A/N: I'm sorry it's been a little over a week but I was sick so i had a lot of make-up work and basketball just started so that's filling my time slots again. So how about I stick to posting on the weekends? We good on that? Good.

"Richard! Richard!" the aging actress called with her booming voice.

Her son met her near the elevator. She could tell he had been crying from the puffy bags beneath his eyes and the pink that tinted his nose as if he had a cold.

But Martha Rodgers knew that her son did not have a cold for it was not so that morning.

With that thought, she remembered the conversation they had had as she sipped her coffee and looked over the paper as carefree as ever.

"Richard, did you find Alexis?" she asked, clutching his shoulders.

"They found her," he stated simply. And this time, he didn't falter; his voice didn't crack. He had cried all his tears and his eyes were dry.

"What? Who found her? Who's they? Richard, talk to me!"

"Come with me, Mother," he said, leading her to the bullpen where Beckett sat at her desk, deep in thought.

As they entered, the detective looked up. "Martha," she said, "Please take a seat?"

"Kate, dear," the older woman murmured, doing as she was told, "what's going on?"

Beckett sighed slightly, "It's Alexis. We found her. Dead."

Martha gasped theatrically, but she wasn't being melodramatic. "What? Alexis can't be..."

"I'm sorry, Martha," Beckett said, "I know how it feels to lose someone you love."

"What happened to her?" Martha asked.

"She was strangled," Beckett stating simply, then continued, "And I promise that we will catch her killer and he will be locked away for a very long time."

Martha nodded and made to stand up, but Beckett stopped her and added, "But we have to ask you a few questions before you go."

The woman sat back down, a frown etched on her face, her wrinkles, which she tried so hard to hide, showing, making her look older than she was.

"Have you noticed Alexis acting strange or different at all lately?" she asked, leaning against her desk.

"No, she's been as bright and happy as ever," Martha responded quickly.

"What about the word 'three' as in the number? Is that a significant number to her or anyone she knows?"

"Um, no, I don't believe so. Why do you ask?"

"I'll explain later. Have you been spending more time than usual with Alexis lately?"

"Not particularly, no," the actress answered.

"Alright, thank you," Beckett said with a reassuring smile.

"Now, you have to explain the 'three' question," Martha pushed, eyebrows raised.

"Why don't the two of you come with me to forensics?"

Martha turned to her son, "You haven't seen her yet?"

Castle shook his head slowly as he escorted his mother to the door, followed by Beckett. They all drove in Beckett's car since Castle and Martha had both taken a cab.

The ride there was slow and silent, pain filling the air. Martha's makeup was smudged, her mascara running down her face in trails of tears. Castle face was sullen as he stared straight ahead, a far-off look in his eyes, but not thinking about anything. Beckett was on the verge of tears. She didn't think she would be able to tell another person about Alexis without her heart breaking entirely.

Though she hadn't even known Alexis for that long, the teenager had been like a daughter, or even a sister, to her. Someone she had to watch out for and protect. Someone she could talk to and give advice.

She knew that Alexis felt the same way about her. Alexis came to her with questions sometimes. Alexis had needed a motherly figure in her life since Meredith wasn't around to give that to her (and even when she was, it never happened since the two were so different).

Finally, as the silence had become painfully unbearable, they arrived. Ryan and Esposito were waiting outside for them and when they approached, the pair motioned for the door and led them inside.

Lanie turned as they walked in and smiled sadly at Castle and Martha. She gave them both hugs and whispered, "I'm so sorry," as she did so.

She walked over to the table which had a figure covered in a blue sheet and as she lifted it, Castle placed his arm around his mother and gave her shoulder a squeeze while Beckett placed her hand in his.

When Lanie pulled away the sheet, Castle let out a choked sob as Martha buried her head in his shirt. Beckett was forced to look away, eyes closed and Ryan and Esposito grimaced.

Alexis looked as if she were sleeping. Here eyes were closed and her arms lay at her sides. The only things that made it not so was the lack of her chest rising and falling, the red marks on her throat that showed strangulation, and one word that was written in sharpie on her forehead, "THREE". And then the question Beckett had asked made sense.

Alexis had died and the number three had something to do with it.

A/N: Ooh! Slight cliffy! Okay, teeny, tiny cliffy. Don't judge my cliffies! They're Pisces and sensitive! I'm a Pisces! Go fish! My parents think I lack sensitivity because I want to see the movie 127 Hours. I'm sorry that its rated R and based off a true story but the critics say it was good. That does not mean I enjoy watching people cut off their arms!

So anyways, this is kind of a short chapter, almost a filler but not quite. I'll be getting some longer chapters up by next weekend though so keeping reading and reviewing! I REALLY like when you guys review so keep doing it! Thanks a bunch!