Castle belongs to ABC. Yes I know, I've already posted this chapter, but I've made some changes in this one and the next, if you're interested, feel free to read and leave feedback, if you rather not, I understand :)

Rick Castle was sitting at the high top table, with his hands wrapped around a hot mug of coffee, in the kitchen of the twelfth precinct. Dead? How could Madison be dead? He couldn't wrap his mind around it, she was so young. A sudden pang of guilt hit his stomach. He barely knew Madison, and she was the only person he had lost. How could he be sitting here feeling sorry for himself when Beckett had lost two others as well?

Captain Roy Montgomery stood in the doorway of the kitchen as he looked at Castle. The man looked like he was so deep in thought the captain could not find it within himself to disturb him quite yet. It wasn't until Castle turned his head toward the doorway did he even see him.

"Captain?" Rick said almost alarmed to see the middle aged man standing in the doorway. He had never known the man to skulk in doorways, so that could only mean one thing; he needed to talk to him.

"Castle," Roy said as he walked up to the table where Castle was seated. "There is something I need to discuss with you."

"What is it, Captain?" Rick asked as felt the fear climb into his cobalt eyes. Had something happened? He quickly went through an inventory of the people he was close to in his mind. Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito were all safely back here at the precinct. He had just gotten off the phone with Alexis not ten minutes before the captain came in so he knew that her and his mother were safe in California with Meredith. Who else in the world could have been harmed?

Roy shook his head. "It's nothing bad, Castle," he said in a calming voice in order to calm the author's obvious turmoil. "It's just something I need to talk to you about, and I need your discretion."

Frowning, Rick nodded his head at the captain. He wanted to talk to Castle about something nobody else knew of? "Does this need to be in private Captain?"

Roy Montgomery took a look around the entryways of the kitchen and outside its windows; she was nowhere to be found. "No, this is fine," he said as he walked over to the counter and poured himself a cup of black coffee before taking a seat across from Castle.

Again Rick frowned at the man sitting in front of him. "So what is this all about?" he asked as Montgomery took a sip out of his mug.

Swallowing the hot liquid Roy placed the white NYPD mug down on the table and looked across at Castle. "It's about Beckett, actually."

Beckett? Her name took Rick by surprise coming out of the captain's mouth. What could possibly be wrong with Beckett? She was fine, he reassured himself as he looked out the kitchen window at her sitting at her desk poring over the case file for the millionth time. "What about her?"

Roy took a deep breath and suddenly realized he had no idea what he could say to Castle that wouldn't cause Beckett to want to physically hurt him. "She has requested to return to her apartment for the time being."

"No!" Rick voiced automatically as he felt the color drain from his face. No if Montgomery thought that he was just going to let Beckett walk out of his apartment just to stay alone in her own apartment he was sadly mistaken. "I'm sorry; Captain, but I will not allow that."

Roy nodded his head as he tried to conceal his smile. So often Castle's true feelings for Beckett were so overt that he wondered how the woman didn't see it herself. "Good, then I am glad we are in agreement. I denied her request," he said as he watched the relief spread across Castle's face. "Which brings me to my request for you?"

"Your request for me, Captain?" Rick asked as he furrowed his brow. How could he be a part of Beckett's solitude, other than of course leaving her alone? Which he would gladly do if she so much as asked for it.

Roy nodded his head. "This is just pure speculation, but I believe that she needs some time alone to absorb everything that has happened over the last few days, and I…"

Rick smirked he knew where he was going with this. "You were just wondering if I could get out of the apartment for the night, give her some space?"

Roy smiled as Castle caught on to what he meant. He truly was brighter than most of the detectives here gave him credit for. "Exactly."

Rick smiled as he downed the final sip of his now cold coffee. Of course he would give her all the space she needed. "Sounds like a good plan to me. I need a night out with the boys anyway," he joked as he stood from his seat.

As Rick neared Beckett's desk he caught a rare sight of her face when her emotional wall wasn't attempting to keep everyone out. She looked fatigued and in considerable amount of pain as she stared up at the white board. "Hey," he said as he took his seat in his chair.

Before their eyes met the emotionless mask was in place once again, taking away any signs that the case had taken a toll on her. "Hey," Kate said as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"How are things going?" Rick asked awkwardly as he tried to gather his thoughts together in order to tell her she would be on her own tonight. An exasperated sigh from Beckett told him that he had asked the wrong question.

Kate shook her head in frustration as she consulted the notes once again. "I don't know what it is with this case; it just seems to be one dead end after another."

Rick created a thin line with his lips as he looked from the pictures of the three victims, to the mass amount of evidence, and then finally landing on the only empty section of the white board, suspect column. "Those DNA results haven't arrived yet?"

Kate looked up at Castle as she shook her head. "No, according to Lanie, there's some peculiarities with the results, she didn't go into details, but she said that it would be a couple more days," she said flashing her eyes from the white board to Castle and back again.

"Of course," Rick exhaled as he looked at the white board in front of him. The answer was there; he knew it was, sitting right in front of them, just beyond their gaze. Scenarios raced through his head, ones even more ridiculous than the next.

Kate looked up at Castle in surprise, never before had she heard the hopelessness in his voice as she just heard. After her staring went unnoticed for a few seconds Kate turned her face back to the board in front of her and sighed in exhaustion. "Oh god, I cannot wait for this just to be over," she said as she combed her hair back with her fingers.

As the words left Beckett's mouth it was like a light bulb ignited above Rick's head. "'Over,'" he said in a shocked whisper.

Kate looked up and frowned as she heard Castle mutter something to himself. "What?"

Rick looked at Beckett his eyes were wide in revelation. "'I told you this isn't over'!" he said with almost a giddy excitement to his voice as he jogged over to the white board and removed the picture from Kimberly's apartment and placed it down in front of Beckett's face, on top of her notes. "Scott Dunn!"

Kate shifted her eyes upward so her eyelashes pressed against the bone of her brow as she looked at Castle idiotically. "Castle, Dunn didn't do it, trust me, I would like to believe he did it as much as the next person, but he was accounted for, for every other murder after the first one."

Rick shook his head as he looked down at Beckett, apparently his Jedi skills needed some polishing because she did not understand what he was trying to get at. "No, no, no. I know Dunn didn't do it, but I think he knows who did."

Kate looked up at Castle shocked. A block in her mind was not letting her comprehend the message that Castle was trying to portray. "What do you mean you think he knows who did it?"

"'This isn't over, Heat' 'I told you this isn't over' they're virtually the same line! I can tell you, whoever our murderer is; Dunn knows him, and well."

Kate looked up at Castle silent for a minute, what he was saying made sense, but how could they prove that he had said anything? Kate shook her head dumbfounded. "Who would he have told?" she asked thinking out loud more than asking a question.

Rick thought about Beckett's words for a brief moment. Who would a serial murderer tell his ploys of revenge to? "His cell mate!"

Kate looked up at Castle shocked for the briefest of moments before looking away and tapping keys at her computer. As she came across Dunn's sheet she scrolled down to his known associates. The list was not long but in the few names that were there a single one popped out at her. A case she worked five years ago. Lost in her pool of memories Kate nearly hit the ceiling when Castle spoke again. "Anything creditable?"

"Yeah," Kate said as she nodded her head. "Victor Marilli, he was my first collar after I became a detective," she continued as smiled solemnly at Castle.

"Does he have any priors to the murders?" Castle asked as he leaned over Beckett's shoulder to look at the screen in front of them.

"Murder, actually," shaking her head Kate continued "he killed his mistress, we never found out why though. But yes, he was charged with the rape of his girlfriend when he was seven…teen," Kate said as she looked over her right shoulder to see Castle's face noticeably close to her own. For what felt like the hundredth time that week Kate felt her throat go thick and nerves erupt in her stomach. Surely he wouldn't kiss her, here, where they worked, in front of all their co-workers.

As Rick looked into Beckett's hazel eyes he waited for her to pull away, like she had the last time they were this close. She didn't though; she stayed in the same spot staring back into his eyes. He didn't dare move an inch closer though, for he did not know if he could face her after another rejection.

"So I just got off the phone with La-nie," Kevin said as he and Esposito approached Beckett's desk to find Castle and Beckett's faces barely an inch apart.

At the sound of Ryan's voice Rick felt his body jump in surprise and without being able to stop himself stood up to his full height as he felt his face flush.

"Are we interrupting something?" Javier asked in a playful tone as he looked down into Beckett's face hoping for a yes.

"No," both Castle and Beckett chorused and looked at each other with the same surprised and hurt look at the other's answer.

"Oh-kay," Kevin said not believing the answer that came out of either of their mouths, but he knew better than to press either of them. "So, just got off the phone with Lanie, she just completed the autopsy on Madison." Kevin took a deep breath before continuing with the news. "Turns out she was raped too, and the assaulter's DNA from both victims match."

At eight o'clock that night Castle and Esposito were sitting at a high top table across from Kevin Ryan in a sports bar that had various cheers coming from both the many televisions' speakers and the many occupants who had come to watch the game. Kevin opened his mouth to say something when Castle's phone emitted the theme from Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein.

Rick felt his body cringe out of habit as he heard the distant sound of the ringtone he had set for his ex-wife, Gina. Fortunately, this time they had parted on good terms, but still there were only two reasons the woman called him, her alimony payments and to check when his latest manuscript would find its way to her desk to be reviewed. Without even bothering to look at the screen of his phone Rick hit the ignore button and looked back up at his two partners. "Sorry about that."

Javier frowned, he had only once known Castle to screen his calls, and that resulted in a call to the precinct, and they hadn't received one. "Who was that?" he asked curiously.

Rick shrugged his shoulders as he took another sip out of the frosted mug that sat in front of him. "Gina, it's the third time she called me this week, her alimony payment is due, and she wants to make sure I'm not falling behind."

Kevin and Esposito both nodded their head in understanding. If there was one thing that the woman did not play around with, it was her money. "So what ever happened between you two? One minute you were completely solid and the next thing I knew she was gone."

Castle looked down at his mug with a feeble smile as Javier looked at Ryan slightly shocked. He knew Ryan often spoke before he thought things through but this was intrusive, even for him. "Ryan-" he began in a warning tone.

However, Rick intercepted it. "No, no. it's all right, I should have told you guys from the beginning," Rick said and was quiet for a moment before continuing. "She left me, she told me as much as she loved me, she couldn't stay, because a woman always knows when she is second in a man's life, and though some women could live like that, she couldn't."

It was nine p.m. and Kate Beckett was at her desk at the precinct with an open carton of shrimp lo mein to her side while she again read through the notes of the case. Something about this case just was not adding up. There was something they weren't seeing. As she looked back up on the covered white board the name Victor Marilli kept entering her memory. Why did a case that was closed five years ago keep bothering her? She was deep in thought when a voice beside her made her jump.

"Beckett, what are you still doing here?" Roy Montgomery said as he stood beside the desk of his lead detective.

Kate looked up at her captain beside her. She hadn't realized how empty the precinct had gotten over the last few hours since Castle and the boys left. "I-uh, just wanted to finish up…" she trailed off as she motioned to the papers in front of her.

Roy nodded his head; he had heard that excuse from her many of times over the years. It seemed when she had a case she did not want to stop until the murderer was found and convicted. It was one of the reasons she was his lead detective. "Well, whatever you are working on will still be there in the morning, go home get some rest."

Kate looked up at the man in almost a state of shock; this was one of the biggest cases she had gotten since she started as a detective. If she went home now, there was less of a chance of catching him before he killed someone else. "Sir?"

Roy raised his eyebrows as he looked down at Beckett. "Kate, I need you to go home, you said to me earlier today, you needed to be alone, Castle is out for the night. Go home and get the solitude you need."

"But Sir-"

Roy shook his head at Beckett's protest. "Beckett, we have every cop in the city looking for this guy, we are going to find him."

"But we don't even know who he is, all we have is a shaded picture of the man," Kate argued as she looked up at Montgomery.

Roy attempted to hold back his smile as he nodded at Beckett again. "Exactly, so you depriving yourself of rest as we try to find a ghost is detrimental to all of us. Once we get those DNA results we will find him, until then, go home. That is an order."

A few hours later, after Ryan had gotten a frantic call from Jenny, the two detectives and the author decided to disperse and head home. As Richard Castle opened the front door of his apartment the dim lights of the hallway drenched the darkened living room. Rick frowned as he stepped inside and turned on the light. Rick looked down the hallway towards his bedroom and saw that Beckett's bedroom door was still open. She wasn't asleep; could it be possible that she was still at work? No, Montgomery wouldn't have let her stay past the time he left.

Puzzled by her whereabouts Rick walked into the kitchen and removed his wallet from his pants and walked over to the refrigerator. As he placed his hand on the handle something out on the patio caught his attention. His hunger forgotten he walked closer to the doors to investigate.

Kate Beckett stared out at the brightly lit city not seeing the buildings or the lights or the traffic as she thought of the things her and Madison had done over the years. She was day dreaming of prom when she felt something warm and heavy cover her shoulders. Alarmed she turned her head to the side to see Castle standing there, now coatless. A sigh of relief encompassed her as she breathed his name. "Castle."

He looked down at her with apology in his eyes. "Sorry," he said with a laugh in voice, "You just looked kind of cold."

Kate looked at him as he rested his arms on the railing of the balcony and looked out at the city just like she had been doing. As she looked back out at the view before her, a thought plagued her. Normally an invasion of her solitude would have annoyed her, especially if it was from Castle. Now though, she didn't seem to mind it. In fact, it was quite the contrary, she welcomed his company.

From the corner of his eye Rick snuck a glance at Beckett as she silently pulled his jacket tighter around her shoulders as she leaned over the balcony to look at the view of the city.

As she listened to the sound of the traffic below Kate felt eyes on her. She smiled inwardly as she allowed Castle to watch her for a moment longer before turning to him and meeting his gaze with her hazel eyes. "What are you looking at?" she asked in a mellow tone.

Surprised by the acknowledgement of his stare Rick reflexively shook his head. "Nothing, just thinking," he replied honestly and turned his eyes to look out into upper Manhattan.

Intrigued by his response Kate stared at him with wonder swirling around in her mind. He was thinking, was it a possibility that she was on his mind? Was he aware of her presence the way she was aware of his? "Thinking about what?" she pried unable to live in ignorance.

Rick looked back at Beckett and felt the heat rise in his face. Could he tell her what really was on his mind? He shrugged his shoulders and looked back at the view of the city. If he was going to divulge his thoughts he knew for certain he could not see her reaction to what he was going to say. "I was just thinking about what could have been on your mind when I came out here." He paused to shake his head, "You were so deep in thought you didn't even look up when the door opened."

Kate felt an involuntary smile grace her face. "Madison," she said as she felt the smile die off of her face. Kate shook her head and looked down at the ground and closed her eyes as guilt washed through her body.

Rick looked down at his partner sympathetically. She looked so small standing before him her head hung in grief and shame; all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and comfort her. Although he knew she would never allow that.

Kate's eyes were not closed for more than a second when she felt Castle's finger under her chin lifting her head up. As it tilted backward Kate opened her eyes and looked at the man in front of her. "You know it's not your fault, right? There's no way you could have stopped him," he said as if he could read her mind.

Kate shook her head in argument. "Yes there is, Castle. He gave me a day to catch him," she said and paused to shake her head. "And had I been a better cop I would have and Madison would still be alive."

Rick shook his head in disagreement. "I don't believe that," he said stubbornly causing a look of utter shock to be written across Beckett's face. He shrugged as he continued. "Mainly because I don't think there can be a better cop."

Kate stared at Castle with her lips parted in shock. She wanted to argue with him. Tell him she had failed and she did not deserve to be praised. However, she couldn't seem to form the thoughts going through her head into words.

Rick looked at Beckett and tried to keep the amused expression off his face as he watched her struggle to find something to refute him with.

After what seemed an eternity a coherent thought formed itself in Kate's mind and she looked defiantly into Castle's face. "Castle I-"

However the thought never got to take flight of its own for the moment Beckett opened her mouth to speak Rick took a step forward, took her face in his hands, leaned down and kissed the woman standing in front of him.

The moment Castle met his lips with her own Kate felt her body jump and her eyes grow wide. Her mind was telling her to push him away, how dare he invade her privacy like that! However, that was not what happened. As her eyes slid closed all protests of her mind silenced along with everything around them.

When Rick pulled away from the kiss he looked down at Beckett, smirked and shook his head. "Don't argue with me."