Author's note: Sorry about the wait on a new chapter. Real life had to come first. Watching the new Castle episode as I write this and wondering why they bothered to shoot Beckett in the chest if they had no intention of following up on that with an actual scar to show from it. /rant off

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Beckett frowned.

"That's pretty thin…"

He looked over at her, and she saw that he was more animated than he'd been in days – aside from certain physical exceptions.

"It makes perfect sense. The woman was crazy – and a fan. I remember her mentioning the book – I have to be remembering it because there's absolutely no other reason for my subconscious to be bringing it into my dreams otherwise. She had the opportunity, and the motive. It's obvious Jeremy wasn't a fan, so there's no way he would have known to look there. You're a fan and you haven't even read it."

"I would have if I knew about it," she muttered, making him smile.

"Can't we just go check?"

She didn't have the heart to tell him no; he was so excited.

"Sure. Get dressed."

She wasn't going to go dressed in what they were wearing, after all. Castle made an excited noise and headed into the bedroom, while Beckett reached for her cell.

OOOOOOOOOO

"So tell me more about this story," Kate said as they drove to his place. "Why haven't I ever heard of it?"

"It honestly wasn't that good," he admitted. "But I did like the mob part, and I was pretty impressed with myself at the time as I recall."

She shook her head and as they drove he explained more about the premise and pretty much took away any need for her to actually read it. She pulled her car into the visitor's parking area and Castle waved to the doorman as they walked by him on the way to the elevator.

"Good to see you Mr. Castle," he said, giving a half salute.

"Good to be seen, I assure you."

"You have a lot of mail stacked up here-"

"I'll get it later, thanks," the writer interrupted as politely as he could, too eager to get to his place to be as social as he usually was.

"Yes, sir."

The reply was said to the closing door of the elevator, though, and a short time later, Castle was unlocking the door to the loft.

"So are you going to tell me where you think it is hidden?" Beckett asked. The one part of the story he hadn't shared on the way over was the final hiding place of the necklace. Not that that was really that much of a surprise to Beckett. He was too much of a showman not to want to draw out the suspense and she knew it.

"The necklace was made of diamonds," he said, grinning. "Ice. Get it?"

"It was hidden in the freezer?"

The two of them crossed the main room and headed for the kitchen, and Castle opened the freezer.

"Not just in the freezer," he said, taking out the icemaker pieces and finally the main tub where the ice collected after it was made. "It might have been spotted if the mobster decided he wanted a frozen pizza." He went to the sink and made sure the strainer was in the drain hole before dumping out the ice cubes into the sink and turning on the hot water.

As they both leaned over the sink and watched, the hot water melted the ice cubes fairly quickly. All but one. Beckett shook her head, amazed, and reached into the sink and pulled out an ice cube that was only a little larger than the ones that had melted. Only this ice cube wasn't ice at all, and it was sparkly and shiny and cut into what seemed to be a millions facets. Even Kate, who wasn't all that materialistic, was fascinated by the way the light touched the diamond, and completely understood suddenly why people were so crazy for the things.

"Wow," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I'm impressed."

"With the diamond?" he asked. "Or by the fact that I figured out where it was?"

"Both."

"I'm impressed that you managed to live long enough to find it at all," a new voice said, making both of them turn toward the doorway.

A man was standing there. Dark haired, about the same build as Castle and the same height. A man with a gun pointed at both of them and an odd expression on his face as his gaze darted from Castle, to Beckett, and then to the diamond Kate was holding. Beckett frowned, instantly thinking that she recognized him, but uncertain where she knew him from. Castle didn't have any such difficulty. He frowned, too, and looked at the man and then back to Beckett and then back to him.

"Jimmy?"

"Hey, Rick."

"I thought you were dead."

Beckett immediately knew who he was, then.

"He is dead," she said. "Lanie said she was able to confirm it."

The man – who definitely looked like Jimmy the Cane – smiled.

"I'm not, obviously."

"But then who was floating in the –"

"That was the new Dread Pirate Roberts," the man said, making Beckett frown and Castle almost grin.

"What the hell does that mean?" the detective asked, confused.

"It's from Princess Bride," Castle explained, unable to stop himself and beating the other man to it – assuming he had any intention of explaining. "A pirate of near-mythical reputation, The Dread Pirate Roberts is feared across the seven seas for his ruthlessness and swordfighting prowess, and is well-known for taking no prisoners. During the course of the movie you find out that he isn't one man, but a series of individuals who periodically pass the name and reputation to a chosen successor. Everyone except the successor and the former Roberts is then paid off in some port, and a brand new crew is hired – one that doesn't know either of them. The former Roberts stays aboard as first mate, referring to his successor as "Captain Roberts", and thereby establishing the new Dread Pirate Roberts. Once the crew is convinced, the former Roberts leaves the ship and retires on his earnings and the new guy gets to play pirate until he's ready to retire and find his own replacement."

"But what-"

"He was ready to retire, so he found someone that looked like him and set him up as Jimmy the Cane," Rick said.

"You always were a smart guy, Rick," Jimmy said. "I was ready to retire all right. Came out of hiding after 5 years, had it all figured out, had my replacement picked and trained and everything."

"Then what happened?"

"What? Are you serious?" He scowled. "You saw me, and figured out that I wasn't dead. Damn near ruined everything when you followed me into that stupid store. It was all I could do to keep Jeremy from killing you then and there."

"Why would you do that?" Beckett asked, sliding her hand almost casually up her side, hoping to reach her gun before he figured out what she was doing.

"For old times sakes," Jimmy told her, the gun now pointing at her. "Hand over your weapon, Detective. No funny stuff."

Beckett winced, and reached even more slowly for her service weapon, which had been tucked into the back of her pants in a holster. She pulled it out, carefully, and he waved his gun at the counter, and she set it on that, and then pushed it out of her reach.

"Now the diamond."

"What are you going to do with us?" Castle asked as Beckett reached out the hand with the diamond and set it on the counter where she'd put the gun.

"I can't let you go twice, Rick." The man even sounded a little regretful.

"When did you let me go the first time?"

"Well, I didn't exactly let you go," he admitted. "But I gave the cops a chance to find you when they didn't even know you were missing."

"By putting Castle's wallet in the New Dread Pirate Rogers?" Beckett asked.

"Roberts," Rick corrected.

"Yes. Clever, huh?"

"You could have sent us a note."

"No. I couldn't have." The gun had started to lower while they were talking, but it came up again, and now his expression was stoney. "I'm sorry about this. It wasn't supposed to –"

There was suddenly a quick rap on the door, startling all of them, and the sound of the door opening.

"Yo, Beckett. Where-"

"Watch out!"

It was the only warning Beckett could get out before she lunged for her gun, the diamond clattering on the floor as it fell. It was enough of a warning that Esposito and Ryan – who was behind him – knew to duck, just as the gun went off.