans pocket and pulled out a packet of peppermint chewing gum he held it out to his friend and Kate took a piece closing her eyes in relief as the flavour washed away the taste of vomit and bile in her mouth.

"Thanks, I needed that;" she said gratefully. "Let me know if anything comes up but otherwise I'll see you back at the precinct, okay?"

"You got it Chica."

"Great, no one's seen anything. It would have to be us to catch a case where that happens," Kate complained as they headed for the main entrance of the apartment building. "How do we do it?"

"Uhm natural talent?" Rick suggested with a snort of laughter as he held the door open for her. "Or maybe just dispatch purposely assign us the weird ones."

"A bit of both I think."

Wordlessly the two partners made their way up to the fourth floor and along the hallway til they came to apartment forty two, Kate lifted a fist and knocked smartly on the door her hand on her badge. A moment later there was a click of a lock and the door opened a crack revealing a tall well built blond man.

"Yeah?" he inquired.

"Martin Smith?" Kate enquired holding up her badge., "Detective Kate Castle NYPD this is my partner Special Agent Richard Rodgers from the FBI can we come in?"

A/N2: I don't expect any reviews for this chapter, but there is some method in my madness.