Disclaimer: The wording is mine but the characters aren't

OOOOOOOOO

"Look into it," she threw the words at her colleagues. "Card charges and regular withdrawals big enough to pay for a room at the same times. Looks like Daniel might have been getting a little something on the side."

"That's my girl," he growled playfully.

"Damn straight."

OOOOOOOOO

Ryan moved to hurry off, but Esposito caught his shoulder and slowed him down.

"Dude," he shook his head.

Ryan swallowed and then nodded, working his shoulders like he had been sitting in front of his computer too long. They both looked back at the couple still sharing a seat at Beckett's desk. Two menacingly expressionless faces watched their process intently and even Esposito bolted.

"Beckett, Castle, a word please?"

Their Captain was in the doorway to her office, glasses in one hand and an expectant look on her face.

She was actually asking? Well if she was kind enough to ask, then he was going to take this unique opportunity to decline.

"No," he held Kate on him as she moved to get up.

The Captains eyes narrowed dangerously. "Excuse me?"

"We're good." He said it slowly, implying she was either hard-of-hearing or mentally-stunted. Kate let out a chuckle and settled herself back down into his lap.

He ran his fingers through her hair. He didn't know how she managed it but his fingers never encountered any snarls and barely any tangles. He was sure it didn't have anything to do with his skills with a hairbrush.

She hummed a little, a sound deep in her throat. The warmth it evoked in him was irrational and he repeated the stroke before she could get embarrassed and shake him off. It was warm and silky around his fingers. He didn't know how long he had wanted to do this. Last night he had taken the opportunity while she was sleeping, thinking this was probably the last opportunity he would ever get. When she woke up she didn't kill him, but he put that down to the workings of her still-sleeping mind.

But here she was in his lap again and the sound she made- it was a rich throaty hum, clearly in approval. He had been on the end of her disapproving growls often enough to the difference. It might be his new goal to hear that sound even one more time.

He looked up from and Gates was still there. He felt like he was going through teenage rebellion all over again. Montgomery had been something of a father figure for him, and now this was his replacement. He doubted he would ever see her as a mother, at least not at this rate. She had progressed from major pain in his ass, to a very strict teacher. And he had never met a teacher like that he hadn't given hell.

Because he never could resist a chance to poke at the Captain, he started circling his hands, moving from Kate's knees to higher up on her thighs and smirked as her eyes fluttered shut.

The look on Gate's face was priceless.

"We're good, aren't we, babe?"

Kate's eyes snapped open and he reminded himself he couldn't scurry off to hide with the boys. He was tempted to though because her gaze was fierce. The ochre and brown tones in them lightened into a greenish gold in the fluorescent lights, not unlike a bird of prey. Well, maybe that was his need as a writer to compare his feeling of helplessness and trepidation. He couldn't get a read on whether she had liked or taken offense to the pet name.

She brought her hand up and he was sure she was going to go for his ear or his nose but she just lightly slapped his cheek.

"Don't push your luck."

"When you're quite finished," Gates wasn't happy. Apparently uncomfortable situations made her snarky. Not unlike another member of the 12th precinct he knew. Actually one detective and a medical examiner. The thought made him grin. Unfortunately that just made Gates glower.

Beckett sighed and started to slip off his lap.

"Oh, don't bother to get up on my account, Detective."

Castle couldn't help but blink and Kate froze half off his lap, supporting her weight on just one leg. Gates sounded just like Lanie.

"Just get the technicians to set it up. And Castle," she turned on him. "I've been informed your motorcycle is in precinct parking. It better not be there when I leave this office tonight."

"Yes, Sir."

The technician was still giving Castle strange looks when he left the room.

OOOO

"Why can't they warm their hands?"

"Why do you have to complain every time?"

"Because it causes confusion."

"What does?"

"Their hands. I already have to have my shirt off. I can't help the reaction and it makes it worse when the techs don't warm their hands first. It doesn't take long to make it pretty clear I'm cold, especially when the techs are under a foot away. It's bad enough when they're a woman, but guys? Please? And have I mentioned how much tape they use?"

She snorted.

"Seriously, Beckett. Between you and the tape, I'm not going to have any chest hair left."

"Is that why he was looking at you strange?" she laughed.

"You think that was strange? You should have seen him while he was working. He kept giving me the evil eye."

"Too bad I wasn't there to see it."

"I'll say."

"Not like that, Castle. Like I want to see any more of your anatomy after the last 24 hours."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence there Beckett." He grumbled.

She lightly cuffed the back of his head to let him know she wasn't serious and sure enough a pout soon made an appearance, contrasting oddly with the stubble on his cheeks.

"You guys decent?" Esposito's voice came through the door, followed second by his eager face. It was a very odd look on him and his look of disappointment at their normal behavior was comical.

"I'd say we're above average, wouldn't you Beckett?"

"One of us is," she muttered, elbowing him. "The technician just left guys. You know that because you've been waiting outside the door- don't think we didn't hear you."

She looked at Castle and he was nodding at Esposito.

"And if I haven't jumped Castle yet today, I assure you I wouldn't wait till I knew we had an audience. So, did you want something, or were you just hoping for a peep show?"

Esposito and Castle were blushing a little.

"I told you it was a bad idea to interrupt them," Ryan said pushing Esposito fully into the room ahead of himself.

Esposito shot him a dirty look. "Good news." He coughed and looked at a spot just above her head. "We checked the financials like you wanted and you were right, Castle. Daniels was making decent withdrawals at the same time as Stevens. They were always cash withdrawals so we don't know where he was spending it yet but the timing looks good. All the withdrawals were from the same ATM and are always on the same day Stevens made his."
"Looks like he was taking advantage of the time his girlfriend was with Stevens to get a little something on the side. And there was a withdrawal the day of the murder so it was possible he was with someone at the time of the murder. Just not the girl he told us." Ryan added.

"But how did he know when his girlfriend was meeting with Stevens?" Kate turned to Castle. He just shrugged and she let it go. "We'll ask around and see if we can find out who this other woman is. She might be his alibi."

"Unfortunately." He agreed with a grimace. "If she clears him, we don't have a suspect."

"Or she could lead us to someone else," she offered.

"Or," Ryan interrupted them. "They could be partners and just alibi each other out as a cover."

They both looked at him flatly.

Castle Jr. So cute, but naive. He should know better than to insert himself into Castle and Beckett's theory building.

He squirmed a little under their double gaze. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Castle shook his head.

"We'll see if we can get a name of the place they use, see if they were there that night. Send his photo out to all the motels in the vicinity of the ATM he used."

…