A/N - Thank you for all the new story alerts and those trying out this story. Please R&R if you can. Enjoy!

Chapter 6 – Bit by Bit

Castle woke with a start as he heard clanging in the kitchen. Pulling the computer off his lap, he rubbed his eyes to refocus and walked around the corner to see his daughter putting dishes away and getting food out of the refrigerator. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you were making dinner for your dad."

Alexis looked up and smiled before nodding. "Not just you, but you are welcome to stay. Ashley and I went out and decided that we wanted something here for dinner. I'm making pasta. You want some?"

Castle smiled and shook Ashley's hand. "You know there's something special about a daughter who offers to eat dinner with her boyfriend and her father." Castle didn't quite answer the question, but watched as Ashley took the salad and started on it. Waiting for a few more moments, he observed his daughter. He couldn't believe he was going to lose her also in the next year.

Smiling at Alexis and then seeing his mother on the way out, he slapped his hands on the counter. "You know, I think I will let you two have this one. I have some other things to work on tonight." Castle kissed his daughter and gave a teasing evil eye to Ashley as he disappeared into his room.

He looked at his phone and saw no messages, calls or texts. Shoving his phone in his pocket, he fluffed his hair and then hurried back out of the office. Waving once more, he closed the door behind him and saw his mother still waiting on the elevator.

"So you don't have dinner or a signing tonight?"

Castle glanced over at his mother and halfway smiled. "You know that. I guess you have a hot night out tonight," he commented as he looked over his mother's attire.

"Yes, I have that benefit I had asked you to go to. You could go with me still you know. Get you know who out of your head." Castle sarcastically smiled at his mother. Martha knew what that grin looked like. "Ok, but if she calls the police when you show up at her door, don't call us until tomorrow."

Castle laughed as they rode down in the elevator together and parted ways. Castle glanced back as his mother jumped in a taxi and waved once more. He eyed the little sandwich place across the street and stopped before catching his own cab.

The cab stopped in front of Beckett's apartment. Getting out, he stood on the sidewalk and stared up at the building for longer than normal, wondering if she was even there or if she would even talk to him. Sighing, he pushed the front door open and started up in the elevator, listening to the ding at every floor. The doors opened and he looked toward her door.

He stopped and could hear music coming from the apartment. Not that it bothered him, but he never knew Beckett to be a big music fan; she had always mentioned reading in the quiet. Knocking on the door, he waited and heard nothing like Beckett opening the door. He pulled his notebook out of his jacket and wrote a note, slipping it under her door and waited a minute longer.

Beckett walked through the living room and eyed the floor as she dried her hair. Picking up the random piece of paper, she opened it. She immediately knew the scrawl.

Sounds like your still mad at me. Just came by to smooth things over.

Kate unlocked the door quickly and looked at the elevator doors as they opened. "Castle," she blurted just as he started on the elevator.

He turned around, noticing that no one was in the hallway but the music had suddenly gotten quieter. He waited outside her open door until she returned in a sweats. "Sorry, I was in shower. Come in."

She watched as he passed her and started to remove his coat. "Make yourself comfortable," she responded to his obvious motion that showed he was sticking around.

"You invited me in." Castle stopped and paused, questioning her. Looking at her across the room, he shook his head. "I didn't come here to argue with you. I wanted to apologize for earlier today and say that it was none of my business."

Beckett put her hands on her hips and looked curiously at Castle as he faced her with his hands in his pockets. "You've never stayed out of my business; why are you apologizing now?"

Castle shrugged his shoulders and glared at her. "It seemed the only the thing I could say. I wasn't quite sure what I did wrong and why you were mad at me. You confided in me and it was my mistake to push, so I'm apologizing."

Beckett nodded unconvincingly. She honestly was just as confused to why he was apologizing as to the reason they got in the fight in the first place. She knew the problem had nothing to do with him; she was mad at Josh and he wasn't there for her to get mad or lash out at, so Castle got it. She should be the one doing the apologizing.

"You want something to drink?" She asked as she retrieved a water from the refrigerator. She saw the small nod and retrieved another bottle and went over to the couch. "I'm sorry. I took my feelings about Josh out on you. It wasn't fair."

She waited silently while Castle opened the water she handed him and sat back in the couch cushions. "No, it wasn't." Castle bit the inside of his cheek after the way the words left his mouth so bitter. Seeing Beckett not respond to the retort he dropped it.

"How's Alexis?" Beckett wanted to change the subject.

"She went out with Ashley for a bit today. I think it'll blow over by Monday. Teenagers generally don't stay focused on the same thing for that long." Castle watched as Beckett pulled her feet up under her and got comfortable next to him on the couch. "So did you and Lanie find out anything about the crate?"

Beckett sighed inwardly at the quick change to an even a more comforting topic. "The smell was animal excrement. She also found something that makes me think we have to find this suspect before it scares the crap out of someone." Beckett jumped off the couch and grabbed the small baggie that Lanie gave Beckett. "Lanie has another piece and was hoping to ID it further."

Castle took the baggie and let out a laugh. "Really? Is this what I think it is? Because if it is, I for one hope that I don't find it."

"I tried looking up that SHHS today, but had no luck. How did the boys and you make out?" Castle put the water down and leaned back on her couch. Beckett wriggled up her nose and shook her head no in response. "But, this gives me another clue."

Beckett inches closer on the couch to Castle as he pulled out his phone and typed in the initials and the evidence that appeared. The two turned and smiled at each other at the first item that popped on Google. It couldn't be that easy; nothing was that easy. "So Beckett, so how about a date tomorrow?" Castle joked while Beckett looked at the screen that he pulled up.

Beckett glared at him. "Castle? Seriously?"

He tried not to laugh. "I meant to the zoo. You and me and a few animals. He bumped her shoulder with his and giggled. "I'll even buy you a ice cream…no a cotton candy." His eyes had that twinkle back that Beckett craved to see daily as he turned and corrected himself.

She rolled her eyes realizing what he was talking about. "Haha. Very funny, but yes we need to." Castle tucked his phone back into his pocket before Beckett scooted back over.

"So, do you think it's still a homicide?" he asked.

Beckett leaned against the pillows on the couch; Castle could tell she looked sleepy. "I don't know. It might be what killed him but that doesn't explain how he got in the building." Castle looked over toward the bookshelf and then back at Beckett. "What?" Beckett shifted nervously as a silence fell between them.

"You didn't deserve that." Castle quietly added. Beckett squinted at the strange remark. "It's like Josh completely forgot what an amazing person you are." Castle fell silent again but never left her eyes as Beckett's heart started to race. "Someday you'll realize that you deserve so much more than you think you do."

Beckett felt the bile in her stomach churn in response to Castle's lowered voice. She tried desperately to break eye contact without showing her fright of where the conversation was going. She glanced down and gasped quietly when Castle covered her hand with his.

"Did you love him?" She finally looked away.

"I liked him a lot, but there wasn't enough," she barely whispered. "I would have probably driven him away too." She never moved her hand from his grip. Castle gazed at her as she continued staring at the floor and beyond. "I drive them all away."

She gulped when she felt his other hand tuck her hair behind her ear and turn her face to his. "I'm still here," he stated in a matter of fact tone that she rarely heard from him.

Beckett tried not to crack a smile. He had stuck around through all the different boyfriends. Even she knew that he had stopped appearing in the entertainment section headlines in the last year and down deep she knew why. "It's not the same Castle. We..." Beckett felt her phone vibrate and broke contact with Castle. "Beckett."

Castle sighed and removed the water bottles from the table and started to pick up his coat before Beckett grabbed his arm. Signing for him to wait, she jumped off the couch and headed into the bedroom while still saying a series of uh huh's and got it's over the phone.

She reappeared from the bedroom a few minutes later dressed and grabbing her keys. "So, we have another victim, but the girl is alive."

"Someone else was attacked?" Castle's brow furrowed in response to Kate's sudden change in disposition. Work now taking precedent, he let the conversation from a few minutes ago disappear yet again.

"Sort of. They found the girl going into renal failure in one of the finished apartments. She was slumped over the tub when her mother found her in the bathroom. Lanie is on the way to the hospital to check the wound marks, but the doctor thinks it sounds similar."

Castle followed Beckett into the elevator and down to her car as she called another emergency number. "Yeah, I need the animal control dispatch; this is detective Beckett." Waiting a few more minutes as she started the car, she heard another man pick up. "Yes, I think we have an escaped snake in the Townhouse Condos on 54th and 1st. Proceed with extreme caution."

As she started the car up, she saw Castle visibly quiver. "Mystery solved," he said sarcastically.