Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Richmond's chair inching ever so slowly into Castle's direction. Without looking up, she cleared her throat in warning and Rookie's movement immediately stilled. She shook her head quietly and kept her eyes trained on their victim's phone records. Rookie waited a minute or so and then his chair rolled again a little bit.

"Uh, uh, uh. What do you think you're doing?" Beckett asked without looking up from her files.

Richmond opened his mouth and pointed with his fingers vaguely in the direction of Castle.

"He can't talk. He's in a time-out, remember." Her finger moved smoothly across the phone records she was studying, tracing a phone number.

"Still?!" Rookie scrunched up his face and Kate finally looked up, her finger marking the spot.

"He's been a very bad boy. Besides he's writing, so don't distract him!" To be honest, Kate was surprised how quiet Castle had kept in the background while they worked. He was completely immersed in writing his statement. The parade of crumpled paper balls on the desk pointed to the fact that he was probably turning his statement into a short story complete with exposition, climax and dénouement. As long as it kept him busy and out of everyone's hair, she didn't mind. It spoke volumes about their relationship. Years ago he would have ignored her and just pressed on. These days she held the power of withholding sex over his head and he was much more compliable with her wishes. Or maybe he was just afraid McCord would send him home; once she found out he was finished with his statement.

"But…" Rookie protested meekly.

"Yep, and if you talk to him, I'll put you in time-out, too."

"You can't do…" Rookie raised his eyebrows, as a mischievous grin spread on his face. Time-out with Richard freaking Castle sounded more like fun than punishment.

As if she could read his mind, Beckett deadpanned, "In the opposite corner."

Rookie opened his mouth in protest but closed it again and slumped defeated in his chair. How was this even fair? She was the new kid on the block and still he was the lowest man on the totem pole? Technically he had seniority over her, so he should be giving her orders. If only she wasn't so incredibly hot being in charge. Part of him wanted to defy her and walk over to Castle, just so she'd have to put him into the opposite corner. He couldn't wait to get the writer alone and grill him for more details on Kate Beckett, Nikki Heat, whatever.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Kate whipped her head around and fixed Castle with a menacing glare.

"Uhhh…" he grinned sheepishly, "just getting some coffee." He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. "To help with the writing, you know."

Kate pursed her lips and then indicated the direction of the coffee maker with a nod of her head. "Don't get a heart attack, it's an old filter machine."

"I thought this job was supposed to be a step up from the twelfth…" Castle mumbled, as he began to mosey over to the snack bar in the back corner of the room.

"There's a coffee cart downstairs. I'll show you." Rookie jumped up from his chair eagerly. Castle lifted his eyebrows and exchanged an amused glance with Kate, when Richmond gave her a defiant look. Kate just shook her head in amusement, watching the men's backs disappear around a corner, animatedly talking to each other.

"So Beckett tells me you're a really big Nikki Heat fan." Castle prompted Rookie who'd been staring at him star struck for most of their elevator ride.

"She talked to you about me?" Rookie gushed. Castle could practically see the young man's heart fluttering in his chest. If he wasn't sure that Rookie's crush on Kate was harmless, he'd be inclined to put the kid into place. "What'd she say?"

"Oh well, you know, the usual. How much you like the books. Said you're the real life Raley." Castle grinned.

"She did?" Rookie squeaked and got a dreamy look on his face. "She's fantastic isn't she? I mean obviously you know because you've shadowed her for so many years. I still can't believe I actually get to work with Nikki Heat."

"You know that Beckett's not Nikki, right?" Castle interjected, as they joined the line at the coffee cart.

"Oh well of course, but there's so much of Kate Beckett built into Nikki Heat. I can just tell from a few days working with her. That spunk, that fierce passion for her work… You know there's an online fact check race, where people link the case details from the books with real cases you've worked."

"Seriously?" Castle looked at him excitedly.

"It's really fun. Most people are combing through newspaper archives, but some of us are in law enforcement, so we can access case files. We never post confidential case information, we just use the case files for evidence and then try to find an online article that mentions it."

Castle grinned, "Well, now you can just ask Beckett or me for confirmation and beat everyone to the punch."

"Nah, that would be cheating. We're really strict about that. There's an honor code. Like right now, we're discussing the poisoned cup of coffee from the chapter one teaser of Deadly Heat, which we all loved by the way. What a great way to start the book. Anyway, Nookie4Ever claims that this is based on an old case from two years ago, where a member of a jury was poisoned with a cup of coffee at the courthouse. But then Hot4Heat, who's a retired sheriff from Cali posted that the Ledger article got it all wrong. He pulled the autopsy report and it put the TOD way before the victim arrived at the courthouse. So now there's this heated discussion going on whether it counts if it was only a red herring in a real case."

"Oh my god! Seriously, how did I not know about this?"

Rookie nodded emphatically, "Right? Meanwhile I'm pretty certain that it has nothing to do with that jury case. It happened to Beckett, right? It's the reason she insists on making her own coffee, even if it means the slush from the old filter machine. Someone tried to poison her with a cup of coffee. That's why she won't accept coffee from anyone else."

"Is she now?" Rick felt his heart flutter a little inside his chest. Coffee was their thing. Refusing a cup of coffee from someone other than him was quite possibly the sweetest gesture of love and faithfulness he'd ever witnessed.

"Yes. At first I thought I got her order wrong, you know grande skim latte, two pumps sugar-free vanilla like Nikki, but then Matt offered her a tall hazelnut mocha with three pumps – you know just like Feller in Frozen Heat but she didn't even touch it. Said thanks but just let it grow cold. And anyway, I'm pretty sure I heard her say grande skim latte, when we grabbed coffee here on our way back from HR on her first day, so I tried it again. Every single time, she'd say thanks but let the coffee go cold just as well, then she'd toss it and just get that shit from the filter machine. So we gave up. I mean who does that? So I'm pretty sure she's monitoring where her coffee comes from because someone tried to poison her that way. I mean that makes sense, right? I just can't prove it yet. I've cross-referenced articles in the Ledger and NYPD database but so far I've come up empty. Either the records haven't been processed yet or it's all hush-hush, which would make sense, considering the previous attempt on her life. Maybe the killer came back to finish the job."

"He did but he didn't succeed. About a year ago he went after Kate again."

"Right! Duh!" Rookie slapped his forehead. "The case that got her suspended!"

Castle frowned, suddenly growing concerned. "There's a fine line between stalking and fanboying, Rookie."

"We're not stalking her!" Richmond looked up startled by the warning tone Rick's voice held. "We're not doing anything wrong. We're just trying to help! Beckett's case and the JB stabbing are off limits on the boards, of course. Besides everyone thinks Dick Coonan killed JB, which is public record now, and only a handful of us, who are in law enforcement, know that Beckett's shooting is connected to her mom's case. We're right, aren't we? We connected all the dots and it's the only logical answer. We just haven't figured out how exactly. We sometimes go over the case details to look for anything that's been missed."

"You what?!" Castle's eyes widened in panic and pulled Rookie aside. Oh god, what had he done?! This was so much worse than he ever could have imagined when he began shadowing Beckett. He'd opened Pandora's box!

"Hey! What are you doing? I was next in line!" Richmond protested.

"You need to stop. Immediately. Tell your friends, too."

"What? We're just trying to help. We never discuss details online, I run a secure chat room, it's virtually untraceable, and only people with a law enforcement pedigree can join. I personally run the background checks."

"You don't understand. These people are dangerous. If he finds out, the deal's off."

"What? Who? What deal? Wait a moment, he? You know who's behind this?"

Castle cursed himself inwardly. He'd already said too much. Piquing Rookie's interest was not going to help matters, either. "I'm serious, Richmond. I've already said too much. Kate's going to kill me. And you, when she finds out you've been looking into her and her mom's case behind her back. Not necessarily in that order."

"If you know who's behind all this, why don't you go after him?"

"Because he is a very powerful man and we've established a very precarious entente."

"I don't understand. Doesn't Beckett want justice for herself? For her mom?"

"Of course," Castle gave a mirthless chuckle, "but she wants her family and friends to be safe more. The man behind everything is so powerful that even from behind bars he might come after Kate. So she struck a deal with the devil. She won't say anything, if he stops threatening her. But the minute he comes after someone she cares about, she's going to throw the book at him."

"And that works?" Rookie looked at the writer incredulously.

"For now. Until we've got an iron-clad case against him, it will have to do anyway. Like I said, this man is in a very powerful position that allows him to make evidence disappear and witnesses drop off the face of the earth. So you have to promise me, you won't investigate Beckett's shooting or her mother's murder any further."

"But…"

"No buts, Rookie. He'll kill you. And all your friends. You have to drop both cases stat. I'm not joking. Kate would never forgive herself if you and her new team get sucked into this mess and one of you paid with your life."

"Okay." Rookie frowned and stared at the floor.

Rick felt as if he was addressing Alexis when she was four years old and openly defying him to assert her own personality for the first time. "Rookie, look at me. Promise you won't touch either case anymore."

Rookie sighed and squared Castle's eyes. "Promise."

"Thank you." Rick clasped the younger man's shoulders, shoving him back into line for the coffee cart. The gentleman right behind them opened his mouth in protest but Castle shot him an evil glare. "Sorry. We were here first, but my friend needed a little more time to decide. Now, Richmond, tell the nice lady behind the cart what you want. My treat. In fact," Castle flashed the women his best killer smile, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his money clip, "this entire round is on me." He glanced at the line behind him, five other people, and counted six twenty dollar bills before placing them on the counter. That should cover everyone else's orders, and the appreciative nods and murmur indicated that the upset about them jumping the line was dissolving quickly. "The rest is for you." He addressed the coffee vendor.

"And what can I get you, hon?" The woman flirted back at him.

"One regular," Rookie helped up his hand, "Make that two. And a grande skim latte with two pumps vanilla. Sugar-free." He winked at Richmond who grinned.

"Feeling lucky, huh?"

"She always takes my coffee, Rookie. I've worked very hard to earn that privilege over the last few years."

"Two regulars and a grande vanilla latte." The vendor placed the cups in front of them. Richmond grabbed his and sweetened it, while Castle fixed the lids on his cups. Once Richmond got rid of his trash, they casually walked back to the elevators.

"She must really trust you, if she'll let you bring coffee." Rookie pondered, while they waited.

Castle sighed, it was time to put an end to Richmond's speculations. "I made it up."

"What?" The younger man frowned confused.

"The coffee cup poisoning." Castle shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly, before he stepped into the empty elevator, as soon as the doors opened.

"What do you mean?" Rookie gaped.

"Nobody's ever tried to poison Beckett with a cup of coffee. Not since I joined the twelfth anyway. I even bought a new cappuccino machine for the homicide squad to replace that dreadful stuff their old coffee maker used to spit out." Rick visibly shuddered. "Like monkey pee in battery acid. Horrible I tell ya!"

"But if she… why… I don't understand!" Rookie exclaimed as Castle pulled the boy into the elevator cart, tired of pressing the hold button and waiting for Richmond to enter on his own account. "Why won't she take my coffee, if she doesn't fear for her life?" He looked at the writer crest-fallen.

"Don't take it personal. Kate's very nit-picky when it comes to coffee." Rick explained. "Let me tell you something, Rookie. Kate Beckett is a very complicated woman."

"You seem to have figured her out." Richmond pouted, "Apparently she lets you bring her coffee."

Castle chuckled, "And it took a long time to wear her down to accept it."

"What's your secret?"

Rick shrugged his shoulders, "Keep showing up every day."

"But I do." Rookie sighed, "She just doesn't notice me. She's just so awesome you know? I thought Nikki Heat was brilliant but Beckett… she's just something else." Rookie leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "Don't tell her but I think I've got a little crush on her."

Castle laughed out loud, "You think?"

Richmond pulled a face, "That obvious?"

Castle nodded amused.

"It's ridiculous, I know. She's probably got this really hot hunk back in New York. I mean the ring says it all, right? Probably some big shot lawyer she'd never consider leaving for me." Rookie sighed. "You must know her pretty well. Is she serious about the guy?"

Castle took a deep breath. He felt sorry for the kid. He knew what it was like to fall in love with someone way out of your league. Hell, he wooed Kate Beckett for years, before she really noticed him. Some days he still pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He wanted to tell Rookie the truth about him and Kate, but he also knew that Beckett was already upset enough as it is, with McCord finding out about them when they picked him up at the station. So he replied diplomatically, "Very serious. They're engaged."

Rookie nodded and stepped off the elevator, "Figures… that's one lucky bastard who gets to marry her."

Rick watched Rookie stride down the row of cubicles and muttered under his breath, "And don't I know it."

0~0~0~0~0

Richmond sat down behind his desk and checked his screen to see if the search had spit out any results yet. Nada. He glanced over to Beckett's desk where Castle was leisurely approaching her from behind. As if by magic, Kate's hand reached out for her cup of coffee the minute Castle extended his arm. She looked up from her screen and smiled a thanks at him. Castle beamed with a boyish grin and pulled up a rolling chair.

"Doesn't mean you're forgiven." She mumbled into her cup, before she took a sip. "I'm still pissed."

"I know." Castle whispered.

Richmond, Hendricks and McCord watched their exchange with a smile, exchanging secret glances. Rachel remembered the crestfallen look on Rookie's face, when Beckett ignored his coffee delivery the first time. She thought he was going to cry. And now Richard Castle showed up out of nowhere, coffee in hand, and Kate Beckett reached for it as if it were second nature.

Kate took a sip from her coffee and hummed satisfied. Damn, even the coffee tasted better when he delivered it. If they were alone, or at least back in the break room at the twelfth, he'd make a corny remark about how he added his secret ingredient: love. She stole a quick glance at Rick who pursed his lips, unsuccessfully hiding his smile. Seeing his face, she had to bite her lip to suppress her own grin. Before she could get carried away, she cleared her throat and noticed her colleagues who were observing her with interest.

"What?!" Kate barked.

"Nothing!" The trio of fed agents chorused and pretended to be busy with work.

The awkward moment was interrupted when section chief Granger stuck his head out of his office door, demanding an update from McCord because he had Captain Farramore on the phone.

"Well, you heard the guy!" McCord slammed her hand flat on the desk and pushed herself out of the chair. "What have we got?"

"Nothing." Kate and Matt chorused.

Rachel turned to Richmond who shrugged his shoulders, "Still waiting for results."

"Okay." McCord sighed. "So let's assume Trevor Martins says the truth. He didn't know the victim before they met in the bar – anything that suggests erratic behavior? Any irregularities that would explain why he might have snapped and killed Flinn?"

"Nothing in his bank records. His business was doing fine, considering the economy, he makes regular payments on his mortgage," Hendricks shook his head. "No irregular activities on his personal bank account, either, that would suggest a drug habit."

"The last time he used his credit card was at the bar. I checked for ATM withdrawals but he didn't make any that night."

"So where did he get the cash for the drugs?" Kate wondered out loud.

"No idea. He's only made small cash withdrawals in the days before." Matt explained.

"Maybe someone owed him money and paid in cash," McCord reasoned. "Alright, Beckett, what have we got on the victim."

"Still waiting for official confirmation from Metro PD that the Jane Doe is Jessica Flinn. We have to wait for DNA results because, get this, the finger print analysis was inconclusive."

"How can a fingerprint comparison be inconclusive? They either match or they don't!" Castle blurted out and four pairs of eyes turned to him.

"Whoever killed her, disfigured her fingers to make positive ID on her harder." Kate explained. She checked her screen and continued, "Says here the killer probably cauterized her finger pads using some kind of acid – more details to come once the lab results are in. Whatever substance caused the burns it was none of the usual suspects."

"Okay, Trevor Martins had the presence of mind to burn the victim's finger pads to make positive ID impossible while he blew twice the legal limit the next morning when police picked him up? Does that sound fishy to anyone else?" McCord wondered out loud.

"I told you Metro PD's story makes no sense." Rick interjected.

"So we've noted," Rachel continued, "Let's assume Mr. Castle is right. Let's say Trevor Martins was just a patsy and someone else killed Jessica Flinn. Who would have motive? And why would they kill her."

"CIA hit." Castle blurted out.

"Don't listen to him. It's always either CIA conspiracy or a mob hit with him." Kate sighed into her cup of coffee before taking another gulp.

"And one of these days I'm going to be right." Castle protested.

"I don't know how NYPD handled things, Mr. Castle," Rachel spoke up, "but here at the AG we're dealing with reality and not fiction." She turned back to Hendricks and Richmond. "You keep doing what you're doing. If she scraped her knee during recess in second grade, I wanna know. Matt, talk to her friends again, see if anyone remembers anything that could point us to someone with motive. Rookie, do your magic. I want her financial and phone records on my desk in an hour. Tops."

"What about me?" Castle piped up, eager to help.

"You done with your statement?" McCord mustered him, who shook his head slowly, "No? Well, there's your answer."

He really, really disliked the feds.

0~0~0~0~0

"This is useless. It's as if the woman didn't really exist." Rookie threw his pen on the desk frustrated.

"Can't really establish a connection to Martins, either." Matt sighed.

"Nothing popping up on either one's phone records and bank statements, either. Except for this wire transfer. Can you see if you can trace it back to its origins for me? This company has all the marking of being a front for something else." Rookie nodded and Kate let out a huff. "I need a break." She pushed back her chair and dropped the folder on Richmond's desk on her way to the restrooms. Castle automatically looked up from his writing and followed his fiancée's retreating figure. Once she was out of sight, he straightened up and caught Hendricks openly leering at Kate's ass.

"What?" Matt shrugged his shoulders. "Just enjoying the view. Don't tell me you haven't."

Castle scowled and sent the other man a dirty glare.

"Yeah, Castle, it's just us boys." Rookie joined the friendly ribbing. "You can tell us. Did you and Beckett ever…"

"What?" Rick's voice skipped an octave. "Why? What makes you think that?"

"Tequila scene." Rookie and Matt chorused, leaning back in their chairs with their arms crossed.

"Tsss…." Castle threw up his hands, "Pure fiction. I completely made it up." At least that wasn't a lie. They hadn't even been sleeping together back then.

"Geeze, man, don't tell me you've been working with her for years and never got to tap that ass." Hendricks groaned out loud. "You're a disgrace for the entire male species."

"Hey now!" Rick protested, "Unlike you I happen to respect women."

"Page Six of the New York Ledger says otherwise." Matt grinned smugly and leaned over his desk.

Castle almost objected that he was a changed man and no longer chased after women at parties and book signings. But that would prompt further questioning on why and who tamed him, so he shut his mouth again quickly. He conceded, "Fine. Touché. You got me. I've got the reputation of a womanizer but I respect Detective Beckett way too much to turn her into a notch on my bedpost."

"Well, she's Agent Beckett now. And since you didn't call dibs on her, you won't mind if I give it a try." Hendricks now challenged Castle openly, since the previous goading didn't work.

"She's engaged." Castle said rolling his chair over to the other agent's desk.

"She not married." Matt countered. He looked around, "I don't see her secret fiancé around here staking his claim or do you?"

"What the hell is going on here?" McCord stepped in between the two men.

"Nothing." All three chorused feigning to be innocent school boys caught when their hands were still stuck in the cookie jar.

"Why don't I believe that? Come on spit it out."

"I was just explaining to your colleagues the finer points of sexual harassment at the work place." Castle explained, never taking his eyes off of Hendricks. If looks could kill, the other man would drop dead. If Kate wouldn't file a complaint, Rick would do it for her. This was simply going too far.

"Seriously, Matt? Are you still at it?" McCord grumbled. "Are you gunning for a lawsuit? I thought you were done after reading the Tequila scene. That was really pushing it we agreed."

"Yeah, about that. I've been wondering how exactly does one make a project out of a blouse?" Hendricks piped up with a cheeky grin, which quickly drooped when Castle glared at him.

"You think you're being original? You think you're the first one to give her a hard time about Nikki Heat? I get that she's the low man on the totem pole but there's good-natured hazing and then there's just down right frat boy misogyny. Whatever made you think that it's a good idea to read out loud the tequila scene from my novel and imply that the sex scene was about a member of your team in front of all of her new colleagues to hear? You want to make fun of Nikki Heat? Fine, have a go at me but leave Beckett out of it."

"Sorry man, that may have been a bit over the top." Hendricks surprised Castle with an apology. Why would that jackass even care, Rick wondered, as he studied Matthew's face.

"It's Beckett you owe an apology not me." Rick finally replied.

"Something tells me she'll kick my ass if I bring it up again." Matt showed a self-deprecating grin. "Beckett doesn't strike me as the person to dwell on juvenile pranks and hold grudges." Matt rocked his chair back and forth, "For what it's worth, it was stupid and I'm sorry. Won't be happening again." That's when Castle realized Hendricks knew. God knows how he found out, but he'd been hounding him the whole time to get a rise out of him, to trip him up and make him admit he was Beckett's secret fiancé. This was Hendricks officially backing off and conceding the battle to Castle. The look on Matt's face told him that he respected their engagement and didn't want any bad blood between them.

Castle grinned, "Don't worry, she gives as good as she gets."

"Huh?" Hendricks sat up straight. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Let me tell you one thing I've learned about Kate Beckett in all the years I've worked with her. I don't like being on the receiving end of her pranks."

"Beckett pranked you?" Rookie grinned excitedly.

Castle nodded and showed off, "Mind you, I pulled many a prank on her, too."

"What did she do?" Curiosity had gotten the better of McCord now, too, as she rolled her chair over to Castle.

Rick grinned, "There was this one case where she pulled so many pranks on me, she had me convinced I was cursed by a mummy."

"Oh come on, Castle, details." Rachel prodded him with a soft poke. So Castle told them about the case at the New York History Museum.

0~0~0~0~0

When Beckett returned from the restroom, she didn't believe her eyes. There in his time-out was Castle surrounded by her new team, laughing and joking around. As she walked closer, she gathered bits and pieces of what he was saying and realized he was regaling her new colleagues with one of their more memorable adventures.

She slowed down her pace to watch Castle interacting with her co-workers a little longer. It looked like he was making fast friends, which only made her even more aware of how much he must be missing the interaction with the boys at the precinct.

"Genius the museum director was not." She overheard Castle tell, "Once I pointed out the PR nightmare surrounding the possibility of lawsuits and liability issues, he made a beeline for the phone." She heard him laugh. Oh, so he was talking about the mummy case. How much she'd missed the sound of his laughter at work these past few days. Kate heaved a deep sigh.

"Seeing me cut my finger on a piece of paper must have given Beckett the idea to convince me I was cursed by the mummy. So later in the day, she fixed my chair to collapse under my weight when I sat down."

"Ouch. That is mean." Rookie chuckled.

"And that was only the beginning. The next day she had the bomb squad rig the espresso machine, so when I tried to make us coffee, it exploded right in my face!"

"Whoa! No way!" Hendricks exclaimed. Castle nodded vigorously.

"I'm telling you, she's a mean prankster. To this day I have no idea how she did it but she even messed with the elevator! For a minute there I thought the cabin was going to drop and I was going to die."

"I proudly claim the chair and espresso machine, but I had nothing to do with the elevator." Beckett announced her presence and four heads turned to look at her.

"Yeah, right, just like you had nothing to do with the dog attacking me."

"She sicked the dogs on you? That's just wicked, Beckett!" Hendricks looked at her with renewed respect.

"Explain to me how on earth I could have known there'd be a hungry German shepherd on the other side of the door." Beckett crossed her arms defensively.

"You tell me, after all it was your lead. You probably faked the call and arranged for the attack dog to be waiting inside to nibble on my cute ass." He turned to Hendricks and Richmond, "I had to climb on the roof of her cruiser to seek shelter, and he still almost got to me."

"Technically he was a she. That German shepherd could jump really high." Beckett reminisced with a grin.

McCord leaned slightly over to blatantly check out Castle, "Oh yeah, that's one fine ass you got there writer boy. No wonder the dog was salivating all over you." Hendricks and Rookie laughed out loud at Rachel's joke.

"Hey now, who's doing the sexual harassing?" Hendricks teased McCord.

"Writer man," Castle corrected her and then shot Kate a knowing look, "Been telling stories about me, huh?"

"Actually her exact words were nine-year-old on a sugar rush." Rachel grinned and Kate blushed. Her mind kept replaying Castle walking in front of her with his torn jeans flashing glimpses of his boxers on a loop.

Not wanting to embarrass his fiancée in front of her new co-worker, Castle changed the topic. "I can't believe you would mess with the elevator after the dog attack. You scared me to death."

"I told you back then, I'm not that cruel. Messing with your chair and the espresso machine was fun. Crashing the elevator or sicking the dog on you is not. End of story." She looked at Rachel conspiratorially, "I was just about to enter the elevator myself, when the doors opened and revealed Castle hugging the floor."

"I thought it was going to crash and I was trying to remember whether it's safer to lie on the floor or jump when the elevator falls." Rick defended himself, which didn't do him any good, as the other's laughter only increased.

"So who killed your Mayan Indiana Jones?" Hendricks wanted to know.

"The museum curator," Castle and Beckett said at the same time.

McCord cocked her head, scrutinizing Kate and Rick for a moment, before ordering everyone back to work, "Okay, everybody. Let's set up shop at the smart board and compare notes."

0~0~0~0~0

"Okay, guys, why don't we call it a day? There's nothing we can do while we wait for results."

"Cool. You need a ride to the bar?" Hendricks looked at Castle.

"Sure, thanks."

"Wait. What bar?" Kate looked confused between the two men.

"Oh, Castle invited us to dinner." McCord grinned, while she stuffed her belongings into her purse.

"Oh did he now?" Kate narrowed her eyes at Rick.

"It came up while you were in the restroom," Castle shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"Of course it did." Kate rolled her eyes.

"You can come too, unless you've got a hot date with your fiancé." Rick smiled at her sweetly.

Kate just pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yeah, Beckett. Join us." Rookie nodded. "You're always giving us excuses when we invite you out for a beer after work."

"Fine." Kate rolled her eyes, "I hope you know a good bar cause Castle's standards are pretty high."

"What? You think your New York cop bars are better than ours?"

"Nope, but Castle owns a bar and it's quite legendary."

"Seriously, dude?" Hendricks shoved his elbow in Castle's side. "When were you going to tell us?"

"That means we'll get free beer next time we're in the big apple, right?" Rookie said.

"First of all," Rick put his arm around Richmond's shoulder, "stop calling it the big apple…"

0~0~0~0~0

The evening turned out to be a lot of fun. The bar Hendricks and McCord had recommended served great food and European beer on tap. There was a Premiere League soccer game capturing the attention of most patrons on a large flat screen in the front of the bar, so they retreated to a corner booth in the quieter back. Rick slid all the way through to the corner seat, flanked by Beckett and McCord on either side. It had not gone unnoticed by the others how casually Kate had slipped into the booth after Castle automatically scooting up to him – a little closer than necessary. Rookie's smile fell a little, when he saw the comfortable familiarity between Kate and Rick. Hendricks just cocked his eyebrows at Rachel and smiled knowingly. They munched on some tater tots and onion rings they'd ordered as appetizers, while Castle regaled Kate's new colleagues with more stories from their days in New York.

"So we chase the suspect through the steam punk club, he almost makes it, but when he opens the door he crashes straight into 'sposito." Castle shakes his head laughing.

"For real?" McCord cuckled.

"Yep, that's exactly how it happened." Kate nodded. "He totally pranked us afterwards, showing up in a wheel chair in addition to his neck brace. Castle and I thought for a minute he might be paralyzed or something but then he jumped up like a Jack in the box. Scared the living daylights out of our little girl here." Beckett patted Castle's arm.

"Did not."

"Did too." Kate leaned over the table. "Castle here screams like a little girl. Fact."

"You would, too if a dead body fell on you." Rick defended himself.

"How did that even happen?"

"Someone had a skeleton in their closet." Kate grinned, leaning back again. Without thinking, she stole a fry from Castle's plate, and added, "Literally."

"Rookie will have to forgive me, but I don't know yet. How'd you guys actually meet? Did Castle just show up one day begging for a ride-along?" McCord asked.

"She arrested me."/"He offered to sign my breasts." They said simultaneously. The others raised their eyebrows surprised by their answers.

"I did not!" Kate and Rick chorused.

"I didn't arrest you. I just had a few questions for you. You on the other hand had been signing women's chests all evening. Don't even try denying it."

Castle leaned forward over the table, "All I did was ask her where she'd like my autograph."

"Yeah, and the location was implied." Kate rolled her eyes. "Anyways, a body had just dropped and the crime scene was staged just like one in Castle's novels, so I figured we'd better bring him in for some questioning."

McCord nodded in agreement.

"Wait a moment. For you to recognize the crime scene, you must have read Castle's books…" Hendricks put two and two together, "Oh my god, you're a fan girl!"

"Am not!" Kate shot back.

"So is," Castle grinned cheekily, which earned him a kick in the shins. He winced and mouthed, "Total superfan."

"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much," McCord chuckled.

"So I like to read murder mysteries." Kate shrugged her shoulders, and then directed her last words to Rick, "Bite me." His eyes darkened for a second as he imagined doing just that.

Then Castle turned back to McCord and deadpanned, "Not that it stopped her from arresting me for real a few days later."

"You stole evidence!" Kate reminded him.

"You left it right there on your desk, where I could pinch the file." Rick shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh you mean like the door at today's crime scene was left wide open."

"Exactly."

"Speaking of which," Rookie held up his cell phone. "I just got a hit on my search. Remember the shell company you gave me?"

Kate nodded.

"I traced it back to a Swiss bank account. They daisy chained their transfer through a couple of international banks. So I wrote an algorithm to see if any of the other transfers have the same pattern."

"And?" McCord looked at him expectantly.

"Nothing. But I thought if I were smart, I'd change up the order, so I adjusted the formula and extended the search a little further back and jackpot. Until about a year ago Jessica Flinn received regular payments that can all eventually be traced to the same Swiss bank account."

"Do we know whom it belongs to?" Castle leaned over the table, trying to peek at Rookie's blackberry.

"One Vladimir Lensky, who doesn't appear to exist."

"Of course not," Castle and Beckett replied together.

"Huh?" Matt's curiosity was officially piqued.

"It's a fictional character," Castle started to explain and Beckett took over, "from Pushkin's Yevgéniy Onégin."

"So it's an alias," Matt concluded, "but for whom?"

"Russian oligarch?" Rookie shrugged his shoulders.

"Does Jessica Flinn have any connections to Russia? Parents? Family? Semester abroad?" McCord mused.

"Not really." Beckett shook her head. They all sat hunched over Rookie's cell, staring at it, as if it would reveal the answer any second now.

"What…." Castle had an idea, "what if Jessica Flinn isn't Jessica Flinn." He leaned back with a smug grin.

"The finger burns!" Kate exclaimed and turned back to face him.

"That explains why they didn't want anyone to be able to identify her body." Rick reasoned, "What if she was a spy after all and the Russians planted her at Booz-Allen Hamilton to gather intelligence."

"That would explain why we can't find anything about Jessica Flinn."

"It's a cover."

"But why Booz-Allen Hamilton? " Kate frowned.

"Maybe they knew what the NSA has been doing all along." Rick leaned forward.

"Maybe she wasn't a government agent, maybe she was in corporate espionage!" Kate locked eyes with Rick.

"Who knows what kinds of information they've collected over the years." Rick nodded.

"Maybe she even fed a computer worm into their system to suck the data she needed from the companies her handler planned a hostile takeover?" Rookie supplied helpfully.

"Yeah!" Castle nodded, "Now why kill Jessica Flinn now. What's changed?"

"Snowden!" Castle and Beckett exclaimed simultaneously.

"They were afraid she might be exposed." Castle argued.

"They couldn't risk an international incident, so it was easier to have her killed!" Beckett nodded.

"Someone who can plant a spy at an NSA affiliate probably has contacts everywhere."

"So they knew someone was going to blow the whistle."

"But why wait so long? Jessica was fired long before the leak. She'd served her purpose."

"Maybe they initially planned to extract her?"

Kate bit her lips, not really buying it. Rachel, Matt and Rookie watched the back and forth between their new colleague and the writer with fascination.

"This is getting creepy," Hendricks leaned over the table and whispered to his colleagues.

"How long do you think they've had to practice that?" McCord grinned.

"It's like they have on mind!" Rookie agreed.

"Am I the only one who feels like he's watching foreplay?"

"What do you mean?" Rookie looked at Matt for clarification.

"Oh come on, Rookie, you must have figured it out by now!" Matt groaned.

"What?"

"Seriously? I thought you knew. Why'd you join me goading Castle this afternoon if you didn't know?" Hendricks looked at the younger man in disbelief.

"That secret fiancé Beckett's hiding in New York?" Rachel helped out.

"Yeah?" Rookie looked at McCord expectantly.

"He's sitting right across from you."

"What?" Richmond squeaked, "Castle?!"

He watched the couple who was still deeply engaged in building theory, their company at the table obviously forgotten.

"Nikki and Rook are together?" Rookie couldn't contain his shipper excitement. "In real life?"

"Geeze, Rookie, some agent you are! All the evidence is right in front of you!" Hendricks shook his head.

"Look at how close together they're sitting." McCord nodded at them.

"Beckett's been stealing fries off Castle's plate the whole time. Makes you wonder why she ordered hers with a side of salad." Hendricks rolled his eyes.

"And Castle ordered for while she was making that phone call without ever asking her." Rachel added.

"And if that's not enough, the looks they've been exchanging the last five minutes make me feel dirty. Fifty bucks says they'll fling some excuse at us any second now to get out of here and get it on in their hotel room." Matt grinned.

"I told him I have a crush on her!" Rookie whispered horrified. "He's gonna kill me."

"No, he won't. He didn't even come after me for talking shit about Kate this afternoon. He's a cool guy," Hendricks calmed Richmond down. "He knows we're messing with him cause we like him."

"I wasn't messing with him! I was trying to get him to put in a good word for me with Beckett." Rookie countered chagrined.

"Look at them," Rachel smirked, "you never stood a chance."

The three of them watched the couple, grinning. Beckett and Castle noticed them staring and turned to face away from each other and address the group.

"What?" Kate asked.

Rookie, Hendricks and McCord just chuckled. "Nothing."

Beckett scratched her head and glanced at Rick. "Okay, listen guys," she started and reached for Castle's hand.

"It's okay, we won't say anything." McCord smiled. "Your secret's safe with us."

"Provided we get an invitation to the wedding." Rookie stipulated.

"And free beer at your bar for as long as we live." Hendricks added.

Castle laughed out loud, "Blackmail. And such a united front! I'm impressed, agents. Sadly it won't work. We're not keeping it a secret for much longer. The cat will be out of the beg come Saturday."

"I see," Rachel grinned knowingly at Kate, "I guess we'll have to give you the weekend off after all."

"What? Why?" Matt wondered, "What do you know that we don't?"

"Mister Castle here kindly requested that I allow him to whisk Beckett off to New York for the weekend, so she could attend the book launch party for Deadly Heat, is it?" Rookie nodded and Rachel continued, "Of course, then I explained to Mister Castle that I don't sign off on vacation time but seeing as they're planning to announce their engagement at the party, I'll have to put in a good word with the section chief."

"Does Granger know about Castle?" Hendricks asked.

"He does actually. With such a high profile relationship, I felt it was better to be upfront about it." Kate explained

"Then why didn't you tell us?"

"Are you kidding me? I'd barely gotten one foot in the door and you'd already started the Nikki Heat hazing."

"You should've told us. We wouldn't have done it, if we'd known you were together." Rookie shook his head embarrassed. Kate shot Hendricks a dirty look.

Matt held up his hands, laughing, "You're right. I totally would've done it anyway. I've actually had my suspicions since you called your fiancé in the car and I saw Castle's mug on the screen."

"Hello? Privacy?" Kate rolled her eyes.

"It was dark in the car. The screen lit up. Not my fault!" Hendricks defended himself.

"I knew it. You were totally trying to break me this afternoon." Castle pointed his finger at Matt, "You can be a real jackass."

"Takes one to know one," Hendricks volleyed back.

"What's he talking about?"

"Nohing," the men chorused innocently.

Castle mouthed later to Kate, before he addressed McCord, "Meanwhile, can you stop calling me Mister Castle, please? It's either Rick or Castle. Though I kinda dig the latter cause it sounds like I'm one of the guys in cop speak."

"Nice try, Rick," McCord grinned, "you're not shadowing Beckett on my team. Meanwhile, did you finish and sign your statement?"

"She's a worse slave driver than you are when it comes to paper work," Castle groused, nudging Kate softly. "Yes, I did. And you'll find it very entertaining."

"You wrote a full short story, didn't you?" Kate laughed.

"Of course, exposition, climax, and denouement! With fully fleshed out characters." Castle smiled proudly.

"Let me guess, you're the fearless heroic protagonist." McCord chuckled.

"Exactly, and Beckett is the pretty dea ex machina who saved me."

"Okay, we're done here." Beckett groaned, "You've had officially too much to drink tonight." She signaled the waitress for the check. "Meanwhile… Can we focus just one more time on our case? What are we gonna do about Jessica Flinn?"

"I'm gonna update Granger tomorrow morning and see if he wants s to take over now in light of the new direction. In any case, we'll try to connect Flinn to the Russians and see if we can find out anything more about Yevgeniy Onegin."

"Vladimir Lasky," Castle corrected her. "Onégin is the eponymous protagonist of the novel. They chose the young poet as their alias instead, so that may be our first clue?" He shrugged his shoulders.

They continued discussing possible leads until the waitress returned with Castle's credit card and then they bid each other good night.