Several hours later the four of them sat around a table at the precinct looking exhausted and very frustrated. Esposito dropped the folder he had been reading onto the table, laced his fingers together behind his head and leaned back.

"Nothing. There is nothing here. None of her clients have any violent history, or anything that would suggest they would be capable or have a reason to kill her."

"No person connections either. Nothing that suggests a relationship out side of work." Ryan finished as he too leaned back in his chair.

Beckett sighed and set down the folder she was looking though and looked around the table at her team. They all looked tired, especially Castle. She knew working on the case was making him tired, and so was worrying about her. She also knew that the people sitting around the table with her were just as determined and dedicated as she was, and they would keep going just as long as she did, and just as hard. She smiled at them.

"Good work guys. Let's call it a night, maybe something will pop out at us tomorrow."

All three of the men at the table looked up at her as she stood like they had seen a ghost.

"Did the Detective Kate Beckett just call it a night? Early?" Ryan quipped, half smiling at her.

"Are you serious?" Esposito asked as he sat up straighter. Castle just smiled at her.

"Yep. We've all been going over and over the same stuff in this case. We're tired and you can tell. Lets call it a night and hit it hard again tomorrow. We can solve this, but not if we just keep doing the same thing because we're frustrated and tired. Come on Castle, lets go home."

Beckett forced a smile at him. She wanted to just sit and lose herself in the case, but she knew if she did, so would the rest of her team. She didn't have a problem running herself into the ground, but she couldn't be the reason that they did it too. The four of them stood and walked back out to the bullpen. Beckett headed straight for the elevator, knowing that if she stopped at her desk the desire to grab the case notes and head for the murder board would be over whelming.

"G'night guys." She called to Ryan and Esposito as she walked past their desks with Castle.

"Good night" they answered together, raising their hands slightly to wave at her, a confused expression still etched on their faces.

"That was nice of you." Castle said softly as they got in the car.

"What?"

"What you did in there. Calling it a night because you know they need it. I know you want to sit in there until the early hours of the morning and pour over the case files, but you know they'd be right there with you."

"Yea well, they're my team. I have to do what's right for them too."

"It was still nice."

She rolled her eyes at him and they rode in comfortable silence for a little while. If she was honest with herself, she knew stepping away from the case wasn't a bad idea. It just wasn't what she wanted to do. She looked sideways again at Castle as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and started to text someone.

"What are you doing?"

"Texting Alexis, telling her its game night."

"Game night?"

"Yes, its like movie night, only…with games. You know, monopoly, life, clue…oh, maybe not clue. That's kind of close to real life stuff…hmm….if you want really mindless I probably have candy land?"

Beckett laughed despite how tired she was and decided that game night at Castle's sounded more appealing than her original plan of talking him into letting her go home alone so she could soak in the bathtub.

"You're on, but I'm warning you, I play a mean game of candy land."

Castle looked at her in shock. He was surprised that she agreed to come to his house and decided not to ask if she was staying the night. She smiled at him coyly,

"What's the matter Castle, afraid of the competition?"

"Please, no one plays kids games better than I do. And do not comment on that." He added quickly before she could remark on the statement.

They walked in the front door of the loft and Martha already had the table set and there was a pile of board games sitting on the floor next to the counter. Kate laughed at Candyland sitting on top. Just then Alexis came downstairs.

"Dad text me and told me you specifically requested Candyland. I hope he was telling the truth, because you have any idea how far back in my closet I had to dig for that?"

"Oh, I can imagine." Kate smiled as she pulled off her heels and gratefully accepted the glass of wine Martha handed her. They made small talk though dinner and Kate found herself actually relaxing in the hours of board games that followed. Everyone laughed the most at the standoff between Rick and Kate at the end of Candyland.

"I'm telling you Castle, it has to be the violet card. You have to land ON that space to win."

"You do NOT! You just have to pass it, which I would have done numerous times already if you weren't being such a control freak."

"I'm not being a control freak, you're trying to cheat."

As they spoke they both drew color cards, both of them hoping for violet; the color of the last square on the board. Both of their gingerbread people sat on the square just before the last one. Whoever got the violet card first would win. Beckett laughed triumphantly and moved her piece to the violet square as she picked up the last card.

"There! I win. Best two out of three."

"How about three out of five"

"Dad!" Alexis groaned from across the table. "Really? Its almost midnight and you're going to make her play more?"

"He's a sore loser, always has been." Martha quipped from the couch. She had given up on the board game marathon earlier in the evening.

"Mother, quitting means you give up the right to comment."

She waved her hand at him over her shoulder as she headed to her bedroom.

"I'm off to bed anyway. Goodnight all."

"I'm off to bed too, good night dad, good night Kate."

"Good night Alexis." They called in unison as she headed up the stairs. Rick turned back to Kate.

"Three out of five"

"Just admit defeat Castle." She mumbled around a yawn.

"Only if you do too, time for bed?"

"Mhmm." She put her arms above her head as she stretched the scooted back from the table. All thoughts she had earlier about going back to her own apartment had disappeared during dinner and games. Being with family was more relaxing than any bath or shower could ever be. Kate stopped dead in her tracks. Had she just thought of Castle and his family as her family? Rick walked up behind her and put his arm around her waist, pull her back against his chest. She smiled as he wrapped his other arm around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. She leaned into his embrace and sighed.

"You okay?" He mumbled against her neck. She smiled at his concern. He always did so much to make sure she was okay, despite her pushing him away, he was always there. She turned her head and kissed him on the cheek.

"Yea, I'm fine. Lets go to bed."

She took his hand and led him to the bedroom.

"Beckett" Kate mumbled into the phone quietly, trying to not wake up the man sleeping beside her. He had his arm draped loosely around her waist and she knew if she moved too much he would wake up. Esposito laughed softly on the other end.

"You know he's going to wake up anyways. You might as well just wake him up now."

"What have you got?"

Castle leaned over her and mumbled into the phone.

"Better be a body….something interesting…" Kate put her elbow in the middle of his chest and pushed him backwards.

"See? I told you he would wake up. Anyhow…yes, there is a body. And Beckett…it's the same guy as the Schroder case."

Kate's whole body tensed as she scribbled down the address on the pad of paper on the nightstand and flipped her phone shut. The same killer meant the possibility of a serial killer. The thought sent chills down her back. Castle took one look at her face as she climbed out of bed and knew there was something wrong; something big. He was out of bed in an instant and keeping pace with her as she got dressed.

"What is it Kate?" He asked quietly as they moved around each other in the bathroom.

"Esposito said it's the same guy as the Schroder case." His eyes met hers in the mirror and he could already see her mind working in over drive. He knew she was running over things she could have missed. He also knew to leave her alone. They were both dressed and out the door in less than ten minutes from when she hung up with Esposito.

They pulled up to the crime scene fifteen minutes later. Ryan and Esposito were standing just outside of the crime scene tape, each of them holding a cup of coffee. Beckett glanced at their cups then stared at Castle as he handed her one.

"When did you…"

"At home, I tried giving it to you in the car but you were…distracted."

"Right…sorry…thank you." She muttered as she took the cup from him and took a drink.

"What have we got?" Castle asked Ryan.

"Dawn Lassiter. 42. Her husband and daughter are away for the weekend, camping. The neighbor found her when he was leaving for work."

"Has anyone contacted her family?" Beckett asked quietly.

"Yea, the neighbor did. He called 911, then called the husband. He's over there." Esposito motioned to a sick looking man sitting on the steps of the house next door. A uniformed officer was standing with him.

"Have you guys talked to him?"

"Not yet. He was…not in any state to speak when we pulled up. He's just recently stopped throwing up. We were giving him a minute."

Beckett nodded and looked around Esposito's shoulder towards where Lanie was with the body.

"We're sure its the same guy?"

"Yes. Lanie won't confirm it until she gets her back to the lab, but…you can tell…"

Beckett bit the inside of her bottom lip as she nodded, then took a deep breathe and ducked under the tape. She felt Castle following closely behind her but didn't turn to look at him.

"Morning Beckett, Castle." Lanie called quietly, not looking up from what she was doing. Neither Beckett or Castle responded as they got closer to the body.

"What have we got Lanie?" Beckett asked as she walked around the body. She was slumped in the driveway, next to her car, her body half supported by the rear tire on the drivers side. Even she could tell without any comparison in the lab it was the same killer. The amount of blood around the body was unreal. The same gruesome wound ran across the front of her body, diagonally from shoulder almost to her hip. There were similar wounds on her thighs and arms, and a single stab wound to her neck. There was duct tape across her mouth, and Beckett knew without looking what it would say, but she bent closer anyhow.

Please don't take my sunshine away

"I would put time of death sometime between 10pm and 2am. I won't confirm it without getting her back to the lab, but chances are she was killed by the same knife as in the Schroder case."

Beckett closed her eyes briefly then opened them again as Ryan and Esposito came walking up.

"The neighbor, Mr. Beautigh, says he found her when he was leaving for work this morning, around five am. He didn't hear anything last night."

"Does he know of anyone who would have wanted to hurt her?"

"We were asking but he…is ill again. We're giving him some space."

Beckett nodded slowly and walked around the body.

"Her purse?"

"Right next to the car, where she dropped it. Doesn't look like a robbery." Ryan called as he rummaged though her purse. "Keys and wallet are still here."

"Look through her pictures. Castle found that note in Joanna's purse in place of a picture. Maybe the killer did the same thing here."

Ryan nodded and flipped open the wallet then stopped cold, his mouth hung open.

"Um…Beckett? You need to…see this…."

He held up a piece of paper with the same printing as the writing on the duct tape. Beckett walked over and took it from him.

Detective Beckett:

I want to be caught. I am tired of being me, even though, for the first time in my life someone wants me. You are supposed to be the best. How many will you let me kill before you stop me?

Kate's mind reeled as she read the note. Her mouth went dry and she had to fight the wave of nausea that swept over her. The killer had made it personal. It was bad enough that there was a serial killer on the lose, but he was specifically targeting people with the intention of being caught. By her. She bit her lip hard as she slipped the note into an evidence bag and handed it back to Ryan.

"Anything else?"

"I…um…haven't…hang on." Ryan stammered as he flipped though the rest of Dawn's wallet. He stopped when there was a slip of paper in the place of one of the pictures. The same bold printing stared back at them.

I'll always love you and make you happy if you will only say the same. But if you leave me, to love another, you'll regret it all someday

"More lyrics from that same song." Esposito mumbled as Ryan slipped that note into its own evidence bag.

"Obviously this is the same guy."

Beckett nodded as she let her eyes wander over the crime scene. She never missed anything, but now it was even more important. The killer wanted her to catch him. He had to be leaving things. Things that she had to see. Things she had to figure out, connections that she had to make, before he killed again. She pushed all of her emotions aside; if he wanted to be caught, she was going to catch him. She looked around the body and in the pool of blood, there were no footprints and she had little hope that there would be any finger prints on the car or the body. She scanned the driveway and something caught her attention on the edge of the flowerbed. She walked over and squatted down next to the dirt.

"There is a partial shoe print over here…" She called out loud, then mumbled to herself "If he walked this close to the bushes then there must be…." Her eyes scanned the rosebushes that were planted to separate this driveway from the neighbors and she spotted a few red threads hanging from one of the thorns. She reached out and carefully pulled them off and slipped them into a bag. She went over the rest of the scene twice but found nothing.

She ran her hand though her hair and sighed as Ryan and Esposito came walking over to her.

"We spoke with the neighbor again. He didn't see or hear anything, he just saw her car when he went to leave for work this morning and thought it was weird, it wasn't normally there. He walked over to look and saw her." Ryan explained.

"Alright…talk to other neighbors, maybe someone else heard or saw something. Make sure CSU gets a picture and cast of that partial shoe print…if they can get a cast. You said the neighbor called her husband?"

"Yea, someone from the precinct called him too, he's on his way down now but it will take a few hours."

"Lanie?"

"Yes?"

"Call me as soon as you have something."

"I always do."

Beckett nodded and headed towards her car. Castle followed her quietly and she looked surprised to see him in the car next to her.

"Yes, I'm still here."

"I'm sorry…its just…"

"I know. We'll catch him, don't worry."

"Don't worry? He's said he's going to kill again unless I stop him. Me Castle, not us, not the police, me. That note was specifically to me."

"You know you're not alone in this. We will stop him."

Beckett sighed before putting the car in drive. She put both hands purposefully on the steering wheel, her gaze fixed steadily out the windshield.

"Yea, but like he said, how many people am I going to let him kill before I do."

Author's Note:

Not AS long between updates this time...lol.

Thank you for continuing to read and review. To those of you who say you sit and read the whole story in a few hours...that floors me every time. I love being sucked into stories and forgetting reality for a while, so to hear that my writing is...gripping enough to do that to some people is a huge compliment :)