To answer a couple of comments – the dialogue gets changed to correct the grammar, I have figured out the Meredith scene, its not all gonna be unicorns and flowers, so hang on as we're gonna get some angst which is already written. I have been trying to write out scenes from scripts so there's not so much dialogue but the story keeps moving in other ways. This is also the beginning of my last couple of weeks of my final university subject so please be patient if it takes a while between chapters here on out until June. Thank you for reading and thank you for your comments. I do enjoy receiving them.

Chapter 13

Beckett and Castle returned to the Precinct a little after two pm. Ryan and Esposito were at their desks, both busy on their desktop computers.

"Good afternoon, gents," Rick greeted, taking off his jacket.

"Where did you two get to? We waited for you for lunch." Esposito said.

Rick caught Kate's minor moment of panic, so quickly replied, "We dropped by a Thai place after catching up with Howard Peterson. My partner here, I've noticed she gets low on sugar…."

"Castle," Kate snapped.

"See? This woman needs more nutrition than Thai soup." He took a hold of Kate's jacket as she peeled herself out of it then hung both pieces of clothing on the coat stand.

"Should have come back. We went for burgers down the block," Esposito said and Ryan nodded. Both Detectives appeared to be quite satisfied with their lunch choices.

"Oh man, and I love cheese burgers. Next time, Beckett, we're going to lunch with them," Castle said as he plonked himself on his chair.

Esposito approached Kate's desk and asked, "What happened with the husband?"

Beckett replied, "He said he was cheating, just not with our victim. I want you to run it down. Here's her name." She handed a piece of paper to Esposito.

Ryan said, "I'm telling you, true commitment's a thing of the past. I mean, name me one happily married couple."

Castle thought about a moment. "De Generes and de Rossi?"

"Think he just got you, bro'," Espo declared.

Beckett threw in. "What is this, The View?" Briefly wondering about commitment, her new commitment to Rick, "Where are we on the boyfriend?"

"His story checked out. Video and a sign-in sheet," Esposito advised the group.

"Great. So, all we have is a cheating husband with a possible alibi and no cell phone to try to lift the perp's fingerprints," Beckett responded.

Ryan offered, "I got something better, Beckett."

"Please tell me it's that the mayor wants him out of here," Kate pleaded rolling her eyes in Castle's general direction, causing the guys to look at the writer both with sympathetic expressions.

"Arr, c'mon Beckett. You always wanted a pet. Got one now," Esposito teased.

"Have you noticed that she gets a little grumpy when she doesn't have a suspect?" Castle asked the men, then smiled to himself while comments were being thrown about between the detectives.

Ryan pushed on with work, cautiously glancing between Castle and Beckett, "Well, we got one now. Guess who wasn't where they said they were the day Sara Manning was killed?"

Beckett asked, "Who?"

"C'mon, guess." He held up his note pad and gave it a bit of a wave to entice the brunette woman.

"I'm not guessing, Ryan." There was a tone of threat in Kate's voice.

Ryan caved. "You're a killjoy, you know that, Beckett?"

"Exactly what I've been telling her," Castle said looking to Kate who shot him a filthy glare that he smirked at. He blew her a kiss the guys wouldn't see. She stared him down holding out her arm to Ryan who obediently handed Kate his pad. She read the name, then looked up at Ryan, who grinned at her, waiting for her reaction.

"Wow."

Ryan said, "Pretty good, huh? Told you, you should have guessed."

It was a few hours later that Beckett and Castle returned to the apartment block where Sara had been murdered and this time they took the elevator to the 12th floor. Beckett knocked on the apartment door to the Peterson's residence.

"Once we've don't this, I'm calling it a day," Beckett announced to her partner, "I'm beat."

"Good idea. Start afresh tomorrow," he said, "You look beat."

"Mm," While they waited for the response to the knock, she gazed at Rick's blue eyes. She pressed her lips together, then murmured, "You look great."

Claudia Peterson opened door. "Detective, what a surprise."

"Hello Mrs Peterson. Can we come in? Ask you a few questions?"

"Sure," she opened the door to let them in.

Beckett cut to the chase. She wanted to go home and didn't want to remove her coat.

"Mrs Peterson, we note you weren't at your office the day Sara Manning was killed, were you. You lied to me. Our Detective Ryan checked with your son's school. The day they called you about Sara not showing up to get your son, your assistant told them he couldn't reach you."

Claudia appeared confused, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Sara Manning, Mrs Peterson. We're talking about why you lied about where you were the day she was killed. We know you weren't at your office."

Castle said, "Wouldn't have been hard to sneak in your building. Doorman could have been out hailing a cab for someone, taking a delivery."

Claudia suddenly became slightly unnerved. "My husband was having an affair. Did you know that?"

"Actually, we did," Castle replied.

"All these months and I had no idea." Claudia said.

"But you found out?" Beckett asked.

"Sara told me a few weeks ago."

Beckett glanced at Castle wondering if this was their break. "Sara, told you about the affair?"

"Yes. And she'd been a complete wreck about keeping it from me." Claudia replied.

Castle murmured, "Yeah, I'll bet."

"Did you know he was paying her extra?"

"No. He didn't mention that," Beckett answered.

"I mean, imagine him putting Sara in the middle of something like that."

Beckett's brow furrowed, and she asked, "Something like what?"

"Using Sara to cover for himself. I mean, it's disgusting." Mrs Peterson stated.

"Are you telling us your husband wasn't sleeping with Sara?" Castle inquired.

"Howard and Sara? Of course not. It was a woman from his office."

"I don't understand, if you had nothing to do with Sara's death, why did you lie to us?" Beckett asked.

"Because my cheating husband has absolutely no idea that I'm about to serve him with divorce papers. I lied because I was at my lawyer's that afternoon. It wasn't just Howard who could keep a secret."

Kate took a deep breath, her gaze falling upon her partner, who reflected a similar reaction to the new information.

Rick said to Mrs Howard, "I guess we're done."

"Yep," Kate agreed, "Thank you for clearing this up Claudia. We'll leave you to it. Have a arrh… good evening."

"Thank you, Detective, Mr Castle."

They stood on opposite sides of the elevator on the way to the ground floor staring at each other. Kate bit her bottom lip, and she inhaled deeper.

"I'll catch a cab from here." Rick said, observing the way the Detective looked at him, like she wanted to eat him, which reminded him it was getting late. Before the moment was lost, he pulled his iPhone from the back pocket of his jeans and snapped a photo of Kate. "It's almost dinner time and I have a date with a beautiful young red head."

Kate smiled, "Alexis." Rick nodded. "Alright. I'll swing by the Precinct, drop the car off and submit my paperwork."

"Good old paperwork." He watched the descending numbers then looked at Kate and said, "I really want to give you a kiss until tomorrow especially when you look at me like that."

"Like what?"

He flashed the photo of her on his phone. She laughed.

"Until tomorrow? Don't you mean a kiss goodnight?"

"Until tomorrow," he confirmed. "But cameras." He pointed toward the globe. A thought went off in his head, "Actually, I'll come back with you. Its closer to home and I left something there."

"Alright. You can kiss me in the car," she smiled as she walked out of the elevator ahead of him.

"I would like to do more than kiss you," he replied watching her ass as she walked away.

"Castle," she seductively called.

"Coming." He smiled then hurried after her.

That evening, Castle was in his office busy scrubbing the elevator surveillance videos of Sara Manning using two monitors with time clocks running on the screens. The team was missing a vital piece of evidence, being the victim's cell phone that he hoped the surveillance footage might hold the answer to. He was also determined to find something that would lead them to an arrest and, also prove his worth as part of the homicide team.

While he stared at the screen to his left, his peripheral vision saw movement, which was most likely his mother who was snooping about because he had been absent and quiet for some time. Alexis was up in her room doing whatever it was teenagers did nowadays. Before his mother was too close, he slipped the spare phone from the table top into his pocket.

Martha entered the office and stopped inside the doorway.

"I'm about make a coffee, instant coffee. Would you like one?"

"No thanks. I'll stick with my Scotch, Mom," he replied not taking his eyes from the monitors.

"What are you watching?"

"Nothing," he replied, as she navigated the furniture and desk to arrive at a place she could see the monitors.

"You're not web camming again, I hope."

"No, I'm not." It was better he tell her, and not hide it, otherwise she would accuse him of watching porn. "I burned a DVD from some security cameras the police have been looking at... And I've never web cammed, if there is such a word."

"That's your story and you're sticking to it, huh?" Martha leaned over his shoulder peering inquisitively at the monitors. He could smell his mother's perfume, one she had been wearing as long as he could remember, and briefly reminded him of his childhood.

"The police just let you burn a DVD?" She asked, "You realize you're going to have to stop stealing evidence, right?" She watched the activity on the footage, "I thought the purpose of following that detective was to help you write."

"It's called research, Mother."

"Is that what they call it now? She's a gorgeous girl. Have you asked her out yet?" She lightly stroked her son's broad shoulders.

"Maybe I have," he casually answered already aware he was in over his head with his mother. She'd be like a dog with a bone if he gave her half an inch on the subject of the detective, the gorgeous detective.

"And?"

"Mother. She's research." He closed his eyes momentarily, wanting this discussion to pass quickly, but at the same time he enjoyed what he felt just talking about Kate with someone else. He let the video continue.

"Well, you better hope this last Derek Storm book sells, lover boy, 'coz research don't pay the bills," she paused from talking and he paused the video, then glanced between the two screens. Martha asked, "Is that the nanny?"

"Yep."

"What married woman in her right mind invites a girl that pretty into her own home?"

Castle shrugged and started the video again, glancing up to see his daughter enter the office, with a few energetic bounces.

"Hey, what are you guys watching?"

"I'm watching, she's butting in," he replied, then added, "The police can't find the nanny's cell phone. They were hoping to lift fingerprints from it. I just thought I could see if she had it with her when she went down to the laundry room."

"And?"

"Well, it's in her hand the first time, when she took the clothes down to wash. But, she didn't have it when she went down to use the drier."

"So, she probably left it upstairs in the apartment where she worked," Alexis said.

"They say they can't find it." Rick paused, then said, "Wait a second."

"What?"

"There's a five second difference." Castle reversed the footage, then fast forwarded it until the young woman stepped out of the elevator, then he moved to the other monitor and fast forwarded the second video again.

"A five second difference in what?" Martha inquired.

Castle pointed at the monitor, "She rode the elevator twice to the basement. Once to put the clothes in the wash, the second time to put them in the drier. Only the second time the trip took her five seconds longer."

"Why would it take her longer to travel the same distance?" Alexis asked.

"It wouldn't," Rick replied, glancing at the time. He had plans to call Beckett soon before they tucked in for the night. "Perhaps I know where the phone is now."

"You do?" Alexis asked, then said, "On another floor."

"I think so, Honey. I can't wait to show this to the guys, but that's enough for tonight," he declared then shut down his computer. He smiled at his daughter, "Who wants ice cream?"

"Me!" She squealed and with that ran off out of the office.

Martha rolled her eyes at her granddaughter, then patted her son's broad shoulder, "Darling, you're looking very content the past few days. I hope whoever she is, that she continues to make you happy," she took a breath, then added, "while doing your research."

"I don't know what you're talking about mother. Not seeing anyone. Don't have time with all this police work."

"Arr…its early days. Its glorious and intoxicating," she cooed quietly to ensure Alexis didn't hear them, "It's okay to keep it a secret, Richard. I do hope it's that lovely Detective you've been following around. She's simply divine."

"Never will I kiss and tell, Mother. You brought me up to be like that."

"I know. But don't let that one go, my Darling. She's worth the fight."

"I still don't know-"

She laughed with endearment, "Richard, you have the face of a man who has been-"

"Mother," he lightly warned as he stood up encouraging her to leave the office, "I have no idea what you're saying." He followed her out to the kitchen wondering whether he did have the expression of a man who had been properly laid, because he certainly felt that way.

He glanced at the time as he grabbed a couple of bowls from an overhead cupboard. Alexis was busy taking ice cream and assortments out of the fridge. It was close to 9.30 pm. He'd had to wait for Beckett to leave the precinct, that was once she had finished her paperwork. By now she should have gotten home. She said she'd catch a cab because it was late. Before he could make a call though he had to think up an excuse to go to bed earlier than usual without making it obvious to the two extremely intelligent women he lived with. Everyone knew he was a night person, but the extra hours working with the cops and their nocturnal activities had blown the wind out of his sails that day. In fact, he was quite buggered, and was looking forward to a decent night's sleep. He wanted to be with Beckett but another night from the house would raise suspicion. His mother was aware he'd been out the entire night before and she had, much to his relief, not inquired too much about what he was up to. She did after all understand he had needs. He would tell her about them when he needed to.

Alexis crashed first and said she was going to bed. They all decided it was time to head to bed. Once the ladies were upstairs, Rick turned out the lights to the living area and retired to bed. He was just about to call Beckett when a text came in from her telling him she was home and could talk.

He called Kate using their secret phones, realizing this was their first night apart and their first real late night personal call.

"Hi," Kate greeted bouncing on to her bed. She kicked down the bed sheets.

"Hi Babe, are you locked up safe at home?"

Kate smiled in response to his question. It was endearing that he cared about her being safe. With limited thought control, her voice sounded higher and softer. "Yes, I'm just getting into bed. I'm putting you on speaker." She placed the phone on a pillow beside her.

"Just for curiosity, what you wearing?"

"Rick." She rolled her eyes as she reached for the body lotion.

"Seriously. What you wearing? I need a picture in my mind."

"Umm. She glanced down at herself, her body dressed in the t-shirt he'd left at her place. Beneath the t-shirt that smelt of him and his cologne was her panties. "A white top, socks and undies." She bit her lip, trying not to laugh because she was positive he would want to hear she was wearing lacy lingerie or nothing. He seemed that type of guy and had already hinted he enjoyed buying women gifts of clothing especially lingerie. At the other end of the line he gave a grunt of thought, of what seemed slight disappointment. "What you thinking, Castle?"

"Oh, nothing."

"You're a terrible liar."

Rick snorted, "You're right. I have this fantasy about you in a lacy black number, you know, garter belt, the suspender stockings and heels. Beautiful legs. Your fair skin, though a couple of days in the sun and you would be quite tanned with your complexion. But in this case, you're fair, and you are-"

Kate stared at her legs as she applied body cream to them. Listening to his softer voice, the seductive tone, his words, the depth of his emotions entwined in them. His voice alone had the ability to create a stirring within her loins, an ache for him. She lifted the t-shirt, pressed it to her nose and breathed in deeply, closing her eyes.

"-yeah, it would be high heeled shoes." He fell silent.

Kate peered down at the phone waiting for him to continue. With a sudden surge of guilt that she'd been sprung getting off on his scent and voice, she let go of his shirt.

"Kate?"

She cleared her throat, "I'm here."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure you'll be able to handle it, Ricky." She answered with a cheeky undertone that spilt into laughter.

His rich laugh sounded through the phone into her bedroom. "Christ, I hope it's what I imagine you're doing."

"Ha. I bet you would love it." Kate laid back against a pile of pillows then pulled the sheets over her body. She picked up the phone, turned it off speaker and put it to her ear.

"We should Face time, one night," she suggested.

"Good idea. So, what are you doing?"

She snickered, "Really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Are you in bed?"

"Yes, and I have a tent bed," he replied quite seriously. "Impressive tent bed, Beckett. And you're not here."

Kate laughed. "Oh yeah, now what was it? Large, um?"

"Oh so we're going there-"

"Yes." She stalled her laughter, took a breath and said, "Just thinking about your large claim, has my fingers gliding over my moist, hot …" she moaned lustfully, "so hot." She gasped, "Oh God," she squeaked, then released a moan.

With a deep voice, Rick asked, "Are you done with pretending?"

She opened her eyes to the ceiling. "What?"

"You're faking it," he stated matter of fact.

"No, I'm not."

"I bet you are. I know your sounds, Baby, and that's not them," he declared then chuckled.

Kate huffed, "Alright writer boy. Tell me a bedtime story with a very happy ending."

"Happy ending. I can do that. M or R rated happy ending?"

She thought for a second. "R rated. Really R rated. Like, will have me begging for you to come over here."

"Challenge accepted, little Miss Pervert." He cleared his throat. "Should I go jump in a taxi now?"

She laughed, glancing at the picture of him on the phone. It was a photo she had allocated to his name quite early in their days of getting to know each other.

"I've already written a couple of fantasy stories about us."

Kate's eyes widened. The famous writer was writing stories about her. She wanted to faint. And here she was tempting him to tell her a sex story.

"You could read one of them."

"No… where's the fun in that, Kate? This is more challenging. Okay. First of all, did you find my t-shirt I forgot to bring home?"

Kate squeezed her eyes shut. Did he really have spidey senses as he said he did?

"Arr… where did you leave it?"

"With your clothes on the floor in the bathroom, when I was fucking you before work."

"Oh yeah. The shower." She teased. "I'll go see."

She heard Rick sigh heavily.

"What?" She inquired.

"Go find it."

"Alright." Kate remained where she was in the bed but made a bit of noise with the bedsheets so he thought she was moving.

"That was a really good session in the shower. You came, you were so tight."

"I found it." Kate interrupted. "I threw it in the wash basket."

"Ar huh. Sure."

Kate looked at his face on the phone. She could swear he hadn't believed a word she said. "What do you want me to do with it?"

"Leave it in the wash basket. It's dirty." He proceeded to laugh which provoked a few noises of frustration from Kate.

"Do you think I'm wearing it?" She suddenly asked not able to stop herself because he seemed so hell bent on teasing.

"You're wearing it. Both nights you've ended up in my clothes. Never took you to be that sort of girl."

"What sort of girl?"

"Type that likes to wear the boyfriend's clothes."

"Its security," she replied without thought. "Smells of you. I think you're near."

Again, he cleared his throat, this time not saying anything. Kate stared at the ceiling, understanding they were sharing one of those moments; a shift in their relationship. She had just confessed to him in subtext that he provided her something she had lacked. She smelt his scent on his shirt, infused in the blankets of her bed. She missed his presence.

"I miss you." She whispered surprised by her own admittance and the absence of a filter between her mind and mouth. Usually she would suppress that sort of statement.

"Miss you too." He paused, "I haven't started the story and you're already wanting me there."

"Yep. I miss you, Rick," she confirmed with more confidence. "I won't admit it to anyone else."

"I know." He sighed then asked, "Are you in bed?"

"Mm."

"Turn off the light."

Kate obeyed by turning off the bedside lamp, and the room fell dark but for the phone's light that faded when she put the phone back to her ear.

"Done. Now tell me a story," she demanded.

"You're so bossy."

"And you get off on it."

"Maybe."

"Are you always like this?" He asked then laughed with her.

"Story."

"A woman, a very pretty woman, but a very slutty one …"

"Castle," she interrupted sternly.

"What?"

"Cut to the chase."

"Oh. You want Judith Krantz slutty."

"Who?"

"Judith Krantz. Scruples. Early eighties. You can borrow my copy."

"I will. Can I give you a lift-off line?"

"If you want."

Beckett giggled into the darkness of her bedroom, then bit her lip and with her right hand she lifted up the t-shirt and slipped her fingers beneath her panties.

"She's exotic, tall, a brunette, lying on her back on the bed. Her hands are cuffed to the bed head-"

"Oooh. Kinky."

"She is going to be taken by someone but she doesn't know who because she's blindfolded."

"Really?" He asked in disbelief. "Let me take over this …."

"Go ahead."

"Take your hand away from your bits," he ordered with a deep voice.

"Oh! Castle." Kate's heart thrummed with the tone of his voice and she removed her hand, sliding it to her belly button.

"She's wearing a red lace dress, Coco Chanel number 5, Jimmy Choo Black pumps. I'm looking at her." There was a pause, "She's gorgeous. I want her. She oozes sexuality."

Kate slid down the bed, focused on his voice and what it did to her body. Her fingers traced over the swell of her left breast, teased it. In her imagination, she went back to when he'd said he wanted her the first time, how much he wanted her, how he wanted her, his eyes intensely blue, his lips swollen and pink from kissing her, what his hand had felt like the first time he'd touched her. His hands had trembled, but his fingers had been warm, tender, a little hesitant.

Her breathing shallowed. He spoke about the woman, described her, described their first time.

"I'm nervous." He murmured, "I don't want to ruin this. I'm hungering for her. I catch whiffs of her sexual scent. It creates surges of desire to have her. I wait for her to open herself to me. So, I softly kiss her mouth, her jaw, and I feel her body rise to meet me. Her skin is incredibly soft and smooth. She arches her spine to me. Yes, please God let this be real. She exposes her throat to me and take it, kiss her-"

In the darkness, Kate moaned, sliding the fingers of her right hand between her legs. She whispered, "I'm so wet-"

"Oh sweet .. my fingers slide between her folds, feels like silk, bliss, my heart is pumping, my body is primed for her. Her fingers touch me … linger at the tip of me then she wraps her fingers around me. I gasp-"

Kate imagined in, saw her own fingers surround his shaft, her mouth watered, her body arched, her fingers replicated what he described. She released a moan, her hips rolling against her hand. She was coming. She climaxed quietly getting off on the sound of his voice his description, and she could hear his arousal coming to an end-"

"-kissed the flesh of her inner thigh-"