Author's Note: Ok folks, next chapter done and dusted! Thanks to all those of you who reviewed the preceding chapters, your insights and comments are what makes the sleepless nights worthwhile. To those of you who offered constructive criticism (mainly re the whole marine / army thing. Special thanks to Rigger42!), thankyou. I have done a bit more digging (as well as correcting the previous chapters), and hopefully the rest should ring a little more true. Manuxinhace, my muse, thankyou as always for your support, feedback and not-so-subtle prodding to get my backside into gear. The bunnies need some time on the treadmill, I think. Don't forget, folks, use the big 'review' button at the bottom to let me know what you think! :-D

NevynR

Previously in Layers, the gang managed to get a picture of the killer, but seem to have hit a dead end on the case front so far.

6:55pm Thursday, Remy's

Castle walked in, nodding to the waitress as he made his way over to the booth he knew would have been reserved for them.

He saw Kate first, laughing as placed her drink back on the table in front of her. Her hair loose, Castle took a second to admire her stunning beauty, before sliding into the seat next to her.

"Hey guys!" He greeted them all. Glancing down, he saw that Kate had already ordered his usual, a shake in front of the plate. Ryan and Esposito had their food already, apparently they were just waiting on him to arrive before starting.

Raising her drink, Kate threw the pair a smirk, toasting their bet.

"To playing with your food! Thanks guys..." Chuckling, Castle took a mouthful of his shake, still fighting to keep the grin off his face as he recalled exactly why he and Kate were having dinner at the expense of their team mates. Not wanting their food to go cold, they all started eating.

Castle placed his cutlery down on the plate and grabbed the remainder of his drink. Leaning back against the wall, he let out a satisfied sigh. He knew there would be questions, probably lots of questions, but for now he was content to sit back and enjoy the good food and company of his friends. Flashing Beckett a quiet smile, he swirled the dregs of his shake around the bottom of his glass. Noticing the others were almost empty, he signaled a passing waitress, who nodded, returning shortly with fresh drinks.

Taking a long swallow of his drink, Esposito looked over at Castle, a serious expression forming.

"Okay, Castle." He asked, deciding the time had come for the writer to start answering some questions. "Time to spill, bro. What gives with you and our vic's father? We heard you guys back at the precinct…" Leaving it open, he sat back in the booth, taking another drink, his eyes darting between Castle and Beckett. Seeing her evident lack of surprise at the way Johnson had addressed her partner, Esposito was pretty sure that she knew more than she was letting on. Taking a mouthful of his own drink, Castle glanced at Beckett, buying a second to think. Staring into the bubbles, he drew breath to speak, but was cut off as Beckett's cell rang.

"Beckett." A frown creasing her face, she nodded absently to herself before closing the phone and looking up. "We've got another body, guys. Uniforms on the scene thought it looked similar enough to our case they called us in on it."

"Where at?" Ryan asked, obviously frustrated that any further explanations would have to wait.

"6th and 15th, Brooklyn. Let's go, guys." Groaning, they stood up and left the diner, glad at least that they had managed to finish their meal before getting the call.

9:35pm Thursday, 12th Precinct

Beckett leaned back against the desk, staring at the murder board as it slowly filled up with information. In his usual place next to her, Castle sat, frowning as his mind whirled, trying to find a connection between the victims.

"Okay, so Lanie's preliminary says the COD is similar to the first victim." Beckett muttered, running what they knew through her head, unaware she was speaking aloud. Turning to look at her, Castle asked,

"How similar? Like 'close' similar, or 'psycho calling card' similar...?" Beckett turned, answering him.

"Initial findings only at this point, Castle, but it the would placement is nearly identical, and it looks like the weapon may be the same. It's enough for me to be fairly sure it's the same person."

"Damn." Castle muttered. Glancing up at the murder board, he continued. "No word on the ID yet?"

"Not yet. Fingerprints should be in tomorrow maybe, if he's in the system at all. Kid that age, I wouldn't count on it."

"How old?" Sighing, Kate pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Lanie estimates early to mid teens." They sighed in unison, frustrated again by the lack of major evidence. Silence filled the bull pit for a few moments, before her cell phone rang. "Beckett." She paused, listening. "Yeah, okay guys. See you then." Hanging up, she turned back to her partner.

"Esposito?" Castle asked.

"Yeah. They are done canvassing the area for witnesses. Not much more we can do until the reports start coming back in, sadly."

"Shall we call it a night then, Detective?" He smiled tiredly at her, straightening up and offering her his hand. Nodding, she accepted his wordless offer, pulling herself upright. Their hands lingered for a moment before Beckett turned towards her desk, breaking the moment. Switching off her computer, she grabbed her bag and headed for the elevator, Castle a pace behind.

Reaching her car, Beckett pulled out her keys and pushed the unlock button. Sensing the warm presence just behind her, she stopped as Castle reached past her to grab the door handle, opening it for her. A flush spreading up her cheeks, she felt her heart pick up its pace, just knowing that he was standing right behind her. Biting her lip briefly, she turned, whispering as she placed her hand lightly on his extended wrist.

"Who said chivalry is dead?" A little surprised at the unexpected contact, Castle felt his breath catch slightly as she touched his wrist. Regaining his senses somewhat, a small smile curved his lips as he let go of the door handle, his warm hand capturing hers. Lifting it, he brushed his lips across her knuckles, feather light as he responded, his voice deep and husky.

"Your chariot awaits, milady." Kate took a steadying breath, her eyes locked with his. A warm electric current flowing between them as he straightened, he lightly brushed his thumbs across her knuckles where his lips had been moments earlier. Used to his teasing innuendo, she was caught off-guard by his courtly manners. The gentle movements of his fingers, the unconscious grace with which he held himself at odds with the heat in his eyes, Kate found herself looking down briefly, before tilting her head back up, blushing as she batted her eyelashes at him. Unbidden, words spilled from her lips, more suited to a Jane Austen novel than the chilly car-park of a New York police garage.

"Why thank you, Mister Castle." Stepping forward, she raised their still-joined hands as she placed her hand on his chest, above his heart. Their bodies almost touching, Castle bent at the waist as he slowly brought his face closer to hers. Eyes locked, their lips touched lightly, delicately. Shifting slightly, he drew her to him, the contact between their bodies spurring their kiss deeper as he raised his free hand to caress her cheek, fingers tucking an errant wisp of hair behind an ear. Carefully reigning in himself, Castle slowly broke the kiss off, his breathing ragged. He couldn't stop a teasing grin from forming on his lips as he felt the effect the kiss had on the woman in his arms. He could feel her heart hammering, her breath light and fast as he drank in the sight of her. Stepping back, he immediately felt the loss as the cool night air rushed in, stealing their shared body heat. He bent briefly, kissing her knuckles once more as he spoke.

"Until tomorrow, Miss Beckett..." Letting her hand fall, his expression softened as he turned and walked out of the garage into the night. Closing her eyes briefly, Kate savored the taste of him on her lips. Slightly giddy, she got into the car and started it. Grinning to herself the whole drive home, she couldn't shake the image in her head of one Richard Castle, dressed in the tight pants and ruffled white shirt of Mr Darcy as he strode across the landscape of her imagination.

6:45am Friday, Beckett's Apartment

Stepping out of the shower, Beckett wrapped a towel around herself, grabbing another and briskly drying her hair as she wandered back into her bedroom. Hearing her cell beep at her, she quickly twisted her hair towel into place and picked the phone up. Seeing the caller ID, she smiled, a little puzzled as to why her partner would be messaging her at this hour.

-Hey you. Just letting you know I can't make training this morning, I have a quick meeting with Paula. Will still be in by 9 with breakfast & coffee *hugs*-

Grinning at the causal hug he had slipped in at the end of the message, Kate felt a small flutter in her stomach, remembering the feel of his arms wrapped around her. Not quite as good as the real thing, she still felt almost as if he were there with her, hugging her. Grateful for his thoughtfulness, she quickly tapped out a reply and hit send. After their heated goodbye the night before, she was only a little worried about texting Castle hugs, still not exactly sure where they stood, where the lines were. Seeing as he started the whole hugs-via-text thing, she could see no harm in letting it play out.

-Thanks for the heads up. See you there. Good luck... *hugs*- Seconds later, she received his response.

-See you soon ;) *kiss*- A goofy grin firmly in place, she placed her phone back on the bedside table and continued getting ready for the day ahead, already looking forward to 9am

8:50 am Friday, 12th Precinct

Beckett sat at her desk, running her eyes over the file in front of her. A faint tingle told her that the evidence they had was going to lead somewhere. Absently, she glanced up at the elevators, then back to the clock. Realizing that she had just caught herself waiting for her partner to arrive, she smiled faintly to herself before standing up and making her way over to the murder board.

Uncapping the marker, she filled in the results of the fingerprint search which had been handed to her only minutes before. Placing the cap on the marker again, she leaned back on the desk, calling out to Ryan and Esposito.

"Hey guys, we have an ID for the second victim." Looking up, the other detectives walked over.

"Damn, that was fast for fingerprints. How'd we get so lucky?" Esposito asked, glad to have something solid to work with. Picking up the file again, Beckett replied.

"Looks like he was picked up last year for shoplifting. Jade Michaels, he'd have been fifteen next month." Before she could go any further, the elevator doors opened, and Castle headed over. Placing her bear claw on the desk between them, he perched himself on the edge and handed over her coffee. Beckett noted that both the other detectives had their attention on the murder board, and allowed her fingers to lightly brush against her partner's as she accepted the hot cup gratefully, a private smile flashing between them for a second before being wiped away, game faces on.

"I see we have an ID for our victim..." Castle observed, sipping his own coffee.

"Yeah." Beckett responded. "Fingerprints came through, he was in the system for shoplifting last year." She paused briefly. "Ryan, you take financials. Esposito, see if you can track down the next of kin."

Neither of them bothering to reply, they turned to their desks and started work immediately.

10:15am Friday, 12th Precinct

Beckett hung up her cell phone and proceeded immediately to the murder board.

"News?" Castle asked, glad for some progress.

"That was Lanie." Beckett replied. "Positive confirmation it's the same killer. COD was blunt force trauma to the head, and the number and placement of the pre-mortem wounds was identical."

"Do we have any idea why these kids?" Castle wondered aloud. "There isn't any sign of a sexual component. I haven't heard of a serial killer that would target both boys and girls that young, and not have that element present."

"Which leaves the victims being connected in some way..." Beckett replied.

"Yo, Beckett!" Esposito swiveled around in his chair, clutching a piece of paper triumphantly in one hand. "We got something!" He stood up and walked over, running his eyes over the notes he had jotted so far. "Next of kin is his mother, lives a few blocks over from where the body was found. I did some more digging, and it looks like she was the one who bailed him when he got busted last year. The investigating officer at the time chalked it up to youthful rebellion, but it looks like it might have been a bit more than that."

"How so?" Ryan chipped in, wheeling over in his chair.

"Well, it looks like our victim had a few minor run-ins with the law before he got busted last time. They date back almost two years. I ran the usuals on the family, and it turns out that was when his parents divorced. His mother got full custody, because his father wasn't able to provide full-time care, as he was out of the country for months at a time."

"Why would he do that?" Ryan asked, puzzled. In his experience, divorces usually ended up in fairly bitter fights over custody of children.

"Because he was in Afghanistan at the time. He'd been on deployment for three months when the wife had him served with the divorce papers."

A frown creasing his forehead, Castle looked at Esposito and back to the murder board, something nagging at the back of his mind. Quietly, he asked,

"Do you have the father's name?"

"Yeah." Esposito replied, glancing down at his notes. "Allan Michaels, why?"

"Any chance you can cross check where he's posted right now?" A puzzled look on his face, Esposito nodded, turning back to his phone and dialing.

Moments later, he turned back to them.

"The father is still in Afghanistan. He's with the Marine Corps... 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines."

Castle sighed heavily, his hands running through his hair. Seeing their looks, he shook his head, trying to clear the apprehension from his mind. "That's the same unit Melissa Johnson's father served in." He met Esposito's eyes steadily, his face carefully blank. He glanced over to Beckett and saw the concern in her face. He knew she had figured it out already. He sighed once more, forcing the words out.

"I think we have found the link between our victims..."

A/N: folks, thanks so much for being patient with me on this one. It was supposed to be out Wednesday, but I kept getting delayed. anyway, it's done now, and with all the plot bunny feeding from Manuxinhace, the next few chapters should be along in fairly short order. Remember folks: reviews keep the plot-bunnies happy!