AN: Told you all I'd be able to update more with my housemate away – a nod to my ever active social life perhaps. I make no apologies for spending the weekend watching Veronica Mars on my couch. Hope you all enjoy this latest instalment, should have another one up relatively soon. As always, thank you for reading & reviewing!

Chapter Twenty-Four

She forced a deep breath and proceeded to head down to the morgue, in search of her best friend.

"Hey Lanie," she called out as she walked into the morgue, the room had a cold clinical feel to it which might have caused her to shiver under the circumstances, if she wasn't so used to it.

"Hey girl, I'm back here," Lanie's voice travelled from the neighbouring room. Beckett pulled herself up onto a clear space on the bench beside her, swinging her legs back and forth as they dangled out of the floors reach. "So," Lanie said, eying her carefully. "What are you doing down here? Would have that you wouldn't want to let writer boy out of your sight anytime soon?"

"Writer man," she replied on impulse. Immediately biting her lip as the blush began to rise steadily on her cheeks.

"Know that for a fact now do we?" Lanie smirked. Beckett lowered her gaze and sighed, shaking her head. "Seriously, still not. What the hell is going on with the two of you? Foreplay's fun and all but, you know what's more fun?" she hedged. Beckett did know, but she was not going to give Lanie the satisfaction of answering, she fought the last remnants of her blush that were threatening to remerge.

"Lanie, I just keep getting him in trouble. I'm bad for him. He's better off without me," she moaned, laying her head in her hands, essentially admitting defeat. When she glanced up, Lanie was gazing intently at her, shaking her head ardently.

"You know that's a load of crap. Beckett, look at me, hear me when I say this. You make Richard Castle a better man," Lanie's tone was deadly serious, her words loaded with truth. Naturally, Beckett went with denial.

"No, no," she muttered softly.

"Yes," Lanie asserted. "And you know it. Don't even try to lie to me, girl."

"Okay, let's say for arguments sake there's some truth to that, whatever. But the point is, he keeps getting hurt because of me. He woke up in the hospital this morning because of me. Tessa only went after him because of me…"

"No." Lanie cut her off fiercely. "No." She could clearly see that Beckett was internally dismissing her words, her eyes reflected her disbelief. In her opinion, it was all her fault that Richard Castle found himself in these situations, Lanie was inclined to disagree and with good reason. "Listen Beckett, Tessa taking Castle, that's more Martha's fault than it is yours."

"Martha?" Beckett exclaimed incredulously. Lanie had clearly lost the plot. Maybe insanity was contagious, she had been near Tessa when she brought the drink into the interrogation room.

"Duh. It's her fault for producing such fine example of the human specimen. If Castle wasn't hot, it totally wouldn't have happened," Lanie grinned. Under other circumstances, if she wasn't so stressed Beckett would have giggled at that.

"God, Lanie, you're ridiculous," she rose her eyebrows at her friend, not really having the words to reply to that.

"Oh, don't try to deny it, you know better than anyone that Castle is good to look at," Lanie replied, her typical attitude intact.

"Anyone?" Beckett's eyebrows soared higher still.

"Okay, except maybe his ex-wives. But they so don't count. You're the only one that counts for him these days," she added, sincerity lacing her words.

"Told you that has he?" Beckett practically whispered, almost scared of the response, either way.

"He called you his girl this morning when we were in the observation room. It was about the sweetest thing I've ever seen." Beckett couldn't have stopped the blush from rising to her cheeks even if she tried.

"It doesn't matter though. Dunnings is going to go after him, because of me," Beckett groaned, clenching her fists angrily, her nails biting into the palms of her hand.

"All the more reason for you to be going home with him, not me," Lanie added gently.

"He asked me you know," she admitted with a sigh.

"Then what the hell are you doing down here? Go, protect him. It's not like the pair of you are going to get a second of sleep tonight if you're apart and worrying about each other." Lanie made a convincing argument. There was no way that she was going to get a wink of sleep with the disabling fear for Castle that was currently pounding through her mind.

"I don't know, Lanie," she responded, biting her lip, worry clearly clouding her features.

"I'm not going to kick you out, I'm happy to have you stay with me tonight. Helps me stay in the loop, you know," she teased. Beckett's brow furrowed.

"I am sorry about not calling you…"

"It's fine, really," Lanie waved her hand dismissively. "I'm starving. Let's go get some dinner, then you can decide where you really want to stay tonight."

"Okay," Beckett nodded, that she could most definitely handle.

X-X-X-X-X-X

If Castle was being honest with himself, he was reasonably petrified the entire cab ride back to the loft. He kept expecting the driver to turn round with a menacing grin, the mirror image of the Dunnings brother that they had met in prison. Going home alone tonight sucked. He wished Beckett had come home with him, he wasn't kidding about needing protecting. A simple cab ride that he'd taken hundreds of times before had him sweating in fear. Plus, his cut ached, he was pretty sure that the pain killers he'd intentionally under-dosed on earlier in the day had well and truly worn off. It was not making for a quick or comfortable journey. He paid the cab driver with shaking hands, despite the fact the elderly black man was most certainly not Peter Dunnings. He lost track of how many times he looked over his shoulder walking from the lobby of his building to his loft. With one final paranoia infused glance over his shoulder he let himself into the loft and shut the door. His heart warmed instantly at the sight before him. Alexis and his mother were seated on the couch, matching adoring gazes on their faces, clearly they had been waiting for him. He smiled softly at them in response.

"Where's Detective Beckett?" Alexis asked by way of greeting and his smile faltered.

"Uh, she's with Lanie for the night," he answered, trying to hide sadness leeching its way into his tone.

"You should have invited her over," Alexis replied brightly. She had definitely missed the sadness. Martha on the other hand, had not, and she shot Alexis a warning with her eyes. "Oh, just that… I suppose it doesn't matter if that woman's in jail. You're both safe…" she trailed away, unsure of what to say next, especially after a flash of fear slipped into her father's eyes, derailing her.

"Umm. Well, yes. But, I need you to be very careful for the next little while," he turned to face his mother. "Both of you. The Lonkings are both in jail. Tessa for kidnapping and Bryan for assault with a deadly weapon. However, they weren't exactly working alone," Castle hesitated. He didn't really want to tell his daughter that they were all still in danger. If awareness ensured her safety though, it was a small price to pay. "There's a prisoner who's escaped who has a pretty major grudge against Beckett for putting him away…"

"Dad," Alexis interrupted. "You shouldn't have let her go home alone."

"She's not alone," he interjected weakly. "I tried, sweetie."

"No," Alexis was firm. "She's safer here. You're safer with her here. We're all safer with her here." Despite whatever her hang ups with her father and the detective's relationship may be, of this she was certain. Everybody would be safer if the detective was in the loft with them for the night. She would be assured her father wouldn't try anything stupid if he knew Beckett was safe with him. Alexis was innately worried that her father would try one of his usual tricks, striking out to solve the case on his own, whether to protect or impress the detective she was never quite sure.

"She's right you know, Richard darling," Martha added.

"Believe me, Mother, I know. But that doesn't change anything," he admitted sullenly.

"Mmm, fine then. I believe a change of topic is in order. Like, when were you planning on telling me you used your adorable daughter as pawn to escape hospital early this morning without bothering to let me know?" Castle opened his mouth to reply, but Martha waved him unceremoniously away. "No excuses. Are you trying to age me prematurely, Richard? You're just lucky that my granddaughter is responsible enough to keep me well informed." Despite the tone of her words, she was smiling genuinely. "I'm glad to have you home safe," she added pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you, Mother," he sighed, laying a hand on her knee, squeezing it gently. The sofa jostled as Alexis rose. She was frowning at her phone.

"One of my friends is having a crisis. I'll just call her quickly. Then, family night. Ice-cream compulsory. Choose a movie, okay Dad," she insisted, walking away.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Beckett pushed the fries around her plate with a sigh. Dinner with Lanie was going well enough, the conversation was flowing and food was good. However, the constant worry was ebbing away at her resolve. She needed to see Castle. She was halfway decided to tell Lanie that she had changed her mind and was going to head to the loft for the night when her phone rang. She was so distracted she almost missed it, Lanie drawing her from her thoughts with a sharp nudge and a pointed look at her ringing pocket. Right, phone. Given how close she was to missing the call completely she didn't waste time checking the caller ID.

"Detective Beckett," she answered formal as always.

"Hey, I just…needed to hear you were safe." She softened instantly in response, the worry leeching away.

"Hi Castle," she murmured softly. Lanie grinned at her. Her phone beeped angrily in her ear. "Oh, I have an incoming call. It could be about the case. I'll call you back, okay?" she didn't even attempt to disguise the disappointment from her tone at having to cut the conversation short. "Detective Beckett," she answered a little more abruptly than before. She sensed the person on the other end of the line hesitate briefly in response to her tone. Oh well, too late to do anything about it now.

"Detective…" she started softly.

"Alexis?" it flew out of her mouth in surprise, cutting off the girl as she spoke.

"Yeah. Um. I'm sorry, I don't want to intrude. But, I think you should stay here tonight. I want you to stay here tonight. I'm afraid Dad's going to try something stupid, like solving the case on his own, you know. I just think he'd be a lot safer if you were here. I think you'd be a lot safer if you were here. I just think we'd all be safer. I just…I'm scared. Dad always goes on about how kick-ass you are and I believe him. Please just come stay here. If you can't do it for my Dad, then do it for me. We need you. We want you," the words flew from mouth in a rush. She barely thought about them, by the time she had finished she wasn't even entirely sure what exactly she'd actually said. Beckett was silent; she had to remind herself to breathe. She gasped a breath, her jaw dropping open and choked out a strangled –

"Uh."