A/N: I'm so sorry for the late chapter!
Chapter Ten
"And why not?" he asks, tightening his hold on her waist.
"Because-" she starts, closing her eyes when he lowers his lips to the column of her throat, his stubble scratching against her skin, making her lose her thoughts for a second. "Because we are going to be late."
"So?" he retorts, undeterred as he unbuttons the few fastened buttons on the dress shirt that she decided was hers for the night. He sprawls his palm against her stomach, "Let's be late."
"We can't," she says resolutely, but then buries her fingers in his hair, tugging him even closer, which causes him to smile against her.
"C'mon," he coaxes playfully, "We don't have an open case yet, what's the harm in-"
Her phone vibrates on the night stand and he closes his eyes tightly in annoyance.
She sighs under him, "You were saying…" She pats his arm and he drops back next to her, arm covering his eyes as she reaches for her phone.
"Beckett," she clips.
He drops his arm to his side and glances at her, staring down at her unbuttoned shirt and her skin, so inviting.
"Where?" she asks, while giving him a pointed look and starts buttoning her shirt.
He narrows his eyes at her.
"Okay, I'll be right there."
She hangs up the phone and drops it next to her. She looks at him, leaning up on his elbows, disheveled hair and bare chest, his eyes reflecting the morning light just staring back at her. Her heart feels like it might just overspill from love. I can get used to this…
"We have to go, don't we?" he asks quietly, relishing in the love he can see in her eyes.
"Yeah," she says, her tone as disappointed as his.
She parks her car as close to the crime scene as she can, watching the group of people that are collected around the yellow tape of the scene, and then nods to one of the uniforms as she ducks under the tape. She walks towards where Lanie is hunched over a body of a young woman with red hair. She nods at Espo who is talking to someone, maybe whoever reported the body. "Hey Lanie."
"Hey," she replies distractedly as she collects a sample from the victim.
Ryan joins her and starts giving her a summary of the situation. "We have what appears to be a teenage female with a clean cut through her throat. No identification or personal belongings found on her."
"Hey guys," Castle greets as he walks over to join them as well.
Kate gives him a quick glance and nods to him, watching the frown on his face as he takes a look at the victim. The red hair must have thrown him off.
"Hey," greets Ryan. "The slit throat seems to be too severe for it to be just a mugging gone wrong."
"Depends on what was mugged. She isn't wearing any jewelry, not even a watch…" adds Castle.
"These clothes are designer; she may have been wealthy." Lanie looks up at them.
"Any signs of sexual assault?" asks Kate, crouching next to Lanie to take a look at the wound along the victim's throat.
"Not that I can tell, I'll know more later."
Kate nods at her friend.
"Time of death?" asks Castle.
"Somewhere after midnight, will get back to you with a more specific time, however, it seems our killer left us a clue."
"What kind of clue?" asks Kate, before the M.E. hands her a plastic bag with a small piece of paper with a hand written note [Time of Death: 3:20 AM].
"Huh." She then hands the note to Castle.
"Yeah, I'll confirm that for you."
"Okay, thank you. Anything else?"
"That is it for now."
Kate stands and walks with Castle towards Espo.
"Hey Kate," calls Lanie, and adds when her friend turns, "Lunch today?"
Kate smiles, already knowing what's to come, "Okay, I'll text you."
Castle snickers from next to her and says in a sing song voice, "Someone's in trouble."
"Shut up."
Espo walks to the murder board and hangs a photo of their victim, "So our victim is Jennifer Martins, 17 years old, goes to Rudolf Steiner High School. Her parents filed a missing persons report early this morning."
"Cameras in the park?" Kate asks.
"No cameras in that area but Ryan is reviewing the ones closest to that area and the ones at the park's entrances."
Kate nods. "Okay, Castle and I will go see the parents. You guys talk to the school, see if they can be helpful."
"You got it." Espo nods and goes to find Ryan.
Kate heads to the break room where she finds Castle talking on the phone.
"No pumpkin, just wanted to say hi, that's all," he says into the phone.
She watches him from the door, smiling at his need to assure himself that Alexis is fine.
"Dinner tonight?" he asks, but turns around to look at Kate, "Love you too."
When he turns around, he finds Kate smiling softly at him. "Just wanted to check on her," he says sheepishly as he vaguely points towards the murder board.
"I know, Castle." She walks towards him and stands close enough without drawing attention to them. Looking at him, she smiles assuring. "You're a good dad, Rick. Alexis is fine."
He nods at her.
"Now, let's go get some answers."
"Ready to go?" Kate asks as she walks through the double doors of the morgue.
"Yeah, but since you're here, let me show you something before we head out."
Kate walks towards the victim's body on the autopsy table.
"So, I was able to estimate the time of death between 2 and 4 AM, so the note may be accurate, can't be sure." She removes the clothes covering the body and points to the inside of the victim's left elbow. "I also found a needle puncture mark so I ran a tox screen, the victim had Ketamine in her blood within the time of death."
"Isn't that a rape drug?"
"Yeah, but it can also be used to knock someone out or as an anesthetic. I guess that's its purpose here since there are no signs of sexual assault on the victim."
Kate frowns, "The killer didn't want her to suffer."
Lanie shrugs and covers the body, then takes off her gloves. "I'll get my jacket and we can go."
Kate nods as she texts the update to Espo and Ryan.
"So where is Writer boy?" Lanie finally asks after some idle chatting with her friend.
"Around," Kate supplies as she plays with her food.
Lanie smirks, "Are we really going to do this?"
"What?" she looks up at Lanie, challenging. Nobody said she had to make this easy for her friend.
Lanie just stares at her and then she sighs, "So I always have to ask, huh? You can't just tell me."
"Where's the fun in that?" Kate smirks, because honestly she didn't want to hide this from Lanie, in fact, she was pretty sure she was dying to spill it all to her friend, but everybody has to play their roles. She is the collected one and Lanie likes prying the information from her.
Lanie chuckles. "I'm on to you, Kate Beckett." She points at her friend with her fork, "You and writer boy finally got your heads out of your asses?"
Kate glares at her, "I wouldn't put it like that but yes we, umm, worked things out."
"That better mean you jumped his bones," Lanie warns.
Kate laughs and shakes her head at her friend and then adds, "I might have…"
"Finally! You two took your sweet time." Lanie smiles wide at her friend, "So, worth the wait?"
It was Kate's turn to smile at her friend.
"Good of you to grace us with your presence, Castle," Espo teases as he spots Castle walking towards them.
"So I guess I should get rid of these sandwiches?" Castle asks as he lifts the bag in front of Espo.
Espo looks between Kate and Castle as he smiles and snatches the bag from Castle. "I take it back. Thanks man!" He then walks away.
Kate chuckles at that and leans on her desk to look at the murder board.
He copies her. "Missed you," he whispers so that only she can hear him. He turns to see the blush and smiles because he loves that little things like this affect her.
"How was your meeting? Gina happy?" she asks.
He chuckles, "Gina's never happy."
She smiles.
"But yes, she is not yelling at me. How was your lunch with Lanie? Confess all your sins yet?"
She smirks and lifts an eyebrow at him, "Every single one."
He grimaces, "Just tell me, will I be able to have eye contact with her ever again?"
She tilts her head to the side in consideration, "Umm, maybe not for a while."
He sighs, and then he nods at the board, "Ketamine?"
"Yeah, Lanie says she was drugged but there are no signs of sexual assault."
"He didn't want her to feel pain," he states and she nods. His eyes look over the information on the board, "So he sedates the victim, slits her throat, leaves a time of death for us like he wants to help us and then sets up the body as if she is lying in a coffin at peace."
Kate just looks at him, knowing he is about to say either something insightful or something completely ridiculous.
"Feels like he is trying to tell us a story." He turns to her, "Like he is recreating a story?"
She quirks an eyebrow, "You think this happened to someone the killer cared about?"
"Or a version of it." He speculates, "Worth checking out, no?"
She nods. God she loves his mind; loves it when he sees things that none of them noticed. It is such a turn on, it always was, except now she can actually do something about it instead of deny it with everything she was. She leans in close, knowing that to everyone else they are just standing close, and without even looking at him she says, "I love it when you do that."
He smirks and quirks an eyebrow, "Do what, Detective?"
"You know what I meant." God, this is going to inflate his ego, she just knows!
"Tell me anyway."
Two can play at this. She is silent for a second but then turns to face him, sucks her bottom lip between her teeth and stares at him. She got him. "The way you see things no one else sees, your imagination, how your mind works…" her voice whispering, pupils dilated.
He swallows. Shit, she is playing with him and he loves it. "It turns you on, doesn't it?" he was never one to back down. He can see the little flush crawling up her neck and he pushes even more. "You know, Kate," he leans a little closer, his mouth now right at her ear, "My imagination is not limited to solving murders, want to see how imaginative I can be?"
She has to bite her lip at the clench of arousal she feels at his words. "Let's wrap this up so we can go home, Castle."
Then he is just grinning like the Cheshire cat.
They look up at the loft's door to find Alexis there holding a couple of shopping bags.
"Hey guys," she smiles at them.
"Hi Pumpkin," Castles leans up to return his daughter's hug.
"Hey Alexis," Kate says as she smiles at her.
"Sick of Paige yet?" asks Castle, lifting an eyebrow at her.
Alexis takes a seat on the chair opposite the couch, dropping her bags next to her. "I love her, but maybe seeing each other everyday is not a good idea. I need a break," she shrugs.
Kate smiles at that.
"So what are you guys doing?" Alexis says, leaning over to look at the folders spread in front of Kate on the floor, eyes widening as she recognizes the photos from her father's smart board. "Oh."
She stands, "Sorry Kate, I didn't mean to-"
"No, Alexis, its fine. Please don't go." She gives the girl a small smile.
The girl meets her eyes and Kate can see the hesitance there, "Are you sure, Kate? I mean, really its fine, I don't have to…" She is not sure how to finish her sentence so she leaves it hanging.
"Yes, I'm sure." She gives Alexis a pointed look as if to affirm her point, "Your dad was just showing me what he has so far on the case but this can wait." And she starts collecting the papers around her.
Alexis looks at her dad, not sure what for, but she just needs guidance on this. She understands he has to do this, that he feels responsible. She understands it intellectually, but seeing it now, them working on this case, makes her uneasy. She doesn't know how to maneuver this. "Okay," she says as she takes a seat on the chair again, still a little rigid. She looks between her dad and Kate and can't help but ask while staring at her clasped hands in her lap, "You-" she starts and looks up, seeing them both looking at her. "You guys are being carful, right?" she whispers.
Kate is completely unprepared for the look on Alexis' face and her heart clenches in guilt. She stares at the girl, completely at loss. What can she say really, nothing comforting will be true? I don't know how to do this! What do I do?
She is so relieved when Castle steps in. "Honey, you know that I wouldn't lie to you," he pauses to emphasize his point and glances over at Kate who looks like she is freaking out. "Yes, it is dangerous, but I promise we are being careful, slow and steady. This is just something that we have to do."
"I know, I understand," she replies in a resigned tone as if trying to convince herself. "I just don't want to see you get hurt." She looks at Kate who is now staring at the file in her hand and continues, "Either of you, Kate."
Kate meets her eyes again, this time Alexis' eyes are softer, offering her understanding that she knows she really doesn't deserve and she suddenly feels overwhelmed by how much she wants to not disappoint this girl.
The air is heavy with the silence that has fallen over them.
"Did you guys eat yet?" Alexis asks, eager to move on from the awkward moment.
"Umm, I actually was going to head home?" It ends up sounding more like a question than a statement, because she suddenly feels like she is imposing. I really don't know how to do this.
Castle looks at her questioningly; they planned to have dinner here.
"No, come on, at least stay for dinner?" Alexis asks.
Castle smiles at his daughter. Thank god for Alexis.
Alexis extends her olive branch even further, "You have to show me how you made that pasta. I had some of the leftovers, it was great." She smirks at Kate, "You don't want me starving all the way over at Colombia, do you?"
Kate smiles knowingly at Alexis, "No, I guess we can't have that." Those Castles. Kate stands, extending a hand to Alexis, pulling her off the couch. If Alexis is trying, she can too. "Let's go. Man, you guys are dramatic!"
"You have my mother to thank for that. God job, Alexis, she will be proud." Castle winks at his daughter, with a smile splitting his face at the interaction before him.
Kate smiles as they head for the kitchen. "Get anything good?" she says, nodding at the bags, trying to relax both herself and Alexis.
"Yeah, a few things for the dorm. Frames and such." She smiles, appreciating Kate's gesture.
"Excited to start?" she asks Alexis as she opens the refrigerator, collecting the ingredients.
"Yes. There is so much to do there; I honestly don't know where to begin."
Kate sighs, remembering her first year at Stanford. "That overwhelming feeling is the best though, no?"
"Absolutely. Terrifying excitement."
Kate laughs at that, happy to find that she can actually get along with Alexis very well, without all that heaviness between them.
A/N: Thank you all for your continuous support, it really makes my day. A big thank you for the kind adama-roslinlove for helping me with this!
TORONTOSUN: I hope you liked the Lanie interaction, sorry it was short though! Thank you for always reviewing.
Sissysi01: Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you like the story, can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter. I'm glad you liked the date, I'm glad that's how it came across ^_^
stfd51: I'm really glad your enjoying this! I hope you like this chapter as well
ceboy08: Thank you for the kind words and for always reviewing, I love hearing what you think.
FAN: Thank you for that! I'm very faltered, please let me know what you think of this chapter
Guest: lol I'll keep an M rated companion in mind, don't know if I'll dare though.
philliesfan1000: thank you I'm glad you liked it, I was always fascinated by that side of their story.
stars90: Thank you! I was excited about writing that part ^_^