Genre: Crime, Drama, Family, Romance, Humor

Rating: M for violence, language and sexual situations

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: Definitely loved getting the feedback I did for the last chapter, so want to go directly to my thank yous for them! life's a mystery (Very happy to see you liked the last chapter. And not surprised that you were glad that Castle was able to save Beckett!), pcol22 (I was glad that you too enjoyed the last chapter, always glad to see that first off, as I've said before. And yeah, lol, wasn't surprised that you'd guessed it was Kent and stuck with it too, lol. I wasn't surprised to see that you were glad nothing happened to Julia since she was asleep, had a feeling readers would appreciate that! And so happy to see you want to read the next chapter, and now you can!), vetgirlmx (Not surprised to see you liked seeing Castle playing the hero as you put it. And yeah, before writing that, I'd thought of how on earth I was going to have him be able to find Beckett with Julia still there at the apartment, but luckily I thought of Jim, glad you liked that. And you'll see what'll happen in regards to any nightmares, but not surprised you mentioned their shrink, considering what happened in the last chapter. And I loved seeing you thought the way Castle reacted afterwards showed more character, 'cause yeah, not quite time yet for them to reveal their relationship. There was no way I could put Julia through that kind of drama, so had to let her sleep through it, so not surprised you were glad about that. No surprise either seeing you guessing Julia might pick up about her mom though, you have been able to notice that before, but you'll see how that'll go of course. Really happy to see you're so eager to see how Mother's Day will go, not surprised you mentioned it again since the case is over of course! And now you can read the next chapter!) and sammysgirl78 (I had a feeling you'd like the fact that Castle saved Beckett, lol, so not too taken aback to see that first off in your review. Nor am I that surprised that you too mentioned how Julia's going to be the next day with Beckett still weak. And not really that surprised to read your opinion of Kent, lol, means my writing him went very well. I'm hoping though that I can answer your question you had, not surprised you were wondering at that though. And I'm glad that you too are wanting to see how Mother's Day will go, really glad you and others want to read about it!). So thanks to all of you who sent me a review, I really loved reading what you all had to say and greatly appreciated the time taken for them all!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Spinning on an Axis by Paul and James McCartney, from Paul's album Driving Rain.

Rise Up Again

When she opened her eyes the next morning, Beckett was a little confused, not sure what time it was, or if she had slept alone that night since she didn't feel Castle near her. Turning over, she saw then that he was still there, but he'd moved to the other end of the bed, his legs out from under the comforter, the sheet tangled around him. Sitting up, she realized then he'd had a nightmare, and she felt a little guilty that she hadn't known, but had been so exhausted that she wasn't surprised he hadn't woken her up that time. She leaned over then, brushing aside the strands of hair that were on his forehead before she stroked his cheek gently, watching as his slightly tense body relaxed under her touch.

Blinking his eyes open, Castle looked up to see his fiancée smiling down at him, murmuring good morning with the sun shining through the windows behind her. He was a little confused, unsure if it was a dream or real, and he hurriedly sat up, grabbing her and holding her to him tightly.

"I'm okay," Beckett told him as she could feel the desperation in his grasp. She pressed her cheek against his and whispered, "It was just a nightmare."

"I know," was all that Castle would say, not letting her go.

"Bad?" Beckett asked him. She felt his nod, and sighed, having been hoping it wasn't. She pulled away a little and cupped his face in her hands saying, "You feel me right? Dreams can't really recreate that."

Bowing his head in response to rest his forehead against her shoulder, Castle knew she was right, but he still didn't want to let her go. When he lifted his head, he brought her closer to him and closed the last gap left in between them, kissing her gently.

A little taken aback at how tender that kiss was, Beckett held onto him as tightly as she could as his hold on her went from a way of reassuring himself to him wanting to feel her for far different reasons. But she could feel her arms start to shake and she cursed under her breath when he moved away. "I am okay," she said quickly.

"No, I realize that, but I forgot you're still going to be a little weak," Castle said. "And-" he started to say before he broke off suddenly when they could both hear the sound of bare feet running down the hall. "Someone's up," he said, pleased to see the smile on his fiancée's face. He kissed her gently before letting her go, grabbing Julia as she almost burst into the room.

"Are you up now?" Julia asked eagerly, her voice a little stronger, but still soft in its tone.

"Were you awake before this sweetie?" Beckett asked as Castle carried their daughter over to the bed.

"Yeah, but I didn't hear you talking, so I waited," Julia said as Castle set her down and she hurried across the bed to hug her mother. She frowned as she noticed her mother's hug wasn't as tight as it usually was and she pulled back asking worriedly, "Are you kay Mommy?"

"I was a little sick last night sweetie," Beckett replied, sharing a glance with Castle and seeing in his expression that he agreed they needed to tell Julia something.

"Oh, I remember Grandpapa was here, but I was asleep, was it a dream?" the little girl then asked.

"He was, he watched you for a little until your mom was better," Castle explained.

"Are you better?" Julia asked.

"I am, just a little weak, so now it's my turn to rest," Beckett said, stroking her hair.

"Kay, I hope you feel better fast," Julia said, snuggling against her mother as they hugged again.

"Me too," Castle said before he stood up. "I'll take care of breakfast… or brunch I think it's going to be," he said, looking at the clock on Beckett's nightstand.

Looking over, she wasn't too surprised to see that it was nearly eleven, and Beckett had to wonder how long Julia had been awake. She reached over and took Castle's hand before he left the bed, squeezing it tightly before he leaned down and kissed her palm before he kissed the top of their daughter's head to her smile before he left.

"Are you sure you're kay Mommy?" Julia asked then, watching her mother a little suspiciously.

"I am, I promise. Castle is just a little worried about me," Beckett said. "Kind of like how we're worried when you're sick."

"That's good," Julia said. When Beckett looked at her she smiled and said, "It means he loves you a lot."

"He does," Beckett had to agree, since the little girl was right.

"Would you be worried if he was sick?" Julia asked.

"I would," Beckett assured her. "Now, sweetie, we can't really do too much today, but we could still try and go on that walk."

"Can we?" Julia asked in excitement.

"And we'll go to the other windows on the other side of the floor okay?" Beckett said, since the windows closest to home would take them past the killer's apartment, and she didn't want her daughter to see any police tape likely still on the door.

"Kay, but can you go?" Julia said.

"I'll try, but I'm pretty sure Castle would help me if I need it," Beckett replied simply. She then let her daughter go and propped up her pillows behind her before leaning back against them. "Why don't you go tell him to bring breakfast in here so we can eat?"

"He said brunch, or he can carry you outside to eat," Julia said.

"Go," Beckett said with a smile; though she had to wonder why the little girl had said that since she had never seen Castle carrying her. "Tell him he can decide." Once Julia was gone she leaned back against the pillow, looking at the wall across the bed, but not really focusing on anything as she was thinking. She was still concerned about Castle, since she could tell that while he was reassured she was alright, something was still bothering him. She pretty much knew what that was, but decided to wait; hopefully for that night; to try and talk to him, to make sure it wasn't something that was going to be a problem between them.

Jerking slightly as her phone vibrated with a text right then, Beckett reached over to it and when she opened the screen, saw it was from Lanie. Instead of reading the text, she called her friend, hoping she wasn't busy with work at that moment. "Hey Lanie," she said when the doctor had answered.

"Oh good, girlfriend you know you scared the hell out of me," she said in reply to that. "Javi called me to let me know what had happened, and I tried to see you at the hospital, but got called away for a procedure."

"On the killer?" Beckett asked simply, not surprised Lanie hadn't said who it was.

"Yeah, nothing really to say though, he died from jumping out a window," Lanie replied plainly. "How are you though?"

"Okay, just a little… weak still, but I was told to expect that until later today," Beckett replied.

"Anyone there to help you out?" Lanie asked.

"I'm okay on my own right now," Beckett said. "My dad's coming over later though. At the moment I should go and-"

"Wait, Javi said that Castle found out where you were, and he got you off that block of ice that you were laying on," Lanie interrupted her.

"Yes, and I was wearing a cloak the killer put me in," Beckett said, knowing where her friend was going with that.

"And you were naked underneath," Lanie commented.

"Yes, and you remember that bomb that went off in my apartment?" Beckett reminded her.

"Alright, go, but I'm coming over later with the boys after work, maybe at five," Lanie said in exasperation as she knew she wasn't going to get anything from her. "We'll call before we go."

"Thank you for calling Lanie," Beckett said.

"Give my love to Julia, I'll see you later," the doctor replied before hanging up.

Sighing as she turned off the phone, Beckett looked up as Julia walked into the room carefully, holding a glass and a mug she could tell was filled with coffee. "That's not too hot for you?" she said as she went to the edge of the bed to take the mug.

"No, I carried it Mommy," Julia said with a smile. "And I didn't spill anything," she continued earnestly.

"You did a good job," Beckett assured her, taking the glass and setting it with her mug onto the nightstand before she picked up her daughter.

Wrapping her arms around her mother's neck, Julia asked, "Are you kay Mommy?"

"I just wanted a hug," Beckett said with a slight smile, relieved when Julia responded with one that was very tight.

"I love you Mommy, but you should be happy," she said in a matter of fact tone of voice.

"I am," Beckett said, meaning it. "I almost forgot, your aunt and uncles will come later."

"How come?" Julia asked. "To see you?"

"They just want to make sure I'm not sick," Beckett said, reminding herself mentally to send a text to the boys and Lanie to not mention the night before specifically around the little girl. "Lanie called," she said as Castle came into the room with a tray.

"They're coming over?" he asked, setting it next to her.

"They are, and they'll call before they get here, so we'll know when you need to go," Beckett said. "Oh, and they'll come after work."

"I can always call my mom and have her here when they come," Castle said. "Apartment might get crowded though."

"I get the feeling they won't stay too long, especially if Lanie finds out you got here before they did," Beckett said.

"Okay, well, I'm prepared for that," Castle said, taking one of the bowls on the tray. "Are you?"

"I think I'm getting used to it at this point to be honest," Beckett said with a shrug. She took some of the oatmeal in her bowl and then paused, seeing Julia eating a spoonful before she began to speak.

"I put more milk in hers, plus she says her throat is feeling better," Castle said before she could say anything.

"Is that true?" Beckett asked their daughter. She shook her head slightly when Julia nodded without saying anything, and she leaned over, kissing the top of her head. She wasn't too surprised when Julia looked up at her, pursing her lips, and she kissed her gently. "Thank you for the sticky kiss," she said, wiping off her mouth before getting another napkin for her daughter's lips which had the oatmeal on them.

"Better than the kiss I got," Castle said jokingly. "Right on the cheek, about three of them, oatmeal all over the place."

"I was tasting breakfast," Julia said with a giggle. "I was hungry."

"I can tell," Beckett said. "But you still need to take your medicine." She was surprised when the little girl merely shrugged and said, "I guess she remembered there are only two doses left."

Castle only nodded in response, before he remembered something, "Alexis called Julia while I was making the oatmeal."

"Called Julia? What'd she say sweetie?" Beckett asked, looking at Castle questioningly. When he nodded slightly, she gave a quick nod in return; him letting her know that he'd told his daughter what had happened to her the night before, and her letting him know she wasn't mad that he had. She turned to Julia who began to speak, unable to help smoothing her hand over their daughter's hair.

"She said she thought of something, she said if you and Castle want to let us," Julia was saying.

"Which is what?" Castle asked.

"You didn't hear?" Beckett asked her fiancé in surprise.

"Alexis directed her to go to her room while they talked, I guess you were on the phone with Lanie and didn't hear her," Castle explained.

"She said you're gonna have music when you get married, are you?" Julia asked.

"We will, and there will be dancing," Beckett said, not surprised when the little girl immediately looked excited at that.

"She said if you have a DJ," Julia continued, slowing down with the two letters. "That we should choose your songs, not Castle."

"And she doesn't think I'd choose good songs?" Beckett asked.

"You can choose some, but not all of them," Julia explained patiently, not seeing her mother and Castle were fighting smiles at her tone.

"Okay, what songs are you going to pick?" Beckett asked.

"Can we?" Julia asked. When her mother nodded she squealed and would have thrown herself at her mother, but she still had her oatmeal. "There are a lot of songs that Paul had that were romantic… Alexis said they should be romantic. And George, lots of his songs are good for when you are in love."

Castle and Beckett exchanged a smile as they listened to their daughter chattering away, naming album titles she wanted to look at to find songs and they finished up their meal before he was taking everything to the kitchen. When he went back to the bedroom once everything was clean, he saw that Beckett was alone, and finishing changing into clothes. "Casual today?" he asked.

"Pretty much," Beckett said before she started to leave to go to Julia's room.

"I can help her," Castle said, taking her hand as he saw she was still walking slow, but looked to be a little stronger than the night before.

"I would appreciate that," Beckett said, sounding annoyed.

Castle wanted to say something reassuring, but knew she didn't really want to hear it. So instead he pulled her against him and hugged her tightly, a little surprised when she wrapped her arms around him in response. "When Julia and I go out there, we better not see you doing pull ups on the bar," he said, wanting to make her laugh.

"Like I'm going to be able to reach it," Beckett said, shaking her head, smiling a little as she knew what he was trying to do. She pressed her cheek to his chest and said, "I'll be waiting for you two. We need to figure out what we're going to do today, and I think I know what I want to do first."

"Okay, let me just go get her dressed and we'll be right out," Castle said easily before he leaned down and took her lips.

Holding on tightly to him, Beckett responded, a little glad the kiss wasn't overly passionate as she distantly heard someone walking down the hall to the door.

"Mommy?" Julia said, pausing in the doorway. She ducked back out of the way when she saw her mother and Castle kissing, giggling a little as she was slightly embarrassed at having caught them; though it wasn't the first time she'd happened to walk up to them doing that.

"Hey sweetheart, ready to get dressed?" Castle asked, coming out of the room as he and Beckett had parted when they'd heard Julia's giggle.

"What about Mommy?" she asked as he picked her up and carried her to her room.

"She'll meet us at the door," Castle said. He couldn't help chuckle as the little girl looked at him in confusion and said, "She wants to walk first."

"Oh, so do I," Julia said excitedly.

Beckett walked out to the living room and clenched her teeth together as it felt like it took far too long until she reached a chair; having heard Castle. She sat down and moved her arms, trying to test them. But she could feel immediately that they weren't responding as fast as they normally would. She could console herself with the heartening fact that at least she was able to control her limbs better than after drinking the wine. She heard Julia hurry out to her and took her in her arms saying, "You must be better, you won't stop running."

"I feel better," Julia said happily. "Are you Mommy?"

"A little, don't worry, you'll know when I'm better," Beckett said. "But on this walk stay close to us okay?"

"Kay," Julia said, looking slightly surprised as her mother hadn't told her that for a while.

"Sorry sweetie, I know you will, I just want you close okay?" Beckett said, shaking her head at Castle over Julia's shoulder as they hugged. She shared a kiss with their daughter before standing, relieved she didn't lose her balance; another improvement. She took Castle's hand as Julia opened the door, and grabbed her hand with her free one as they waited for him to lock the door.

"Why are we going this way?" Julia asked as her mother turned her in the opposite direction of where she and her grandfather had walked the day before.

"Because we want to see a different view," Castle explained. "I'm sure it'll be nice though," he assured her. He squeezed Beckett's hand as they rounded the corner and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Going to be okay?"

Knowing what he was referring to, Beckett smiled and said, "Someone new will move in, I'm crossing my fingers it'll be a family, with a friend for our little girl."

"Someone's moving in?" Julia asked eagerly.

"Maybe, we need to see still," Beckett replied. They had quickly made it to the window on that side of the building, and she let go of Castle so he could pick Julia up to look out.

"Sure we can't go outside Mommy? Maybe the sun will make you feel better," Julia said wistfully as she looked up at the sky. "And the sky is so pretty and blue it makes me happy."

"Saturday, I promise," Beckett said. "Though…" she started to say as Castle led them back to her place.

"Though?" Castle echoed.

"We could go on a walk again," Beckett said. "Actually I think we need to make a stop at the market, our food is likely getting low."

"What about for lunch next door?" Julia asked eagerly.

"You always want to go there," Castle laughed as Julia was looking at them pleadingly.

"They have the best noodles!" Julia said, talking about the Vietnamese noodle place next to the market they went to. "Can you think about it Mommy, Castle?"

"We will," Beckett said simply as they went back to her place.

"Do we need to go back," Julia said.

"After lunch we'll walk again," Castle said. "You might be back to normal then," he said to Beckett.
"I'm hoping," she replied simply before Julia was asking them about that Sunday. When they were inside the apartment she sat on the couch as Castle was getting something for them to drink in the kitchen. "What is it sweetie?" she asked their daughter who leaned against her.

"Can I make a braid?" Julia asked.

"Go get my brush and a band," Beckett said. She kept Julia from running off though, and kissed her gently before watching her hurry to the bedrooms.

"Good?" Castle asked as he handed her a glass of juice. "I should have taken your order before I went into the fridge."

"This is fine," Beckett said simply, watching him. She was about to ask him if he was okay, when Julia came back out.

"Mommy said I could make a braid," the little girl told Castle seriously as she climbed up on the couch behind her mother who had turned to him so she could get to her hair.

"I can see that," Castle said, unable to help smile slightly as he watched how serious Julia looked as she was brushing out her mother's hair. "Can I ask something?"

"Go ahead," Beckett said, taking the brush from Julia.

"Did you ever do this with your mom?" Castle said.

Giving him a quick smile so he'd know she was okay with the question, Beckett said, "I don't think so, I might have played with her hair, but don't really remember ever braiding it. Now if you'd asked if she did mine…"

"Of course, what about your dad?" Castle asked, suddenly realizing he'd never imagined the man brushing Beckett's hair when she was little, much less braiding it.

"Oh he did, there were times my mom had to go into work early, and he needed to brush my hair. He never was that adept at braids but he could put it up in a ponytail," she replied with a smile. "You never thought of that did you?"

"Which is foolish, why wouldn't a dad do that for his daughter," Castle said. "Are you having trouble sweetheart?" he asked then, leaning over to see if their daughter was doing alright since she'd just restarted the braid for a third time.

"I want it to be perfect, 'cause everyone is gonna come over," Julia said simply.

"Just do the best you can," Beckett said.

"Can I ask a question now Mommy?" Julia asked softly.

"Go ahead," Beckett said, Castle nodding in response.

"Alexis said you have a first dance you dance all alone at the wedding," Julia said. At their nods she said, "She said to ask if you have a song that you have for just you for that."

"We do," Castle said. "And it's one you know." When Julia looked past her mother at him he simply said, "Always."

"The one Paul sings?" the little girl asked eagerly. "That's your song?"

"It is," Beckett replied. "Is that a good one?"

"Really good," Julia said, nodding her head up and down wildly. "Why did you pick that one?"

"We're not really sure," Castle began.

"We were listening to some music a little before Valentine's Day, and that one came on and Castle asked me to dance," Beckett said, knowing he'd wanted her to tell the story. "And we realized that we'd liked the song before, but hadn't realized the lyrics applied to us incredibly well; especially the chorus. So we decided it was our song."

"I like that story," Julia said, putting the band around the end of her mother's braid. She draped her mother's braid over her shoulder and she hugged her from behind saying, "I can't wait until you dance," before she got down off the couch and took the brush back to her mother's room.

"I have to agree with her on that," Beckett said, looking at her fiancé.

"Me too," Castle said simply as he slid down the couch closer to her, running his hand over her hair before pulling her into him so their lips could meet for a kiss. Though he soon heard Julia running back towards them, he didn't stop until they needed to breathe and he brushed his lips quickly against Beckett's before going to their daughter who was looking at the floor, picking her up and taking her to the couch with him as she giggled in joy, hugging him tightly as she pressed her cheek to his.


"Oh darling I'm so relieved, so relieved you're okay," Martha said, hugging Beckett after she had let her into the apartment. She let go of her and held Beckett by her arms asking, "You are alright now?"

"I'm fine," she said, smiling. After they'd eaten lunch earlier that afternoon, and had taken their second walk, she had felt her strength slowly returning, and by then almost felt like she was back to normal. "Thank you for coming to see me."

"I had to of course, and I wanted to check on Julia, to see how she is," Martha said as they went over to the couch.

"Castle's with her in her room," Beckett said.

"And the flowers?" Martha asked in surprise, seeing the newest bouquet in a vase. "You could open a flower shop with all you've gotten."

"That's from your son," Beckett said, looking at the red roses and red tulips.

"Which isn't a surprise, and the others behind them?" Martha asked.

"Lanie, the boys sent one each; though Ryan's is from him and Jenny. And those are all actually for Julia with a PS on the card that they're for me too," Beckett said.

"You have some very good friends," Martha said with a nod, looking over the different kinds of flowers from the three. But her eye kept going back to her son's bouquet and she said, "Did he get one for her?"

"It's right here Mother," Castle said, coming out with Julia skipping ahead of him. "She couldn't find a good place in her room for it," he told Beckett. "So we brought it back to join the others."

"They are beautiful flowers," Martha said as she watched him put the vase of the red and white variegated tulips were in on the coffee table. "You've seen a lot of flowers this week Julia. You are most likely the most loved little girl there could be."

"I made this," the little girl then said shyly, handing a card to her

"For me?" Martha asked, taking it and then pulling Julia to her so she could hold her in her arms. "Thank you for taking care of me and all the beautiful flowers you gave me. Julia. Darling, you are very welcome," she read before kissing Julia's temple to her shy giggle. "And it's a beautiful card."

"Like the braid she did in Kate's hair?" Castle commented. He saw his fiancée's look, but wasn't too surprised it wasn't really angry as he knew his choice of flowers; mostly the fact that they were the color red; made her less irritated at him. He went to the kitchen then to get a drink for his mother to try and forget how Beckett had reacted when he'd set the flowers in a vase, wrapping her arms around him tightly as they kissed passionately even though their daughter was there in the room with them. When they had pulled apart, he realized the way she was pressed against him, but had quickly put some distance between them, not really wanting to press her. He shook his head to bring himself back to the present as he felt his fiancée's arm on his shoulder, and looked at her. "Yeah?" he asked, handing the glass of water to his mother since he knew she wouldn't want to drink wine so early in front of Julia.

"I don't think you even heard my answer to your question Richard," Martha said, slightly scolding her son. "Just turned and walked away. But I said Julia did a fabulous job on her mother's hair, it's stunning."

"I'm not sure about the stunning part," Beckett said, since his mother had gone back to the couch with Julia; the latter blushing at her praise. "But it works well. And I feel much better."

"You do? Then do the test," Castle said, holding his hand up to her. He winced when she punched him in the palm and nodded saying, "Yeah, I think you've got your strength back," as he waved his hand, faking pain.

"You're not really such a baby," Beckett said, stepping close to him and wrapping her arms around him, "We need to talk," she then said softly.

"Now?" Castle asked, wondering if she wanted to talk about the night before.

"Later, when we're alone," Beckett said before there was a knock on the door. She let go of Castle as he hurried to go to an armchair where he'd draped his jacket over it, and once he was sitting; looking like he'd just arrived with his mother; she went to open the door. "Hey guys," she said, startled to see all three of them were there.

"We just got off shift," Esposito said. "And we wanted to see how you were doing and… update you on the case," he ended in a low voice as Julia was coming over to them.

"Thank you for my flowers," Julia said shyly.

"Dad," Beckett said, seeing him walking down the hall hurriedly then.

"I'm so sorry, they wouldn't let me get off work after all," Jim explained as the others went inside. He hugged his daughter tightly asking, "Okay?"

"Pretty much recovered, which is a relief," Beckett said.

"Hey bro, when did you get here?" Esposito asked Castle.

"A couple minutes ago, my mom wanted to see how Beckett was doing, and Julia of course," he answered as they turned to the little girl who was being looked at by Lanie.

"She's doing extremely well," the doctor said. "You can close your mouth honey. That medicine did wonders."

"I made sure she took it," Beckett said with a nod, not surprised when her friend grabbed her by the arm and led her towards her room. "I'll be back sweetie," she said to Julia.

"So, Castle's here," Lanie began once they were inside Beckett's room, the door closed and her friend moving her fingers one at a time for her to check.

"Yes he is," she replied. She pushed against her friend's hand pressed against her arm at Lanie's direction and then said, "And he came with his mother, so let me stop you right there okay?"

"You seem like you're back to normal," the doctor said after she had Beckett walk in a straight line to test her balance.

"Great, is that enough? That feels too much like a sobriety test," Beckett said.

"That's enough, look Kate, you've got to be a little realistic," Lanie said. "None of us are getting any younger, and how many times now have you been almost killed or near death?"

"Are you talking about me settling down or finding a father for Julia?" Beckett asked.

"Both, but Julia needs someone to be there for her should anything happen to you," Lanie said, her tone not commanding but more subdued.

"I know, but my father will raise her should that happen," Beckett said.

"Yes, but what if something happens to him then?" Lanie asked.

"Just… I don't want to be pressured to find a guy, I told you already," Beckett said finally after hesitating to find the right words to keep her friend from going on with the subject for much longer.

"No one does, believe me, I'm one of those women who don't," Lanie said. "But you have a chance to be happy; you and Julia. Wait," she said quickly when Beckett opened her mouth to protest. "I'm not saying run out there to Castle now and start making out with him, start out small, go out for some coffee with him, or take Julia to a playground together. Something that's not a lot of pressure for either of you. He is single now remember."

"Hard not to forget," Beckett said, rolling her eyes slightly as she recalled the call she'd gotten from her friend after Esposito had told her. "Okay, I'll think about that, but for now, my mind is on celebrating my first Mother's Day with my daughter."

"Are you okay with that?" Lanie asked.

"Of course," Beckett said. "But, I can't help missing her."

"She'd be proud of you," Lanie said in a firm tone.

"Thank you Lanie. Okay, I want to see Julia before I hear from Espo and Ryan about what they learned about this killer," Beckett said as they left the room. She smiled when the little girl ran over to her as soon as she stepped out into the living room, and she picked her up, hugging her tightly. "Sorry about that sweetie, Lanie was just making sure I was okay."

"And she is," the doctor said reassuringly as Julia looked at her questioningly.

"Sweetie, can you do me a favor? Take your aunt to your room and show her the cards that you got okay?" Beckett asked.

"I might join you," Martha said, standing up from the couch. "I never got to see the cards."

Beckett smiled reassuringly at her dad as he joined them, and she turned to where the boys and Castle were standing in her office, the former two looking a little uncomfortable. "I don't have a problem coming in here," she said before any of them could say a word. "Tell me what you found out."

"The name that Castle gave us, Aradhana Krishnamani, is a woman, who actually goes by Hannah. Her father is Indian and her mother is Saudi Arabian," Esposito said. "And she came in when Ryan called her to talk to us in person. She answered a lot of questions."

"First though, you might want to see her picture," Ryan said, handing it to Beckett.

"She has mamounia on her wrist," Beckett said quickly as she saw the Arabic writing that matched what had been on their victims' chest and bodies.

"Turns out her fiancée has a matching one on his wrist, it was a symbol of their love for each other, and the fact that together, they have a-" Ryan started to say.

"Safe haven," Castle finished. When the two men nodded he then said, "So is this fiancé the one she broke up with the killer for?"

"Turns out our killer's name isn't any of the ones he used for the apartments he was residing in," Esposito said. "Not that that's a really big shock. His real name is Stanley Carisbrooke."

"Carisbrooke as in Carisbrooke Clothiers?" Castle asked in slight shock.

"Right, he's a great grandson of the original Stanley Carisbrooke," Esposito said.

"Which makes him the… fifth or something to hold that name," Ryan said. "But when we talked to Miss Krishnamani, she said they never dated."

"Then how do they know each other?" Beckett said.

"They attended classes together at NYU, he was a year behind Krishnamani and her fiancé," Esposito answered. "They were all art majors, but it seems Carisbrooke was obsessed with her after they studied together for an art history class. He never did anything, but he tried to get her to break off her engagement when she told Carisbrooke about it. He said that she was his mamounia and she belonged with him."

"When was that?" Beckett asked.

"Six months ago," Ryan said. "He knew the other three vics in some capacity… do you want to know?"

"Go ahead, I know he's dead and can't harm me, so I'd like to wrap up this case," Beckett said simply.

"Okay, so he knew Ophelia Meyer from NYU, not the classes she was currently taking for her art major," Ryan continued. "But from when she was getting her accounting major. They had a history class together. Then there's Francis Kelly, who he knew from what's listed as his current address to his real name. Her mother lives on the same floor."

"Oh god, have you talked to her?" Beckett asked, feeling horrible for the vic's mother.

"We have, and she actually only saw him, didn't really know him besides his name, who his family was," Esposito replied. "And with our last vic, he used her as a model, our witness was right. But before the witness ever met her, at an art class Carisbrooke attended at an art gallery, she was a model."

"We went to his apartment, and there are paintings of her, and it looks like the relationship wasn't just an artist and model, but sexual, there were… more suggestive paintings and corresponding photographs," Ryan said.

"And me?" Beckett asked, unsure if she wanted to hear that explanation.

Sharing a look, Ryan took a breath; noticing that Castle had tensed up slightly; and said, "We found a notebook at his apartment," handing Beckett a file.

"About me," she said, glancing at the writing.

"He chose you not because of this place, but because one night, five months ago, I think the fourteenth of January, he was arrested for drunk driving by the 12th, and the morning after he was released and he left through the lobby," Esposito said.

"So he saw her there," Castle said.

"He did, talking to you actually Castle," Ryan said. "I don't know if you want to read what he wrote, but he was likely writing down everything as he was there, because his detail is pretty meticulous."

"I don't need to read it," Beckett said simply, handing the pictures back to him. "I know what he wanted me for."

"Yeah, he said you were the one he'd been looking for, the one that would make Krishnamani very jealous, because apparently you were everything she wasn't. The word warm came up a lot," Esposito said.

Castle tried not to look at his fiancée, hoping the two wouldn't think it was because how she'd been around him.

"Obviously he's talking about you around Julia, because those are later entries," Ryan said. "And… that's about it."

"So he moved near the first two victims and me to make sure he knew our schedules," Beckett said. "To have the time to set things up and finish those paintings. So he's an artist."

"He is, but never sold anything, even under his three aliases," Esposito said. "We checked around the apartments he had, all four of them, and no one had ever heard of him. Oh, and he had posters of Mucha's prints, re-painted his works using other women we're guessing. And in the case of these four paintings, he used Krishnamani as a model."

"So he was trying to make her jealous by not using her as his muse anymore," Beckett said.

"In a way, also that he snapped pretty much," Ryan said. "He had piles of artwork in his apartment, original artwork, but he never tried selling anything."

"Likely he was going to be forced to take over the family business as CEO when his father steps down; so art was likely a hobby to his family," Castle said. "He's the oldest of three brothers, so I guess the second oldest will be taking over."

"Actually, we talked to his family. Mr. Carisbrooke, current CEO, told us that he was already giving the position to his second son, Finnegan, since it was widely known in the family that Stanley was not going to be able to run the company," Ryan said.

"Was he the black sheep of the family?" Beckett asked.

"Basically, but he was a Carisbrooke, so they protected him," Ryan replied.

"Any past incidents they told you about?" Castle said.

"If there were any, they're not telling us, actually, the youngest son was there when we spoke with Mr. Carisbrooke at his apartment at the Dakota. His name is Fergus, he became very angry when we tried to find out anything that might have pointed to his older brother being a serial killer," Esposito said.

"Not surprising," Beckett said. "What about the Om? Was he a practicing Hindu?"

"Not even close, atheist. But as for Miss Krishnamani, she is," Ryan said.

"He's right, she even wears a bindi, though it's not really specific to the Hindu religion, a lot of women do wear it," Castle reminded them.

"So he was messing with her religion, making it very dark," Beckett said with a sigh. "How did he get into our apartments?"

"He would call the landlord with some issue, and managed to steal his skeleton key for the apartments," Esposito said. "He'd make an impression in wax and return the key before the guy left. According to your landlord, he claimed there was something wrong with a heating vent near the ceiling."

"Which gave him time to get the wax impression made," Castle said.

"And with that key he could get in anywhere he wanted," Beckett said, frowning for a moment. "Okay, thank you for letting me know what you found out."

"Not a problem, you're not coming back until Monday?" Esposito asked.

"That's right, Julia's not going to go back to school until then," Beckett said simply. "Do you guys want a drink?" she asked as she saw the others coming from Julia's room. She smiled as the little girl ran to her, hugging her tightly and picking her up.

"I thought you were weak?" Ryan asked.

"She's recovered," Lanie said simply, holding a card.

"What's that?" Esposito said as Julia handed him another card before giving another to his partner.

"For you," Julia whispered.

"A thank you card, you're very welcome Julia," Ryan said after he'd read his. "And I know Jenny says thank you too."

"Least we could do for our sobrina," Esposito said, ruffling Julia's hair to her giggle. "And actually, we're going to head out, get something to drink at The Old Haunt and then head to our homes to relax."

"Am I invited?" Castle asked, folding the card he and Beckett had helped their daughter make for him.

"Nah, we're good," Esposito said after Lanie had nudged him in the ribs.

"And I'd like you to escort me home Richard," Martha said quickly. "Which you should have asked first."

"Sorry Mother," Castle said as he watched Julia saying goodbye to the boys and Lanie.

Walking them to the door, Beckett let Lanie pull her out into the hall and they talked quickly before she shook her head before hugging her friend and saying goodbye to them as they left. "She suggested we start out a relationship with a casual date while we were in my room," she said as Castle came up to her after she'd locked the door.

"How casual?" he asked.

"Taking Julia to the playground, or getting some coffee," Beckett said.

"What did she say just now?" Castle said, seeing the smile his fiancée couldn't quite hide.

"Dinner with our parents and Julia would be a great way to begin. Especially if you stayed after they went home and she was asleep," Beckett said.

"Ah, interesting, and not a surprise she thought of that," Castle said, shaking his head.

"If only she knew what was actually going to happen then," Beckett said in a low tone as she walked past him.

"What?" Castle asked, having heard but not sure he'd heard her correctly.

Beckett didn't reply to that, and instead sat down next to Martha on the couch and said, "So we're all finished working now sweetie, I forgot to tell you."

"I'm glad, I don't want to wait for Saturday," Julia said. "Now what do we do?"

"Why don't you get your camera, and we'll take pictures of the new flowers you got," Jim suggested before he got up to follow Julia to her room.

"Are you coming home at all before Monday?" Martha asked her son.

"I doubt it, I want to be here the rest of the week for Julia," Castle said, not adding Beckett to that as he knew she wouldn't want to hear that.

"Good, a few of my students are going to come tomorrow to do some private rehearsals since they managed to get into an off Broadway play that starts Saturday," Martha said before she watched with them as Julia and Jim went to all the flowers in the kitchen. "Julia, darling, take a picture of those roses and tulips, they are gorgeous."

"I don't think sucking up to me is going to help Mother, why-" Castle started to say before he felt Beckett taking his hand. He stopped abruptly as she gently squeezed it, and he squeezed back, calming down as he thought of leaving his place to his mother.

"You're staying to dinner right? You're invited too Dad," Beckett said to quickly change the subject.

"I'm heading out tonight," Martha said simply. "My three students who will be coming to rehearse are taking me to dinner. As a thank you."

"Pretty nice," Castle said as he picked Julia up and set her on his lap since she had finished taking pictures with her grandfather. "And you Jim?"

"I'm going to Fredrickson's house for dinner, he and his wife invited me," he replied. "After the dinner last night, so you three are on your own."

"You don't want to eat with us?" Julia asked, leaning back against Castle.

"We will tomorrow, I'll order for us, and it will be my treat," Martha said.

Castle was going to comment on that, but Beckett leaned against him, and he held back, wrapping his arm around her as they let Julia show them her pictures of the flowers, explaining how she set up each shot exactly before he rubbed his hand up and down her arm.