A/N: I'm trying to get a chapter posted every 2-3 days. I'm really getting a kick out of the story alerts and favorite alerts I've been getting. Of course, despite the encouragement, the sheer amount of rain we've gotten in the Midwest these past two weeks has been draining. Mostly, I just want to go to sleep and wake up when the sun finally decides to shine again. So if you find yourself waiting a bit longer between chapters, that's why. But I still adore those of you who are reviewing my chapters and making my story a part of your FF experience. You guys make me feel like the sun is that much closer to breaking through the clouds. Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for the long-awaited double dates (and bickering) to begin.

-Eweknow

"I know Beckett, and I know she will still not voluntarily call and request FBI help." Castle paced around his office. He had gotten up early to take the call from Brennan and was walking a circle around his desk in only a t-shirt and boxers. "No, Tempe, we don't have any more leads. We have ID on the one girl but a dead end in all the interviews and at the murder scene. Our medical examiners and crime techs are running everything they can, but they have other cases too and can't prioritize that much. I'll tell her, but she won't want to hear it. She won't even consider it." He heard a beep in the call, and knew the only other person who called this early was trying to reach him. "Tempe? I think I have Beckett on the other line. Yes. I'll see what I can do. Please keep working on Booth? Thanks."

Castle hit the end button and answered the other call with the touch of a finger as he walked to the kitchen for a desperately needed cup of coffee. "New lead? Really? Really? Okay, I'll be ready in 10 minutes."

He took a quick sip of his coffee and yelped as it burned his tongue. He jogged to his bedroom for the quickest shower in Castle history and to get dressed. Ten minutes later he was headed downstairs in the elevator with his coffee, a mug of coffee for Beckett, and a handful of oatmeal cookies for the road. She was already waiting at the curb. He handed her the coffee through the window and got in as quickly as he could without dropping the cookies or his own coffee.

"I cannot believe you are awake, Castle. It's 5:00 in the morning. You don't usually get up until Alexis has to get ready for school."

"Yeah, well, I had to take a call. I was lucky I woke up to the phone when it rang." He took a sip of coffee and a bite of cookie. "Cookie?" he offered.

"No thanks, Castle." She set the travel mug between her thighs to keep it steady while she drove, a Beckett quirk that Castle found ridiculously hot. She pulled out into traffic quickly, and didn't even need to bother with her siren there were so few cars to dodge.

"So where are we going?"

"A garbage dump outside of Newark."

"Good thing I didn't have time for a suit," Castle replied, looking down at his jeans, t-shirt and blazer. He looked back at Kate and noticed that although she had her cop face on, she wasn't tensed and she didn't look angry. She looked determined. He hoped their time together the night before had something to do with it. "You look rather well-rested," he commented, pretending he hadn't been looking at her and was focused intently on his oatmeal cookie.

"Thanks to three and a half glasses of wine and you tucking me in," she replied wryly.

He continued to occupy himself with his breakfast, a smile creeping across his lips. "Sorry I fell asleep. I hope the Thai made up for it."

"Yeah, thanks. You know, when I woke up at first I thought you were Josh. I had no idea what he could have been doing there. Not with his hours at the hospital." She caught his eyes look down, his smile disappear. "But thank you for getting me to relax. And putting me to bed."

He nodded.

"You made a good pillow too." She said it quietly, like she didn't want anybody to hear it but him-even though nobody could have.

Castle felt the smile turn up the corners of his lips again. He took another sip of coffee to disguise it. "Anytime."

The rest of the drive was quick and quiet. The stench of trash hit them before they could see the landfill. Before they knew it they were picking their way carefully towards Ryan and Esposito who were thigh deep in plastic bags and their rotten contents. Crime scene techs swarmed around in coveralls and heavy duty boots. Castle suddenly thought of Beckett, but relaxed when he saw she wasn't wearing her normal high heels but instead hard-soled .

She waded through the slop. "Please tell me that's what they said it was." She pointed to a trash bag at Ryan's feet.

"If they said it was the other half of one of your bodies, then possibly. Garbage pickers found it," Ryan said. He reached a gloved hand down to gently pull the bag open.

Esposito stepped around Ryan and walked toward Castle and Beckett. "It's a partial body, and it's pretty decomposed. But the garbage bags match."
"That's not too hard," Castle said. "Black garbage bags are pretty common."

"It's enough though," Beckett said.

"They are commercial grade," Esposito said. "The rest of the trash in this area is the household variety, and contained in household trash bags."

"Even better."

Ryan stepped away as more crime scene techs pulled a stretcher into place and prepared to lift the bag and its contents. The two sets of partners hovered close as the medical examiner spread the bag open wide and began prodding the contents carefully. He spoke after several moments. "The amount of decomposition makes cause of death indistinguishable. It might coincide with your other bodies. Specifically, I've got a pelvis, two arms, and one leg." He paused, consulting his clipboard. "Oh."

Beckett stepped forward, Castle a breath behind her. "What?"

"Well based on these case files, one of the partial bodies you already recovered is missing almost exactly these body parts. I suppose if you add another few days of decomp, they could match. This might be the second half of a victim you already recovered. I'll take it and contact your medical examiner in New York with my findings." He motioned for his assistants to take the stretcher back to the van and followed behind them.

Beckett closed her eyes in exasperation and turned back to the three men behind her. "This is a nightmare." She rubbed each of her temples and slid her sunglasses over her eyes.

"We aren't going to get any kind of cooperation with New Jersey," Esposito said.

"It'll take half a year to get anywhere in the case," Ryan added.

"Not to mention there have to be other bags out there. Who knows how spread out they are." Beckett opened her eyes.

There was a smile on Castle's face. "You already have the answer," he said.

Once she processed what he was trying to say, her response was similar to the one she had several nights ago. "No, Castle. I'm not giving this up yet."

"You really don't have too much of a choice. This case just crossed state lines. If you get to the FBI before they get to you, you might have a choice at how much control they take."

Beckett stalked away. "No."

Ryan and Esposito watched her walk away and looked at Castle. "What are you guys talking about?" Ryan asked.

Two days later the only new evidence they had was a convincing argument that the bag found in New Jersey contained the second half of a body currently in the New York morgue. Each half of the body remained in the state in which it was found.

Castle sat in his chair, leaning with his chin propped on his fists. His eyebrows were as high as he could get them and a sly smile rested on his lips.

Beckett was trying to ignore his stare without much success. She had almost finished another e-mail begging for interstate cooperation when she broke. "Alright! Get me the damn number!"

Castle handed her his phone. It was already dialing when she took it from him and put it up to her ear.