Genre: Drama, Crime, Romance, Humor
Rating: M for language, sexual situations and violence
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.
A/N #1: I very much need to say thank you to my reviewer for the last chapter vetgirlmx. I don't blame you for having a fear of being trampled by horses, kicked by one either. Would be pretty bad. And now you'll be finding out what happens next! So again, thanks so much for reviewing, I definitely appreciated you doing that and of course, taking the time to do that!
A/N #2: The title of this chapter comes from the song All Things Must Pass by George Harrison from the album of the same name, but this lyric I took from Paul McCartney's version of the song from the album Concert for George.
Darkness Only Lasts A Night
Grabbing onto Beckett, Castle dove underneath the lowest bar of the fence to their left, rolling her over him to get her out of the way of the stampeding horses that rammed into the posts that made the dead end. He covered his head, feeling hooves beating into the ground mere inches from him, a few splinters from the ruined wood landing on him.
Breathing heavily, Beckett got up and asked, "Are you okay?"
"Fine!" Castle said, his arm hurting where he'd landed on it.
Watching as the last of the horses took off into the field that that had been blocked off, Beckett's eyes widened when she saw one of them had a saddle. Dragging behind the horse was a man, his foot caught in the stirrup with a trail of blood following it. She took off at a run after she had thrown herself over the fence they were behind, feeling Castle close after her, knowing that he'd seen it as well.
Running after the horse, Castle realized that Beckett wasn't going to be able to catch up to it. He sped up, and managed to pass her, going to the right of her. When he managed to get close enough, he charged the horse directly, and was able to scare it, making it slow down slightly as it galloped away from him.
Reaching out, Beckett tried to grab the reins of the horse, but missed, the lines flying out of her reach. She tried the next time they swung towards her hands, and got a tight grip, skidding to a stop in the grass. But the horse was running too fast for her to be able to overpower it, and she had no choice but to follow it into the creek that the other horses had avoided. She felt hands above hers and looked to her left, seeing it was Castle. With his help, they managed to slow the horse down, and she put a hand on its muzzle as she led it out of the creek to the grass, calming it down as they went.
"It's…" Castle started to say once he'd gotten the man's foot out of the stirrup and they could see his face. He had to stop as he was breathing too hard to continue to speak.
"Victor Lake," Beckett said before taking a deep breath, recognizing him quickly as she and Castle looked at each other.
"So it looks like the Lakes were killed by .22s, same as our first vic," Ryan told Beckett and Castle as they stood near Mr. Lake's body. "Just got confirmation from Lanie in the house about Mrs. Lake, same grouping of three bullets. But the angles are of course different."
"Did the killer shoot her standing on the ground?" Castle asked. When Ryan nodded he asked, "Can CSU tell their height from the angle?"
"They can try," Ryan replied. "Mr. Lake however, was shot while the killer was likely behind him, standing on the ground again. But the angle can be added to get a more definitive height. Are you two okay though?"
"Fine," Beckett said quickly, looking over at the large barn that was closer to the house. "I need you and Esposito to see if you can find any papers that are Mr. Lake's, see if there's anything dealing with our first victim. And I need to have a match on the bullets from the Lakes and de Alba."
"Got it," Ryan said. "You're taking the barn?"
"I don't think there's anything in there, but I need to make sure," Beckett said. She turned and walked towards the huge red building, Castle following her.
"Any idea why the horses began to stampede?" he asked once he'd caught up to her.
"No, unless Lake's horse reacted to its owner falling off him and getting caught in the stirrup, which made the other horses run," Beckett said; since they had looked on the other side of the house, finding a corral next to the barn with the gate wide open. "I'm not sure why the killer opened the gate, unless they wanted the body to be taken as far away from here as possible, the outer field has no real border."
"Most likely," Castle said when they had reached the barn door. "Are you okay though?" he asked. "It was a natural reaction to freeze up like that, I did too before something just sort of snapped in me and I moved."
"No, that's not bothering me," Beckett said. She hesitated, and said, "I got a weird feeling before Ryan talked to us. I can't explain it."
"We could have been trampled by those horses," Castle said, a little surprised, able to tell by her expression that she was feeling the same. "So it's probably a reaction to that." He was a little concerned seeing that she still looked troubled and he was about to speak when she pulled her gun out.
"Probably," Beckett said, though she didn't agree with that explanation. "Let's see what we find in here."
"Hopefully not some kind of laboratory, with super intelligent horses," Castle said. He was relieved when she shot him a look, and he said, "Maybe not."
Beckett didn't reply to that, instead sliding the opening of the barn saying, "Killer must have closed it." She didn't wait for Castle to say anything to that, and stepped inside, her gun at the ready. "Is anyone in here?" she called. "I'm with the NYPD, if anyone is inside this barn, identify yourself."
Looking around, Castle saw the barn largely contained stalls, a number of horses sticking their heads out. He was quiet, waiting to hear if there was anyone. But when at least a minute had passed, he followed Beckett down the row of stalls that were right in front of them, as there were only a few before it opened up into a second room.
Holding her gun in front of her, Beckett was careful as she looked inside each stall, not wanting to accidentally shoot a horse. Before she came to the room, something caught her eye and she lowered her gun, opening the door to the last stall. "Oh god," she said, turning and covering her mouth as Castle came up to see what she was looking at. She got a hold of herself hastily, and then stepped inside, placing her hand on the horse's neck lying on the straw inside.
"Is it alive?" Castle asked, looking disgusted.
"She is, but we need to call a local vet, these cuts will get infected if she doesn't get help," Beckett answered as she rubbed the mare's muzzle as it jerked its head up at her touch. She swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat at the sight of the long cuts along its flank, knowing the horse had been heavily whipped.
At that moment, a man tried to run past the stall unnoticed since Castle and Beckett were inside. But Castle was able to run out after him after hearing his heavier breathing, and he jumped at the man, making them slide in the hay along the middle of the hall before they stopped.
"Stop fighting, I'm with the NYPD," Beckett said as she ran up to the two. "Freeze or I'll be forced to shoot you!" she finally had to yell as the man was trying to punch Castle.
Seeing the gun, the man immediately raised his hands and said, "Don't, don't shoot! I just want to get out of here."
"Who are you," Beckett said, motioning with a nod to Castle for him to get up as she kept her gun trained on the man.
"My name's Darius Booker, I worker here at the stables," the man told them.
"The stable hand?" Beckett asked.
"Hey, we heard yelling," Esposito said as he and Ryan ran inside with their guns drawn. "Who's this?"
"Our suspect," Beckett said. "Get him to the city; we'll need to speak with him. And we need a vet," she said to Ryan as Esposito got the man up and handcuffed him.
"A vet?" Ryan asked in confusion as Beckett walked back to the stalls.
"Yes, more than one," Castle said, having followed her and looking into another stall across the hall.
Coming up behind Castle, Ryan quickly said, "I'll call right now," seeing the bloody and wounded horse inside. He followed Esposito and Booker out of the barn, on his phone as he waved to someone in the distance.
"These aren't Andalusians," Castle commented as he followed Beckett outside.
"No, they're Thoroughbreds," she replied as they walked out into the sun. "I think I know what Lake was doing with them, and definitely why he wanted Asturias."
"Mr. Booker," Beckett said once she and Castle were sitting across from him in the interrogation room. "We've done a little background check on you, and it looks like you have some priors. We found-"
"Attempted auto theft, burglary, grand theft, second degree burglary. Yeah I know my list," Booker said, crossing his arms over his chest. "So do Mr. and Mrs. Lake, so nothing you can say is gonna get me fired."
"I would say your record is the least of your worries," Beckett said.
"Especially since your employer is dead," Castle said.
Looking shocked, Booker uncrossed his arms and sat up saying, "Dead? Mr. Lake?"
"And his wife," Beckett said. "But you already knew that didn't you?"
"No! How the hell could I? I was in that barn, cleaning out the stalls which was my job for the day," Booker said angrily. "The barn has security cameras, Mr. Lake was paranoid. You can check them, I should be on there."
"And saying that you're right," Castle said. "Mind telling us what happened about a half hour or so before we showed up?"
"Well, Mr. Lake was working on the race horses in the corral in the middle of the barn," Booker said with a sigh. "You were in the stall of the horse he was working on," he said, glancing at Beckett. "And he got a call, went outside and that was all I saw. He would always close the door behind him, in case anyone could see inside and see what he was doing to those horses."
"And did he say anything at all about who it was?" Beckett asked.
"No, he didn't share anything with me, I was just a worker to him," Booker said.
"Did he seem nervous or distressed when he left the barn?" Beckett said.
"No, just had me take the reins of the horse and then stalked out," Booker said. "Which was really strange since he never really trusted me with the horses, he was pretty protective of them."
"Anything in the past couple of days?" Beckett then inquired. "That was unusual or different."
"No, but I did head up to the house one day before I went back into town," Booker said, speaking slowly at first as an expression of recollection appeared on his face. "I heard them talking about three parties, and a horse that had a bizarre name. Turns out he was trying to help his boss get it to use at the races."
"Was the horse's name Asturias?" Castle asked.
"Yeah, that was it," Booker said, pointing at him. "It was a weird name, so I remembered it, but I don't think I could pronounce it, or write it. But yeah, he said his boss wanted it, but so did this guy called Black and someone else he didn't know. And if he was able to get his hands on it, he'd be rich and they could go to Florida and raise horses. Apparently it's what she wanted."
"Do you know a man named Patrick de Alba?" Beckett asked, handing him a picture of the first victim.
"Oh, yeah, he came up every so often… he knew what Mr. Lake was doing to get those horses ready for the races," Booker said. "At Preston in New Jersey," he quickly added. "Racetrack."
"I've heard of it. But you knew that he was abusing the horses? Why didn't you go to the authorities?" Castle asked.
"And lose my job? With my record I was lucky even to get this piece of shit one. What I'm going to do now I have no idea," Booker said, shaking his head.
"Who was his boss?" Beckett asked.
"Don't know, he never said, just called him the boss," Booker said with a shrug. When Beckett stood up he quickly said, "Hey, can I get out of here now, my girlfriend is gonna wonder where I am."
"I'm afraid we'll need to detain you," Beckett said. "Until we can get your alibi checked out." She strode out of the room ahead of Castle, turning to speak to him saying, "It sounds plausible."
"It does," Castle said hesitantly. He didn't blame her for looking at him in slight surprise and quickly continued, "But is this horse honestly that special?"
"I think there's a way to find out," Beckett said. "And we can after I ask Ryan to get the footage from the barn."
"So I was able to contact the vic's cousin," Castle was saying as Beckett returned to her desk where he was standing, looking at the computer. "And she mentioned her brother competing in some equestrian competition about a year ago in North Carolina."
"The North Raleigh," Beckett said. "I've heard of it before," she said when he looked at her questioningly, trying not to look at him for too long as his gaze turned a little too intense.
"I'll drop it for now," Castle said simply. "But remember I said for now."
"What's for now?" Esposito asked, coming up to them.
"We were just talking about the game," Beckett said simply.
"Did you change your mind bro?" Esposito asked.
"No, I'm still siding with Madrid," Castle said.
"What's up Espo?" Beckett asked as the detective gave Castle a quick glare.
"I'm about to get back to the ATM footage I started before you called from Stony Point," Esposito said. "Is it still necessary?"
"It is," Beckett said. "Really?"
"What? I just wanted to check," Esposito said defensively when she gave him a look. "Okay, I wanted to let you know that Thomas wanted in on the bet for the game."
"He watches soccer," Beckett said, glancing over at the officer who was leading Booker into holding.
"Yeah, but I told him it was just going to be between the four of us," Esposito said. "Didn't want to make it uneven."
"You mean you didn't want me and Beckett to have lower numbers on our side," Castle said, shaking his head.
"Keep it between us," Beckett then said. "But you'll be paying me and Castle."
"We'll see, Messi and Iniesta want it bad this year," Esposito said.
"And Madrid is always together as a team," Beckett said quickly. "Check and see if the Lakes or the stable hand are with our vic," she said to change the subject.
"On it," Esposito said before he left.
Beckett frowned when the detective coughed, "Barça," before walking away. "Just so you know I'm not always a rabid soccer fan," she said to Castle as she sat at her desk and he sat next to her.
"No, me neither, but the Clásico is a big deal," Castle said. "Should have seen the bar I went to last year around this time when Madrid won. This Spanish woman who had just arrived in the city two days before was just a huge Madrid fan she-"
"I'm probably not going to want to hear the end of that story," Beckett said, cutting him off hurriedly as she looked at a file.
"Actually this is one I can finish," Castle said quickly. "She kissed me on both cheeks and then did the same to her husband who was standing next to me. I apologized, but he was alright with it, said it was the Spanish enthusiasm."
"Then I guess I don't mind that one," Beckett said with a slight smile. "So what were you saying about The North Raleigh?"
"Oh, according to Ms. de Alba, our vic participated in the eventing," Castle said. "I have no clue what that is though."
"Did you ask her-" Beckett began.
"Yeah, she's never heard of the farm up north, or the Lakes, or Booker," Castle replied. "But she wasn't too surprised to find out so many parties wanted to get a hold of Asturias. Anyways, she said he was filmed, and he was riding Asturias during the event."
"You didn't watch it?" Beckett asked in surprise.
"I was waiting for you," Castle said. "I thought it would be good to get your expert opinion, even though you're denying it."
"It's not an expert opinion," Beckett said firmly as she turned to her computer. "But thank you." She pressed play on the video clip that he'd opened on her screen, and she leaned back in her seat, watching as their vic and the Andalusian stallion began to go through the course. "Actually, it's rare you see one of these in cross country," she told him as the vic and horse jumped the first gate. She made an amazed sound and said, "I can see why so many people want to get their hands on him. Look at how fast he's going, the vic is barely urging him on. And the jumps are breathtaking."
Castle watched her, a little surprised by the slight awe in her voice and the expression on her face. He had never seen her like that, and knew his suspicions were likely correct. At some point in the past she'd had some kind of involvement with equestrianism. He wanted to ask her; yet again; about it, but knew it was likely she would brush it off or start becoming irritated. "So think my theory is right?" he said instead as the clip ended and she turned to him.
"No," Beckett said. "Though I'm more inclined to believe Booker. That horse on the racetrack could easily make a good deal of money for whoever the owner was."
"It surprises me that de Alba wasn't riding the horse more himself," Castle said then. "He's a good rider, and he got a good time…?"
"According to this, he placed first in all three events, cross country, dressage and show jumping," Beckett said, having searched for the results of the competition after he'd asked. "But it takes a great deal of money to compete. Even more if you want to go to the Olympics, which I think he could have. Too bad though, with that horse he could have won gold last summer."
"So the horse is a fast runner, and an easy one to ride if you're good with horses," Castle said, slightly questioningly. When Beckett gave him a nod he continued saying, "Then with these three parties, it's got to do with the races. We have Black's alibi so it's unlikely it's him and with the second party-"
"Someone in the mob, which of course doesn't make it any easier to figure out who it is," Beckett finished for him. "Since it could be any mob, Italian, Irish. And the third party we have no hint of who it is. But maybe we can get a clue as to who the boss is," she said as she picked up her phone.
Castle turned as Beckett was talking, seeing that Ryan and Esposito were standing at the murder board. "Anything?" he asked.
"Nah, Booker was right, his alibi is solid," Ryan said first. "Entire length of the murder he was cleaning out stalls. I paid close attention to his expression around the time you got there, in case he might have heard the shots. But nothing, so our killer used a silencer."
"Doesn't surprise me," Beckett said. "Go ahead and let him out Ryan. I just contacted CSU; they finished up with the Lake home. Some hairs, but I'm guessing it's going to be from the Lakes themselves." She sighed and stood saying, "They took a look at their office and all the papers, but nothing that really lets us know who they were working for."
"And the horses?" Castle asked.
"Not sure, I didn't ask CSU about them," Beckett said, looking a little troubled for a moment. "But I had the first vet that came in agree to give me a call, see what they're going to do for them. Anything with the ATM footage?" she then asked Esposito.
"Nothing yet, I'm still about halfway through the day," the detective answered, rubbing his eyes. "Needed to take a break."
"I can take a look at it," Ryan offered.
"What's the plan now?" Castle asked Beckett.
"I'm going to get some coffee," she replied, standing up from her desk. "And take a break myself. I think we need one before we go back to the Lakes and look more into their background, their connection with de Alba."
"Actually I can get that for you," Castle said. "Excuse me," he said before heading to the break room.
"You think our vic was paying for those horses the Lakes were abusing?" Ryan asked.
"Yes," Beckett said simply. "For that much money, I don't see what else he could be doing. Oh, can one of you look into that farm in Totowa?" she asked as she looked at her phone then. She noticed the time and said, "I need to make a call," to the two before she headed for the break room.
"Hey, five?" Castle asked as he stood in front of the coffee machine.
"Yeah," Beckett said before she dialed a number and placed the phone on speaker since they were alone in the room.
"Hi Beckett, Julia's right here," Alexis answered on the other end.
"Julia?" Beckett asked when she heard the phone changing hands.
"Hi Mommy," Julia said softly.
"Are you okay sweetie? How was school and practice?" Beckett asked, smiling slightly though she felt a little uneasy.
"It was fun," Julia said simply. "I'm doing homework."
"Oh really? What do you have to do?" Beckett asked as she leaned against the counter next to Castle.
"Make a turkey with colors we picked," Julia said.
"Good, how did you pick?" Beckett said, her brow furrowing.
"We took papers from a hat," Julia said. "I got blue and Celia gave me green and I gave her red so she could have purple and red."
"Sounds interesting," Beckett said. "And it was nice of you to do that. I need to go sweetie, but I'll try not to get back home too late."
"Kay," Julia said. "What if I am sleep when you come?"
"I'll say goodnight still," Beckett said. "Work on your homework and I'll take a look at it tonight or tomorrow."
"Kay, bye Mommy, I love you," Julia said.
"Bye Julia, I love you too," Beckett said. "Alexis? Don't take her to the playground today, I don't think she'll really be up to it," she said when the young woman had answered on the other end.
"I wasn't planning on it, she doesn't seem like she wants to. And anyways, it's starting to rain," Alexis said.
"Okay, then that takes care of that," Beckett said agitatedly.
"Mind if I show her a movie? It might make her a little happy," Alexis asked.
"Sure, whatever she wants," Beckett replied. "I'm not sure what time I'll be able to get back. Your dad might get there before me, so if you want to leave then that's fine. I'd better go though, thank you so much for watching her and taking her back home Alexis."
"It's not a problem," the young woman said earnestly. "It was great to watch her at practice."
"Great, give me a call if anything happens," Beckett said, though she knew she didn't really need to say that. Something in her made her speak it and she couldn't figure out why.
"Right, say hi to my dad," Alexis said.
"I'm right here," Castle spoke then. "I'll see you later."
"See you later Dad, bye," Alexis said.
"Bye," Beckett said absently before she hung up. She looked down at her phone for a moment until she saw her blue mug appear out of the corner of her eye. "Thanks," she told him as she took it, quickly taking a sip.
"You okay?" Castle asked.
"How did she sound to you?" Beckett said, looking up at him.
"Tired, but kind of sad too," Castle said slowly.
"I know, it's bothering me," Beckett said. She gave a frustrated sigh and said, "Something's wrong and I don't know what."
"Is this coming from how you felt earlier in Stony Point?" Castle asked.
"Yeah," Beckett said. "I-"
"Sorry," Esposito said as he walked into the room then, making her quickly stop.
"No, it's okay," Beckett said. "Booker released?"
"Did it just now," Esposito answered as he poured himself more coffee. He nodded to her phone and asked, "How's our sobrina?"
"She's fine," Beckett said with a slight smile, as both Esposito and Ryan called her daughter their unofficial niece.
"Guys, I think I've got something you should see," Ryan said then, appearing in the doorway.
Walking back to the room, Beckett saw the TV screen was showing a street, and she turned to Ryan questioningly.
"Just watch," he told her, pressing play.
Looking at the screen, it took another minute before the victim appeared, and right after him, looking behind him was a woman. Beckett, Castle and Esposito waited a little impatiently for the woman to turn, and when she finally did, there was an immediate reaction.
"That's Black's secretary," Beckett said first, looking at Castle in shock.
"She knew him and she wrote that letter?" Castle said.
"Call Black," Beckett said quickly to Ryan and Esposito. "Get her address, and get her in here. She might finally be the break we need."
Walking up to her desk, Castle commented to Beckett as he handed her the cappuccino he'd made for her, "It looks like you really need this."
"Thank you," Beckett said as she lifted her head out of her hands. She took a sip and when she felt a little more awake with the strong liquid said, "I'm still wondering where the hell she could have gone."
"Yeah, it's a little disturbing she completely disappeared right when needed her," Castle said. "She's either part of one of the two other parties, or she's directly involved." He looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "Say she's connected to the racetrack, daughter of the owner, or of a mob boss. She seduces de Alba and starts trying to convince him to sell Asturias to whomever she wants it to go to."
"And when he refuses, she kills him," Beckett said. "It's possible, but we need to check if she can shoot a gun that well, and her ability with horses."
"If we can find her," Esposito said, making the two look at him and Ryan.
"No luck," Beckett stated.
"Nothing, we tried her apartment, her sister's apartment. Cousins, a distant cousin who hasn't heard from her since she was five," Ryan said, taking off his scarf. "No one's heard from Victoria Alvarez since two nights ago; when she and her sister talked."
"Did she mention if Victoria was upset, sounding different?" Beckett asked.
"No, no one mentioned that," Esposito said.
"Alright, I think we need to take a look at that footage again," Beckett said, sounding upset.
"You know you can go, be with Julia," Ryan said as she stood up.
"She's asleep by now," Beckett said with a sigh, looking at her watch. "I'll stay."
"I'm going to head out," Castle said. "Unless you guys need me here?"
"Not really," Beckett said, nodding to him. "You can go. Tomorrow we'll need to look more into Victoria Alvarez. For now I want to look at the footage and contact Black one more time. He has to know where she might be since he was one of the last people to see her."
"Okay, give me a call though, if you can find her or anything else," Castle said, picking up his jacket. When Ryan and Esposito had gone over to their desks, he lingered as Beckett finished her coffee and said, "I'll send you a message once I get there."
"Thanks," Beckett said with a slight smile. "I'll try not to be incredibly late."
Nodding, Castle left, intending to take over watching Julia; though she was asleep by then; so his daughter could head back to Columbia. He watched from the elevator as the doors closed while Beckett walked over to the room, and he leaned back when the car began to descend.
"So I'd like to get a closer look at her face," Beckett was saying to Ryan and Esposito as they sat in front of the screen. "Maybe try and read her expression. Or see if there's something we might have missed." She was about to tell Ryan to begin the footage, when her phone suddenly began to ring. "Excuse me," she said, wondering if it was Castle. She left, taking her phone from her pocket, pausing for a second when she saw the number. Her heart in her throat, she almost ran into the break room since there was no one there, and said, "Alexis what's wrong?"
"It's Julia, she was asleep and then she woke up screaming," Alexis replied, sounding frantic. "And I got her to stop but she won't stop shaking and crying. I don't know what to do, I think it's pretty bad and you need to be here because she won't respond to me at all."
"I'll be right there," Beckett said shortly before she hung up and ran out to her desk. Grabbing her coat and bag without really pausing for long, she sprinted to where Ryan and Esposito were standing in the doorway watching her. "I have to go, it's Julia," she said.
"Go, we'll take care of the footage and Black," Esposito said, Ryan nodding in agreement.
"Thanks," Beckett said before she rushed to the stairs. She thought about calling Castle to let him know what was going on, but didn't want to stop to get her phone. She ran out of the lobby, and going down the steps to the sidewalk she saw Castle in front of a stopped cab.
"Beckett?" Castle asked as he turned to her yell of his name. "What's wrong?" he said in concern as he opened the door to let her go inside first.
"I'll explain on the way," Beckett replied, slightly out of breath as she slid to the end of the seat. Once he was inside and the cabbie had her address, she closed the partition and told him about the call she had received from his daughter.
"Think she'll be okay?" Castle asked in concern when she had finished. He reached in between them and took her hand, giving it a slight squeeze since he could see the anxiety in her eyes.
"Once I get to her, she should be," Beckett said. She waited, tense, until they had reached her building, and at Castle's urging she went inside as he paid. When she had to wait for an elevator, she started to turn to go to the stairs when she almost ran into him.
"Come on," Castle said, grabbing her arm and leading her into the elevator that had just opened.
"I need to get to her," Beckett said, feeling the need to explain why she was so anxious.
"No, I understand," Castle said. He took her bag then and had her take off her coat before he told her, "So you can get into your place faster."
"Thank you," Beckett said, glancing down at her gun. The car stopped at her floor, and she rushed out with Castle on her heels. Opening the door to her apartment, she took her gun off of her belt and set it on the kitchen counter, knowing he would keep an eye on it. She ran inside Julia's room then, seeing Alexis was trying to comfort her daughter.
"Oh thank god," Alexis said in relief as she got off the bed and stepped back as Beckett ran to the bed.
"Julia?" Beckett said, climbing onto the bed and pulling the blankets that her daughter had covering her carefully. She winced slightly when Julia screamed as she uncovered her, but said, "Sweetie it's me, I'm here."
"Mommy!" Julia sobbed, wrapping her arms around her as tightly as she could.
Castle; who was standing with Alexis in the doorway; led his daughter out of the room to give Beckett a chance to get her daughter back to sleep. After he'd closed the door behind them he asked, "What happened?"
"I was working on an essay I have for Psychology," Alexis said, looking concerned. "And she just started to scream. It was horrible Dad, like someone was hurting her in her nightmare. I tried to get her to stop when I saw she was awake, but she wouldn't and kept saying 'mommy' over and over again. That's when I called Beckett."
"You did the best you could," Castle said reassuringly. "I think she needed her mother more than anything and you got a hold of Beckett so you did the right thing," he told her as he hugged her.
"I just feel so bad I couldn't help her," Alexis said. "And she was doing so well; she hasn't seemed so scared or quiet like she was before. Why didn't I just tell Beckett I thought Julia needed her when we talked?"
"You didn't know," Beckett said quietly as she came out and closed the door behind her. "Tell me what happened, from the time you picked her up to when we came in."
Alexis hurriedly told her everything she could, finishing with, "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. And I really thought she was just tired and needed to sleep. I even put her to bed earlier. She didn't protest, which I guess I should have taken as a hint."
"Okay, first, you have nothing to be sorry for," Beckett said firmly. "I'm her mother and I didn't even know anything was wrong." She glanced at Castle as he looked at her questioningly and she slightly shook her head at him. After Alexis had glanced at her father and then looked back at her she told the young woman, "You did everything you could for her, and I am grateful that you were here to take care of her."
"Is she okay now?" Castle asked.
"No," Beckett said as she went to the kitchen and picked up her gun. "I tried to talk to her, but she's shut down."
"I couldn't really get her to talk much to me either," Alexis said. "Has she done this before?"
"A few times," Beckett said. "Excuse me, I need to get this put away," she said before she walked towards her room.
Alexis sighed deeply and said, "It's been great taking care of her, I've never had a problem like this before."
"Do you want to stop?" Castle asked.
"Oh no, I just wish I hadn't heard her screaming," Alexis said. "It hurt, and I've never heard a kid screaming like that… like…"
"Like bloody murder," Castle finished for her.
"Have you heard her?" Alexis asked, her eyes wide.
"A couple times," Castle said. When she looked at him, as if to prompt him to continue, he shook his head and looked over at Beckett as she came back out. "What are you going to do?"
"Nothing really, just hope she sleeps without another nightmare like the one she had," Beckett said. "You said she was like that at ballet?"
"I forgot," Alexis said worriedly. She went to the entry and got something from her bag. "I'm sorry, her ballet teacher gave this to me; said her teacher wanted this to go to you."
Taking the note, Beckett read it quickly, her eyes going wide in the middle of it. When she had finished it, she leaned back against the end of the kitchen counter, her hand covering her eyes.
"What is it?" Castle asked, taking the note from her, a little alarmed at her reaction. He read it, letting Alexis peer over his shoulder, and his eyes widened as well when he read that a classmate of Julia's had been taunting the little girl that day, and had shown her a violent picture he'd drawn that had disturbed her. It ended with Julia's teacher asking Beckett to meet with her, the principal and parents of the boy the next morning to discuss what to do. "What the hell did he show to her?" he said when they had finished reading.
"I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow from her teacher," Beckett said, glancing at him. "Julia won't tell me after she's had a nightmare like that."
"Has she had a problem with this boy before?" Alexis asked.
"She hasn't mentioned it, and I've asked her teacher to check and see if anyone was bothering her," Beckett said. "I'll find out what's going on tomorrow. In the meantime, I feel the need to look at our case again."
"I should go," Alexis said, glancing at her father as Beckett grabbed her workbag from the chair in the entry and went over to her computer.
"Thank you Alexis," Beckett said, looking up at her.
"It's no trouble," the young woman answered before she hesitated slightly. "Could you let me know how Julia's doing tomorrow?"
"Could you watch her at all tomorrow?" Beckett asked, glancing up from a file.
"Oh sure," Alexis said. "I wanted to try and go early to her ballet practice and watch her again. I could do that tomorrow if you have no problem."
"Of course not," Beckett said. "I'd prefer you to watch her. And I would really appreciate it even more if you could take her back to your home with you."
"I will," Alexis said. "Bye Dad," she said, turning to Castle and hugging him.
"Have fun with that essay," Castle said as he walked with her to the door. "And I'll let you know how Julia is. Beckett's probably going to be busy with our case."
"Is she okay?" Alexis whispered as they stood in the hall just outside the door.
"I'm not sure, I'll talk to her," Castle said. "You have to understand though," he said to his daughter, glancing back at his girlfriend who was walking from her computer to the table. "Things like this; where she can't manage what's going on; remind her of what happened to her and Julia in Queens. It's not easy for her; there she was not a detective in control of the situation, just a woman trying to keep men from assaulting her and Julia."
"Were they…" Alexis started to ask before she trailed off, looking into the apartment.
"No, but it was close for her," Castle said, glancing over his shoulder.
"You never mentioned that," Alexis said, a little shocked at that information.
"I know, I didn't think it was something I needed to say," Castle said. "And I probably shouldn't have. But I'm just trying to get you to understand why they're both having a hard time moving on from what happened even though it's been almost seven months."
"I don't blame them," Alexis said, shuddering for a moment. "She'll be okay though, if you talk to her," she said as she hugged him again. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Bye Alexis," Castle said, watching her walk down the hall until she was out of sight. He sighed slightly and then turned, walking inside and seeing that Beckett was leaning against the kitchen counter again, her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm, I'm sorry," he stammered as he realized she'd heard their conversation.
"I don't blame you for talking to her about that," Beckett said. "And like you said, better she knows in case this happens again with Julia. But like I said before, I'd really like to take a look at the case."
"We haven't eaten dinner," Castle said carefully, unsure if she was angry at him. "I could order in."
"Chinese would be good," Beckett said, looking at the pictures and files she had laid out on the table. She didn't hear him leave her, and she looked up at him. "I'm not mad; I just wish you hadn't told her about me. It wasn't that necessary."
"You're right," Castle said. "I was trying to explain about you both, not just Julia though."
Beckett was unresponsive as he stared at her until she finally said, "I am pretty hungry. I'll look into the financials we have of Alvarez."
Nodding, since he realized that Beckett wasn't ready to talk about it, Castle watched her for a moment as she sat down. He was tempted to talk to her, to push her on if she was alright after reading that note and what it had to do with Queens. But he knew he was only going to make her angry, and after everything that had happened, wasn't prepared to put them both through that. So he turned and went to the kitchen, ordering their dinner as he kept an eye on her at the same time, watching her looking through the copies of all their files, looking as if she was trying to drown herself in work.
"I have to admit," Beckett said. "I feel a lot more energy but I'm stuck. Like I just hit a huge brick wall."
"I crashed into it too," Castle said. "It's like one gigantic puzzle but we're missing the inside pieces." He sighed as he looked at the table, all the papers and photos thick on the top surrounding the takeout boxes of their Chinese dinner which were mostly empty. "Think we should leave it for tomorrow? Fresh start?" he asked her as he watched her pick up a picture of Asturias.
"Sure," Beckett said absently.
"What is it?" Castle asked, watching her, wanting badly to know why she had the look on her face that seemed to evoke nostalgia and pain. He realized what it was and was about to speak when she did so first.
"I can agree… to a certain extent, with all these people wanting this horse so badly," Beckett said. "It's a stunning horse." She set down the picture and shook her head saying, "Absolutely gorgeous."
"Should I be jealous?" Castle asked.
Beckett seemed to come out of her trance and she looked at him before smiling slightly. "No," she told him firmly, starting to gather the papers and photos together. "I told you I liked horses, not loved them. So you don't need to think I'm feeling the same about you both."
"Glad to hear that," Castle said as he stood and helped her get everything back in the files and into her work bag. "Can I get you some more wine?" he asked as he picked up their wineglasses.
"That sounds nice," Beckett said. "I could really use a soft buzz at this point." She squeezed his arm before walking to the couch and she sat, picking up a paper that was on there. She smiled a little before she closed her eyes, the backs of her eyes burning as she fought with the tears that had suddenly welled up.
"Kate," Castle said, very gently in tone as he sat next to her. "Here," he said, giving her a glass before he looked at her intently though she was still looking down at the paper.
"It's her homework," Beckett said as she handed it to him. "The turkey?"
"It's nice," Castle said, glancing at it before he looked up at her.
"It seems like sometimes…" Beckett finally began. "Like I'm fighting an uphill battle with Julia. I never expected her to remember so much from that house and to keep it with her. I've tried everything I could but something always takes her back."
"Whatever this boy in her class did it was pretty bad," Castle said slowly. "And there wasn't much you could do to stop it without being there, or keeping her at home."
"It's why I understand her mother sometimes," Beckett said, sipping some wine and feeling a little better as the warmth went through her body. "But still, I just want her to be a normal little girl and it feels like when this happens, especially these nightmares, it's as if we're taking a huge step backwards in her progress."
"You're doing the best you can though," Castle told her. "And she's changed significantly since we first met her. You have to remember that."
"I do, and my doctor and hers tell me the same thing," Beckett said.
"Are you trying to push too much with that though?" Castle asked suddenly.
"That's what my doctor has told me," Beckett said. She breathed out deeply; since he'd guessed there was more to it than that and said, "It's because of my own problems with dealing with everything myself. I'm trying to get myself to a point where it's not something I've got shackled to me that I'm dragging around emotionally behind me in everything I do. It doesn't bother you?"
"What you went through was pretty horrific," Castle said simply as he kept his gaze on her. "And you can be a cop with more than twenty years experience, but nothing is going to make what you went through go away so easily. So no, it doesn't bother me, because I know it's something that's going to be with you for a while. Give it some time, and I'm sure you'll be able to move on with it completely. You and Julia." He hesitated then, as he thought of something, but was unsure if he should bring it up. When she asked him what was on his mind he finally said, "You're sure the Harris part is… you're fine with that right?"
"I think you'd be able to tell if I wasn't," Beckett said. "Especially with my reactions the first time we tried to be together afterwards. No, that I've been able to move past. The helplessness and watching Julia being taken away from me…" she ended in a whisper as she could see that moment too vividly in her mind.
"She's here Kate," Castle said. "Go to her room and check on her," knowing she was fighting with herself with the way her voice seemed to tighten for a moment.
"No, I know she's here," Beckett said with a sigh. "And she needs to sleep after earlier. I just wish I could get her to be completely over this, if not me. But we'll work through it. I'm just hoping this classmate of hers isn't going to become a problem."
"Something I wanted to ask you," Castle said after they were quiet for a moment. "You knew something was wrong earlier."
Taking a deep breath, Beckett nodded saying, "I took a Psychology class in college, and one of the things the professor talked about; when he discussed nature and nurture; was the idea of a mother instinctively knowing if something was wrong with her child or children. I never really believed that until I adopted Julia."
"No, it happens," Castle said. "Ask my mother, she'll tell you how she felt something was wrong when I was in the fifth grade, found out later I'd gotten into a fist fight with someone on the playground at school that day and got a black eye."
"But I didn't give birth to her," Beckett said. "I don't understand how exactly I can have that connection with her."
"I don't think it really matters," Castle said. "You're caring for her; you're her mother in every way except for having carried her. You don't want to see her hurt right?" When Beckett merely gave him a look as a reply he nodded and said, "Which is why you knew." He watched her as she looked into her wine glass and asked, "Is this something you're not really going to believe?"
"It's not like you're asking me to believe in Sasquatch Castle," Beckett said with a slight smile as she set her glass of wine on the coffee table. "I believe it, I just never expected it."
"It proves you're a great mother you know," Castle pointed out to her.
"I try the best I can," Beckett said simply. "I'll ask you if I still am when she turns 13."
"I'll take you up on that," Castle said. "What were you planning to do now? Get some sleep?"
"Why do you ask?" Beckett said as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
"You finished the wine, must have some kind of buzz going on like you wanted," Castle said. "And today was pretty exhausting."
"You're speaking for me again you know," Beckett teased him. When he looked at her in confusion she said, "I was joking about needing a buzz. And I have something else in mind for right now. And it has nothing to do with sleep." She leaned over, and kissed him, feeling his arm wrap around her as their lips met.
"Wait, wait," Castle said, pulling away to place his glass on the table. He then sat back up and pulled her close to him before they began to kiss once more. He was holding her by the small of her back, and could feel her moving, her hands soon stroking his cheeks.
When she couldn't wait anymore, Beckett pulled away and took Castle's hand, pulling him to the door. "Let me-" she started to say in a whisper once they were in the hall before they could go to her room. She had let go of his hand and was surprised when he took it and pulled her to Julia's doorway. She let out a soft breath as she saw her daughter was asleep, her Stitch doll tucked under her chin. Closing her eyes for a moment, she felt Castle's hand let go of her own, and she glanced at him as it came to rest on her waist. Smiling slightly, she glanced at Julia one more time, before she let him lead her down the hall to her bedroom.
The door locked behind them, Beckett reached for Castle first as he was turning back around to face her, and she kissed him hard as she unbuttoned his shirt. She could feel his hands slipping under her sweater, sliding their way up her back as he took the fabric with him. She pulled away from him enough for them to undress one another before they got on the bed, Castle kissing her that time as she lay back, following her closely.
When he pulled away from their kiss, Castle drifted down her body, ghosting his lips over her neck before he reached the hollow of her throat. The sound of her loudly sucking in a breath of air as he gently nipped at the edge of it spurred him on down to her breasts. He carefully kissed her first, wanting to test and see how far she wanted him to go. He quickly got his answer when she slid her fingers through his hair and pulled him directly to her left breast. His intention; if she had directed him to it; was to go very slowly, gently, wanting to make love to her. But she quickly overruled that, as she pressed on the back of his head. Giving in; though he didn't mind at all; he took her taut nub into his mouth and gave her exactly what she wanted.
Hissing through clenched teeth as he proceeded to work over both her breasts, Beckett ran her hands through his hair twice before he moved down further. She looked on, watching him slide down her body, his lips trailing along the whole way. By the time he reached in between her legs, she was tempted to tell him his arousing her had been pretty much unnecessary, she'd been more than ready for him before that point. But she didn't say a word, only watching what she could as he parted her legs enough for him to be able to kiss the inside of both her thighs, making her arch her back in response, a light sigh escaping her mouth when he suddenly moved so he was even with her, kissing her yet again.
Judging by the way she was kissing him, Castle guessed that going slow was not going to be an option though he didn't mind it either. With the way their discussion had gone, he had been unsure if she would be that eager to do much more than sleep once they had reached her bed. But as he carefully slid into her; despite her kissing him roughly that time; he could feel her eagerness; not just in the way her lips crushed against his. He moved slowly at first, but her right leg wrapped around his waist, her left going around his legs urged him to speed up. She was quickly with him, and he lost the tension he sometimes got when he was afraid she would remember Harris. He moved down to her neck then, kissing her hard there as she arched it for him instantly, giving him much better access.
Feeling a rush of warmth every time Castle's lips pressed against her skin; which was often; Beckett tightened her grip on him, hoping he was getting the picture that she wanted it a little rougher that night. She was slightly surprised at herself for that, usually when she had to relive the end of April, she wasn't typically so eager when they made love. But she didn't mind that, as she realized that she was still moving on in that aspect at least. She pushed on the back of his head then, leading his lips up to hers where they fell into a deep kiss before he pulled away to their gasps for air.
Moving back down to her neck, Castle brushed his lips, lingering for a moment at her pulse which he could feel was racing wildly under them. He lightly bit some of her skin, but not for too long, knowing if he made a bruise she was going to have a hard time explaining it at work. He pushed that out of his mind, and then drifted over to her right shoulder, letting his tongue join in. He felt her shaking in response, and he bit a little roughly there, making her tense up forcefully below him.
Breathing roughly, her cries escaping her mouth without her really being in much control of them, Beckett tried to do something that would give him the same pleasure she was getting from him. She was a little at a loss at first, but finally pulled him back to her, and when their foreheads were pressing together, she nibbled at his lower lip, something she knew he enjoyed greatly. Without realizing it would happen, she was given even more as his thrusts suddenly sped up, their hips colliding together filling the room. She made a little sound of surprise, but didn't stop what she was doing until finally he smothered her lips with his own to her joy.
Feeling Beckett's fingers sliding down the back of his neck, Castle moved, pressing his forehead against hers as he tried to get his breath back, their kiss too intense for him to be able to continue it. He brushed his lips against hers very gently, in stark contrast to the way they were moving together. He reached in between then, letting his fingers slide over her damp skin until he reached the apex of her legs. His first touch made her tense up for a moment, and he kissed her quickly again to distract her. He could feel her hands gripping at him tightly, and he groaned slightly before he pulled away from her again and stared into her eyes.
Breathing roughly, Beckett watched as Castle moved down to her neck, and his lips were very light, dragging down over her skin and making her tremble. She knew he was doing that on purpose, wanting her to have two very different sensations. She pulled him back up to her after he'd gone over both sides of her neck, and she tried to kiss him again, but he moved away before their lips could meet. When he began to kiss along the skin right under her left ear lobe, she arched up against him, crying out as she lost her self control. Clinging to him tightly, she was dimly aware of him joining her, trying to ride out the very concentrated pleasure that went through her body continually.
As he came back to himself, Castle felt a little dazed, not sure when he'd pressed his cheek to Beckett's collarbone. Raising his head enough so he could look at her, he kissed her slowly before he realized she was shaking. "What?" he asked, thinking she was either laughing or crying, hoping it was the former.
"It's a little cold," Beckett said. She glanced underneath her and said, "And we're on the comforter."
"You were impatient," Castle said. He blanched a little when she shot him a look and quickly said, "I was too, but…"
"Want to finish that at all?" Beckett asked, surprised that he'd stopped.
"No, believe it or not I can't think of a way to," Castle said. "Something to say anyways." When she looked at him in confusion, he leaned down and took her lips with his, running his hand down the side of her body as he rolled them around. He gave her a second to protest, but when there was none, he sat up, never ending their kiss as they began to caress one another feverishly.
In the early morning hours of the next day, Castle was jerked out of sleep when he felt Beckett rolling against him. He opened his eyes, calling her name drowsily before he realized that she was asleep. He sat up and turned on a light before he turned back to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Kate," he said, shaking her carefully. He knew by the look on her face she was having a nightmare, and he pushed her a little harder, saying her name a second time, louder than the first.
Beckett jerked awake, panting heavily as her eyes focused and she found she was looking at the white brick of her bedroom wall instead of the smooth white wall of the house in Queens. She felt Castle's hand on her shoulder, and she sat up with a slight groan, burying her face into her hands.
Not saying a word, Castle left the room, getting a glass of water before he sat next to her on the edge of the bed. "Same dream?" he asked as he rubbed his hand in a circle on her back gently, feeling her skin was warmer to the touch through her nightgown.
"Yeah," Beckett sighed before she took another sip.
"Was it Julia this time?" Castle queried.
"And you," Beckett said. "I was hoping to exhaust myself but I should have realized for the fourth time that wouldn't work." She set her glass of water on her nightstand before she tried to forget her nightmare. It would occur when Julia had a nightmare and woke up screaming. The first time she'd had it she'd dreamt she had been in Queens, trying to get into the house, trying to get to Julia. It had ended with her getting inside, finding herself chained to the radiator, her arm sliced neatly as Julia's mother had been killed, Julia motionless on the floor in front of her. The other three times; including that night; it ended instead with her finding Castle dead with his arm cut and Julia the same way. She ran her hand over her cheek and shook a little saying, "Sorry if I woke you up," glancing at him since he'd been with her every time she'd had the nightmare and every time she had awoken him unintentionally.
"That's alright. I just hope us talking about it didn't trigger it," Castle said slowly.
"No, it's Julia's nightmare that triggers it," Beckett said. She then looked a little confused and said, "Which is weird since I have no idea what it was about. I wish she-" She was surprised when he touched her leg and she looked up at him questioningly before she heard the slight sob out in the hall.
Getting up before Beckett did, Castle walked out and saw Julia sitting on the floor next to the doorway, curled up into a ball. "Julia," he said, leaning down and picking her up. "You want your mom?" he asked. When she nodded wordlessly he carried her inside and handed her to Beckett who was walking up to the doorway by the time he'd come inside.
Getting back on the bed as Castle followed, Beckett could feel her daughter was shaking and she asked, "How long were you sitting out there sweetie you're freezing." She rubbed her back gently as Julia pressed against her tighter.
"Here," Castle said, grabbing the covers and pulling them enough so she could cover Julia. "You weren't kidding," he said in slight surprise when he brushed against her foot and felt how cold her skin was to the touch.
"Did you have another nightmare?" Beckett asked gently, kissing Julia's forehead.
"No," the little girl whispered as her mother rubbed her feet gently. "I was scared."
"From your dream before?" Beckett said. When Julia nodded her head rapidly she asked carefully, "Why don't you tell me what the dream was about. You might not be so scared if you do." When Julia shook her head she sighed and said, "Then tell me what happened at school today. Your teacher sent me a note, was a boy in class bothering you?" When the little girl squirmed against her she said firmly, "You won't be in trouble if you tell me. I want to know Julia."
Looking up at her mother, Julia tried to shake her head, but when Beckett kissed her forehead she started to tremble as she haltingly said, "H-He made a picture a-at art a-and made m-me look at it."
"What was it about?" Beckett asked, glancing at Castle who looked as concerned as she felt.
"Trevor said y-you're with the p-police, and you get s-shots and you get k-killed," Julia said, tears spilling down her cheeks then. "And he showed m-me the picture it was s-supposed to be you Mommy, a-and you had b-blood."
Wrapping her arms tightly around Julia as she had ended with a shrill cry, Beckett held her tightly against her and felt Castle's arm around her shoulder. She sighed and then said, "Julia, let me tell you something," hoping her daughter heard her. She gently pushed her back and made her look up at her. "You know that I am a detective, and there are times when there are guns, but you have to remember that I learned how to protect myself in those situations. And I have a gun too for protection." She glanced over at her boyfriend and said, "And Castle watches out for me too which you know already."
"Have… you got a shot Mommy?" Julia asked slowly, peering up at her mother.
Castle felt Beckett tense up under his arm and said, "Julia-"
"I have," Beckett interrupted him. She felt his hand on her shoulder squeeze, as if in warning, but she continued on. "But I'm okay sweetie, and I will be okay because I'm careful, believe me when I say that because I want to make sure I come home to see you after work."
Julia didn't say anything but touched her mother's nightgown right above her scar asking, "Is it this Mommy?"
Beckett wasn't surprised her daughter had put two and two together, so she nodded slowly. "But sweetie it was a while ago. I'm fine, I promise you."
"She's right, she wouldn't lie about that to you Julia," Castle said then, touching the little girl's shoulder with his free hand as she looked at him. "And she's very safe now because she wants to see you after work. That's all she talks about, never talks about me, always about you," he said, gesturing with his hand, hoping to make her laugh.
"You do?" Julia asked, smiling slightly at his words.
"I do," Beckett said gently. "But you don't need to worry about me okay?"
"Kay," Julia said, looking down at Beckett's hand which was holding hers. "I dreamed you were hurt Mommy, at the room, and I was alone because you didn't wake up." She shuddered as Beckett kissed the top of her head and said, "There was lots of blood, it came from you and you didn't wake up."
"Shh, it's okay," Beckett quickly said as Julia began to sob. "It was just a dream sweetie. I know it's scary, but it's all in your mind, you're awake now. Look at me," she said, taking her chin in her hand and raising her head gently. "I'm here Julia, and I'm awake too, just like you are."
Julia sniffled a few times, and finally stopped crying as her mother stroked her hair tenderly. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"No, you don't need to apologize," Castle broke in, glancing at Beckett so she'd know he was talking to them both. "Even I have nightmares, but they're quick, and they pass as soon as you're awake. Once the sun comes up, you know that means they can't come back for a while right?"
"Is he right?" Julia asked her mother.
"He is," Beckett said, hoping her daughter wouldn't end up having a nightmare the next night and prove him wrong. "How about you get some sleep now? It's incredibly late for little girls to be awake."
"I'm thirsty," Julia said plaintively.
"Here," Beckett said, letting her go to lean over to the nightstand. She smiled when she turned back and Julia slid off her lap to sit on Castle's. "After this you need to sleep," she said a little firmly, making sure her daughter didn't drink too fast.
"Kay," Julia said with a little hiccup after she'd finished drinking. "Do I go to my bed?"
"No, you can stay here tonight," Beckett said. "But come over here next to me," she said, taking her and putting Julia to her left. "Sweet dreams Julia, I love you," she said once Castle had covered them all with her help.
"I hope you have good dreams too Mommy," Julia said seriously.
"I will," Beckett said, kissing her forehead before they shared a quick kiss.
"Love you Mommy," Julia said with a sigh before she cuddled as close to her mother as she could.
Watching her daughter as she closed her eyes, Beckett stroked her hair and back until she was sure she was asleep. She turned her head slightly; since she was on her side; and glanced back at Castle who was pressed against her back. "Castle?" she asked in a low whisper.
"I'm awake," he quickly whispered as well. He moved as she lay on her back then, staying on his side close to her. "I didn't get a chance to ask, are you okay?"
"I am," Beckett said. "I forgot when she came in crying," she said as she stroked her daughter's hair, relieved Julia hadn't woken up as they'd moved. "It doesn't matter now though," she said. "I need to focus on her. Which means another appointment," she sighed in slight frustration.
"You haven't had to go as much lately. Not when you compare it to this summer before we went to the Hamptons," Castle pointed out to her.
"I know, that's me trying to rush things again," Beckett said with another slight sigh as Julia shifted next to her. She glanced over at Castle and said, "I need you to come in to the school with me tomorrow."
"I thought so," Castle said with a nod. "She'll be okay though, but… are you sure you should have told her she was right about your scar?"
"She's not stupid," Beckett said with a sigh. "And she's asked me about it before, when we were in the Hamptons. I managed to dodge the question, but I know her doctor would have told me that I really need to tell her and not lie. I just hope this isn't an even bigger step back than the picture."
"Hopefully not, we'll have to see," Castle said. He watched her yawn and asked, "Sleep?"
"Yeah, I'm going to need it for tomorrow," Beckett said. She turned her head, trying not to move and wake Julia up, and managed to kiss his cheek before he turned his head enough to kiss her on the lips. When they pulled back she murmured a goodnight which he returned; brushing his lips against hers; and turned onto her side as he slid up against her, holding her hand that was on her daughter's back. She found herself nodding off quickly; not surprised since she seemed to sleep a lot easier with both Julia and Castle with her; and her stress from that day's investigation, Julia and her own nightmare quickly slipped away, and she was in a dreamless, deep sleep.