Disclaimer – I don't own Castle or the character's, if I did they would defiantly be getting hot and heavy by now ... *hint, hint Marlow*

A/N – I know in the previous chapter I wrote that Alexis was seventeen, I recently discovered that she would 18. So for this chapter and the rest of the fic she is 18.

Beta-d by Teelduo – I forget to mention that in the last chapter sorry hun. I would also like to thank PhnxGrl for her help with the details of New York and little Castle snippets of information that I always forget.


22nd November 2011 - Friday

Castle Loft - 07:18 – Bedroom

Kate was dressed for the day in a pair of hipster dark blue jeans and a white buttoned up blouse as she entered her daughter's bedroom. Her hair had been straightened and left out. She approached the six-year-olds bed, noticing that her brunette blue eyed angel was still asleep.

"Holly, come on sweetie, wake up." Kate gently lulls, sitting down on the bed beside the little girl. "You've got school," she softy answered, as Holly began to stir.

"Not going," Holly answered back, apprehensively, snuggling her white tiger close.

Concerned washed over the older brunette. She knew something had been bothering the young girl for a week or two but didn't know what. Holly was so private at times but that was understandable. She had recently lost her mother.

She brushed the hair from Holly's eyes and looked into them. "Can you tell me why?" she softly asked the little girl.

Holly shook her head, bringing Roar up to cover her face.

Kate was now worried. Why didn't she want to go to school? Did this have something to do with her falling over yesterday? She and Rick had debated over what school to send her to ... they decided in the end that a private school was safer because of who Rick was. What if she was getting picked on at this school?

Kate would be upset if she found out that some kid was picking on her little girl. She took a seat down on the bed and lay beside the girl in the single bed. It had enough room for the both of them.

"Does your leg still hurt?" she asked the little girl.

Holly removed the tiger from her face and nodded.

Kate brushed the fallen hair once again from her daughter's eyes. Holly curled up to her side. Kate draped her arm around the girl. Holly lifted her hand and reached from Kate's silver bracelet on her right wrist, her father's watch on the left. The little girl was playing with the heart shaped pendant.

17th November 2011

Castle Loft - 05:58 – Rick's bedroom

"Kate, sweetie ... wake up," Rick's voice echoed through her mind.

Kate slowly stirred from her slumber, her eyes began to flutter as her eyes adjusted to the light in the room. She saw her partner staring at her, a serious look on his face. Her alarm hadn't gone off yet, so it would have to be before six in the morning.

"Rick," she mumbled. "What's wrong?" she added, sleepy.

Rick's face lit up with a smile. She then felt a dip in the bottom of the bed, indicating that someone just sat down. She slowly began sitting up, pulling the sheet up, even though she was in one of Rick's shirts.

Kate sat up and looked down at Alexis and Holly, who were seated at the bottom of the bed. Alexis had a mug of what she guessed was Coffee in her hand and Holly had a small wrapped gift box.

"Happy Birthday Kate," three familiar voices shouted in Unison.

Kate broke into a smile. Her birthday, she had completely forgot that today was her birthday.

"Thank you," she told them, heartfelt.

The two girls moved up the bed, closer to the older woman. Alexis handing Kate the hot beverage, Kate gratefully took it and smelled in the strong aroma, awaking her senses as she took a long sip.

"You guys didn't have to get up this early," she told them, honestly.

Holly nodded her head. "Ah ha, Grandpa Jim said that you were born at five fifty eight in the morning. He said when you were my age he used to wake you up this time every birthday," the little girl divulged.

Kate smiled at the memory. "Someone's been talking to Grandpa Jim a lot," she spoke up, still smiling.

Holly nodded her head.

Kate chuckled.

Holly was now sitting right in front of her new mother. "Me and Lexi got you something," she told her, holding out the small deep purple gift box.

Kate placed her coffee mug on the bedside table to her right before turning her attention on the girls. She took the gift from the young brunette and looked down at the small box; it was the size of a jewellery box.

"I wander what it could be," she answered softly as she carefully removed the purple lid, revealing a deep blue jewellery box, long and flat. This gave her two options. She opened the lid and inside revealed a gorgeous sterling silver bracelet with a flat heart pendant on the end.

Kate was speechless. Her fingers ran over the surface of the heart. Engraved on the front of it was 'Happy Birthday Mom', which made her teary. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"Turn it over," Alexis pipped up.

Kate just nodded and gently slipped the bracelet from its box and turned it over, reading the second half of the inscription. 'Love your Baby Birds.' This broke her, tears starting too slid down her cheeks. Is this what it felt like to be a mother?

"Why are you crying?"Holly asked, concerned.

Kate turned her tear-filled eyes on her youngest and gave her a sad smile. "They're happy tears, baby bird. This is the best birthday gift, ever." She told the little girl, brushing her fingers across her cheeks.

"We're glad you liked it," Alexis pipped up.

Kate turned her eyes on the eighteen-year-old. "I love it, Lex. Come closer so I can give you a hug," she requested.

Alexis lit up, moving closer to the bed. Holly moved to Kate's left and Alexis on right. She wrapped her arms around both girls, giving them a tight squeeze. The bracelet curled up in her right hand.

Rick snapped a picture of his three girls.

Kate was remembering back to her birthday when she heard her partner's voice come near the door of the girl's bedroom. Holly was still playing with the pendant on her bracelet.

"... yep, no I will tell her ... bye," Rick answered into Kate's phone as he walked into the room.

Kate lifted her eyes up and looked into his stony blues. He had a serious expression etched across his face.

"That was Espo ..." he told her with a loaded look.

Kate knew what that look meant. Since Holly had come into their lives, they had to talk more with loaded looks and reword sentences about murder and dead people if she was in the room.

She just nodded in acknowledgement. He lingered in the doorway.

"Have you seen Alexis?" Rick asked his beautiful detective. "I checked her room and she wasn't there," he added.

Kate nodded, removing herself from their little girl. "Yeah, she was heading out the door as I was walking up the stairs to check on Holly. She mumbled something about finding a possible internship." Kate told her partner, walking towards him. "Holly is staying home today because her leg is hurting. I'll call you later and update you on the case," she promised, giving him a peck on the cheek before leaving the room.

Rick turned his attention from the love of his life and onto the newest addition to their family. Holly was now sitting up, holding her white stuffed tiger close.

"Hey kiddo, not doing to good eh," he spoke up as he walked towards the bed.

Holly shook her head.

Rick stood at the end of the bed. "Too bad because I was gonna ask you if you wanted to come to the Bronx Zoo with me. I wanna see the tigers," he told her, casually.

Holly's face lit up. "I can come," she told him.


Central Park - 07:34 – Crime scene

Kate made her way through the park and walked towards the crime scene. The body of a woman in her late twenties had been discovered near the bridge. Kate was in her white snow boots as she made her way through the fallen snow. She spotted the boys in blue, CSU and her fellow detectives. They were all doing their jobs with the flashing of cameras and asking of questions to the people that were lingering near the body.

Kate then spotted the back of her best friend, Lanie, leaning over the body as she did her job but she was talking to someone else in a 'Medical Examiner's' jacket. The person she was talking to had long red hair pulled back into a ponytail. Kate couldn't see the front of the young woman but was getting a strange feeling.

"Lanie," she called out, a few steps from the body.

A moment later her friend stood up and turned around, clipboard in hand. A few seconds later the young woman she had been talking to turned around and revealed herself.

"Alexis?" Kate asked in disbelief. "What are you ... wait, this is the internship?" she questioned, still a little stunned.

The teenager nodded, a worried expression on her face. "Yeah, you're not mad are you?" Alexis questioned, pulling the Medical Examiner's jacket closer. It was a bit nippy.

The female detective got over the shock, quickly, shaking her head. "Of course not. I just didn't think that this was your kind of thing," she answered, honestly. "You know, dead bodies and all."

Alexis had a sober expression on her face. "I still don't know if this is, it's only my first day and first case." She informed the older woman. "I haven't told dad yet, so can we just see how today goes and I'll call him later?"

Kate smiled softly at the young woman. "Of course," she answered, finally stopping beside the girl and dropping her gaze down to the body.

"So Lanie, what do we have?" she inquired as her eyes scanned in the sight before her. The victim had tanned skin, defiantly Spanish or Italian. She was a slender girl with curves and beautiful. Her eyes were closed. She was dressed in a white summer dress, which was odd since it was Fall and snowing.

"Victim in her late twenties, she has been beaten, and her heart was cut from her chest as you can plainly see," the African America woman stated, studying her friend.

Kate had pulled on her black leather gloves and squatted down beside the body, her eyes absorbing in the lifeless body before her. "Is that the C.O.D? When's the T.O.D? She inquired, curiously.

Lanie hugged the board close. "Between three-thirty to four-thirty this morning, I wanna get her back to the lab and let her defrost a little bit to get a more accurate T.O.D ... but I bet you a hundred bucks that she starved to death after three days and her heart was cut out afterwards."

Kate stood up and turned her eyes on her friend, suspicious. "What are you not telling me?" she inquired.

"Last month another young woman in her late twenties, tanned skin, eye closed and white dress, was found in this spot." Lanie informed the female detective. "Karpowski's team worked it, it's still a cold case."

Kate looked back down at the body. "And she is on holiday so we get the body," she added, filling in the blanks.

"Hey Beckett, no puppy today," Kevin pipped up, stopping beside the female detective.

A smile twitched her lips. "No," she answered, turning her attention on the blue eyed detective. "He's at home with Holly, she's not feeling well. What have we got?" she asked him.

"Our Vic's name is Chloe Allan, she's 29." Kevin informed the female detective. "Jogger called it in just after seven. The jogger said the body wasn't there at six when she first passed through here. She was on her way back when she found the victim."

Kate let the information absorbed in her head. "So she was killed between three-thirty to four-thirty am but was dumped here sometime after six am but before seven am?" she whispered to herself.

"Hey Lanie, Jacob wants to know if you're ready to load the body in the van?" Alexis asked the older woman.

All eyes turned on little Castle.

Lanie nodded as she scribbled something onto the clipboard. "Tell 'em to load her up," she informed the redheaded teen.

Alexis nodded and walked off.

"So little Castle at her first crime scene, what's that like?" Kevin asked his boss, grinning.

Kate glared at the blue-eyed detective, wiping the grin from his face.

Alexis watched as two men loaded the zipped up body into the back of the M.E van. She wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself, mainly because it was quite cool this morning. She still couldn't believe that she was at a crime scene, only observing at the moment but still, it was a crime scene. She had often wondered what attracted her father to those things. Was he there for the story or to serve justice?

"First crime scene?" an unfamiliar male voice asked her.

Alexis turned her crystal blue orbs onto the good looking young uniformed office. His blue eyes staring back at her, a smile twitching his lips. He looked a few years older than her and was wearing a NYPD hat and dressed as a Rookie cop. He resembled a built Zac Efron.

"Um, yeah," she answered his previous question.

His eyes ran up and down her, mirroring seriousness. "Little young aren't you?" he asked.

Alexis narrowed her eyes on him, placing a hand on her hip. "I'm eighteen, thank you very much and I'm an intern with the Medical Examiner's Office," she divulged. "Alexis Castle," she introduced herself.

Noah nodded his head once. He had been stationed at the 12th for the eight months. He had heard of the name Castle, well the older version. The entire precinct knew of Richard Castle, Noah was sure that he had met him in the elevator once, a few months ago. The good looking brunette female detective was with him.

"Alexis, you coming?" Lanie called out from the van.

Alexis turned her head towards the older woman. "Coming," she called back before turning her head on the Rookie cop. "It was nice meeting you," she told him.

A moment later she's jogging off in the direction of the medical examiner's van.

"Hey Red," Noah called after her, causing her to turn her head. "See you around," he told her.

She just nodded before hopping into the van and closing the door.


12th Precinct – 08:08 - Bullpen

Kate was writing up the murder board as her co-worker's voice informed her.

"Chloe Allan works at Sam's bar on 169 East Broadway. She was reported missing on the 19th by her workplace when she didn't show up, which was rare because she was the manger and a work-a-holic." The Hispanic detective informs his boss. "She lives in the apartment building above the bar. Her next of kin and the person who reported her missing is her boss Sam Lewis," he told her. "He's been called to come in."

Kate nodded, adding the extra information to the board. They will be working two cases instead of one. This was going to be a long day. Hopefully there is someone in the first victim's file that will help solve this one easier. If the killer struck once more, then they would be dealing with a serial killer and nobody wanted that. She was lost in thought when her co-worker entered the bullpen.

"Got the cold case and called Karpowski," Kevin announced walking towards his desk with a cardboard box in hand that was filled with the information and evidence from the cold case. "She wishes us luck," he told his team mates, placing the box on his desk and began going through it. He located the case file and handed it to his boss who had stopped in front of his desk.

Kate grabbed the file and opened it, her eyes scanning the information and notes the detectives had taken. She began walking back towards the murder board with the file in hand.


08:18

Kate had done a quick read through of the file and a few minutes ago had been adding the cold case information to the murder board. She took a step back and looked at the information added, capping the lid of the white board marker.

She turned around, looking at the two male detectives that were reading through witness statements and autopsy reports. She had the information in her head but needed to hear it out loud.

"Okay, so this is what we know," the brunette detective began, gaining the attention of her co-workers. "Eva Rosette, 28. Lives in Little Italy and works as a first grade teacher but also helps with the family restaurant a few nights a week and some weekends. She hasn't dated anyone in a year but is loved by everyone. She went missing on the 9th of October and her body was found on the 12th," she shared. "3 days, it took for her to starve to death, which was C.O.D. according to the autopsy report. The killer then removed the heart from their victim's chest."

"That's messed up," Javier commented. "Letting someone starve to death then taking their heart," he added. "Why take their heart?" he questioned.

A moment of silence passed before his partner spoke up.

"Black market?" Kevin suggested. "They could get at least a hundred thousand for a human heart," he told them. "Two killings equal two hearts, that's a lot of money."

Kate turned her eyes back onto the murder board. She studied the photographs of the girls.

"I don't buy it. Look at the way the bodies are presented," she told them, pointing to the photos of the two victim's on the murder board. "Both women are in white summer dresses, their hair brushed and eyes closed. The killer had a personal connection with both victims," she divulged. "The killer has a type. Both women are in their late twenties and Latin race. One from Little Italy and the other from East Broadway ... those two locations are pretty close."

"Around a five minute drive from one to the other," the Hispanic detective piped up. "The killer could live between one of them?" he suggested.

The three were quiet for a moment.

"So we're dealing with a stalker killer?" Kevin pipped up, apprehensive. "Great."

Kate didn't like the facts anymore than her team mates. But it is a high possibility that they might have a serial killer on their hands soon.

"Detective Beckett?" a male uniformed officer called. "Sam Lewis is here and waiting in the break room."

She nods her head once at the young rookie officer. "Thank you," she answered before turning her attention on her boys. "I want you two to go through every little detail of Eva's life, revisit her family and friends, go over the report and statements again ... call if you find anything new." She ordered them.

Both male detectives nodded their heads.

Kate began walking towards break room.


Break room - 08:28

Kate turned her eyes on the man that was standing in the break room. He looked to be in his mid to late thirties. He had a haunted look to him with his white complexion, dark brown eyes and black hair. He was alright looking, she just preferred writers with blue eyes. He looked similar to the Ben Bass category. He was dressed casually in blue denims and a black tee shirt that stretched across his toned chest and a black leather jacket.

"Mr Lewis," Kate addressed the man as she walked toward him and took a seat. She had her notebook in her hands. "Take a seat please?" she directed him.

The older man remained standing, looking at the female detective uncertain. "The cop on the phone said they had information on Chloe, did they find her?" he asked, hesitantly. "Is she alive?" he asked, concerned.

Kate hated this part of the job. It had to be the worst part. "Your file says that you're her next of kin? Why is that?" she asked, gently.

Sam took a seat and ran his fingers through his short black hair. "She's my best friend," he told her. "We've known each other for nine years, I gave her a job when she was twenty and moved to New York ... my bar was just getting off the ground. She was a hard worker, so after six months I promoted her too bar manger. She runs the place when I'm out of town, on business or on holiday. She kept the place going when I was going through a tough time with my divorce five years ago," he divulged. "Please say that she is alright, I know the odds of missing attractive females but please tell me that she is alright?" he pleaded.

Kate kept her composure set and her face still. "Does Chloe have any family nearby? You said she moved to New York nine years ago?"

Sam knew the detective was keeping something from him, by not directly answering his question. He watched TV. "She never talks about her family, I've never met them. She's not close as far as I know. She did tell me that she is from Buffalo and that she is a disappointment to her parents," he informed the female detective. "Her parents must be idiots because she is far from it."

Kate was quiet for a moment as she studied the man sitting across from her. She could plainly see that he was in love with the victim and she was going to tear out his heart because the woman that he is in love with is dead.

"Mr Lewis, you were called in here because we found Chloe's body this morning in central park ..."

"NO," the black haired man shouted, shaking his head. "No, you cannot tell me that Chloe is dead," he shouted at the female detective, standing up. "You can't tell me ... I told them this would happen. I told them to look for her!" he answered upset, shouting at Kate.

Kate waited a moment before speaking up. "I know you're upset and I am sorry for your loss..."

She was cut off once again by the distressed man.

"No," he whispered, upset. He turned and looked at the female detective. "Do you know what it feels like to have someone you love taken away from you?" he questioned, angry and hurting. The pain was evident in his voice and etched across his face.

"Yes I do," she informed him, keeping her composure. "It feels like someone has reached into your chest and pulled your heart out. You find breathing hard and a part of you feels like it has died too ... it most likely has. There is a missing piece of your heart because you will never see that person again ... I know exactly how it feels, Mr Lewis." She told him, deadpanned, holding back her own emotions. She had to remain strong. She could break down when she was alone, later.

Sam looked at the female detective with empathy. He could tell that she wasn't lying. She had lost someone that she loved. A moment of silence passed before he spoke up.

"Did you catch the person?" he asked.

"Yes," she simply answered. "But that doesn't make me miss my mother any less," she confessed. "I will always miss her because she is not in my life anymore and because she will miss seeing my children growing up. But I have to believe that her spirit is watching over me, that's it's her strength that gets me through the day," she shared with the stranger. "I promise you that I will not rest until I find the person responsible for taking Chloe from your life."

Sam nodded his head, believing her.

Kate waited another minute before continuing. "Now there are some questions I have to ask you, are you up for them?" she inquired, gently.

Sam dropped back down into his seat and nodded. He still couldn't believe that Chloe was dead. He never got to tell her that he loved her.

Kate clicked down on her pen and opened the notebook. She lifted her gaze to the heartbroken man. "Do you know of anyone that would want to cause harm to Chloe?" she asked.

Sam shook his head. He didn't even have to think about the question. "She was loved by everyone at the bar, we're all like family." He answered melancholy.

Kate didn't remove her focus from the man. "What about admirers that overstepped boundaries? She wasn't seeing anyone?"

Once again Sam shook his head. "No ... she's been single for a while now. The bar and Lyric are her life," he told her.

"Lyric?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Sam nodded. "Her cat, he's been staying with me since she went missing. I have a key to her place and vice versa," he informed the detective.

Kate jotted it down. "When did you notice that she was missing?" she continued.

Sam clamped his eyes shut and laced his fingers together, dropping his head. "I sent her to pick a few things up at the grocery store down the road around ten pm ... it should have taken her 40 minutes tops." He began, raising his head and opening his eyes. "At eleven pm I called her and it went straight to voice mail, I was getting concerned. Chloe always called back or sent a message. She didn't like people to worry about her. So I got Tony to cover the bar and went looking for her. I asked Hal if he had seen her ..."

"Hal?" Kate questioned, curious.

Sam looked at the detective and nodded. "He owns the grocery store ... he said she hadn't showed up that night. I grew worried and called the cops, telling them that I think my friend is missing, that someone must have taken her." He proclaimed. "I mean she is beautiful and was wearing a tight blue top and short black skirt. They told me that she couldn't be classed as missing till after 24 hours. I told them she could be dead by then."

Kate knew how the missing person's system worked and sometimes it sucked that you had to wait a certain amount of time, but the time limit is there for a reason. They get hundreds of calls a day about missing persons, over half the time it's just pissed of partners or kids taking off for a few hours before returning home.

Kate pulled herself back emotionally. "I am sorry for your loss, Mr Lewis. I will do everything in my power to find the person responsible; they will not get away with this. I promise you that!"

He nodded.

A long minute of silence passed before he asked. "Can I see her ... to say goodbye?" he requested.

Kate gave him a soft smile and a nod of the head.


A/N – Picture Chloe Allan as Andy from Rookie Blue and Eva Rosette as Daniela Ruah from NCIS LA

Reviews are appreciated