"Bree Flax? That was the best you could come up with, Richard?" Kevin asked, flopping down on the bed. "Geez, I can't wait till "Keith Tallen" makes an appearance."

At Booth's questioning look, Temperance whispered, "Lee Wax is a true crime writer…Richard met her on a case, she rubbed him the wrong way, and he promised to include her in a book…or I suppose it was more likely a threat."

Kevin nodded, pulling out a copy of "Heat Wave". "Finally got around to reading it, Rich, and I have to admit, it's turning out pretty good. Seriously, when will I appear?"

"Maybe the next one, why are you here?" Richard asked, staring at the young man he had taken under his wing. Once Kevin had been offered to write the next West O'Reilly book, Castle had realized he would need a mentor of sorts. Temperance would never do…have the man writing about the merits of bone grafts and other nonsense. So it was up to Castle to help "The Kid" out.

Kevin shrugged. "I did a charity book signing, was going to head back to New York to visit you guys before I went back to Michigan, found out you were all down here and treated Alexis and Hank to dinner."

Booth frowned. "You took my grandfather to dinner?"

"Sure did, Shrimp." Kevin said. At Booth's glare, he backpedaled. "Ok, never will say that again. Point is, nothing happened Richard. Alexis is like a little sister to me."

Alexis nodded. "Its true dad! I was just helping Kevin plan out the next book…what was it called?"

"'Westside Girls.' All about West and Thomas and the lovely little Taya Osaka investigating the murders of prostitutes…very Jack the Ripper." He shrugged. "Granted, my mind is more on this Biblical Western…"

Beckett shook her head. "Sorry for busting in on you and having Castle act like an even bigger idiot, but we have a murder to solve."

"I thought you had it all figured out." Alexis questioned.

"Turns out…not so much." Castle admitted.

"Our suspect suffers from delusions brought on by brain trauma. She believes any statement told to her." Temperance admitted.

"Well…that…sucks?" Alexis offered.

"That was my word for that." Booth muttered, sitting down in a chair.

Alexis frowned. "You must have some lead…"

"Nope, not one." Castle said. "Lets get drunk to celebrate."

"Why?" Temperance asked.

"Honestly, I don't know, I just wanted to get drunk." Castle admitted, moving towards the minibar.

"HEY!" Kevin shouted, leaping off the bed. "That's my minibar!"

Alexis turned away from the two men as they fought over the $20 tin of nuts. "Not a single clue?"

Beckett shook her head. "The only thing we know is that Terrence was a gay retired actor that liked to smoke cigars with peanut dust in them-"

"Peanut dust?" Kevin said, letting go of the tin, Castle stumbling backwards and falling to the ground with a thud. "So the killer pulled a Da Vinci Code."

"Huh?" Everyone asked.

Kevin looked at them. "Da Vinci Code…Dan Brown…God, do you people ever read?"

"We're a little busy solving murders." Temperance stated calmly.

"Or not solving them and stealing form my minibar!" Kevin shouted, taking back the nut tin. Taking a breath, he turned back to the group. "The Da Vinci Code," he stated calmly, "featured the death of one character by, spoiler alert, having him drink vodka spiked with peanut dust, which he was allergic too."

Booth and Beckett slowly turned to each other. "Was he allergic?" The both asked. "Why ask me, I thought…" Their eyes widened as the implications sank in.

"Wait…there is no way that the smoke alone could cause poisoning…right?" Castle asked.

Temperance looked down, deep in thought. "Cam found the butt of the cigar in Terrence's stomach…he had bitten it off and chewed it. That…would have been another." She turned to Booth. "And if he died by poisoning…that changes everything."

Booth nodded. "We need to go to the lab, right now."

Kevin sat back down on his bed, grabbing the remote. "Glad to be of service, mention me at the press conference."

Beckett shook her head. "No no no…you came up with this idea, you might figure out other things."

"Uh…huh?"

"She's right." Booth stated. "Congrats kid, you're officially part of the team."

Kevin stared at him…before a huge grin lit up his face. "Aaaawwww yeaaaaah!" He leapt up, snatching a long brown barn coat that was draped of a chair, letting it swirl about him as he threw it on. He hurried to catch up with Castle, the other author slapping him on the back. "You gonna say it, or should I?"

Castle grinned. "I will…this…is going to be…wait for it…legendary!"

Alexis shook her head, glaring at Martha. "And you said it was ok to let him watch "How I Met Your Mother"."

"I thought he was old enough to handle it."

Kevin snapped his fingers as he passed them. "Hey…suit up."

Temperance frowned. "But…we don't have time to get them suits."

^&^&^&^

Clark leaned over the body of Terrence, examining the bones carefully. "Dr. Brennan, I think I found something.

Temperance moved over, running her finger along one of the spinal bones. "yes…yes this could be it."

"You have something?" Beckett asked, Castle and Booth stepping forward.

"Yes…we'll need Angela to run a scenario…where is Angela?"

Cam frowned. "She went to the bathroom…she said some nutjob actually tried to bite her on the way in here."

Clark rolled his eyes. "That has nothing to do with the case, and as such, I do not care."

"Way to show some kindness, Clark." Booth commented.

Temperance was about to say something when she heard Angela return. "Angela we need you to-"

Temperance's statement died on her lips.

It was Angela, alright. Angela…with blood dripping from her ears, bile dribbling down her chin, shirt covered in raw bloody flesh, and her eyes bloodshot and crazed.

"Angela?" Temperance whispered. Angela tilted her head, snarling before she leapt at Clark, ripping his throat open with her teeth.

"What the hell!?!" Castle shouted, leaping away, Booth and Beckett taking out their guns.

"Angela…Angela…" Booth said, hand shaking. "Now…calm down…"

Another snarl echoed to his right as Hodgins, eyes also red and vomit leaking from his mouth, came racing after them. The four investigators did the only thing they could…they ran. Hodgins and Angela paused only a moment to take a bit from the now dead Clark before chasing after the four, snarling and snapping at their friends.

Beckett hit the first step when she saw Cam wheel around a corner, her face a twisted patchwork of scars and boils, blood staining her clothing. She let out an almost primal roar as she joined in the hunt.

"My office, quick!" Temperance shouted. The foursome just managed to slide in and close the door as their friends made it up the steps. Angela, Hodgins and Cam began to pound on the door. "What is going on?" Temperance screamed.

"Zombies…their freaking zombies!" Booth shouted. "Bones!" he tossed her an extra gun while Castle picked up a femur Temperance had laying on her desk and held it like a club. "They aren't our friends anymore…you have to shoot them."

"But-"

"No buts!" Beckett shouted as a zombified Hank and Martha joined Angela, Hodgins and Cam.

"Dad!"

Castle's eyes widened. "Alexis…" The zombies turned, Angela and Hank going for the new prey downstairs while the others continued to try and take out the door. Beckett grabbed Castle, holding him back. "No! No!"

"Dad!" Alexis screamed.

"Alexis!"

BANG! BANG!

The other zombies turned at the sounds of the gunshots. There, standing at the top of the stairs, wearing a tight leather coat, cowboy boots, and a tarp cowboy hat, with Alexis huddled behind him, stood Kevin.

"Hey Hodgins…" Kevin called out, pulling out a long hunting knife. "You got a pretty mouth, boy!" He rushed Hodgins, slamming the knife through his forehead, before whipping around and firing on Cam and Martha, finishing them with a shot to the head. "Now then…zombies have taken over the world, I am the only one that can save you, and women over 21 are required to only wear bras and panties." Temperance and Beckett shrugged and began to undress. "Lets get in my ride." Whistling, Kevin grinned as Optimus Prime burst through the Jeffersonian.

"Alright, lets transform, roll out, and kick some zombie ass!" Prime shouted. "And Kevin, Obi Wan wanted you to have this." The Autobot leader tossed Kevin a lightsaber.

"This…is…awesome!"

^&^&^&^

"So awesome…" Kevin murmured, fast asleep in a chair, a happily smile on his face.

"Kevin, wake up." Beckett said, shaking him out of his stupor.

"Huh?" He blinked. "Oh…I was having a wonderful dream-"

"No one cares." Clark stated.

Kevin narrowed his eyes. "Then I won't tell you about it…but it had Optimus Prime." He stood up. "And I am glad Angela ate you."

"What?" Clark said, confused.

Temperance smiled. "Movie or G1? I dream about both of them…helping…me…" She trailed off at the looks she was getting. "Uh…femurs and phalanges?"

Kevin shook his head, leaving to go explore.

Cam shook her head, scoffing in disbelief. "I…can't believe I missed this." It was all there, right in the file. Terrence Dashel was deathly allergic to peanuts…the smoke alone from a cigar tainted with them would have been enough to do serious harm. But the fact he had swallowed the cigar butt…he had doomed himself before it even hit his stomach.

"I know…I can't believe you missed it either." Temperance said, inspecting the body. Cam, for one moment, made a motion as if she were going to strangle the anthropologist, quickly moving to pretend she was straightening her hair when Brennan looked up. "Have you reexamed the flesh, to see if there are any other signs related to the poisoning."

"Yes, and we did find something." Cam pulled up an image of the inside of Terrence's throat. "Right here, just below the strangulation point, there was slight acid burns. I assumed it was from the struggle, but I now believe Terrence was trying to vomit up the peanut dust."

"But he was already going to die…why would that matter?" Beckett asked.

"Because if you found vomit on the crime scene you would question why." Castle stated.

"So that is why he vomited?" Booth asked.

"No, that is why the killer stopped him." Castle said with a smirk.

Beckett nodded. "Exactly." She moved towards Booth. "The killer gives Terrence a cigar, knowing he loves them and isn't allowed to smoke them."

Booth pretended to choke. "Terrence feels the effects in moments, and begins to gag."

"The killer, fearing that he will be found out if Terrence vomits out the poison, strangles him." Beckett pretended to strangle Booth. "And holds on just long enough for Terrence to pass out." Booth crumpled to the ground.

"Except there was a gunshot." Cam reminded them.

"Oh…yeah." Beckett stated.

Castle frowned. "You said you never found the bullet, right?" Cam nodded. "Maybe there wasn't a shooting, just like there wasn't a strangling. It just appeared that way."

"People heard a shot." Temperance reminded him.

"Heard…not saw." He said. "I know that stupid play…there is a gunshot in it during the second to last act. They have a prop gun on stage, but to get the ringing effect..."

"They use a folly artist." Booth finished. "It was Drew Davidson, the folly artist!"

"Are you sure?" Cam questioned.

Beckett spoke before Booth could. "The markings on his next…see if they match a cord that is spiraled, like an old phone cord…Drew has a sound effect box with that type of cord running from it."

Temperance frowned. "But it doesn't make sense, why kill Terrence?"

"Yeah, what's the motive?" Castle questioned.

"We can ask him in 40 minutes." Booth said, pulling out his phone. "I'm having our little murderer brought in right now!"

^&^&^&^

Author's Note: …Me dressed as Tallahassee, with a lightsaber, hanging out with Optimus and scantily clad Temperance and Beckett…fictional Kevin has the strangest, most wonderful dreams…

We are nearing the end, folks. 2 more chapters to go, and if you think you have it all figured out and know how it ends, well…you didn't see Zombie Angela coming either.

Finally, I thought I would make this offer. If any fan would like to go back through "The Authors in the Crossover" or this story and do beta work for already published chapters, I would be willing to give it a try. Has worked out nicely in the past, and would be willing to let anyone who wants to give it a try. Still won't do betaing before hand (I prefer to publish them raw, get them out there instead of relying on a beta to finish it first…had a bad experience with waiting a long time for a chapter to get betaed before I could post it and won't do that again).