Hope you guys like it. For Joss because, GIFS lolol.

Pieces

Lanie smiled when she saw her friends face walk into the precinct. She embraced Kate cautiously, "Sweetie, we were so worried about you."

"I'm fine." Beckett insisted.

Lanie shook her head back and forth at her friend, "Where's Castle?"

Beckett looked behind her and her eyes met his.

Lanie smiled at Kate and walked up to Castle, "How are you feeling?"

Castle smiled, "Like I've been shot, cut open, and all that icky stuff."

Beckett rolled her eyes at him and chuckled softly. Castle looked at Kate, "I'm better now."

She smiled up at him and Lanie let out an, "Awww, you guys are so cute."

Esposito walked up and gave Beckett a hug and fist bumped Castle.

"Esposito where are the girls?"

"Oh, they're in the break room with Martha."

Kate had been wondering what had been going through Annika's mind since Esposito took the girls back to the precinct. She knew she had enough going through her own head since; her team had walked up on a crime scene that had made her life much more complicated than she ever thought it could ever get. Kate knew that Annika had to find someone to adopt her now and if one thought the idea of doing it herself hadn't crossed her mind. Then that person didn't know her at all. Of course she had thought of adopting Annika, but in doing so she was going to need an attorney. An attorney would inevitably cost money. The case was not yet closed and Beckett knew she was in fact too close to the case to most likely adopt Annika. Plus, she had to factor in if Annika even wanted Kate to adopt her.. Castle watched as Kate inhaled and opened her eyes glancing again at the break room, but not moving toward it. Kate could see Annika's terrified eyes, mere reflections of her own. "What's going to happen to me now?"

Beckett felt bad telling her that she didn't know what was going to happen to her. She knew it wasn't the comfort Annika was looking for, but it was the best she could provide at the moment. She opened her eyes and took a step forward toward the break room. Lanie exchanged glances with Esposito and Castle when Beckett started to walk toward the break room.

Castle looked at Lanie's concerned face and gave a reassuring smile. Lanie drew in a breath and let out a sigh as she watched her best friend and Castle walked into the break room.

Alexis handed Annika a cup of coffee and started to make one for her when out of the corner of her she saw her father, "Dad!"

She quickly left her cup of coffee and carefully ran into her father's arms.

"Ouch. Easy sweetie I'm not better yet." Castle smiled.

Annika stood across the break room from Beckett coffee in hand. When she spotted Kate she froze her gaze unyielding she stood stoic her eyes locked onto Katherine Beckett's. Annika didn't know who she was anymore, her parents were dead. She didn't know where she was going to live or whom she was going to be living with. She had thought long and hard about what she asked Kate in the hospital when Castle was asleep and she had realized this woman, Katherine Beckett who had given her away in Russia was the only person she had anything in common with throughout the case.

Kate's mixture of green eyes with flecks of gold mixed in reflected back to her once again as she looked the broken child before her in the eyes she saw so much pain and loss. Neither Kate nor Annika moved, both were unsure of who was supposed to take the first step toward the other.

Alexis and Castle finished embracing and Alexis motioned for her dad to look at Beckett and Annika. Annika took her bottom lip in her mouth and looked down for a millisecond. Kate stepped forward and Annika met her in the middle of the break room. Neither hugged the other, but just stared at one another until Annika asked, "You still don't know what's going to happen to me do you?"

Beckett couldn't speak the words aloud and so she just nodded her head no.

"I don't have a family anymore. My dad isn't still alive like when your mom was murdered." Annika reminded Kate.

"I know and I'm sorry." Beckett said.

Annika looked away and sighed then looked back to Beckett, "You should probably contact DCF or whoever it is you need to contact. I don't think we have a protective detail on us anymore, which means I need to get my things from detective Ryan's house to take with me to the agency if they put me back with the Greenways."

Alexis looked to her dad then back to Annika, "Annika you don't…"

Annika turned to Alexis sharply, "Alexis you don't have a say in this. You have a family. Please just…" Annika swallowed her eyes were visibly glossy, "I'm glad you're feeling better Castle."

With that Annika stormed out of the break room.

Alexis looked to Beckett, "Well, aren't you going to adopt her?"

Kate looked at Castle and whispered, "It's not that simple."

Alexis opened her mouth and then shut it, angered by Beckett's complex personality. She proceeded to quickly storm out of the break room as well. Kate held Castle's stare as he walked over to her and took her hand, "You're not alone."

That's when the Beckett broke scattering pieces of herself like glass across the floor as her tears fell rapidly; every time she hiccupped them back, pain would shoot through to her chest and eat away at her broken ribs. So, she stopped holding her tears back, but it didn't stop the pain. She couldn't hide the fact she had a broken heart too. She slowly put her arms around Castle and buried her head in the crook of his neck, "I want to adopt her Castle, I do, but I don't know if she would be safe with me. Her safety comes first and she'll never be safe with me."

Castle closed his eyes and ran his hands through her hair. As he pulled her closer to him, she gently laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes as well.

Esposito watched as Annika run out of the break room and not a minute later a tear stained Alexis burst into Gates office, "Why can't Beckett adopt her? Why won't she do it?!"

Gates inhaled patiently and took her glasses off placing them on her head. She motioned to the chair in front of her desk, "Take a seat little Castle."

Alexis was angry and wasn't fond of Gates to begin with, but for some reason she obliged the Captain and sat down quietly across from Victoria Gates, "I was wondering when this day was going to come."

"Well do you have a solution?" Alexis asked in a hurry.

"No, but Beckett did. You see Alexis, Beckett cares about that little girl more than you will ever know. Not until you have children of your own will you understand why Kate did what she did for Annika." Alexis tilted her head in question and Gates leaned forward, "Kate holds Annika's safety above her own. I already know that little girl is the little girl detective Beckett gave up in Russia eleven years ago. It wasn't because she felt that she would be a bad mother. No. I guarantee that she wanted that little girl and not a day went by that she didn't wonder secretly if she did the right thing. Wondered if someone else could have raised her better and given her a better life. Though, being Beckett she kept her secret in the depths of her broken heart."

"Until Annika's parent's were murdered and the boys discovered who she was." Alexis finished.

Gates shook her head in disagreement, "I think it had more to do with your father than anything else. I'm sure she could have found a way to lie about Annika if she wanted the boys to believe there was something wrong with the computer, she would have. Though, secrets eat at you slowly and once she discovered she could trust her secret with your father, a weight was lifted. He helped her free herself of her own broken heart. While I don't agree with most of the things your father does. I agree he is a good man Alexis."

Alexis sat back in the chair and locked eyes with the woman before her, "Why did you tell me this?"

"A woman's heart holds many secrets Alexis. Sometimes we just need someone to talk too." Gates said very out of character as she smiled sadly at the young girl in front of her.

"Did you…" Alexis inhaled as she stopped herself from finishing that question.

Gates put her glasses back on and stood as Mrs. Martin the head of the children's adoption agency walked in Gates office.

"Hello Mrs. Martin." Gates smiled.

Annika sat on what had become her step in the stairwell her mind racing as rapid fire memories assaulted her.

"Nice to meet you Annika, my name is Alexis. You can have my diet coke if you want. I haven't opened it yet."

"I hate you! Why didn't you tell me I was your biological child?! I hate you! You probably killed my parents, because you wanted me!"

"Annika if you tell anyone about this little talk we had tonight. Don't think just because you are a kid the same thing that will inevitably happen to your mommy and daddy can't happen to you too. Do you understand what I'm saying Annika? Do you understand how important it is to keep a secret?"

"I don't hate you. I hate that you're my mother. I miss my mom. She didn't deserve to die."

"Who is my biological father?"

"They took Alexis."

Annika inhaled a shaky breath and tried to slow the racing thoughts in her mind. Instead she curled up in a ball and cried for all that was and all that would never be.

Gates walked out of her office and ran into Karpowski, "Where is Annika, detective Beckett, and Mr. Castle?"

"I saw the little girl run that way," Karpowski pointed to the stairwell, "about twenty minutes ago. Beckett and Castle are in the break room."

Gates nodded and Beckett heard clicking of heels and releasing herself from Castle's embrace she quickly dried her face, "Sir?"

"Mrs. Martin is here for Annika only we can't find her." Gates said and Castle wondered if Gates really expected Beckett to go and search for her daughter only to give her away yet again.

"I think I know where she might be." Beckett gave a quick smile to Castle and started to walk out of the break room.

"Wait…" Beckett, Gates, and Mrs. Martin all turned to look at Castle.

Alexis drew in a shaky breath as she thought about what Gates had said to her. Did Kate want Annika? It sure didn't seem like she did. Why would someone give a child up? How could Beckett claim to love Annika after doing what she did, and most important, why did Gates even care?

"What is it Castle?" Beckett wondered.

Castle took a step toward Mrs. Martin and Gates, "What's going to happen to Annika?"

Mrs. Martin sighed happily, "We've spoken with Jocelyn Scott and she's agreed to adopt Annika. They have family in Russia and Jocelyn wants to take the girls back to Russia to be with her family as long as she and the girls both get new identities."

Beckett took a step forward, "They won't be safe there."

"They will have new identities that will make it nearly impossible to find them." Mrs. Martin assured Beckett which Kate quickly translated into. You will never see Annika again.

"Kyle Scott's pharmaceutical business' headquarters are in Russia. It's a terrible choice for all of them." Beckett tried to rationalize to Mrs. Martin.

"I assure you they will be fine." Mrs. Martin said firmly and Beckett shook her head vehemently, no.

"Detective I need to know where Annika is." Mrs. Martin reminded her, but it was too much for Beckett to handle. Beckett quickly brushed past Castle, Mrs. Martin, and Captain Gates out of the break room and toward the elevator.

Gates quickly followed her out of the break room, "Detective!"

Esposito watched from his desk as the third woman that day stormed out of the break room. She never turned around to look at her Captain.

Gates turned to look at Castle. Castle inhaled, shook his head and shrugged his shoulders as he looked to Gates, "Happy?"

She wasn't happy at all, but sad, and misunderstood. Just as Alexis didn't understand Beckett, and took her anger out on her for being an overly protective mother, Castle was mad at Gates. It wasn't fair, but neither was life.

Beckett's eyes were a wall of clouded pain which she could barely see through.

"Sorry." Said the eleven year old not looking up to see who she ran into as she ascended the stairs.

Beckett looked down at Annika trying to tamp down her emotions to the best of her ability. She swallowed her tears and wiped at her face, "It's Okay."

Annika looked up recognizing her voice. The two stood staring at each other for a bit, "Mrs. Martin is here to take me to the agency, isn't she?"

Beckett nodded yes.

Annika sat back down on the cold concrete stairs. A few seconds went by and Annika didn't look up, but Beckett sat down beside her. Annika drew in a deep breath and rest her head on Beckett's shoulder, exhaling. Beckett leaned her head on Annika's and put her arm around her shoulder. It hurt Beckett to know that out of all the people she'd saved, she couldn't help her own daughter. They sat like that for a moment as the still cold seeped into their bones, broken and defeated.