Chapter 2 :

"Huh... well, I work here, remember ?" she answered, a little surprised by the way he talked to her.

"No, not really... I thought you were in DC actually."

Before Kate could add anything else, the boys interrupted her, using dumb excuses to leave the room after they received a serious look from Gates, not wanting to be in the middle of their conversation.

"Castle, give us your phone, we'll track the phone call down."

Castle handed his phone to Esposito, and Ryan mumbled some words that the others didn't understand, saying that as an excuse to leave the room. Even with Ryan and Esposito out of the room Castle and Beckett didn't talk to one another; the fact that Gates was still there preventing Kate to do so.

As for Castle, he has focused his eyes on Gates, to avoid glancing at Kate. He was waiting for one of her to start speaking, while he was wondering since when Kate was back with the NYPD... Finally, feeling the tensions between them and guessing that no one was going to speak, Gates faced them both, seriously as she was playing her role of captain.

" We can't leave you alone at your place, Mr Castle. "

" I couldn't agree more, Sir. " He answered, more than glad that this was the subject their captain chose to speak about. " So... What do we do ?"

" I have an idea, but something is telling me that none of you is going to like it. " She answered, watching them carefully, and waiting for their reactions.

This answer, even more coming from Captain Gates, catches both their attention, and Kate was the first one to ask, on the neutral tone she usually uses.

" Tell us what this idea is, please. "

Gates studied them a long moment, and even if she was a very serious woman, she knew what she was about to ask would be embarrassing, especially for them, considering that things weren't what they used to be between the two of them.

"While Esposito and Ryan are investigating about this phone call, you're going with Beckett to your loft and pack your things for a little while."

"Where will I go ?" he asked.

" To Beckett's place." She answered, as it was obvious.

" What ?!" Both Castle and Beckett instantly said in unison which made Gates smile.

" You perfectly heard me. "

" But why ? I can go somewhere else, I can book a room in a hotel, or you can put a protection detail on me, or something like that." He said, as he was thinking of other solutions.

Kate remained silent but her eyes weren't off of Castle while he was speaking. He was perfectly making clear to her thanks to all the suggestions he gave that he would be open to any solutions that would not include her in it. And that realisation, even if she looked away and did her best to hide her feelings as always, hurt her. She would not say anything and would wait to see what Gates reaction will be.

" No, Mr Castle, you'll be staying to Beckett's apartment until this case is over. You'll have police protection with you, like this and..."

" Why not at Espo or Ryan places ? It would be the same." He suggested again, cutting her. Again, Kate felt hurt by his words. She didn't remember seeing him that cold towards her, except from this time after the bombing case when he had walked away from her. And that memory was still painful for her, even if it was more than a year ago. She did, as she always did, her best to hide her feelings, as Gate's voice bring her back to the present.

" No." Gates said to him, more purely. " As I was about to add before you cut me Mr Castle, the person who called you thinks Beckett is still in DC, and even if it doesn't last long, it will give us some time to keep digging and maybe find something. So, you'll be staying at Beckett's place until we're sure you're safe. Detective, you'll have to protect him if it's needed, which, I hope won't be necessary."

Kate nodded to the words of Gates that where addressed to her. Castle did the same. Even if he wasn't a plan he was a fan of, he has to admit that Gates had a good reason to do that. He knew she wouldn't ask them to do that if she didn't think it was the best way to protect him and his family. When he noticed that Gates was staring at him, he nodded again.

"Okay sir."

"When do you want us to go to his loft ?" asked Kate, still avoiding to glance at Rick.

"You can go now and come back here later." said Gates, before leaving the room.

When the door closed, Kate finally looked at Castle, but he was focused on the door where Gates was a moment before. She knew he would not talk, so she simply said.

"Let's go."

At their desks, Ryan and Esposito has just found out from where the phone call Castle received was coming from. It was from a phone box in a neighbourhood with a bad reputation. They were searching for cameras in that area, but of course it was a dead end.

The only camera they were able to find was 2 blocks away from that phone box, so they weren't able to find anything useless to learn something about that phone call. They would keep under surveillance that area of the city, but they were sure that whoever called Castle wouldn't come back there.

Gates had just informed them about what had been decided for Castle, and once they were alone, they stared to each other.

"It's going to be intense !" stated Ryan.

" Yep. We better get ready for Mom and Dad's fights !" added Esposito.

" It won't be funny around here for a while..." thinks out loud Ryan.

"Yes, but they'll work it out, just like always, I hope. They both have amendments to make, even to us."

"I know. We'll just have to wait and see what happens, and just be there in case one of them needs it."

Ryan nodded, and they went back to work, trying again to find some more information they could use.

The trip to the loft was silent, and the tension between Castle and Beckett was easily felt. Once in front of his building, Kate stopped the car, and went to the door with him, but he stopped her.

" I can pack a bag without you."

" But you won't go to your loft alone, Castle." As she was speaking, she avoided him and headed to the door and waited to him as the doors of the elevator opened. An uneasy silence fell again between them.

A few seconds later they were at his floor, and once he opened the door of his lost they found a white envelope waiting for them on the floor. She put on the gloves she always had on her, in case it was needed, and opened it. A small, but clear message, addressed to Castle was written with what seemed to be letters cut out from different newspapers. She showed it to Castle so they could both read it.

"Let's the game begins between you and me Castle. Your lovely daughter and mother better stay where they are, and they won't be unneeded injured people."

She looked up to him after she read the words, and she could, without any doubt, see the fear and the tension settle in him at the mention of his mother and his daughter in this threat. She put her hand on his arm, and after a few moments, she said softly.

"You should prepare your bag, and then call Alexis and Martha, while I'll call the boys to tell them about that letter."

" You better call Alexis, because if I do, she will guess something's wrong here, and the first thing she's going to do is to come here, and I don't want that."

" If you want me to call her, you don't need any excuses Castle, I'll do it while you take your stuff."

He nodded and headed to his bedroom. Once his door closed, Beckett put the envelope and the letter in an evidence bag, to give it to CSU. She hoped that there would be something to give them a little information on this man. She then took her phone and searched for Alexis's number in her contacts list. She was a little anxious about this call, considering the last conversation they had 3 months ago, that turned into a fight. They hadn't talk to each other since that day.