Author's Note: Thanks to everyone that read my intro - I'm pretty jazzed about writing again. Haven't done much of it since high school. In commemoration of tonight's new Castle - here's Chapter 1! Story doesn't fit into the timeline of the show, I've just set it in the "Castleverse".

Disclaimer: I forgot to do this last time, so yeah, nothing in this story actually belongs to me.

Chapter 1: Drowse

Nobody ever called this city quiet by any means, but things were definitely subdued as they exited the cruiser and made their way towards the unassuming brownstone. Beckett heard the hollow echoing of the car doors closing and the sound her heels made on the sidewalk. New York sure knew how to set the tone at a murder scene, she thought dryly. Castle took several quick steps to lift the crime scene tape, so they could walk under it and into the building. She only had time for a quick sideways glance to say a silent 'thank you' before they were back to business.

It almost seemed as though a path had been made for her as she made her way past the police and investigators. "Hey Lanie. Fill me in." She said to the M.E. Her sentence was rote and monotone, and she realized she'd have to snap out of her fog if she wanted to absorb the evidence at hand.

Not much made Castle stop short when arriving at a crime scene. This would be one of the few exceptions. His eyes swept over the room. A man lay just inside the door, his flat glazed eyes staring up at the ceiling. Whoever killed him definitely had some personal issues. He could almost feel the anger that had been leveled at the victim. The body had been hacked apart, pieces still close together, but not even remotely intact. Beckett spoke to Lanie, so he moved in closer to hear the details.

"Well, I'm still trying to work out what 'tools' were used, but I highly doubt the killer liked this guy. Can't tell if there are any defensive wounds and I can't even make out the exact cause of death. It's not exactly my favorite kind of case. Gonna have to wait for a more detailed explanation until after I've had time to work him over in the lab."

Lanie continued, "What I can tell you is that there are quite a few deep stab wounds in his torso, which were most likely the cause of death. All of the... " She seemed to be searching for a tactful word for the mayhem, "chopping, seemed to be post-mortem".

"So is there an approximate time of death?" Beckett asked.

Lanie answered, "I'd say he's been here for about a day and a half, give or take. The viscosity of the blood near the stab wounds tells me he's been here a while."

"Okay, we'll have to make do with what we've got." Kate hated these complicated cases. "No sign of forced entry, no evidence of robbery, this'll be a fun one."

Castle watched as Beckett spoke, and saw she was idly searching the apartment for whatever evidence she could find. An officer came over and handed her a bag with keys and a wallet inside. She took the wallet out and flipped it open. "Ted Deak. 27. There's some stuff in here we can use back at the precinct to dig up more info." She ran her fingers through her hair and tucked an errant strand behind her left ear. She was already frustrated, and they weren't even started yet. She decided to have another short look around to see what she could find.

Castle scanned the apartment. It reminded him of a time back in college when he was still struggling to make ends meet. Definitely a bachelor pad, with signs that the occupant had spent a lot of time eating takeout and watching TV. "Looks like he worked for a bottling company." he said. "There's a delivery shirt slung over the recliner."

"Well, at least it's a place to start." Sometimes Kate was glad to have Castle around. Okay, most of the time she was happy to have her shadow with her. She'd never admit that to him though. "We'll have to find out what plant he worked at." She jotted down the brand of beer so they could check into it back at home base.

After a few more minutes, she decided they were done here. The investigators would make sure she got whatever information she had missed. She mentally kicked herself. It was uncharacteristically lazy of her to leave a scene this early, but she just couldn't concentrate. "Find anything else Castle?"

"Nah, pretty standard stuff here. He wasn't incredibly erudite I'd guess. Some books on how to pick up women, lots of man-trash, a couple of video games and stuff at the computer. The guys gonna grab more info from this stuff?" he said as he gestured around at his surroundings.

"Yeah", she answered. "I think we've gotten all we can here."

She tried to concentrate on the road while they drove back to the 12th. Glancing at her passenger, she saw he looked a little 'zoned out' as well. "Not interesting enough for you Castle?"

"No, it was fine." he replied unconvincingly. Perking up a little he continued. "Actually, quite intriguing. I've been thinking that whoever killed him was really angry. Like, REALLY angry. It's got me wondering what this guy was up to."

He'd finally perked up enough so his thoughts were clearer. She seemed off her game today. "y'know," he started, "you said you were tired, but you look just as put-together as you usually do. I kinda like the sleepy look though." His tone had gotten more playful as he tried to nudge her into alertness.

She stopped at a light and looked over at him. "I'm trying to figure out if that was a compliment or a dig. Does 'put-together' mean stuffy, or neat?" The corners of her mouth turned up as she teased him with her halfway self-deprecating inquiry.

"Neither. In fact, I'm kind of offended you think I'd mean either of those." He tried to sound outraged but the familiar banter was anything but. "Of course I mean you look professional, Detective."

She felt herself relaxing. His incessant teasing would be a welcome part of her day today. She remembered when it only irked her, but that was short-lived. She had become accustomed to... no, she actually enjoyed their bickering. He kept her on her toes, and not many people could do that to her.

"Well, I guess that's a good thing. Someone has to be the professional." She thought about winking at him, but refrained. They'd tossed enough ammo back and forth this morning. Had to save some of it for later. Smiles crept across both of their faces.