A/N1: Hello peoples and WELCOME to the fourth Chapter of Absolution titled 'Richard Castle: 'Consultant' I'm not going to say anything about this chapter except 'On with the show' ENJOY!

The following morning right on the eight thirty, Rick arrived at the 12th precinct via Angelo's two coffees and a bear claw in hand. The bullpen was half empty when he arrived and made his way into the break room where Kate was sitting down at the table, munching on a bowl of muesli and perusing the paper.

"Morning my heart," he murmured, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her head.

"Mmf Morning," Kate replied, swallowing a mouthful of muesli in a hurry and accepting her coffee with a smile. "Thanks."

"So how did you sleep?" Rick enquired, dropping down into a chair and pulling it closer to her.

Kate grinned. "Unconsciously with my eyes closed and breathing deeply for ten hours," she replied in amusement. "Ah ha see? Kate Beckett is capable of making a joke too."

Rick laughed heartily.

"I know you're quite capable of making a joke, Tulip," he told her as he carefully broke the bear claw in half and gave her one half of the sticky sweet bun. "I slept well, though you know I do sleep better when spooning attractive homicide detectives."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Detectives?" she repeated. "Detectives? Plural? Just how any homicide detectives do you 'spoon' with, Writer Monkey?"

"Oh tons," the Writer responded seriously, the hint of amusement dancing in baby blue eyes. "I have every female homicide detective in the New York Police Department on speed dial. I'm quite popular you know."

There was a short silence before Kate burst into laughter, her eyes crinkling up in amusement and every one of her pearly white's showing. Rick grinned back, his heart swelling in affection for the woman before him.

"You're beautiful when you smile," he told her, reaching across and tugging a whisp of her chestnut locks.

Kate dropped her gaze to the remnants of her muesli and blushed. "Thanks." she mumbled.

Rick leaned into her space further, the Paris perfume he had given her at Christmas muddling his senses. He threaded the fingers of one of his hands though her hair and pressed his lips to hers. Kate gave a little squeak of surprise and responded enthusiastically cupping his face with a hand and opening her mouth.

Their tongues duelled for supremacy til Ryan stuck his head into the room. "Get a room guys, Gates just got here." He said, apologetically.

Rick swore.

"Thanks," Kate told her colleague and friend as she got to her seat and took her empty cereal bowl to the sink.

"So...what's on the schedule for today?" Rick asked as Kate washed her bowl and spoon.

"Well a debrief on the information we've got on yesterday's drop then a trawl through the missing person's reports til Lanie gets back to us with an I.D on our vic," Kate replied in one long breath. "If we haven't heard back from her by midday I'll ring and see if it's worth making a trip downtown to see what evidence she's collected for s so far."

"I'll get started on the missing person's reports then." Rick volunteered, getting to his feet. "The sooner we start the faster we'll get and I.D."

Kate grinned, her insides squirming pleasantly.

Her Writer Monkey was turning into such a cop!

At quarter to twelve while Kate was in the bathroom, her desk phone rang. Rick leaned across it and answered it.

"Beckett's desk," he greeted, smartly.

"Hey it's Lanie," the M.E answered. "Is my girl about?"

"Bathroom powdering her nose," Rick informed her with a chuckle.

"Honey, Kate Beckett is not the nose powdering type," Lanie replied dryly. "I got an I.D on your vic without his junk. Want to make a trip downtown?"

"Sure, we'll be right there as soon as our Princess has come back from her nose powdering expedition-OW!"

Unbeknown to the Writer, Kate had returned from the bathroom and had snuck up behind him playfully twisting his ear.

"We'll see you soon anyway, Lanie." Rick added, grabbing Kate's hand and preventing her from twisting his ear any further.

"Got it Writer Monkey."

"Since when have I been a princess?" Kate asked Rick as she crossed her arms and taped her booted foot trying in vain to look stern.

Rick grinned as his girlfriend bit her cheek in an effort not to laugh.

"Oh, I wasn't speaking about you detective," he told her, getting to his feet and pulling on his jacket. "Fancy heading down to the morgue? Lanie has an I.D on our unitless vic."

Kate's eyes rose in surprise and her arms fell to her side.

"She does?"

"Yep that was her now."

"Great, you call it in with Gates then let's go," Kate told him, grabbing her jacket and pulling it on.

Rick pocketed his phone and headed to Gate's office knocking on the door and waiting for the older woman's permission to enter.

"Come in!"

Rick grasped the door handle and opened the door sticking his head around the corner.

"Sir, we've got an I.D on our last drop, Beckett and I are on the way to the morgue to meet with Lanie Parish." He informed the Captain.

"Alright Mr Castle," Gates relied without looking up from her paperwork. "Take your lunch break afterwards."

Rick shut the door behind him and made his way down the hallway where Kate was waiting for him at the elevator.

"So where do you want to go for lunch after we've met with Lanie?" he asked, pressing the button for the ground floor.

"I'm not fussed," Kate replied. "Remy's?"

"Sounds good to me," Rick replied with a grin.

The two partners made their way down to the basement parking garage and to Kate's new Crown Vic. As soon as they got inside the gleaming vehicle, Rick leaned sideways and kissed the female detective on the neck, running the tip of his tongue around the edge of the hickey there and nipping on her earlobe.

"Castle you have no control!" Kate declared weakly, pushing him away.

Rick chuckled and slipped a hand between her legs, teasing, titillating her.

"Do you not like it?" he murmured, slipping his hand under her blouse and popping a breast out of its bra cup.

Kate let out a breathy moan of desire as he kissed her languidly and pinched her nipple.

"Rick I love you and normally you know I would not object to you feeling me up, but we're on the clock!" Kate said firmly but reluctantly pulling his hand away from her cleavage and tidying herself up. "I promise tonight you can go further but we have to behave ourselves during the day."

Rick grinned. "Are you inviting me over for dinner detective?" he asked greedily, watching her re-adjust her cleavage.

"And a sleepover," Kate added, looking into the rear view mirror and inspecting her smudged lip gloss. "Oh for god's sake Rick, now I look like you've done me up against the wall!"

Rick roared with laughter.

"Pity I haven't," he chortled. "That can change though I'm ready."

Kate rolled her eyes as she re-applied the makeup. "You have the libido of a teenage boy," she told him, blotting her lips ad fluffing up her hair. "What were you like when you were a teenage boy?"

"Actually once I got to Edgewyck Academy I was much like Alexis and turned into a bookworm swot," he replied. "Before then I had a different girl on my arm every week. I only had one girlfriend in my senior years and not to be crude but we were at it all the time whenever the opportunity arose. Much like we are. But the difference between Lizzie and you is that I'm in love with you and don't have to make love to be happy. Lizzie and I were really only bed buddies and someone's plus one for things like prom." ?

"So was she your first girlfriend?" Kate asked in interest as she started the engine.

"First serious one," Rick revealed. "The one I lost my virginity to anyway. She went to Saint Monica's an all girls school on the Upper West Side and I was at Edgewyck. We met in Central Park during a soccer tournament. Her brother and I were playing on the same team. We were together til the end of senior year and I went to NYU and she went to Harvard."

"You're an onion too you know," Kate told him as they drove in the direction of the morgue. "I find out new things about you all the time too."

"And that will continue to be so," Rick replied, reaching across the console and resting a hand on her upper thigh. "You make me want to tell you everything about myself, Katherine Beckett."

Kate smiled. "I look forward to finding out about you," she replied, squeezing his hand affectionately. "Tonight at dinner I want you to tell me something I don't know about you. Physical, sexual, spiritual, animal, vegetable mineral. Anything I'm open to hearing about anything."

Rick lit up like the vegas strip. "How about something sexual with a vegetable?" he suggested gleefully.

Kate rolled her eyes dramatically. "If I wasn't driving I would so smack you around the ear hole right now," she warned him. "No vegetables."

"I have an idea that involves whipped cream, sugared almonds, sliced bananas and chocolate sauce." Rick recalled. "How about I leave the precinct an hour or so early and make a trip to the supermarket by your place?"

Kate blushed. "If you like, now focus Castle. We're still on the clock remember?" she told the Writer. "I have the trip to the gym for that dance class tonight with Alexis but when I get home I promise I'll let you do whatever you like to me."

Rick rubbed his hands together gleefully. "You know that's kinda dangerous," he said with a chuckle. "Kate Beckett giving me free rein? Oh you have no idea the ideas that are running through my head!"

Kate could only shake her head the tiniest of smiles playing her lips.

Shortly after midday the pair arrived at the morgue and made their way down to Lanie's lab. The M.E was inspecting a brain in a jar of preserving liquid and making notes on a clipboard her forehead furrowed in concentration.

'Hey Lanie, you got and I.D for us?" Kate asked as they strode through the double doors.

Lanie lookup. "Sure do," she said, setting down the clipboard and taking them over to a smart screen. "Your vic is Jeremy Anderson, thirty nine from the Bronx. Bigger rap sheet than Snoop Dogg. In the past he's been charged with battery, assault with a deadly weapon, possessing cocaine with intent to deal, GBH, Kidnapping..."

"A right little angel, in other words" Kate said, dryly. "So you're confirming exsanguination from a severed carotid artery?"

"Yup, he had a skull fracture and dislocated left shoulder but those injuries were suffered post mortem like the removal of his genitalia. You found his unit yet?"

"Nope, it looks like the killer took them as a souvenir," Kate said, making a face as she jotted down some notes. "What about preliminary tox screen? Anything show up there?"

"Yeah, his B.A.C (Blood Alcohol Content) was four times the legal limit. He would've been suffering from alcohol poisoning and there were trace amounts of weed in his system but if you want more detailed results you're going to have to wait, tox screens take ages."

"Alright email me what you have so far and I'll have a deeper look at it when I get back to the precinct," Kate said, pocketing her notebook. "See you at my place tonight for a ride to SoHo? You're going to love this class. I had the best fun Monday night."

"Sure thing girl, I'm on it!" Lanie agreed, enthusiastically. "When are you coming along Writer Monkey?"

"I can't do anything til I get this damn thing off," Rick complained, indicating with his slinged arm. "And I'm not really the dance to exercise type. I prefer belting the crap out of a punching bag. I'd have more fun watching you two girls 'bust a move yo'."

Kate rolled her eyes. "As Alexis says, you suck at sounding like a gangster rapper," she told him, grabbing his hand. "See you at six Lanes."

"You got it girl!"

Kate pulled Rick out of the morgue lacing her fingers through his. "I've got an idea," she said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Oh is that what the noise is?" Rick replied with a cheeky grin.

Kate playfully smacked his good arm. "Ha ha," she responded. "How about we get Remy's take away and go and sit in Central Park for a while? I haven't sat down on a park bench and watched the world go by in ages. And it would be nice to do it with you. We could feed each other steak fries."

Rick smiled. "Is Kate Beckett being a soppy romantic?" he asked, fumbling for his iPhone. "You better repeat that so I can record it and show the boys back at the precinct they'll never believe it."

"If I didn't love you so much, I would twist your ear you goof off," Kate told him with a well used eye roll. "Yes I am being a soppy romantic. Am I not allowed to? You're my man and I want to sit with you in Central Park and feed you like teenagers on a first date do."

Rick lifted her hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle. "Sounds good to me," he said, softly. "Let's go."

Rick phoned ahead for their orders and because of his forethought he and Kate were sitting by the Jackie O Lake in the centre of Central Park within half an hour.

"Steak fry?" Rick offered, offering the female detective a finger thick steak fry.

Kate grasped his wrist and slipped her glossed lips over the salty food, curling her tongue around it and biting into it all the while her green eyes boring into his blue ones.

"Mmmm, that's niiiiiiiice," she purred, deliberately licking his finger.

"Really Kate...really?" Rick exclaimed with a raised eyebrow. "You're licking my finger in public in broad daylight? Do you have no shame?"

"When it comes to you, Writer Man, I have absolutely no shame at all!" Kate declared as she unwrapped her burger and bit into it.

After their meal was over, Kate scooted closer to Rick and allowed him to wrap his muscular arms around her. "I missed you last night," she said softly, tipping her head to the side to allow him to kiss her on the neck. "I ended up taking off my pj's and sleeping in your gym sweats because they smell like you. Those silk pyjamas Lanie convinced me to buy at Victoria's Secret are quickly becoming redundant."

Rick chuckled, his warm breath tickling the nape of her neck.

"I wouldn't go that far," he murmured, suckling upon her neck and squeezing her waist affectionately. "I quite like all your Victoria's Secrets purchases, especially that corset. Whenever I think about you wearing it, I need to wear bigger pants. If you get my drift."

Kate squirmed in his embrace. "I do get your drift Richard Edgar Castle, clearly that lesson in subtlety went in one ear and out the other, the other night," she answered. "Must I repeat the tutorial again?"

Rick turned Kate around. "I wouldn't say you have to repeat it," he began, playfully tugging on a length of her brunette tresses. "But practice makes perfect and the more you do something the better you get at it. See my logic?"

Kate couldn't help but laugh at the Writer's humour.

"I do," she told him, scooting closer to him. "The twelfth precinct has turned you into a thinker Richard Castle."

"No, you've turned me into a thinker Kate Beckett," Rick corrected, leaning forward and giving her an Eskimo kiss. "You've made me a better man, in so many ways."

Kate's eyes prickled with tears as her stomach flip flopped.

"Oh god don't make me cry Rick, it's not cool," she said thickly as he threaded his fingers through her brunette locks and brought her face closer to his. "Especially in the middle of Central Park."

"How about kissing?" Rick questioned with a whisper as he brushed his lips against her rouged cheek. "Is kissing in the middle of Central Park, cool?"

Wordlessly Kate turned her head to face Rick. He unhesitatingly seized her lips with his own. Kate rested one hand on his waist and the other one on his cheek and responded letting her eyes flutter shut and let gut feeling guide her actions. Rick's fingers combed through her hair and his soft lips massaged hers. Kate let out a small moan of desire and Rick took advantage of her open mouth and plundered it with his tongue.

With this small action, Kate totally and utterly melted. His hand left her hair and travelled down her sides til they came to a rest low on her hips as he pulled her closer to his muscular build.

"God I love you Kate," The Writer whispered, once they parted both sightly breathless. "I totally forget about everything when we kiss like that."

Kate smiled. "I do too," she murmured, touching his lips with the tips of her fingers. "Great isn't it?"

He chuckled. "Better than great...out of this world." He replied, flicking away the bang that fell across her face. "I totally forgot my arm was in a sling during that."

Kate ran a hand over the thick support. "How is your shoulder feeling?" she asked, curiously.

"Actually it's been pretty good," Rick replied flexing, the joint. "The last week or so I've only been wearing it when I've left the loft. When I'm home and not being particularly active, I leave it off."

"Should you be doing that?" Kate asked, her brow furrowing in concern. "Your orthopaedic surgeon said you had to keep the sling on for a full month after the bandage brace came off and it's only been two weeks."

"I know but I do wear it when I leave the loft and lately I've hardly spent any time there so my shoulder has been getting the support it's supposed to be getting. Plus I've been pretty much bathing in Voltaren gel which the specialist told me to do when I don't have the sling on. It doesn't hurt as much as it has been. In fact I barely get twinges anymore and the only time I've taken any pain relief has been after we've particularly active in the bedroom. Like the other night my shoulder ached even though it was mostly you on top or me behind."

Kate's face fell. "Have you taken any pain relief today?" she asked in concern.

"Not today or yesterday, I haven't needed to. I found sleeping for ten hours fixed me up. In fact the achy muscles from us getting busy was more uncomfortable than painful." Rick replied. "I'm going to stick to leaving the sling off when I'm at home and only wearing it when I head out. It's working so far, trust me. I want to keep on going on the field with you I'm not going to do anything jeopardise that. At the very least it'll save me a blasting from Gates."

Kate couldn't help but laugh.

'Upside, inside out she's livin la vida loca
She'll push and pull you down, livin la vida loca
Her lips are devil red and her skin's the color mocha
She will wear you out livin la vida loca Come On!
Livin la vida loca, Come on!
She's livin la vida loca.'

Rick groaned, Esposito ringing could only mean one thing. A body drop.

"I'm going to change Javi's ringtone, Livin La Vida Loca is far too cheesy and stereotypes all Latinos." Kate told Rick as she fished her phone out of her trousers pocket. "Beckett...Hey Javi...another one? Where? Okay see you there, Castle and I are in Central Park...okay see ya."

"Another one?" Rick asked as soon as Kate hung up and pocketed her iPhone.

"Yeah, off hundred and Thirtieth Street," the female detective replied, picking up their lunch wrapping and throwing it into a nearby trash can. "And this one is missing his junk too."

"Holy shit, really?" Rick exclaimed in surprise as they headed to the nearest exit.

"Yeah, that's all the info Javi had, dispatch rang him just now," Kate told him, her pace picking up and they strode toward the Crown Vic parked only half a block away. "I have a bad feeling about this one Rick. I mean two victims in forty eight hours with the same injuries? That can't be coincidence."

"Don't jump to conclusions just yet, we don't know that." Rick assured her as the Crown Vic came into view.

"You're the profiler Rick, what do you think?" Kate half snapped. "Sorry I shouldn't snap, go on."

"I don't like to form a profile on a killer til I've seen the victim," Rick revealed as they reached the Crown Vic. "But I do agree with you, having two victims in forty eight hours with the same injury, cannot be coincidence and nearby too."

"Serial killer?" Kate suggested as she dropped into the drivers seat and fastened her seatbelt.

"Could be but it's too early to say," Rick replied, fastening his own seatbelt as Kate started the engine with a menacing roar.

The pair arrived at the crime scene a little alley of 130th Street, ten minutes later that was roped off and being monitored by uniform. Kate flashed her badge at them and led the way under the tape. The victim clearly a homeless bum laid to the side of an overflowing dumpster, his pants around his ankles and a huge bloodstain on his groin area. His plaid patterned shirt had been ripped open and his chest had countless numbers of stab wounds.

"Jesus!" Rick exclaimed, taken aback ever so slightly by the ferocity of the injuries.

Kate wrinkled her nose in distaste. "When was the body discovered?" she asked a nearby uniform.

"Twenty minutes ago," the young officer replied, making a face pointing to a middle aged man that also appeared to be homeless that was talking to another uniform officer. "That's the guy."

"Thanks."

Rick and Kate made their way to the other side of the alley and began questioning the homeless man who had discovered the body.

"I'm Kate Beckett, this is my partner Rick Castle. You are?" Kate questioned the man who smelled overpoweringly of body odour and cheap whiskey.

"W-Waaaaayne C-coooooooollins," he slurred. "Aw maaaaaaaaaan am I in trouble? I was just lookin' for scrap metal Detectiiiiiive! Just to get a few buuuuuucksssssssss!"

Kate wrinkled her nose as she was overcome with Whiskey fumes.

"No, you're not in trouble Mr Collins. I just need you to tell me how you discovered the body," she said, patiently. "Tell me everything you know and I'll see about getting you something to eat and a hot shower, huh?"

Collins snorted loudly and coughed up a huge loogie, turning his head and spitting it to the side. Kate screwed her nose further but didn't react as he began speaking.

"Well I-I was walkin' around tryin to collect o-old bottles a-nd c-cans or s-scrap m-metal w-when I tr-ripped ov-ver that d-dude hic," he began with a drunken hiccup "h-he was-n't h-ere last night. This sucks man I'm only lookin' to collect stuff for a few bucks and I find a body!"

"D'you know the victim at all?" Rick asked. "Or have you seen him around?"

"N-nah h-haven't s-seeeeeeeen him bef-fore, but I've n-not b'in in these parts b-before," Collins hiccupped as Lanie arrived in the coroners van. "D-did s-someone cut his j-johnssssson off?"

"Evidently so."

"Over there," Kate informed Lanie, pointing in the direction of the body.

"Right."

A moment after crouching down at the corpse Lanie exclaimed. "Holy shit!"

"Thanks for your help Mr Collins, when my colleagues get here. I'll organise a hot shower and something for you to eat alright?"

"T-thankssss detective"

"My god, I've never smelled such a bad smell in my life!" Kate confided in Rick once they were out of earshot and made their way over to Lanie. "I was on the point of bringing up my lunch, ugh."

"Coffee once we head back to the precinct?" Rick offered.

"Yeah thanks, so Lanie what do we have?" Kate asked, donning a pair of plastic gloves and crouching down beside the body.

"A dead one," Lanie replied with the ghost of a smile upon her lips as she pulled a liver thermometer from the body and cleaned it with a sanitising wipe.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Ha ha," she replied dryly as Rick sniggered heartily. "You're starting to sound like Castle and I think I can only handle one of you. What can you tell me about this particular dead body?"

"Well temperature and lividity indicate a time of death between six and nine this morning, C.O.D is the stab wounds. This one went right through the heart so he would've died almost instantly. And like our vic the other night the junk was removed post mortem. I'll be able to give you more details once I get this one back to the morgue."

"Thanks a lot."

"Anytime girl."

"So...what's your theory now we've seen the second one?" Kate asked Rick as they walked away form the body.

"Well I'm leaning away from an angry ex spouse," Rick began as Ryan and Esposito arrived. "Our vic is homeless and looks like he has been so for a while. The ferocity of the stab wounds indicate the killer knew him and held some sort of resentment to the victim but seeing as he's homeless and isn't likely to have family or has long since lost contact with them. I'm leaning more towards another person in the homeless community. Maybe our vic commandeered a sleeping spot or got a spot in a shelter for the night ahead of our killer. Could be anything but the amount of stab wounds...and I lost count at thirty seven, indicates white hot rage an emotion so uncontrollable he was unable to stop once the victim was dead."

Kate groaned. "Great now the killer could be anyone in the whole of Manhattan," she said. "The vic the other night was a well dressed somewhat civilised member of society with a paying job and a permanent place of abode. An ex somewhere even and this guy are homeless opposite ends of the spectrum. Dammit this is not going to be an easy one."

"They never are really," Rick pointed out as Ryan and Esposito approached them nodding in recognition. "Hey guys."

"So what have we got?" Ryan asked.

"Another one missing his unit," Kate began. "You ought to see this one..."

Kate and Rick stayed at the newest crime scene til Lanie removed the body to the morgue. Then they got back into the Crown Vic and returned to the precinct, arriving shortly after three in the afternoon.

"I'm proud of you, you know." Kate tod Rick, lacing her fingers through his as they stepped into the elevator in the basement parking garage.

"Oh what for?" He asked, squeezing her hand and pressing the '4' button for the homicide department.

"You're turning into such a cop," Kate went on, wrapping her arms around his waist and dropping a kiss on his lips. "Seriously, every day you're at the precinct. I see you turning more into Richard Castle homicide detective instead of Richard Castle writer. It's kind of a turn on, you know."

Rick chuckled. "You're very easily turned on, then." He said in amusement, pecking her on the lips.

Kate leaned into his personal space and nipped his earlobe. "You have no idea, cupcake." She whispered.

A few minutes latter the pair arrived in the homicide bullpen, ready to start up yet another murder board.

Gates noticed their arrival and waved to catch their attention. "Mr Castle, Detective Beckett...my office a moment." She said, authoritively.

"Why is it every time she calls me into her office, I get the feeling I've done something wrong?" Rick whispered to Kate as the Captain disappeared into her office.

"Because inherently you're a bad, bad boy?" Kate volunteered with a giggle as she hung her jacket on the back of her chair.

"Oh we'll have discussion about that tonight, detective. We'll definitely have discussion about that."

Rick hung his jacket on the back of his chair and followed Kate into Gate's office, sitting down upon her wordless invitation.

"I won't keep you two long because I know you've got a fresh one on your hands," she began, dropping down into her seat and shuffling some papers in front of her. "I just thought you might like to know that I have a meeting with the commissioner and the deputy commissioner tomorrow morning at eleven thirty about you becoming an official consultant for the precinct Mr Castle and I would like you both to come along."

"Me, Sir?" Kate asked in surprise. "But why me?"

"Because detective, you're the one that works with Mr Castle so closely," Gates replied. "I want you to be able to give your reasons why you want Mr Castle working alongside you in an official capacity to the commissioner and the deputy commissioner himself. You see the deputy commissioner is still objecting somewhat to my request of Mr Castle to work officially with the NYPD and I think it would help things enormously to have one of the force's best say how having Mr Castle work with us would affect us directly. The deputy commissioner hasn't been out on the field with anyone for years and it wouldn't hurt for you, someone who's out on the field every day to make him pull his head out his ass and I think you can help that happen."

Rick couldn't help it and let out a furtive chuckle more at Kate's reaction to Gates swearing than anything else.

"And Mr Castle, I think it would help to have you there as you can inform the commissioner and deputy commissioner about what you have done to help the twelfth directly. Plus the deputy commish is less likely to say no with you there."

"You want me to guilt trip him?" Rick asked in amusement.

"I wouldn't call it guilt tripping Mr Castle, that would be unbecoming of an NYPD consultant," Gates replied, the very hint of a smile playing upon her lips "Use the 'passive, aggressive' techniques' you've used when helping Detective Beckett here interrogate suspects. You used to be a special agent with the FBI, I'm sure you learned plenty of techniques at Quantico to be able to confuse an ass kissing rank climber like the deputy commissioner."

Kate laughed out loud. "Sorry," she apologized with a snigger.

"Quite alright, detective. Now one last thing about tomorrow, dress nicely Mr Castle. A suit and tie wouldn't go astray and Detective Beckett dress to impress. Your dress uniform will be just the ticket I think. It'll show the commissioner and deputy commissioner you mean business."

Kate raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. "Yes Sir." She replied.

"And detective, you and Mr Castle can come in later tomorrow. Just make sure you're here by half past ten at the latest, alright?"

"Yes Sir," Kate repeated.

"Alright then you're dismissed."

"Thankyou Sir."

"I think Gates has finally joined the Richard Castle Fan Club, Rick," Kate told her Writer once Gate's office door shut behind them. "She's fighting for you to get on board...officially."

Rick grinned and furtively squeezed her hand. "Spend tonight at the loft?" he asked, softly. "Please?"

Kate opened her mouth initially, intending to refuse but the soft pleading look in his eyes instantly changed her mind and she sagged.

"Sure thing but I have to go home and pack my uniform, its back at my apartment," she replied, quickly returning his hand squeeze. "I'll leave a little earlier today then go and get it on the way to picking Lanie up for the class with Alexis tonight."

"Sounds good, Tulip."

"Shut up."

And as Rick sat back down at his desk and began sinking into the latest case he couldn't help but run the mantra 'Rick Castle Consultant NYPD' through his mind.

And it put a smile on his face.