AN: Releasing the next chapter for Lalalupin. There's a play on words from Chapter to Chapter and kudos to whomever figures it out. 3 more chapters to go. Feel free to review or PM me your feedback as I'm looking to improve with this being my first story to write.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em.


Chapter 3: Holding


Castle sat in the holding cell, legs - shoulders width apart, elbows on knees, hands clasped and eyes staring down at the cold floor. Quickly thinking of scenarios on how 3XK may have pulled this off and man, he's gotta get back with the team. Not that their not capable, but if it is 3XK…well, that's just personal to him.

Suddenly footsteps break his train-of-thought. Her footsteps, he'd know her rhythm anywhere. He takes a cleansing breadth because just her presence tends to calm his nerves. How does she do that? He sits up, eyes quickly seeking her out and as she approaches the cell, he half smiles at her, "Hey."

"Hey…how are you holding up?" She smiles back with adoration and guilt as the guard opens his cell. She takes the seat next to him breathing in his scent giving her a quiet strength.

"Ha – that's funny Beckett, and thanks for asking. I'm holding up just fine in the holding cell." He tries to lightly tease and eagerly asks, "Get it?"

Oh, she gets it alright. I didn't mean…huh, the parallel would be funny if it wasn't him in here right now.

He sees the flash of her second-guessing in her eyes. He thinks she's second-guessing him but she's berating herself for her no pun intended comment she just made.

Castle tries to fix what he can because he feels helpless. Damn that 3XK, "Beckett…listen. About last Friday I…"

"Castle. Focus." Beckett snaps a little harsher than intended, "I only have a few minutes. I shouldn't even be down here…given the circumstances."

"Okay? So, you have something?"

"Not so much something as a couple of angles we're working. I need you to look at this and tell me if you recognize it."

"Okay" he easily complies as Beckett takes the photo out of the folder tucked into her left arm and hands it to him. Hands lightly brush and she feels a quick churn in her stomach. Castle doesn't notice as he's completely focused on the emblem he's looking at on their vics forehead.

"Do you recognize this?" She begins emotionless because she fears if she really let the brevity of the situation sink in she would be paralyzed. "I just thought if your theory on 3XK was right then maybe he mentioned the significance to you while he had you captured in the hotel."

Staring and thinking back, "No, I don't recognize it", he said as he handed the photo back. Deflated and helpless again he mutters, "Sorry."

"Don't be. It's a stressful situation Castle…we'll figure this out." Her voice is encouraging for both of them because she needs it as much as he does. She bumps her knee into his. The movement causes the photo to slip out but lands so that they're now looking at it upside down. Beckett reaches down, picking up the picture.

"Wait." Castle says swiftly just as his hand captures her wrist stilling her movement.

"What is it?"

"I've seen this. We were looking at it from the wrong angle, but turn the photo upside down and the emblem is turned upright…I've seen this."

"Where Castle? Think…we've got to be sure." He loves that she's using we, it swells his heart because she still sees him as her partner.

"In the hotel when I was tied to the chair he was going on about his victims and I began to tell him the only story I could think of that would make him do the things he did. I was on the mark about his Mother or it upset him because the next thing I know he had his arm raised and gun pointing right at me."

Beckett closes her eyes at the thought and swallows past the emotional lump in her throat. Castle tries to use his mind's eye and see clearer what his sub-conscience already knows.

After a minute, "I'm sure. When he lifted his arm, his sleeve raised just enough to reveal the bottom portion of his tattoo. This is a personal marking Beckett. A brand if you will." Castle swallows hard, looking Beckett straight into the depth of her eyes, saying the only thing running through his mind, "it's him."

Beckett nods her confirmation back to him as the guard comes over to the cell opening up the gate. Apparently, their few minutes are up. She turns around meeting his eyes, "Thank you Castle." She offers her hand. He longingly takes it and they both close their eyes with a soft, supple light squeeze. When they open their eyes, they see the love and pain in each other, both pleading the same thing; please let this be over soon.


Beckett lightly knocks on the Captains door, "Sir may I?"

The captain only nods her approval and Beckett enters, "Make it quick."

"Yes Sir. The team and I were going back through the evidence and came across an emblem carved onto the victim's forehead. Sir, the emblem is the marking tattooed on another perp. This case is his…

"Beckett. Stop. I understand you don't want Castle involved in this, but you said so yourself. The man in the video is him."

"I'm not so sure anymore, Sir."

"Pardon?"

"Look, we've worked a serial killer case in the past and for details I don't have time to go into."

"Well make time Detective."

Beckett is annoyed. She really doesn't have time because if this is 3XK and this is day 2, they have 1 day before someone else falls victim. "Sir, a couple of years ago we came across a serial killer dubbed as 3XK."

"Yes, I'm familiar and why do you think this is him. This isn't his style last time I checked."

"No, you're right it's not. But Castle crossed him in the case. 3XK vowed to change his look and identity and promised he'd be back. I believe he's the man we should be hunting."

"And how do you know this emblem matches his tattoo?"

"Castle…"

"Say no more, Detective. Castle is not a reliable source to me at this point. The man writes murder for a living and is very good at it. You said yourself that Castle crossed him. How do you know Castle isn't just setting this up to point back to 3XK?"

Beckett's lips purse together because this woman is difficult. Swallowing the last of her doubt about him and closing her eyes, she quickly articulates in her mind what she has to say next. "With all due respect Sir, I know him. He's been my partner for four years. Now that might not mean much to you but I've worked aside that man and he is not capable of this. I'm telling you, this is the work of someone else."

"Detective Beckett, I don't doubt that you believe what you're saying. But I have seen a cop fall and become corrupt first-hand. People we know or believe we know sometimes do the unimaginable."

Beckett can't believe what she's hearing. She will not listen, but then the Captain breaks in, "Get me proof detective, hard evidence and I'll entertain the idea of using the precincts resources to dive deeper." Captain Gates puts her glasses back on and peers down at the papers in front of her. "Thank you, Detective."

"But Sir, we only have 1 d…"

"Proof Detective," Captain Gates didn't have time for these types of antics.

"I may be able to help with that." Esposito says entering through the door with partner in tow.

Gates feeling a little annoyed removes her glasses shooting daggers at him with her eyes.

"We traced the IP address back to the location of the bank where the Cashier's Check was withdrawn and then pulled video to confirm. The time and location don't match Castle's whereabouts at the time. He was working a case with us at the exact same time that morning."

Beckett's face lights up at first with the news and then embarrassment in her voice, "How did we miss that when going through his financials?"

Ryan as if on cue, "Well at first we were only looking for the dollar amount to match the jewelry but when we went back and asked about the timestamp difference on the financials report to the IP address tracking of the transaction; we found out that the bank had a software defect being updated at the exact same time we pulled the financial records."

Esposito cuts in answering the unasked questions, "Apparently, the update was outside of their control window by a new employee and the glitch was only affected for 1 minute. What are the odds that the timestamp effect during that 1 minute would need to be used as hard evidence?"

Beckett numbly states, "Yeah, what are the odds?" Esposito and Ryan fist bump and all three look back over to Gates, holding their breath.

"Good work…all of you. Now go and track down that victim's killer." Gates puts her glasses back on again and blankly calls out, "See Detective Beckett…proof."

Beckett looks over her shoulder and gives a quick nod shutting the door behind her. Rolling her eyes and a quirk on her lips, holding…time to get Castle out.


Review Please - would like to improve