Disclaimer: I do not own Castle (or Firefly)

A World Without Sin

Chapter 12: Precinct

It had rained sometime earlier in the night, and the tires of her car shushed against the pavement, a lulling sound, throwing mist into the air to catch and glow softly in the street lamps. Slowly her mind disengaged, calmed by the sounds of the near-empty streets. Images of the day flitted past in her mind's eye to be cataloged in her memory.

She was halfway back to her apartment when pieces of conversation from earlier in the day began clicking into place. Castle's 'Peace. I wonder if that's still the goal?' ringing in her ears.

There were leads she needed to check on immediately.

Sparing half a glance in her rear view mirror, she changed lanes, cutting off the person behind her as she flicked on her turn signal again to cut back through town toward the precinct. His number was dialed and ringing before she registered pulling the phone out of her pocket.

"Castle." She responded to his greeting. "I just remembered something. I'm headed back up to the precinct. Meet me there." Excitement tinged her voice.

"On my way." He answered, hanging the call up and tossing his phone back onto the counter.

Her next calls were equally brief to Ryan and Esposito, a simple, "I think I've got something."

Castle's comment from the beginning of the day and the lead she had almost started looking up before she was interrupted by the call to the warehouse finally catching up to her.

Street lights cast circles of yellow glow on the sidewalk outside the precinct as Kate sprinted up the steps, her jacket and purse thrown over her arm. Without stopping, she flashed her badge to the new night security man at the front desk. Anxiously she tapped her foot the entire way up the elevator ride, torn somewhere between the theories cascading around her brain about this case and the situation back at Castle's loft.

"Beckett?" Alexis asked as her father's phone hit the counter top.

"Yeah. She has a lead - wants me to come in." He replied excitedly, dumping the remainder of his ice cream into her bowl before spinning away from the counter toward his room for his shoes. "Ahh…?" he asked, skidding to a stop.

Alexis raised her eyebrow in question, a mocking smile graced her lips.

"Will you be okay?" he asked, concern radiating from his eyes.

Alexis laughed at his sudden anxiety. "Yes, I'll be okay. But, uhh, dad?"

He turned to face her.

"She's heading to the precinct?"

"Yeah?" Confusion on his face.

Did she really have to spell it out for him? "…In your shirt?"

Oh. OH… His face fell in dismay. "Uhhh…. Yeah?"

When Esposito and Ryan arrived, they found their boss leaned against her desk staring at the murder board, a predatory smile on her face as she double checked what she had written. The marker, uncapped was in her right hand, tapping lightly on the wood of her desk top. Dark bags still showed under her eyes, blending with the slightly smeared eyeliner and mascara that had been fresh that morning. Her hair, though slightly tousled still curled softly around her shoulders. If they had not walked out with her earlier in the evening, they'd have thought she'd never left.

Except for one thing. They stopped at the edge of the hall.

"Hey, isn't that…?" Ryan whispered to Esposito, his eyes wide.

"No way. No…" Esposito stopped. Then with a sly smirk on his face he pulled out his phone to snap a quick picture, texting it to the lovely medical examiner before turning to Ryan.

"Do you think she even knows…" Ryan whispered again.

"I don't know, man, you know how she gets when she finds a lead. It's like nothing else exists."

"Do you think we should mention it?"

"No way. Let's see how long it takes for her to realize."

"Twenty bucks says she won't realize until Castle shows up." Ryan challenged.

With a quick fist bump, they resumed walking. "Yo, Boss, what do you have for us?" Esposito asked as they approached, carefully keeping his eyes off of the long over-sized shirt she was wearing. Definitely not noticing how it hit her mid-thigh, or how the fingers of her left hand unconsciously played with the cuff of the sleeve.

She turns between them and the murder board. "Blue Sun is a pharmaceutical company." She begins, pointing to a line on the board. "With several contracts in the U.S., most of which are with small drug companies. They are however, in the process of negotiating a massive contract with…" She paused, eyes glittering.

"Department of Defense?" Ryan asks, reading the new information off the murder board.

"Exactly."

The elevator dinged. Kate looked up, a smile brightening her face. Ryan and Esposito glanced at each other before looking toward Castle. He strolled in, aiming for nonchalance, a tray of four coffees in one hand, and a bag in the other. His eyes met hers, and he couldn't help the eyebrow quirk as his eyes roamed her figure. She took in his expression and blushed, lowering her gaze to her hands.

Realization hit her and she looked up in panic, the blush raging across her cheeks. She gasped in several breaths, unable to find anything to say.

"Ahh." Castle began nervously. "Alexis gave me a shirt for you to borrow." He paused, holding the bag out to her. "Sorry I didn't think about it sooner. Mine just seemed like a logical choice at the time."

"Oh, umm… Thanks, Ri – Castle." She stumbled over the words, sending a glare at her detectives as she saw money exchange hands. Hurrying off to the bathroom, she left Castle standing between the two detectives who were studying him.

"What was that all about?" Ryan asked.

"Kate came to the loft after she left here. She looked… lost. Hadn't stopped by her place to change or anything. Her shirt…" Castle faded out. The boys looked momentarily confused, until they remembered the blood stains from earlier. "And Alexis was coming home, so she borrowed my shirt." He shrugged. "I thought she was heading straight home, so I didn't even think about it, but then she called me saying she was headed here."

The boys had started out looking skeptical, ready to disbelieve any excuses Castle threw out, but he sounded as tired as they felt, had been through as much as they had. Even his lack of filter, calling her Kate wasn't something they felt like pushing tonight. They had seen, though they had tried to give them some privacy, the way they invaded each others space after the shooting, so much more than the usual. So even though they still had their suspicions, they could tell Castle was asking them to leave it for now.

Kate took her time in the restroom to pull herself together and emerged several minutes later wearing Alexis' t-shirt. Her hair was pulled up in a loose ponytail and she had washed off most of her makeup. It made her look younger, but also let her exhaustion show through. As she approached, she could hear the boys getting Castle up to speed.

She crossed behind them, placing the folded shirt on her desk next to her computer in her personal space on the side away from Castle's chair. He flicked his eyes over to her, noting the gesture before bringing his full attention back to the scene before him.

"That's awesome!" he exclaimed.

The detectives stared at him in confusion.

"No, really! Think about it: a drug named "peace" given to the military Except..."

"It destroys a military from the inside out." Beckett continued his thought

"They either go comatose or berserk." Castle adds in.

"Hit enough bases at once and take down the entire military in one move." Beckett concludes, looking triumphant.

"I think it gets worse with lack of sleep." Ryan stage whispered to Esposito after watching the conversation ping-pong between their boss and her partner.

Kate heard him and cast him a friendly glare as she came to stand next to Castle. He leaned against her desk staring at the board, his eyes flicking rapidly over the information present. His hand brushed against a paper sticking off the wooden surface. Glancing down to nudge it back into place, he noticed it was an envelope – with his name on it in an elegant script.

"Ahh, Beckett?" he asked, holding the letter up for her to see, "Am I receiving mail here, now?"

"Oh." Her face fell. A careful mask of neutrality slipped into place. "I'd forgotten about that. I'm sorry. It was hectic here after the… after I got back." Her words stumbling out numbly, as if she were reliving the afternoon.

"Hey, it's not a problem. I just… what is it?"

"It's from Inara. She stopped by, asked me to get it to you… It just slipped my mind. I'm sorry."

The scene replayed itself in her mind:

After a grueling meeting with Internal Affairs, she'd slipped out of the conference room for a coffee break before heading into her next meeting. Inara was waiting, sitting regally in Castle's chair. A red silk dress shifted across her hips as she rose at Beckett's approach. Kate could feel her hackles raising.

"Detective Beckett." Inara extended her hand to the detective. "I was looking for Richard. Would you happen to know where he is?"

"Uhh, yes," Beckett narrowed her eyes at the woman, trying not to glare. The woman's appearance was impeccable. Kate, however, had barely had time to wash the blood off her hands before being hustled into the conference room. "He's at home. This morning was… difficult."

"Oh." A soft exhale. Kate hated her all the more for the compassion shining out of her eyes as she took in the detective's bedraggled appearance. "Could you… if it isn't too much hassle, could you give this to him."

She held out a square cream colored envelope, which Beckett took from her daintily.

"Of course. But… You were staying at his loft. Why couldn't you have given it to him this morning?" There wasn't venom in her voice. No, none at all.

"I…I'm sorry. It slipped my mind. But if you would rather, I could take it to him now…" She sounded hesitant, apologetic.

Beckett felt a sting of guilt, but was too drained to apologize. "No. It's fine." She slipped it onto the edge of her desk, and met the woman's eyes again.

"Thank you." The Ambassador smiled, a slight dimple appearing, and Beckett felt her gaze softening in return.

"It's tickets for a gala that I'm attending with work. I was hoping Richard and Alexis would be able to make it. I haven't seen her in too long." She elaborated.

Kate felt her eyes narrow again as her mouth tightened. "Oh. Right. If you don't mind, I need to get back to work." She stated, stepping around the woman, coffee in hand, and headed back toward the conference room - leaving the ambassador to make her exit as she willed.

Castle read through the invitation. Read through it again. Swearing under his breath he stood, bringing Beckett out of her reverie. The envelope, torn open, he dropped back onto her desk, the contents of it he slapped down on top of it with a huff before pushing himself away from the desk and walking a short ways down the hall. Beckett watched him bring his phone out of his pocket, pressing harshly at the screen.

"What the hell, Inara?" he huffed into the phone, his face dark after he heard the sleepy 'hello' on the other end. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Rick?"

He stepped into the break room, but left the door open. The detectives watched in confused fascination.

"I don't know what game you're playing Inara, but it stops here!"

"I..? What?" she asked, sleep hazing her voice.

"The invitation, Inara? I trusted you, and you go and involve my daughter? My daughter! How dare you." He was shaking. His hands trembling.

The detectives edged their way closer to the door, exchanging confused glances with each other.

"Oh, Sugar… Rick… I'd never hurt Alexis. Truly." Her voice was concerned. "I just thought…I wanted to see my Mei-Mei again."

"Sugar? Really?" For some reason he felt compelled to address the pet name that had no place in the midst of an argument, and sounded odd coming from her when typically all she ever called him was Richard – not even Rick.

"And you invite her – us – to a gala with Blue Sun, Chinese government officials *and* several high-ranking United States government officials and military officials? Where they are undoubtedly going to use the new recreational drug that's all the rage in China? Are you trying to kill me? Because I can think of better ways to go, if you want me dead. And none of them involve my daughter." The anger rolled off of him.

Upon hearing his accusation, Beckett stepped back to her desk to retrieve the invitations. A Blue Sun logo graced the top of the cream colored cards. Ryan and Esposito peaked over her shoulder, eyes widening at the information. Turning on her heel, Beckett crossed to the murder board and attached it with a magnet before returning to the break room door.

"I just…. I hoped…" she stuttered

"That's! … You hoped? What? You hoped I'd figure it out in time? And if I hadn't? If Alexis was exposed? What then Inara? I trusted you. So I'm asking again, what aren't you telling me?"

"I'm telling you everything I can, Rick. Truly. And I'd never let anything happen to Alexis. If you feel uncomfortable with her attending, then I'd understand if you wanted to bring someone else instead, but I really do hope that you come."

"Did you get everything you needed from my apartment?" he asked, changing course, understanding dawning, but not dissipating the white-hot anger in the slightest.

"Yes, I retrieved my clothes. Thank you for not throwing them out."

Her reply contained a thread of hope. They both knew the chest in his loft contained more than the thin layer of clothes piled on top – mostly information stored on encrypted hard drives, but also a handgun, money, half a dozen burner phones and a few spare ids. If all she claimed was the clothing, then someone else was listening into this conversation. Someone she didn't trust.

"Good. I don't think I want Alexis knowing you spent the night this time." He replied coldly.

"I understand." Her voice sad, "I didn't mean to use you… I just… I don't want what happened..." A long pause filled with shaky breathing. "It was my fault. My bad judgment, and I can't let that happen again."

The factory, at Blue Sun. The massacre. "And yet you pulled my daughter into it." He accused, unable to find it in him to forgive her. "And you won't tell me *anything* that could help us."

"Sugar," She stressed the pet name, attempting to sooth, "I would if I could. I just… I'm sorry Rick. Please come."

"Don't." he started, sighed. "Okay, no. I'll... maybe."

With an angry huff he ended the call, glaring into empty space while he worked to calm his staccato breathing.

Except he wasn't calming. If anything, he was getting increasingly agitated. Two steps forward, three steps back, he paced the confined space like a caged tiger. His arms twitched as his hands clenched and unclenched.

Finally, Beckett stepped forward, rested a hand on the door frame, leaning just barely over the threshold. "Castle." She said softly. No reaction. She stepped into the room. He caught her movement out of the corner of his eye and jerked violently. It was a defensive movement. He looked ready to fight. But he barely registered her presence even as he faced her fully. His eyes glazed over as he glared into the middle space between them.

"Castle," she whispered again, stepping slowly toward him, as if moving toward a spooked animal. He twitched, his eyes tracking her, but not acknowledging her.

"Castle." Another step closed the distance, and she rested her hand on his chest, half expecting him to flinch away. Instead he blinked and shook his head.

"Kate," he breathed, an exhale. "Did you hear? I… oh." He closed his eyes, shaking his head again. "That's it, our break. The next target." He didn't know if he was making sense. "The invitation. Did you see?" His hands still flexing uselessly by his sides. "But she. I trusted her." Now he knew he wasn't making sense. But the situation made no sense. "She betrayed me. It's a trap. And she invited Alexis."

Kate brought her other hand up, rested her hands on his shoulders, running her thumbs across his collarbones, trying to sooth him as pieces of the overheard conversation began making sense.

"You think they are going to use the Pax at the gala she invited Alexis and you to?" She asked, horrified, but keeping her voice steady and neutral.

"It makes sense. It fits." He looked down at her, turmoil swirling in his eyes.

"Oh…" she didn't know what to add to that to take away the pain in his eyes, so instead she slid her hands down his chest, wrapping her arms around him, and leaned into him. She was squeezing too hard, she knew, could tell by the way his ribs pressed into her arms and dug into her forehead and cheekbone where she had her head pressed against his chest. She felt her breathing fighting to match the unsteadiness of his as the sound of his racing heart pounded against her ear.

He felt the vibrating hum of her murmuring against his chest, but couldn't make out the words.

After a long moment, his arms came up, crushing her to his chest. "I just want to protect her," he confessed into her hair. "She's my little girl." He clarified. She could feel his arms still shaking as he slowly slid down from his adrenaline high. "Who else will keep her safe if I don't?" His breathing hitched, and she squeezed her arms around him a fraction tighter, nuzzling her head against his chest. "Not her boyfriend." He added bitterly.

Kate looked up in confusion. "He was the one who…" she started.

"No." Castle sighed. "No, a girl slapped Alexis, but he was there and did nothing to stop it. And then when she saw us…" he stopped, a slight grin working its way through the worry. "Can you imagine if she came in a few minutes later. No, nevermind." He added before she could stiffen and pull away.

But instead she choked out a giggle. His hands on her back. On her bra clasp. A few minutes later. Yes, she could imagine. And Alexis. The visual of her shocked, horrified face floated up and she giggled again, blushing into his shirt.

"But all she sees is that you protected me, put yourself in danger, and…" he swallowed hard, and what he intended to come out of his mouth, something about Alexis and innocence fled away, and what comes out of his mouth instead surprises him. "You know I'd do anything for you, right?" he asked shyly, wistfully.

She drew a sharp inhale against the lump forming in her throat. "Yes, Castle." She tips her head back to meet his eyes, struggling to keep her voice steady. "I think you proved that today when you decided to take on a psychopath with only a little bit of scrap steel." She took a deep stuttering breath because there was more that needed to be said and she didn't know if she was brave enough to continue. "And I know. And you'd never intentionally hurt me." She parroted his words back to him. Was it only last night? A long pause let him know she had heard him, letting him hear the unspoken as well. "I know."