Castle: Beckett's Security Blanket

Chapter 5: Don't Let Me Fall

Beckett awoke the next morning to the sound of her cell phone buzzing across the night stand. With her eyes still closed she reached out for it, daftly pressing buttons until one of them caused the alarm to cease it's near deafening wake up call. She heard a low groan come from behind her and strong arms grip her midsection tighter in an effort to pull her closer to him. She gasped slightly at the contact, forgetting for a brief moment that she had once again sought out Castle's comforting embrace last night when she couldn't sleep. He was obviously not quite awake yet as he didn't appear to be very aware of his surroundings. He mumbled a sleepy 'just stay in bed' into her shoulder and held her body firmly against his warmth.

"Castle" she whispered, carefully nudging his abdomen with her elbow in an effort to get free from his grasp. "Castle" she tried again, this time a little firmer in her tone and he was jolted awake.

"Huh, what? Alexis late for school?" he mumbled rather incoherently and she giggled slightly. "Castle" her voice was much louder now and his eyes snapped open.

"Beckett…"

"It's um, time to get up"

"Oh" he sighed, rubbing his tired eyes as his body turned away from her until he lay on his back.

"What time is it?" he asked sleepily as his eyes adjusted to the brilliant rays of sunlight drawing in on them.

"Seven" she answered; pushing herself up and throwing her legs over the side of the bed so her feet hit the floor. "Do you want to shower first? I could make the coffee today" she suggested, wanting to avoid any awkward conversation about how she ended up in his bed once again and hoping that he wouldn't bring it up either.

"Um yeah, okay" he agreed sleepily. "The uh, coffee beans are in the pantry, the grinder is below the sink and the French press is…" he began and then stopped when she turned to look at him like he had grown a second head.

"You know what, you shower first, I'll make the coffee" he suggested and she laughed.

"Yeah I think that's a better idea"

She pushed herself up from the bed and made her way into the bathroom. Castle took another minute to just lie in the warm bed, not quite ready to leave his nest of pillows and blankets just yet.

Less than an hour later and the two of them were headed out of the loft, each with a travel mug of coffee in their hands. Unlike his usual morning routine Castle didn't have the luxury of having extra time to stop at his regular coffee shop to grab his cappuccino and her latte. Beckett would want to head straight to the precinct and given their current living arrangement it seemed odd to leave at a different time than her or to make slightly unnecessary pit-stops along the way and meet up with her at the precinct later. So, he made them coffee at home and they both went into work together.

"Mr. Castle" Gates was the first to greet them as they stopped off the elevator and onto the Homicide floor of the twelfth. She had just emerged from her office and had noticed them arriving together at an unprecedented arrival time for Castle.

"Sir" he simply nodded politely.

"You're here… early. For you, I mean. You two carpooling now?" it was more of an accusation than a general inquiry and both Castle and Beckett could hear it in her tone.

Castle was unsure how to respond. He looked to Beckett for help as he wasn't sure if now was the time to fill her in on all that was going on. She had been called away yesterday and they didn't get a chance to update her on the latest details and his clumsy attempt at telling the story might not be the right choice he rightly surmised.

"Do you have a moment, sir" Beckett quickly stepped in. "I'd like to fill you in on what's been going on with the Drake case"

"Mmmm hmm" she nodded, looking back and forth at the two of them. "I think you better"

With that Beckett followed Gates into her office and closed the door behind her. Castle knew well enough to stay out of this one so he quietly waited at her desk for Ryan and Esposito to arrive, which Esposito did just a few short moments later.

"Hey bro" Espo greeted Castle with a slap to his shoulder. "How's it looking in there?" he asked as he slid into Beckett's chair next to Castle to watch the two women through the glass windows.

"Hard to tell" Castle shrugged. "It's only been a few minutes but Gates hasn't started spewing venom or having steam blow out of her ears yet so I guess better than expected"

"Oh crap, here they come" Espo gasped as the door to Gates' office swung open and Beckett exited. Esposito spun in Beckett's chair and stood from it, quickly making his way over to his own desk and picked up the phone, pretending to be in the middle of a conversation and like he hadn't just been spying on his bosses.

"Yeah, alright bro, sounds good, take your time I'll see you when you get here" Esposito rattled off as Beckett approached. Castle quickly shook his head at him and gave him the signal to cut it out but it was lost on Espo.

"Who was that?" Beckett asked with a small smirk.

"Oh, Ryan. I just thought I'd touch base with him. He's running late, had a dentist appointment or something" he shrugged.

"Who has a dentist appointment?" the voice of Espo's partner caught him completely off guard and he swiveled around in his chair to see Ryan exiting the break room with a coffee in hand; apparently having arrived before all three of them.

"Tried to warn you" Castle shrugged as Espo turned back around.

"Relax you guys" Beckett groaned. "If it was someone else in there I would've wanted ringside seats too"

"So… what happened?" Castle was the first to ask.

"She was surprisingly, okay…" Beckett began as she sunk into her chair. "She wants a security detail on me 24/7 and my apartment is an official crime scene to which I'm not allowed access to until it's cleared and basically I'm not allowed to even stop to tie my shoe without reporting to the Captain first"

"But you're still on the case" Castle mentioned; more of statement than a question.

"For now, yes" she confirmed with a nod. "So, Espo, where are we on CSU's sweep of my apartment?" she asked, getting right back into work mode and Esposito began rifling through a stack of paperwork on his desk to get her some answers.

Esposito filled the team in on the CSU report, which much to what she expected, gave them next to nothing. The only signs of forced entry were on the window by her fire escape but there were no fingerprints left behind which meant the guy must have been wearing gloves.

Another dead end. Beckett ran a hand through her hair as a loud sigh escaped her.

A couple hours later Ryan had a small bout of luck with the IT department as they were able to trace the IP address of the unknown e-mailer to a small internet café in midtown. He cross referenced the location of the café with the addresses of the people on their 500 plus suspect list and narrowed the list from 500 to a mere 70. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

With a much smaller list to work with they were able to get through most of the criminal and medical background checks in a little over 3 hours, further narrowing their suspect list down to only 12.

"Ryan, Espo, fill Gates in on the latest, Castle and I are going down to the café to show some pictures around see if anyone recognizes any of our suspects" she instructed and they both nodded in agreement.

"You got it boss" Ryan called out as Beckett and Castle headed out of the precinct.

Once they arrived at the coffee shop Beckett had asked the manager to get her a list of who was working the morning she had received that first e-mail. The manager checked his payroll sheets and told her that there were only two employees on that morning; one was a baker who would've spent most of his shift in the back and away from the customers, and one barista named Sarah Hoover who unfortunately for Beckett had the day off today. Beckett thanked the manager for his time and asked for a private room to speak to the baker. The manager quickly obliged and invited them to use his office in the back of the quiet and quaint café.

Less than twenty minutes later Beckett and Castle hit the streets again. Just as they had suspected the baker was little to no help in identifying any of the suspects; joking that he could pick a scone out of a lineup a hell of a lot easier than he could a customer. They thanked him for his time and then with the managers permission jotted down the address of the barista who had the day off today.

A quick call in to Esposito to let them know where they were at and Beckett and Castle were back on their journey to track down their last hopeful link to this puzzle. It was late afternoon now and the sun was threatening to set. They had checked the barista's home and had no luck. Questioned a few neighbours and the landlord to see if anyone knew where she might be but most said they wouldn't have the first clue where to find the older woman.

"Who doesn't have a cell phone?" Castle grumbled in frustration as they hit the streets once again.

"Well she's not a teenager Castle. And her job doesn't exactly require her to be on call 24/7 so maybe she doesn't need one" Beckett replied.

"She could be anywhere" Castle huffed; throwing his hands up in a dramatic fashion.

"Well looks like we have no choice but to wait to talk to her until she gets back to work tomorrow morning. Come on, we'll head back to the precinct and see if the boys have kicked up anything"

Castle nodded in agreement and the two of them settled into Beckett's Crown Vic and headed back to the precinct to check in with Ryan and Esposito.

"We've been rounding up the suspects on our list; starting with the most likely, you know, biggest scumbags in the bunch" Esposito began as Beckett and Castle listened on intently. "So far the three of them that we've managed to catch up with have all alibied out" he finished with sigh as he tossed the files onto her desk.

"Okay" she sighed heavily as she settled into the back of her chair.

"How'd you guys do with the barista at the coffee shop?" Ryan questioned.

"We're going to have to head back there in the morning" Beckett shrugged with defeat. "Couldn't track her down"

"Well don't worry Beckett we're gonna get this slimebag" Esposito added reassuringly and Beckett offered him a weak smile in return.

"Thanks guys. I guess we'll meet back here in the morning"

"Alright" Ryan and Espo both agreed before heading back to their own desks to gather their things.

"Ready to head home?" Castle asked and it threw Kate slightly for a loop. The way he called it 'home' to her so naturally as if he'd been saying it every night to her for some time was both comforting and yet somewhat unnerving all at the same time.

"Beckett?" His voice snapped her out of her daze and she shook her head.

"Yeah, sorry I'm ready" she assured him as she grabbed her jacket and they walked out of the precinct; calling a quick 'good night' over their shoulders to both Ryan and Esposito.

The drive back to the loft was spent chatting about what their day tomorrow would hold; both agreeing that they would head straight to the coffee shop in the morning before the precinct so that they weren't unnecessarily wasting any time which is why they took the Crown Vic home on this particular evening rather than the usual cab ride.

Beckett let out a heavy sigh, muttering something about if this lead didn't work out they'd be back to square one and Castle gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Let's worry about that if and when the time comes" was all he could think of to say and she just offered a small nod in return; too tired to argue or speculate further.

As they entered Castle's loft they were both surprised to see Alexis still awake and sitting on a bar stool at the kitchen island mindlessly dunking a tea bag in and out of a mug of steaming water that sat in front of her.

"Hey sweetheart" Castle greeted her with a beaming smile.

"Hey Dad" she replied with a light sigh.

"Everything alright? What are you still doing up, aren't you on the early shift with Lanie tomorrow morning?" he asked as he crossed the front foyer and headed for the kitchen.

"Everything's fine" she answered with a small smile. "Just wanted to wait up for you, you know, before I start to forget what you look like"

Castle would be lying if he said the words from his daughter didn't sting a little bit. Not that they weren't warranted; they certainly were. He'd been spending so much time at the precinct this past week or so that he'd barely seen his family. Now that he thought about it yesterday morning was the last time he'd seen his daughter and even that was a very brief moment that they had shared.

"I know sweetheart I'm sorry" he told her truthfully as he closed the distance between them and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her against him for a hug.

"It's not your fault Dad" she quickly assured him, shaking her head slightly against his shoulder where it currently rested. "I've been really busy too with this new internship and all it's just…"

"Just what, sweetie?" He asked hesitantly.

"Nothing" she mumbled but the involuntary shudder he felt her have in his arms told her it was far from nothing.

"Hey, what is it?" He asked; concern now evident in his tone. He leaned back, placed his thumb under her chin and tilted her head to look at him; a tear was rolling down her cheek.

"Alexis" he practically gasped with fear. "What happened?"

Kate stood still relatively close to the front door, afraid to move and interrupt the moment that was unfolding before her eyes. Alexis began into the story of how her and Lanie had a middle aged homicide victim on their table that afternoon and how the man's teenage daughter had the unimaginably painful task of positively identifying the man since there was no mother in the picture. Alexis witnessed the girl who was not much younger than her crumble to the floor sobbing hysterically as Lanie pulled the sheet over the man's face revealing her father to her. It hit Kate like a ton of bricks, realizing that this one had hit far too close to home for Alexis and she needed to see her dad and have him hold and tell her that everything was alright; and that is exactly what Castle had done before she even had a chance to finish her story.

He held her tight against his chest and whispered into her hair how he was right here and not going anywhere before he placed a kiss on the top of her head. She let out a few more quiet sobs and remained clutched onto him; and he seemed perfectly content to stay there holding her for as long as she needed it. Witnessing the moment between the two of them actually brought tears to Beckett's eyes as she watched them; suddenly feeling uncomfortable and like she was intruding somehow on a private moment between father and daughter. If she walked away now to let herself into Rick's office she knew some noise would be made and it would disrupt their moment, but was standing there staring at them and silently weeping really less intrusive? She had to wonder. Before she could ponder the thought any longer she was snapped back into reality by Alexis' contagious laughter. Clearly Castle had popped some joke to lighten his daughters mood and whatever it was It certainly worked. He chuckled a little with her before pulling her back in for one last hug. She smiled against him and then wished him a goodnight as they pulled apart and she stepped down from the stool.

"Oh, and goodnight Detective Beckett" she called over her shoulder and it startled Beckett slightly.

"Oh, uh goodnight Alexis" Beckett smiled; quickly wiping the last fallen tear from her cheek and hoping it remained unseen. Apparently Alexis was very much aware of Beckett's presence the entire time but it didn't stop her from sharing the very intimate moment. Somehow that made Beckett feel slightly better, and she watched with a small smile as Alexis left the kitchen and headed up the staircase towards her bedroom.

"You okay?" Castle asked as he crossed back to where Beckett was still standing; right where he had left her.

"Yeah, you?" she asked sincerely.

"Yeah" he sighed. "She's a great kid, I'm lucky to have her"

"Well she's lucky to have you too Castle" Beckett smiled and nudged him slightly with her elbow. She couldn't say it out loud but she felt something overwhelming within her as she watched Castle being a loving father to his daughter. It was this whole other side of him that she rarely saw and it was arguably one of the most amazing things about him, she thought to herself. It was no wonder she had sought out his comfort the last two nights, because when Richard Castle held you in his arms you knew he'd never let you fall. He would keep you safe. Always.

A/N: Well this chapter got a little longer than the others. It was kind of meant to be a filler chapter but then my mind didn't want to shut off so we got a big scoop of Alexis, so hope that's alright. It's kind of funny because I wrote this chapter about a week ago, and then having watched the Rick/Alexis scene in the "47 Seconds" episode a couple nights ago it totally reminded me of this, haha. Anyway, have you guys had enough and want to get to the good stuff already? I promise there will be some really good moments coming up, and just the right amount of fluff too. Stay tuned! And don't forget to drop me a line before you go :)