Chapter Six: Your Mountains ain't made out of stone.

Kate sits chewing on a pen cap at her desk, her legs bouncing with nervous energy beneath it and her seat constantly swiveling slightly as she finds it beyond impossible to stay still.

Detective Ryan has taken thirty 'randomly' pulled pages of 'Heat Lost' to the print lab on the second floor and been told to babysit both them, and the technician while they're dusted for Castle's prints. That was an hour ago and Beckett feels like she's beginning to lose her mind while she's twiddling her thumbs and waiting for an answer.

She'd really wanted to take them down and have them put a giant rush on it herself - but Ryan insisted, and she could tell by the fiercely protective look on his handsome boyish face that if there was to be bad news coming – then he needed to be the one to break it to her.

Quiet insistence – its Ryan all over and in the end Kate had simply smiled her agreement and let the young Irishmen do it for her.

The remaining several hundred pages of the manuscript are sitting in front of her neatly stacked, hot pink post-it tags everywhere to indicate where the dusted pages should be returned too. She desperately just wants to start reading it all the way through, but Esposito is seated beside her like a watchdog and he's forcing her to wait.

Kate understands his reasoning – she does. 'Wait on the prints; wait on something incontrovertible before you invest in it any more emotionally' he'd said - watching out for her the way he always does. And while she can tell he's as excited as she is about the Melanie Cavanaugh/Dana Sullivan connection in the prologue – he's still maintaining his insistence on caution and acting as devils advocate 'just in case'.

She could be irritated – but she's just far too touched.

Her eyes catch Javi's, "Why doesn't the damn lab phone?" She protests. 'It's been an hour already – surely they must have some kind of answer by now?"

Esposito doesn't say anything, just looks thoughtful – and now that she's noticing - worried.

'Beckett . . . maybe there's just nothing there to find." He says quietly, and as gently as he can.

She's about to retort but instead she hears the elevator ding and witnesses Kevin Ryan literally spring out of the doors. He's breathless – as if he's been running and her stomach twists . . . please she thinks . . . please. . . just be the news she's praying for.

"Well?" She demands, as Kevin reaches the side of her desk and she automatically springs up out of her chair – somehow needing to be on her feet for this.

Ryan takes a deep breath and Kate's heart stutters, but then he smiles and her heart beats again.

"Castle's prints are there Beckett – it's confirmed. In fact his prints are all over it . . . and I made them double check every single page - the book is definitely his."

It's the first piece of good news in five months and Kate suddenly wobbles on her heels before she sinks back down into her chair. She looks up at Kevin with her eyes shining suspiciously.

"Oh my God." She whispers. "Guys . . . I think a part of Rick just came home."

Ryan and Esposito exchange a look . . . then a nervous laugh of relief and then as Beckett greedily reaches out to tug the rest of the book to her – behind her head they 'high-five'.

"You can't be serious . . . Sir."

Beckett stares at Captain Victoria Gates with something akin to abject horror in her eyes.

She'd known reporting on the events of this morning to the twelfth's skipper was necessary, and frankly since her return to the precinct she's made quite damn sure never to leave the woman out-of-the-loop on anything . . . but still, Kate never for a moment would have said a word to her boss if she'd thought the end result of it would be this.

This cannot be allowed to happen . . . she has to follow this lead. She has to be the one in control of it . . . she can't just . . . will not just . . . hand it over.

There is no way in hell.

Captain Gates' mouth firms into a thin line as Kate questions her authority, but on the inside she actually hates this every bit as much as her detective does. Beckett doesn't know – and Gates doesn't feel like telling her - but she did go to bat with the FBI on Beckett's behalf about this. Still, the bottom line is what it is, and she didn't get to be the captain of a New York City police precinct without a very firm grasp of policies and procedures. (Although in this case it feels more like politics and procedures but still.) In the end - Richard Castle's disappearance/suspected abduction is a federal case, and therefore any new evidence that comes to light belongs to them and must be turned over to them with all due speed.

So as much as she hates it – Gates stands her ground.

"I am sorry detective – but this is out of my hands. That manuscript has your missing partner's prints all over it. Its evidence and the Feds want it so you are hereby ordered to turn it over to the New York missing person's office forthwith. The SAC in charge of the investigation is already sending someone over to collect it." Gates says with finality.

Beckett's eyes close on a pure moment of despair and Gates' heart breaks a little for her.

"I'm truly sorry Kate." She says more gently. "But you'll just have to trust them to follow up on it for you – as hard as I know it must be."

Kate's eyes snap open again and she shakes her head.

"Hard?" She spits out. "Captain this is a disaster. That manuscript . . . it's my only link to him right now – and there are references in there – things that the FBI will never see because they're private references to cases and people that Castle and I worked on together. Now that may or may not have any bearing on where Rick is right now, but if it does . . . if there is a even a remote chance that it can be used to find him - how are they going to get anywhere with it when they won't have a clue what they're looking at?"

Gates sighs.

"Kate – sit down."

Beckett goes to shake her head again but the sudden inclination of her boss's eyebrow is enough to stop her. Miserably she collapses into the chair opposite her Captain's desk and buries her face in her hands.

This just can't be happening. There is no way she can even bear the thought of parting with Castle's novel – just the idea of it has her feeling like she's losing him all over again. It's already become the one bright spot in her existence in the matter of hours it's been here – a tangible, physical connection to him somehow. And now she's being asked to give it up? That is just . . . impossible - she's doesn't care how much trouble this causes for her, but losing control over that book and possibly her last link to Rick is neither a chance she's willing to take or an option she can live with.

"I won't hand it over Captain." She says with conviction. "I can't. Please understand that. That manuscript is . . . "Beckett breaks off, her voice breaking and she shudders as she ruthlessly suppresses the urge to breakdown. After a moment Kate finds her voice again – for Castle. "The book is all I have of him right now Sir . . . and it might be my only chance to find him." She says.

"Detective. . ."

"No." Beckett interrupts.

"No Sir. I'm truly sorry if this causes you problems – truly. And I'm honestly very grateful to you for allowing me to come back. But if I have to resign again right now and walk out that door with that manuscript in my hands then I will – and I guarantee you that there is not a cop in this precinct who will act to stop me." She says confidently. "I am sorry – I am, but I won't give it up to the Feds . . . I just can't."

Gates breathes heavily for a moment in the wake of Beckett's outburst. Her face unreadable, her dark eyes holding Kate's gaze assessingly.

It's clear to Gates that her lead detective isn't messing around here and that she's fully cognizant of the potential charges the FBI will lay against her for interfering in their investigation. It isn't any kind of news to the captain that Beckett will stop at nothing to locate her missing partner. That she'll give up anything to have the man she loves restored to her. In fact Gates is willing to bet her own badge on the fact that it's only the hope of that – of finding the writer alive – that gets Kate out of bed in the morning. And dammit she actually wants to help . . .

"Copy it." She tells Kate.

Beckett looks startled.

"Now that we've already established Castle must have actually had contact with it – that he most likely did author it as his prints are there . . . you don't need the original Beckett . . .so copy it . . . and get the others to help you. If you can have it done within the hour before the FBI gets over here to collect it . . . then they don't need to know about that – now do they?"

Beckett swallows her surprise. It still breaks her heart to think of handing over the actual pages Castle touched – typed with his own hands - to the Feds . . . but Gates is right. She doesn't actually need the original . . . that's served its purpose in establishing Castle as the origin of it. A copy of it will work just as well for the rest.

This is a reprieve.

"Permission to get right on that Sir?" Kate asks with a relieved smile.

Gates nods and smiles back . . . "Permission granted . . . and Kate?"

"Yes Sir?"

Gates' smile widens.

"If an hour isn't enough let me know . . . I'll stall them for you."

And with this Kate manages to smile back.

"Yes Sir."

In the bullpen Kate gathers her team.

"Ryan . . . Espo." She calls, both her partners look up.

"Grab Castle's manuscript and follow me."

.