A/N: Short chapter but I needed to start building the plot. I promise that the chapters will get much longer. And I also promise that this will not be a classic 3XK story
Disclaimer: I do not own Castle
Kate awoke this morning laying on her stomach, with her arm draped across her boyfriend's chest. Castle looked kind of adorable when he slept. An unruly piece of hair was drooping onto his forehead and his facial expression was free from worry. He almost looked like a little boy.
The sun was giving the room an ethereal glow as it beamed through the window above the bed. Kate had always been a morning person. Something about sitting outside in the chilled morning air with a steaming mug of coffee appealed to her. Once her eyes adjusted to the morning light, she picked up her phone from the bedside table. The clock read 6:30 in the morning. She let out a content sigh and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Instantly, her body missed the warmth of the plush duvet. Reluctantly, Beckett stood up and stretched out her limbs. She opened one of the dresser drawers and grabbed a t-shirt of Rick's to throw on. Bringing it up to her nose, she inhaled the familiar scent. She couldn't quite describe it but it was just so..him. She slid her arms through the shirt and pulled it over her head. It fell to the middle of her thighs.
Still in a sleepy haze, Kate padded out into the loft and made her way over to the coffee machine. She reached up into one of the cabinets and grabbed two mugs. As she filled both of the cups with the deep brown liquid, the aroma hit her nose and her mouth watered in satisfaction. Suddenly, she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist. Beckett leaned back into the wall of warmth behind her and hummed happily.
"I'm pretty sure my shirts look ten times better on you than they do on me." Rick said sleepily, while his eyes travelled down her slim frame.
Kate smudged a kiss on to the corner of his mouth. "Good morning." she greeted quietly, against his skin.
Castle placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. "Indeed it is." he replied with a smile.
He grabbed the two mugs of coffee and brought them over to the breakfast bar. The two sat down together in a comfortable silence. Kate subconsciously ran her bare foot up and down his calf. She wrapped her hands around the mug, and her hands were instantly warmed by the heat. Bringing it up to her lips, she let the liquid slide down her throat. Beckett licked her lips as if she were trying to catch any spare droplets with her tongue.
"So, what do you want to do today?" Castle asked her.
"Hmm, well I'm on call today, so if there's no murder, then I don't really care." she replied.
As if on cue, the shrill ringing of Beckett's phone interrupted their quiet morning. Kate shot him an apologetic look as Castle groaned.
"Beckett." she answered.
He watched her as she listened to the other side of the call. As she grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, Castle knew there had been a murder.
"I'm on my way." she said, ending the call.
"C'mon babe, we've got a body." she called over her shoulder as she left the room to get ready for work.
Castle hurried in after her. They were both dressed and ready to go within 20 minutes.
As they walked towards the victim laying lifeless on the ground, Beckett relayed the information that she was given to Castle.
"The victim is Alyssa Benson. She is 20 years old and she works at a bar a few blocks from here. Looks like she was on her way home." she informed him
When they approached the body, Castle's breath hitched and concern etched its way onto his face.
Kate noticed the sudden change in his demeanor and didn't hesitate to question it. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
He watched Lanie examine the body. The girl's blonde hair was flowing messily on the cement and her hands rested perfectly at her sides. She looked peaceful; clearly there was nothing peaceful about the way she died. Her skin was pale, making the blue veins on her eyelids stand out. The cadaverous color of her skin also showed the all too familiar brushing pattern on her neck.
"Do we know the cause of death?" Castle asked Lanie, disregarding Beckett's question.
Lanie, picking up on the change of his demeanor as well, gave him a questioning glance but answered the question. "Asphyxiation." she answered.
"Do you know what the killer used?" he asked.
Beckett and Lanie glanced at each other, sharing a look of confusion at Castle's distressed disposition.
"I won't know until I get her to the morgue." she replied.
Suddenly, as Beckett took another look at the body, she figured out why this body was making Castle so anxious.
"Castle, he's dead." she reasoned.
"They never found his body." he countered.
"Are we talking about Jerry Tyson?" Lanie asked, finally catching on.
Beckett gripped his shoulders firmly and looked him directly in the eyes. "You shot him off of that bridge. He's dead."
Lanie joined into the conversation again. "I'll tell you what Castle. If it will make you feel better, I'll compare Alyssa to his other victims and see if there's any connection."
He just nodded. He didn't need her to check. It was him. 3XK was back.
"Come on Castle. Let's go to the precinct and see what we can find out about Alyssa Benson." Kate cajoled.
He didn't reply but he trailed behind her until they made their way to her cruiser.