The four of them were staring at a police sketch.

Ryan and Esposito had gone to the bar "Blue Star" where Nichole's phone last pinged. They'd shown around her photo and the barman had turned out to be helpful. He'd said that he remembered her because she was one "Hot Mama" and the guy sitting with her was a real creep. "What did she see in him?" he'd wondered loudly. He had agreed to describe the man to a NYPD sketch artist and now the four detectives were looking at Brandon Maxwell.

The sketch was similar to his photo from the six year old police file… well almost. His hair was cropped up now. His cheeks had hollowed out. His eyes appeared sunken and his nose stood out prominently. His neck and shoulders appeared more muscular. There was something about his eyes. His eyes were 'dead', as the barman had described them.

They sighed. They had the guy's name, sketch and enough evidence. They didn't have only one thing… The Guy.

Kate broke the silence, "Okay, put the sketch out there along with the APB. Hope something shakes out before someone else turns up dead."

The three detectives reported the case to Captain Gates while the writer stood at the back silently. After they were done, they filed out of her office. Castle was the last one to get out. Before he left, he looked back to find Gates watching him. She nodded at him and he nodded back.

Once out, he saw Kate looking at him with raised eyebrows and a teasing smile playing at the corner of her lips. Apparently, his little 'interaction' with the Captain had not gone unnoticed. He waited for Kate to pull on his leg but it never happened. Instead, she picked up their jackets and offered him his while sliding into her own.

"Come on Castle, there's nothing more that we can do before we pick up Brandon. Let's go home." Castle! Kate had called her Castle… and she didn't appear to be pissed!

They stood in the elevator silently and kept their hands to themselves. Both of them were hesitant to start something and waited for some sign from the other. They were still waiting when the elevator dinged open. They walked out and to their ratty crown vic that Kate still refused to retire.

Once they were inside, Kate reached out to turn the ignition key. Rick's hands covered hers and stopped her.

"Kate, I'm sorry….about earlier."

Kate turned her head to look at Rick and saw the remorse that filled his eyes.

"It's okay, Rick. She's your daughter and you're concerned. It's perfectly understandable."

"You know, when I say she's our daughter, I mean it."

"I know," Kate's lips curled up slightly. "Doesn't change the fact that you're right to be concerned about her safety."

"Kate, I trust you. I know you'll do anything for her."

"You're right… for once," her smile grew.

He released the breath that he had been holding. Kate was willing to put this behind them.

"Kate, I promise, I won't doubt you anymore. I…" His speech was cut short by Kate's lips on his.

"You talk too much," she grinned when she pulled back. His heart was thudding against his ribs. He smiled back.

The rest of the drive back home was pretty insignificant, except for their occasional wandering hands when they stopped at signals.

(…..)

They entered the loft to find Alexis sitting on the couch, staring vacantly into space.

Rick and Kate looked at each other once before approaching Alexis.

"You alright, pumpkin?" Rick asked as he leaned down and kissed his daughter's forehead.

"Yes, dad."

The short answer from the normally bubbly girl said it all. She wasn't alright.

Rick sighed. He didn't know what to do. He looked at Kate pleadingly before speaking out loud, "Kate, why don't you relax while I fix dinner…" With that, he left for the kitchen.

Kate leaned back on the couch and put her hand on Alexis' shoulder. To her surprise, the young girl snuggled into her.

"Did you catch him?" Alexis' voice was riddled with uncertainty.

Kate swallowed. She wished she could give her a positive answer. "Not yet. But we have his name… and his sketch. You helped a lot. We've put an APB on him. We'll catch him pretty soon."

"Why did he do it?" Was her voice shaking?

"He's killed six people before he killed your friend. He doesn't need a reason. He's a psychopath."

"Did he rape them too?"

"One of them. The girl before Nichole." Something tugged at Kate's subconscious as she answered the girl but she couldn't place her finger on it.

"Were all the other victims guys?"

"No." There were two other female victims.

"Why did he suddenly start?" Why indeed?

"You're reading Criminal Psychiatry. You should know that a criminal sometimes escalates the violence."

Alexis sighed.

"Anyway, how are you feeling? And truth this time…" Kate ran her fingers through Alexis' red hair, gently massaging her scalp in an attempt to soothe her.

"I don't know…I don't feel anything… It's a weird feeling, you know?"

Kate nodded. She knew. She knew how "not feeling anything" felt.

Alexis continued, "Whenever I sat in this empty loft and needed to talk to someone, I'd call Nikki. She'd share everything with me. Whenever I was upset, she'd make me laugh. We laughed together. Today…" Alexis trailed off and Kate tightened her hand around the girl protectively. Alexis shook her head and started again, "Today, I'm upset because she isn't here. Can't believe I'll never see her again." Her voice broke.

"Shhh… it's okay, honey," Kate placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Why don't you skype Ashley? You'll feel better."

"I can't. He's currently in Bolivia for a project. He doesn't have internet access at the place he's staying. Plus, the time difference."

Rick entered the room, juggling with the plates laden with food. "Dinner is ready, ladies." His cheer sounded forced even to his own ears.

"What're we having?" Kate asked with a forced smile.

"Mac and Cheese. The quintessential comfort food."

"Okay guys, let me freshen up a bit." Alexis left for the washroom.

Once Alexis was out of the room, Rick nudged Kate with his elbow. "How's she holding up?"

"She's grieving, obviously. But she'll get through it."

"How long do you think she'll take to return to normal?"

Kate heard the unasked question. How long did you take to return to normal when you were grieving?

"Everyone's different, Rick. She's lost a close friend but she's mature… much more mature than I was at her age. She has you. She has Ashley. She has Martha. I'll be here if she needs me. She'll get through it."

"Yeah, I can't wait for mother to come back soon. I don't want our girl to stay in the loft alone." Rick gazed at Kate as she smiled softly. "By the way, did I tell you recently how extraordinary you are?"

Kate smiled at him. "Well, you've said this morning."

"That's not recent enough. Katherine Beckett-Castle, you're the most extraordinary woman ever known to exist in the Universe."

Kate was used to hear this almost every day, sometimes more than once but she still blushed every time. Every single time. Tonight was no exception.

Alexis walked in, picked up her plate and sat on the couch opposite to her parents. They ate their dinner silently for a while. Suddenly, Rick snorted. Both the women looked at him curiously.

Rick grinned at Alexis, "Remember the time you vehemently refused to eat Mac and Cheese?"

Kate looked at Alexis incredulously. "You refused Mac and Cheese? When?"

A smile involuntarily crept up on Alexis' face. She turned to Kate. "I was in kindergarten and Paige had managed to convince me that these were basically worms." Paige was her friend throughout her school life.

Kate laughed out loud. Rick joined her.

"Dad! Don't laugh or else I'll tell Kate about the cheese shower."

Rick pretended to stop laughing abruptly. Kate looked at Rick and then at Alexis, "Alexis! Tell me!"

"Well, this one time Dad was trying to make cheese puffs and halfway through the process, he felt the need to tweak the recipe. The whole thing exploded and there was a shower of cheese in the kitchen. They were everywhere. You should've seen him, standing in the middle of it all, drenched in cheese."

Kate doubled up in laughter. It wasn't so hard to imagine Rick Castle standing in the kitchen, covered with cheese from head to toe. Rick sat beside her with an exaggerated pout on his face.

Alexis wasn't finished. "When I walked in, Dad was trying to lick off cheese from the tip of his nose with his tongue."

A fresh wave of laughter filled the room. Rick pretended to be offended. "In that case, I'll have to tell Kate about the time when you…."

And it continued. Over the next hour, the father and his daughter recollected some of the funniest stories. The Castle family had many weird stories up its sleeve. Kate listened to them fascinated and sometimes shared stories of her own childhood. When the hour was up, the three of them were on the floor, breathless from laughter. Their empty plates lay forgotten in front of them.

After they'd finally stood up and carried their plates to the sink, Alexis turned to Rick and Kate and hugged them at the same time. Rick stretched one of his arms around his daughter and another around his wife and soon, they were group-hugging. After they pulled apart, Alexis had a huge smile on her lips.

"Thanks guys, I needed it."

"We needed it too." Kate smiled back while Rick watched them.

"I should go to my room and try to sleep." Alexis paused for a second before continuing, "I want you to know that I'll have my iPod earphones on." With that, she winked at Kate and started up the stairs.

After Rick recovered from the shock at his daughter's words, he looked over at Kate and found her cheeks beet red.

(…..)

They stood beside each other in front of the mirror, brushing their teeth in contended silence.

Rick was done first and had excused himself to use the toilet. After Kate had finished rinsing her mouth and washing her face, she looked up into the mirror and found Rick watching her. Their eyes met through the mirror. Rick closed the distance between them and stood right behind Kate, his muscular arms encircling her slim waist. Their eyes never left each other.

Kate could feel herself getting aroused as she felt the coolness of the bathroom counter against her stomach and the warmth of her husband's broad chest on her back. She felt Rick's chin resting on her right shoulder as his hands started wandering over her flat stomach, re-exploring the already chartered territory. His warm breath on her neck gave her goose bumps and she shivered in anticipation. She leaned back into him and felt him getting hard. Her eyes fluttered closed when Rick's heated lips grazed her creamy skin. Rick's unruly hands ventured further north until they reached the soft swell of her breasts. Even through the fabric of her top, he could feel her nipples hardening beneath his fingers.

A huge wave of desire washed over his body and Rick's hands around Kate momentarily slackened. She took the opportunity to turn around and face him. Their lips met hungrily. She took in Rick's lower lip between hers and sucked on it. Her hands ran over his muscular back and made their way into his hair.

The kiss turned frantic when her heated core brushed against his bulge. Their lips parted and both of them dueled with their tongues in order to claim territory in each other's mouth. When Rick's teeth grazed her luscious lips, her fingers tightened in his hair. The sweet pain put all of his nerve endings on an even higher alert, if possible. His mouth left hers momentarily and Kate felt an immediate sense of loss. It was short lived, however, as he returned to her body, his attention on her neck this time.

His fingers gently squeezed her pert breasts on their own accord and his lips sucked her smooth skin. She felt his erection pressing against her thigh. She could take it no more.

"Rick…."

"Hmmm?" Rick grunted, his mouth not leaving her.

She felt the vibration and gasped. "Make love to me, Rick."

Rick placed another wet kiss on her neck and looked up. Their eyes met. His blue eyes were darkened with arousal… her hazel ones were almost brown. They saw their own need, want and desire reflected in each other's eyes. In one sweeping motion, he picked her up in his arms and headed out of the bathroom.

When they reached their bed, his legs hit the edge and they tumbled down on the pristine white sheets. Kate giggled in a very un-Beckett like manner. The giggle turned into a moan when Rick returned his attention to the hollow of her neck.

He caught the hem of her top and slid the garment over her head expertly. She wasn't wearing a bra. He pulled back to take in the view beneath him. She lay there clad only in a pair of worn out jeans, her brown hair cascading over the pearly white sheets, her eyes hooded with arousal and her lips slightly parted. Her bare chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily. With an animalistic growl, he tore away his own shirt before he dove in to capture her breast in his mouth. His hand reached to pacify the other breast. As his tongue caressed her nipple into full arousal, he rolled her other nipple under the flat of his palm.

Kate was in sensory heaven. Her slender fingers were wrapped around his wide biceps and she raised her hips. Even through the jeans, she could feel the warmth radiating from his manhood.

Rick's mouth left her breast and journeyed south across the flats of her abdomen towards the holy pilgrimage of her womanhood. When he reached the waistline of her jeans, he growled in frustration and yanked her jeans down, together with her panties.

Kate couldn't be a passive observer anymore. She reached down to unbutton Rick's jeans and pushed them down. Her fingers caressed his erection over his boxers. He clutched her wrists abruptly and moved her hands away.

"Don't. I won't last." His voice was tight.

His voice triggered a primal response in her body and a fresh wave of wetness moistened her nether lips. She closed her eyes.

Rick must have got rid of his boxers somehow because the next thing she felt was his erect manhood at her entrance, waiting for permission. Her legs parted involuntarily and she nodded at her husband. She felt her insides stretch as he entered her and her nails dug into his back painfully. The sting only served to drive him wild.

Both of them stopped moving for a brief second as they were dangerously close to their release. After they had regained control over their bodies, Rick started moving. It was excruciatingly slow. He withdrew himself over and over and thrust in repeatedly. Kate's legs wrapped themselves around his waist, drawing him further in. Their pace increased as their urgency soared. Soon, both of them were panting hard but not yet ready to stop.

They rocked together as the tightness grew in their loins deliciously. Rick was already hanging over the precipice, holding himself back… waiting for Kate to join him so that they could take the leap together. His fingers dug deep into her hips.

He leaned down and breathed hoarsely in her ears, "Let go, Kate… Cum for me."

And they toppled over the edge, hand in hand.

When Kate regained her bearings once more, she realized Rick was still flopped on the top of her, his face buried in the hollow of her neck. She saw the angry red mark on his shoulder and realized belatedly that she must've bitten on his shoulder during her freefall… during their freefall.

His hair was matted on his scalp with sweat and she tenderly ran her fingers through it.

Rick looked up. His clear blue eyes peered into her green.

"I love you, Kate. I love you so much." His voice was barely audible.

His voice rumbled through her chest and she felt a myriad of emotions being shaken to the surface. She placed her palms on either side of Rick's face and drew him to her to place a kiss on his forehead.

"I know, Rick. I love you too."

A/N: Hmmm… Nothing much happens in this chapter. Yet, so much happens. Crazy4Castle…. Yes, I'm talking to you, dear…. I can take a hint, see? Happy? *winks*

Are you reading "Convection" by Chezchuckles? It's awesome but at the same time heartbreaking. After reading Chapter 4, I needed some fluff and smut… hard core smut ;) So I decided to write this chapter. Hope it didn't come across as poorly written porn (trust me, I've read a lot of them but *ahem* whatever…). I'd initially planned something for Brandon in this chapter but now, he'll have to wait till Chapter 8. Hope our freaking psycho can be patient enough…

Please review. You're adding my story in your alerts but not leaving a review. Come on guys, leave me some love. I promise I'll love you back!

Okay, I'll stop now before you're creeped out :P

Disclaimer: Someday… someday… but not today.