My apologies for the long absence. Readers should be treated better than that, especially readers like you. To attempt to make up for it, this a longer chapter than normal. I hope it is up to snuff.

I hope everyone had a good holiday season and is enjoying the New Year.

As always please leave a little comment. It's what keeps writers writing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

Castle took a cab with Serena to a bar in Midtown. Serena's description of the place as an infamous locale for high end thieves and fences surprised him. He couldn't believe he had never heard of the place, especially given the number and quality of thieves he knew. It would have made an excellent location for so many different stories. He pulled out his notebook and began jotting down the ideas as quickly as they flew into his mind. He was so involved with what he was writing he didn't even notice when Serena leaned into him to see what he was doing.

"Crime fighter by day, writer by night." She took a sip from her drink as she straightened on her stool. "You are quite an interesting man, Mr. Castle."

"No less interesting than yourself." Rick put his notebook back in his pocket. "Insurance investigator with contacts in the high end underworld of art trafficking. I'm sure there is a story there worth telling." If Castle hadn't been concentrating so hard on developing the Serena character in his head, he would have noticed the dangerous sparkle in her eyes when he made the statement.

"If you are lucky, one day, I may just tell it to you." She flashed him smile.

Warning bells were just starting to go off in the back of Castle's mind when they were interrupted. A man several years Castle's junior sat on the stool next to Serena staring at both of them. "Haven't see you in a while Serena. You don't love me no more?"

"It's not like that." Serena said in a pouting tone.

"What's Jason Bateman here got that I don't?"

Castle knew it was ridiculous but felt the need to defend himself. "Hey, that got me out of a speeding ticket once." He winced internally at what he said. Not his best stuff.

Serena got the conversation back on track. "I need to know if anyone is moving D flawless diamonds. They could have hit the market as early as last night."

The contact started staring off into space. "I don't know." Castle could tell he was hedging. Serena slid an envelope across the bar. Castle could tell by the thickness it was anywhere between several hundred to several thousand dollars. Instantly, things appeared to become much clearer for the informant. "Yeah. Guy approached me a couple of days ago. Piece covered in flawless D's. Marble fist or something."

Serena flashed a winning smile and simply radiated charm. "Really?"

Kate was aggravated as she left the interrogation room. An hour of questioning with Mr. McHugh had led absolutely nowhere. More importantly, Castle had been out with Serena Kaye instead of in the interrogation room with her. The longer he was out with her, the worse her mood became. She knew, rationally, that there wasn't anything to worry about. The problem was the rational had packed its bags and left for vacation. Jealously and possessive, however, had nothing better to do than hang out in every thought she had. Her green monster wanted to choke Serena Kaye out in the middle of the bullpen. As she looked up from her notepad she saw Castle and Serena sitting at her desk. Her mood both improved and worsened.

Castle could tell from the look on her face and the absolute silence in her thoughts that Kate wasn't happy. He didn't need see her thought to know exactly what was going through her mind. He was trying to figure out how to diffuse the situation as both he and Serena approached Beckett.

"Hayes." Serena stated without preamble. "It's Hayes."

Kate paused for a moment to let that sink in. "The victim?"

Castle picked up the narrative. "We met with, let's call them a rather violent trader in questionable goods, about moving a large amount of diamonds. This informant told us that Hayes had been asking around about moving a lot of diamonds that were part of a sculpture."

Kate picked up his train of thought. "So Hayes checks on the progress of the theft during the gala. Words get exchanged about the theft and how it is going."

Castle continues. "Millions of dollars are at stake. Falco wants to keep the money for himself, he's doing all the heavy lifting, after all"

Kate nods her head. "A fight breaks out and Hayes ends up dead."

"Exactly." Castle concludes.

Serena turns to Javi and Kevin. "Are they always like this?"

They answer in unison. "Always."

Kate, not hearing the exchange, sets her notepad down on the desk.

"With that, I can do some more investigating and see if I can track down Falco." Serena grabs her coast and turns to do. "See you tomorrow."

Kate notices how a she only seems to be talking to Castle.

Grrrr!

What? Castle turns to face Kate.

Nothing.

"Well, now that our prime suspect is a phantom art thief, we don't have a lot to go on." Kate looks at the boys. "Best to call it a day and start fresh again tomorrow."

Javi and Kevin don't need any encouragement. They quickly return to their desk, grab their things and disappear.

Kate smiles to herself as she watches them escape. As she grabs her own items she looks to Castle. "You ready?"

"Are you ready? Mother has decided to cook again. This might be a good night to stay at your place."

"Trying to get rid of me?" She bumps his shoulder as they head for the elevator.

Castle fakes shock. "Not hardly. I was going to hide at your place with you."

"We told your mother we would be there for dinner and now we are going." Kate guided him into the elevator.

"Yes dear." Castle deadpanned as the doors closed. That got him a severe ear pinch

Dinner was excellent despite all of Castle's theatrics about his mother's cooking. The conversation bounced around as everyone discussed their day. It finally arrived at Kate and Castle and he began the tale of the art murder and the unwanted consultant. Kate found Castle description of the woman a little too charitable and entirely to flattering.

"She's an uncooperative, stubborn, cocky, know it all." Kate clamped her hand over her mouth as she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as Martha, Alexis, and Castle all turned to stare at her. She hadn't meant to say that out loud and certainly not in front of Marta and Alexis. How much wine had she consumed? She really needed to get a grip on herself.

Castle couldn't remember ever seeing Kate jealous before. He realized that was he was about to do was pressing his luck, but he just couldn't resist. "Well, I was thinking about adding a character like her to the next book. Sort of a female side kick for Nikki. Maybe cause a little tension between Rook and Heat." He took a sip from his wine glass to emphasis the point.

Martha just rolled her eyes at her son. She knew exactly what was happening here. She just hoped Kate didn't hurt him too bad when she went for payback.

Alexis was a little more mortified than her grandmother and let it show. "Dad!"

Kate did her best not to react outwardly to the taunt. She simply took another bite of her dinner. Only if Nikki gets to shoot her in the final chapter.

Jealous detective? Castle raised an eyebrow.

Territorial.

The following morning Kate hadn't even gotten her bag set down on her desk before Kevin and Javi pounced with information.

"Hayes was seriously in the red. He's been paying for his mother's hospital bills and long term care. It has seriously affected his finances. Also, his computer has some suspicious emails about the security systems at the museum. There is even mention of a meeting two days before the heist." Kevin set the folder down in front of Kate. "The emails were sent to an anonymous account."

"So if we can figure out where the meet occurred, it can help us identify Falco." Gate theorized.

"It would have to have occurred between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM because that's the only time he left the museum that day."

"That tracks." Javi began flipping through the logs of Hayes' phone calls. "There is a one minute phone call to Escana's Restaurant."

"He was making reservations to meet with Falco." Castle concluded. Castle just nodded his head.

Twenty minutes later, Beckett and Castle walked into the upscale Escana's Restaurant. They showed a picture of Hayes to the hostess who immediately recognized him.

"Yes. Mr. Hayes was a regular. I remember that day because he appeared to be having an argument with the lady he was eating with."

Both Castle and Beckett did a double take. "Lady?" Beckett asked. "Can you describe her?"

"Tall, slender, late thirties but still in great shape. Red hair."

Castle could feel the chill up his spine. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He had a selfie with Serena from the trip to the bar. "Is this her?"

"Yes. That's her." The hostess responded cheerfully.

Castle showed Beckett the picture of him and Serena.

HA! I knew it.

Knew what?

She's involved. I never trusted her. I should have listened to my instincts.

Aren't you the one that says follow the evidence?

Stuff it Castle, I was right. I don't think we aren't you to talk about that selfie with her later.

By the time they got back to the precinct, Espo and Ryan had pulled quite the history on Serena Kyle.

"Get this," Javi started the story "she got into the insurance business several years ago by approaching the company about their short comings. It's suspected that she is responsible for several dozen high profile robberies in Europe. Never proven of course."

Ryan continued the tale. "She claimed to have turned over a new leaf. Decided to help the companies catch thieves just like her."

"She insinuated herself into the investigations of her own crimes." Kate turned a critical eye toward Castle. "No wonder she knows how it was done, she committed the crime."

"I can't believe I was duped." Castle deflated into his chair.

Kate spotted Gates heading her team's way. "Don't worry Castle, you weren't the only one."

Gates stopped in front of Kate's desk. "Is it true? Is she involved?"

Kate answered. "It's highly suspicious, sir, but we don't have any hard evidence."

"Get some detective. If this makes the politicians and brass looks like fools, they will take it out on us, and this job is hard enough."

"Yes sir."

As she watched Gates walk away she turned back to her team. "Anyone have any ideas on exactly how we are going to do that?"

Javi looked at Ryan with a plan forming in his mind. Picking on Castle was one of his favorite past times. The fact that this also would get at Beckett was simply a bonus. "What we need is a distraction. Something to keep her out of her room so we can search it."

"And just how are we going to do that?" Castle couldn't have fallen into the trap better had he done it on purpose.

"We lure her out." Javi said looking at Castle.

Kevin quickly caught on. "With bait." Kevin looked from Javi down to where Castle was sitting.

Javi continued. "She's been flirting with you. She doesn't know that the two of you are together. Castle asks her to dinner. We all know that he can talk for hours."

"Hey!"

Javi ignored Castle remark. "That should give us plenty of time to search her room." Javi was having quite the ball watching Castle and Beckett squirm. It wasn't often you could get under Beckett's skin.

"You two are completely out of your minds." Beckett managed to get out before Castle could. "I'm not going to use my boyfriend as bait for that succubus."

You called me your boyfriend.

Not now, Castle.

"Do you have a better idea?" Javi looked at Beckett. He figured this was a far as he could take it. If he pushed any harder, Beckett might shoot him.

"Not yet, but I will come up with one."

"Why?" Everyone whirled around. They hadn't heard Gates approach. "She won't suspect him and Mr. Castle loves undercover work. Certainly this is safer than going into an underground poker game run by the Russian mob."

"How do you know about that?"

Once again Castle was ignored. "Besides, it will be nice to see Mr. Castle shoulder the majority of the weight for once." Gates took two steps toward the group. "This needs to be solved quickly and quietly. We can't have the criminal in here leading us around by the nose. You have a plan, Detective. Make it happen, now."

As Gates walked off the anger rolling off Beckett was visible. Both Javi and Kevin quickly escaped to their desk.

There has to be a better plan, Kate.

I don't have one. Like it or not, this is a really good plan. It could work.

Good plan? How is me wining and dining a woman that is not you a good plan?

You aren't in love with her are you?

What? No!

You aren't going to sleep with her are you?

Are you crazy?

Then what's the harm?

The harm is that I stopped being that person the first time I laid eyes on you. I don't do the different woman, different parties, and late night thing anymore.

Kate cursed the fact they were in the precinct and had vowed to keep things professional here. She closed her eyes and with all the emotion she could muster she embraced Rick with her mind, kissing him passionately and thoroughly.

Castle was just about to stand when the sensation hit him literally pushing him back into the chair. When he looked up he was overwhelmed by the emotion in Kate's eyes.

I love you Richard Castle.