A/N: Few things I'd like to mention here. My intention for the whole coffee thing in the previous chapter was to show how Castle has moved on and gotten over his old ritual, the focus isn't on Beckett's disappointment. I also wanted to show how Kate has taken a step back in her personal life since leaving NY i.e. her arrangement with Dom. Lastly, I know the story isn't developing as quickly as most readers expected, and if my story isn't your cup of tea, then thanks for reading it up till this point, but you're free to stop reading at any time. To the rest of you still sticking with this story, thanks for your patience! As always, beta done by Diana.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

The car ride to Jenna's apartment was awkward to say the least. Leaving the precinct building, the three of them walked toward Beckett's federal-issued vehicle and stood awkwardly around it. Both Castle and Dom had headed for the passenger door up front at the same time.

After a moment of indecision, Dom called shotgun.

Luckily Jenna's apartment wasn't that far away from the precinct. Dom made a few poor attempts at small talk, but neither Castle nor Beckett were very inclined to keep the conversation going.

Castle opened his mouth quite a few times, questions burning on the tip of his tongue, only to change his mind at the last moment, choosing to remain silent. Thoughts of Alexis' safety plagued his mind.

They got into another spat when she returned to the loft last night. After Castle had explained the case to his daughter, she agreed to take precautions, but she wasn't going to "stop living my life because of the fear." Naturally, this did not sit well with Castle, the ever-protective dad.

Castle had wanted to hire additional security for his daughter but she had refused it, saying that the protective detail from the NYPD was sufficient. Their argument in the morning had left Castle heading to the precinct in a less than happy mood. From then on, his morning just kept going downhill.

And now, he was stuck in the car with Dom and Beckett, seemingly tiptoeing on eggshells around each other.

Screw it, might as well get rid of the elephant in the room.

"So, Dom. You and Beckett, huh?"

Castle noticed how both their bodies tensed up as Dom sat a little straighter, glancing sideways at Beckett. "Uhhh…"

She gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white.

"Castle," she started, a frown marring her forehead, "it's not- we're… not… in a relationship."

"Really? What does Dom have to say?" Castle asked, redirecting the conversation back to Dom.

"I… don't feel comfortable talking about this. What Beckett said is true – we're not together. We don't have feelings for each other."

"But you're attracted to each other?"

Castle's question was met by silence.

"Or are you too afraid to admit that you like her, because you're scared she's going to run away. Is that why you're not in a relationship?" Castle spat the last word out hatefully. "At least you're smarter than I was, Dom, cutting your losses while it's still early."

"Castle, why are you doing this?" she asked softly.

"Why shouldn't I? Why did you disappear off to DC? I'm doing this because I feel like it. Do I need more reason? You didn't."

"Castle, please-"

"No. You can't even admit that you're in a relationship! Tell me, how long do you plan on stringing Dom along?"

"Fine! You want the truth? We're friends with benefits, okay! There, I've said it. Happy now?" Kate glared at him through her rearview mirror as Dom remained silent in his seat, not daring to get caught in the middle of this.

"With someone working below you? You know what, I pity you, Katherine Beckett. I've never- even this is a whole new low you're sinking to."

Beckett pulled up to the curb – they'd arrived at Jenna's apartment. She killed the engine, and Dom hurriedly took off his seat belt.

"I think I'll head up first, let the two of you… talk things over."

Dom practically scrambled out of the car, taking his equipment up with him. As he slammed the door shut, Beckett slumped in her seat. Taking off her seat belt, she turned to face Castle.

"Why do you even care, Rick?"

"Why do I care? Because whether I like it or not, you're leading this case! And in case you haven't noticed, Tyson is targeting my daughter. I need to know that you can focus on the case instead of your boy toy. I've had personal experience knowing how easy it is to distract you, remember?"

"Whatever arrangements I've made with Dom–"

"Is none of my business, I know, but when it interferes with your work, when it gets in the way of Alexis' safety, then it becomes my business."

His steely eyes stared back at Beckett, hard and focused.

"It hasn't and it won't," she replied in a clipped tone, meeting his gaze evenly.

For a few moments the car was silent except for the sounds of their labored breathing as they continued their little staring match. At length, Beckett broke the silence.

"Look, Rick, could you just give me a chance and let me explain myself?"

"Explain… Kate, I've moved on. You're too late, I don't care for your explanations anymore," he said dejectedly. "All I care about right now is getting Tyson."

"Fine," she whispered, hurt by how little he now cared about her. True, his daughter was in danger, and that was his first priority, but still it hurt. Even though she knew that he didn't owe her anything, or that she had no right to expect him to give her another chance, hearing his words made it more final somehow.

And that hurt.

"Castle, the both of us want to get Tyson. Neither of us can do it alone – our best shot at him is by working together. I can't have you and the boys disrespecting my authority just because you're still mad at me."

Castle remained silent, staring back at her passively.

Sighing, Beckett continued. "Look, I need your help, okay? My team and I spent years studying and profiling Tyson, but none of them know him like you guys do. If we want to catch him before… before anything else happens, we're going to need to work together – all of us, as a team. So can we please just call truce or something, at the very least just while we're working on this case?"

It would have been so easy to freeze her out. He knew that Ryan and Esposito would stand with him.

But Beckett was right. In order to stop Tyson, they needed each other. He could take the high road. He'd moved on, after all, and Castle would like to think that he was more mature too. He would behave like an adult and put aside their history, all for Alexis' sake.

"Truce," Castle declared, sticking his hand out. Beckett immediately shot her hand out to shake his, but he pulled back, warning her, "Just while we're working this case – I'm doing this for Alexis. I've moved on and put our past behind me, but this is far from over, and you are far from forgiven."

Beckett reached out to shake his hand firmly, sealing their deal. She gave a short nod, telling him, "I understand. Now let's get Tyson."

When Castle and Beckett headed into the crime scene together, it was as though the three years they'd spent apart was an ice cube held under a blowtorch, melting away quickly. They'd both changed in their own ways, but when put together, things just seemed to fall seamlessly into place.

Dom headed to greet them by the door, eyeing them nervously. "Erm, do you want to take a look around first or should I run down the scene based on the detective's notes?"

Pausing in the common area of the living room, Beckett said, "Give me the basic run down." Castle, too, stopped beside her, looking around the living room while listening to Dom's rundown.

"Roommate came in through the front door there," he said, pointing through the door they came through, "at around three am, switched on the lights and saw Jenna lying on the floor by the couch. She came closer, found Jenna dead, screamed and ran out, basically leaving everything untouched. She then called the cops, who came over and sealed the crime scene."

Looking up from his notebook, Dom pointed in the direction of one of the bedrooms, telling them, "That's Jenna's room through there, and the other room belongs to Brianna. Only other exit is the fire escape through there. None of the windows or locks have been tampered with, so we think Jenna might have let him in. The whole place has been wiped down – CSU didn't find any fingerprints besides Brianna's, which were on the front door and table over there. The couch and surrounding floor has been completely cleaned with bleach, so we think that was where the struggle took place, after which he attempted to destroy all DNA evidence."

Beckett dismissed him with a nod, and he went off to do his things. He was already used to Beckett's method – after getting the basic run down of the crime scene, she'd set the team to work while she walked around, quiet most of the time as she observed the scene and absorbed the details.

"So, what are we thinking?" Castle stepped in, looking around the apartment as well, trying to pick up on the story that might have played out. Wisps of scenarios floated by his mind's eye, distorted fragments of what might have happened.

Jenna lets him unsuspectingly. He smiles while talking to her, putting her at ease. She turns her back and he strikes, but she must have sensed something wrong, so he didn't manage to completely over power her. They struggle by the couch and she gets the bruises on her arms.

The adrenalin pumping through her system isn't enough to overcome his brute force and the element of surprise. He murdered her, but it didn't sit right with him. Her hair color was wrong, but it was necessary. He would fix it soon enough.

Tyson wandered around the apartment at ease, the knowledge of not being interrupted sitting nicely in his mind. He'll have to drag her body to the bathroom, dye her hair. The kitchen sink would be closer; maybe he used that instead.

While the dye worked, he would have time to clean up the place. Scrape the underside of her nails clean so that there would be no evidence; wipe away all thumbprints and douse the site of their struggle with bleach.

He washed off the dye and set her in place. Collecting his things, he'd pack them once more into his bag and leave, all the while leaving her neighbors none the wiser of his deeds.

But this was Tyson, and he was sending out a threat. He couldn't afford to let this go unnoticed. He'd want the challenge and threat to be issued loud and clear. But at the same time, he'd want to play with their minds – leave them enough to send them panicking but not enough to confirm his identity.

Tyson would have left something incriminating behind, something only we'd know.

"Somehow Tyson knew she'd be home alone, so he had plenty of time to plan out the details," Beckett started, heading to the front door. "Jenna let him in, he must be dressed as something inconspicuous,"

"A postman delivering a parcel, or repairman," Castle supplied, heading over to join her by the door. He continued, "They come in and she shuts the door. He talks to her, putting her at ease. Suddenly she remembers it's a Sunday and finds it strange that he's working."

Beckett picked up the story as Dom headed over, intrigued by how in sync the two of them were. "She makes an excuse, probably heading to her room to make a call to someone, but he strikes."

"They scuffle by the couch and make a mess," Castle narrated the scene that played in his mind, "he kills her, but it didn't sit right with him, so he dyes her hair."

"He sets her by the side and begins cleaning up, removing all evidence that might link us back to him. When he's done, he washes the dye off, and positions her over here," Beckett gestured at the floor by the couch.

"He would need to pack his things and prepare to leave. But before he goes, he'll leave us something, like a calling card," Castle said grimly, heading back to the front door with Beckett behind him.

"Okay, so he walks toward the door and pauses. He looks back at the apartment and sees…" she trailed off, surveying the apartment as Tyson would have. With Jenna being an Art major, the apartment was cluttered with sketches and paintings. There was a lot to take in. Castle and Beckett let their gaze scan pass the apartment, waiting for something to stand out and grab their attention.

Dom had been trailing the two of them this whole time, absorbed into the story that they had spun so effortlessly together. He wanted to ask if they realized that they were in fact finishing each other's sentences, but decided against it. Better not break their rhythm just yet, if ever at all.

When he and Beckett had started their friends with benefits arrangement, it was out of convenience and rationalizing. They were both consenting adults who were too busy for a real relationship. Beckett had made it clear from the start, the moment either of them developed any sort of feelings of attachment, it was over.

There were no strings attached, and their personal and professional lives never crossed over. When the others on their team had found out by accident, there had been ribbing and teasing. But with both Beckett and Dom acting professional on the job, there wasn't anything for the others to complain about.

And so their arrangement continued. But if Dom were to be honest, he suspected that he might be developing feelings for Beckett. But it would never have worked out between them, even if they hadn't been sent to New York. But now that they were here, Dom could clearly tell that he never stood a chance, no one ever would.

The chemistry between Castle and Beckett was something he'd hardly ever seen in real life. She lit up and got all excited with him. Their minds and thoughts were so in sync that they hardly had to wait for the other to catch up.

"That sketch!" Both Castle and Beckett exclaimed at the same time, pointing at a piece of paper by the kitchen island.

The three of them walked over to scrutinize a sketch of a castle by the cliffs. Beckett picked up the piece of paper with her gloved hands, looking at it in detail

"There, the 'A' of her initials, it's a little smudged," Castle pointed out. Beckett nodded, agreeing with him as she passed the paper to Dom, telling him, "See if you can dust for prints. We'd have to compare and rule out Jenna's fingerprints, but I'm pretty sure Tyson's prints will be there too."

Dom took the sketch and laid it on the table, collecting his tools from his bag. He dusted the paper, and soon enough fingerprints began to emerge, becoming visible to the naked eye.

At length, Dom announced, "We've got a few different sets of fingerprints. Most of them are found a few times on the paper, suggesting the owner of those prints to be Jenna. I'll have to get her fingerprints from the ME's office before we can officially confirm that. But there's one distinctive print that stands out from the rest, and it's right over the 'A' like Castle suggested. I'll lift all the prints and upload it to our system."

Dom started with the fingerprint over the 'A', scanning it quickly with his phone. While waiting for their database search for a matching fingerprint, Dom began scanning the other fingerprints on the paper as well.

Just as he finished uploading all the fingerprints into the federal database, both his and Beckett's device chimed with an alert.

There was a match.

A/N: Before you guys jump down on me for calling truce so quickly between Castle and Beckett, remember what Castle said. It's still far from over - they're not just sweeping everything under the rug. Review! :)