Chapter 25

Two Weeks Later – Late April
It had taken Beckett some getting used to having Castle around at work. It wasn't that she didn't want him around, it was just the fact that she was afraid Montgomery would find out they were more than colleagues. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't care if her boss knew about her love life, but this time it was different. It he caught wind of what was going on between them she could be fired on an ethics violation and that was not something she would be okay with.

Castle strolled out of the elevator with a cardboard cup of coffee in either hand. He noticed his girlfriend was neck-deep in manilla folders, her forehead wrinkling while she thought.

"Good morning, detective," he said casually placing the coffee in front of her.

Beckett looked up, surprised to see him here. "Hey! I didn't know you were coming in today."

"I couldn't leave you coffee-less, could I?" he chuckled. She thanked him and took a mouthful of the much needed caffeinated beverage, smacking her lips together after she swallowed.

Ryan came around the corner flicking through pages in a folder. Officers had to dodge out of his path because he wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings.

"Is that the report on the print?" Beckett shouted over to him. He looked up momentarily and nodded. "Did we get a match?"

Both Castle and Beckett noticed the detective was holding back. "What am I missing?" Castle asked.

Ryan sighed and handed her the file. "We didn't get an ID on the print," he informed, "but that same print was found at another crime scene over six years ago."

"Okay?"

"Beckett, it was your mom's crime scene."

It were as if the room fell silent. Speechless, she glanced down at the report. She could feel the stares of Ryan and Castle but chose to remain unfazed.

"Are you sure?" she asked as if nothing were wrong.

"We checked it three times just to be certain," Ryan answered.

Beckett nodded in approval before clearing her throat. "Okay, well that gives us a place to start. Pull all the files linked to my mom's case and check for commonalities with Lana Fischer's case. Names, numbers, dates etcetera."

"You got it!"

Kate combed her fingers through her hair as a relaxing mechanism as she double checked the words on the page before her.

"Kate?" Castle said wearily.

"I'm fine, Castle."

"No, you're not."

"It's just a little shock," she insisted. "That's all."

He glanced around the bullpen before reaching for her hand and holding it discreetly behind the desk. Tracing rhythmic circles on the top of her cold hand was enough to soothe her.

"Castle," she whispered warningly. He could see she was hesitant but had no intention of pulling away.

"No one can see," he assured.

Just before she could thank him, Montgomery opened the door to his office and called her in. She instantly pulled back her hand and sighed, unwillingly dragging her heels into her captain's office. It didn't take a lot of detective work to decipher what was about to be discussed.

"I've just been informed that the current case seems to be connected to your mother's murder," he said not wanting to waste any time.

"Sir, with all due respect, I'm perfectly capable of working this case," she declared. "My personal connection will in no way affect my work ethic."

"I'm afraid that's not up to you, detective."

"Roy, you know just as well as I do that no one else in this place knows my mom's case better than me."

"You're a great detective, Kate," he admitted, "but I've seen other cops become obsessed over things like this and I'll be damned if I let that happen to you. You're off the case."

Infuriated, disgruntled, disappointed. She knew her captain was simply looking out for her but that obsession inside her was already there and looking for a way out. She kept her mouth shut and left his office silently.

"Espo, you're the lead detective on this case now," she said tossing the file at him.

"Montgomery kick you to the curb?" Espo asked.

She nodded while glaring in at Roy. "I don't know why he thinks I can't handle this."

"I mean, it is your mother's case after all," Castle mutters.

Beckett brought her attention to the writer. "You don't think I could handle it?"

"That's not what I meant," he said defensively. "I just think it might be better this way."

"You mean better because I'm not in the way of the other detectives on this case?" she snapped at him. "Better because I'd only be a liability?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. You're too close to this."

Her eyes began welling up and she could feel a wave of emotion building up inside her. "Of course I'm close to this, Castle! It's my mom!" She realised her voice had been raised and quieted down. "Forget it. I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off."

Castle decided it was best to escort her home. She was sensitive right now and as much as she wanted people to think she was fine, she needed someone to talk to. He was also afraid of what this might do to her. With her father's history of alcoholism it wouldn't be the most bizarre thing for her to fall down that rabbit hole too.

"You didn't have to follow me home, Rick. I'm fine. I don't need babysitting." She was acting in no way like her usual self.

"Kate…," he tried to reconcile with her.

"Castle, if you want to help then just leave me alone."

He didn't think twice and pulling her in for a tight hug. He could feel her muscles tensing against him as she tried to resist. But it wasn't long before she relaxed and melted into the hug. She closed her eyes and took a few breaths, inhaling deeply the scent of his cologne.

"I'm sorry," she apologised. "You're just trying to help and I'm being a complete jerk about it."

"How about we order pizza and watch a movie?" he suggested. "It will help you take your mind off of everything."

When they went inside the apartment Rick ordered the pizza while Kate excused herself to her bedrooms to 'change clothes'. Instead, she pulled a large wooden box out from underneath her bed. It was where she stored all of her mom's belongings. Driven, she quickly unloaded everything onto the bed and sorted through them, hoping something might jump out after all this time.

Time meant nothing to her when it came to her mom's case. She must have been going through her mother's things for a significant amount of time. Rick, worried as to what was taking her so long, knocked on her bedroom door.

"Kate?" She quickly fumbled to shove everything back into the box. "Are you okay?" She hid the box back under her bed.

She opened the door greeting Rick with a smile as if nothing ever happened. "Fine!"

He noticed she was still wearing the same outfit as she had been before she went inside. "What's taking you so long?"

"Oh, I was just making the bed," she lied.

The pizza delivery guy knocked on the door just in time to save her from being interrogated. She changed into sweats and an oversized t-shirt while Rick grabbed the food. Once seated comfortably on the sofa, Kate decided she wasn't in the mood to watch a movie. Instead for a few minutes they ate in silence.

"I should be on that case," she said eventually. "I'm the one who has the most knowledge of my mom's case. I should be the one leading it."

"Kate, we've been over this," he sighed.

"Why take your best asset and put them on the side lines?" she interrupted. "I haven't done anything that would give you or anyone in that precinct the faintest idea that I'm not stable enough to do this."

"You and I both know that if you were on that case you would spend every waking hour working on it. It would drive you insane, Kate!" He was trying everything to get through to her, but nothing seemed to be working.

She refused to make eye contact with him, afraid it would push her over the edge. "I just wanna help... and I can't do that if Roy doesn't let me investigate."

"You're helping everyone and yourself by staying away from it," Rick confided.

Kate took a moment to consider everything Rick had said. She knew he was right and was only looking out for her but something inside her wouldn't allow her to back down.

"You're right," she admitted to him. "It's not my case anymore and I have to respect that. Roy can kick me off this case, but he can't stop me going over my mom's." She could see the worry in his eyes. "I'm going to study my mom's notes and belongings more than I have ever done before. And if that means I find something, then I'm not just going to sit back and ignore it." She sighed. "I thought you of all people would help me."

"Of course I want to help you, but I don't want you to get killed chasing this thing. Just promise me you won't follow any leads on your own."

"I won't," she promised, finally looking at him with a smile on her face. "Come on, I need to show you something."

He followed her to the only covered window in her apartment. He had noticed it before but never questioned it. She uncovered the window to reveal pictures and small pieces of card with writing on them. It took Rick a moment to realise what he was looking at was her own personal murder board. He scanned over everything in silence.

"It's my mom's case," she said. "I've been putting it together since I joined the NYPD."

"Wow," was the only word he was capable of saying.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I have all the information about my mom's case here, but Roy won't let me near the current case."

"And you need me to keep you in the loop?" he asked.

She nodded. "Just lay low in the precinct. Help Ryan and Espo investigate but try avoiding Montgomery. If he finds out that you're leaking information to me…-"

"-… he'll shoot me," he said finishing her sentence. "He won't know that I'm your little spy."

She couldn't help but smile at his comment. "My very own James Bond."

"Hmm, I like that." He wrapped one arm around her waist and drew her close. "Is the idea of me being James Bond turning you on?"

"While standing in front of a murder board?" she said sarcastically. "I don't think so."

"You have a point."

She rested her head on his chest, looking at the picture of her mother on the window. Right now there was nothing she wanted more than to get justice for the woman who raised her. But in every scenario in life, progress demands sacrifice.