It might be a couple days before I can post an update again. Technical troubles are slowing me down. Y'all take care.
"What if we do another search of the apartment, go through the books she read and see if there's a hidden note somewhere amongst them?"
Castle's voice was sounding hoarse as the night went on and the bullpen emptied again, that strange feeling of deja-vu returning once more.
The only difference was that his nightly companion had shifted from Ryan to Beckett, a welcome and rather attractive change.
She didn't answer right away, deeply engrossed in an old newspaper article about Steward being involved in a hushed near-lawsuit with his secretary being the plaintiff. Without reading a word, the situation screamed sexual harassment, especially considering that the payoff amount via mediation ended up in the six-figures.
Rather than worrying about the article, he'd shamelessly stared at Beckett, taking in her high cheek bones, those determined eyes going from one line of text to the next as though she was hoping to pry the truth from the ink itself, her delicate fingers holding onto the paper like she was holding the holy scripture.
"I can tell when you're staring…", Beckett said after a while and looked back up, her brown eyes piercing his.
"Not staring. Just…relishing.", he countered smugly, receiving a grunt and a headshake in return.
When she didn't answer and instead proceeded to rub the bruise on her cheek, Castle furrowed his brows and leaned closer.
"Maybe it's time you should take a break too. Even your body can only handle so much."
"We're running out of time…", Beckett repeated that dreaded mantra as if it was the only thing keeping her going this time a night.
Castle would have gladly taken the chance to argue with her about it, but it was something completely different that caught his attention.
With a quiet swoosh, the elevator doors opened, revealing a stunning surprise.