Author's Note: Well, here comes the next chapter, folks! Just so you guys know, you all totally rock. Awesome reviews (over 80 at last count, thanks guys!) and a constant stream of alerts, and my inbox runneth over. A quick thankyou to WillTCastle for pointing out a couple of things for me, which will be addressed in this chapter (as well as maybe a bit later on), as well as the in-depth reviews. Cheers! In the interests of consistency, please consider the Layers plotline as taking place after 'Pretty Dead', before 'Knockout'. Thanks to Manuxinhace, for all your support and inspiration with this one. I know this wouldn't be half the story it is now without you. *hugs* This one is by far my longest chapter to-date, but I just couldn't find an appropriate place to leave it.

NevynR

Previously, in Layers...

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..."

11:50am Friday, 12th Precinct Break Room

Castle stood in front of the coffee machine, operating on auto-pilot, his mind clearly elsewhere. Seeing his absent look, Beckett walked over to him, placing one hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Hey," She spoke softly, concern evident in her voice. Not even bothering to think, Castle turned and handed her a cup, simply assuming that she'd need one. A smile creased her face as she accepted it, her hand still resting on his shoulder, the warmth seemingly pulling him back from wherever his mind had gone. Her hand running lightly down his arm, she caught his fingers and pulled, wordlessly urging him over to the couch.

Sitting, his fingers still wrapped around hers, Castle closed his eyes briefly, trying to forget the demons of his past for a moment. The soft skin of his partner, the aroma of fresh coffee and the indefinable presence in the room that was just her all combined to bring him back to the present. Sighing, he felt some of the tension drain from him as he raised his cup and downed half, barely noticing the scalding temperature.

Searching his face for traces of how he was doing, Beckett ran her thumb across the back of his hand, saying

"You wanna talk about it?" Tiredly, Castle sighed and nodded, leaning against the back of the couch.

"Allan was one of the last men we had assigned to our unit before I was shipped home. I only knew him for a month or so, but it was enough. He was devoted to the job; I can see why he'd have not fought for custody of his son... I mean, I know I would have, in his place, but if he was anything like he was when I knew him, I'd suggest that he never meant to have kids, and he'd have only gotten married because it was the right thing to do. He's a good man, don't get me wrong, but he'd have been happy to let Jade's mother do the raising one the divorce papers were served. He always struck me as somebody who would have been quite happy to spend the rest of his career deployed." He drained his cup and stared into it, seeking the answers to life, the universe and everything in the dregs of his coffee. "Mind you," He continued. "He might have changed. Twenty years will do that to somebody. I know I've changed a lot since then, maybe he has too..."

Eyes fixed on his face, Beckett replied, honesty threading through her words.

"Castle, you've changed a lot in the last three years, let alone twenty. But even if he hasn't, we'll catch the bastard that did this, you hear me?" Castle nodded, his face easing somewhat before she spoke again.

"We know there is some reason this guy doing what he is, but it doesn't seem linked to any of the usual motives... The money trail in both cases is no help, we know the children are connected, but we need to find something that links him to the victims..." Sipping her coffee, Beckett though about everything they knew to date and came up blank. Seeing her thinking, Castle did the same, trawling over the evidence in his head. The only solid things they had linking the victims were the shared Marine history of their fathers, and the brutal way in which they were killed. His mind seeking, he thought hard, trying to make the pieces fit in his head. Several seconds later, Beckett saw a spark in his eyes, a flash of an idea, quickly reigned in.

"Castle?" Still trying to keep his thoughts under control, Castle stood up, using their joined hands to help Beckett upright. Leading her out of the break room, he headed to the murder board, regretfully letting go of her hand before they exited.

Standing in front of the board, Castle unclipped the grainy camera shot of their suspect, a frown on his face as his fingers traced the man's features. Silence reigned for a minute as the others stared at him, watching the mental cogs turning as they waited.

"No, it couldn't be..." Castle's horrified whisper barely reached them, but it sent their minds into overdrive. "He couldn't have survived, could he...?" He turned to Esposito, his expression intent. "Do you guys have somebody who can age faces if you had a picture to work with?" Esposito nodded.

"Yeah bro. You think you got something?"

"Not yet... It's more of a wild theory at this stage..." He paused, thinking hard. His eyes widened as something occurred to him. Standing, he spoke quickly. "I need to make a couple of calls first..." He pulled out his cell phone and began punching numbers in as he walked down the hall. "Hey, Pumpkin... I need you to do something for me... Can you stay at Paige's for a couple of nights? I'll send the town car to pick you guys up after school… No, just something about the case, it could just me being paranoid again, but I'd feel better if you could."

1:15pm Friday, Remy's

"So, Castle..." Beckett said, swallowing a mouthful of her burger. "You feel like sharing your wild theory yet?" She glanced up at her partner, mechanically eating his food, his mind obviously anywhere but the present. Beckett saw his eyes the moment he returned, the knowledge of what he suspected causing a frown to appear almost instantly.

"I hope I'm wrong about it, Beckett, I really do, but the more I think about it, the more it fits..."

Beckett sipped her shake as she waited for Castle to elaborate. She didn't push him further; knowing he needed time to get his thoughts in order. Several seconds passed before he faced her, a pain like she had never seen before in his eyes.

"If I'm right, at least we'll have an ID and motive. I have no idea how the hell we are going to find him though."

"Who is 'him', Castle?" Tension still evident on his face, her partner frowned, replying.

"Goran Marenkovic. I don't expect you to find him on any of the databases. As far as I know he's never been in this country, and he's supposed to be dead."

"So why him?" Castle drained his shake, and ran his hands through his hair.

"It's the only theory I have that makes even the tiniest bit of sense." A wry grin on his lips, he quipped. "Not even my fevered CIA theories can come close to making a coherent theory out of this one, Beckett. This is the best I can come up with, and it'd be a long shot on a good day." The darkness creeping across his eyes once more, he spoke. "Can you wait until we get the pictures back from being aged before I share it and make myself seem completely insane?" He saw Kate's puzzled look, understanding that she was thinking about his usually insane theories. He responded to her unspoken question. "Not like this, Kate. This is straight-jacket insane, and I don't want to even let myself consider it properly until we have something more. If I'm wrong, I'd rather not get sent to the loony bin."

Beckett relaxed slightly, understanding his concerns. Standing, she left a twenty on the table for their food, and offered him her hand. Lacing her fingers through his, she squeezed for a second, comforting, before allowing him to open the door, his hand resting on the small of her back. A small tingle worked its way up her spine as she realised that he had kept his hand in contact with her as they walked down the footpath instead of slipping out of reach once they cleared the door. The faintest hint of blush crept across her cheeks as she bit her bottom lip, glancing over to look at Castle. Noticing her attention, he gave her a small smile, trying very hard not to focus on the fact that she hadn't shifted away from his too-casual touch. The small, intimate touches they had exchanged over the last few days had a tentative air, neither quite willing to simply reach out and touch the other for no reason, always masking it behind a gesture of comfort, fingers brushing, lingering, but still cautious. That was, of course, except for their kisses, the stolen moments of heat feeling almost forbidden.

Beckett knew that her partner had been holding himself back from anything overt or public, for fear of scaring her away. Actually, he was pretty spot on. He understood her fears, and knew without a doubt that she'd run if she got spooked. So he wrapped himself in iron bands of control, always offering just enough for her to decline if she wasn't quite ready. A smile lit her face as she thought about just how well he knew her, almost better than she knew herself at times. Finally, she decided that perhaps she could risk another step forward in their... whatever they had building between them. Unable to even label it a relationship in her own head at this point, Kate could see that particular topic approaching soon, and didn't know what she would do or say when it did. Ignoring the things yet to come for the moment, she allowed herself to drift slowly towards Rick as they walked. Her shoulder just brushing his, Rick was startled to say the least when he felt her shift her hips slightly, allowing his hand to slide from the small of her back to drape comfortably around her hip, her own hand sliding between his jacket and shirt, her fingers resting just above his belt. Almost stumbling, his eyes flew to her face a split second before his joyous grin was matched by her own.

Reaching the precinct, they drew apart in the elevator, their hands linking in the silence as they waited for the doors to open. Nervous glances flew between them, neither willing to speak, both grinning like teenagers on their first date. The elevator stopped, and they let go of each other, fighting to wipe the happy expressions from their faces. Poker faces in place, they walked back into the bull pen, the sparkle in their eyes the only visible sign of their lunchtime revelations.

His thoughts much clearer after talking with Beckett, Castle walked back up to the murder board, his face a little less worried than it had been. Reaching over to Ryan's desk, he grabbed a notepad and pen, quickly writing down a list of names. Tearing off the page, he handed it to Esposito, who looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Esposito, this is gonna sound weird, but I need you to just trust me on this. If my hunch plays out, it'll hopefully save us a few hours, and maybe stop this guy before he grabs somebody else's kid..."

"Sure thing, bro..." He replied, glancing at the ten names on the list. "What do you need?" Looking worried, Castle responded, his eyes already darting back to the murder board. He sighed, knowing there would be questions when they had a chance, lots of questions.

"I need you to call the Admin Sergeant at Camp Lejeune and run these names. I need their operational status, deployment location, and next of kin. If at all possible, current address and contact numbers as well. I need them cross-checked against the birth registry, see if they have any children. Anyone that pops goes on our potential victim list." He handed over a second scrap of paper, with one name written down. "I need this run past whoever is handling Foreign Liaison at the Intel Ops Division at Arlington. Tell them to run it past the Bosnian War records, he's a Serbian national. I need the most recent photo they have, and I need it aged to show what he'd look like today." Shocked, Esposito took a second to absorb the information, before a knowing grin formed on his face as he turned and picked up his phone.

10:15pm Friday, The Loft

Castle sat on the couch and sipped his wine in the subdued light, relaxing music keeping the silence at bay. Wineglass in one hand, he glanced down as the other, wrapped around his partner, idly tracing patterns on the back of her hand. Relaxed, he began to speak, the words slipping from him quietly.

"The more I think about it, the more I am sure it's him..." Beckett was unsurprised by his broaching of the subject again, knowing that it had been occupying most of his thoughts all day. She snuggled her face into his shoulder, one hand resting on his chest, playing with one of his buttons. Listening quietly, she let him talk it out, concerned about the case, but intrigued by the events of his past.

"Back when I was in Bosnia, my company came across reports of a group of Serbian soldiers who were causing a trouble. Their leader was terrorising the area: kidnapping, rape and murder. Dozens of people had disappeared over a week or so, they found the bodies beaten almost beyond being recognisable. Apparently, he'd oversee the beatings himself, and by the time we came along, he was very good at it. The locals were terrified of him, so we didn't have much difficulty tracking him down, once we convinced them we would be able to take him out." He paused, finishing the last of his wine. "We caught up with him a week later. I was on patrol with my squad when we located his base camp. He had maybe fifty troops with him, vehicles, weapons, and it looked as though they were gearing up to move out. We got a visual confirmation of him there, and called it in. HQ didn't think we could afford to wait, so they told us to keep them pinned down until they could get air support." He took a deep breath and held it for a second, the images replaying themselves in his mind as he described the scene.

"We opened fire, and they went for cover. We had them pinned for a couple of minutes, before one of them got his hands on some RPG's. He got off a couple of shots that went wide, and we got word back that it was too risky for close air support. We landed a couple of mortar rounds in their camp, and one of them must have landed on whatever truck they were using to carry fuel or ammo on, because it went up in a big way. The blast knocked everyone down, pieces of the trucks going everywhere. I don't know how long I was out, but I woke up in pain. I couldn't move, and Tommy was the one who dragged me free of the mess. We pulled back a hundred yards or so, and couldn't see any movement in the camp. We figured the blast must have either knocked out or killed most of them. Tommy practically carried me back to our camp, calling in a medevac chopper to meet us there. Turns out I got out of it with six broken ribs, a punctured lung, some internal bleeding, and somehow managed to tear all the ligaments in my left knee." He paused, lost in the memories of another time, half a world away. "I got out of surgery, and Tommy came to see me, let me know just how badly it got screwed up. We couldn't see it when we saw them, but they had half a dozen local women in one of the trucks. They were killed outright, I suppose the only consolation was that they would have died quickly, unlike what would have happened to them when Malenkovic's troops were done with them." Castle paused, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall, remembering. "The squad that went in a few days later managed to account for most of the troops he had with him, but they never located his body. They assumed that he was in one of the trucks that blew up, and there wasn't enough of him left to identify. They found two of his sons though, apparently he'd brought them with him, they were in uniform, and old enough that we thought they were just more of his troops."

He sighed, letting the tension drain out of him as the nagging unease of the case was pushed aside by the feeling of contentment that flowed through him as he gazed down at the woman by his side. He smiled as he pressed a kiss to her hair, the scent of cherries filling his nose. His mind drifting, Castle allowed his thoughts to wonder at the turn of events that had lead them to here and now, snuggled comfortably on his couch. A tickling in the back of his mind slowly grew. He knew he was happy with how things were progressing between them, but there were a few things that they hadn't even touched on, and neither of them had been willing to discuss the elephants in the room. Knowing it could blow up in his face if it went badly, Castle had a nasty suspicion it would come back to haunt them if it wasn't addressed at some point soon. He took a breath and held it for a second, trying to summon the courage to ask. Sensing his change in mood, Kate looked up at him, an unspoken question in her eyes. In his, she saw confusion, and determination, and... fear? Her own heart started to pound, wondering what he was about to say, afraid of what it could mean. Anxiously, she waited for him to work it through in his own head, giving him the chance to order his thoughts.

Placing his glass on the table next to the couch, Castle turned slightly to face her, his hand coming up to brush her cheek gently. His voice soft, hesitant, he spoke.

"Kate, I need to know..." He swallowed, continuing. "What are we doing? Where are we going with this, with us?" He closed his eyes briefly, an expression of distaste flickering across his face briefly. "What about Josh?" Blinking, Kate reached up and took his hand in her own, certain he would be able to feel the frantic beating of her heart through her fingers.

"Josh is not an issue, Rick. He went to Africa three weeks ago, and we talked before he left. He wasn't what I was looking for, it just took me a while to realise it. As much as we might have wanted it to be otherwise, we just weren't together enough for it to work. He asked me to take some time off work and come with him, but I couldn't, and he went anyway. It's better this way, for both of us, I guess." She paused, taking in the lines of his face, admiring the way his eyes seemed to see into her. Kate saw his face lighten, the fear falling away as he absorbed her words. All of her explanation summed itself up in his head in three simple words that lifted his heart from where it had fallen in his chest: no more Josh!

Unable to repress his happiness, he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own. His hand cupping her cheek, he felt her shift towards him, deepening the kiss as she wrapped one knee across him, straightening so that she straddled his lap. Gripping his wrists with both hands, Kate raised his arms, locking them behind his head as she kissed her way up his neck, the change in leverage bringing their bodies hard against each other. Rocking her hips, she felt Rick groan beneath her. Pulling her face back briefly, she saw the heat in his eyes as they flickered over her lips, red and swollen already as she ran the tip of her tongue across them. Flushed, she could feel the delicious thrum of energy between them, her breathing rapid and light. The feeling of him between her thighs driving her to distraction, she managed to drag her mind away from what she would rather be doing with him, back to the topic he had broached. Needing answers of her own, Kate ran her hands through his hair, revelling in finally being able to do something she'd been wanting for longer than she could remember. Realising she had managed to distract herself again, she tightened her fingers in his hair, pulling his head against the back of the couch.

"Now that you know Josh isn't an issue, Rick, do you want to tell me if Gina is going to kill you for this?" His voice husky, his eyes never left hers as he replied.

"I'd have told you sooner, but it just never seemed like quite the right moment..." Rocking his hips into her, he grinned wickedly as her eyes slammed shut, a moan slipping from her lips. "I realised it wasn't going anywhere after the bomb. I got Alexis and Mother out of the city, but it never occurred to me to call Gina. The only people I truly cared about were either safe or standing next to me... I met her for lunch the day after, and ended it. I never mentioned it to you because there didn't seem to be any point since you were still with Josh." Unable to keep himself from her lips any longer, he raised his hands, one drifting lightly up her thigh, coming to rest at the small of her back, fingers teasing the bottom of her shirt up, drawing small circles on her bare skin as his other hand cupped the back of her head, fingers weaving into her hair, pulling her face down to his. Tongues duelling for dominance, the heat between them built rapidly, consuming them as they fought the need for air, both unable to break away.

Arching her back as she rocked her hips, Kate let out a gasp of surprise as his fingers dipped below the waist of her pants slightly, the feeling of his hand caressing her naked flesh causing her to bite down reflexively, not realising she still had his bottom lip between her teeth. A deep groan rumbled from Rick's chest as her teeth dug into his lip, his hips bucking as he pressed her closer to him, his hand slipped further under her pants, the curve of her backside filling his hand.

Engrossed in the rising tide of passion that gripped them, neither of them heard the keys in the front door of the loft. Unceremoniously dropping her bag and keys on the kitchen bench, Martha glanced around the loft, noting the subdued lighting and quiet music. Hearing the sounds of shifting weight on the couch, she assumed her son was slouched there, thinking about the case.

"Richard, darling, you wouldn't believe the night I've had…" She said dramatically, walking over to the lounge, eyes still adjusting to the dimness, her voice shocking them out of their make-out session. Her lips red, hair thoroughly mussed and cheeks flush with passion, Kate sat upright, her eyes wide and horrified as she met Martha's startled expression.

"Oh, God! Martha! I... we..." Kate stammered, trying to say something coherent that could possibly explain why she was on the couch, straddling Rick.

"Oh my! I... I'll just be in my room if you need me..." The actress recovered faster than Kate, not even bothering to hide the grin that nearly split her face as she quickly made her way out of the room. Castle groaned in frustration, his hands rubbing at his face as he tried to imagine something, anything less embarrassing. Placing his hands on Kate's hips, he sat up and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, letting her know that although he was embarrassed, he wasn't overly scarred by the ordeal. One of her hands in his, he steadied her as she climbed off him, still mortified, her cheeks blazing hotly.

"I... I'd better go." She muttered, straightening her shirt with one hand as the other tried to drag her hair into some semblance of order. Embarrassed as hell to have been caught making out in the lounge, Castle stood as well, a sheepish look on his face.

"Kate," He said reassuring her. "You don't need to go if you don't want..." She glanced at her father's watch, noting how much time had passed since they sat down hours ago.

"I should probably go, Rick, it's getting late. We'll need to be fresh tomorrow..." Calmer now, she picked up her bag, walked to the door and opened it. Hesitating for a split second, she turned back around to face him. Biting her lip nervously, she stepped close to him, her hand resting on his chest as she looked up at him.

The faintest hint of a smile flickered around Rick's lips as he ran his eyes over her face, her eyes sparkling with adrenaline, cheeks still flushed. Gazes locked, he slowly bent his head towards her, fingers under her chin, tilting her head slightly as he brushed his lips across hers gently. Her hand clenching on his shirt, Beckett sighed contentedly as she let the kiss deepen slowly. She felt her back hit the door frame, realising that she had stepped back and pulled Castle with her. Both his hands cupping her cheeks, Castle playfully nipped at her lips as he peppered her with feather-light kisses, the gentleness of his caresses totally at odds with his hips pressing her firmly against the doorframe.

Slowly, he pulled back, a chuckle escaping him as he heard a small noise of protest from her. Pressing one more kiss to her lips as she actually pouted at him, he smiled lazily. His hands resting comfortably on her hips, he whispered to her.

"Until tomorrow, detective."

A grin tugging at her lips, Beckett unclenched her hand from his shirt, smoothing the wrinkles out, before walking out the door and putting a little extra swing in her hips as she left.

Castle closed the door, a goofy grin on his face. Making his way back to the lounge, he raised his voice.

"It's okay, mother, you can come out now." He flopped back onto the couch as his mother walked back in. A knowing smirk on her face, she didn't say anything.

"So..." His forced casualness not fooling anybody, he kept going more for the look of the thing. "What brings you home at this uncannily decent hour on a Friday night, mother?" Deciding to play it his way, Martha frowned, recalling what had brought her back to the loft so early.

"You remember Madeline Bouvier?"

"The one who got that part in the play last month instead of you?"

"That's the one, conniving little mix! Well, I went to this little soireé tonight for the cast of the play I auditioned for yesterday, and you know what she went and did?" She didn't give him a chance to respond, continuing her tale. "Not only was she there, and we knew she didn't get the part, but the scheming so-and-so had the nerve to insinuate that the only reason I got the part was that I had been... overly friendly to the director!" She paused, still vexed about the social insult. "Anyway, none of the others believed her, but I just couldn't stay there another minute longer without doing something I probably wouldn't regret later." Martha sighed, finally relaxing somewhat.

"Anyway, Richard, I'm off to bed. Since the night has been an almost complete waste of my time, I might as well get some sleep out of it." She patted him fondly on the shoulder as she left the room. She turned as she reached the hall, an arch little smile on her lips as she spoke.

"At least one of us had a good time tonight, kiddo."

A/N: and there we have it, folks. more Casketty goodness, the plot is moving forward, and i'm sure my fingers hurt form typing so much. i put particular emphasis on trying to get the military side of things down pat for this one, please let me know if anything needs tinkering with. on a side-note, i'm kinda creeped out by how accessible some info is online. for those who are interested, a sum total of five minutes googling was enough to get the direct contact number for the USMC Intel Ops officer (well, actually just about everybody in the whole section), and an address. if i fail to post for a while, they may have found me... failing that, reviews are welcome! ;-D