Chapter 9

What will Castle do when confronted with the woman that sent Beckett the hate mail? Also this chapter has a slightly higher rating than the others ;)

Kate and Rick walked into the precinct together the next morning. "Hey guys I got a job for us to do" she said walking up to Ryan and Esposito's desk and handing them the letter to read.

"What's this?" Ryan asked

"That is the letter I got yesterday. It wasn't for my school reunion. It was…from one of Castle's fans."

Ryan read it and handed it to Esposito without saying anything. He read it and looked up at Beckett. "Why didn't you tell us about this sooner? Please tell me we get to bring her in?"

"You bet, get a last known address."

They found the address and the four of them were off, Castle and Beckett in one car and Ryan and Esposito in another, as usual. "Castle will you do me a favor?" Kate asked as they were pulling up to the house.

"Anything" he said looking into her eyes.

"I need you to stay here" he was about to protest but she cut him off "If she's in there and sees you it could make things a whole lot worse, not to mention what she might do if she sees us together."

He took a deep breath and nodded. She smiled at him, got out of the car and put her vest on. Her two partners were doing the same thing. Once they were ready they walked up to the front door. Kate didn't want to make a scene if they didn't have to. "Ms. Lincoln? NYPD open up!" she called. Nobody answered so she knocked and repeated herself. When there was no answer again she nodded to her partners and stole a glance back at Castle before kicking the door open. "Ms. Lincoln? NYPD"

They heard something from another room and went into the living room to see Kaylee Lincoln simply sitting there watching TV "Can I help you detectives?" she asked looking at them and smiling.

"Ms. Lincoln you do realize you we are real NYPD cops putting you under real arrest for threatening me?" Beckett said as Esposito cuffed her and read her the rights. They got her back to the precinct without incident and put her in one of the interrogation rooms. Beckett put her hand on the door to enter the room but Castle stopped her "Castle you can't come in here either. I'm sorry." She said looking at him.

"I know. But don't go in there alone. And be careful."

She thought about what he was saying for a second then opened her mouth "Esposito" he looked up and she nodded toward the door she was waiting to open.

"Thanks" Castle said as they went into the interrogation room and him and Ryan entered the observation room. They watched as Esposito and Beckett talked to the suspect.

"Ms. Lincoln you know why you're here right?" Kate asked and she sat down across the table.

"Well I assume you got the lovely little note I sent you. Is Mr. Castle with you guys? I'd like to see him."

"Ms. Lincoln threatening a police officer is a serious offense" Esposito chimed in. "You can do some serious time for that offense alone, and I have a feeling you don't want us adding on stalking charges. Now the detective you threatened just happens to be connected to people in very high places and she won't hesitate to make sure you serve the maximum time, and without parole as well."

The woman looked at them both very carefully. "Neither of you actually read the letter did you?" she asked calmly.

"We both have read it, multiple times" Beckett interjected.

"Well then," she said, still calm "you are not very good at your jobs."

"Excuse me?" Esposito said, starting to get angry.

Castle and Ryan were both starting to really dislike the woman sitting there so calmly. "Is she stupid or just looking to get arrested?" Castle asked the man standing next to him. Ryan only shrugged and continued to watch the interaction.

"If you look closely at that letter detectives you will notice that I never made any actual threats. First of all I complemented you on your excellent success rate. Then I simply stated the fact that you might have made a mistake, and that while Mr. Castle is with you right now, he won't be forever. Saying that you'll fight for what you love isn't a threat is it detective?" the woman's eyes almost seemed to sparkle and she sat there smiling triumphantly.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Castle yelled. "There is no way she can get off like that!"

"Actually…" Ryan started, "she has a point. If she didn't make any direct threats there's nothing we can hold her for. She didn't resist arrest or anything else either."

Beckett and Esposito sat there dumbfounded for a minute then looked at each other. They both knew they had nothing to hold her on. They set the letter on the table and read over it quickly. Kate looked at her partner and nodded. Esposito stood up. "You are free to go Ms. Lincoln" he said and they followed her out of the room.

Castle met Beckett at her desk once the woman was gone. "You really couldn't hold her on anything?" he asked, and she could tell he was upset.

"Rick if you read the letter carefully she's right. There were no direct threats. And unfortunately I can't arrest anyone for just being creepy. So unless she does start stalking you we can't do anything."

"My mom and Alexis are still out of town for tonight, will you stay at my pace again?" he asked her with a serious look on his face. "If you can't arrest her I want you to stay close to me."

Looking into his eyes to see he was serious she got that thrill again at the thought of him being so protective. "I'll come over but you can't protect me forever. I have to go home sometime."

"I know, I just, want to make sure you're ok."

The rest of the day passed uneventfully and when it was time to go home Castle and Beckett stopped at her house so she could grab a few things before heading back to his place. As far as he could recall this would be the first time they had spent more than one night in a row with each other. Castle made pasta for dinner and they ate by candle light.

Afterwards they curled up on the couch together and just enjoyed each other's company. Castle, however had something on his mind. "Kate?" she looked up at him and he paused the movie they were watching. "I have something I want to ask you."

She sat up and faced him. "Go for it."

"You remember how you said I can't protect you forever? And that you had to go home sometime?"

She got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach and all she could do was nod.

"Well, I'd like to ask you to move in with me. I'll clear it with Martha and Alexis first of course, but, I want you to come live here, with me."

Her jaw dropped. She couldn't think of what to say. All of her insecurities seemed to come to the surface as she thought about moving in with Rick Castle. "Rick, we've only been together a few months. What if you get sick of me, or change your mind, or something happens and we break up?"

"Well I'm not going to get sick of you, or change my mind. I've waited for over a year to be with you Kate, and I'm not going to give up easily or just let us fall apart."

She was quiet for a minute. She knew he was right. She wasn't just going to let things fall apart either, but this was a big step. She had been with guys before, and been in relationships that had lasted far longer than three months. Not one of those times had she moved in with her boyfriend, or asked him to move in with her. She knew if she did this, if she moved in with him now, there was no turning back.

"You need to ask Martha and Alexis the second they get back." She saw his eyes lit up as he realized she was saying yes and she decided she needed to clarify what she was saying. "I'll stay for a while, but I'm not making anything permanent yet. This is…a really big step."

He nodded. "I know it is, you can stay and try this out for as long as you want. I haven't lived with anyone but family in a long time either, so this can give both of us time to get used to it."

"Thanks Rick, for understanding."

"Of course" he said, pressing his lips to hers.

The kiss was soft, gentle at first, but as they pulled back and looked in each other's eyes it became more urgent. Kate put her arms around his neck and found his arms around her waist. She leaned forward, pushing him back until he was almost lying down and she was on top of him. She deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue in to mingle with his. They were both breathing heavily when she pulled back and let Castle lead her to his room. Once there they were both quickly stripped of clothes and picking up where they had left off.

They spent the rest of the night exploring each other and getting closer to each other than either of them had ever imagined. As they came together each of their senses came alive, and each was used to feel the other.

Dawn found their clothes still on the floor and the couple lying in bed, blissfully asleep in each other's loving embrace.

Reviews pleeeeeeease :D