Hi, all. So…this chapter was super, super hard to write. Mostly because I couldn't decide on whose perspective to take it from, so I ended up starting with Castle's, finding it incredibly difficult, then finally deciding to switch it over to someone else. But don't worry! The next (and I expect final) chapter will be from Castle's perspective.

Sorry for the delay, and as always; Castle is owned by ABC.

x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o

Esposito tried to focus on his reports, but morbid curiosity combined with a sense of unease kept the detective distracted. Less than a minute after Beckett and Castle had been ushered away for their private meeting, Esposito got up and made his way to the now-empty break room. It was on the other side of the bullpen, but afforded him an almost direct view of the office.

He divided his time between making a coffee and blatantly staring past the open aluminum blinds on the windows which lined Montgomery's office. Inside, all three people were sitting which meant he could only see them from about the shoulders up. This was fine, though, as only their expressions concerned him. Montgomery was doing the talking from his desk and Esposito thought the captain looked just a bit more serious than usual. Sitting across from him, Beckett's profile was almost entirely blocking Esposito's view of Castle but it appeared that the writer was facing her. At that moment, however, Castle's reaction wasn't the important one. Something was going on with Beckett. She looked devastated.

"Shit, man," Esposito murmured as Ryan walked in to join the snooping. "This looks bad. This looks real bad."

"Yeah?" Ryan's voice was filled with concern and apprehension as he followed his partner's steady gaze. After a few moments of studying Beckett's expression, he turned back to Esposito with a look of absolute dread. "Whadda think?" he asked quietly. "Her dad?"

Esposito shook his head slowly. "God, I hope not. That girl's gone through enough."

"She's got a look like that? What else could it be?"

Cops. Always assuming the worst. At times, it was what kept them alive.

Before a reply could be formed, the detectives were interrupted by a newcomer; Detective Holt. The heavy-set man had burst into the break room looking flustered; his red face glistening with a thin layer of sweat. It looked like he had just run to the top of the Empire State Building rather than the single flight of stairs separating Robbery from Homicide. But, given the man's weight, his exhaustion probably had more to do with the not-so-secret stash of gummy bears under his desk.

Esposito not-so-secretly hated the man.

"Did you hear the news?" Holt asked wide-eyed through deep inhales. The question was directed at Ryan.

On any other day, Esposito would have jumped in with a burn probably involving Macy's and bras big enough to fit Holt's large size. Today was not that day. "What news?" he snapped, not taking his eyes from Montgomery's office and fearing there was a connection.

"I just got off the phone with Wiese over at the 9th." Holt rushed out his words between breaths, clearly suffering from shock as much as exhaustion. "And he said that he overheard Dice talking on the phone about it. Something like this, and word's gonna travel fast, you know?" As he paused to take another few breaths, Ryan and Esposito exchanged looks of trepidation. "Let me tell you...I didn't believe him at first, but he told me he hadn't believed it at first either, so he'd called up the uniforms to double-check. And trust me, this is gonna have everybody in a tail-spin since..."

"Since what, asshat?" Esposito interjected, feeling his blood pressure rise. "Get to the damn point."

Finally acknowledging the detective since entering the break room, Holt's look of contempt, however, quickly changed into one of mild fear when he saw the look on Esposito's face.

Suddenly deciding it was safer to cut to the chase, Holt did so. "Mike Royce was murdered."

Nearby officers working at their desks snapped their heads over in surprise at the sound of Detectives Ryan and Esposito both exclaiming; "What?"

"Oh, geez..." Ryan started, as he slowly recovered from the initial shock. His eyes travelled from Holt to the office where Montgomery, Beckett, and Castle still gathered.

"Not her dad…Royce…" Esposito breathed, trying to overcome his astonishment as all the pieces fell into place. He had to admit, Montgomery had made a good call in pulling Beckett aside. Word would travel fast, and the last thing she needed was to casually overhear the news from a jackhole like Holt.

"So what happened?" Ryan's face was grim. "I heard he was getting out soon - don't tell me he got shived in jail."

"No, just got out this morning. Uni's told Wiese he'd been popped right next to his apartment. In an alleyway or something."

Esposito could only stare in amazed disbelief. Someone had taken out Royce; a trained officer of the law with decades of experience. In the daylight. With potentially a dozen witnesses around. The thought was as unbelievable as it was terrifying. Had it been a random mugging gone wrong...or did they have a cop killer on the loose?

"Keys? Wallet? Witnesses?" Ryan prodded, reading his partner's thoughts.

If it was possible, Holt's eyes widened even further. "Keys and wallet were still on him, and CSU's got nada. No prints, no shots heard – killer probably used a silencer. And get this - a bunch of people were on the street but were all distracted by a garbage can that was on fire a block down. Pretty crazy shit, huh? What'er the odds?"

Ryan and Esposito once again exchanged looks, each knowing what the other was thinking. A garbage can set on fire right before a former officer is murdered? That was no coincidence. That was pre-meditation.

Cop killer it was.

"They're just bringing him to the morgue now," Holt finished.

At the mention of the morgue, Esposito's eyes flashed in realization. Yanking the cell phone from his jean pocket, he speed dialed his girlfriend, Dr. Lanie Parish. The medical examiner picked up before the end of the first ring.

"Hey," she said. "I was just about to call you. I take it you've heard the news?"

"Damn right, I've heard the news. What the hell's going on?"

"I probably know about as much as you do, baby. Pearlmutter was the attending ME and he just got back in. There are other people who work here too, you know." There was a slight edge to her voice, but the next words were much softer. "How's our girl doing?"

"I dunno, but from the looks of it," he glanced at the office where it looked like the conversation was starting to heat up. "I'd say not good. She and Castle are in with Montgomery right now. He's been breaking it to her."

There was silence on the other end before Lanie responded quietly. "You know she'd been - "

"Yeah, I know," Esposito cut in, not wanting to think about it.

He did anyway.

Years ago, Beckett had been in love with Royce. He'd been her training officer and the one to show her the ropes. He had taken her under his wing. He had turned her into a real cop. And from what Esposito had heard around the water cooler, Beckett had idolized him. A relationship like that, and it was no surprise that she had fallen for him, too. Then, just shy of seven months ago when their lives had once again crossed paths, Royce had betrayed her. Threw away the trust, the friendship, the love...for what? Green pieces of paper. Thinking about it caused Esposito's blood to boil. How could Royce have done that to Beckett? To the badge? It made him sick.

"You said Castle's in there with her?" Lanie asked, breaking through Esposito's train of thought.

"Yeah, he's in there."

"Good. If anybody's gonna be able to help her through this, it's him. It should be him."

Esposito smiled bitterly at the phone, knowing she was right. They'd shared more than a few conversations about Castle and Beckett, most of them revolving around how two people so obviously into each other could somehow miss that fact.

He was about to agree, when Ryan hit his shoulder.

Esposito looked up just in time to see Beckett emerge from Montgomery's office and storm towards her desk. Castle was hot on her trail.

"It's Beckett," he reported to the phone. "She just came outta the office."

"How does she look?" Lanie asked anxiously. "Upset? Is she crying? Does she look – "

"She looks pissed," her boyfriend interjected. He then watched in silence as Beckett walked by her desk and without pausing, grabbed the spring jacket off the back of her chair and swung it over her shoulder. She was heading quickly for the elevators.

Castle, meanwhile, did pause at her desk in order to frantically pull Kleenexes from the box.

Esposito lowered his phone and called across the bullpen: "Castle!"

The writer's head shot up. His expression was a mixture of panic and heartbreak.

"Take care of her." It was a command as much as a threat.

Castle gave a quick nod before stuffing the Kleenexes in his suit pocket and jogging away to catch up with a disappearing Beckett.

Esposito brought the phone back to his ear to catch the tail end of something Lanie was saying. "Say that again?"

"I said 'tell me Castle is going after her'," came the anxious reply.

Esposito, Ryan, Holt, and most of the bullpen watched as Castle disappeared around the corner towards the elevators.

"You're damn right he's going after her."