Kate woke in the darkness and realizing that it was far too early to be awake, rolled over, expecting to find a sleeping Castle to snuggle into. Her heart sank when she found cool sheets instead. If she weren't naked and in his bed, she would have seriously wondered if last night was a dream. Heaven knows she'd had similar dreams on many occasions. She slipped out of the bed and covered herself with a white dress shirt she found hanging over the back of a chair. She peered into the living room, and finding no one there, continued her search until she found him at his desk.
"I didn't like finding your side of the bed cold" Kate said with a shy smile as she entered Castle's office.
"Couldn't sleep" was all he replied.
"How long have you been up?" she asked, concerned at the dark circles she found under his blue eyes.
"Awhile".
She wanted him to talk to her, to open up and share what he was feeling but she didn't want to push. If she was patient, he would tell her. But when he spoke again, it wasn't about his wakefulness.
"You look hot in my shirt" he said with a playful grin that reminded her of the way he used to flirt with her, before he lost his daughter. The look seemed foreign on him now. She gave him a sexy smirk anyway.
"I like it" she said walking over to him. "It smells like you. Maybe I'll take it home with me".
"It's yours".
He scooted his chair back and she sat down on his lap. This, she decided was her new favorite way to sit. His chair was roomy enough for the both of them and she like being close to him, she liked this intimacy, she liked feeling his warmth around her. It was a reassurance that they were both still there. Now that she was closer, Kate noticed just how tired he really was.
"Did you get any sleep" she asked, smoothing the worried creases on his forehead with her thumb. His eyes closed at her soothing touch.
"A little. I woke up after an hour or so".
"Rick, you need to get some rest".
"I just can't get my mind to turn off" he replied, finally opening his eyes and looking into hers. "It doesn't help that every time I close my eyes, I see her. And him".
She waited silently for him to continue, sensing that he had more he needed to say.
"And I'm worried about you". He looked away, not sure what her reaction would be.
"About me? You don't need to be worried about me. I'm fine. Everything is gonna be ok" she tried to reassure him.
"He threatened you, Kate. He's trying to take everything from me and you're all I have left" he paused, considering something. "What if I hired a private security detail to follow you around until this is over?"
"It's very sweet of you to worry about me, Castle but I can take care of myself".
"Kate, you're the strongest person I've ever met. I know you can take care of yourself, but that doesn't mean that I'm not gonna try to take care of you".
His sincerity brought tears to her eyes and she continued her assurances that he didn't need to worry about her. "Listen to me," she put her hand under his chin and forced him to look into her eyes. "There are two patrolmen outside. We're safe here. I work in a police station. The only time I would ever be vulnerable is driving between here and there, and even then, I'm armed!"
"Yeah, I know, I just… I can't lose you. I couldn't survive it". It was his turn to tear up.
"I'm not going anywhere." She grinned at him tenderly. "Now will you please come back to bed?"
He let her lead him back into his bedroom. She smiled as he flopped face first onto the bed, reminding her that his inner child was still alive and kicking. She pulled the covers over him and crawled in by his side. Between her calming, even breaths and the circles she was rubbing on his back, sleep found him rather quickly.
Kate woke again to the buzzing of her phone on the nightstand. The day's first rays of sunlight were finding their way through the window as she read the text message from the Medical Examiner.
Have more info on case. You coming in or you wanna call me?
She looked over at Castle and was grateful that he still seemed to be sleeping soundly. She didn't want to leave him or the warm bed but she had work to do.
Be there in an hour.
She showered, changed, had a cup of coffee and was about to leave when she remembered the sleeping man in the next room. She didn't want to wake him, but she also didn't want him to wake up alone, not knowing where she went. A note seemed like the best option.
Castle,
Lanie told me she has more info on the case so I went to the precinct. I know you're tired and I didn't want to wake you. There is coffee brewed in the kitchen. I'll call you later.
She paused, considering leaving what she was about to say out, but deciding it couldn't hurt to show a little of her softer side, she wrote:
I'm happy about this. Us I mean. You make me happy.
KB
She snuck back into his room and placed the note on the pillow next to him before leaving for the precinct.
"Hope I didn't wake you up too early" Lanie said noticing her friend's exhaustion as she entered the morgue. "You look like you coulda used a little more beauty sleep".
"Yeah I didn't get much last night" Kate said distractedly. Lanie's eyebrow shot up and she realized her words may have revealed more than initially intended.
"Care to share?"
"You first. Tell me what you found."
"We ran tests on the animal hair I found on Alexis. It was a horse hair".
"A horse hair?" Kate asked, obviously puzzled by this strange piece of evidence.
"Mmhmm. It isn't necessarily from the killer though. You knew Alexis pretty well, is there any reason she would be around horses? Maybe Castle owns one or something" Lanie mused.
"No, I think he would hold out for a unicorn. Besides, the only time I've ever heard him talk about horses is when he told us about the time he stole a police horse and rode it around completely naked".
They laughed at the memory and both were thankful for a little light-hearted conversation in such a bleak situation.
"Speaking of naked Castle, you wanna tell me why you didn't get much sleep last night?" Lanie asked as her eyebrow crept back up into its previous skeptical position.
"We slept together again" she replied. "I told him that even though it was crappy timing, I'm tired of hiding and that I wanna be with him".
"Well, look at you! Using your words like a big girl".
"Ha ha, Lanie" she said sardonically. "You know how hard it is for me to talk about what I'm feeling".
"That I do, girl. I'm proud of you. So what did he say?"
A smile spread across Kate's face at remembering his words. "He asked me how, after three years, I still don't know what I mean to him".
Lanie's broad smile at this information even outshined Kate's.
"I don't know what it means or what we are, but I'm glad I told him. I feel good about this" Beckett said thoughtfully.
"Well, I'm just glad you two finally pulled your heads outta your asses".
"Wow. Thanks, Lanie. What a sweet thing to say" she chuckled. "As much as I'd like to stay here and receive more criticism, I need to get back to work".
After leaving a grinning Lanie in the morgue, Kate made her way up to the bullpen to update the murder board and was met by Esposito and Ryan.
"Hey boss. What'd Lanie have to say?" Esposito inquired.
"The animal hair she found on the body came from a horse. But based on her activities before the murder, I can't think of any reason that Alexis would have a horse hair on her".
"Must be from our doer. It fits with the murder weapon too!" Ryan chimed in excitedly. After seeing the confused looks on his colleague's faces he continued. "Horse trainers use smooth, braided rope, a lot like yacht line. She was strangled with a horse lead rope!"
"So our killer works with horses. That ought to narrow it down, there aren't many horses in Manhattan" Esposito theorized.
"Wait a minute… horses" Kate mumbled, deep in thought. She suddenly darted for the fan letters that were on still on her desk and rifled through them almost frantically. "I read a letter from one of those guys who drives a horse drawn carriage in the park. Here it is". She held it up and began reading aloud from the letter. "Dear Mr. Castle, my name is Simon. You may or may not remember me but I was the driver of the horse-drawn carriage you and your lovely girlfriend Gina rode in last month. I have been a fan of yours for many years and have kept tabs on your private life as well as your career. I am also very well acquainted with Ms. Gina Griffin's affairs. She and I met a few years ago, shortly after your divorce and though I was immediately smitten, she was immune to my charms. The purpose of this friendly note is to remind you, Mr. Castle, that you are a very lucky man and that now you have decided to reconcile with her, you have an obligation to eliminate all obstacles standing in the way of her happiness. I will be very disappointed if your foolishness breaks her heart yet again. Rest assured I will be keeping an eye on you. Best of luck with your upcoming novel".
"'I'll be keeping an eye on you'? Jesus, this guy sounds a little batty" Ryan remarked.
"This is kid stuff. You should read the other letters. There are lots of psychos who love Richard Castle. I wouldn't have even given this guy a second look if it weren't for that horse hair" Beckett replied.
"Is there a last name?"
"No, it just says Simon. There's no return address on the envelope either" Esposito added.
"It sounds to me like this Simon may have been stalking Gina. You two get in touch with her, see if she can give us a name. I'm gonna talk to Castle and find out if he knows about this guy".
As soon as the commands were out of her mouth, Ryan and Esposito were scurrying around searching for Gina's contact information and Beckett was out the door on her way to Castle's loft; all were anxious and fired up about the new lead, knowing that they might be one step closer to getting justice for Alexis and Castle.
A/N: My sincerest apologies for how long it has taken me to update. I really hope that you guys are still into this story even though this is the first new chapter in such a LONG time. Review and let me know if there is still interest in this story or if you have completely forgotten about it after this extended hiatus!