Authers Note: Here's chapter 2. Hope you like it! Most of this is in Beckett's POV. Only the last little bit switches to Castle's.

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle.

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Kate was on her way to work. She stopped by a coffee shop. Castle would be at the precinct now most likely. He would have on that smug smile standing by his fancy coffee machine hoping she would have no choice but to use it. She would oblige someday but not today.

She sat down for a moment. The girl yesterday had kept her up all night she made her think of her past she all but forgotten. Before she was a homicide investigator she had married thinking he was perfect but after a while he became abusive and then she got pregnant and had a little girl. Her husband, Ian, had become more abusive and even towards the baby which she had named coincidently, Nikki.

Well three years later Kate filed a divorce but unfortunately Ian somehow got custody of Nikki. So now she has no idea what happened to her and she misses her. She wished she would find her again and catch her father in the middle of one of his tirades. She had spent the night wondering if that girl was her daughter. She looked about the right age. She looked about twelve and it had been nine years since the divorce.

She took a swallow of her coffee and decided it was time to head into the precinct. When she walked in Castle was where she predicted by the coffee machine. When he saw the coffee in her hand his smile faded but soon returned.

"So anything new?" he asked.

"No Castle I just got here. Captain kicked me out before I could do anything last night."

"Oh…" he ran his hand through his hair.

Kate walked past him and stopped at her desk. She opened Benny's file again, looking for any clues as to why he was killed. There wasn't much on him. He was a chief at a nearby restaurant and a good one by the sounds of it.

Kate flipped through the papers. There was nothing of helpfulness and she threw them down.

"Anything yet?"

"No. There's nothing in the file."

"Wow you don't have any guesses?" he asked.

Kate sighed heavily, "Well you're always looking for a story, why don't you tell me what happened."

"Well, what does it say he does for a living?"

"A chief in a restaurant."

"Did it say if he was head chief, or just one of the others?"

"I didn't read it that far." Kate reached for the file again, but Castle grabbed it before her. "Really?"

He held a finger up quieting her. "He became head chief just a week ago taking the position from another person. The person's name is Charles Patenson." He set down the file and thought for a moment. "I got it. Charles is mad that his position got taken. Now if he is racist he wouldn't want an African-American taking his job so he has been trying to get his position back and if he talked to his boss about it and his boss said no. Now there is a Charles filled with rage and goes and kills Benny hoping that would get his position back."

"So you are saying we are dealing with a murderer who was just mad about his position getting taken?" Kate asked with her eyebrows raised, "Ha, ha very funny."

"I'm serious Kate!" he slammed his hands down on the table causing Kate to cringe a little bit. "It's a very real possibility."

"Yes I suppose it is. We'll go talk to him."

The door opened and Kate saw the girl from last night walk in. She looked around anxiously. She was about to turn and leave, so Kate found the book quickly in her bag and rushed it out.

"Hey. Here's the book," Kate called after her. When the girl turned around Kate saw a dark bruise on her left cheek, Kate guessed how she got it but she didn't want to just assume what happened. "What happened to your cheek?" At her silence Kate knew. "Your name is Nikki right?" She nodded slightly. "I'm Kate. Nice to meet you."

The doors flew open again and in came the last person Kate wanted to see, Ian. He looked away and then to them. He stormed over.

"Now I'm pretty sure I told you never to come here," he growled at Nikki.

Oh my gosh she is my daughter Kate thought.

"I came to get my book," Nikki said quietly.

Ian held out his hand, "What book? Let me see your book."

Nikki put her head down and held the book out to him. He took it roughly from her and looked at the cover. He dropped the book and then grabbed her upper arm. Her face crinkled in what only could be pain.

"Dad let me go!" she whimpered

"I also told you not to read those books," he said, not letting go but holding tighter. Javier and Kevin stood up to watch the scene. Castle came around the corner and stood behind Kate.

"Dad stop you're hurting me!"

He began to pull her to the door. She dug in her heels, he turned around and slapped her hard across her left cheek and she let him drag her down out of the building. That's when everyone began moving. Kevin and Javier grabbed their guns and Kevin grabbed Kate's off her desk.

He handed it to her as they walked out the door. Castle walked a few steps behind. They saw Nikki and her father about twenty feet away he was moving quickly.

"Stop!" shouted Javier, running alongside Kevin as Kate took the lead.

Ian pushed Nikki into an alley and they all followed. Ian had managed to find an area that was pretty much a maze of alleys. Kate stop running after a few minutes and listened to her surroundings. There was a piercing scream somewhere the other direction and Kate turned and ran towards it. She slowed again a few minutes later to hear it again. It was just a little closer and Kate kept running. She turned left at one and right at another. After a few minutes the screams stopped and Kate ran harder.

After two more lefts and one right she came across a body. She was laying limp on the ground her clothes ripped off. Kate slowly approached the body looking around for any sign of Ian, there wasn't any.

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"Kate?" Castle's voice sounded from around the corner. He wasn't sure which way she went after the second left. He wondered who the girl was and why Kate seemed so protective of her.

"Over here Castle."

"You find—oh…um…Do you need my help? I can carry her."

"I guess you won't bother her to much she seems to be unconscious," Kate nodded.

Castle walked over and picked the girl up. She was lighter then she should be. Then realized he should at least cover her up with something set her down again and shrugged out of his coat. He covered and picked her up again.

"So who is she?" he asked

"I will tell you everything, just walk to the hospital," Kate said, "This is my daughter…"

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End note: Please review!