Wow. May I just say your response to my first ever chapter on FF was amazing? I can't begin to describe how awesome it was to see them all, especially since they're all so positive! I hope you enjoy this one just as much and if not, feel free to tell me why :)

(And just because I forgot a disclaimer last time...I don't own Castle. Or Beckett. Or anyone else.)

Why, why, why had she made a bet with Rick Castle? The instant she had stepped into the elevator to take her out of his building, the thought had hit her like a tonne of bricks. She'd made a bet which could result in having to spend even more time out of the Precinct with him. She was insane. It was the only explanation.

Because if she had been in her right mind, she would have refused and even considered the idea of asking him to stay at home for a little while, to focus on his writing, so she could have some time to figure out exactly what to do with the now intimate knowledge she had of the writer. And maybe even work out exactly how her perspective of him as a man and friend had changed.

Because for all she had said they'd have to forget it to Castle, in the very few hours it had been since she had left his apartment, the memory of him, be it making her pancakes or looming over her in the darkness of his bedroom, hadn't been far from her mind. It didn't matter what she did to distract herself. Something always brought her back to Rick Castle.

She had almost been glad when she'd gotten the call from Esposito to meet them at a new scene. The realisation that she would have to see Castle scant hours after leaving just unsettled her though. When she had been stood in his doorway it hadn't seemed like such a big deal. But now? She'd thought about it, and maybe it was just paranoia, but she had the distinct feeling he wouldn't be able to leave it alone. That he was going to do something to embarrass her, or leave her open to teasing from Esposito and Ryan for the next – decade. But having a case to focus on was a hell of a lot better than just having him appear at the Precinct with nothing to do.

But case or no, she still put off calling him until she was in a parked car just outside the taped perimeter of their latest crime scene. Outside of the windows she could see Esposito and Lanie stood by the body. Both were clearly in professional mode, but as she left the message for Castle on his phone she noted the small smile her friend sent to the man at her side.

She shoved open the car door and climbed out, taking in the deserted stretch of road. As of yet there were no reporters, something for which she was grateful. Whilst there were never hundreds, the vulture-like attitude they usually possessed was not something she was confident she could deal with on barely an hour's sleep and her nerves as frayed as they were.

She left the car, ducked under the tape and crossed into the isolated greenery of an inner-city garden. It wasn't huge, but it was enough to give the body, slumped against one of the park benches, some cover from the road.

"Good morning, Detective Beckett," Lanie offered her a beaming smile, "You don't look all that happy today,"

"I'm fine," she nodded to the body, "What have we got?"

"Not a lot I'm afraid," Lanie looked guilty, "Your victim is Daniel Weston, 28 years old, married," she handed over the wallet the information had come from, "He was strangled, I already checked the patterns and it isn't your boy Tyson. Whatever killed him is thinner; it left a deeper imprint and probably brought them down a hell of a lot faster. He's been dead roughly six hours. And judging from the drag marks coming from the other end of the park, he wasn't killed here." Lanie hiked a thumb over her should and Beckett glanced to the coloured evidence markers which littered the ground, she nodded briefly, evidently trying to see what would have happened in her minds eye.

"We might be able to find something to help you place him before his death ... but I wouldn't get your hopes up. As a scene, this place is pretty tidy, which bodes badly for you,"

Beckett crouched down beside the body, surveying the markings Lanie had mentioned. The second woman crouched down at her side, reaching forward with a gloved hand,

"What is interesting, is that we found a note right in here," she touched the shirt pocket situated over his heat briefly, "Looked a pretty interesting one too,"

"A note?" Beckett, straightening, couldn't help the confused expression, "What exactly –"

"It's addressed to us," Esposito explained grimly, "To the 12th Precinct,"

"Where is it?"

"I called in a favour and had one of my team take it back to be analysed immediately. Guy up there owes me for some rushed results. I figured you'd want it finished with as soon as possible. Ryan's got a photo for you," Lanie surveyed the body before them while Beckett processed the favour and looked for the aforementioned man,

"Where is he?"

"Talking to the woman who found Weston," Esposito pointed a pen towards the other end of the park. Just over the forensic team currently working on the scene she could make out the second of her detectives talking to a woman perched on the bonnet of a car. She nodded,

"Alright. When he's finished tell him to find me,"

"Where –" Esposito looked confused as she began out of the park. She pointed across the road she'd arrived on,

"I'm going to see if the shop has any cameras pointing this way," she replied abruptly, "It won't be much even if they do, but it'll give us something,"

As she spun around to leave them, she knew the two of them would be exchanging looks, but she didn't really care. Because from what Lanie had said, it looked as though they were in for another long one.

One day she was going to arrive at a crime scene to find the murder weapon and the killer still there, confessing repeatedly with absolutely no intention of making her life difficult. It would be beautiful. A record breaker.

It was just a pity that even thinking of that brought to mind the sight of little flying pigs and she grimaced. She needed coffee.

But even with her caffeine addiction screaming at her, there was also the small and niggling, traitorous thought in the back of her mind slyly suggesting what she needed was nothing to do with coffee, and everything to do with an as yet un-arrived writer. It wasn't like she'd been craving coffee last night -


He knew, as soon as he arrived, that she'd waited to call him. Usually he at least saw Lanie at the crime scene, but when he arrived, coffees and breakfast in hand, she was all but packed up and ready to go. Beckett was stood with the boys a little away from the ME van, evidently discussing something related to the case, and the rest of the usual team were either fielding the arriving reporters or photographing the scene.

"Good morning, Mr Castle," Lanie spotted him first out of them all and he offered her a charming smile,

"Dr Parish, you're looking very put together for this time of the morning,"

The ME grinned,

"I hate to break it to you Castle, for most people... this isn't that early."

"If I had a hand free, Lanie, it'd be on my heart. You cut me to the quick," he made a sorrowful face and she smiled,

"I'd go and give her that coffee, or she might actually start skinning you," her tone was light, but he heard the note of real warning and glanced back to the ram-rod straight figure of Beckett. Lanie was right, in contrast to the relatively relaxed figure who had left his apartment, Beckett looked as though she was ready to start snapping at people.

"Well, I wouldn't argue with a Doctor," he offered her a crooked grin, "I imagine we'll be seeing you soon,"

"Mm probably," she agreed, "But I've got a hot date to get to, so I'm going to go,"

She didn't even wait for him to reply before sliding into the back of the truck, where the other half of her date was waiting, and his brow furrowed as the doors closed on her.

"Hot is possibly not the adjective I would have chosen," he murmured.

"Yo Castle!" Esposito's voice hailed him and he turned quickly to join the group stood beside Beckett's car, "I sure as hell hope you were lost in thought and not staring at something you shouldn't have been," the Detective offered him a piercing look which was countered, only just, by a faint grin. Castle grinned in return and moved to join them.

"Is one of those for me?" Beckett sounded exhausted and he slid his gaze to her before deftly handing her the cup with her preferred caffeine,

"And just because I was feeling generous –" he took his own and then handed the final two to Ryan. The youngest of the Detectives looked as though Christmas had come early,

"Thanks Castle," he took one and then passed the last to Esposito, "Were you generous to buy us breakfast too?"

"Unfortunately no," the writer passed the paper bag in his other hand to Beckett, "I said I was feeling generous, not that I wanted bankrupt myself. But I will spring for a couple of pizzas later on,"

None of them said a word as they drank from the cups and Castle studied them all a little concerned,

"Is there a new rule that I don't know about? Any coffee which remains after ten seconds will be snatched away?"

"Long night,"

Esposito and Ryan almost chorused the words and glanced to each other a little warily as they both did so. Castle quirked a small grin. Beckett started speaking before he could make a joke though,

"Esposito, Ryan, get back to the Precinct, let's see if we can find out who Daniel Weston was and maybe why someone would want him dead," she was speaking matter-of-factly, "And as soon as they finish with the note, make sure it's on my desk,"

Castle's ears almost perked up at that,

"Note? What note? Is it a revenge killing? A coded message?" his usual level of enthusiasm didn't seem appreciated and Beckett, taking yet another mouthful of coffee, watched the two other detectives leave, leaving her with the writer. She didn't respond to his statement and instead moved to the driver's door. Castle moved for the passenger immediately.

"There's a note?" he asked, from the passenger seat. She nodded, sliding the coffee into the holder,

"There is a note," she confirmed, "I only know the general outline,"

"Which is?" he asked. She rolled her eyes as she started up the car,

"It's a note to the Precinct," she replied finally, "They say he deserved to die, that if we had been paying attention we would have known he needed to be dealt with. Seeing as Ryan apparently can't take a photograph of anything without flash that is about as much as I saw. Neither of the boys really saw it before Lanie called in a couple of favours and had it sent to be analysed for me,"

"Lanie removed evidence before you got there?" Castle sounded surprised. Beckett nodded mutely,

"She didn't know Ryan is terrible with a camera. We'll have it in a couple of hours. Until then we've got enough to deal with talking to his family and re-creating the timeline for him. It doesn't matter if his murderer left half of his home address on the bottom, a few things come first,"

He nodded and slid a wary glance over to her,

"Is – everything OK?" he asked carefully, "You seem a little tense,"

"I am tense," she muttered, from the volume he wasn't entirely sure he was supposed to hear. But he nodded anyway,

"Anything I can help with?"

"No. Right now I think we should just keep our focus on the case, Castle. I'll deal with my problems, you just – " she trailed off, realising there we only a few instances, mainly involving his daughter, that he'd really brought up his own problems, " – Ignore them,"

"You want me to ignore the fact you're struggling with something?" he sounded sceptical, "You realise that when Esposito and Ryan figure out that something is wrong they're going to be blame me, right? It's almost in my best interests to help you deal,"

She didn't respond and he hesitated. But then he shifted in his seat to face her a little more fully,

"Is this about last –"

"Don't bring it up," she warned him, throwing him a glare, "It's over and done with. We don't talk about it. That's the whole point of forgetting Castle,"

"Alright, alright," he held up his hands peaceably, "I apologise for over-stepping. But it seems a little coincidental,"

She hesitated for a heartbeat.

"It has nothing to do with us sleeping together," she muttered, faint colour spreading into her cheeks as she broke her own rule set out less than a minute ago, "So forget it."

Castle eventually nodded and turned his gaze out of the window, realising like he did every once in a blue moon, that it would probably be safer for him to just sit in silence for this one. On the other side of the car Beckett, realising she had been in the wrong for the brief spat, glanced to him once before extending the olive branch.

"You're not even going to ask me about our victim?" she said finally. Castle turned back around so fast she felt the breeze.

"Absolutely. Who is it and how did they die?" he asked eagerly, "Because a note to me says messy; an apology for what's been done. So –"

"Daniel Weston is his name, and you're completely wrong," she couldn't help her own amused smirk, "One of the cleanest murders Lanie has seen all year. Strangled with something thin, the body was dumped at our scene."

"So they kill him, they move him and they leave a note saying you should have dealt with him?" Castle's brow furrowed, "That sounds – ominous,"

"I know," she didn't so overly happy, "Do-gooder gone bad,"

He chuckled at that, but still looked thoughtful,

"It does suggest that Mr Weston was into something he shouldn't have been," he offered, "Where are we headed anyway?"

"To see his wife. He still had his wallet on him so we got the address," She glanced to him. He looked even more unhappy at that news, but she knew better than to think it was about seeing the wife. Castle had followed her long enough to keep the sympathy at bay until spouses were cleared.

"They didn't even rob him? Jeez, whoever this is they have some serious issues,"

"I know," she kept her voice even, "But everyone trips up somewhere. We just have to find out where this guy did,"

He didn't have a response for that so he settled for nodding, focusing instead on the road ahead. Everyone trips up somewhere. He'd have to remember that one.

So? What do you think? :)