A thud of a door closing somewhere woke Kate. She lay still for a moment, then opened her eyes wondering who was knocking on the front door. Except this wasn't her bedroom. Or bed. Or... She sat up, propped on an elbow, the other hand reaching to brush her hair from her face. A lot came back to her without warning and her head whipped around to look behind her. Castle was still asleep, lying perhaps appropriately in the recovery position, sheets around his waist but twisted under one leg and pushed down from his chest. She looked back again towards the bedroom doorway, her mouth open a little with realisation. She had to go. What as the time? Work! She was on shift at 8, and usually a call brought her in before that, but where was her cellphone? She slipped out of the bed, scooping underwear from the floor along with her pants, but no sign of her shirt. On that side of the room anyway. She wanted a shower, but wanted to get out - to the precinct - more. She pulled on the clothes she'd found and, glancing back at the bed, slid open one of the doors of the unit nearest her. Her luck was in and she pulled out a light blue shirt, also borrowing a belt hanging from a peg on one side. Shrugging it on and buttoning up, she went into the office and buckled the belt around her middle, listened for any signs of life on the other side of the door. It was deathly quiet, and she supposed at least Alexis may have already left - it was definitely the sound of a door closing that had woken her. She crept out into the living area, eyes scouting for her bag. There it was, on the floor, half under the couch. She grabbed it on the move, sweeping silently towards the front door. She opened it slowly and smoothly to avoid any noise and slipped out, looking back into the loft as she reached to pull the door closed - her eyes darted as she paused for a moment. Before she allowed any thoughts to enter her mind, she shut the door firmly but noiselessly and headed for the elevator.

"Shit," Beckett mumbled under her breath. She'd made it to the precinct and had just about successfully convinced Gates that a plumbing emergency had prevented her timely arrival. She was eternally grateful that there hadn't been any earlier calls, and that both Esposito and Ryan weren't at their desks when she arrived feeling flustered and conspicuous and generally unlike herself. They were in the break room, however, at the coffee machine which she dearly wanted to make use of. And on top of that, she'd just clipped her gun on and realised her shield wasn't in her bag. It must be on the floor, under the couch, in Castle's apartment. Great.

"Hey." She jumped. Ryan had crept up on her.

"Ryan, what the hell?"

He stood back. An eyebrow crept upwards. "Uh, sorry? Just wanted to give you a heads up," he ticked his head in the direction of the break room. "My partner would appreciate your consideration for the twenty jackhammers going off in his head this morning. Which he's kinda blaming you and Castle for."

"Oh. Sure," she leant forward to look around Ryan at Esposito, who was walking quite slowly towards his desk with a cup of what smelt like quadruple espresso. One corner of her mouth crept up a little, and she wondered if she'd see Lanie today to find out if there had been any calls. And whether they'd been of the please-take-me-back variety or the booty call variety.

She was blindsided by an flash of recollection - hands. In places.

Time for coffee.

Of course, that supposition was based on getting the damn machine working. As she disappeared in another cloud of steam and hissing and clunking levers, she wondered what she'd done in a past life to piss the machinery off. Eventually a dribble of dark coloured water appeared in the mug, but it took another round of pushing buttons and topping up water, and a moderate thump before she had something that smelt approximately like it contained enough caffeine to start the day. The machine had added insult to injury by being a gift from Castle, who she was stubbornly trying not to think about and yet who kept... just... appearing everywhere. The coffee machine, the dollar bill in her elephant's trunk, the question the guys hadn't yet asked. The damn shirt she was wearing that smelt like him. Whilst he hadn't actually physically appeared yet, there was just no escaping his presence and she really did not want to think about him, them, it right now. What she wouldn't do for a ph-

At which point, her desk phone rang.

"Beckett."

She listened for a minute, and waved Ryan and Esposito over. Only Ryan actually arrived by her desk.

"Ok. On my way." She hung up. "Foot patrol picked up a Jamal Khan for a misdemeanor, he's saying he has information for us on the Rakhi case." She grabbed the jacket on the back of the seat, checked her piece and then remembered her badge. "Dammit." She looked down for a moment, flipping through the bank of options in her mind - could she just borrow one? Could she claim it was lost and get another from Gates just for now? Nope, it wasn't going to work. She looked at Ryan, whose eyebrow didn't seem to have dropped all morning. He wasn't sure what was going on, but Beckett wasn't normally one to be flustered.

"Ryan, I'm sorry, you and Espo will have to go. My shield isn't here."

"Wha-"

"Look, I must have left it at home, I'll have to go and get it, ok, but this guy might not wait. If he's about to spill his guts we need to be there, or else he'll think about it too long and bottle out. I can meet you over there when I've got everything. Just go, will you?"

"Ok." He nodded, glanced back at Esposito, who was resting his forehead on the desk in front of him. "You got any Alka Seltzer around?"

Beckett got a nod from the guard on the desk at Castle's building and went straight for the elevators. Her jaw was clenched, her muscles taught, and for all intents and purposes she looked like she was ready to arrest someone. She was mad. Mad at herself for letting her shield get left behind, Jesus what was she thinking, what had they had drummed into them at the academy from Day 1? The badge is everything. She wasn't a rookie, she was a detective. Mistakes like this were unforgivable. Imagine if Gates found out. There were a lot of things that she didn't want to think about Gates finding out.

The elevator arrived at the right floor and she stepped out briskly, ignoring her misdirected anger for a moment when it occurred to her that she was about to see Castle and he'd probably want to have a long conversation of the kind she was desperate to avoid at the moment. She rang the bell and shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying for a moment to feel out what was going on in her mind. It felt as if anger weighed down one shoulder and then fear weighed on the other alternately, and her head was left feeling confused and worried in the middle. It wasn't good. And now, well, what to say when the door opened? With seconds to decide, she knew that sticking to the business at hand had to be the answer. She really had to get that shield, or she might miss an important break in the case. Maybe they could talk later. If she'd worked out what she wanted to say. Or felt. Oh, but he was going to want to tag along, wasn't he? Suddenly she was definitely angry again. He'd been working this case with her, so obviously he'd still want to be part of it. What was more annoying still was that she actually wanted his insight. It was getting increasingly difficult to see answers clearly without his lateral perspective, and, well, how dare he make himself so valuable to her job, the one she'd earned, dammit, all by herself. She stabbed a finger at the doorbell again. Where was he? She really wanted to get on with the day and he was holding her up now, on top of everything else. She rapped on the door, "CASTLE!". Still nothing. She pressed in the buzzer and left it there for a long ten seconds. Nada.

She gave up. He wasn't in. Or else he was hiding. Playing some sort of game, like the child he was. She barely managed to stop a low growl of frustration slipping out as she stalked back down the hallway, one ear on the space behind her in the hope that there may be the sound of a latch clicking and, perhaps, the sound of her name being called.

Castle sat on a bench in the park and watched a tourist family getting a kick from feeding pigeons. Some people had a strange idea of fun. It was nice to get some air though, away from the loft, and the precinct. He was waiting for Alexis, who had a free period between 10 and 11, and had agreed to a chat a couple of hundred feet from her school. Some days he just couldn't pull together the notion of his daughter being such a well adjusted young woman, not when he knew the confusion of her early years, his own experimental parenting skills, and mostly the fact that she still had the dimples that made him see her as the sparky three year old in need of everything he could give her. Ultimately, he was so proud of her that she'd banned him from the most recent round of parent-teacher conferences after the embarrassment got too much for her last time.

There she was now, on the path towards him, chatting to a friend. The friend peeled away down another route as they got closer, and he stood to greet her with a quick hug.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey."

"Soooo..." she sat down, dropping her bag to one side and looking through it for a hairbrush. "...is everything ok? We haven't met during school since you had to tell me about your date with my Spanish teacher."

"No, it's quite alright, I have no dalliances to report to you today." He didn't make a habit of lying to Alexis, and god knows that was a big one, but since he himself didn't exactly know the whys, hows and what nexts just yet, it didn't seem right to discuss them.

Alexis looked at him with questioning eyes.

"The case we're on at the moment, the Rakhi Shah murder. I had an idea, but I need your help."

"Ok."

"One of your study buddies, I seem to recall, had very strict parents."

"Priya? Her parents are quite old fashioned, but I think most people might be a bit surprised by you greeting them dressed as a dalek."

"Well, that's as may be. I assume, by the by, that we're still on for our Doctor Who marathon this weekend?" He leaned into her for the aside.

"Yep! But slightly less of the old ones with cardboard sets this time, right?"

"Right. Anyway. Your friend Priya. I wondered if... well, firstly, she isn't... under any pressure at all, is she?"

"Pressure?" Her brow furrowed. "I don't think so. You mean because of her parents and the whole arranged marriage business in the case?"

He nodded.

"No, I don't think they're forcing her into anything, I mean I don't think she's allowed to date, but I don't think they're aggressive or anything..." She paused a moment, her brow furrowed a little at the thought of something she had never really considered before. "I can ask her, perhaps. We're not that close though. And she's been perfectly normal."

"Well I'm glad she seems ok. If there's any chance you can talk at some point... I didn't know if perhaps she could give us a little insight into why such a thing would happen. But I don't want her to get into any trouble, or you either for that matter." He leant forward again and kissed her forehead.

"I'll see what I can do," she smiled back at him. "Are you sure you're ok, Dad? Normally this sort of thing would wait until after school. Shouldn't you be with Beckett?"

"Well it's not like they're paying me, you know."

She stood, her bag falling into place on her shoulder as she smiled again. "Just don't let her get mad at you."

He smiled back, wondering if she had any idea of how significant she was being. Alexis turned away back towards her school, looking over her shoulder for a moment, "See you later, Dad!"

He waved, then leant back on the seat. A squirrel was taking the feed that the tourists had left. He was pretty sure that Beckett was going to be mad, whatever he did today.

Beckett made her way back to the precinct, not knowing what else to do. Stifling her anger and drawing on a bit of courage, she'd tried Castle's cell but it went straight to voicemail. Either it was switched off or he was out of range. A quick call to Ryan to let him know she was going to be delayed - they were still trying to get the papers sorted to transfer the guy to the 12th - and she tried Castle again as she walked into the bullpen. No answer, still, but just as she was throwing together a few choice words in reaction she saw her desk, on top of which something glinted in the light through the windows. Her shield. She reached to grab it, and saw the paper underneath. Call you later, working on an idea x

The anger dissolved into relief at the sight of the badge, and a tiny bit at the communication. Thank god. She dialled Ryan again to find out where they were at, and looked back at the note. An idea? Ryan picked up before she could follow the thought through, and she was headed back out again to meet her team at the main entrance, stuffing the note into her pocket as she went as an unconscious action.

She met Esposito, leading the man who she hoped was still willing to share the information he claimed he had, on the stairs on the way to an interrogation room. Espo was a little less pale, but no less unhappy, and he looked at her under hooded eyelids.

"This guy stinks, yo. And he hasn't stopped chatting all the way here. Whatever information he has had better be worth it. "

"Thanks, Espo. I'll take him from here."

"Are you in charge? Boss? You boss? I tell you lots, everything about Shah family, everything you want." The man was so keen he was practically tripping over himself as Beckett nudged him in the right direction, ignoring his rambling.

"Hey," she called after Esposito, "What was he stopped for?"

"Indecent exposure." He looked at her over his shoulder as he walked away. "Castle in yet?"

Beckett's wry smile drifted a little, "Nope." As she pointed the guy in front of her through the doorway of the interrogation room, her cell went off. She glanced at the caller and picked up, turning back out of the room and closing the door behind her. She listened for a moment, "I'll be right there." Calling back to Esposito to go through the questioning of their informer, she took her keys from the desk and made for the exit.

Which was when the elevator doors opened and she nearly walked directly into the nearly identically blue shirted chest of Castle. He raised his palms, and eyebrows, in surprise as she stepped back.

"Castle!" she exclaimed, shocked, embarrassed, and having another unexpected, and frankly unwelcome, flashback which also involved his chest. She'd just managed to clear her mind of him for a few minutes and then he went and turned up.

"Sorry, detective," he looked oddly uncomfortable for a moment, as all the lines he would normally use on her at this moment seemed crass given the last time they'd seen each other. She stepped past him, brushing her hair from her face and setting her jaw, and into the elevator. "Where are we headed?"

"I am headed to the hospital. Rakhi's sister's been assaulted."

She hit the ground floor button, and he stepped back quickly, falling in next to her before the doors clipped him. He turned his head to her.

"Is she ok?"

"They said she was in and out of consciousness with several fractures."

"Is her family with her?"

"They said she was brought in alone by ambulance, but I don't know if anyone was following. They would have called next of kin before us. Before me."

His look drifted back out in front again. That wasn't a great sign. But he hadn't really been expecting to be welcomed with open arms. He knew her too well for that, and he could see the flash of panic in her eyes which she thought she'd hidden.

"Do you think she'll talk?"

"Maybe. This could be the breaking point. Or it could just silence her permanently."

They walked out to the car, Beckett in front.

"I spoke to Alexis earlier," Castle started, reaching for the passenger door handle. Beckett stopped, her own hand on the door, and stared at him, her mouth dropping open slightly. "About the case," he added, hurriedly. "She has a friend who might be able to help us, or at least give us an idea of what we're up against."

"Castle, are you saying you've asked a minor for information which may actually leave her in a similar situation to the one we're on our way to?" She paused. "It's pretty obvious the levels to which this can go, did the murder not tip you off?" She slipped into the driver's seat as Castle moved into his. "God, Castle. Didn't you think that asking around could be dangerous for Alexis too?"

"Yes. But she's a smart girl. She reads people well. I trust her to make a judgment call."

Beckett put the car in gear and aggressively nudged into the traffic, picking up speed as she flicked the lights on. "Do you know how big this thing could be? We could be talking about a whole cultural community, Castle. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people who don't want us interfering with their practices. And you've asked teenagers to play Harriet the Spy, because this is all just a game to you, isn't it? Another one of your... games."

There was a heavy silence. She continued to swing the car in and out of the traffic, sweeping to a sharp halt on one side of the ambulance bay at Bellevue. They both got out, Castle slightly quicker than Beckett as she set the car into park. As she rose into the cool air, he leant over the roof for a moment.

"Kate. My daughter is not a game to me. And neither are you."