Sorry it's taken forever to update, but RL and all. Please drop me a line and let me know what you think bc I'm not really happy with this one. Don't worry I'm getting back to the case, but I just need to resolve or maybe not some things in the characters personal life. I really hope its okay. ~ Meg

At five am Beckett's eyes opened slowly. She could feel Castle's chest rise and fall against her back, it was comforting. Staring straight ahead she recalled last night and whose arms she lay in. In the middle of the night he had wrapped her up totally, one arm underneath her and one remain over her midsection. His hand was still in hers, held tightly. She didn't let go. Today was Monday and she had to get ready for work, yet she didn't move. She smiled as he got a bit more comfortable by wrapping his arm around her tighter and mumbling Kate in his sleep. Unfortunately she knew she had to wake him up, "Castle?" Though, he didn't respond, so she flipped over in his arms to face him, his arms still wrapped around her body.

"Castle?" she whispered with a bit more force.

His eyes started to flutter open inches from her face. He squinted and then tried to rub his eyes, only his right arm was still wrapped around the woman in front of him. He yawned and wondered why his arm felt asleep? Beckett watched as he registered last night.

"Hi." Beckett said neither excited nor nervous. She was thankful. He was always. Silence lingered as they looked at each other a moment. He was holding onto her and she held onto him as if neither noticed the embrace they still had on the other. They were lost in a haze.

"Hi." Castle smiled at her. She thought he looked like a little boy. He was adorable with his hair all messy.

Beckett let go of him, "It's Monday. I have to get to the precinct soon Castle." Beckett sat up, showing she actually was going to get out of bed soon. She didn't want too.

Castle looked at the woman sitting next to him in bed. The woman he loved and wanted in his life forever. Oh my God did he just think that? He shook the thought as he looked at her wavy hair falling around her face. He went to sleep holding a woman with blood red eyes. This morning they were back to the puppy dog brown eyes he loved so much. It made him happy knowing that he helped her in some way. That he was hopefully part of the reason her eyes were not blood red anymore.

"Yeah, of course, but, Beckett you're in the same clothes as yesterday." Castle pointed out. She was still in jeans, her NYPD sweat shirt and a long sleeve green undershirt. She hadn't even noticed until he pointed that out – shit.

"Maybe Alexis has something?" Castle wondered and Beckett gave him a look. "What? I don't know." Castle shrugged, "She has dress clothes and my kid is a Castle. She knows how to dress."

Beckett gave him a look and a roll of the eye, "Castle I will never fit into any pants she has. I'm much taller than her." Beckett argued logically.

Kate stood up and turned to face him. She wasn't nervous or excited, but almost relieved as she spoke in a soft tone, "Thank you Castle. You know, for last night."

Castle knew her and her just bringing it up was something. This time, regardless of circumstances he wanted more from her and wondered if she would ever understand how much he loved her. He questioned at times if she actually did love him and need him like she said she did. How could she fool herself into having relationships with men she didn't love, yet find comfort and protection in only his arms?

"Of course." Castle said a bit disheartened.

Kate turned to walk out of the room and then stopped turning on her heel she walked over to his side of the bed and sat down. Castle tilted his head in question. She grabbed his hand inhaled and exhaled, "When Annika said she hated me in the break room yesterday I wished you were there. I…"

Castle squeezed her hand to urge her to continue.

"…I meant what I said. Thank you. Thank you for always being there. You were the only person I thought of when Ryan and Annika left. I just wanted you. I understand no one can heal my wounds. People say time heals, but I don't know about that. What I have come to understand since my mother's death is that it's okay to accept support from another. That it takes more strength to speak of the hurt than to hold it all in, I don't like to talk of old wounds but you're the only one who can understand my unspoken words as easily as when I voice them." Kate looked into his eyes and squeezed his hand again. Castle was surprised to see her eyes were a bit glossy.

He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and was surprised when she fell into him leaning her head on his chest. He rubbed her back and wondered if this was actually Kate Beckett. The same Kate Beckett he met four years ago.

Becket closed her eyes and inhaled his smell wishing she could stay in his arms forever and knowing she couldn't. She was not a touchy feely type of person, but last night sleeping wrapped up in his arms she had slept so peacefully. He shielded her from all of the darkness and chaos in her life just as she knew he always would.

He wanted to tell her that he loved her. He knew he couldn't, despite her admission he knew her and she wasn't ready.

Beckett pulled away from him, "I have to get to work."

Castle smiled, "You need clothes."

Though, she was already out of the bedroom.

Kate spotted Alexis sitting at the bar drinking a cup of coffee a second later the red heads eyes glanced up to meet her own, "Morning Detective Beckett."

Alexis did the math in her head Beckett was 34 and Annika was either ten or eleven which meant Beckett had Annika at twenty three or twenty four. She knew Beckett had many secrets, but never imagined she had, had a child. Alexis knew she shouldn't look at Beckett any different, but it was hard not to. She had so many questions running through her head.

"Good morning Alexis." Beckett smiled pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Do you have off work today?" Alexis caught herself prying, but Beckett did just walk out of her father's bedroom and as far as she was concerned that was out of the ordinary for the 'just' partners.

"No. Annika is staying with detective Ryan now and I will be joining them down at the precinct as soon as possible." Beckett supplied what she thought was an ample amount of information for early morning coffee talk.

Alexis smiled, "You need clothes for work don't you?" Alexis sympathized.

"That obvious?" Beckett smiled.

Alexis got up from her bar stool, "Come on you can rummage around through my stuff. The sleeves might be short, but you have a jacket downstairs." Beckett totally forgot she had taken the jacket to work as well. She then remembered Annika had grabbed it for her and put it on the couch. Knowing once Beckett realized how vital the information Annika had found on the flash drive was Beckett would want to leave in a rush. She smiled at the thoughtfulness. Then shook the thought and followed Alexis up the stairs and into her room.

Alexis opened the door to her large closet, "After you." Alexis said with a slight smile. She found she suddenly wasn't as annoyed with Beckett anymore as much as she was curious.

"Dress tops are in the back toward the left. We won't fit in the same pants so I believe you are stuck with those. I wear a size nine shoe." She looked at Beckett wondering what size she wore.

"I'm a size ten." Beckett scrunched her face in pessimism.

"Great, they won't be too tight." Alexis smiled and walked downstairs to see her father in his rumpled jeans and shirt from yesterday, coffee in hand and a sleepy smile on his face.

"Where's Beckett?" Castle asked right away. It bugged Alexis a bit that he didn't say good morning to her first, but immediately asked about Beckett. Though, she dismissed the personal feelings quickly. She knew the words before they were going to come out of his mouth. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last.

"She's in my…" Alexis started, but was cut off by Beckett coming down the stairs quickly as she buttoned the last two buttons of Alexis' top.

"Hey, Alexis I think I found something." Beckett looked up to see Castle and Alexis looking at her.

Castle folded his arms, "Oh. My. God."

Alexis and Beckett looked at Castle's surprised face, "Dad, what?"

Castle looked at Beckett, "You took my advice. This calls for some sort of celebration."

Beckett rolled her eyes and Alexis looked on still a bit lost. Beckett turned to her, "Your Dad suggested because I had no clothes I borrow yours."

"Oh." Alexis caught on and shook her head at her dad, but in the back of her mind she wondered why Beckett hadn't asked her herself. She knew why. They had a relationship, but not a close one. They respected each other and that was it. Suddenly, Alexis realized she didn't know Beckett at all. She had never cared to know her. Beckett made her dad happy and was nice enough. So, that was good enough for her. She was a woman with a murdered mother, she spoke Russian, and she had given up a ten year old daughter. What other secrets would she reveal with time?

"Wonderful. I see you even found a pair of heels." Alexis noticed.

"Yeah, thanks again." Beckett said and Alexis nodded.

"You want some coffee to go?" Castle asked, "I'll get a thermos."

"Actually, I poured mine in a thermos knowing I was leaving soon." She walked over to the coffee pot where Castle now stood and felt eyes on her as she poured her coffee. "Castle, you're staring. It's creepy."

Alexis took that as her cue and walked over and curled up on the couch with her thoughts.

"Oh, right, sorry." Castle murmured quickly.

"No you're not." Beckett smiled and turned away from him to grab her purse which was still on the coffee table.

"Bye Alexis, I would return the clothes tonight, but I'd like to wash them first so I will-" Beckett was cut off by Alexis.

"It's okay; we have a washer and dryer. I want to wear the blazer tomorrow." Her words came out rushed and Beckett didn't say anything more.

"Okay." Beckett agreed opened the door, waved to both the Castle's and left.

Alexis' mind still raced as she sat sipping her coffee on the couch. Castle poured more into his own mug.

"Dad I can feel you staring at me." Alexis quipped and Castle inhaled took a sip of his coffee, and exhaled loud enough to make Alexis turn around and look at him.

His daughter's icy blue eyes pierced his own darker blue orbs and for a second. Alexis thought her dad knew that she knew something.

"Is everything okay?" Alexis wondered.

Rick looked past Alexis into a nowhere for a moment and then back into his daughters eyes.

"Yeah, of course." Castle smiled and started to walk back in his room, but stopped and turned to his daughter on the couch. "Alexis?"

She turned to look at her father, "hhmm?"

"Thanks for loaning Beckett your clothes this morning." He smiled at her and she returned the smile.

"It's no big deal." Alexis said and her dad walked back into his room. He wanted Kate's warm body in his arms again, wanted to hear her breath in and out as he inhaled lavender scented shampoo mixed with cherry Chap Stick that he knew she wore for him. He wondered if she wanted the same thing. If she wanted to stay in his arms and not go to work.

Though, her work was where all of her problems seemed to initiate themselves. She was going to have to question Annika today. He headed into the shower to get ready to meet her at the precinct. She admitted she wanted him there in her toughest moment. She always had wanted him and she couldn't take that back today. He was going down to the precinct as soon as possible.

Annika wasn't looking forward to seeing Kate this morning. She sat on Esposito's desk swinging her legs and talking to Esposito about Jenny's reaction last night. Ryan was in the break room getting donuts and coffee.

"So, how did it go last night?" Esposito wondered.

Annika sighed tired of explaining every little thing to everyone and learning of more secrets than she ever cared to learn of.

"Ryan's house is nice. I have my own room just like at Beckett's place. Jenny is really, really sweet too. She made dinner even though I insisted I wasn't hungry. Ryan was right. I…I really don't think she minds that I'm there." Annika said her stomach grumbling.

"Well did you eat it?" Esposito said and Annika looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about?" asked Annika clearly confused.

"The dinner Jenny made. Did you eat it?" Esposito specified.

"Ohhh." Annika smiled a small smile, "Yeah, yes I did."

"Jenny is pretty laid back." Esposito stated.

"Yeah she is." Annika smiled and then frowned at the thought of the person she was thinking of, "She isn't like Beckett at all."

"No, no she's not." Esposito knew Beckett was definitely wound tighter than Jenny, but with good reason. Plus, they had walked two very different paths in life so of course she wasn't like Jenny.

"Why does she have to question me? Why can't you or Ryan do it? Isn't this case compromised for her or something? Why didn't your Captain take her off of it?" Annika asked as Ryan walked up with coffee and donuts.

Annika didn't acknowledge Ryan, but stayed focused on how Esposito was going to respond.

"Listen Annika you and I both know Beckett knows more about this case than either one of us do. The men, the same men that are after you – are only after you because of her. She knows what to ask." Esposito tried.

"You say she cares and you mean well. You don't talk shit, but so far nothing good has happened since I met her." Annika said as Beckett walked up to the desk, overhearing the conversation, but not wanting to pry she didn't mention what she had heard.

Annika and the boys turned to face her and Annika sighed, "I guess you are ready to interrogate me detective. Let's hurry and get this over with." Annika sounded miserable.

"Yeah, I'm ready if you are." Beckett said in a clipped distant tone. It was obvious she wasn't comfortable around Annika.

"I just told you I was ready. Are we going into the actual interrogation room or the conference room which is just supposed to make me feel more comfortable?" Annika asked smartly.

"Which would you prefer Annika?" Beckett asked.

"The interrogation room and Ryan and Espo watch."

"Fine." Beckett agreed.

"Fine." Annika got her way and soon she was sitting in a chair across from Beckett.

"I understand why you hate me, and that's okay I'm not asking for a second chance, but we have to work together to find out who killed your parents."

Castle walked up to Esposito and Ryan who were watching Beckett and Annika from the other side of the two way mirror.

"What's going on?" asked Castle.

"Just watch." Said Esposito.

"She just brought Annika in." added Ryan.

"Have you spoken with her since Annika came to stay with me?" asked Ryan.

"Yeah." Castle didn't add when or where.

"When?" asked Ryan ever curious. Why his curiosity was so strong would always be a mystery to Esposito.

Esposito and Castle turned their heads to stare at him a moment telling him silently to shut it. Though, they didn't faze him. "I'm just making sure everything was okay after I picked Annika up. You both know even though she said she was fine she wasn't. Beckett isn't as translucent as she thinks." Ryan said and then turned back to the two way mirror, arms folded.

Castle inhaled, "That's Beckett."

Esposito now exhaled, "Yo. Chatterboxes, we're supposed to be listening to their conversation."

Castle, Ryan and Esposito were now quiet as they listened intently to the conversation taking place on the other side of the mirror.

Beckett hadn't spoken she learned long ago life wasn't beautiful and, like everything in her life this was going to be tough.

Annika glared at Beckett as if her stare alone could pierce holes in her.

"How's Ryan's place?" Beckett was casual and knew she shouldn't get personal, but she had her own tactics to break their only hope and it wasn't by the books. No.

"Really? You're seriously going to ask me that?" Annika shifted her weight in her chair looked dead into the two way mirror and smiled, "I like your place Ryan. You were right, Jenny is really nice, but Beckett knows it's not a home, it's a house. I'm just there until you can't keep me anymore. Annika looked back to Beckett.

"Annika, cut the bullshit! I tried my damnest to keep you with an agent I trusted with my own life. Another agent is not an option. They don't know the case like we do." Beckett said frustrated with Annika's attitude.

"That's what Esposito says." Annika sat up a bit straighter in her chair as she pretended to pick at her cuticles.

"What?" Beckett's head tilted with curiosity.

"You try, and that you really do care. That I should even try and treat you better." Annika sighed and looked up at Beckett, "He's probably right. I know I'm stubborn. Though, so are you. Detective both my parents, just died, I've been taken away from everything that is familiar to me, told people are trying to kidnap me as leverage to get to a woman I've never met, oh and this woman just happens to be my biological mother who is just as fucked up as I am." She looked back down to her hands.

"Esposito is right I do care Annika." Beckett treaded carefully as she spoke eyeing Annika's body language.

"Yeah, yeah I know." Annika mumbled and then looked back up at Beckett, "There's one big difference between you and me detective. You may feel like shit, that something has to give, you probably cry of yesterdays and who knows what else. But you don't have to do this on your own. Yeah, you use to live life on your own but not now. Now you have a place to run. You have a home wherever you go whether you realize it or not." Annika paused a moment, "I don't."

The boys were confused Esposito shook his head, "She's losing her. They haven't even spoken of the case."

Castle inhaled, "Trust her."

Esposito shook his head, "She has a few more minutes and I'm saying something to her."

Beckett looked at her oddly, "What do you mean Annika?"

"I bet you ran to Castle last night after I left. When I left you felt you failed and you hate to fail." Annika smiled she wouldn't say it aloud, but she noticed she was wearing the same jacket and jeans to work instead of her regular dress attire, "I like him too. Martha is kinda crazy, but she is fun and cooks a good breakfast."

Beckett smiled a small smile, "I guess he's not so bad."

Both Ryan and Esposito looked at Castle. Castle, well aware of the eyes on him remained watching Beckett and Annika.

"Annika what did Mr. Scott say to you on the night of your parents murder?" Beckett needed to change the subject.

"What did you do the night of your mother's murder?" The question came out of nowhere. "You had your dad, right?" Annika changed the subject not wanting to speak of that night just yet.

"First I was in shock, and then later on that evening when I realized she was never coming back I cried. At her funeral I took a walk on the beach with my father because we couldn't be around so much grief. My mother was a wonderful woman. Now what happened in the middle of the night?"

"Fine. I got up to get a drink, because I was thirsty. I don't remember what time it was but it was after one am. I ran into him as he was heading out the door and he said if I told anyone that he saw me leave the house the same thing that would happen to them would happen to me." Annika said and then sighed, "I'm pretty sure I've told you pretty much everything I know. I gave you the flash drive and he admits to murder on there. Isn't that enough to bring him in?" Annika wondered.

"Yes, but we need to find him first. Where did your dad and Mr. Scott take most of their trips?" Beckett asked as she flipped a page in her case file over.

Annika's mind raced, "Who's my biological dad?"

Beckett looked up her bottom lip still open. She was completely caught off guard and flustered.

The boys looked at each other uncomfortably and then became very quiet. It was now Annika's turn to delve into Beckett's personal life again. So far, the interview had become a sort of game. You tell me something about yourself and I will tell you something about the case. This was going to take forever.