12th Precinct

Detectives Esposito and Ryan step off the elevator and both quietly walk to their respective work stations. They sit down on their chairs and face the empty desk top. Since the team left last week for the wedding, the other officers in the station took the cases off the two detectives and added them into each of their respective work loads leaving the Beckett led team with no other task in their immediate future except for them to concentrate on the marriage of Detective Beckett and her long time partner, Richard Castle

But that did not happen

The two men look up when they hear the sound of approaching footsteps. Captain Gates has walked up beside the men's desks

"Detectives what are you doing here? I thought you would probably still be in the Hamptons offering to assist on the case in whatever capacity the locals would accept"

"Sir, the local chief was not interested in our help. Chief Brady made it very clear that he would investigate the case himself without our involvement" Esposito answers

"Gentlemen, in that case please come into my office" the captain orders

The three officers enter Gate's office and the door is closed. The Captain steps behind her desk and sits down. As she does, she reaches into her pocket and produces the burner phone that was previously located inside her credenza.

She watches the faces of the two detectives and receives an acknowledgement of their understanding about the importance of the device

"Gentlemen, we must investigate the death of Mr. Castle if for no other reason than to give closure to Detective Beckett. She deserves that least that much from us"

"Yes sir, we agree totally. Beckett has had enough pain in her life before Castle came around. He brought her from sad to happy and then this happened. We must help her have some level of closure" Ryan responds

"Then you two go down to the morgue and get with Dr. Parish and see if she has any clues to help in locating the perpetrator of this. If the Hamptons police want to keep us out of their jurisdiction then we will do just that, but since we still have the body, we have a place to start" Captain Gates then orders the two detectives to start on their follow up

The two men grab their gear and head to the elevator.

When the two detectives arrive at the morgue, they find Dr. Lanie Parish at her desk with her head buried in paperwork

"Dr. Parish" Ryan starts his conversation using her formal title in lieu of the less formal first name only

The medical examiner looks up from her desk "Hello Kevin, Javi. What brings you two here?"

"Just came down wanting to get some information for our report. Do you have anything official for us?" Ryan asks

"If you want official details I can give those to you but do I really have to state the obvious?"

Both men are silent but shake their heads in unison

"Death was caused by fire. The body was almost totally consumed by the flames. There was not any other indication of other injury. At least nothing I could find. The body was damaged to the point I could barely tell it was a male"

Taking a deep breath Ryan asks "Are you sure it was him?"

"Yes! Absolutely" Lanie responds

"If the body was that badly damaged, how could you be so positive in your identification?" Esposito asks

"There were dental records for me to use. His mother told me that he had knocked teeth out when he was younger. An attempt on his part to play in some action sport at school. The only possible repair was an implant. The titanium implant was one of the only things that survived the fire"

Again both detectives are left standing speechless.

"So anything else that you two need?" Lanie asks

"No, I think that takes care of us" Esposito responds

Then Kevin asks the next question "Have you talked to Beckett since the…UH…event?"

"No. I need to try to call her. Her dad said she asked to be left alone for a while just like she did after she was shot. He promised her that he would let her wait until she was ready to come back just like before"

"She needs someone with her now Lanie" Esposito comments

"I would love to go stay with her but I will respect her wishes for now"

"Have arrangements been made yet?" Esposito continues

"Alexis and Martha are letting Paula make those plans. Actually since there is no reason for a funeral with viewing I think the internment will be private but there is a discussion of having a wake at the Old Haunt this coming Wednesday night"

"That will be perfect" Ryan starts up "He wrote most of his first Derrick Storm book in that place. He started his career there, we should end it there"

The two detectives move back into the corridor and to the elevator to travel back to their station

TWO WEEKS EARLIER

Castle is working madly on the next Nikki Heat outline. Since he and Kate became a couple it has been so much easier for Rick to outline and then write a new book about Nikki Heat.

His imagination is always on fire now when it comes to the adventures of Nikki. In the past he had always procrastinated when it came to putting his thoughts down on paper or more accurately computer memory. He always was filing his chapters on Derrick Storm and even Nikki Heat at the last possible minute just before Gina knocks on his door threatening to take back the advance payments

But now when it comes putting "her" escapades on paper the task is easy. Since he finds his inspiration in his lovely Kate and she is now moving toward being his permanent forever, each new day brings him closer and closer to that nirvana he had always wished for but never came close to until Kate Beckett came into his life

Now that she is with him heart and soul and always beside him day in and night out, he no longer lets his mind wander wondering what she is doing, what she is thinking who she is with. The answers to all those questions are here with her at his side

The only distracting event now for him is planning the wedding. In just two more weeks she is going to be Mrs. Richard Castle.

His phone rings and he looks at the caller ID and sees "Gina' as the calling party. This time he does not avoid her call as was his previous history when it came to talking to her because he is so far ahead of his promised goals. In fact far ahead of all of his obligations to Black Pawn and the latest story of his lovely detective muse soon to be wife

"Hello Gina" Rick answers

"Hi Rick, how's it going?"

"Great. What can I do for you today? You can't be calling about chapters since I am ahead by a month on my promised schedule"

"No Rick, that is fine. We have set up a meeting to start planning for the next Heat book release party and the promotions tours. Can you and Kate come down later today and meet with me and the promotion's department?"

Castle looks at his watch "Sure but Kate is on call today and might have to leave if there is a murder. What time do you want us there?"

"Let's say 2:00 o'clock?" Gina asks

Rick looks at his appointment book "Sure 2:00 is fine. We will see you then" Castle responds before hanging up

Rick sets the phone back on the desk just as Kate enters the study "Who was on the phone?"

"It was Gina. She wants to have a promotion meeting on the next book this afternoon"

"OH!" there is definite tension in Beckett's voice

"She wants us there at 2:00" Rick comments

"US?" Kate question

"Yes. She said she wants us to be there for the meeting. Since we will be married by the time the next book comes out I imagine she expects me to bring my wife along with me for the promotion tour"

He looks at Kate "In fact I want my wife with me every chance we have"

Kate steps beside Rick and slides her hand down his arm "You realize if you bring your wife, then the book groupies will probably stay away and not be asking for special private signings…You know in your room" Then after a breath "Or their room"

He places his hand on hers "That is exactly how I want it. There is only one groupie I want in my room and she can have anything she wants"

Looking up to her smiling face

He squeezes her hand and she walks back in to the bedroom to get dressed for the day

The couple stops at a local deli for a light lunch on their way to Black Pawn where they arrive about 15 minutes early. When they enter the conference room they are met by someone from their past that they were not expecting to see

"Hello Rick, hello Kate" Comes the voice of Special Agent Jordan Shaw of the FBI

"Agent Shaw" Kate comments with a little tiny tint of jealousy in her voice. When the three first met, Kate thought she saw that there was a spark that existed between Castle and the talented FBI agent. What Kate avoided back then was the very same spark that was between her and Castle. She was doing everything she could back then to prevent that spark from becoming a full fledged forest fire

"Agent Shaw?" Kate opens the conversation

"Please, its Jordan, the three of us have been through too much together to be so formal" The FBI Special agent comments as she reaches out to shake the couples' hands

"What are you doing here?" Rick asks

"As you know I specialize in serial killers and I have been assigned to chase one in particular. One that you two have history with"

"Which one is that?" Beckett asks

"Jerry Tyson"

Both Castle and Becket go completely quiet after the answer

"I was assigned to the case after a series of murders in Utah that had the same MO as your triple killer cases. Then another in Mississippi and the list goes on"

"I thought that we killed him" Beckett comments "I mean Rick and I both shot him off the bridge a year ago. He fell into the water. He is dead!"

"Or so we thought" Castle responds