A/N: My apologies for the formatting of chapter one. I've been struggling with it for a while and didn't realize I could edit it here. New computer and it's the first time I've been able to access this site in years! Hopefully the rest of the chapters will come out correctly. Thank you to all of you who read the first chapter and to those who've added it to your alert list. I hope you enjoy the rest!

~ Heat Exchange: Flashpoint ~

Chapter Two ~

Castle's eyes grew wide as he looked around the room decorated in pink and purple and filled with dolls galore.

"Detective Beckett," he called, saying her name very slowly.

"Yeah, what?"

"You might want to come here." He didn't have to ask twice. Her eyes grew wide as saucers as she joined him. "She has a daughter."

Their heads turned simultaneously to face one another. "So where is she?"

Castle shrugged. "Kidnapped, maybe?"

"No ransom note. Besides, who's going to pay now that her mother is dead?"

A sudden noise put them both on alert and Beckett had her gun drawn before Castle could say, 'uh oh'. She scanned the room quickly, learning what he'd already figured out. He moved forward and slowly opened the louvered door, exposing a closet. A young girl, tear stained and blotchy-faced, stood there amongst the clothes.

"Oh, my, God," Beckett said, separating each word carefully and re-holstering her gun.

He knelt down in front of the little girl. "Hello there. Don't be afraid, we're the police. The is Detective Kate Beckett and I'm Rick Castle. We're here to help you." He was glad Beckett didn't correct him as she usually did when he lumped himself in with 'police'. The girl was clearly terrified - and rightly so if she'd been here while her mother had been killed. She needed to be handled gently and with much care. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Abbey," she whispered, the word nearly lost in hiccups.

"Abbey. It's nice to meet you." He offered a tentative smile. "How old are you Abbey? Eight?" he guessed.

"Seven. Almost eight." There was a miniscule lift of her shoulders as she proudly added the second part.

His smile grew. "Why don't you come on out of there so we can talk."

She shook her head.

"I know you're scared, but there's no one here but us and we won't let anything hurt you. Promise." He looked up at Beckett and saw she was thinking the same thing he was.

"I'll get the body moved," she mouthed. He nodded and she left the room.

"Now it's just the two of us. Can you tell me about your doll collection?"

Abbey looked at him as if he were crazy. Castle smiled. "I have a daughter who used to love dolls when she was your age. We played with them every day."

Abbey came out of the closet hesitantly and pounced on one sitting in the centre of the bed, clearly one of her favourites. "This is Emma. She sleeps with me every night."

"Well it's nice to meet you Emma," he said to the doll, glancing down the hall and smiling internally at Beckett's nod of approval. He had her talking. Maybe not about the events that had just occurred, but at least she was opening up and making a connection with him. The rest would come.

* * *

By the time Beckett had finished seeing the body removed from the crime scene and had done a thorough sweep of the kitchen, Castle and Abbey had become fast friends. She could hear them chattering away and even the odd giggle coming from the back bedroom. She was amazed at how quickly he, a perfect stranger to her, had managed to win the young girl's confidence. It shouldn't be too surprising, he has a child of his own. Talking at her level is something he's had experience with. She envied him this and wondered, not for the first time, if she herself would ever get around to having children. Need a partner to contribute to that first. She grimaced. Wasn't going to happen any time this side of hell freezing over the way her personal life was going.

"Castle," she called.

"Yes?"

"Time for us to head back."

"Okay, be right there."

She heard him talking to Abbey in soft, soothing tones, likely trying to convince her it was okay for her to come to the station with them. Two minutes elapsed before they came out, hand-in-hand, and joined her in the kitchen. She nodded appreciatively and grabbed the victim's purse and some other personal papers they'd found to take back for scrutiny.

Abbey refused to ride in the second police car and steadfastly attached herself to Castle's side. "I want to ride with him."

He grinned. "At least somebody loves me."

Beckett rolled her eyes as she climbed into the car. "Authors. Always starved for attention."

"You hadn't figured that out already?"

She glanced swiftly over her shoulder at him and shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder if you ever actually grew up."

"Isn't that what you love about me? My boyish charm?"

"Love is such a strong word." He didn't actually laugh out loud but she could feel his amusement. "Let's go."

* * *

Abbey was fast asleep by the time they reached the station. Not surprising, as it was already nearly ten.

"I'll carry her," Castle offered, unfastening the seat belt and lifting her into his arms. "You go find a place for her to sleep."

A few minutes later she was safely ensconced in the chief's office, using his leather couch as a bed.

"I'll stick around in case she wakes up."

Beckett stared at him. "You don't have to. You can go home. It's late."

"It's okay, I don't mind. Besides, maybe I can be of some help."

She shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said, and began walking towards the white board.

"I'll just call home."

He watched, as he told Alexis the story, seeing how Beckett, Esposito and Ryan began to put together information to fill in the story of what had happened to Susan Armstrong. Eventually he joined them but uncharacteristically said nothing. When the guys headed back to their desks to do some cross-checking and information gathering, Castle joined Beckett at hers.

"Nothing to say? No jokes? That's not like you Castle. Are you feeling okay?"

He crossed his arms over his chest as he perched on the edge of her desk. Very funny. I'm not always about levity you know."

"Really? That's a side of you I've never seen before."

"There's more than one side of me you've never seen before."

Beckett's eyebrow raised as she caught the faint hint of lechery in his words. "I'm going to leave that one alone."

"Probably best." His cheeks flamed.

She worked for quite a while in silence, tapping away at her computer and writing things longhand in a newly-minted file folder. Eventually she stopped and dropped her pen. "Well, I think that's all we can do until morning," she said, sounding tired.

"It is morning already," Ryan called out. "Twelve forty-one."

"Let's go home and get some rest. Tomorrow we'll verify the neighbour's stories and talk to Susan's next-of-kin and employer. No need to wake them to talk now. We'll need to see if we can get anything out of Abbey as well. She may well be crucial to this investigation."

"I'll see what I can do with her," Castle offered, voice oddly quiet.

"Go home. Get some sleep." Beckett yawned and stretched as she stood.

"I ... think I'll stay. Is there anywhere I can lay down? Couch? Very expensive office chair that reclines?"

"You don't need to stay." She waved her arm. "The uniforms over there are on duty all night. They'll take care of her."

"Yeah, but if she wakes up in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar faces all around her? Her mother just died and her whole world has been turned upside down. Right now I think she needs to have at least one familiar face nearby."

She nodded. "There's a couch in the boardroom."

"You have a boardroom?"

"This is a police station, not corporate offices. We only use it maybe once a year."

"Nice," he observed as she led him into the well-furnished room. "I'll leave the door open so I can hear what's going on out there."

"Sleep well." Beckett's mouth pulled into a sly grin. "See you in the morning."

"Goodnight. Sweet dreams." Of me.

He grinned as he lay down. Even if she didn't dream of him, he'd probably dream of her. It wouldn't be the first time.

* * *

His mouth tickled as he kissed behind her ear, down her neck and bit lightly on her shoulder. She giggled and he pulled her closer, murmuring something deep down in his chest. His hands explored her, caressing lovingly as they traced all of the swells and valleys of her body, eliciting shivers of anticipation.

Their mouths found one another and they kissed, mouths open, exploring, tasting, getting to know one another in the one way they didn't already. His body was hard against hers; hers ready to take him in.

"Mmm, Castle," she murmured, as she opened her legs and arched up against him.

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

Beckett slammed the alarm clock against the dresser and growled as she padded unsteadily over to the shower. Why? Why am I dreaming about him? she berated herself, turning on the water, though not bothering to touch the hot tap. Hot and steamy dreams about a coworker was not a good way to start the day. Now she was going to have to have a cold shower and a large coffee to help purge it from her mind so she could actually work.

Damn you, Castle, she thought. But she couldn't help but smile as she stepped under the spray.

* TBC *