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A/N: This one's for Serena, firstly, and then – anyone who wants to be a goat...

Also, I use the phrase 'dark skinned'. Because of the time period I think Rick has to notice that Lanie is black. This is not supposed to be a big deal and I hope it doesn't bother you. I don't think I even have to mention it as I'm sure you won't be offended but just in case...

"Beckett. I thought we were going to be, you know, walking the streets at night, catching bad guys," Castle complained as he read yet another journal entry from what had to be the most boring murder victim in history.

"Sorry Castle," Kate said a little smugly. "But there's a lot involved in detective work. It isn't just chasing and fighting."

"Yeah? Well if I'd known that before I might not have been so keen."

Kate grinned. They were sitting in her living room by the fire, close together so they could share the light of one gas lamp. It was well into Monday morning now. After winning the fight, Richard had insisted that he be allowed to start helping immediately, so Kate had grudgingly told him he could come home with her and help her work. She was enjoying herself more than she'd thought she would.

They read on; Kate was occupied with letters the victim had written to her mother.

"Wait!" Richard said suddenly, rereading the page he had just scanned.

"What?"

"She read my books."

Kate laughed. "Is that all? Seriously?"

"Hey, it's interesting. How was her body found?"

Kate frowned. "She had been strangled. She was left outside her back door."

Richard sighed.

"What? Were you hoping she would be naked and covered in rose petals? You're not that special, Castle," Kate said with a smile.

"Ooh, flowers for your grave. I like it. Is that your favourite?"

Kate winked. "You'll never know. Are you sure there's nothing in there, nothing about being followed or anyone strange in her life?"

Richard read over the last few pages.

"No. Nothing. She... Not to speak ill of the dead, but she wasn't the most interesting person. The most exciting thing in here is a detailed description of a banquet she went to a few nights ago – almost makes me hungry."

Kate's shoulders sagged a little; her posture often changed in relation to how well an investigation was going.

"She was very beautiful, though," Kate said. "Lots of men were interested in her. In her letters to her mother it seems as though she was fighting men off."

"She isn't the only one," Richard said with a grin. Kate made a face at him.

"When was she at the banquet?"

"Monday. A week ago."

"Monday? But she died on Tuesday night! Where was the banquet?"

Richard looked back at the description.

"Tisdale House," he said. "Wait, I've heard of the Tisdales. They're rich, right?"

"And Lord Tisdale is dying..."

A few more readings of the journal entry, combined with checking more of the victim's, whose name was Louisa Jennings, letters, and they had decided that Jonathan Tisdale was a very likely suspect.

"Now what?" Richard asked excitedly.

"Now... I pay him a visit to see what he knows about Louisa."

"What about me?"

"Castle, getting into his house is all about stealth and agility. I can't have you getting in my way. And he might recognise you."

"You wear a mask don't you? I'll wear one too."

"Castle-"

"I'd be great. I can do steal-" he paused to pick up the bunch of papers he had knocked over as he jumped up in his enthusiasm and desperation to persuade her.

"I can do stealth," he said more calmly as she rocked around, clutching her side, thinking she might die of laughter.

"Fine," she said breathlessly. "You can come."

He was already wearing dark clothes so he didn't need to change. She told him firmly to wait in the living room while she got ready. He watched her leave with a wistful expression

"It's no good looking at her like that," said a voice from behind him. He jumped and turned around to see a dark skinned woman holding a tray with coffee on it. She was very pretty, he noticed. Her eyes were bright and teasing.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Lanie Parish. I'm Lady Beckett's servant."

"Call me Kate," Kate called from her room. "And you're only my servant when you'd be in trouble not to me. She's my friend, Castle."

Richard and Lanie both laughed.

"I'm Richard Castle," he said, holding out his hand. "It's pleasure to meet you."

"You too." She lowered her voice. "But I mean it about the looking. She's never going to make the first move. She just... doesn't. Something about protecting people. Or herself. If you want her that badly..."

"Is it that obvious?" Richard asked, slightly worried.

"No. I'm good at telling. And you thought you were alone. Would you like some coffee?"

He accepted gratefully and was soon having an interesting conversation with Lanie. She'd read his books and was particularly impressed with his knowledge of medicine.

"I'm studying it," she explained. "Lady- Kate, is helping me have classes. You're good. At the details."

"Thank you. And you study medicine? My daughter would be very impressed."

"You can tell her, then. Does she also want to study it?"

"She doesn't know. She's at an age where she wants to do everything. But she is interested in science."

"Good for her, then."

Kate appeared, dressed all in black and adorned with several weapons. She handed Richard a long knife.

"Put that in your belt," she told him. "But try not to use it. We don't fight to kill, just to catch. And it might not have been him."

"I'm sure it was," Richard said, but Kate knew he had understood her instructions.

After swigging her coffee and kissing Lanie on the cheek, Kate showed Richard how to get out of the apartment onto the roofs of the neighbouring buildings. He followed her, fascinated as she moved like a cat over the sloped roofing tiles. She was utterly silent and worryingly quick. He kept up with her but with very little grace, scrambling around chimney pots and almost falling several times. She slowed down to make his life a bit easier, her eyes reflecting the moonlight as she looked back at him.

"You can get around most of London without ever touching the ground," she whispered to him as she showed him different landmarks which would help him to know where they were. The old houses especially were built so close together that you could even jump across streets without much trouble. As they proceeded into a more affluent area they had to climb down and use the roads. The streets were lit with lamps, too, but Kate knew ways to avoid the light. She made Richard think of vampires, or a shadowy spirit haunting criminals. He did his best to copy her and not make a nuisance of himself. This was amazing.

The experience itself was enough, but the writer in him was ecstatic at the thought of writing a character like this. There were so many possibilities; there was so much she could do. Adventures, fights, mystery... He grinned widely, and even more so when they reached Tisdale house.

"How will you find his room?" Richard asked.

"I know where it is. I've been here before."

"When?"

"A few months ago. The Tisdales often have parties; I was invited as Sara."

"And you remember where Jonathan's room is from that?"

"I have a good memory," Kate said with a smile. She pointed up to a window.

"It's that one," she said, completely sure of herself. It was on the first floor. The house was surrounded by a high, iron fence.

"They have dogs," Kate warned him. She pulled out a few pieces of dried meat from her pocket and whistled quietly until two dogs came running up to her. She fed them the meat through the fence and within moments they were both asleep. She winked at Richard, then vaulted on top of the fence in one fluid movement. He hauled himself up there after a few tries and they both landed lightly on the other side.

Kate hopped up onto the ground floor windowsill; the design of the window meant she could use the decorative outer frame to pull herself up to the level of the first floor. Richard managed to do this as well and they slipped through Jonathan's open window. Kate crept through the room and locked his door from the inside, then went up to his bed. There was a woman in it with him, which did not surprise her much. She put her hand over the woman's mouth and shook her awake. Glaring at her until she stopped struggling, Kate handed the woman a robe from the floor and sent her to one side of the room. She gestured to Rick to keep an eye on her.

Then she moved on to Jonathan. He was enjoying the peaceful sleep of a cold blooded killer. The more she looked at him the more she was sure he was a killer. She shook him awake in the same way as she had the girl. He stared at her, terrified.

"It wasn't me," he muttered instantly, as soon as she took her hand away.

"What wasn't?" Kate whispered.

"The girl. That's why you're here. And it wasn't me."

Richard made a face. "Seriously? He confessed already? You didn't even have to persuade him a little bit!"

"Shut up. It's accompany and observe, not participate and annoy. But, yeah, sorry Tisdale. If it wasn't you, how did you know why I'm here?"

"I..."

The guilt was written all over his face. Kate handed him some breeches to put on-

-which was when he made a run for the door. She sighed, waved the key at him, then wrestled him to the floor. He pulled on the breeches and glared at her. The girl was still shaking in the corner beside Richard.

"What's your name?" he whispered to her.

"Amy," she muttered. "I'm.. I'm his sister's maid. What do I... what's going to happen to me?"

Kate appeared behind Richard, holding the cord that was now binding Jonathan's wrists in one hand.

"You'll be fine, Amy. This is the key to the room. Leave it until morning, then tell everyone that Lady Beckett came and took Jonathan away for the murder of Louisa Jennings."

Amy began to cry as she looked up at Jonathan.

"I hope he hangs," she said to Kate. Kate looked Jonathan up and down.

"Me too," she said. Louisa had been so young...

They discovered on the way to the gaol exactly why Jonathan had killed Louisa. He had wanted her for her money and she had discovered this and refused any more of his advances. He said he hadn't meant to kill her, that he had just been holding her and trying to get her to stop talking... They all said that. The officers at the gaol were extremely happy to have their case solved. Louisa had been a high profile victim. Richard hung back while they thanked Kate, then followed her back to Montgomery's.

"You know, you can go home now," she told him. It was almost morning.

He grinned at her. "That was amazing. The way you climbed the roofs, the way you tackled him... Just, amazing."

"Thank you. I'm just glad we caught him."

"Me too but... Wow," he breathed, looking her up and down again as if wondering how so much skill and power could fit into a body so streamlined and beautiful.

"I want a bath," Kate said. "And you're not joining me. So go home."

"Will you come over for dinner later?"

Kate sighed. "Yes. If you leave now."

Richard hurried away, blissfully happy. She was the most brilliant woman in the world. He got home and washed quickly, then collapsed into bed, suddenly realising how tired he was. He dreamed about being tackled by a shadowy vampire who could fly over the streets of London.

A/N: So, thanks for reading, I hope you liked it, please review! Love you all xxx