Hello to my kind reviewers, followers, and friends. That's right, I'M ALIVE. And terribly, horribly sorry. As some of you may have already heard, some life and school stuff got in the way of writing, as it tends to do. Still, that's no excuse for this ridiculously long absence. As it turns out, case fic can be super difficult. I tried to warn you all in the beginning, I'm not cut out for this!

But after months of writing bit by bit, I finally came up with a chapter that I felt comfortable publishing. I care so much about this AU and so much about all of you. Your support has meant so much to me through this long and kind of pathetic process. Thank you all for nudging me in the right direction. Special thanks to my beta, Suzanne. May you never have to deal with such a whining again.

Speaking of my beta, she's going to be on vacation for the next two weeks or so, but I already have most of the next chapter written. I tend to jot down ideas out of order, especially when I'm stuck. I'm hoping to post next week without her gentle guidance, but we'll see how that goes. Until then, here is the latest chapter of Paved With Good Intentions. I included the end of chapter 14 to remind you all what was happening, but you might need to go back and read it again. Did I mention I was very, very sorry?

Hope you all enjoy!

Previously

"Three guys in ski masks tried to pick up Pulgatti in a blind alley. Bob Armen got in the way. Gun went off. Pulgatti gets framed."

She shakes her head. "I'm not buying it. Who was this, a rival gang?"

"Apparently, at the time, there was a group of guys who picked up mobsters for hire. But if the only people there were Pulgatti, Armen, and the men in the van…"

"Then how would Raglan have known Pulgatti was there? Unless-"

"That's right," Castle finishes. "Unless Raglan was one of the kidnappers."

Beckett takes a minute to process that information, running her fingers through her hair, a nervous habit. "Let's say that what your friend told you was true."

"I am saying it's true," Castle states firmly.

"And I'm saying that if it is, that changes things. I don't know what to...I need to tell the Captain."

"So you go and tell the Captain." He stares at her as if it's obvious.

"Tell him what?" she asks, her voice pinched in frustration. "That the murderer who's stalking me called up a buddy-"

"Not a murderer, vigilante," he interrupts. "Sal's not my buddy, and I'm not stalking you. You asked for my help, remember?"

"You broke into my apartment twice," hisses Kate. "That's not even the point. Look, we have no way of proving this to anyone. I can't tell the Captain where I learned this information, whether it's right or not."

"So we'll go talk to Pulgatti. Get his firsthand account."

"We won't be going anywhere. In case you've forgotten, Castle, you're a wanted criminal. And I've been taken off the case so…"

Beckett fights the urge to pound her fists into something, probably the face of the man sitting next to her. Instead, she reaches for the laptop and pulls up her personal email. Castle tilts his head, inquisitive.

"I'm getting scans of the original reports. Huh." She squints at Espo's message.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Something about looking for Lockwood's girlfriend. They'll keep me posted. Here are the files."

Beckett pulls up the PDF scans and begins to pour over them. She can feel Castle's breath at her hairline but finds herself too intent on reading to push him away.

"You've looked at these before," he comments, bringing his eyes to her face.

She has. Even after Montgomery busted her all those years ago, she took pictures on her phone and read them over and over, trying to find a lead. Anything. "Yes."

The Copycat Vigilante holds out his hand out for the laptop, and she frowns, clutching it to her chest. "Look, you're too familiar with the information," he sighs. "You could use some fresh eyes. Let me."

Deranged killer or not, he has a point, but Beckett's too stubborn for that. She inches a hair closer and rests the laptop between them. "Together."

He seems to like that, judging by the shadow of a smile on his face. Together. She curses herself internally. Now is not the time to inspire feelings of camaraderie from her unlikely partner. Not partner, she corrects. More like...well, she's not really sure what to call him, but he's most certainly not that.

"Well, look at that." Castle points to the screen. "The dispatcher's log. Look who's unit was backing up Raglan the night Pulgatti was arrested."

She reads where he's pointing and gasps. "Gary McCallister."

"They were in it together. Maybe others, who knows. This wasn't a one-man operation." He places a hand on her shoulder and squeezes. "Surely you believe me now."

"I do," Kate admits sourly. "I do believe you. I should call my guys, tell them. They'll be able to talk with McCallister again."

"That should probably wait until morning," says Castle before picking up their empty coffee mugs and carrying them to the sink. She looks at the time code at the bottom of the computer screen, and wow, he's right. How did it get so late?

"I should go home," she murmurs.

"Not unless you want to face Montgomery's detail. You're free to stay here. I'll take the couch, you can sleep in the bedroom. It's just a mattress on the floor, but-"

"Yeah right," she laughs, sarcastic. "I can't stay here with you."

"Afraid I'll bite?" the vigilante teases darkly. Even though it's a joke, Kate feels a tremble of unease down her spine. After all, this man has taken fifteen lives, maybe more.

"I don't…" she trails off, unsure what she could say, scared of what his reaction will be.

"Beckett," he speaks again, more softly than before. "You may not agree with what I've done, who I am, but please know this. I would never hurt you."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Look, you're a cop, you're logical. Think of it this way: what motive would I have to kill you? This isn't my MO. I don't lure beautiful women to my house and slit their throats in the middle of the night." If he's trying to reassure her with that line, it's not working. "I find the worst sort of men, the scum of the earth, those who haven't been punished for their sins. I take their lives in the same way they've taken the lives of others."

She can play this game too. "Yeah, well, what about breaking into prison to kill an already convicted felon? How about helping me investigate my mother's murder? Where does that fit into your modus operandi?"

Castle furrows his brow, reaches a hand up to rub at his neck. "You've got me there, Detective. Doesn't change the fact that I'm the best chance you have of settling your vendetta. My only exception is you," he murmurs. "But what an extraordinary exception at that."

"I'll take the couch," blurts Kate, face flushing hot. Stupid, oh so very stupid. "You take the bed. Don't try anything, or you'll be wishing I'd locked you up long ago, you hear me?"

The corners of his lips curl in. "Deal. If you need anything, feel free to ask."

Beckett watches as he retreats into what must be the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. She flops back on the couch and stares up at the ceiling. You can sneak out at any time. Just wait for him to fall asleep, she tells herself, even as her eyelids flutter shut.

He wakes up positively giddy. Which is ridiculous. He's a wanted man, sold his soul for his cause. He doesn't do giddy. Except last night he convinced Detective Kate Beckett to trust him enough to sleep on his couch. If that's not something to be excited about, then what is?

She...she's really something, that one. He's never met someone with whom he's had so much in common. Her desire for justice and his, together, it's magnificent.

But she took a different path than he did. Looking at her, is that a glimpse of how his life could have turned out? Homicide detective with the NYPD? Would that have been a better fate? It's odd to think about.

He has something she doesn't, though. She got the badge, but he got revenge. And it was worth it, wasn't it?

Pondering those thoughts, Castle gets dressed and steps out of his room. He sees her, awake and sitting on his couch, and his heart gives an awkward leap. She's here. She really stayed.But there's something wrong. She looks up at him, and her eyes are suspiciously shiny.

"What happened?"

"I shouldn't have come here. You shouldn't have brought me," she spits out. Her hand is clutching his burner phone, knuckles white.

He was right. Something must be really wrong. "Beckett, what is it?"

"I tried to call my partners."

"Okay?"

"They didn't answer their phones. My captain did. He told me the boys were abducted while running down a lead on Lockwood's mystery girlfriend."

Oh. That's not good. But she's hardly to blame. "Beckett, you don't think that-"

"This is all my fault," she grits out, eyes squeezed shut. "Fuck. Here I've been, running around under the radar, dodging an NYPD detail to investigate with you. Now, my guys are in trouble. If I hadn't gotten kicked off the team, if I hadn't lost my temper…"

"You don't know that you would have been able to prevent anything," he argues. "Maybe you would have been the one who was taken."

"Good. I'd like to have a chance to talk with Hal Lockwood."

Castle glares at her. "Don't be reckless. Don't be stupid. That's not who you are."

"You don't know a thing about me!" she shouts, exasperated. But he does. He knows a lot about her.

He knows how she takes her coffee in the morning. He knows what happened after her mother's murder, about her father's battle with liquor, can see how it hardened her to the world at such a young age. He knows she's brilliant, got accepted to Stanford and NYU, was in the top of her class at the police academy. All of this, he's knows, and he treasures every bit of it.

But he can't tell her that. "I know that you won't rest until your boys are found. I know that I'll help you in whatever way you need."

She stays silent for a minute. He hopes he didn't push her too much. For some reason, his declarations of loyalty seem only to scare her. Maybe he should start being more callous.

"They were looking for a woman named Jolene," she finally speaks. " There were two possible matches in the area that matched the description, Anders and Granger. They went to check the addresses. Lockwood must have been following. Montgomery sent teams to investigate both the apartments. Granger was found dead. Esposito and Ryan's phones were dumped close by."

Castle let out a thoughtful hum. "What about the woman, Jolene Granger? Did they find her phone?"

"No." Beckett shook her head. "I don't think they did. Must have been something on there that they didn't want us to find. Calls that could lead to Lockwood's hideout."

"We need to trace those calls then."

"No kidding, Castle. Shit, that's it. This little mission," Kate says, gesturing between the two of them, "it's over. I'm disbanding it, effective immediately." She gathers her bike helmets quickly and begins heading for the door.

He panics. "Beckett, stop. What about your mother's case?"

She freezes, closes her eyes. One hand comes up to grasp the chain around her neck, her mother's ring. "This is more important," she rasps. "My boys are more important. Everything else can wait."

Once again, he's amazed by her drive and her selflessness. After all these years of dealing only with bad men, corrupt men, and shady mobsters...well, it's a nice change of pace. He wants to help her. There's only one thing left to do that he can think of, and it's an option he doesn't like using unless absolutely necessary. Maybe this is one of those times.

"Listen," Castle says. "There's a way we might be able to track her calls without going to the police, and I guarantee it'll be just as fast."

Beckett shakes her head in disbelief. "In what way could you possibly-"

"I have a contact at the CIA," he interrupts, and her reaction is just what he'd imagined it would be.

"What, the CIA? Are you serious?"

"I can't tell you her name, but she worked closely with my father's team for several years. About six months after my mother died, she began seeing my father...romantically." It still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. "I hated her, until I realized that she must have gone through some of the same things my mother did. The emotional abuse, maybe even physical, I can't fathom. All I know is that when the time came, she wanted my father dead almost as much as I did."

"Castle, I-" she begins and then shuts her mouth tight. Was she going to express her sympathies? Berate him? Either way, he's glad she didn't.

"I don't like calling in these kinds of favors. I avoid them if possible. It's dangerous not only for me, but also for her. That's why I'm going to leave it up to you, Detective. Are your boys important enough to warrant the risk?"

"Damn it, Castle," she swore, biting her lip. "The fucking CIA, of course. Who can you trust anymore?" He was sure she was thinking of Raglan and McCallister too. "Fine, yes. My partners are worth everything to me. Call in the cavalry, and let's get this show on the road."

By the time they get to the abandoned building where they think the boys are being held, the sun has already set. It turns out the place is being patrolled. A lone but intimidating guard stands watch, wire in his ear to contact the men inside.

"This must be it," whispers the Copycat Vigilante.

"Yeah, but how are we going to get past him?" She points ahead to the guard who has his arms crossed over his chest, as if daring them to try something. "He'll alert Lockwood before we have the chance to go in."

"I think I might just have an idea."

This might be the most ridiculous thing she's ever agreed to. Kate feels Castle's warm palm resting against her back, way too close for comfort. He stumbles into her, and she lets out a silly giggle, trying her best to play the part. But from the look in the guard's eyes, he can see right through their act.

"He's not buying it," she whispers. Her hand drifts to her firearm instinctively.

Suddenly, the Castle is slapping her fingers off of the holster. What the hell? His own hands frame her face, and Kate freezes. There's a look in his eyes that's a little bit reckless and a whole lot dangerous. Oh, no. No way.

She has exactly two seconds to panic before he lowers his mouth to hers.

I know. I ended it there.

Thanks for reading. If you have the time, send me a review down below. I would love to hear your feedback. If you'd like to hound me to update more frequently, you also reach me on tumblr (greenk) or Twitter (GK_Rochelle).

Have a wonderful week!