Kate stood just inches away from his front door. Wood splinters lay across the floor. The scent of blood stung her nostrils, scraping her insides as it seeps in, leaving scars. In a few moments three detectives gathered behind her. She recognized the sound of her boys' shoes as they clashed with the empty hallway floor, echoing against the walls, but one extra set of shuffles? Heels? Detective Ryan stepped forward stopping right beside her, showing support to his friend. Hands in his pockets, the detective looked to the floor, almost as if he knew this day would come.

"Beckett..." the formality of his voice shot through her like a spear.

Without a word she took her next steps into his loft. Following her like loyal puppies that had just been abandoned, the detective's looked around in attempt to understand what this was all about. They knew the basics. The questions they had asked friends and family of the victim's, case after case. This was no ordinary case. Did you notice anything off about the victim?The victim. It sounded so harsh, so insensitive. Is there anyone you can think of who might have done this? Done this. Being on the other side of the fence, the detectives realized how insincere their standard questions were.

Detectives Ryan and Karpowski spread out, covering more ground. They looked around without wanting to witness any of this.

Kate found herself staring at his kitchen table. The spot that had been so special to them just nights before.

Having just come out of the shower, Kate found him standing beside the table in the dim candle-lit room. He took a few slow, steady steps in her direction, stopping when he was satisfied with the distance between them. Their noses grazed. His hand came up to brush her wet hair behind her ear.

"This brings back memories," he laughed. His smile woke her from the spell she was under, "Yeah," she smiled back with a sincere and heart filled smile.

The two walked hand-in-hand to the table. Rick pulled the chair out and gestured her to sit.

He had been such a gentleman that night; like he was all the time but tonight he knew she needed it more than anything.

She felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. After a long, hard case like the one they had wrapped just two hours ago. This is what she needed. This was what brought his Kate back to him.

He remained behind her. Her back settled in the arch of the chair, head resting on his chest. She lifted her right hand, travelled across her chest to find his free hand and held it gently, like a fragile baby. His chest rose and fell with his every breath as it swayed her head softly with it. They stayed there, frozen in time.

"Beckett…" his voice, gravel and low, shook her back to reality, there stood one of her boys, the boys that she worked with every day and had come to love. Her family. There were only three people in the world she was sure of would take a bullet for her. Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito were two of the three.

She turned to find herself lost within eyes so deep and tragic. Like black holes of torment and pain.

"We'll find him," the voice that was once full of sadness and pain turned hopeful with a hint of forceful laughter in seconds. "It's Castle, he'll goof his way out of this," his eyes broke contact. Wandering around the room, he suddenly realized he would rather have to face a sad and petrified Beckett than look at the evidence and allow his mind to wander to dark corners of the truth, "whatever this is," he added. The two of them looked around until she slipped back into her daydream and Detective Esposito joined the others.

"All I'm saying is that, if it were a good show it would have lasted longer on air," he mocked as he turned off the television and joined her in the kitchen.

A wicked smile crept upon her face, "if you expect to get lucky tonight I suggest you finish that sentence there," she played.

The two smiled at each other for what felt like an eternity. "Well, dig in," he ordered with a sweet smile, "you don't want it to get cold, do you?" he said as she slide her hand across the table.

"I'm not that hungry, I'm not in the mood to eat right now," she responded with a pondering up a thought of her own.

"What did you have in mind?" his lips came up at the corner of his mouth, mimicking the motion of his left eyebrow.

"Oh, I think you know what I'm in the mood for," letting go of his hand and leaning back in her chair. She brought up her hand to her lips as she nibbled at the skin until he pushed his chair back and met her there, stretching his hand out to receive hers.

Her body rocked slowly forward until it looked like it would collapse on the floor but ultimately pressed up against the kitchen table. The three detectives stood several feet away and watched as their friend attempted to regain control of her emotions.

"Should we do something? I don't like seeing her like this," whispered Detective Karpowski, looking at the woman she looked up to on the police force. The only person in the precinct who didn't talk to her like she was a little girl who couldn't handle anything more than writing up a speeding ticket.

"There's nothing we can do except find out what the hell is going on and kill the bastard who did this." Spat a pissed off detective.

"Javier…" his voice was low and controlled, "I know this is hard, it's hard for all of us. He's going to be fine, I mean," he looked around, and for a split second it looked as if he was going to cry right there, in the middle of a crime scene, "he always is."

A man called the detectives into Rick's study. Two sets of shoes slowly shuffled, cautiously toward the room situated ten feet from where they stood, as one detective stayed frozen, looking at Kate with growing sorrow, "he always is," he whispered to himself. He brought his hands together and began to twist his golden wedding band on his left hand, a gesture Rick had called him on earlier that week.

"Ryan, would you please…" his voice was half making fun and half annoyed, "seriously, it's like your poker tell."

"What?" he asked.

"That thing you do with your ring, whenever you're nervous you play with your ring," Rick pointed out.

"No I don't," he defended.

"Would you two be quiet? We're supposed to be undercover. Do you want to take this up with Del Fito and his crew, as well? I'm sure they wouldn't mind taking a break from their criminal activities for a moment to help you two girls sort this out, because I can just turn on my lights and call them over. Maybe they'll find this whole thing funny and not shoot us." Kate turned around to face the boys in the back seat. Her sarcastic tone stung the vehicle to silence.

Ryan looked down at his hands and pulled them apart, placing them unsteadily in his pockets. He took one last glance at Kate and walked into the study to join the rest of the detectives.

"Castle, do you ever think about where you'd be if we never met?" she asked.

"No," he replied.

Kate stood, awaiting more of an answer, "no? That's it?"

"Because that doesn't matter to me. Any life other than the one I lead today, with you, is a life I can't even imagine," he smile as he pulled his coat off.

He turned to help remove her coat. In shock, he stopped dead in his tracks. Her majestic beauty took him to high places as he breathed in her cherry scent. She had turned to face him, close enough to hold him, as he had turned. They smiled in sync, like screenplay. His eyes twinkled, gazing at the depths of her beauty. She reached out to stroke his cheek as be bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. His hands travelled down her back, gliding along her thighs. With one single motion, he placed her upon the kitchen table. Hands on either side of her legs stationed on the table as she fisted at his chest, grabbing his collar and pulling him close.

The spot his hands were placed that very night was now replaced with disturbing tools. Tools of torture methods. A tear found its way down her face as she studied a blood-covered hammer and screwdrivers. Emotions took over her body as she reached for the hammer, grabbing it with force and flinging it across the room until it smashed a gaping whole into the only blood-free wall in sight.

Within seconds detectives began to pour out of the study and gathered behind her in curiosity, keeping a reasonable distance from the raged detective who stood still, fists clenched, eyes burning holes in the floor.

Static sounds and loud thumps caught Kate's attention. Rick's flat screen television turned bright, hot white. Flickering lights reflected against her teary eyes. Silence stung the room. The screen flickered black and white static waves. The image burned and marked a spot in her mind. It was soon replace with a silhouetted man standing few feet from the camera. In the distance, Kate made out a figure. A body curled up on a cold, ceramic floor.