Summary: After a sixteen year-old girl is found murdered in the middle of Times Square during a group photo, it leads Castle to think on his relationships with the people he is closest to. Castle/Beckett.
AN: Tom Demming ... I ... you...no.
The part in italics is supposed to be from Naked Heat - if you haven't read Heat Wave then I'm not sure how to not spoil the book. It does spoil the last page (literally!) of Heat Wave but it's super important to the chapter and the upcoming one.
Innocent Brown Eyes
Chapter Nine
Alexis lead both her father and Beckett along a small, narrow alley that ran parallel to the restaurant, keeping herself as quiet as possible. She stepped around a few piles of trash, before reaching a small, square opening in the wall. Ducking down, she crawled on her hands and knees inside, waving for Castle and Beckett to follow her. Reaching up, she flicked a small switch, bathing the room in a dim light.
"What?" Beckett was first in the small room-like shelter, "Is this?"
"Where she brought me," Alexis nodded at a large black curtain that was draped across one wall, "That's what you want to take a look at, it's what's worried me."
"Whoa, this place is warm," Castle ignored the fact that his dress pants were covered in dirt, "Right?" He scooted towards where Alexis knelt, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
"I'm okay dad," Alexis whispered, jumping as Beckett's cellphone rang.
"Sorry," Beckett blushed, sitting back on her heels, answering it and putting it on speakerphone.
"Where are you?" Ryan's voice crackled over the speaker, "Esposito, Lanie and I have her."
"What's her name?" Castle asked.
"Millicent Reynolds," Esposito's voice also came on the speaker, "Says that the Tom Reynolds we're looking for is her cousin."
"Interesting," Beckett scooted towards the curtain that Alexis had pointed out, examining it quietly. "Is there any possible way Lanie can get back here?"
"Where's 'back here'?" Lanie's voice also came onto the speaker, "Where are you guys?"
"In Millicent's hide away," Castle replied, "where Alexis was taken."
"Oh, then I'm on it," Lanie's voce sounded further away, "I'm coming."
"I'll go find her," Alexis crawled on her hands and knees, hurrying from the shelter.
"Kate?" Castle looked up, sliding towards her, "Sorry about dinner."
"It's fine," Beckett laughed, "We can grab something later, I'll be fine for a while." She glanced awkwardly at Castle's hand as he laced his fingers with hers.
"Kate?" Castle looked her in the eye, "Thanks." He leaned forwards, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his lips against hers. Beckett wrapped her arms around Castle's neck, running her fingers through his hair, pressing herself against him, flicking her tongue against Castle's lips playfully.
"Right here?" Lanie's voice echoed outside and Beckett pulled back, her cheeks bright red, "Okay, you first, you're the younger of the two." Alexis crawled back into the shelter-like room, Lanie following her, both of them hiding their smirks at Castle and Beckett's closeness.
"Back here," Alexis moved towards the curtain, "This worries me." She tugged at it, pulling it down, causing Lanie, Beckett and Castle to gasp in surprise.
A large, typeface banner hung across the top of the space, spelling out 'Tom Reynold's Junk Shop' and under it hung a picture of a man they assumed to be Tom Reynolds. The rest of the wall was covered in slips of paper, Each paper looked a bit different, but they all contained the same words, "Elizabeth James".
"Elizabeth..."
"...James."
Castle and Beckett looked at each other, finishing each others sentences again.
"See?" Lanie smirked at them, "You two are adorable together."
"Lanie!" Beckett glared at them, before freezing, hearing a set of footsteps outside the shelter.
"Get over here," Castle hissed, pulling both Beckett and Alexis towards him as Lanie glanced towards the entrance, before tossing the curtain over the wall and moving towards the group.
"Here," Lanie pushed a gun into Beckett's hands, "You're the best with them, you protect us."
"No," Castle hissed, taking the gun from Beckett and setting it behind his lap, breathing a sigh as the footsteps moved past the shelter and faded away.
"That was close," Alexis breathed, spotting Beckett reach for Castle's hand and squeeze it tightly, and she contained a squeal.
"I know," Beckett leaned her head against Castle's shoulder, keeping her hand in his.
"So are you two together or not?" Lanie nodded at their clasped hands, "I just want to know."
"No," Castle leaned against the wall, "But let's get back, Ryan and Esposito probably have no clue where we went."
"Not really," Beckett crawled out of the shelter first, her and Alexis heading towards the front of the restaurant, walking step for step.
"Seriously Castle," Lanie waited for him, "You like Kate, just ask her out. I won't do anything unless you break her heart, then that's when you worry."
"Lanie, don't give me the best friend warning right now," Castle glanced down at Beckett's gun, which he still held in his hand, "I have a gun."
"My best friend's gun, I'll remind you," Lanie grinned, "I don't know if Beckett would be too pleased with you if you hurt me."
"I know," Castle lead the way along the alleyway, "I wouldn't be worried either."
"So, you were alone with Beckett in there," Lanie began, "You kiss her by any chance?"
"I'm not going to tell you that," Castle insisted, stepping out of the alleyway and making a beeline for his car.
"Hey Castle," Beckett waved them over to her car, "You and Alexis are getting a ride with me, Ryan got the owners to let you keep your car for the night. It's supposed to rain tonight, hopefully the paint will have washed off by morning." She unlocked her car, clearing out a space in the back for Alexis, "C'mon you two, I can give you both a ride home."
"Thanks!" Alexis climbed into the backseat, taking a blanket that Beckett offered her and covering herself with it, falling asleep almost immediately.
"She must be exhausted," Lanie leaned in the window to look at Alexis, "All she was expecting was dinner and time to chill."
"Yeah," Beckett started up the car, waiting for Castle to climb into the passenger seat, "None of us really expected it."
"Lanie!" Esposito honked the horn of the other car, "Let's go, we've gotta get back to the station, document this and sleep!"
"Fine," Lanie waved at them to show that she had heard, "See you guys later, bye." She hurried towards the other car, getting into the backseat, before they went off.
"Are they together?" Castle watched the car pull out, leaning back in the seat.
"Who?" Beckett started up the engine of the car, easing it out of the parking lot.
"Lanie and Esposito," Castle reached over, grabbing a piece of gum from the console, "they look like it."
"I'm not sure," Beckett admitted, "They do work well together but Lanie hasn't said anything."
"Maybe like they keep teasing us about?" Castle looked at the buildings as they drove along. "Trying to turn the tables on us?"
"Possibly," Beckett shrugged, "It really would but Lanie and I aren't completely alike, that is if you're comparing them to us. I mean, she and I are similar but when's the last time you heard me call someone 'girl'?" She glanced over at Castle, "And you don't act like Esposito all that much."
"Really?" Castle laughed, "You think Esposito and I aren't alike at all? Thank goodness, but he might get offended by that one."
"So would Ryan," Beckett gave a nod to the duo's partnership, "You're the oddball out of all of us – you're the only one who's not a detective, could live alone forever -"
"Excuse me?" Castle looked over at her, pretending to be offended, "I certainly could not live alone forever. I mean really Beckett; I've been married twice, live with my mother and spend way too much time with you detectives."
"And that's a bad thing?" Beckett poked Castle in the arm, "You're the one who got another top best-seller within a few days of publishing because of us. Or should I be really self-centered and say because of me?" She laughed, "Why in the world would we all be getting on your bad side after a best-seller?"
"You're not on my bad side, none of you are – except maybe Lanie but I'm not sure why." Castle smiled faintly, "And when I say you, I mean especially not you Beckett."
"Good because I don't think that Montgomery wants to loose you anytime soon." Beckett pulled into an empty parking space in the parking garage below Castle's apartment, "Do you want to wake Alexis up or should I?"
"Do you mind doing it?" Castle asked, "She hates me for it, maybe you won't be so bad."
"No problem," Beckett hid her laughter and shut off the engine, hopping out of the car and going around the other side to Alexis' door. Opening it, she leaned in, gently shaking Alexis' shoulder, "Hey, Alexis, time to wake up."
"Mmhuh?" Alexis looked up, blinking rapidly, "Oh hey Beckett." She rubbed her eyes, "Where are we? Are we at home or somewhere else?"
"You're home," Beckett replied, taking the blanket and folding it a few times before tossing it up front, "You dad says you need to still go to school tomorrow, I'd recommend bed soon then."
"Oh-kay," Alexis yawned loudly, slipping from the car and following her father upstairs, walking besides Beckett the whole time.
"Come here," Castle put his arm around Alexis' shoulders, hugging her, "I'm glad that you're safe now, and that we got a few more details on the case." He glanced at Beckett as her phone rang.
"Hang on," Beckett pulled out her phone, "Beckett."
"Hey," Ryan's voice crackled over the speaker, "Turns out that the Tom Reynolds guy has an alibi, he was on a plane from Texas the night Elizabeth was murdered. Apparently he's got a girlfriend in Dallas, lists her number a load of times in the cousin's phone too."
"Really?" Beckett leaned against the wall of the elevator, "Keep his cousin in holding though, let's get proof that he was actually on that flights."
"All right then, we'll keep you guys on alert if anything comes up. See you tomorrow Beckett,' he paused, "And tell the same to Castle as well." Ryan hung up, leaving Beckett silent and slightly embarrassed, before she shifted her gaze to the floor.
"You okay?" Castle asked as the elevator dinged, the doors sliding open, letting Alexis dart out. He reached over, putting an arm around Beckett's shoulders.
"Fine, fine," Beckett nodded, shrugging Castle's arm off her shoulder, heading towards the apartment.
"You got the keys dad?" Alexis looked up as Beckett stopped besides her, looking a lot like her father.
"Beckett does," Castle tossed them to her, allowing Beckett to unlock the apartment door and let them all inside. Alexis hugged Beckett first, then her father, wishing them each a goodnight before hurrying up to her room, letting the door click shut behind her.
Once it was quiet, Beckett sat on the couch, picking up a copy of the manuscript for Naked Heat, hearing Castle shuffling around in the kitchen. Leaning back in the couch cushions, she made herself comfortable before opening it to a random page.
- - -
"Listen Rook … Jameson," Heat was looking at him, her head cocked slightly to one side. She leaned against her kitchen counters, watching him put on his jacket. "What is this anyways?"
"What do you mean by 'this'?" Rook turned to look at her, his hands freezing as he stopped buttoning his coat.
"Us sleeping together, it's not helping anyone, there's nothing more than meaningless sex."
"It is?" Rook set down his shoulder bag, "What gives you that idea?"
"Oh, nothing," Heat went back to making her coffee, remaining silent, her eyes focused on the mug in front of her.
"What?" Rook was across the room in a minute, his arms around her waist, pressing himself into her back. "Did I say something?"
"Stupid, yes. As always." Heat pulled herself from his grasp, heading down the hallways towards her bedroom.
"That isn't what I meant." Rook followed her, ignoring the obvious sense that she wanted to be left alone. "Nikki, I'm sorry if I said anything but you know I didn't mean it."
"Really?" She looked over her shoulder at him for a split second, "Then why are you still following me?"
"Because," Rook hoped the deep breath he had just taken wasn't obvious, "I care about you."
"Rook...don't do this." Nikki Heat stopped outside her bedroom door, meeting his eyes directly.
"Why not?" Rook leaned forwards, kissing her lips gently, his arms slipping around her waist, "I do care about you Nikki, more than anything." He pressed her against the closed bedroom door, deepening the kiss, "You know that too."
"No, I don't think I do," Heat broke off their kiss, looking away from him, "I don't know if I ever did."
"You do now," Rook turned her chin towards him, looking into her eyes. "I love you Nikki Heat."
- - -
Beckett stopped reading, looking up to where Castle sat, looking at her curiously, and she nodded, setting down the manuscript, a smile on her lips.
"You think it works?" Castle asked, completely unaware of the butterflies that had taken flight in Beckett's stomach again, or of the scene she had just read. "I wasn't sure if the plot line worked with it ..."
"I love you too," Beckett whispered, fiddling with her mother's ring, not meeting Castle's eyes. She swallowed, hearing him go quiet, before she looked up, her eyes meeting his.
AN: Sorry, I know I'm cruel to end it there!
xx