Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor
Rating: M for violence, language and sexual situations
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.
A/N #1: Loved seeing what I got in response to the last chapter, enjoyable to read as always, and of course, have to say thanks for them! vetgirlmx (I didn't really want to make the nightmare that bad, 'cause I don't want Julia suffering through them all the time. And very happy to see that you liked Julia asking Castle to stay with her too when she asked her mother. You also made a good point, her knowing now why she feels safe with him. I was intending it to be another step forward, so glad to see you catching that! Had to smile at your comments about the Russians, I'm not saying anything, about that, 'cause you know, don't want to risk spoiling anything of course. But you'll see of course how things work out with that! Was interesting to read your comment about Castle and Beckett dealing with the past, but I am very pleased to see you're liking how they're dealing with it and handling it. And as I always say when I see it in a review, very glad that you want to read more!), pcol22 (I was happy to see; as always; that you thought the last chapter was great. And I did love seeing your reaction to Julia realizing Castle's like a parent to her now, was wondering what all my readers would think of that! And again, so happy to see that you want to read more of!), TORONTOSUN (Am glad to see your mention of the love scene, and I'm not too surprised to see that you find it more intense, I noticed I started writing like that actually, lol, that usually happens. And I did love seeing your reaction as well to Castle and Beckett staying with Julia until she fell asleep) and sammysgirl78 (I'll say it again, loved seeing your reaction to Julia wanting both Castle and Beckett there with her after her nightmare. And yay, was so happy to see you mentioning Castle calling Julia their little girl, thought someone might notice that since he hasn't really said that that much. And also am so glad that you liked seeing him say too he wanted to see their little girl happy and safe. I always have to laugh when you use the phrase grown up sexy time, but not in a bad way. Just am happy to see it since it means you liked reading that bit, and you did like it here, and also loved that you thought it was hot, always am trying to write that! And of course, am so happy to see you want to read more!). So thank you for everything said, loved reading all of it. Yet again, appreciate the time taking to send me these reviews!
A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Tiny Dancer by Bernie Taupin and Elton John, from Elton John's album Madman Across the Water.
Dancing In The Sand
"Castle," Beckett whispered, touching his shoulder since he was turned away from her. She heard him groan slightly as he woke up, and she raised herself up further to see if his eyes were open. She nearly sighed out in irritation as she saw they were firmly closed still. "Wake up," she said, shaking him a little harder than she'd meant to, but she was desperate.
"What?" Castle asked, blinking a few times before he turned his head to squint at her.
"Are you up?" Beckett asked, running her fingertips under his chin.
"My eyes are op-" Castle stared to say.
"Not that," Beckett said impatiently. She kissed him then, and was relieved to feel his arms around her tightly in response though it took him a few seconds to react. She shifted a little; making him lay on his back; before she got on top of him.
Castle was still slightly in a daze since he'd gone from waking up to his fiancée straddling him. But he snapped back to himself as their bodies joined together, groaning out her name on an exhale as she let out a heavy moan. He grabbed her waist tightly as she began to move, and had to wonder what had spurred her to do that since it was usually him who initiated things in the morning. But he wasn't complaining, watching as she began to move, rocking back and forth slowly. Taking that, he set up a rhythm of his own to match hers and they began to move carefully together, skin sliding against each other where they were joined.
Though he hadn't said anything, Beckett had been able to tell that Castle was wondering why she was that eager to make love that morning. She wasn't sure why herself; having just woken up a few minutes before trying to wake him up feeling a deep desire to be with him. She then lost her train of thought as she tried to move up and down instead of back and forth a few times. But since she was still going so slowly she couldn't quite pull it off. She didn't care though, happy to move on him however she could. She moaned a little as he grabbed the small of her back and began to move her, making her go forward a little harder than before.
Watching where they were coupled together, Castle felt himself holding his breath as he could easily see her taking him in. It wasn't something he'd never seen before, but it was still a shock when he did. There were always times he was afraid it was a dream; and he blamed her waking him up and jumping on him before he could clear his head for feeling that way that time. But, as he had her angle her hips down on each thrust, he lost his train of though, just watching her moving on him. "Kate…" he began, trying to say something else. But he found he didn't have much to say, the pleasure coursing through him robbing him of thinking up something more than he knew. He didn't really mind that, letting his gaze drift up her body as he concentrated on how she felt around him, moving slowly, deliberately.
Beckett's eyes were closed as she was trying to control her thrusts, having a hard time as she was rubbing her swollen nub against him every time she moved up on him. She felt his hands suddenly on her breasts, and that was enough to make her open them again as she looked down at him. Her mouth dropped open as he began to fondle at her, and she let him, knowing she owed him a little for being so abrupt waking him up. But she was getting something out of it as well, the fire in his touch trailing directly down her body to between her legs. She squeezed her legs together a little, remembering the night before, and she felt a deep sense of satisfaction as he groaned in response. She started to move a little harder, not so they were moving wildly, but enough for them to feel the difference in the pace. He caught up to her quickly; which she had expected; and once they were back in sync with one another, she began to reach down and stroke his chest, letting her fingers linger around his nipples.
Hissing as she did that, Castle finally had to grab her hands, stopping her as he was afraid he was going to get so far ahead of her he'd be recovering before she got any kind of satisfaction. He grabbed her ass once he was sure she'd stop, and moved her harder back and forth himself. He followed her as she took the rhythm he was setting, and hissed yet again, but that time he let it go into a groan as they were both finding it a little hard to stay together. "You… were dreaming," he tried to explain, looking up at her as they had to stop before he slid out of her.
"No… I don't remember," Beckett said. "I really don't want to stop," she told him.
"Believe me, I don't either, but you're not giving me much choice," Castle said, gritting his teeth together as he was throbbing in literal pain then.
"I'll take care of you," was all that Beckett told him, her tone of voice a little sharp. She began to move; rocking back and forth on him and not caring she was moving so quickly there were a few times they came seriously close to uncoupling. She didn't worry though, the pleasure was building as she felt him quickly joining her, and together they moved faster and faster until finally she felt something in her seeming to explode, and she tensed up, her back going rigid as she let out a short cry that she tried not to let get too loud. At the same time, as wave after wave of ecstasy came on her, unending, she could felt Castle's hands on the small of her back, holding her tightly, and her name echoed on his lips as he was yelling it, joining her while their hips crashed together.
Coming out of another daze, Castle held onto Beckett as she was lying on his chest, trying to figure out how exactly they'd gotten to that point. But she started moving around in his arms, so he gave up and watched her get off him. "You know I don't mind getting woken up like that," he commented as she lay on her back next to him.
"It's not going to be recurring Castle," Beckett said simply, though there was a little smile on her face as she'd expected him to say something like that. "And don't ask why, because I really don't know. I just woke up and… needed you."
"Pretty badly," Castle said, leaning down and kissing her shoulder. Before he could get too into that though, the alarm on his clock rang and he groaned, reaching over to turn it off as Beckett got up. Rubbing his face, he was a little startled when he felt her arms coming around him from behind and he turned a little to look at her.
"I think we could use a shower," Beckett said, running her hand down his chest which was still slightly covered with sweat.
"Well, if you insist," was all Castle said as he got up to follow her into the bathroom, his hand sliding around her waist as they stepped inside the shower, his lips taking hers as she turned to him.
"She must be pretty worn out," Beckett commented as she finished dressing.
"Julia? I know, but at least that means she slept," Castle said, getting the last button on his shirt set. "What should I make?"
"You can wake her up actually, I was going to take care of breakfast," Beckett said, making a quick check in the mirror before she turned to him.
"Both of us," Castle said. When she looked at him he quickly said, "Wake her up I mean."
"I'm sure at this point she wouldn't mind you waking her up yourself," Beckett said as they left the room.
"I'm sure she'd rather we both did it," Castle said simply to her.
Beckett didn't say anything in response to that, since she knew he was right, and she followed him into Alexis' room. She smiled when she saw Julia on her back, still asleep, and she pushed Castle to the bed ahead of her.
Looking back at his fiancée, he sat down on the edge and gently shook Julia's shoulder saying carefully, "Julia, time to wake up," unable to help feeling an incredible sense of déjà vu with those words. He glanced at Beckett; who was taking Julia's uniform for the day out of the closet; and turned to see the little girl was squirming, lips pursed and her nose scrunched up. "Hey, morning," he said when she opened her eyes.
"Hi Castle," Julia said with a slight blush. "Hi Mommy," she said as she saw Beckett come up behind him then. "It's school time?"
"Almost," Beckett said as she set the clothes on the end of the bed. "How'd you sleep?"
"No more nightmares?" Castle asked, hoping she hadn't as he'd had a slight concern he and Beckett were so caught up in their lovemaking they hadn't heard her.
"No, I slept nice," Julia said, getting out from under the covers. She hugged Castle before he scooped her up to her cry of delight, handing her to her mother. "Thank you," she said to him.
"You're welcome," Castle said, knowing she was talking about the night before. "I have to ask before you get dressed though, anything you want for breakfast? I can make something special."
"Chocolate pancakes," Julia said quickly, glancing at her mother.
"Go ahead, but there better be some kind of fruit to go with them," Beckett said when he looked at her as well.
"I know what to make," Castle assured her before he left.
"Okay sweetie," Beckett said as she set her daughter on the bed. "Are you ready for school at all?"
"I guess," Julia said, frowning as her mother began to take off her pajamas.
"What's wrong?" Beckett asked.
"I don't do ballet do I?" Julia asked.
"Oh, thank you for reminding me, no you don't actually, so hopefully Martha can bring you back here, I'll have to ask her," Beckett said, helping Julia step into the khaki pants of her uniform. "Okay," she said, getting Julia's polo shirt tucked in. "Warm?"
"Yeah, is it cold?" Julia asked.
"It might rain today," Beckett said, helping her down. "Let's go down so I can do your hair and then we'll eat with Castle."
"Will you both take me to school?" Julia asked hopefully.
"I can go," Castle said; since by then the two had been going down the stairs. "We should talk to-" he began to say.
"True," Beckett said quickly, knowing what he wanted to say. "Come on, what do you want to do with your hair today?" she asked her daughter to keep her from asking what they were talking about. She led Julia to the couch and swiftly braided her hair before they joined Castle at the table for the mini chocolate chip pancakes and fruit salad.
"Are you still gonna work today Mommy?" Julia eventually asked after they were nearly finished eating a little bit later.
"We are," Beckett said simply. "But I'll try and come home earlier today than I did yesterday."
"And I'll come home earlier," Castle said. "For sure. When I do we can maybe play a game before dinner."
"Oh, I hope we do," Julia said, a smile on her face. She then pushed around a grape on her plate and asked, "Mommy, the girls in my class ask me what you said."
"Do they know what I'm doing right now?" Beckett asked. She was startled when Julia nodded yes, and she looked at Castle; seeing the same surprise she felt on his face. She had to wonder how five year olds had found out she was investigating the ballet teacher's murder, but hoped they didn't really understand what they knew. "What do they think I'm doing?" she then asked to see if she needed to speak to Julia's teacher about that as well.
"That someone hurt Madame Claude," Julia said. "And they have to go to jail, but you will find them and make them go."
"Okay, well if they ask you about that you just tell them you don't know since you're not with the police alright?" Beckett asked.
"But Castle's not a policeman," Julia said.
"Took a while for that to come up," Castle said, unable to help smiling as he'd always wondered if the little girl had understood his position with the NYPD.
"No, but he has special permission to work with me," Beckett said; suddenly remembering the mayoral election. She shook it from her mind and then said, "But sweetie, you don't know anything because I can't tell you. I only told you about those two men because of your nightmare."
"Thank you for telling me," Julia said. "I don't want to know Mommy; I just want to know that person goes to jail."
"We'll tell you that for sure," Castle said. "But for now just tell the people who ask that you don't know okay?"
"Kay," Julia said nodding and then finishing her fruit.
There was a slight scramble to get everything cleaned up from breakfast, and Julia was sent up to Alexis' room to get her backpack, returning with Martha when she did so.
"Good morning," Castle's mother said, seeing her son and Beckett were rushing from his bedroom. "Are we late this morning?" she asked, looking at her watch.
"No, we just need to head in a little sooner than normal," Castle said, taking Julia's hand and setting her backpack down as he helped her into her coat.
"Do you have plans this afternoon?" Beckett asked as she got her red coat on.
"Oh no, I have an acting class at twelve, but I'll be finished by two, I'm planning on swinging by Julia's school and picking her up," Martha replied. "I know she'll be out sooner."
"Thank you so much," Beckett said gratefully. "I'll try to be sooner today, we both will, but if something comes up you can take her out for dinner; I'll pay you back."
"Goodbye Mother," Castle said, kissing her cheek.
"Bye Martha!" "Bye," Julia and then Beckett called as they rushed out the door with Julia's backpack and Beckett's bag; Castle in his coat.
"Goodbye," Martha said, stepping into the hall to watch the three leave, Julia on her son's hip. She laughed softly to herself at the sight they made, wondering how they'd managed to hide the fact they were a family for so long. Shaking her head, she picked up the Ledger that they'd missed outside the door and shook it open, frowning when she saw the headline, Ballet Teacher Murdered By Poison, Found In Costume, glad that Julia seemed to be doing far better than she had the day before when she'd picked her up at school.
"Have a great day Julia," Castle was saying as he hugged her tightly. "And I'll see you tonight."
"Kay, will you take care of Mommy?" Julia asked.
"Always," Castle said, squeezing her shoulder as she smiled back at him.
"We'll see you tonight sweetie," Beckett said, holding her close when she had turned to her. "And I know you'll have fun. I love you Julia."
"Love you Mommy," the little girl said. When Beckett and Castle turned to go to her teacher, she grabbed their wrists and asked anxiously, "Are you gonna talk to Mrs. Clayton?"
"We are, do you want us to do that outside?" Beckett asked.
"No, but I hope she helps you," Julia said seriously.
"Us too," Castle said, smiling at her.
Beckett leaned down and shared another kiss with her daughter before she went over to the teacher, smiling when the woman looked up at hers and Castle's approach.
"Ms. Beckett, Mr. Castle, I was wondering if you were going to talk to me," Mrs. Clayton said. "What can I help you with?"
"We're wondering how Madame Claude was chosen to teach here, and if you don't know who can we talk to that would know about it?" Beckett asked.
"Well, I do know there were three women and two men besides her up for the job," Mrs. Clayton said. "But any details you'll have to ask the Dean, Edie Nott."
"Thank you," Beckett said before she and Castle left the room.
"Do you need me to go? Or should I meet you at the Precinct?" Castle asked as they were leaving the building.
"Meet me there, I'll call Ryan and Esposito after I'm done talking with the Dean," Beckett began as he walked with her to the high school building where the dean's office was. "And fill them in with what we learned last night."
"I'll act as surprised as possible," Castle said simply to that. He reached out and squeezed her hand, feeling hers squeezing back in response for a moment before they let go, and he headed out to the street.
Inside the building, Beckett saw the students in the hall watching her as she walked by. She ignored them, even when one boy tried to talk to her, not stopping until she'd reached the office. Going inside, she showed her badge to the Dean's secretary and said, "I'm Detective Beckett from-"
"Yes of course," the man said, standing up. "Edie, the detective is here."
"Detective Beckett, please, come in," Nott said as she stood up behind her desk. "I remember us speaking before about your daughter's enrollment, and I heard you were assigned the case of our ballet teacher. I was expecting you."
"I just have a few questions," Beckett said. "The most important one is how exactly Madame Claude was selected for the position here at the school."
"Well, I received a number of applicants for the job," Nott said. "And I judged them based on their talent of course, and after two background checks, I found that Madame Claude was the best for it. She was on a probationary period of six months, and after that she was our ballet teacher."
"What about the others who weren't hired? Did any of them express any kind of anger towards your decision?" Beckett asked.
Nott was quiet for a moment, and then she nodded saying, "Only one, a woman named Nancy Longueville. She was incredibly angry I didn't hire her, and I think she and Madame Claude had been friends, up until that point. They had a fight, right here in this office."
"You told Madame Claude she was hired in front of the others?" Beckett asked in surprise.
"Oh no, Ms. Longueville stormed inside and they argued right in front of me, as if I wasn't here," Nott said.
"Do you remember what they said?" Beckett said.
"No, they were speaking in French, so I'm afraid I didn't understand a word they said," Nott replied. "But she was the only one who didn't like my decision."
"I'll still need to check the others out, if you can provide me with names and any kind of information I would appreciate it," Beckett said. She took the list and went outside to wait for copies of the paperwork the Dean had left from the applications, wondering if it was going to turn out Castle was right; that their killer was a woman.
"Hey, where's Beckett?" Castle asked, walking to her desk in the Precinct.
"I have no idea, hopefully she went out with someone last night," Esposito said, looking at the murder board.
"Are you and Lanie ever going to leave her alone?" Ryan asked his partner, looking at Castle who rolled his eyes in response.
"Come on bro, Julia needs a dad," Esposito said.
"And I've told Lanie; now I'll tell you," Beckett said, walking up to her desk then. "If I ever find one I'll find one. For now can we focus on our case? My daughter's counting on me to find out who did this." She glanced at Castle as he handed her her coffee and she said, "Thanks. I was talking with the Dean of Julia's school about the hiring process for the ballet teacher position."
"Did she get hired over someone else?" Esposito asked.
"Five others," Beckett said. "I asked Julia's teacher first to see who hired Madame Claude, our vic, and then asked the Dean." She filled the others in on the conversation, and then read off the list saying, "Nancy Longueville is the one I want to look into personally right now. Can you two split up the rest of the list and look into them? And were you able to clear Kolchak and Potemkin?"
"Yeah, the Russians are cleared; both alibis, thanks Thomas," Ryan said, taking a file from the officer who'd walked up to them. "This is from tech, they just got done looking through our vic's e-mails for the past week, she had this one in her mailbox the day before she was killed."
"Okay, either she's incredibly stupid," Beckett said, seeing the address that sent it was from an nlongueville. "Or-"
"She didn't expect the vic to keep it," Ryan finished.
"Yeah, I don't know why she wouldn't," Castle said. "This is pretty bad. Calls her a slut and whore… and you know how to read French?" he asked Beckett and Ryan in sudden realization.
"I know slang, and you?" Beckett asked Ryan.
"I assumed by what you said it was bad," he said. "How do we translate this?"
"There's someone in Robbery who's from Quebec," Esposito said. "An aide, I can take it to her."
"Please do that," Beckett said. "I want to call tech again, see if they can get any other e-mails from her account, but she may have deleted them if they didn't find them already."
"I'll look into the two guys on this list," Ryan said before he headed back to his desk.
"So are we setting aside the security footage and the succinylcholine?" Castle asked as he sat with Beckett at her desk.
"For the time being, Longueville's a stronger lead at this point," Beckett said. "Ryan, what about Costa?"
"No luck, we broadened the search a little, but no one we talked to was that optimistic," Ryan replied before he left.
"Did you head back to see Julia before you left?" Castle asked.
"No, that was a one time thing," Beckett said as she was typing their new suspect's name into her computer. "Plus her psychiatrist said I shouldn't really do that once I say goodbye to her." She then looked over at him and glancing quickly to Ryan asked, "Did you?"
"No, there she is," Castle said, nodding to her computer screen.
Turning, Beckett saw the information on Longueville, and said, "It's basically the same as Madame Claude. They were in the same dance troupes for a long time; they performed together in the same troupe Amy Holsten is in now…"
"Did you ever wonder why the two daughters have the last name Holsten instead of-" Castle then asked.
"We found it out last night," Beckett said quickly, turning to him. "The vic wanted to keep them hidden from their father and changed their last names; they kept them even after they grew up."
"You ever think of calling the FBI," Castle said. "For their face recognition software to find Costa?"
"Not really," Beckett said absently. "Okay, I'd like to talk to her myself. She took a giant step back in her career after losing out on the job at Julia's school. She's now teaching in a little studio on 116th."
"Big step down, unless her clientele are wealthy?" Castle asked.
Going to the site for the studio, Beckett shook her head saying, "Lessons seem reasonably priced, so I don't think so." She picked up her phone and dialed the number on the site, getting hold of an assistant.
Looking over at his fiancée as she said, "She's not in yet? But her lessons… okay, thank you, goodbye," Castle said the second she hung up, "It's almost ten."
"I know, her first lesson's supposed to start in about ten minutes. But according to the assistant I talked to, she's taking over for the mornings for the time being," Beckett said.
"How suspicious," Castle said as she made another phone call.
Having gotten Longueville's number from the assistant, Beckett was hoping to contact the woman that way to bring her in for an interview. But it went straight to voicemail, and she left a message before looking over at Esposito who was getting a piece of paper from a woman she didn't recognize.
"Must be that aide from Robbery," Castle said, following her gaze.
"Must be, was she able to translate it?" Beckett asked as the detective walked over to them.
"All set," Esposito said, handing her the file he'd gotten.
"You think you can take him away from me the way you took my job? I told you, you would live to regret it and I mean to make you pay double for what you've done," Beckett read. "I'll tell the school you're a whore and a slut and you don't even know who the baby's father is. They'll fire you and I'll step in, even though they said no the first time. I'll make you pay, even if I have to do it with my own two hands."
"Sounds like a great woman," Castle said wryly.
"Oh she does," Esposito said shaking his head as Beckett was making another phone call. "And she was going to teach kids?"
"I'm wondering who the man is that she mentioned," Beckett said. "I need you to put out an APB on her Espo; we really need to talk with her now we've seen this threat."
"What about Costa?" Ryan asked, coming up to them.
"Has he been found?" Castle asked.
"A homeless shelter in the Bronx had him in there last night, but he left," Ryan said. "The guy I talked to said he saw him take a northern route out of the shelter."
"Alright, I'd like you to check security footage from the area; you have a tighter window of time so it hopefully won't take too long," Beckett said. "Espo, since Castle and I are going to wait for Longueville, I'd like you to start calling around hospitals, starting with St. Rose General, asking about succinylcholine being stolen."
"On it," Esposito said before he left.
"But we're just waiting," Castle said when they were alone. "You called her assistant back right?"
"I did, she'll be in at about eleven, so we have a little less than an hour to spare," Beckett said. "I'd like to make some phone calls, to the troupes that are still around that both our vic and Longueville were part of, see if they had a rivalry longer than this."
"And me?" Castle asked.
"Remember the security footage you asked about at the vic's building?" Beckett said, smiling slightly.
"Ah, thank you, I'm not too surprised it falls to me too look through at least two week's worth of footage," Castle said, grimacing. He then smiled and said, "At least you're letting me participate."
"Too many angles to this for me not to," Beckett said simply. "But I appreciate it; tell Ryan you need the TV and footage they sent us this morning for the time being." She watched Castle get up and picked up her phone as he told the detective her request. She bit back a smile when Ryan spoke to him seriously, and then led him to the TV. When someone on the other end of the phone said hello, she hurriedly answered back, forgetting about her fiancé as she began to ask questions about their vic and new suspect.
"So I'm guessing no luck for you either?" Castle asked as he walked into the break room, finding Beckett there alone with a cup of tea.
"Nothing from the security footage?" she asked as she shook her head.
"No, and I was looking for anybody and everybody," Castle said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He heard Beckett's phone vibrate on the table with a text and said, "Lanie?"
"Yes, some new doctor she wants me to meet," Beckett said in annoyance. "I should have tried to get out of that dinner on Friday," she said as she quickly responded to the message and then slipped her phone in her pocket. "But I'm sure that would have made her even more suspicious. Even if I told her I wanted to spend time with Julia."
"At least she's not suspicious about…" Castle began before trailing off as he looked at the doors quickly.
"Not anymore than what we talked about," Beckett said simply. She took another sip of her tea; remembering her conversation with her friend the Friday before. As had been happening more often since Julia's birthday, Lanie had been urging her to go out on dates; not just to find a father for her daughter, but for herself to find someone as well. She had tried to deflect as much as she could, changing the subject a number of times, but Lanie would not stop and she'd had her hands full fielding the questions she'd been posed.
"Hey girl, how's Julia?" Lanie said as she saw Beckett walking up to her at the bar they'd decided to eat at that night.
"Pretty good, when I left she and Mrs. Parker were going through some of the steps Julia learned today," Beckett said, though that was only partially true. As was their habit when she went out with her friends, she would drop her daughter off at Mrs. Parker's so Julia could wait for Castle to pick her up and he would spend time alone with her. "I promised her though I wouldn't be too late," she said quickly as a waiter came over to their table.
"Again?" Lanie asked.
"I haven't done that since the first time we went out since I adopted her," Beckett said once the waiter had taken her drink order.
"I know, but I'm surprised you're doing that again," Lanie said. "You're not coddling her?"
"Coddling?" Beckett asked with a smile. "She's nervous about her dance class on Monday; it's a little test to see if she can remember everything she's been taught so far."
"And what if she doesn't?" Lanie said.
"She'll have to repeat the steps, which she really doesn't want to do," Beckett said.
"So she's determined," Lanie stated.
"Pretty much, what?" Beckett asked, seeing the look on her face.
"She's definitely your daughter," Lanie said. "And I am happy you have her Kate, you've definitely changed. But-"
"Please don't do this the whole night," Beckett groaned. "I didn't want to come and have you chew me out again for not going out with anyone."
"You know I have to, I don't want you to be lonely," Lanie said.
"I'm not, really, I'm not," Beckett assured her.
"You're going to be at some point, and when that happens, what if you start blaming Julia for the fact you're single?" Lanie said. She saw the look that immediately appeared on her friend's face and quickly said, "Okay, I know you wouldn't do that, but then I don't want you so desperate you-"
"End up with a guy that's terrible to both of us," Beckett finished. "Yes, I know that's a worry, but trust me when I say I'm not desperate and I really doubt I'll ever be. Not when it comes to my daughter's safety."
"That's true," Lanie had to concede. Their waiter had returned with their drinks by then, so she waited until the man had left to say, "What about him?"
Shaking her head; as she knew Lanie wasn't serious; Beckett took a sip of her martini and said, "No set ups tonight please. I'd like to relax after this last case. And that's the other reason why I want to get back home soon. I feel like I've barely seen Julia at all." She grimaced then, since that partially applied to Castle as he'd been working on a chapter that he needed to finish to send in to his publisher and hadn't worked on the case all the way through with her.
"You're not really going to be able to do much with her, unless you want to head back at nine?" Lanie asked. When Beckett only smiled at that she sighed and said, "You know, if you're going to cut our night out short, it's only fair I get to keep bothering you."
"Yeah, like I thought you'd stop in the first place," Beckett sighed. "Look, just, don't set me up, because that really scares me."
"Okay, but what about Dr. Nagle?" Lanie asked.
"At the Morgue? We talked about that," Beckett said. "He doesn't like kids first off, and I've seen him working on a vic that had been stabbed in the abdomen; killing her baby. And he honestly didn't seem to care that it was a child. Almost made me sick."
"So it sounds like you want kids," Lanie then said. "But you-"
"I know, I need a guy if that's going to happen but that won't be for a long, long time," Beckett said; another discussion they'd had before concerning her not dating.
"Don't make Julia wait for a brother or sister, you said she told you on Spring Break she wanted a little sister," Lanie pointed out. "Okay, so you don't want to be set up and pretty much every guy I've been trying to set you up with gets turned down. What about your past boyfriends." Her friend gave her a look and she said, "Girl, you're giving me nothing, what am I supposed to do? And I told you, I'm doing this for you and Julia, not because I have nothing else better to do than match you up with guys."
Beckett kept herself from retorting, knowing that if she protested much longer her excuse of wanting to spend a little more time getting used to being Julia's mother was going to wear thin. So she merely took another sip of her drink as Lanie spoke again, though the name she said made her smile. "I saw him actually, leaving the Precinct one day, about two months ago," she said.
"And?" Lanie asked.
"Demming asked; after the usual greetings you give kind of awkwardly to an ex; how I was enjoying being a mother," Beckett said.
"First off?" Lanie asked interestedly.
"First off and in a tone of voice that seemed to convey to me he wanted me to say I had changed my mind about adopting Julia," Beckett said. "He tried to ask me on a date though he looked disappointed when I told him I loved being a mother. But Espo told me after that, that he recently broke up with a woman he'd been seeing for a year, so I guess he was desperate."
"So you said no," Lanie stated instead of asking.
"Of course, in my mind I don't think he's ready to be a… well, not a father exactly, but to act like one," Beckett said.
"Josh?" Lanie said.
"You said he moved to DC," Beckett said.
"Long distance doesn't hurt," Lanie said with a shrug. "Wait, you didn't know he'd moved, so you two didn't stay friends."
"Hard to stay friends when he accuses you of staying in a relationship for a year because you needed a distraction," Beckett said, frowning as she sipped her drink.
Waiting for their waiter to set down a plate of appetizers Laine then asked, "Castle?"
Pausing with a slice of bruschetta in her hand, Beckett looked at her friend and asked, "Where did that come from?"
"Are you forgetting we already talked about him?" Lanie said.
"No, but that was a long time ago, two years actually," Beckett said simply.
"And you never tried to tell him how you felt," Lanie said.
"No, because he was seeing that flight attendant remember?" Beckett reminded her.
"And you had a chance with the-" Lanie began.
"I know," Beckett said. "But Lanie, Castle's still…" she started to say, unsure if she wanted to finish that.
"He's a good father you know," Lanie said.
"To Alexis, I'm aware of it, but… he's still a little immature and-" Beckett said before she was cut off that time.
"That would be great for Julia, sometimes you have to admit your daughter is a little too serious for five years old," Lanie said.
"So you want me to go after him because he'd be a good father?" Beckett asked, at that point feeling a little like someone else was speaking for her.
"Also because you still feel something for him. I have no idea what, you're pretty hard to read these days," Lanie said. "Or, do you have someone already and you're trying to hide your relationship? I'm right aren't I?"
"That would be a pretty good guess, but I'm not really in the mood for a relationship I'm not going to be sure about," Beckett said, finally tired of lying. "My daughter needs to see me with someone who'll love her and me and will want us a part of his life. I haven't found him yet," she said. Inwardly she said to herself, 'Since I already found him I'm not looking anymore.' "But again, as I told you before if I do then I'll let you know. Just take it easy for now, I might wait until Julia's six to start dating again but, I'll see."
Sighing, as she could tell from Beckett's tone that she was getting close to losing her temper, Lanie nodded but said, "Let me just say though, I still think you should give it a shot with Castle. I really think he'd be good for you, he has been already as your partner."
"My partner who's dating someone right now," Beckett said, trying not to smile as she said that. "So what about you? Plans for Easter?" she said, hoping Lanie would take the hint. Luckily she did, and Beckett relaxed a little as they went through their drinks and meal, the subject not being brought up again. They finished earlier than planned, and while Lanie took a cab outside to a club to meet some other friends, Beckett headed back to Castle's.
"I think another fifteen minutes," Castle was saying to Julia as they were playing a video game together. "And then I'll get you ready for bed okay?"
"But I wanna see Mommy," Julia said, turning to him.
"I'll just get you ready, and then we'll read until she comes back okay?" Castle asked. When Julia nodded he kissed her temple and helped her with the racing game he'd put on for her, nearly finishing a lap when they heard a key in the lock. "There she is… sooner than I thought too," he commented as he stopped the game and set Julia down.
"Sweetie, I'm so glad to see you," Beckett said as she picked up her daughter and hugged her close. "How was Coney Island?"
"Lots of fun, can I show you what Castle won for me?" Julia said.
As Julia ran to the couch, Castle stepped up to his fiancée and asked, "She asked again?"
"Pretty bad this time, I was so glad I already planned to come sooner," Beckett said before cupping his cheeks and kissing him. She forgot about Julia for a moment, wrapping her arms tightly around him in a kind of desperation while they hesitantly brushed their tongues together in her mouth. But she had to remember Julia could see them when she felt a tug on the pocket of her coat. "Sorry sweetie," she said once she and Castle had parted hurriedly.
"It's kay, can I show you?" Julia asked. When her mother nodded she held up the minion stuffed toy and said, "Isn't it pretty? I'm gonna call it Carl."
"It's a good name," Beckett said, smiling as the toy was nearly as big as her daughter. "We'll have to put this on the chair at your table when we go home."
"And I can put Dave to sit on his lap 'cause they're brothers," Julia said eagerly. She then became serious and asked, "Do we go home tonight?"
"I don't think so," Castle said quickly before Beckett could say anything. "You're staying the night here and tomorrow we're heading out to the zoo remember?"
"I'm excited Mommy," Julia said, hugging her stuffed toy tightly to her. "How long until we go?"
"Still a little bit. But for now, let's get you ready for bed," Beckett said. "And once you're asleep it means-"
"We go to the zoo faster, I know," Julia said with a sigh as she let her mother and Castle usher her to the stairs. "Mommy, why didn't you go with Castle for dinner?" she asked as Beckett picked her up and Castle took her toy to carry.
"I haven't had dinner with Lanie in a while, you know she's my friend," Beckett explained; not the first time she had to. "But tomorrow the three of us are going out for dinner okay?"
"Kay," Julia said before Beckett took her into Alexis' bathroom. Once she was in the bath and playing with the few toys kept for her there, she said, "Castle can come in now."
"Thanks, I almost fell asleep," he said as he stepped inside. "Carl kept shaking me to make sure I didn't," he said, smiling when Julia giggled. He was still a little shocked the little girl didn't seem to have much of a problem with him there, ever since they got back from San Francisco, she was treating him more and more like he was her father, just not calling him that yet. He shook his head then as she was speaking, and he leaned over to kiss the top of her head before Beckett began to wash her hair. "Tell your mom what we did out at Coney," he said as he sat down to watch them.
Julia chattered happily about their night out at the amusement park, all through the rest of the bath and even when Castle had left as Beckett took her out to dry and dress. She only finished once she told her mother about them playing a few video games, and yawned widely when she stopped speaking.
"Sounds like it was a busy evening," Beckett said, tucking the sheets around her. She stepped aside to let Castle say goodnight, and then kissed her daughter's lips tenderly as Julia had fallen asleep by then. Murmuring a goodnight to her, she left with Castle and they headed downstairs.
"Want anything to drink?" Castle asked her as he went to the kitchen. "Wine, coffee?"
"Coffee, I had a couple martinis with Lanie," Beckett said, sitting at the island as she watched him prepare it.
"So what was it this time?" Castle asked when he had a chance.
"She rattled off a couple of my exes," Beckett said.
"Who?" Castle said, not turning from the machine so she couldn't see the expression on his face.
"I can tell you're jealous already Castle, you need to stop though," Beckett said, shaking her head. "She said Demming and Josh, but I told you about Demming, and Josh isn't even in this state anymore."
"She's getting desperate," Castle said, taking the two mugs of coffee he'd made for them and nodding to the couch. "Is there anymore?"
"One more name she supplied, not an ex, not someone she works with-" Beckett said as they sat with their drinks.
"Oh, did she say that creepy Dr. Nagle? Seriously?" Castle said when Beckett nodded to his guess. He shuddered and said, "I cannot imagine that guy as a dad. So she said me I'm guessing."
"She said you'd be a good father, and mentioned that conversation we had around the time you started to pull away from me," Beckett said.
"It's funny she never mentioned that again until today," Castle said. "But at least she thinks I'm a good dad. Though I'm supposed to be dating someone."
"Apparently she's that desperate for me to be with someone," Beckett said with a sigh. "I hate acting, but I think your mom would have been proud of how I handled things. Especially once your name came up."
"And that was all she said? Nothing about how I'd be good for you or-" Castle started to say; trying to sound as serious as he could. He was stopped though when Beckett clamped her hand over his mouth and he mumbled a few words to make her move it.
"She did say that," Beckett said with another sigh. "And she should have also said you fish for compliments way too much."
"Where are you going?" Castle asked as she set down her mug and went to her bag in the closet. "I'm surprised you forgot that," he said with a smile as she was holding the engagement ring. "Are you okay?" he then said as he realized she wasn't really responding to that.
"I'm a little tired of them trying to set me up," Beckett said as she handed Castle the ring and watched him slip it onto her finger. "I told Lanie to stop and to tell Espo too. But I doubt they will."
"Of course not," Castle said. He started to speak but then hesitated a little before finally saying, "Are you sure you don't want to start telling them you're dating?"
"I can't really," Beckett said. "I told Lanie I was going to just wait until I found someone I was sure enough of that I wouldn't have to constantly date."
Castle nodded to that and said, "So that's me right?"
"Stop fishing," Beckett said, rolling her eyes. "And yes it is. But, can we change the subject, I feel like I could easily get a headache if we keep talking about this."
"Okay, what else do you want to talk about?" Castle asked.
"How's writing been going, we haven't seen each other for much longer than a night lately," Beckett said.
"Pretty good, I should be able to finish Monday, so if you get a case I might be able to join in but I'll just be later," Castle said.
"Why don't you finish Sunday?" Beckett suggested.
"I was going to spend it with you," Castle said. "Since Julia's going to be with her grandfather for the day."
"I'd like to sleep in; catch up on that a little; if you can finish then, we can do something together," Beckett said. "Your choice," she finished with, taking a sip of her coffee and looking away from him.
"Sure you want to leave it to me?" Castle asked. When she just looked him with one eyebrow raised he looked into his mug and tossed off the last of the liquid inside. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her up and with him into his bedroom. He wouldn't let her go as he locked the door behind them, though she was trying to get her hand out of his grasp.
Beckett wasn't too surprised when Castle pulled her to the shower and she had to be quick as he started to undress her, beginning on his clothes. She let him take her inside, pushing her back against the wall, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly as he kissed her and lifted her up in his arms, her wet back sliding against the white tiles as steam enclosed them.
Taking off the towel covering the front of her body, Beckett couldn't help smile slightly as she looked at Castle as he walked back inside the room after locking the second door. "Good timing, I was really getting thirsty," she said as she took the glass he handed her, raising it to him in thanks before she drank.
Not too surprised when she drank down half the water, Castle removed his pajamas he'd thrown on haphazardly and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He started to run his fingers through her hair, careful as the wet locks were tangled a little here and there. He took the glass when she finished, setting it aside on her nightstand before he leaned over and kissed her tenderly.
A little taken aback by the kiss; she'd been expecting something more passionate; Beckett fell into it, and let him lay her on her back. They pulled apart, and she reached up to his lips, stroking them. She bit her lower lip as he grabbed her wrist and proceeded to kiss all over her fingers and palms before nipping at her wrist, making her tremble slightly in response. "Castle," she breathed, knowing she had to tell him she didn't want to bother with any kind of foreplay.
Looking up at her then, Castle let go of her, and then lay on his side next to her, stroking her cheek with the backs of his fingers before he moved to kiss her. He kept that kiss short, and then proceeded to stroke at her breasts. Her sharp intake of breath was a little irritated; he swore he could hear tone in it; and he knew his plan was working. He was a little startled when she grabbed the back of his head, pulling him down to her breast. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then took the nipple into his mouth, suckling at it roughly, deciding he could work with the change with what he'd had in mind.
Breathing in roughly, Beckett stroked at Castle's hair, watching him go back and forth between each mound. He had quickly learned the best ways to arouse her doing that, even finding some things that other men she'd been with had never even done before. She was a little surprised when he suddenly moved his hand from her breast his mouth wasn't busy stimulating, and slid down her abdomen, her muscles quivering in his wake as he left a trail of fire. Stiffening slightly as his fingers found her the still swollen nub between her legs, she looked into his eyes as he pulled away from her breasts, and she arched her back slightly.
"Want me to stop?" Castle asked, moving up to her lips and speaking against them.
"No… you can… keep going," Beckett breathed heavily in pleasure as his fingers slipped to her entrance and then back up to the very apex of her legs. She closed her eyes tightly when his digits didn't make the pass back up, instead slid into her, and she was spreading her legs wide for him. He soon started to move them back and forth inside of her, and she was crying out in pleasure before biting down on her lower lip hard to stifle it.
Leaning over slightly, Castle took her lips with his, sliding his tongue over her lower one before drawing her own tongue back into his mouth. He couldn't stop her from crying out, but he managed to achieve what he'd set out kissing her. She was moaning and crying out as loud as she could, the sounds muffled by their mouths. He was using his thumb to stimulate her at the apex of her legs then, and could feel her moving with his fingers. Speeding up the pace slightly, they needed to breathe, so he pulled back enough to watch her. His other arm was wrapped around her, hand on her hip, and he could feel her movements. He shuddered in his own arousal as he listened to the sounds she was making in response to him. Looking down her body, his mouth watered and he couldn't resist bowing his head.
As he proceeded to nip and suck at her breasts again, Beckett let out a tiny cry that she was a little shocked had come from her mouth. But it didn't surprise her at all; he was making her feel so much she was proud of herself for not screeching her pleasure and waking up his entire building. But finally she made him look up at her after he'd gone over each breast numerous times, and she stroked his cheek, still feeling his fingers working over her, making her tremble in joy.
"Make me stop," Castle whispered, leaning his head against hers so their lips brushed together again. "Tell me to stop Kate, and I will never touch you again."
Knowing what he was trying to do, Beckett merely caught his lips with her own, giving him her answer. He didn't stop, and she found herself fighting with herself to keep from finding her climax too soon. But his mouth was all over her upper body after their kiss, and his lips left the same trail of fire his fingers usually did. She found herself tensing up for a brief second, and was crying out indiscriminately, forgetting her concern of alerting anyone to their activities; the pleasure was too great.
Holding her, Castle shuddered as he watched her getting off, loving to see her like that. When she finally stopped, breathing heavily, he carefully let go of her and was quick to lay on her after taking care of his soaked hand. "Okay?" he asked.
"You never really let me return the favor unless I push you," Beckett said, feeling strong enough to talk then, stopping him from entering her.
"I want to watch you," Castle said with a shrug though he was straining heavily.
"You're a pervert," Beckett shot back, finally parting her legs for him.
"And you know you're stunning when you're-" Castle started to say.
Kissing him hard then; as his tone had been completely serious; Beckett couldn't keep it going for too long as she was out of breath at the feeling of him sliding inside of her body. She cupped his cheeks and whispered, "I enjoy watching you too."
"Now?" Castle asked.
Smiling, Beckett wrapped her legs around him tightly in response, and Castle was soon moving, starting slowly to their simultaneous groans. They began to move together, and they were soon clutching each other as things went from slow and deliberate, to fast and hard. But everything was still deliberate; they wanted to make sure the other knew their lying about their relationship was done only because they had to; not because they wanted to. And they could feel that from each other though the only words spoken were each other's names as they drove each other crazy in absolute elation.
"She got in about five minutes ago," Beckett said as she and Castle were getting into her car.
"It took her that long to call?" Castle asked.
"The assistant was busy with the class before Longueville took over," Beckett replied, getting them out of the parking structure. "The class is almost over and the assistant will keep her from going to lunch for us."
"Nice," Castle said. "But why aren't you just arresting her?"
"Because while that withdrawal in her financials is enough to buy a vial of the substance, we can't really prove it was that," Beckett said. "Since she did pay cash."
"All the more reason to think it's succinylcholine," Castle said simply.
Beckett didn't reply to that, instead concentrating on getting them to the dance studio, which wasn't too far from the Precinct. They managed to get to the tenth floor and inside the studio as the dancers were leaving the classroom. "Excuse me," she said as a few of the male dancers watched her walk past them.
"Excuse us," Castle said a little loudly when they still stared at her and wouldn't let him pass. "We're with the NYPD, can you get out of the way?" he asked in irritation as they still didn't move.
"You are no cop," one of the men said, looking Castle up and down scathingly.
"He's not, but I am, let my partner through," Beckett said, having heard her fiancé speaking. "I'd like you to keep a little more… quiet on this one," she said once he reached her.
"Why?" Castle asked though he was nodding to what she'd said.
"A hunch," Beckett replied with a slight shrug. She went inside the classroom then, and saw the teacher was doing a stretch at the barre. But she felt something was wrong with the way the woman was doing it; having seen her daughter do that same stretch so many times before. "Ms. Longueville?" she said to get her attention. When her head shot up to look at them she said, "I'm Detective Kate Beckett with the NYPD, this is Richard Castle, I'm wondering if we might talk to you."
"I don't believe I 'ave much choice do I?" the woman asked; her accent as thick as Madame Claude's had been. "You are 'ere to speak with me about Claude, non?"
"Yes, we understand you danced together," Beckett said.
"Cut to the point Detective, she took my job away from me, my dream job. And…" Longueville snapped before she suddenly went pale and fell to the floor, grabbing onto the barre as Beckett and Castle rushed over to her. "I'm alright, don't touch me!" she yelled as they got close.
"Should we call a doctor?" Castle asked.
"Non, je ne veux pas un médecin. No doctor!" Longueville said. "I already know what it is that is wrong with me."
"You're pregnant aren't you?" Beckett said as Longueville leaned against the barre.
"Yes, if you must know," she said before breathing out. "I will 'ave to give my classes soon to Patricia, she will take over until the baby is born in November."
Castle glanced at Beckett over the teacher's head, asking with his gaze when she shook her head. He nodded, and waited for her to pose the question herself.
"Is the father of the baby Lorenzo Martine?" Beckett asked carefully.
Straightening up at that, tears filled Longueville's eyes and she nodded slowly whispering, "I told 'im as soon as I knew, but by then 'e knew Claude was pregnant with 'is baby too, so 'e wanted nothing to do with me." When she saw the expressions on Castle's and Beckett's faces at that she quickly said, "Oh no, non, 'e agreed to pay for 'is child at first so I wouldn't be destitute raising it, but 'e wanted nothing to do with me, 'e 'as always loved Claude." A slightly wistful smile appeared on her face as she said, "It was one night and this will be all I 'ave to remember it by."
"Has Mr. Martine been acting strange lately?" Beckett asked.
"I 'ave not really seen 'im since I told 'im I was pregnant," Longueville said. "But… oh, I take that back, almost two weeks ago 'e came to me, asking for money," her expression suddenly becoming angry.
"How much?" Castle asked.
"Around five 'undred, which I thought was very odd as 'e would always 'ave money," Longueville said. She then clenched her hands into fists as she said, "And when I gave 'im the money, the bastard tried to pressure me into an abortion! Apparently 'e is going through some troubles with money now, and 'e cannot afford two children."
Nodding; since they'd been able to see from Martine's records he'd been sliding towards bankruptcy until two days before when he'd gotten his paycheck from the Sleeping Beauty shows; Beckett said, "He was overspending before he was paid for his shows."
"Yes, well, it turns out that Claude was not as wealthy as 'e'd thought," Longueville said. "Their studio they wanted to buy was going to cost far more than they thought, and with a baby on the way…"
"Do you have any clue at all what exactly that five hundred dollars was for?" Beckett asked.
"Non, 'e never said," Longueville said. "The strange thing about when 'e came to me for the cash, was there was someone; a woman I would say but I cannot be sure. They were well wrapped up so it could be either. They waited for Lorenzo, and 'e 'anded the cash to them as they were leaving with me yelling after 'im. I almost thought it was Claude, but 'er stride was too quick for that, Claude was a dancer every minute and every second… even in 'er death. But I do remember 'im asking this person if it was enough to get the medicine."
"Medicine?" Castle asked, looking at Beckett.
"Oui, medicine, they took a taxi and I took one myself to follow them; afraid they might try to get something to poison me and kill me and my child," Longueville said. "And I saw them buying something near Lennox street, I went to the dealer, asking what it was after I convinced 'im I might think of buying something myself."
"What was it?" Beckett said.
"I do not know, but it was clear, and 'e said it was used to relax muscles, so I was relieved, it wasn't poison," Longueville said. She then saw the expression that briefly appeared on Beckett's face and said, "It was?"
"What were you doing two nights ago between ten and twelve?" Beckett asked.
"I was at 'ome, there is a security camera in my building, I was ill," Longueville said, suddenly looking green. "Pardonnez-moi," she told them before rushing out of the room.
"So he has an accomplice," Castle said as he stepped closer to his fiancée.
"And a motive," Beckett said, taking out her phone. "Esposito? I need you and Ryan to find and arrest Lorenzo Martine now, before he tries to kill his child again."