Chapter Ten has arrived ladies and gentlemen and not a moment to soon. It is (finally) Castle Monday again and what better way to celebrate than to read and write Castle fanfiction? We all know that Castle and Beckett will be fine in the end but this is still going to be a tear-jerking episode so go find a loved one - or a pillow - and crush it to death with your emotion while you read, short fluffy chapters like this.

Next up is going to be LittleLizzieZentara so give her a round of applause - and maybe some reviews as well.

And as always, you can follow me on twitter at vatrask

Enjoy 3

They stood there at the steps of the Metropolitan Museum while the world rushed past behind them, staring up at the poster lining the front of the building, the main attraction:

The Mayan Mummy Returns! This Week Only.

Castle and Beckett slowly looked at each other with matching expressions of disbelief. "It has to be a coincidence" she reasoned but the raised eyebrow and pointed look from her partner told her that she wasn't fooling anyone. Whoever this killer was, there was no doubt that they were targeting Castle and Beckett.

Taking a deep breath, they took a simultaneous step forward, up the steps and through the revolving door of the museum they had been through before. The first place to look was definitely the mummy exhibit so Kate strode to the left, heading through the small clumps of businessmen avoiding work and school fieldtrips, only to be stopped by Castle just feet from the archway entrance. "Wasn't the mummy case right after we worked the case with Maddie?" She furrowed her brow, her eyes darting through old case files in her mind before she stared up at him with eyes that were desperately trying to stay focused on her job.

"Okay, so they're going in chronological order, taking some of the cases we've worked together." She took a breath, letting the words completely sink in before a pounding fear took over her heart "how do they know all of this about us?"

Although her voice had been calm if only a little shaky, Castle heard the concern and fear behind it and he wracked his brain trying to find a comfortable explanation. "Maybe it's just an obsessed fan. We've had those before. And since I started writing the Nikki Heat series we've both been in the media a bit more. Maybe they're just following the cases that way."

Beckett collapsed against the wall with Castle standing right in front of her. She leaned her head back hoping the change in scenery would help. It didn't. "But not all of the cases have been public. And the details that they know. It's like they've been watching us from the beginning." When her partner didn't respond right away, she look down to find him biting back an answer that she was already dreading. "What is it?" He winced "Castle if you've got a theory you have to share it."

He took a shallow breath "maybe…we should look into the possibility that…these two women are part of the NYPD." Of course it had crossed her mind that they could be cops but she still shook her head.

"It doesn't sit right. This doesn't seem like something the police would do. Besides, no one has recognized the girls. There's no record of them anywhere." Her voice grew quiet as she sunk further into the wall "it's like they don't exist."

Without thinking, Castle moved closer to his partner, his hands on her shoulders, rubbing her arms comfortingly. "We'll figure it out okay? We always do." She looked up at his words and smiled , registering a moment too late just how close they were now and how nice it felt to be in his arms – if only for a moment. And he was looking back at her with the small, crinkled smile and those eyes that were staring through her soul and into her gut, settling low in her stomach and making her swallow back the urge to throw her arms around him and kiss him. It came and went over the years but lately, especially with this case and reliving the past, the urge was growing stronger. She had to say something to him, something that would break the ice or get him to kiss her or just something. She opened her mouth but jumped when another voice entered the silent conversation.

"Oh there you two are, you're a little late but that's alright, there's plenty of time before the museum closes."

The pair turned towards the mummy exhibit to find a familiar face in the doorway. "Penny?" They echoed.

"In the flesh." The redhead smiled sweetly, presenting herself with a little flick of the wrist. "But now I have to get going. I really just came to make sure you guys got here alright."

Beckett ran straight into cop-mode, by-passing the crazy coincidence that Penny was not long after their case at the museum. "Were you approached by two women telling you to come here?"

"Of course not." She laughed "I had a dream last night - a vision – and in it, we were all here so I thought I'd come and make sure I was right. Which I was."

She hated to do it but Beckett kept going with the notion of Penny's visions "can you tell us anything else?"

Penny scrutinized the detective before nodding and leaning forward ever so slightly, an intense calmness in her eyes "all I can tell you is that the answers you're looking for are in your collective past – something you have together."

Instantly the detective and her writer blushed, thinking of a moment in January when they had shared something more than a love of crime-solving. By the time they had recovered, Penny was smirking and walking down the hallway, out of the museum.

Beckett called to her as she was turning the corner and the psychic turned expectantly, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes "do you remember that other vision you had about me? Back when we" were working your mom's murder, she winced "when we first met?"

Penny's eyes turned sad but her smile was the same "yes."

"You-you were right." Their eyes met and an understanding was reached.

"I know."

Beckett opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to process their entire encounter with Penny but only pieces of it were making sense. When she turned back to Castle he was watching her with a bewildered look on his face and she realized that he had no idea what had just happened between her and the psychic. Instead of answering she smirked and brushed past him, feeling slightly more confident.

"Come on Castle, let's catch a killer."