Castle 1. Chapter 1

**Starting with the usual disclaimer.**  
**I Do not own any part of Castle or the players or the good stuff.**  
**Marlow, ABC, et al Own that part**  
**I only imagine this stuff**

**I am going to start off with a statement that I usually have to repeat anyway**

**My stories are AU! Very much AU!**

**I play with the canon but my stories drift way off the TV show**  
**So please don't comment that I did something different than the show**.

* * *

She had really hoped that the mystery writer would NOT be making an appearance today. After all he usually headed for the door and left the moment the word 'Paperwork' was used in a conversation anyway and today Detective Kate Beckett was elbow deep into paperwork but beyond that it is becoming harder for her to deal with his everyday presence

"Good morning Detective" are the mostly passive words leaving his mouth as he places a hot cup of coffee down on the desk beside her arm. As much as she tried to ignore the offering, the blissful aroma of fresh ground coffee beans covered by hot steaming water replaced the short lived irritation caused by his presence

"Don't you have someplace else you are supposed to be this morning?" She began as she turned her head to look over at him "Such as your publisher's office, a book store signing or TV interview?"

"Why Detective! I am hurt that you are not pleased that I have decided to grace you with my presence this morning. Especially since I have a nice peace offering for you today"

The man suggests while indicating the cup he just placed beside her arm

For almost four years the story teller has placed himself into her world. And in the beginning she felt like he had a one track mind when he came to her. The track that dead ended in his bed. But she also fought the feelings that actually had grown inside when it came to him and since he is currently seeing his ex wife and publisher she has been able to keep her own feelings in control

But now, no matter how hard she tries, Kate Beckett can not ignore the fact that he is bringing in her favorite morning drink just as he has been doing for her for the last four years. Unfortunately having him here like this today and every day and not being able to move further has grown to be a real problem for her. A problem that she is about ready to rid herself of

It was over a year ago that she had decided that she might be willing to give them a chance but he had to show up and spoil it all by leaving with his ex wife hanging on his arm. The ditsy blonde publisher that he said that he could not stand yet the two of them left arm in arm that day crushing any hope of movement towards a closer relationship for the detective

So what is it going to take for this partnership, this relationship to finally be over? Him getting his ex wife pregnant? Marrying her again? Or just moving in with her and Kate being able to move on with her own life?

Beckett just wishes that whatever event it will be that it will just happen soon so she can stop feeling the way she does about him since he does not seem inclined to change that anytime soon.

#*#*#*#*#

[Castle]

'_There she sits. Comfortable at her desk shuffling paperwork around' _He thinks in his head silently as he exits the elevator carrying his usual two cups of coffee

'_She is doing the one thing that I cannot stand to help with. Paperwork. If I didn't enjoy just being around this bunch of detectives I might have stayed away after I got back from the Hamptons last year. But Ryan and Esposito are great guys and are never ending source of information for my books. And of course, there is HER'_

"Good morning detective" he starts up in the morning conversation

"Don't you have someplace else you are supposed to be this morning?" She began as she turned her head to look at him "Such as your publisher's office, a book store signing or TV interview?" she says as she looks up at the writer

Castle decides to be polite once more again for today, but it is becoming harder and harder for him to do this around her.

"Why Detective! I am hurt that you are not pleased that I have decided to grace you with my presence this morning. Especially since I have a nice peace offering for you today"

He suggests while indicating the coffee cup he just presented to her

Her reaction this morning brings him closer to an inevitable conclusion that he has not wanted to face. He thinks that they are reaching the end of this friendship. She is dating the motorcycle riding doctor. The heart surgeon. A man of medicine. She did have to point out his accomplishments to Castle on more than one occasion making the writer feel more and more unneeded. Pointing out how often that man saved someone's life making Rick feel smaller and smaller with each description of wining the war against death

He thinks silently to himself _'I think I might be coming to the end of my time observing her. She has her boyfriend and she does not seem to be interested in changing that any time soon.' _

Sitting here today he comes to a conclusion. It is finally time for them to move on from this friendship, this relationship. He is has decided that it is time to move on. Leave her to have her relationship with the doctor boyfriend and now stop being alone and maybe he will find a woman for himself.

He has decided that he will find a good way to tell her before today is over

'_This would be so much easier if I weren't so in love with her'_

#*#*#*#*#

[Beckett]

'_I think it is time for me to just ask him to stop hanging around. We will never be more than two mutually irritating people so it is best if I suggest to him to go stay with his girlfriend and maybe I can go find someone for me and stop being single' _

'_This would be so much easier if I weren't so in love with him'_

She watches as he places his cup down on the desk. He takes a deep breath "Listen…I was thinking…"

Those four words sometimes either started with or ending with her name have been spoken to her more than once. Each time whatever thought Castle wanted to add to the sentence was usually interrupted by a person or event. Once again today the conversation is interrupted by her partner Kevin Ryan

"Beckett, we got a good one and this is right up Castle's alley too"

The couple halts in their burgeoning conversation and both look at the Irish detective

"What do you have Ryan?" Beckett asks

"Two people found dead in a safe room in an apartment building"

"A safe room?" Castle questions

"That's what the call says"

This love deprived couple quickly jump up and move to the elevator. Both are honestly thankful that the discussion was halted by a crime since since neither one really wants to end the friendship right now. Even though no love is exchanged between them, they still are two really good friends

After the cruiser pulls out of the police garage, Beckett decides to try and continue the conversation that Castle opened just a few minutes ago

"Rick what were you going to say before we left the station?" she uses his first name without thinking. It was her softer tone of speech toward him

"It will wait until the case is over" he keeps his eyes on the road

The journey is brief and they find themselves in front of a brownstone unit. Several marked police cars along with her partners Crown Vic and the Coroner van are out front. The pair enters the front entry to find Detective Esposito seated on the couch facing a man and woman who seem very disturbed.

When he sees Beckett and Castle step into the room he excuses himself and joins them in the entry foyer

"What do you have Javi?" Beckett begins

"Our couple here just bought this building from an estate and while they were looking around they noticed what appeared to be a false wall. It turned out to be a hidden door. When they opened it and went inside they were shocked to find the remains of two people. Lanie just confirmed it is a man and a woman. She thinks they have been dead for many, many years. Possibility decades"

"Decades? Castle questions "Ryan said it was a safe room

"Looks more like a fallout shelter. CSU says the articles in the shelter look like they are from the 60's or early 70's."

Just as Esposito finishes his statement Lanie enters from the back of the unit in front of two technicians wheeling two gurneys toward the front of the building and the van outside

"What do you have Dr. Parish" Beckett asks using her best friends official title

"Two victims. A man and a woman. I am guessing early 40's. Their clothes are definitely late 60's. No outward signs of trauma but I will know more when I get them back to the lab"

Kate watches as the assistants move the bodies and place them into the coroner's van for transportation to the morgue

"Lat me know as soon as you can" Beckett states to Lanie as the medical examiner personnel leave the scene

Beckett and Castle turn their attention to the couple sitting in the parlor in an obvious state of shock

Kate turns back to Javier "What do we have?"

Esposito refers to his notes "The couple is Dan and Louise Sharpton. They just closed on this brownstone last week and began moving in this morning. They were measuring walls for furniture and discovered there was a problem with one of the wall's measurements not being consistent with the wall on the other side. That is when they discovered the hidden door. They found it was not locked but is does have an extensive electric locking mechanism on the inside. When they went inside and down the steps they found the lights were out and they got a flashlight. That is when they discovered the bodies on the floor. They ran out and called it in. That about covers what we know so far"

Castle and Beckett move back to the living room and the homeowners

"I am Detective Beckett this is Mr. Castle and we would like to know what happened this morning" As Kate and Rick sit down beside the very much shaken couple.

The new owners re tell their harrowing tale of discovery.

After Beckett and Castle finish listening to the owners describe all the reasons that they will not be staying in the home tonight or for several nights for that matter they tell their witnesses to please let the officers know where they will be. The pair agrees and quickly rushes out of the brownstone, leaving Beckett and Castle virtually alone.

"CSU has finished their sweep. Did they discover anything of interest?"

Beckett answers "Not really. They said this looks like a bomb shelter or fallout shelter. It is stocked with non perishable food, water, fuel, lanterns and flashlights. There is even a crank up radio like they had in World War 2. Someone could stay down there for a long time"

"Do we know who they are?"

"The best guess is a couple that went missing in 1970. A…" Beckett looks at her notes "a Betty and Levi Levitz"

"They were reported missing?"

"They disappeared just days after he had a fight with a business partner. The partner was the prime suspect"

"Well we can tell them they are no longer missing" Castle quips

"True" Beckett responds

Both Beckett and Castle go quiet while thinking about their next move

Rick's mind is going a mile a minute thinking all the crazy theories he can pull to the top right now. He stops in his dreaming and looks at Kate thinking. _'This is why I hang around her. The crazy crimes she brings me. Maybe I can just keep being here for the crimes. Maybe I can stop loving her and focus on the murders instead'_

Kate is looking in the direction of the open door to the shelter and she begins to think '_Maybe we can still be friends and co workers. He is good at these type crime scenes. His crazy theories are often right. Maybe I can stop loving him and focus on crime solving instead'_

"Castle, let's go down to the shelter and look around. See what we can find" as she turns toward the open door.

Castle walks inside the opening then takes a couple of steps with Beckett close behind.

What neither of the two realize is the door was propped open and when Beckett held on to steady her movements because of her stilettos she dislodged the door stop. By the time they heard the clank it is too late

The heavy reinforced door has slammed shut and the electric locking mechanism has secured the opening preventing the door from being unlocked.

Castle rushes back up the steps almost running over Beckett trying to open the door but when he sees the mechanical timer on the door he turns back to Beckett

"There is a clock preventing the door from opening until the timer releases it"

"Are you telling me we are trapped in here…?"

"It is going to be three days before this thing opens"

* * *

**Closing comments**  
** I tagged this story Humor and Romance**  
**I never mentioned angst**  
**Remember. These two are idiots in love and deserve one another**


	2. Chapter 2

The reverberation of the slamming of the heavy steel and concrete door had not stopped echoing around the space before Beckett is yelling at the writer

"Castle what the hell did you do?"

"ME? You mean you. What did YOU do? I was already at the bottom of the stars when the door closed. You were behind me. You caused this"

"Well I didn't close the door!"

"Well neither did I. I was halfway across the main room when I heard the click"

Castle moves around Beckett trying to reach the top of the steps so he can look to see what has happened. That is when he sees that the door stop that CSU had placed keeping the door from closing and trapping anyone inside is dislodged and lying on the floor next to the top step.

He had almost fell over her in his attempt to try and salvage what is left of the day but it is evident that the entry way is secured by a very large, very heavy bomb proof door and he is not going to simply turn a latch and pull it open allowing them to escape

"So Castle what does it look like?" Beckett questions

"Well from my training I would say we are trapped" trying to add a little humor into the situation

"Your training HUH? What? The MacGyver School? Training you in the art of using a rubber band and hair brush to defuse a bomb?"

"You cut me to the quick detective. In one of my Derrick Storm books I had Derrick trapped inside a bank vault. I did a lot of research into bank vaults and their locking systems. And I can tell you, this is a very similar system"

"OK, Fine this is similar to a bank vault"

"Yeah. Same metal slides latching into hasps in the jam holding the door in place. All the bars are linked together so that when the mechanism is activated all the bars bull back at the same time and the door is released"

"Castle, if this is a bomb shelter why does it have a time lock?"

"This is not a bomb shelter. It is a fallout shelter. It was built so the occupants could survive not just the blast but weeks of nuclear radiation as well"

"Still, why the timer?"

"There were some polls taken that determined that human emotion was a giant factor in post blast survival. Information gathered determined that we would let our emotions take over after an event such as that"

"What do you mean?"

"After the occupants are safe inside and you open the door, you would let the radiation in. So obviously the owner or builder put a fail safe lock in. Even if the occupants let their emotions take over and wanted to help a neighbor by letting them come inside, the door lock stopped that from happening"

"Why three days?"

"If there was a real attack the bombing would probably be over by then and there would be no more need to open it to let people in. But if it was a false alarm the occupants would only be trapped for three days. They could open the door and go back outside after that"

"So is there an override?"

Castle is carefully looking closely at the door and its jam "I don't see one"

"Great! So now what do we do?"

"Try to call and get someone to come let us out of here" He answers

Holding her phone up "I am not getting any bars" Beckett states "Do you have any signal?"

Looking at this phone "No. Nothing at all"

Beckett walks from the entry area more into the shelter as she is looking at the walls and then the ceiling and back to her phone

"These walls must be two feet thick" Beckett reaches out and touches the cement coat otherwise bare walls

"Yeah and probably reinforced with steel bars and maybe even lead lined, if this is actually a fallout shelter" Castle states

"A fallout shelter? Are you serious Castle?"

"Yes I am serious. This looks like a bomb shelter but it was built in the late 60's or early 70's"

"And what is the importance of the date that makes you think it is a fallout shelter?" Kate asks as she is becoming visibly irritated at Castle's theory

"The date" He firmly states "The 60's was the high point of the cold war. The United States and the former Soviet Union were locked in a battle of ideology. Capitalism against Communism. Both nations were in a race to get one more step ahead of the other"

"OK"

"The race to the moon was one example. The US broke all records designing, building, and testing spaceships and made it to the moon first. That was in response to the Russians flying the first satellite. Every time one did something the other had to do it bigger and better. The two nations kept building bigger and better bombs until they each had enough stockpiled nuclear weapons to destroy the earth one hundred times over"

"And that explains this?" She points around the room

"Yes it does. With so much firepower available to each side the thinking was that someone would push the button and blow up the planet so a lot of people started buying and building shelters and looking around this one these people were the textbook versions of doomsday Preppers"

"How can you tell they were Preppers?"

"Look around Beckett. First, this place is huge. We are underground and from its size I think it takes up it is the size of the building above us. And here are stairs going down to another level"

The duo walk down to the lower floor where they find the entire space is filled with survival supplies

"Kate. Look in this storeroom. There are shelves and shelves of non perishable food. There are hundreds of gallons of water. The bathroom has a shower and toilet. The shower water is used again for the toilet. There seems to be a drain system that appears to send the sewer to a septic system and I would guess the waster is then recycled"

Castle then points to some of the other shelves "There are first aid supplies, tools and implements for farming. I would assume for after they leave here"

The couple walk trough the cavern they have found

"Look Castle, books. Lots of books"

They are both amazed at the amount of literature including an encyclopedia, books on farming and building and finally religious books

"These people were planning on living a good life after whatever nuclear holocaust mankind had planned" Beckett states

"Yeah they did" Castle says quietly

"But we need to get out of here and since we can't get signal for our cell phones how do you propose we tell everyone we are down here?"

Castle appears to be thinking "These people were so well prepared that had to have some communications system planned. Let's go back to the main level and try to find it"

Kate turns and starts up the steps directly in front of Castle. He is just behind her in their ascent to the main level when he looks up and suddenly finds himself staring at her long legs and rear end from a very close proximity. The instant thought in his brain is 'I wish she would not wear those skin tight pants. The ones that hug each and every curve of her body'

He closes his eyes but is unable to stop seeing the sight of her in his head. His heart is telling him to just reach up and grab a big handful of Kate Beckett but he knows that whatever body part he uses to do that will be swiftly and painfully taken from him by her

He decides to just wait until she has reached to upper floor before even putting a foot on the steps. Then he can follow without having to look at her delectable…never mind Rick. Get your mind on business

Back on the main level they begin looking around for some method to let the outside world know they are OK. After a brief search they locate a cabinet that appears to have wires entering. Upon opening the doors the pair are greeted with an array of radios. The top shelf has a couple of shortwave receivers. The second shelf contains a citizen's band unit and the bottom has an amateur band unit. Taped to the door is a copy of the owner's license

"Castle. Look at this" Beckett points to the official document "The name is Barry Levitz. The last name is the same as our victims"

"Might be a brother or son. I bet it IS a son. Back in that time there were a lot of young men becoming amateur radio operators or Ham's they were called"

"OK so can we use any of these to call for help?"

"I am no expert but…"

"You're no expert? I thought you claimed to be an expert in everything" Beckett chides Rick a tiny bit

"Very funny detective, but I do know that the CB and ham radios require an outside antenna"

Kate touches one of the wires leaving the cabinet "These must be them"

Rick and Kate follow the wires around the corner and to a closet. They open the door and discover a shaft way where the wires turn and go upward

"This must be where they go outside to the roof or at least ground level. As long as they are…" he pulls gently and all the wires come tumbling down into a pile of cables at their feet "...still connected that is"

Beckett looks down at the pile of wire then up to Rick "I guess calling for help on the radios is out of the question"

"Yeah"

This is when the thought strikes both of them

"We may actually be trapped together alone down here for three days"

Castle looks at Beckett and thinks 'I hope she does not decide to start talking about her boyfriend. I will not be able to walk away if she does. There is no place to run'

Beckett is returning the look and thinks 'I hope he does not decide to start talking about his girlfriend. I will not be able to walk away if he does. There is no place to run'

There is a long  
Long  
Very long moment of two pair of eyes locked on one another before either one can blink

* * *

**Well at least she hasn't threatened to shoot him!**

**Yet!**


	3. Chapter 3

**12th Precinct**

"Detective Ryan! What do you have?" The voice of Captain Gates resounds all around the floor

"Not a lot sir. The couple that now owns the building is pretty much in shock. They have threatened the real estate agent with a lawsuit for not telling them that there was a bomb shelter complete with two dead bodies underneath"

"I think I would be in a similar condition if I found that. But what do we know about the bodies found?"

"Esposito is down at the morgue with Lanie observing the autopsy and help gather evidence. Since this one is so unusual he wanted to stand by and make sure every possible piece is bagged and tagged"

"How about the identities of the victims? Do you have any word on that?"

"We have verified that they are the Levitz's. They were reported missing by a neighbor in August 1970. I have the original missing persons report on its way from archives.

"Very well detective keep me informed"

"Yes sir"

Kevin Ryan spins back around in his chair and begins typing into a search for information on the victims, but since they went missing before computers and massive databases there is no electronic trail to follow. He decides that the only way to gather information is the old fashioned way. Pound the pavement.

Detective Ryan grabs his jacket and head out the door advising the desk sergeant of his plans.

* * *

**In the morgue**

"Is there anything unusual about our victims?" Detective Esposito asks while still looking at the initial reports Lanie wrote up from filed observations

"There IS something I found that I have not personally seen before. I mean I have seen pictures but never on in an examination"

"What?"

"It's a tattoo "

"Lanie. You have documented many tattoos on victims before"

"Not one of these…"

Lanie pulls the male victim's left arm from under the sheet and turns it so he can see

"Is that…?" Esposito breathes out the question

"Yes. It's a number tattooed on his forearm. The last name is Jewish so…"

"That means he was at…"

"Auschwitz" Lanie answers the incomplete question

"WOW!"

* * *

**On The Street**

Detective Kevin Ryan decided on which end of the block to start his canvas. He thinks to himself 'if I do get information it will be from the last place I visit. It's never the first place'

And just like he thought he is half way down the block and had absolutely nothing. In fact, each person he has interviewed has only lived in the neighborhood for ten to fifteen years. This is an area that is getting revived by young professionals buying brownstones and remodeling them and making the area fresh and new again.

After the entire afternoon is a dead end, he decides to call it a day. He picks up his phone and calls his partner to see what the bodies have revealed

"Esposito' the Hispanic detective answers

"Hey Javi, the canvas is a bust so fat but I will start back down here in the morning. Do you have anything?"

"I have one very interesting piece of information. He probably has nothing to do with the case but it is a nice history lesson"

"What's that?" the Irish detective asks

"Our victims were in concentration camps in World War 2"

"How do you know that?"

"They have tattoos on their arms with numbers"

There is a moment that Ryan stays silent "wow" he finally says quietly

* * *

**Bomb Shelter**

"So Castle just how do we get out of here? And wait a minute! No one knows we're down here. We have got to get word to the precinct that I am OK and where we are. They will probably be looking for us by now. They will find my car and know that we are inside and start looking for us"

"Maybe! Remember that we were left here looking over the crime scene after everyone else had gone. Unless the guys thought we were coming back to the station they might not miss us until tomorrow. And you had to park two blocks away"

"Are you saying we are stuck here at least for tonight?"

"It sure looks that way"

Beckett begins pacing the room looking in drawers and cabinets, trying to find anything that might help them get word outside that they are down here and need rescued. She pulls open the silverware drawer and locates forks, knives, and spoons. The next had towels. The upper cabinets have spices including salt, pepper, garlic and an array of tasty condiments.

"Beckett. What are you looking for?"

"Anything that might help us get out, but there is nothing here that would open that big door up there" she points with her thumb

"I don't know about you but I am getting a little hungry and a lot thirsty" Rick states

Beckett looks toward the steps leading down "Let's go see what is down there and see if anything is still safe to eat or drink" she walks to the opening and begins her descent with Castle close behind

In the lower storeroom they quickly can tell the person who planned this, organized the items for easy access. Heavy things such as water barrels with spouts were high up allowing a person to place a glass and draw water without having to get on the floor. Lighter containers were higher up so one person could get it down without much effort.

Kate finds a box marked 'Midday Meals' She opens the container and finds dehydrated packages with pictures instead of words "Look here Rick, No names just pictures. This one shows a piece of chicken and corn and carrots"

"Hum? I guess the manufacturer sold this to different countries with different languages, but pictures are universal"

"True. So will you get some water and I will take these up?" she grabs two packages of chicken and two of what appears to be roast beef and two that look like hamburgers.

Castle finds a large screw top bottle with a carry strap like a canteen and starts to fill it with water. Before it becomes full, he takes a small sip and determines the water seems fine.

As he starts back toward the stairs he notices a shelf with boxes marked 'Games'

"Hey Kate. Look here. Games! You want to get something to take back up to kill time?"

She turns around and returns to where Castle is standing. He puts the strap over his shoulder then pulls the box down off the shelf. Inside they find several board games including Monopoly, Life, Clue, Sorry, and even Battleship. There is also a Chess and Checkers board along with a Chinese Checker game. There are several decks of cards and even a Scrabble board.

"What do you want Kate?"

"Just bring the cards for now"

Castle takes a couple of decks and slides them into his pocket.

Beckett stops, turns back around, and with a firm voice "And NO! We are not going to play strip poker!"

While Kate is starting up the steps he finishes putting the box back into its place on the shelf. He then follows her to the steps going up. AND! He finds Beckett, AGAIN, directly in front of him. Again he closes his eyes and tries not to look at her but his brain is not paying attention and he opens his eyes and just stares at the firm trim lower portion of the woman in front of him.

If she wasn't with her boyfriend I would so try to use this time to win her over. He thinks again to himself. Why am I caught here like this?

She begins her assent but this time her hands are full and she can't grab the hand rail. She is having trouble keeping her balance on the steps going to the main level. It is obvious that this was not build for a woman in high heeled boots to be climbing especially carrying several boxes of rations.

After several missteps trying to go up Beckett looks back over her shoulder and realizes that Castle is staring at her lower body. Intently staring! She clears her throat bringing him out of his gaze

"Rick can you help steady me?"

In his stupor he answers "UH? Sure"

"Grab my legs"

.

.

.

"UH!CASTLE! LEGS! I SAID LEGS!"

"Oh legs. Right"

* * *

**I'm so sorry. I could not help myself. That was too easy**


	4. Chapter 4

**Shelter**

It is difficult to describe any area in this shelter as an area really. It is, for the most part, one large room with a separate bathroom and toilet in the corner. There is a couch in the room. It lines up next to the dining table that is close to the kitchen sink. The bed is not full length and is immediately beside the couch looking as if it was possible to move the couch to make the bed slightly larger.

And inside this cramped room, Castle and Beckett are sitting at the very small table in the kitchen area. It is obvious that this table is designed to do multiple duties. Eating table. Game table. Desk and probably other uses not immediately coming to mind.

But considering what is going on in his mind, Richard Castle is looking down at his meal attempting to clear his mind from what took place just a few minutes ago on the steps. He returns his attention to the plate in front of him. The food that was brought up and reconstituted using water and a gentle stirring. He tries to keep his mind on that and the fact it tastes like reconstituted rubber tires or something akin to craft paper soaked in kerosene.

But instead of being focused on the lack of flavor suitable for human consumption, he is trying, instead, to determine just how much longer he will be alive. He believes that Beckett has not killed him yet only because she is keeping him alive for jobs requiring a man such as moving furniture or lifting heavy boxes down in the storeroom. He is avoiding looking up for fear that by doing so, she will use it as an opportunity to rip his eyeballs out of their sockets so he can no longer gawk at her rear end.

Oh that delectable rear…

Stop it Rick!

Katherine Beckett is keeping her eyes on the plate in front of her as she stirs around the imaginary chicken shaped protein with the pretty colors. She is positive that the movie Soy lent Green has some importance in this preparation but is not ready to let her mind drop that low.

But speaking of LOW! She can feel her face is glowing red. It has been red since the moment he grabbed her by her but…

Stop it Kate!

Surely it was an accident. I need to believe it was an accident. What if it wasn't an accident? What if he did it on purpose? No! It had to be an accident.

But if it wasn't an accident…it sure felt nice

No! It had to be an accident

"Kate" Castle calls her name very gently but…

She almost jumps out of her skin "WHAT"

"I'm sorry Kate. I didn't mean to scare you" He notices that she has not looked him in the eyes. That's good right? That means that his eyeballs are safe. For now

"Sorry, Rick. You just startled me. What did you want?"

"UH…we…I …UM…it's late and we need to try and get some sleep"

Bringing her thoughts back down "Right. Yeah OK. UH…I can take the couch and you can have the bed"

"No, the couch is too short for you. You take the bed and I will work out something with the couch"

She recovers some more of her wits "Castle if the couch is too short for me it is even more so for you. Look! This was set up for the couch to be pushed up to the foot of the bed making it an extension of the bed. Making it long enough for us to go to bed…"

It sounded OK in her brain but then when she spoke the words Kate Beckett realizes she just offered to sleep in the same bed with Richard Castle as if...

"Uh…To sleep in…"

The two sit in silence as they both try and resolve the issues in their brains

'If Castle was not in that relationship with his ex wife this might have been fun' Kate thinks

'If Beckett were not still dating that doctor this might have turned out fun' Rick ponders

"Alright Rick. We can do this. You stay on your side of the bed and I will stay on mine. OH and no funny stuff"

"OK Kate, we will share the bed but I promise no funny stuff"

She looks into his eyes "Promise?"

He becomes mesmerized by her eyes as he returns the gaze "I Promise"

Once again they are both caught in the moment. It takes a little longer to break the spell than it did earlier

Beckett looks around "Rick. We need to see if there is something to sleep in"

"I saw a bunch of clothes downstairs. Why don't you go look to see if there is something we can sleep in and I will set up the bed for sleeping"

"OK" she responds as she walks toward the stairs going down

Rick is actually happy that he is not going to be tempted again by this wonderful woman and he can focus his mind on moving the couch and getting the bed ready for sleep.

He moves to the rear of the couch and begins pushing it toward the foot of the bed therefore making the bed long enough for an adult to sleep comfortably

After he completes his task he looks down on the floor and discovers several books or journals that were hidden under the couch. He carries the books to the table and begins reading thru the notes and reviewing the pictures. This is when he comes to the realization that the two victims may have died as a result of events from decades before

"Hey BECKETT!" he yells down to his partner "I found something you need to see"

* * *

**8:00 AM 12th Precinct**

"Detective Esposito have you seen Detective Beckett?"

"No captain"

"Isn't she usually here before now? "The captain is looking around the floor

"Yes sir, but she may already be out canvassing with Ryan"

"OK. If you hear from her tell her that we got some information on the family"

"Will do"

Detective Esposito returns to his desk and in basket on the corner where a large file has been placed. It is the original missing persons report from 1970. He sets it down on his desk then walks to the break room to get a cup of coffee to keep him awake. He believes this is going to be a long and boring investigation.

* * *

**On the Street**

Detective Kevin Ryan has started where he left off the day before. The rest of his morning is no more productive than the evening before.

As noon approaches he decides to grab a bite to eat and there just happens to be a nice Kosher Deli on the corner of the block. The sign outside clearly advertises 'Family Owned since 1950'

He goes inside and has his senses attacked by every wonderful aroma that mankind has ever used in food preparation. He looks over the selections of meats on display under the glass counter. He finds it more and more difficult to select one item over any other. When his time comes to order he falls back on one of his favorites. Pastrami on rye with spicy mustard.

When he sits down at the counter and takes his first bite he remembers why going to family owned places is so special.

After his appetite is completely satisfied he, decides to try and talk to the proprietor but looking at the staff he can tell they are all younger and probably would not have known the couple.

But the sign over the door does say family owned since 1950.

Maybe there is some way to talk to an older member of the family

"Excuse me. I am detective Ryan NYPD and I wonder if I could talk to the owner"

The mid thirties woman behind the counter responds "I am Sarah Finkelstein and I am one of the owners. Actually my brother and I own this shop"

"Ma'am I was wondering is there an older family member who worked her in the 60's or 70's?"

"My nana. Her and my grandfather started this deli after the war"

"I am investigating a very old case and looking for someone who lived in the neighborhood back in the day. How could I talk to one of them?"

"My nana is in the back, let me go get her"

Ryan sits quietly waiting for his witness when a strong female voice with a Yiddish accent speaks up "Young man. I am Ruth Finkelstein. I understand you are asking about something that happened in the neighborhood?"

Taken a little by surprise Kevin is taken by the obvious strength of this woman

"Yes we are investigating the deaths of Betty and Levi Levitz and were wondering if you knew them?"

He realized that he must have struck a nerve when he was not even finished with his question when her face fell to sadness

"Mrs. Finkelstein, you knew them?"

She covers her face and he can see tears emerging from her eyes "You found them?...dead?"

"Yes we did"

"Where?"

"In a bomb shelter under their brownstone. Did you know they built a shelter?"

"No but there actually were several in the community. You found their bodies?"

"Yes"

"Have you found their son?"

"Son? No we did not have that information. What is his name?"

The woman is obviously thinking "I believe it was Berry. Yes Berry. But there was a split in the family. A terrible split"

"Please tell me all about this split" Ryan opens his notebook and begins taking notes

"The boy got into drugs and other evil activities. He was dealing. He was into prostitution. His mama and papa told him that if he didn't stop they would disown him. He told them that he didn't care. That is when Levi did something very strong"

"What's that?" Ryan asks

"He grabbed his shirt and tore the sleeve"

Ryan knew enough of Jewish culture to know the significance of that action

"OH. Did it get violent?"

"There was a lot of cursing and screaming on the street. Several people saw the boy leave yelling "I hate you and I am never coming back"

"Do you remember when the couple went missing after that?"

"Oh yes. It was about a week later. The woman next door, Virginia…uh I don't remember her last name. Her and Betty had coffee almost every morning. Virginia came to the deli and told us that Betty was not home. We called the police and they made a report. They checked the house. No one was there. They said without a body they had nothing they could do"

Ryan is finding this case more and more exciting "So did anyone suspect the son of doing something to his parents?"

"We all did but the police said without proof there was nothing they could do. Several years later the city seized the building for non payment of taxes and it was sold. No one ever heard from anyone again"

"Thank you. If I have anymore questions can I come back to see you?" Detective Ryan asks

The woman glances down at the now empty plate from his meal "Of course. As long as you buy something" and she smiles to the young man

* * *

**I promised no Angst**  
**Well, no angst for our favorite lovebirds. Unless they can't figure out what they want SOON.**  
**All I can say now is**  
**Stay Tuned**


	5. Chapter 5

**Inside The Shelter**

Kate Beckett's eyes are moving rapidly behind her closed lids. She is deeply in REM sleep

_She is standing in a large airy dressing room looking at herself in the mirror. The face looking back at her is smiling. The face has the appearance of a woman filled with happiness. A satisfied woman. She is admiring the night gown she is wearing. It is very sheer. Very short and very low cut. Very sexy. Very definitely selected with her man in mind_

_It is evident that this is something she would have selected to wear to bed on her wedding night._

_Her wedding night?_

_When did she get married?_

_Who did she marry?_

_Or is she married?_

_She turns and walks out the door go to the man that she knows is waiting patiently for her to make her entry. She opens the bathroom door and enters the bedroom where the light is very subdued. Just sufficient to allow him to look at her and all of her charms that she is preparing to unveil to him_

_But who it?_

_The light in the room is too dim for her to see his face. It is just a shadow. She steps closer and closer until her legs come into contact with the mattress _

_She pulls back on the covers and brings her long legs under the warmth of the blanket. She can feel the heat created by the man waiting there for her, but she still can't see a face._

_She tries to reach her arm to surround the man and to finally see his face…_

**"BUZZZZZZZZZZ"**

Katherine Beckett opens her eyes to the sound of her alarm. She IS lying in bed with Richard Castle. She is face to face with the still asleep man. She has placed her arm around him and they are almost nose to nose.

As her brain shifts from a dream to real life, she realizes that she is in fact under the warm blanket receiving heat from the man. Her arm is around him and they are snuggled and almost joined along every inch of their bodies

She feels her own heat rising and knows that she better get out of this bed or she will be tempted to take this situation to another level. And if his girlfriend were to find out about them in this…

'I will not be responsible for that' she thinks silently

She gently retracts her arm from around the still sleeping partner and as softly as possible gets out of the bed and rushes to the toilet

After the door clicks closed, Richard Castle's eyes snap open. He cuts his look in the direction of the bathroom and smiles.

It felt so good to have her next to him like this when he woke up about ten minutes ago. He wanted also to wrap his arms around her but he knew he had to keep his hands to himself. It would not be right for him to touch her. Even though he wanted to so badly. He was not going to be responsible for her having an issue relating to her boyfriend.

He decides that if they are going to have to stay down here for another night they can't do this again.

When Rick hears the door latch release he looks over in that direction. His eyes are blessed again by her presence.

Even though Kate is wearing the long cotton dressing gown that she found in the wardrobe he is still mesmerized. The heavy fabric completely covers her legs all the way to mid-calf. The sleeves extent to her wrists and the bodice buttons just below her chin.

Nothing exposed above, below, or thru. But…

He still can't stop looking

"Rick, we need to try and figure out if these scrapbooks or journals are really related to our Vic's deaths and I want to try again to communicate to the outside world"

Castle throws the covers back, grabs his clothes, and heads to the bathroom. "OK. Let me get dressed. You change out here and just knock on the door and let me know when I can come out"

"No. Go ahead and change and I will wait"

When Rick stands up his totally covered torso comes into view. Kate had selected a t-shirt and long pajama pants for him. His sleep wear is just as loose and comfortable as hers. But something about the closeness to him raises her body temperature equal to his

She smiles as she watches him disappear into the cramped toilet/shower area

As Kate is sits down at the table she looks over the books they found last night. Changing her thoughts, she looks at the bed that was almost used for its second main purpose. We can't do that again. I'll just figure out a way to avoid us doing that again

After a few minutes the door opens and he exits. She smells what appears to be cologne.

"I see you found the after shave. What it that?"

"Yeah! I've never heard of Jade East before. It's not so bad"

She refuses to admit that she prefers the way he usually smells

I'll go change. Can you try to find a way to communicate to the outside? I know they are probably wondering where we are by now"

Castle stands silently and watches her disappear into the bathroom. He takes a deep breath and sighs.

'RICK. Get a hold of yourself

He walks back to the table and the books they had found. He flips a couple of pages then yells toward the room where Beckett is still dressing "Kate, I am going down to the storeroom and look for anything to help us"

"OK" he hears her respond

Spending more time at looking at the shelves he lingers in the reference library section. He looks more closely at the books filling the shelves he comes on an interesting book

'Telecommunications Theory'

He opens the book and glances over the pages and he comes on the details of how telephone works. He chuckles a moment as he thinks about how telephones were all wired. In 1970 there was a wire that connected every home in the nation to the telephone company's central office.

"EVERY HOME?"

He starts looking on the shelves for anything that might have been a telephone and he finds it. In a box he had not noticed before, marked 'phone' he locates and old desk top telephone. It even had a dial instead of touch buttons.

Now if he can find a connection in the bunker they might be able to make a call

"KATE! KATE!" Castle rushes back up the steps

"Rick. What are you yelling about?

"I may have found something. I need to find a telephone connection"

"You mean a like a wire?"

"Yes a place…" He rushes around Kate "There" he points at a connector block under the cabinets near the desk

"Rick! Do you think this will work?"

"I don't know but there is only one way to find out"

Castle pushes the desk aside and looks at the block "I need a screwdriver"

"Rick there are tools downstairs"

He stands up and collides into Kate as he is trying to go down. They are both a little startled by the contact but he quickly recovers and rushes back down leaving her a little excited.

He returns in a few minutes carrying a tool box, sits back down and opens the top, and pulls out the proper tools.

This is when he sees a possible problem. The phone cord has three wires and the block has four

"What's wrong Rick?"

"The phone does not have as many wires at the block"

"Rick, look the wires are color coded. There is a red, green, and yellow on the phone and there are those colors too"

Castle quickly connects the wires from the instrument

"But the block has a black wire. What if it doesn't work without that?"

"We won't know if we don't try"

They straighten and stand up. They are side by side looking at the phone then at each other

"Rick. Just try it?"

He lifts the handset and brings it to his ear. A smile starts on his lips then he looks at Beckett. He moves the handset to her ear where she hears what he hears

A Dial Tone

In an absolutely non planned reaction Rick and Kate wrap each other up in an embrace and their mutual cheers can be heard. Because of the emotional reaction of finding a way to get help they pull back by inches and just as unplanned.

Their eyes lock together.

He feels a magnetism pulling him toward her and he doesn't want to refuse the pull. He wants to stay looking into her eyes. Eyes evidently full of desire

She cannot break the connection. His eyes are pouring emotion and desire into hers. If this is a drug, she wants more

Then the unimaginable happens. They lean into each other and almost kiss

The eye sex lasts longer than the last event the day before and this one was even more intense and difficult to stop.

Realizing that his face gave away too much of his feelings "OH! KATE! I am so sorry!" as he pulls away

She knows that she too had wanton desire seeping out of her pores "YEAH! Me too" they separate quickly

"I didn't mean to…UH…it was just so…" Castle can't complete a single sentence

"I…I understand. We can…we need to try to call someone"

That was the second best thing he ever experienced with her. The best was the kiss in the alley. Castle tries to get his heart rate back to normal "UH yeah. UH" He looks at the phone and starts dialing on the conventional rotary phone.

That was the second best rush she has ever experienced. The best was the kiss in the alley. Beckett is doing everything she can to slow her racing heart

Putting the phone to his ear with Beckett also listening they hear the sound of ring tone then a voice they have been missing, answers

"12th Precinct. Detective Esposito speaking"

"Javi. It's Beckett"

"BECKETT!" he speaks loud enough for the other officers to know who he is on the phone with since the entire station is on alert since Beckett's car was found abandoned a few blocks from her last assignment and neither Castle of her have been seen

"Were are you? Everyone is worried. No one has seen you since yesterday morning. What is the phone number you are calling from?"

He begins waving to Ryan and he puts the phone on speaker

"We are trapped in the bomb shelter at out victim's house. The main door locked and we can't get it open. It has a time lock. Can you contact the manufacturer and try to get it open?"

He points toward one the uniformed officers close by who calls on his radio to have a unit go to the crime scene and get the manufacturer and model number off of the door

"I assume Castle is with you?"

"Yeah he is" she wants to giggle at how this must sound to her partners

"If there anything you two need? Esposito looks over at Ryan who is having trouble not laughing

"To solve the case. I know you guys have been good detectives locating clues while we have been missing. What do you have?"

"Let me give you the highlights from the original missing persons' file"

Kate can hear paper shuffling before Javi starts up

"The original missing persons' was opened April 1970. The uniforms responded made a few notes about who they spoke to. It says that the neighbors all knew each other back then. The couple had a son and there was a big fight and he evidently left town. No one has seen him since. Even a follow up finds no records of him after 1970"

"Do the neighbors think the son did it?"

"Actually no. They all thought that even though there were some harsh words spoken, the boy would never kill his parents"

"So no one thinks the boy did it?"

There is the sound of paper shuffling "Well one neighbor was pretty positive that the boy did it. He told the uniforms and then repeated it to the detectives later. Then he even came to the station and insisted that the boy was perpetrator

"Who was the neighbor?" Castle asks on the phone

"UH…he lived across the street. His name was…Bill Gerhardt"

"Was that directly across the street?"

"Yeah. Why? Is that important?"

"I don't know. Let me get back to you on that." Castle responds as his face changes

"Listen Javi, we are going to call Lanie and see what she has. Do you have this phone number wrtiten down so you can call us back?"

"Yeah Beckett. We will let you know if we find something new"

"Same here" Beckett answers as she hangs the phone up

"Castle I recognize the look on your face. That look that says 'I have a story in my head' and we are getting close to solving this

"I think I am close" as he smiles to himself


	6. Chapter 6

**I hope everyone enjoys the end of this chapter**

* * *

"Kate, call Lanie and see what she can tell us about the victims"

"Already on it" she responds as Castle sits back down at the desk and picks up the journals and then begins looking at each page very closely

This old telephone in her hand feels very strange based on her usual device. The phone rings several times before the call is picked up. Beckett can tell from the unusual tone of the medical examiner's voice that Lanie was not sure about picking up the call from a caller ID she did not recognize

* * *

**City Morgue**

Dr. Lanie Parish, senior medical examiner for the City Of New York, has just finished washing up and is considering the results that she will be placing in her final report. She is walking to her office with the all the result documents gathered from her postmortem examination on the two victims found in the shelter.

She places the individual results from x-ray, blood work and physical examination, on her desk. The latter carried out by her personally. She begins reading over the documents, again, that she wrote herself and some documents that she had already looked over several times. The most interesting result of the physical examination was there were no outward signs of violence. There were no marks, stab wounds, or bullet entry marks on either body. There were no ligature marks or other bruising evident

She starts by entering all the pertinent data including height, weight, hair and eye color along with any identifying marks. He stops for a just a moment before entering the information describing the tattoos. She had thought that she would never have a victim with the mark of the holocaust, let alone two victims

A quick examination would make someone think these two unfortunate souls simply laid down and went to sleep and never woke up.

But the blood work tells a much different story. Dr. Parish finishes her report and one of the last lines to be filled in was marked "Cause of Death" in which she enters the one word "Homicide"

She completes the second file with an identical cause of death listed and closes that folder as well. She places the two hard copy files in the out basket and is reaching for the phone to call the 12th precinct to see if Beckett is there when her own phone signals an incoming call.

"City Morgue, Dr. Parish speaking" Lanie answers very formally

"Lanie, its Kate"

"Girlfriend! Where are you? Caller id is not your phone number"

"I know. Me and Castle are trapped in the fallout shelter where we found the victims"

"Are you telling me that you are in that sealed vault? Underground?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Kate, there was something strange in the autopsy report and I need you to be very careful"

"What is it Lanie?"

"The blood work showed an extremely high level of Cyanide"

"They were poisoned with Cyanide? Where did they get poisoned?"

"Autopsy shows it was inhaled and there is one other thing odd about it?"

Lanie does not know that Kate has signaled Castle to come listen in on the call

"What is that?"

"The particular type is an almost unknown type of Cyanide. It is called Zyklon"

"What is unusual about that name?" Comes the voice of Rick Castle joining in on the call

"It is the specific type Cyanide that the Nazi SS used in the death camps. It was used to…" Lanie is having trouble completing her sentence "it was the gas they used in the gas chambers...It is what was used to…"

Rick used a gentle but deep voice to sooth the issue "Lanie, we get the picture. We understand. You don't need to go any further"

The sound of a sigh comes across the phone "thanks"

The pair on the other end of the call tell Lanie that they will be calling her back if they need anything else

* * *

**In The Shelter**

Beckett places the phone back on the cradle and turns to look at her partner. He has the look of someone working a crossword puzzle.

"Rick what are you thinking?"

"Kate, I want to talk to the guys again. I need one more piece of information. Call the guys."

Beckett picks the telephone up and calls the phone on Javier Esposito's desk

Detective Esposito recognizes the number coming from the two trapped partners

He tries to begin the conversation lite when he picks up the call "Hey Beckett have you killed him yet?"

"No but we are getting closer" she smiles toward Castle as she speaks

Castle is not quite taking this as the joke she intended. He is afraid that is exactly what will happen if he crosses that line with her again that he did earlier

"Rick needs some more information" and she hands the phone to Castle

"First. Can you try to locate the son?"

"We have tried. No one has heard from him in years. In fact not since he stormed out of the house just before the couple disappeared"

"He had a radio operator license. Let me give you that number and see if you can trace it. He might have kept that up. Second. What more have you discovered on the neighbor across the street, Bill Gerhardt?"

"OK we will check with the Feds and see what comes out. And as far as Mr. Gerhardt that is and interesting story. He disappeared shortly after the couple did. We interviewed several of the neighbors again and asked about him specifically. None of them ever felt comfortable around him"

"Way was that?" Beckett asks

"The neighborhood was predominately Jewish and Gerhardt was a German. After the war there was a lot of tension caused by the war"

"OK I can understand that. Does anyone know what happened to him?" Castle wonders

"No but they said there had been a lot of activity just before his disappearance"

"What kind of activity?"

"Some unknown persons in cars watching his house. Strangers in the shops asking questions about him"

Castle bristles "Were the strangers...Jewish also?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Javi let me get back with you" Castle hangs the phone up

"Kate I think I know what happened but I need to go looking for something" He begins looking at the ceiling and along the walls. When he comes to what looks like an air conditioning vent he stops and climbs up on a chair

"Kate give me a screwdriver from the tool box and a mirror. I think there is one in the bathroom"

Beckett stands on the floor watching her partner as he removes the cover from the fresh air supply duct going to the surface. When he removes the grill he uses the mirror to look up the duct where he sees that it probably is reaching the surface but it must be capped off. Then as he looks at the bottom of the duct he sees it. He asks Beckett for a pair of her evidence gloves and he then removes the container from inside the air vent.

Stepping back to the floor she shows Beckett the canister with German wording for instructions and information, but clearly labeled

Zyklon B

"Rick what does this mean?"

"Kate, you remember the journals?"

"Yeah there is a lot in there about the war"

"Right and how they were in concentration camps"

Beckett suddenly feels a rush "They were in a GERMAN concentration camp"

Castle begins to feel something "They made numerous notes about one of the guards being especially evil and cruel"

"His name was Wilhelm" Kate steps closer to Rick

"And the Americanization of Wilhelm is…"

"William" She steps a little closer as she feels her heart begin to race

"And Bill is short for William" He just knows he will not stop until they work out this theory

"And they had a lot of photographs of the neighbor, Bill, from across the street"

Kate takes one more step closer to Rick

"There were many letters between the Levitz's and other former concentration camp prisoners discussing the guard"

Castle takes the final step to where the two are toe to toe and their bodies are a mere inch apart

"Castle, if he were the former guard…"

"He would know about the poison and probably had access to it…"

"Or he brought it with him in case he needed it"

The couple is now touching and in unison they both speak "The neighbor's the killer"

In a flash Richard Castle and Katherine Beckett are wrapped around each other with their eyes closed but their mouths open engaged in a kiss like neither has ever felt before. The sounds emanating from inside these two are almost x rated

If air were not required for life to continue they might have stayed coupled like that for hours, but the human body does have to breathe.

Rick pulls back first and with a look of sheer panic on his face looks into Kate's eyes and sees the same fear

"Kate! Kate! I am so sorry. I should not have done that I…"

She stops him short "No Rick! Totally my fault! I let the emotions of the case get to me. Please forgive me?"

"Please Kate. You need to forgive me, PLEASE. I promise I will never tell anyone that this happened. I don't want this to get back to your boyfriend and cause you any problems"

Kate Beckett's brain shifts into overdrive "What Boyfriend are you talking about?"

"Josh?"

"Rick I broke up with him months ago. I was afraid that what we just did would cause problems with you and Gina?"

"Kate Gina and I split before I returned from the Hamptons"

They are standing face to face in silence. Both had stopped talking because neither one can stop looking into the others eyes. The only way to describe what is happening is EYE SEX. Several seconds pass where no one is moving when.

"Kate I love you"

"I love you too Rick"

As the two re connect their lips, several items of clothing begin flying around the room


	7. Chapter 7

**This is for all those who wanted to be sure this was not a dream**

* * *

Richard Castle awakens to find a beautiful mass of brunette hair draped across his chest and the face of an angel laying on his shoulder. Under the covers his arm is firmly placed around the distinctly warm smooth bare skin of her back.

There is a slight shift under the covers as he feels her leg start to move upward. A very long, very slender leg moving. Starting at his foot then slides up his calf and over his thigh as the woman beside him hums gently against his chest "good morning Castle"

"Good morning yourself"

"Hum" she barely speaks

The next moment of silence is broken when Rick finally speaks "Last night was amazing"

"Are you talking about the put together on the case or…?"

"That" is the single word as he points toward her smiling face

"I didn't know you could be so creative. Where did you learn how to make that move we tried last night?" Kate responds

"You remember the case we worked with the dominatrix? Me and the boys saw a picture of a couple on the web site that Espo said that getting into that position was impossible? But then you walked up, looked at the screen and said 'OH! It's possible?'"

She smiles and nods her head "OH Yeah. THAT position" as she snuggles deep into him even more "See I told you it was possible"

"Castle" she softly says "Can I ask a question?"

"Of course"

"Yesterday in the storeroom…when we were coming back up…Uh…did you…I mean…"

"The answer is yes"

"I didn't finish my question"

"You were going to ask me if I grabbed your butt on purpose. The answer is yes and just for the record. I liked it"

Her smile grows larger "Me too"

The two lay quietly just absorbing where they are and how they got here

"So you're on board with this?" He asks hoping the answer is the same as his

"Hum. So you want me to get on board again?"

"OH! You little tease, that's not what I meant"

"Who's teasing?" she says in a quiet giggle

He pulls tighter around her body relishing in the feel of her bare skin next to his

"How long have we been missing out on doing this?" she finally asks

"That is unimportant now because we aren't going to be missing out on this ever again"

She still does not lift her head from her comfortable position on his chest "Is that a Promise?"

He places a kiss to the top of her head "I promise that this is the first day of the rest of our lives"

This new couple lay quietly for another couple of minutes

"Kate?"

"Hum?"

"You realize that we might need to keep this our little secret for a while?"

She raises her face to look at him "Does that mean you are ashamed to be seen with me?"

He cannot help but smile at the beautiful woman next to him "I just want to keep this magic to ourselves a little longer. That's all"

"I suppose" is her answer "keeping it to ourselves does sound very nice"

She slides her hand across his chest matching his ministrations with his hand moving up and down her back

"Rick…?"

"Yeah"

"Do you love me?"

"Only from the first moment I met you"

She snuggles back down against him again "I love you too and have since I first read one of your books"

"You mean that we could have been doing this starting back then?"

"That might have been an issue because I was underage at the time"

"OH"

"But we could have waited until I was legal"

"Hey! That's not fair"

She drags her finger across his chest "get over it"

He closes his eyes and whispers more to himself "I can do that"

These two are lying here basking in the afterglow of last night. And early this morning. And later earlier this morning. And even later early this morning.

When…

There is a distinct noise that comes from the top of the stairs. A metallic clank followed ten seconds later by the sound of a motor whirring. This is then coupled by another click and the sound of metal dragging against metal

Castle realizes immediately that the upstairs door is in the process of unlocking and opening.

"BECKETT! The door is unlocking. Someone will be coming down here any second! We need to get up and get dressed!"

The two jump out of the bed and in a mad dash very reminiscent of a Hollywood comedy movie go looking for their clothes

"Castle! Where's my bra?"

"I don't remember where we were when it came off. Have you seen my pants?"

"The last time I saw them, they were on top of the couch next to one of my boots. Where's my other boot?"

"I found my belt"

"Where?"

"Over there, next to your bra"

"How did it get on the dining room table?"

"I don't know"

"Castle, how did my blouse get in the silverware drawer?"

"Never mind just hurry"

"I can't find my panties"

"OUCH!"

"Castle what happened?"

"I found your other boot. I stepped on the stiletto heel"

By some miracle when the timed door mechanism finally finished its unlocking cycle the two are dressed.

Or, at least, mostly dressed. No one can tell that Castle's shirt is buttoned off by one button and Beckett is shoving her underwear into her coat pocket.

What the couple has not realized is that while they were concerned about becoming fully clothed, they missed the fact that they are both sporting hair that just screams

"I JUST HAS SEX AND IT WAS WILD"

When the door finally completes its opening the pair are struck by the harsh brilliance of full sun coming down on them. These two have been underground with limited lighting and so the full brilliance is almost painful. And now they are fully in the spotlight coming from above

"Well you two look like you…" Esposito stops in his comments deciding on not following thru on his thoughts when he feels Ryan's elbow strike a rib

"Hi guys" Kate states in an attempt to divert the obvious "We just woke up"

"Riiiiiight…" Ryan drags the word out "It's three in the afternoon"

Castle rushes to try and stop the progress of any theory that these two are forming about what Castle and Beckett might have been involved doing "Guys, Guys we could not tell from down here what day it was let alone what time it is"

"O…K" Javier grins at the pair then looks across to his other partner. Both men are very sure that they just interrupted something special between these two. Ryan raises his hand and Esposito responds equally and the two men bump fists

"Come on guys. What have you done on the case?" Beckett asks

"The better question is what have you two done?...On the case that is" Kevin is almost laughing

"Let's get out of here" Beckett comments

"You two might want to fix your hair before showing your faces to the rest of the officers up there" Esposito states while pointing to the doorway above

"They might come to the same conclusions we did" Ryan finishes the thought

Castle pulls the mirror out that he was using earlier and shows Beckett her reflection. Kate's face goes red and she turns and buries her head in Ricks shoulder

Esposito just has to comment "Yup! Lanie was right"

The two male detectives turn toward the stairs up to the open door when Ryan comments "We will wait for you up there"

When the two finally reach the main floor several uniformed officers are waiting for them. They all seem to want to know EXACTLY what took place downstairs over the last two days.

Without comment, Castle and Beckett follow their other two partners out into the front stoop. The bright daylight is painful but Kate and Rick fight the light as best they can

"How did you get the door to open?" Castle asks to no one in particular

Ryan answers "We contacted the manufacturer. They told us a fail-safe was put into the locking mechanism. Within two minutes of applying power, a person on the outside who had the over ride key could unlock the door. We killed the power and then re connected it. We then put the key in the lock. Once power was applied the motors wound up the heavy mechanism and then pulled the bars out. Door open"

"Well thanks guys" Beckett comments "Did you get any more information on either the son or the man across the street?"

"The son yes. The neighbor, no. But we made an inquiry to the Israeli Government on the possibility they had one of their Nazi hunter squads capture him. They referred us back to the Wiesenthal Center. They were still operating quietly many years after the 70's"

"What did they say?"

"We are still waiting for them to respond, but the son is an interesting story" Ryan comments

"How's that?" Castle asks

Esposito answers "He disappeared after the fight with his parents. He joined the hippy movement in LA then after several years returned to the real world"

"So where is he now?"

"Here in the city"


	8. Chapter 8

O**K. So we are all clear on this.**  
**This chapter is nothing but fluff.**

**The two of them danced around long enough. It's time for serious love**

* * *

Kate Beckett and her newly acquired, but not yet officially announced, boyfriend Rick Castle have left the crime scene telling the partners that, after spending the last two days and nights locked up in an underground fallout shelter, they each wanted to go to their respective homes and take a shower, clean up, and change clothes.

After the pair drive off, Kevin Ryan just cannot help himself "I wonder whose place they will go to get that shower?"

"HUM?" is the single syllable voiced by Esposito "I'm going to go call Lanie and let her know"

"Good idea. Let's just head for the morgue. I want tot see her face when you tell her"

Castle is sitting in his usual passenger seat in the front of her Crown Vic, but instead of casually looking out the side window watching the non-ending storefronts and brownstones pass by, he is turned facing the driver admiring the view as the situation between them has definitely changed.

And for the better. 'Definitely better' he is thinking

"Rick you're staring"

"I know"

"It's creepy"

"No it's not" he smiles as she looks at him "Not anymore. It is called appreciating the beautiful woman sitting in the driver's seat and, I would like to remind you, just told me that she loved me"

Beckett's lips turn up ever so slightly "OK I'll give you that one but you can't be doing that at the precenct or at a crime scene"

"Why Not"

"I thought we decided to keep this to ourselves for a little while"

"Kate, after we were caught by Ryan and Esposito, and from what Lanie evidently said, I can bet the knowledge about our new relationship is already spread like wildfire and is even posted on the department's web site"

His lips curve a little higher on the edges, "Yeah probably" she feels her face burning red

"Look let's just go to your place and pick up some clothes and you come back to the loft"

"Castle! We can't"

"Why Not?"

He waits for a response.

"Your mom and your daughter. That's why not"

"Kate. Alexis is on a week long field trip and my mother is up in the Hamptons. We can be alone for a few days...I mean except for going to the station when the sun is up. The rest of the time we can order-in and stay in. I want to get to know more about my new girlfriend"

She turns her eyes back on the road and softly replies "OK"

It only takes about twenty minutes to arrive at her place.

"Castle let me take a shower then we go back to your place"

"How about you wait and we can shower back at my place you know…together? It would save water"

"I doubt that" She chuckles. But her heart is all in for anything and everything that they have been missing for all this time. She wants to make up for all their missed moments. Those missed opportunities that they both thought about during the bombing case.

Once inside her apartment she points toward the stairs leading no where "Rick will you look in the closet under the stairs and get my green bag and bring it into my bedroom?"

"Sure" Castle opens the door to the storage room and retrieves her wanted luggage and brings it to her in her room

"Here you go" As he places the carrier on her bed. He stands quietly and looks around the room. A room he has never seen before but dreamed about being in many times. He had visited her in her apartment repeatedly in the past, but he was never invited into this, her most personal space. Her very private personal space

Kate is standing in her closet selecting some wearing apparel. She takes a couple of blouses and pants, walks back into the bedroom and sets them on the bed beside the bag.

"This is a nice room" Rick comments looking around

Kate stops in her selections of items from her drawers and looks over at Castle "I like it"

"I can see why you do. It just screams Katherine Beckett. The magic of you"

Smiling at his comment "So you liked it?"

"Yeah!"

"This IS you and after all, I do like you" He steps very close to her "So…"

A brief smirk crosses her face "OH, just LIKE me? I thought you said you loved me"

He pulls her close "I liked you first and then I fell in love with you. That makes it even better. Doesn't it?"

"Yeah it does. Now just get out of here and let me finish packing"

"I want to watch. You know? She what other items you are bringing"

"No! You don't get to see my stuff"

"Might I remind you? I have already seen your stuff"

"Well some of my stuff is still waiting to be revealed"

He gasps then grabs his chest as if having a heart attack

"You ARE trying to kill me! Aren't you?"

"OH You will learn soon enough when I am going to kill you"

She takes his shoulders and turns him toward the door and pushes him out to the living room. She then closes the door behind him and returns to her dresser, opens the top drawer, and removes a couple of bras and panties. Then she moves to the next drawer and grabs two pair of socks

Returning to her closet she selects a pair of high top boots to go along with the ones she is currently wearing

She halts in her movements and looks back at her dresser. This is when she decides

'Now it the time'

She bends down and opens the bottom drawer of her dresser and brings out an item that she has NEVER EVER worn before. Not when she was alone and definitely NEVER for a man. There has been no man worthy of this gift. She bought it a couple of years ago because it reminded her of something HE would like or rather it was an item she thought that someone special might appreciate her wearing if they were to ever make it past being just friends.

She places it into the bag, zips it closed and grabs the handles and marches out of her bedroom turning off the light as she leaves

Rick and Kate walk out of her apartment, lock her door, and proceed down the hall to the elevator. The car arrives and they enter the cab. As they turn around, Rick presses the button for the lobby as Kate leans into his shoulder. This is an action she has wanted to be able to do for years and he was ready and willing to accept her affection as well. He places his arm around her and firmly holds her to his side

* * *

**The Morgue**

The red charger pulls up to the front of the morgue and the two male detectives jump out and hurry thru the main doors of the facility. The two are in a mad rush to arrive at Dr. Lanie Parish's desk, so they can deliver the much anticipated news. When they enter the main room, they find her bending over the latest body to arrive on her table

"Hey Lanie" Kevin speaks first "You got a minute?"

"Yeah, just give me time to finish here?" Dr. Paris answers and returns her concentration to the corpse on her table.

The two men walk back to the office area away from the main autopsy room.

Ryan is the first to break the ice "Do you think those two really did the deed?"

"How could you NOT think that? Did you see the looks on their faces? We totally caught them in the act"

"So are you still going to tell Lanie?"

"Of course! When she found out that Castle and Beckett were trapped in that shelter, she said they went in single but they would come out together. And they did"

"They totally did" Kevin comments

"Who totally did what?" The fiery medical examiner asks as she exits the autopsy room and joins the men in the corridor

Lanie Parish can be heard to scream all the way down the hall when the detectives fill her in on her best friend's current status

* * *

**The Castle Loft**

The couple has finally arrived at the loft. Rick told Beckett to park her cruiser in the underground garage. She told Rick that it was for residents only and he told her that beginning now she WAS a resident and was entitled to all the perks that meant. Including underground parking

Once in the loft Castle tried to take her bag to the bedroom, but she refused to allow him unbridled access to the contents of the case. He, reluctantly, gave her a few minutes to put away some of her things in the closet before he came back into the area

"Castle! There is a totally empty side to your closet. Did you just dispose of a bunch of stuff or what?"

Rick looks at the long row of open hanger rods and empty drawers. Then he smiles. "I kept this space free for the love of my life to come along. I just had to be patient and wait for you to come claim it"

She slowly walks up to him and places her head on his chest and wraps her arms around him. Without speaking a word, she tells him everything he needed to know about where she was in this relationship

"Castle, I need to get my shower…"She looks up to his face "ALONE"

"OH…please…I want to…"

"OH I know what you want. And I want it too, but tonight! Please just wait because I have something very special in mind for you"

"You finally going to show me how your Taser works?"

She smiles to his eyes then his lips "Something like that"

He tells her to go ahead and shower in the master bath as he exits his room and heads upstairs to the guest bathroom

She turns on the shower and begins shedding her clothes as she thinks back to the dream that she had about him that first night in the shelter

Later in the evening

_She is standing in a large airy dressing room looking at herself in the mirror. The face looking back at her is smiling. The face has the appearance of a woman filled with happiness. A satisfied woman. She is admiring the night gown she is wearing. It is very sheer. Very short and very low cut. Very sexy. Very definitely selected with her man in mind_

_It is very evident that this is something she would have selected to wear to bed on her wedding night or maybe their first night together._

_Will her eventual wedding night be like this?_

_Will she get married?_

_When will that be?_

_She no longer wonders who she will marry, however? That answer is in the next room anticipating her entry_

_She turns to walk out the door and go be with the man that she knows is waiting patiently for her to make her appearance. When she opens the dressing room door and enters the bedroom the light is very subdued. Just sufficient to allow him to look at her and all of her charms that she is preparing to unveil to him once more. Unlike last time, however, this will be much more romantic_

_The light in the room is too dim for her to clearly see his face. It is just a shadow. She steps closer and closer until her legs come into contact with the mattress _

_She pulls back on the covers and brings her long, lean legs under the warmth of the blanket. She can feel the heat created by the man waiting there for her, but she still can't see his face._

_She reaches her arm to around the man and when she can finally see his face…_

_It is alight with love, desire, want, lust all rolled into one. _

_But mostly she sees, Love_

_As she places her head down on the pillow next to his, she looks deeply into his eyes before speaking_

"_Rick. This is it for me"_

"_Me too Kate. Me too"_


	9. Chapter 9

Richard Castle wakes with a start. He sits straight up in bed as if he were just given an electrical shock. A sense of dread flashes through his body when he looks and finds the other side of the bed is empty. His panic increases as he looks around his bedroom. Nothing seems different. Nothing is out of place. Nothing here that doesn't belong

He cannot see over the edge of the bed to the evidence on the floor where her super sexy nightgown from last night currently resides out of sight

But then he hears a soft rustling coming from the direction of his living room and his eyes are blessed to see Kate entering the bedroom from the direction of the kitchen. She is dressed in one of his button down dress shirts, showing a massive amount of long slender legs, and carrying two mugs. One in each hand

Her face is bright as the morning sun "I brought you a coffee"

She walks around the foot of the bed to what has now become HER side of the bed. She hands him his cup and smiles as she sits down beside him. It is now a complete reversal of their prior lives together. He is no longer having to chase her endlessly just to end up frustrated or on the best day being blessed with a smile.

She appears open and evidently happy and now she has even brought him a coffee

He looks lovingly in her eyes "You were right"

She looks back to him "What?"

"I had no idea"

Her face fills with joy, then Kate looks down to her hands holding the coffee cup "Castle I've been worrying that all this was only a dream. You know…You…Me… This?"

"No you definitely weren't dreaming" he responds

She locks her eyes into his eyes and sees the same happiness that she is now proudly wearing all over herself "We really are going to make it?" Then is a fearful tone "Aren't we?"

"As long as two people believe. Truly believe, anything is possible"

A tiny giggle leaves from somewhere deep inside of her as her face begins to glow more than before, if that is even possible.

She takes the cup from Rick and then places the two cups on the night table. She pushes him over onto this back and she lays down beside him, curls her hand across him, and her face buried on his chest just below his chin. Her eyes close for just a brief moment.

She lets out a happy sigh then raises her head and begins nibbling gently on his lower lip. This causes a groan to exit his mouth.

She finally speaks "This is different. I like it"

"Me too"

She places her head back on his chest. "What do you want to do today?"

"I thought you need to go to the precinct?"

"I got a message last night. I can go in late since we were trapped for two days.

"Well then, we could watch TV" he begins

She responds "We could get something to eat"

"We could do that….or we could do this" And he captures her mouth again with his

She mumbles thru the kiss "yeah we could do that"

The moment is broken by the sound of the heavy loft door slamming BAM!

"Richard I'm home…"

Castle turns around in his bed and with a panicked look "OH MY GOSH!"

Kate looks up from behind his shoulder and toward the bedroom door towards the main portion of the loft "I thought she was in the Hamptons?"

"She WAS in the Hamptons. She's not supposed to be here"

Kate takes a deep stuttering breath then lets it out

Rick looks back at Kate

"Hide!"

"What?"

"Hide!"

"Castle! Are you serious?"

"Yeah! Just duck under the covers! Quick! I will block her view"

Kate pulls the sheet and blanket up and over her head as Castle also makes sure he is properly covered.

He settles onto his side with Kate directly behind him. They finish covering just in time as Martha Rogers enters the open door of her son's room.

She had learned, in the past, that if his door was closed it might as well be padlocked and he was expecting total and complete privacy. Unfortunately, Kate had entered this door without expecting an impromptu visit from his another member of his family

"Mother! What are you doing here? I thought you were staying in the Hamptons for a few days"

"Well I tried to call you last night and got no answer. And again this morning. So when I could not reach you I got worried and decided to drive back into the city"

"Why did you try to call me? Is it something to do with Alexis?"

"No not that"

"What was so important that you felt like you needed to come back to Manhattan?

"Well Richard, there was another article in the Ledger about you and I thought it would be wise to come and check on you?"

"Mother what article?"

"The ten most eligible bachelor's list. You were raised to the number five this year"

"And that justified this mad rush to come find me?

"Not completely. I mean it is what prompted an event that you need to attend"

"Mother, what are you talking about?"

"You remember Sara Green?"

"Yes. The neighbor next door. She lost her husband last year. I think he was in a boating accident"

"Yes, yes. That's who I am talking about. She saw the article in the Ledger and I must tell you she has been asking me about you every time I see her. She asked if it was true. That you definitely WERE single. And I told her you were most certainly eligible…"

It is at that very moment Castle feels a hand reach around his chest and a lovely set of fingernails dig themselves into this torso.

Castle tries to NOT react to Beckett's fingernail action "Mother! You told her that I was available?"

"Well yes, son. I did. And since she has planned an 'I'm Single and Ready To Mingle' party at her house for this weekend I wanted to make sure you were invited"

Castle feels the sharpness of the nails on his chest slide down to his stomach

"You can go and meet all the lovely young ladies at the yacht club. I know several there that are always asking me if I would introduce them to you. So I finally decided I was tired of making excuses for you absence. I told Sara that I will make sure you attend"

Castle reaches down to his stomach to try and protect his skin from further attack

"Mother! You can't commit for me to attend. Anyway, I am not interested in attending a singles party"

"I tried to call you to tell you about the party but you didn't answer. I told Sara that you will come and try to get yourself seen again. So why would I possibly tell her anything different?"

"Mother! You know where my feelings are right now. I am trying to work things out with Kate. I am wanting to have more with her"

Hearing these words gives Beckett a reason to smile while still hiding her presence from Martha. She flattens her hands to his stomach where she just scratched him and runs smoothing caresses across the damaged area

"Yes. Yes I know what you have said. Richard she IS the ONE woman that I would love nothing more than to see you with, but son, she has made it very clear to you that she is NOT available…for now. So what is the harm in you doing something fun for yourself? You have had your personal romantic life on hold ever since you came back from that fiasco with Gina last year"

"Mother I am not interested at all right now"

"Why are you fighting against putting yourself out to the single's world?"

"Mother, I have my reasons. I believe that eventually being in a relationship with Kate Beckett is worth the wait. I want to wait for her. However long that takes"

Kate feels more love for this man that she did earlier this morning, or last night, or yesterday. He has just admitted openly he was willing to wait for however long it took. She rubs her hand even more gently across him. Even to the point of almost tickling his side

"Richard. I do not understand but I am sure you have your reasons. But son do yourself a favor and stop waiting for her…"

Kate feels a tightening in her chest

"…make the first move yourself. Richard you love her. You have loved that woman for years. Stop her, talk to her and tell her you want her and maybe, just maybe things will change"

She waits for the words to soak in to her son

"Kiss that girl while you're both still young, but please do not force yourself on her. If she wanted you she would be here right now"

Kate pops her head out from under the covers and leans on Castle's shoulder

"Yeah she would" Kate says with glee in her voice then she leans in and kisses Rick on the cheek

* * *

**OK so much for fun stuff. We have a double murder to solve**


	10. Chapter 10

It does not take Martha Rogers a fraction of a millisecond to recognize the gorgeous hazel eyes that just appeared from under the covers and the long brunette hair dancing across her son's shoulders or the happy voice speaking to her.

"OH! OH! OH!" With each word spoken, Martha's voice raises a half an octave. It is quite evident that she is pleased with what has appeared to have taken place. After Castle hears his mother repeat the phrase over and over then she clasps her hand over her mouth for just a moment

"KATHERINE! Is that really you? Am I seeing things? Please tell me that this is not a mirage and that you are really here…with Richard"

"Yes mother and this is the reason I am not interested in the party in the Hamptons or anything else for that matter. Everything I want or will ever need is right here" Castle reaches over his right side and puts his arm around Kate

Martha takes another gasp of air into her lungs. The appearance of total joy on the woman's face tells her son she is more than ecstatic about this new situation. It is only overshadowed by Rick's happiness and Kate's as well

"When did this happen? Have I been missing out on this? When did you start? Oh I have so many questions I don't know where to start"

Kate answers "Castle and I were working on a case and got trapped in a fallout shelter. And, finally, we got to talking" She smiles at him "I mean really…really…talking and opening up to each other"

Castle smiles back to Kate and gives her a quick kiss "We began really communicating with each other and not hiding our feelings anymore"

"Yes, yes I can see how you two have been communicating…Oh Katherine! You have been part of our lives for years, but welcome to the family, officially"

"Thank you Martha"

"Listen, I know that you two lovebirds need to…uh…communicate some more, so I will leave you two alone"

Martha steps into the doorway and turns back around "And thank you Katherine"

"For what?"

"For making my son so very happy. No one has ever made him as happy as you have. And that was even before this, so I can only imagine…"

Kate ducks her head back behind Rick

"Thank you mother for embarrassing my new girlfriend. I just hope you haven't chased her off already"

Castle feels the fingernails of Kate's gently scratch his side to the point of a tickle

Martha walks back out of the bedroom entry and closes the door behind her. This indicates to Castle that she has just given her complete approval of their current situation and she will assure them of their privacy.

As she runs upstairs Castle and Becket can hear her cheer of glee from the surprise she just received from her son and his new girlfriend.

Castle lays back down on his back with Kate propped on her hand next to his side.

"So much for keeping it from your mother"

Castle pauses a moment before responding "Kate, this is actually better"

"How is getting 'caught in the act' better?"

"Well we weren't in the act…exactly…at least not yet"

"Castle, another five minutes and we would have been. That would have been very embarrassing"

"It would have been funny"

"FUNNY! How do you call THAT funny?" She comments and he feels the sharpness of the claws of his lioness beside him as she digs her nails in and starts using his arm as a sharpening post

"Hey Kate. You keep doing that and I will have to do something else to distract you"

"What do you have in mind big guy?"

He leans into her and starts in nibbling on her neck just behind her ear "This!"

A very soft groan can be heard

* * *

**IN THE PECENCT**

"CASTLE STOP THAT" Beckett is pushing Rick away from her in the elevator cab. "We are going to get caught if you keep doing that!"

"You know what? I won't mind at all"

"Well, I would! You know if Gates finds out she will use regs to kick you out. She has been wanting to do that ever since she took the post here"

"I know" Rick looks like a hurt puppy who just got his nose slapped for wetting on the carpet

He stops fighting her and looks directly at her eyes "It's just I love you so much and I want to make up for all the time we lost"

She ducks her head shyly knowing he is right. But more so she is wanting it as much as he does

The dinging of the elevator bell brings both of them out of the trance being caused by their proximity. Upon returning to the real world and the murder, the pair walks quickly to Kate's desk where they find a small stack of very old, yellowed, files

"What is this" Beckett asks

Esposito and Ryan turn in unison at the sound of her voice. Ryan comments first "Glad you TWO could join us"

Esposito continues the teasing "Sorry if work is interfering with your personal lives"

Beckett almost slams her bag down on the desk "OK! What do we have guys?"

"Well, our victims seem to have been involved in a long running secret investigation concerning the neighbor across the street a…" Ryan looks at the file "Bill Gerhardt. He was an immigrant who claimed to have come over just before the war started, but our victims were convinced he was a concentration camp guard who was well known in the community for his brutality"

"Others knew about him?"

"Yeah. The Levitz reported him to the police several times beginning in the early 60's but there was no proof of his involvement. In fact there were some residents who claimed they knew him from before the war ended. They claimed that he had lived in the neighborhood during the war and could not have been the guard"

"This is all in the reports?" Castle asks

Esposito responds "Not all the reports. We contacted the Weisman Center in Los Angeles and they confirmed that the Levitz's had been in contact with them and that the center had investigated the claim. They confirmed Gerhardt's background, but the Levitz's were not convinced and they kept on digging"

"Was there any more investigating done by anyone else?"

"Yes actually there was one more field investigation by the Nazi hunters that was done right around the time that our couple went missing. These were the strangers in the neighborhood we were told about during our canvas" Ryan finishes

"So then we are sure that this Gerhardt is not involved?" Castle wonders

"Well yes. It turns out his body was found about the same time the Levitz went missing. He was beat to death and left in an alley off 87th and Lex"

"Did they ever locate his killer?" Beckett questions

"No. It was listed as a mugging with no suspects. Still in the 'unsolved files'" Espo answers

The three detectives and one writer are all standing at the murder board each one considering a possible scenario that matches the puzzle pieces when the voice of the station's captain is heard over everything else in the room…

"MISTER CASTLE!"

Without turning toward the woman's voice, Beckett speaks "UH! OH!"

All four currently standing beside Kate's desk turn in unison as Castle answers "Yes Captain"

"May I see you in my office for a moment?"

"Sure" and Rick begins walking toward the captain's private space.

When they enter her domain, she closes the door and steps around the desk to her chair. It is not possible to hear what is being said but it does not look like she is preparing to handcuff him or have him escorted out under guard. She does however seem to smile a few times as she motions toward her desk where there seems to be a newspaper then toward the telephone and then the door.

Castle walks out of the office and directly back to Beckett's desk

"Well? What happened?" Kate's eyebrows rise as she asks the question

"She…uh…she saw the article in the Ledger"

"The most eligible bachelors?" Kate asks

"Yeah. That one"

"What about it bro?" Esposito continues the interrogation

"She has a sister in the US Attorney General's Office and she has always been a big fan of my books and wanted to know if I would be interesting in taking her out…on a date?"

"WHAT?" The red rushing up Beckett's face is evident

* * *

**A/N: I am so sorry. I am just having too much fun with these two**


	11. Chapter 11

"IN THERE…" Beckett points toward the break room "NOW"

Kate closes the door behind them as they enter. The pair quickly move to the coffee bar. She moves to the windows and closes the blinds over each glass

"Castle! What are you doing? I thought you were…I mean…I...you…we…" she almost hyperventilates

Castle take a gentle hold on each of Beckett's shoulders "Kate…Kate…"

"Castle…you are mine now…" Kate seems to have a panic on her face "aren't you? Right?" she says more softly

She finally stops in her tirade "OK"

"Kate. You ARE mine now…Always"

She feels her heart rate slow down ever so slightly

Rick continues "I told her the article was just a publicity stunt planned by my agent. Something to just bring interest to by books. I told her the truth"

"WHAT? CASTLE! You told her we were…dating?"

He pulls her close "No! Of course not. I did not tell her that. I did tell her that I thought her sister was very attractive, which she is, and I was honored that I was asked and if I were single I could be interested in her sister…"

Kate looks up in his eyes "WHAT? You think she's pretty?"

Castle quickly decides that was the wrong way to approach the question. So he puts his arms around her waist. Kate, I can think a woman is pretty without being attracted to her. I am not attracted to her. I thought Natalie Rhodes was attractive but I was not attracted to her…"

"But you kissed her in the elevator. I saw it"

Rick panics a little from that "No. She kissed me"

"I saw how you looked at her when she came out dressed as Nikki Heat"

"Yeah! Nikki Heat, not Natalie. I was wanting Nikki…I mean you. You ARE Nikki. Every time I wrote Nikki I imagined it was you. You know that"

"So that sex scene in the first book was…?"

"It was you I was dreaming about when I wrote it"

"It was pretty good. Wasn't it?"

"Not near a good as the real thing"

"So what are you…I mean we going to do about Gates?"

"I told the captain that I have just started dating someone and that I was keeping it quiet for now and that as much as I appreciated the offer, I had to decline"

"Did she ask who?"

"No. She didn't as a matter of fact. I wonder why?" Castle queries

"She knows!" Kate says as if she has proof

"No. But I think she may suspect. Let's try to keep her out of this for now"

"OK" Kate leans in for a quick kiss "Rick how are we going to handle all this? I have never been in a relationship before, that I didn't have an escape plan at the ready"

He looks in her eyes "Really? You don't have one foot out the door here?"

"I told you that this is it for me"

"Can I ask something then?"

"Yeah. I mean we did agree to keep everything out in the open between us from now on"

"That nightgown you had on last night?"

She can't help but smile at the question because she knows exactly where its is going with this

"Yes?"

"You already had it at home didn't you?"

"Yes"

"So…um…how long have you had it?"

"I bought it about two years ago"

She can see Castle's face fall "OH. So you bought it for…Josh?

She shakes her head no

"Demming?"

Again she shakes her head

"So you bought it just to have it handy?"

Once more, she shakes her head

"Who for then?" he really has a worried tone in his voice

"You"

"Me? Why...how…?"

She reaches up to his ears with her long fingers and teases his lobes causing a red flash to spread across his skin

"I was in the lingerie store and saw it and it just looked like something you would like and I would like to have. Just in case we ever made it here"

"OH"

"So you liked it?"

He takes in a deep breath trying to not pass out "Yeah!"

She almost whispers "Me too"

"So Kate. We may have a few hurdles to overcome but we are going to make it"

They pause just so they can look at one another. In the past, these moments were usually interrupted by one of her fellow detectives and today is no different. There is a knock on the door and Espo's voice comes in "Gates is coming"

The pair split apart. Castle moves to the espresso machine and begins the process of making Kate a latte and Beckett unlocks the main door then goes to the cabinet and removes two cups and sets them on the counter. She is standing with her arms folded in front of herself when the captain enters carrying her empty cup

"Captain you want a latte?" Castle asks as he turns to face the boss

Captain Gates is no fool. She can see that the door was closed and the blinds are drawn and both Castle's and Beckett's faces are red. It is more than evident that the pair were trying to have a private conversation and it resulted in some level of blood cells moving to the surface of the skin. "Sorry to interrupt, but yes. Just regular coffee please"

Castle takes the carafe and pours the coffee for the captain "Thank you Mr. Castle" she turns toward the door then she decides to try and spring a little trap

"Oh and buy the way. Congratulations Mr. Castle"

"Sir?" he responds in a questioning voice

"On finally catching Detective Beckett"

She walks out of the break room

Kate tries to catch her breath "She knows!"

"If she didn't before, she does now" Castle answers

The couple walks back to the murder board where the two other detectives have been waiting patiently "Glad you two could finally rejoin us.

"Shut up" Beckett gives her partners a look telling them to obey or else

She looks over at the murder board that prior to this morning she had not seen. There are pictures of the two victims found in the shelter and one of the old photographs taken by the victims of the neighbor, Bill, that the victims thought was the camp guard

"OK so the Levitz's were killed by the former guard? But then who killed him"

"My guess would be the son, Barry" Castle comments

"We can't be absolutely sure but he had gone to San Francisco within a week or two" Beckett responds

Castle rebuts "That would still fit the story. Gerhardt forces our couple into the shelter and closes the door. We know the door automatically locks and cannot be opened for three days. Then he drops a cyanide canister into the air shaft killing the couple. The son comes home after the three days and finds his parents dead. He hunts down and kills the neighbor"

"It all fits" Beckett comments "You said he is back in the city. Where is Barry now?"

Ryan answers her question "When he returned from California in 1980 he opened a bar in midtown. Then it expanded into a restaurant. He sold that and opened another club. He opened and sold a half a dozen places since. Each one bigger and more popular than the last one. He grew his empire that now includes dance clubs, bars, strip clubs, and, according to narcotics, he is the very front for a lot of illegal drugs"

"Long way from the son of poor immigrants. Where is he now?" Beckett asks

"In a club called 'Glass'" Esposito answers

Castle looks at the detective "Glass? That is the most trendy dance club in New York right now. It is almost impossible to get into. He owns that place? There is no way we are going to just walk in and ask him to come in for questioning"

Looking at Rick "Hey bro, you know people. Maybe you could pull some strings and get in" Javier comments

"You need a lot more than THAT to get in there. He keeps security around him all the time. He is known to have a harem of beautiful women close by. He is rich and knows how to use it for the ladies" Ryan continues

Castle makes an obvious statement "You will need a lot of flash to get close to him"

Beckett gets a funny look on her face "I have an idea"

"Yeah?" Rick responds

"But we are going to need your Ferrari" Kate smiles

* * *

**Castle Loft - One Hour Later**

Martha is setting on the couch reading a script, that had been dropped off, when the loft door opens and Rick and Kate enter.

"Let me change and get the keys" Castle says to Kate who continues into the room toward the Martha in the sitting area.

Kate has changed from her normal skinny cut leg enhancing slacks and button down top to a very flimsy light form fitting micro dress that exposes most of her legs making her more enticing than ever.

"You two going out on a date?" Martha asks with a time of glee

Beckett almost giggles at the thought. As much as she would prefer that this could actually be a real date "No. We are doing an undercover operation"

"Too bad. Katherine, I am so sorry for barging in on your morning. I wish I had known about the two of you before…"

"That's Ok Martha. Castle and I are still sorting out some things ourselves. This is just so new for me…For us"

"For you? Katherine, darling, I will tell you that that man in there" pointing towards the bedroom, "has been pining for you almost from the first day you two met. I have watched him grow more in the last four years than all the time before"

These statements from his mother makes Kate smile

"As I said earlier just knowing you has made him better. Having you with him will make him great"

"Thank you Martha. But I already think he's kind of great"

The bedroom door opens and a refreshed Richard Castle emerges. Dressed to impress, he is sporting a sharp sports coat and violet shirt. He looks every bit the part of a guy planning to take his love on a date to a fancy dance club. He holds the keys to his car up in his hand

"I got the keys…"

Kate jumps up and rushed over to Castle and holds her hand out for the keys "I'm driving"

"You're driving. Beckett? This is a Ferrari. A high performance…" his comments are quenched as she snaps the ring from his hand

The trip to the club that would normally take thirty minutes is accomplished in just over fifteen as Kate shows her wild side driving.

As the bright red sports car drifts into the space directly in front of the club, every eye including the door man is fixed on the vehicle and the sexy, stunning woman behind the wheel.

Kate holds the key ring up in front of Castle "Nice car" is her breathy comment

As she exits the vehicle she makes sure that every eye is on her as she presents even more leg than she would normally expose in public. The crowd received a large dose of thigh delivered as much for her guy's enjoyment as well

Once inside the club, she saunters around to the edge of the dance floor making sure to draw attention to herself. She swings back to Castle and leans in close to his ear and whispers for him to get them some drinks.

When she dances away from him, she swings her hips to the music, along with the rest of her body. As she moves away from Rick he can do nothing but lock his eyes on the sultry image filling his brain. Even though what is under that thin dress is no longer a mystery to him, he simply cannot take his eyes off of her.

And she knows it. She can feel his eyes piercing into her back. She stops and turns back at Castle and smirks. After being caught gawking he can only comment "Drinks! Right"

While Castle is standing at the bar Beckett is swaying around the dance floor distracting the bodyguards. When she approaches the man in the corner booth her obvious assets capture the attention of Barry Levitz

Once she has passed through the security barrier she sits down next to the man making it appear she is a willing party girl.

"You know how to make an entrance miss…?" The older yet still handsome man questions expecting her name

"Kate. My name is Kate"

"Hello Kate." Levitz responds as he is looking toward Castle who is now carrying two drinks and trying to come close to the table

"I that your boyfriend?"

Kate has to take a deep breath before answering. She want to scream 'YES! YES' but in the current operation she cannot. So instead of her desired answer she responds in a sarcastic manor "For now"

"What can I do for you Kate?"

Kate has put on her sultry, sexy, 'I am hot and I know it' look on herself

She uses her breathy voice. "I understand that you can help someone party all night all night" The voice that just drives Castle crazy when she has used it on him

Richard Castle is walking toward his partner when he sees something that brings on the green eyed monster. This was the jealousy he had held back for so many years because he had no right to interfere with her and her personal life.

Now that they have moved to the next step he realizes that he cannot act on what he is seeing because she is doing her job and he is here to help her accomplish an arrest. So he smiles toward her, holding up the two glasses so they can been seen by whoever she is trying to punk.

As he steps closer he has to fight his feelings more and more as he watches the subject of their current operation place his hand very high up Kate's leg.

Fortunately, before Rick's emotions rise up to the top he watches her grab his hand, twist it to the man's back and subdue the bodyguard with one well-placed kick to the family jewels.

As he gets close he holds out her hand. He tries to hand her a drink

"CUFFS!"

Reluctantly Castle hands Kate the handcuffs he had in his pocket. "Right Cuffs"

He was actually hoping to use them later back at the loft


	12. Chapter 12

**NO Fluff. Just Crime Story**

* * *

"Mr. Levitz you have quite a record"

Kate Beckett begins talking before she even has the interrogation room door is fully closed

The man in the hot seat is trying to look innocent but Beckett has seen way too many criminals over the years to be affected by his look of innocence.

She has just begun her questioning when in the room next door:

Richard Castle walks into the observation room where both Ryan and Esposito are already watching Beckett do her magic

Castle speaks first "Hey guys"

Neither of the two detectives immediately responds, but are instead glaring at the newest arrival in the room

"Everything OK?" the writer tries to break the silence that hangs heavy in the room

Ryan steps around Castle and moves to close the outside door then turns and stands on one side of Rick leaving Esposito on the other

The Irish detective speaks first "Bro! When were you planning on talking to us?"

"UH! And tell you what?"

Javi continues the questioning "Don't' play dumb. You may be a lot of things, but dumb is not one of them"

"Guy, guys. What do you want to know?"

Ryan responds "You know exactly what we are asking. When we came in that shelter, you and Beckett looked like you just finished an all night marathon. You two were alone for two days. What happened?"

Rick is trying not to tell these two a lot of information without Kate being present but under the circumstances he decides it is best to just answer these two

"Guys. We were planning on telling you. Telling everyone in fact, but honestly you two were the first. You two did come in at a bad time"

"Are you telling us that this has not been going on for a very long time?"

"No. We just…uh…Kate and I…well we got to talking, finally, and decided to become…more. We want to try this. We want to be a couple. It just happened while we were in the shelter"

"You mean this is brand new?" Ryan asks

Castle is looking through the two way glass watching his new girlfriend being the fantastic cop he fell in love with "Yeah. Completely brand new"

Esposito turns and gives Castle a death glare. Rick realizes her is being stared down by both the detectives "Listen bro. She is our sister"

Ryan continues "We will protect her"

Esposito provides the next line "If you hurt her. We WILL hurt you"

Ryan "If you make her cry. We WILL make you cry"

Esposito "You break her heart. We WILL break your…"

"OK guys I get it" Ricks turns back to the glass and his appreciation for the strong detective is evident "It took me too long to capture her heart. There is no way I would break it. Not now. I will not let it go. I can promise you. I will never hurt her"

"We know your reputation. It lacks a lot in that commitment department"

"I know. But listen guys. We…Kate and me…we have decided that we are both into this all the way. I just need to find a way to not get booted from the precinct. Gates has never liked me and this is not going to help with that"

"Probably not" Ryan states

The two detectives continue to stare Castle down but he continues his loving gaze at Kate. Then the other two return their attention to the events inside the box

* * *

Barry Levitz looks across the table to the detective. He notices that she had changed back into her work clothes from the sexy dress she had worn in the club

"Mr. Levitz you seem to have a long and interesting history. Extortion, prostitution, intimidation, drugs"

The suspect has not changed his expression "None of those charges ever stuck"

"Not before today, but let's talk about a new charge…Murder"

Even the threat of this charge brings no change in the man's demeanor

"Mr. Levitz, we have evidence that you were involved in a murder that occurred several years ago"

"Who's murder?

"Bill Gerhardt"

Hearing that name definitely brings a reaction to the man

But trying to act as if he does not know who she is talking about "Why would I kill some man named Gerhardt?"

"Because he killed your parents, Betty and Levi"

Mentioning the name of his parents brings the suspect to silence "What do you mean my parents?"

"The bodies of your parents were found in the fallout shelter under the brownstone. They had been dead evidently since their disappearance in 1970"

His entire tone and demeanor changes substanually "You found them?"

"Yes. The newest owners of the house discovered the entrance to the shelter and when they went inside there were the remains"

After a pause Beckett continues "I understand you were into drugs"

The man sits looking off in the distance before he finally comments "No. That was not what happened. I ran away from home in 1970. We had a fight about my friends. I had got into the protest movement. We were protesting the war at the recruiting station and we protested at the ROTC building at the university. My parents were angry at me for that, not drugs"

"A lot of people were protesting back then" Beckett comments

"Yeah but my parents were angry because they felt like I was protesting the US Government. The same US that rescued them from the Nazi's. They felt like I was being disrespectful of the people who had saved their lives"

He pauses a moment "And I was"

"After you left the city. So what happened? You came back and knew that Gerhardt had killed them and you decided to get revenge? Anyone would understand a 17 year old retaliating"

"No. That's the one regret I have, that I didn't come back and try to reconnect with my family. I stayed away for ten years. I got into the hippy movement in California. When I finally grew up I came back to New York and tried to find my parents, but no one knew them. Someone else lived in the house"

"You were not back here for almost a decade? Did you talk to anyone from the old neighborhood?"

"Only one woman. Our next door neighbor…Virginia. She and mom were best friends. They did everything together. They had coffee every morning. I asked her what happened"

"What did she way?" Beckett is wondering if this woman knew anything

"No! As a matter of fact she seemed a little odd that day when I asked but I just thought it was because my mother had been missing"

"Did she say anything else?"

"Something about events from the past still causing problems. I never understood what she meant"

Beckett is looking at the field reports taken by Ryan. She notices the mention of a woman named Virginal "Do you know her last name and where she is now?"

Beckett can tell he is thinking "Martin. Virgina Martin. And I heard she is in a nursing home in Paramus"

He looks across the desk at Beckett. He seems to have developed sheen over his eyes "I wish I had come back though. Maybe if I had not left they would still be alive"

"No. They were killed about the time you left. We believe that the neighbor Gerhardt killed them using poison gas"

"You mean like the gas chambers from the war?"

"Yes. I have one more question. Did you kill the neighbor Bill Gerhardt?"

"No detective. I have no knowledge of his death. Do you really think he did it?"

"We are relatively sure he did. We believe he was a guard at the concentration camp where your parents were held and after the war he escaped being captured by the Nazi hunters and had come to the city and was hiding here in plain sight"

Barry sits looking off into the distance for a moment before he asks an unusual question

"Were my parents given a proper Jewish burial?"

"No. Their bodies are still in the morgue"

The man is almost to the point of tears "Please contact the closest rabbinical funeral home and have them arrange with the local Synagogue and to have them receive a proper burial. I will pay all the expenses"

"Why don't you do that yourself?" Beckett asks

Barry stands up and walks toward the door "I do not deserve that honor" he takes a hold of his lapel and tears the collar from his jacket as he steps out the door


	13. Chapter 13

Detective Beckett has walked into the observation room beside the main interrogation room where she finds her new boyfriend and her two partners standing looking thru the glass into the now vacant box

"Well, what do you think?" She begins

"I think he is telling the truth" Ryan answers then Esposito confirms his feelings as well

Kate looks at Castle who is standing quiet. Beckett begins to wonder what is happening to her new guy. She reaches out to touch him and wraps her long fingers around his forearm. "You OK?"

Ryan responds "He's fine. We just gave your boy here some instructions"

Beckett looks at her partners "What did you two do?"

Esposito answers "We just told your new man here what we expect from him. That's all"

These two suddenly feel the Beckett glare. Kate then looks back to Castle much more lovingly "Ignore these two. They are harmless"

"They didn't sound harmless" Castle states

Beckett looks back at her partners "Tell Castle you were kidding"

Both men finally laugh at Castle "Listen bro, we were just messing with you. We first thought you were still dating your ex wife but then when Gates mentioned that article in the ledger we checked and found out you were in a holding pattern waiting on Beckett. We figured that you just needed a little tune-up"

The detectives give Castle a fist bump that he takes with a little trepidation

"Now that that's over, we need to go to New Jersey and interview the neighbor" Beckett pulls on Rick's arm "You coming Castle?"

The duo walks to the elevator and punches the button for the basement level. When the door closes the voice of Kate Beckett can be heard loud and clear from inside the elevator cab

"Castle STOP THAT"

* * *

The trip across the Hudson goes very smooth as the rush hour has not yet started and traffic is somewhat light. Even with that, it takes over an hour to arrive at the facility in Paramus

Then, when they arrive and pull in the driveway they notice that the sign identifies this is not only a nursing home but a retirement facility with memory care as well.

After parking her cruiser, the pair step inside where Beckett identifies herself as NYPD and asks for the room number of Virginia Martin

The staff member at the desk asks the pair to wait for a moment while she gets someone to help them

Rick and Kate look around the spacious lobby area. There is nice furniture, a flat screen television hanging over a fireplace. There is a table with nutritious snacks and beverages. Bookcases lined with a wide selection of literature

Castle walks toward a large glass door exiting outside toward a beautiful live planting area with flowers and other greenery surrounding a brick walkway bordered with a concrete fountain and lined with several benches. The sign over the exit door says 'Garden of Serenity'

Beckett steps up behind Rick and wraps her hands around his arm and leans into him "Beautiful and peaceful, isn't it?"

"I hope when I get old I have some place like this where I can live" he comments

Kate takes a stronger grip of his arm and pulls him close so she can speak into his ear "I would rather you stay with me instead" she whispers

He turns to look at Kate "Are you suggesting what I hope you are? Are we really, finally here?"

"Yes we are. Finally" she smiles

A woman's voice can be heard "Detective Beckett?"

Rick and Kate turn in unison toward the sound of the woman

"I am Ruth Grimes. I am the director. I understand you wish to see Virginia?"

"Yes we need to speak to her about a murder that occurred in New York several years ago"

"Detective what information, may I ask, are you needing from Virginia?"

"She was a neighbor of our victims and we were hoping she might be able to fill in some blank spots in our case"

"Well detective we are a retirement and nursing facility along with a memory care unit and Virginia is a resident in that unit. She suffers from a moderate amount of dementia. Her memories come and go. She sometimes is totally lucid and at other times she does not even know her own name"

"Are you telling us that she will not know or remember what happened back then?"

"Possibly. She may remember all or nothing depending on how she is doing when we are able to arrange for you to visit her"

"So. May we see Virginia?"

"Detective. Most of our residents have family that have placed their loved one into our care, but there are others who have no living relatives at all and we are all the patient has to represent them. In the care of Virginia, she is totally in our care. She has no family and we are totally responsible for her wellbeing"

"What does that mean? We cannot see her?"

"Not that detective, it only means that there has to be a patient advocate present whenever there is interaction with a government agency. This is policy. We will be happy to set up a meeting but we do have to arrange, in advance, for an advocate to be present. This does not usually take more than a day or two at the most to set up"

"I understand…" Beckett reaches into her pocket and hands the director a business card "please call me at that number when you can arrange the representative and we will be back here"

The director looks at the card then responds "I will let you know, detective. We are not being difficult, but please understand this is policy"

"I understand. Just let us know"

Castle and Beckett walk out of the building and return to Kate's cruiser

As they begin the return trip to the city Castle reaches across to take her hand "Kate. Back there, when I mentioned being in a place like that when I get old you said something"

He can see a smile on her lips "What you said. Does that mean that you are thinking that we…you and me…we are..."

"Together?"

"I was already thinking we already ARE together?" Rick comments almost as a question

"As in together for…ever?" Beckett finishes

"Kate are you saying that I am you're…?"

"Well, yeah? I mean if you want to be?"

"I do"

"She speaks softly "Good"

He responds as well "good"

The rest of the ride back to the city is in silence. When they cross the Hudson, Beckett finally speaks "Rick, I will drop you off at your place and then I will head home"

"No. please come back to the loft with me"

"Castle, your mother is home and Alexis will be back soon"

"Mother left me a message that she is out for the evening. Something about giving us some extra time alone and Alexis is not due back until tomorrow. So please, let's go back to the loft for now"

Kate smiles gently and tries to think of a real excuse to not go back to his place but nothing comes to mind. She really does want to continue with the 'communications' her and Rick finally began down in the shelter

"OK, but I will drop you off. You make sure the place is clear while I will go by my place and get some more stuff"

Castle smiles to Kate and she returns the emotion

In an hour, Kate has dropped Rick off at his loft, rushed to her place, picked up some more items, and is pulling back into the garage at the loft

She exits the elevator and walks up to the door and knocks. The door swings open almost immediately. Inside the loft she comes face to face with one very happy man who quickly takes her bag from her and carries it back into the bedroom and places it in the closet. He returns to the main room and helps her out of her jacket and places it into the closet

The couple walks to the couch where she finds he has placed a glass of wine. She hears some music playing softly in the background. There are fresh flowers in the vase on the table

Kate looks at all the preparations Rick has made "Are you trying to get me in the mood Castle?" as she sits down taking the glass

"More like making sure you feel comfortable…and loved" As he takes his glass and joins her on the couch "Which I will promise you that you are loved"

After four years of dancing without any music, they spend the next two hours just talking and laughing at their own mistakes. Talking like they have never talked before. Talking about the tension that had built up between them for years. They talk about missed opportunities. Misunderstood words and actions.

Flirting that each one of them had done. Each wanting to go a little further each time but were afraid and did not let it move closer. Their desire to touch one another. Hold each other. The loving looks they gave that they did sometimes in secret but many times evident to the other one, without realizing that it was just building up like in a steam vessel leading to the explosion that finally occurred in the bomb shelter the other day.

Both recalling many different times that they stopped short of what they just should have allowed to happen

"Castle…" She pauses "you remember the time we were investigating the Mistress Venom case and you asked me about me if I ever thought about doing something else with my handcuffs? Other than arresting criminals?"

"Yeah?" Rick responds then a little gasp comes from him as she pulls her set of cuffs from her belt

She has an evil look on her face "Let me demonstrate what I would like to do"

* * *

**A new Morning**

Another day starts up in the Castle loft.

In Castle's bed.

Another morning with Kate beside him.

Another morning beginning with one very happy, very satisfied couple

As Kate begins to stretch her long limbs he can hear e soft groan come from her lips.

"Good morning beautiful"

"Same to you handsome" she reaches up with her lips and gives him a good morning kiss

She looks over his chest to the clock and sees the red clock display telling her it is definitely time to begin another day. As she starts to get up she realizes that her and Castle are still connected by her police issue restraints to the headboard

"Castle will you get the key"

"I don't have the key. I thought you had it"

"OH!" she groans

"What's wrong?"

"My key is in my pants pocket"

"Where's your pants?"

"On the floor at the foot of the bed. Don't you have a key?"

"Yeah in my office in the desk"

The pair look at their wrists then to the foot of the bed then at each other. It is at this moment they both realize that they are tied to the headboard and the key is out of reach

Kate huffs out "Great"

"Can you reach the phone?" Castle asks while looking at her side of the bed but he cannot see any phone there

"No!" she responds with a little more frustration "What were you planning to do? Call the police?"

"NO! but we need to call someone to help or we will have to wait for my mother to come home

That statement causes Beckett to panic "I am NOT being rescued by your mother"

Their mental exercise of trying to determine what to do is interrupted by:

The front door can be heard to slam

"DAD, I'm home"


	14. Chapter 14

As if being caught by her co workers first, then his mother, now his daughter is next to discover the new relationship of the couple. What next?

Rick looks over at Kate and before he can even open his mouth to speak, she comments "I know. Hide!" and she pulls the covers over her head and slides herself up close behind Castle as he turns to face the door

"Pumpkin. I'm in here" he speaks loud enough for Alexis to hear.

"Dad, can I come in?" she is obviously still not comfortable to just open the door to her father's bedroom

"Yes, fine. Come on in"

The door opens slowly and the red headed girl looks around the corner to make sure all is well inside with her father. He does seem to be uncomfortable but nothing else is evident

"How was your trip, Alexis?" He is trying to break the ice

"It started great" she responds "We went to the Smithsonian then the Capital. We were even able to take a tour of the White House. Then we finished with all the other memorials"

"Great Alexis. So you had a lot of fun then?"

"Yeah dad, but then things changed" he tone changes to accusatory

With a noticeable amount of concern in his voice "What happened? Did someone get sick or hurt?"

"No. Nothing that simple. One of the chaperones got a copy of the Ledger and saw a picture my father plastered all over the social page. Number five this time dad?"

"Oh yeah! Alexis, about that…"

"Oh dad, don't worry. I have gotten used to it by now"

"Oh good" Castle comments

"BUT!" Alexis reaches into her pocket and produces several pieces of paper and opens the first one and looks at the writing "My home room teacher wants to know if you would like to have dinner with her on Saturday?" then she flips to the next paper "Ms. Kirby, my English Lit instructor asked if you could join her for brunch on Sunday…"

Castle begins to feel the tiger, he is in love with, playing with her claws against his ribcage again

"Alexis. What did you tell them?" he tries to take her hand but she moves it away quickly

"I didn't tell them anything. Dad I know you are waiting for someone. Someone very special to become available"

"OK" Castle responds just as he is able to take a hold of Kate's hand under the covers

"Anyway, why are you still in bed? You look uncomfortable"

"Well that brings up an interesting little situation. I was working on a scene where Rook has gotten himself handcuffed to his bed and I was trying to figure out a way for him to get loose. But as you see he needs a little help to get out from the cuffs. So could you do me a big favor and get my handcuff key from the top drawer of my desk in the study?"

With a laugh Alexis turns toward his home office "Dad. How do you get yourself into these situations anyway?" as she walks to the desk and pulls out the top drawer. She retrieves the key and starts back into the bedroom and that is when she sees it.

The evidence lying on the floor at the foot of his bed. She sees a pair of women's slacks along with a bra and panties. It appears they are on lying on top of his clothes

Alexis stutter steps as she returns to her father's side of the bed. The anger inside her building with every step she takes

Castle can tell that something has changed in his daughter's demeanor

"Dad. I have no right to say anything, so I will just leave this with you" she drops the key on top of the sheet beside her father and turns to leave "and I will leave you two ALONE"

The high school senior walks briskly out of her father's room, and slams the door on the way

Beckett's head pops up from under the covers and she looks in the direction of the bedroom door "What happened?"

"I have no idea, but I am going to find out"

Kate gently places her hand on his arm "Maybe the Ledger story is a bigger deal to her than you thought. Let's give her some time to calm down and we can tell her our news"

Castle unlocks the cuffs and the couple gets up and heads for the bath room to shower. This time Kate willingly allows Rick to join her in her morning cleansing.

After the couple have finished and dressed they grab a lite breakfast and some coffee, of course, they head out the door. Castle tells Beckett he is going upstairs to tell Alexis goodbye and she acknowledges him. Just as she opens the loft door Kate's phone rings.

"Beckett" Kate listens for just a moment "Great, Castle and I are on our way then" She hangs up and looks up the stairs waiting for the return of her guy

On the second floor Castle has knocked gently on his daughter's door but had received no answer. He cautiously opens the door to find his red headed blessing asleep. He walks over and places a kiss on her temple and covers her with a throw

As they walk to the elevator Beckett tells Rick "We have a meeting with Virginia this morning at 10:00. I told Espo that were are leaving here and headed to New Jersey"

"Great" Rick responds

As they are entering the elevator Beckett asks with no small voice of concern "So what did Alexis have to say? About US I mean?"

"She was asleep. I will try and call her later and talk to her about it"

"Good. I want her to be OK with this…with us"

"Don't worry, Kate. She will be fine. Just like my mother she has been wanting this to happen between us for a long time"

"Good" she says softly

"Good" he responds

* * *

When Castle and Beckett reach the retirement facility and go inside they ask for the director. In a very few moments they are met by the director as before but also another woman is with her.

Director Grimes and the another woman walk up "Detective Becket, Mr. Castle let me introduce you to Ellen Scott. She is the patient advocate"

She turns towards the other woman "Ellen this is Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD and Mr. Richard Castle. He is a civilian consultant to the New York police department"

This other woman is tall, slender, probably mid thirties and very attractive. Long honey blond hair, very similar to Kate's. She is very stunning actually. Kate notices immediately that this woman is checking Rick out.

"Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle" the woman reaches out her hand to Kate but the entire time she has her eyes locked on Castle "Nice to meet you"

Beckett shakes the woman's hand and tries to distract the advocate from her current focus "Thank you for assisting us with our case"

"Of course. What can you tell me about your line of questions from my client?"

"We believe that Virginia might have information about a double murder that occurred in the city in 1970"

"That's over 40 years ago. What information do you need from her?"

"She was the next door neighbor of our victims and we are hoping she might shed some light on the possible suspect in their deaths"

"I hope that Virginia can help. As you know her memories are deteriorating and she might or might not be able to answer your questions right now. It just depends on where she is at the moment"

"Yes we do understand. So where do you want to do this?" Beckett looks around the room thinking that they would want to bring her to a conference room or possible the parlor

"We prefer to let her stay in her apartment. It is home to her and a comfortable place for her to be. She feels best when she is in her own environment. " Director Grimes states "You understand?"

"Yes, of course"

The four begin to walk down the hall towards the wing of the building that Virginia calls home

* * *

**Back in the Castle Loft**

Alexis Castle has awakened from her little cat nap she took after coming home. She goes downstairs to the kitchen to get a snack. She looks into the refrigerator and takes out an apple and bottle of water. She then walks into the living room. She is struggling with the actions of her father. It is evident that since that Ledger article about him being an eligible bachelor again, he has taken advantage of the notoriety and picked up another paramour.

Alexis looks toward his open office door and she walks into his work space. The space where he wrote Derrick Storm and the place where Nikki Heat was born. Alexis walks beside the book cases holding his collection of literature from the lowest of the B grade horror stories to the best of Dickens and Shakespeare. She runs her fingers across the spines of his most loved tales of Nikki and Rook

As she turns to leave she glances into her father's bedroom and notices that there is something on the floor, almost under the bed, on the side opposite from his normal sleeping side.

When she comes closer to the item she can see it appears to be a sheer nightgown. She reaches down and picks it up. When she brings it to eye level she is almost embarrassed, herself, at such a flimsy, flirty item of night wear.

It has almost no material for covering anything and what IS there is completely see thru.

Alexis' face turns red and she drops the item like it is on fire

Thinking out loud she speaks "Dad WHY did you do this? You should have waited for Kate"

Alexis reenters the office just as the house phone rings. She reaches over and picks it up

"Hello?"

"Hi Alexis is Richard there? We need to talk" The voice of his ever irritating ex wife slash publisher echoes in her ears

"No he is out chasing after an impossible goal. Why"

"I saw the article in the Ledger about your dad. About him being number 5 and all and I think this will be great for publicity. I want to set him up on a date with the number 8 most eligible bachelorete and have the photographers close by. You know 'Mystery Writer on a Mystery Date' kind of thing. Have them take pictures, get a few words from the woman to publish about how great it is being on a date with him, who knows he just might find someone more permanent"

Alexis looks into the bedroom at the night gown on the floor "Sure Gina. I think that would be great!"

"There is a charity ball tomorrow night at the Waldorf. We can auction off a first edition Nikki Heat and he can sign it to the winner. I will set it all up. It's a non formal event so Evening Cocktail is the dress code. Tell him the limo will pick him up at 8:00"

Alexis hangs up the phone and thinks aloud again "If you dump Kate Beckett, the best thing that ever happened to you, then you deserve whatever you get"

* * *

**No Alexis bashing !**  
**She is voicing her disgust of her dad having a one night stand instead of being with Kate**

**If she only knew what was really going on**


	15. Chapter 15

Virginia's room is light and airy. The windows open to the bright daylight outside. No fence or retaining wall is visible, only trees, grass and flowers. Anyone sitting in this room, or the entire wing of the building, looking out would immediately think they were in a home gazing out to their own private back yard.

The furniture is simple but still elegant. The bed against one wall, the dresser on the other. A nice television is mounted on the wall and is currently on and showing a baseball game. The resident of this room is sitting in a rocking chair looking at the sporting event being replayed on the screen

As they enter the room, Ruth Grimes tells Beckett and Castle that Virginia seems to be most comfortable watching old baseball games.

The director walks over to the occupant and kneels down to her level, "Virginia, how are you today?" director asks

The woman is slight in stature. She has a full head of all grey hair. Her eyes are blue and they still have a light in them but her age is evident in the frailty of her body.

The woman looks away from the television and to the lady nearby "Hi Ruth. Glad to see you again, sweetie. How are you?"

"I am wonderful. Virginia I have some visitors who came by to see you today and they want to meet you. Do you feel like talking to them?"

"Yes, of course dear. I always like to meet my fans"

Beckett looks at Castle with a question on her face. She leans close "to Rick "Fans?"

He shrugs his shoulders before he responds to Kate "You go talk to her. I will look around"

The director stands back up to full height and turns toward Beckett "Virginia was a baseball player when she was younger and when visitors come around she thinks that they are her fans"

With these words, the crime fighting pair notice one wall of the apartment is covered by photographs of baseball players in uniform and in various poses. Catching balls, pitching and batting. Generally what one expects to see in advertising campaigns?

Beckett turns toward the woman in the chair and she kneels down so she can be at the level of the elderly lady.

"Virginia, my name is Kate and I am so glad to meet you" Beckett speaks with a gentle softness as she holds out her hand

The woman reaches up with her trembling arm and touches Kate on the cheek with her hand "You are so pretty sweetie"

Beckett smiles to the woman "Thank you Virginia. But I am a police officer in New York…"

"I lived in New York once"

"Yes we know. That is why I came to see you. I was wondering if you might help me with something"

"I played baseball in New York"

"Really? That is so nice, but I was wondering if you could help me with something?"

"What can I do to help you darling?" is the question from a shaking voice "are you a fan of baseball?"

"Yes, I love baseball but I need to ask you something else. I am looking into the murder of a neighbor of yours. Do you remember Batty and Levi?"

The woman's face changes from empty to something else. Beckett is not positive what she is seeing on this sweet woman

While Beckett is in conversation with Virginia, Castle is walking around the room and looking at all the memorabilia hanging on the wall and residing on the shelves. There is a photograph in sepia of a woman, very attractive, slender with almost jet black hair wearing a baseball uniform, her left hand covered by a glove, and holding a baseball in the other. Her stance is as if she were ready to throw the ball to someone off camera. There are several more photographs containing more women all wearing the same uniform. Finally there is a team picture of around twenty women, all in uniforms with a man on one side, probably the coach.

Many of the faces have autographs across them. As part of the photograph is a listing of all the players. As he moves from one facial image to another he notices that one name stands out, 'Virginia Martin'.

He looks back to the photo array and back to the names listing and decides that he is looking at a twenty something version of the woman that he and Kate are visiting with.

Below the photograph on the frame is a brass looking plaque that says "New York Queens Baseball Team 1942". Below that, centered on another line "**All-American Girls Professional Baseball League" **

Just as he turns to step back to Beckett's side he almost runs over the director, Ruth Grimes. She has walked up behind Castle almost up against his back.

"Oh I am sorry" Castle states. "I didn't know you were standing there"

The woman does not seem embarrassed in the least over he contact "That's fine. I was just wanting to talk to you a minute"

With a question in his voice "OK?"

"I saw the article in the paper about you. Successful author. Man about town. I was wondering if you were doing anything later tonight. I was wondering if you and I could go out for drinks"

Beckett's head spins around quickly upon hearing the question asked of Castle

"UH…OH…I am honored but I must decline" Castle looks over to the reason for his answer and he gives Kate a gentle smile "I am currently…committed to someone"

"OH the paper indicated you were not attached at the moment"

"Things have changed dramatically since the interview for that article"

"I'm sorry" she reaches out to touch Castle just as Beckett stands to walk back the join the others in the room

'I'm not sorry' Kate thinks to herself as she steps back up beside Rick

The other woman steps away from Castle and Beckett, giving them some level of privacy and Kate whispers into Castle's ear, "I'll show how committed I am, later"

This causes Castle to inhale a deep breath

Pointing at the wall "So Castle what do we have here"

"It appears that Virginia was a baseball player during the war"

Beckett looks across at all the images of the woman's sporting history "My dad told me about this. He said that during the war Mr. Wrigley, the maker of chewing gum, formed the All American Girls Baseball League as a way to keep the game going while the men were off fighting the war"

Castle continues the description "Wrigley field in Chicago was named for him. He promoted the games and kept the country's interest alive during the war. It looks like our lady here was a star on her team"

Castle points at a Baseball Bat framed in a shadow box with a note inside

"Given To Virginia Martin"

"Highest Batting Average 525"

Beckett chuckles "Any pro today would kill for that average" She turns to Castle "I will have to tell my dad about meeting her"

"He will like that" Rick replies "Hey, we can tell him about that and us all at the same time"

Beckett just nods her head gently then returns to her question

"Virginia, I see you played baseball"

"Yes dear" is the somewhat weak reply "I have a scrapbook in the dresser if you want to look at it"

"I would love to look at it. May I?"

"Of course" the woman tries to stand but Beckett tells her that she will have Castle pick it up

Rick steps over to the dresser and pulls out the top drawer and finds two scrapbooks. One has a baseball carved in the leather cover. The other is plain. He removes both from the dresser and begins flipping through the pages. It filled with more photographs but also ticket stubs, programs and postcards all relating to the women's baseball that was played during the war

Castle spends several minutes going over page after page of history. He finally closes the book then moves to the next volume. This one has nothing on the cover but when he opens the top he discovers something he was not expecting.

After several minutes spent reading page after page and reviewing the information he closes the cover and walks to Kate's side "Detective Beckett, may I see you for a moment?"

Using such formal conversation grabs Beckett's attention immediately. The pair steps out into the hall where Castle opens the book and whatever he show's to Kate causes her to react.

After several minutes of her scanning the pages, her face changes noticeably

"Do you know what this means?" She looks up and asks Rick

"I think we have just solved all of our murders"

* * *

**Sorry everyone. No fluff here. Only crimes story**


	16. Chapter 16

**Not a bunch of fluff, sorry**

* * *

"Castle, I need to call the DA and tell him what we found and get his direction as to how to handle this moving forward. We have to go back in there and notify the facility and the advocate as to what we are planning to do"

Kate takes her phone out of her coat and dials the number at the precinct directly to Gates' office. When she answers Beckett describes to the captain the events and what evidence that they are collecting and how it relates to the case. The captain tells Beckett that she will be making the notifications to the local PD and will call Beckett back to tell her everything is handled and that she can proceed with the collection of the evidence

Beckett hangs up on the call and turns back to Castle. This is when she notices he is looking at his phone with confusion on his face

"Everything OK?" She asks

"Not exactly" Castle responds "I just got a text from Gina telling me to be early tomorrow that they want me to do a book signing before the charity event"

Beckett glances over his shoulder at Castle's phone "Charity event? When are you scheduled for a charity event?"

"I'm not. At least not that I am aware of. Hang on while I call and see what this is about"

Castle dials the main number at Black Pawn Publishing. After two rings the receptionist answers "Hi Jane, Rick Castle. Is Gina there? OK thanks"

Rick looks back toward Kate while on the phone "This message says that I need to be there early. I know nothing about this…"

Castle returns his attention to the phone "No Jane, I don't need her to call me. I need to know about this charity event that I am expected to be at. Do you know…" Rick pauses as the lady explains "OK great! Tell Gina I will be there at 5:30 to do autographs. OK Bye"

Castle hangs up on his phone as Beckett looks at him with a question on her face "Castle what's happening?"

"There is a charity fund raiser tomorrow night for the Children's Hospital and Gina put me down to make an appearance and sign autographs. They are auctioning a first edition Nikki Heat that I will sign to the winning bidder"

"What time?"

"The charity event is at 8:00 and the book signing is at 6:00"

Kate looks downtrodden "Tomorrow, Huh?" It is evident that she was hoping for more alone time with her writer

Castle smiles at her "Do you have a nice outfit you can wear? The dress is evening cocktail, not formal"

Beckett's eyes light up and she puts on an evil grin like she is thinking about what she will wear for him "I think I can come up with something. I mean I would if I were invited, that is"

Since there is no one around, Rick wraps his arms around Kate and pulls her up to his chest. "OH! Cinderella, you are definitely invited to the ball and then to the private…I mean a very private after party as well"

"OK, good. I guess all I need to do is to find a date then?" then she pushes him away as her phone begins to ring "Beckett…OK…Yes sir. I understand. I will do that. Thank you sir" Kate hangs up on the call

"Gates got everything cleared by the DA and the Jersey police. We need to go back in there and talk to the director and the patient advocate. We also need to take some of Virginia's stuff with us. Especially those journals and some other items of evidence including that one very special award Virginia has in there"

Beckett opens the room door and asks the two other women to join them in the corridor. Once outside and away from the resident Beckett begins "As I told you, I am investigating some murders in the city that happened over forty years ago"

The advocate acknowledges "Yes detective that is how we understand this"

"When Mr. Castle was looking over the journal that, Virginia invited us to read, he came across some information that has a large bearing on our case. This information that is inside this diary could possibly solve a mystery from over four decades ago. We will be taking several items with us today as evidence"

"Detective, I am an attorney" Ellen Scott states "and without a search warrant you cannot take anything"

Beckett puts on her firmest detective face and voice "Ms. Scott. Your client offered the books for us to read and the items we are going to take are in plain sight and were visible to us on our entry to the room therefore we can take them. If you want to challenge this decision, I suggest you take that up with the District Attorney. My office has verified with him and he says that we can, in fact, take these with us"

Having made her statement, Beckett and Castle walk back into the room and begin to pick up several items including the journals and after telling the occupant goodbye they all four walk out of the room

"Detective "The advocate starts her statement "rest assured that we will challenge the authority to take these items and their viability as evidence"

"Ms. Scott. Please contact whomever you wish but these items are now evidence in a murder investigation"

Castle and Beckett exit the building. They load the seized materials in Beckett's cruiser and the pair begin their tip back to Manhattan

* * *

On the road and away from the prying eyes and ears of the two women Kate finally decides to bring up something that has been bothering her since the casual flirting back in the retirement facility

"Castle…" she pauses in her question trying to think about how she wants to ask him "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah. The notes in the second journal are pretty detailed and I think that Virginia was there…"

Her face is not telling him what is happening in her mind "No…not the case. I mean about US? You and me?"

Castle's demeanor turns from giddy about the case to concern for her "Kate. I have absolutely no concern about this" pointing between him and her "what brought that up?"

She shakes her head "I don't know. Just we have sort of jumped the shark. We went from just partners with nothing happening between us personally, to sleeping together, to talking about our always in a matter of three days. And now you are invited to a charity ball with dignitaries and fancy dresses and…"

"Are you worried that you don't have a dress?"

"Well it is kind of sudden and I am not sure what I have would be suitable for this"

"You are not trying to worm out of going are you?"

"No?" she responds almost like she is questioning herself

"If you are not sure you have a dress to wear, we will stop when we get back to the city and pick up something for you. There is a dress shop downtown that mother and Alexis frequent that has some of the most beautiful ensembles that have graced my two, now three favorite ladies"

"Castle that is not necessary. I am sure I can find something"

"No! It's settled. We will go to Palo's Dresses when we get back"

Castle reaches across and places his hand on her leg and squeezes gently. He can tell, however, that she is still not comfortable

"But Kate. If you don't feel like you want to go. We won't go"

"Castle! you have to go"

"No I don't! Not if I don't want to" he slides his hand up and over her hand and then takes her fingers into his "Kate, you are the most important person in my life along with Alexis and my mother. What brought this on?"

"I don't know. I got to thinking about these soirées. That is not how I grew up. No fancy balls. No proms…You remember the first Nikki Heat book party?"

Castle face turns into one large smile "OH…YEAH!" his mind is traveling to that night and what she was wearing when she came in and seized the room

She continues "I felt like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I was so out of my comfort zone. I was scared to death"

"Kate. You were the hottest thing there that night. You took my breath away"

She lets out a sigh "Really?"

"When you walked in that room the world stopped turning. Every eye was fixed on your beauty. You know that that night might have been the moment I fell in love with you"

She puts on a small smile "So…" she starts her statement, pauses, then finishes "then we are going public with this?"

"Very public. Tomorrow night. I will be arriving with my partner. My girlfriend. The love of my life" he takes in a breath "My fiancé…? If she says yes"

Beckett almost drives the car off the road

"What?"


	17. Chapter 17

Richard Castle has realized that what he just said almost caused a wreck. Kate has turned her cruiser into an ally abruptly and fortunately for both of them, she was able to put it into park. Her hands are gripping the steering wheel so hard that she is positive that her fingerprints are now permanently embossed in the plastic interior of the wheel

She has turned to him and her gaze fixed on Castle's eyes with her face a bright shade of crimson.

"CASTLE! UH! I…what did you mean by that? Were you actually proposing to me?"

"Well, not exactly a real proposal. I would prefer to do that in a more romantic place, like a helicopter ride, hot air balloon, or even a skywriter"

She huffs out in response to his comment "Castle we have only been together for three days. You could not possibly mean that…"

"Kate. We have been TOGETHER for four years. Just not like we are now" he thinks briefly before continuing "Tell me something. What is the longest you have ever been in a relationship with any man?"

His question brings out a different, larger, question in her mind. Not just how long has she been in any relationship, but how important was that or any relationship before? What has been the longest she was ever in a relationship with someone? Six months? A year at the most? But never. Never for as long as she has known Rick.

And as far as a relationships go, he has been the most important person in her life for four years just like he had said about her.

No man has ever done to her heart what Rick Castle has done. He loved her work. He respected her.

She knows he is right about THEM. They are a couple and have been a couple for years.

Dinners at Remy's

Takeout at General PO's Chinese

Pizza delivered at his loft or her apartment.

Even a movie at the Angelica or a movie with his family at his home

Late night theory building

And then the coffee every morning

They have already been in a relationship. A real relationship

Just not an intimate relationship. At least not before now

He hit the nail on the head she thinks. They have been a couple for years. Several years in fact

"I did lead you on to this point a little. Didn't I?"

"You mean when you told me that this was IT for you?"

"I believe you said the same thing back"

"So then, when I do bring out the jewelry? What will you say?

"Castle…I…uh…"

"Kate! This was not the real proposal. I want that event to be romantic. Sweet. Intimate. Memorable. Not done while driving down Wall Street carrying evidence back to the station. But I promise I will be doing that"

She smiles back to him "I guess we have been everything a couple is supposed to be except…you know… the other stuff"

"The fun stuff?"

"Yeah. The fun stuff"

He laughs softly "Did you mean the fun stuff like getting caught?"

"Oh, yeah" she huffs out

"Look at it this way. We were caught by Ryan and Esposito. I am positive they told Lanie. Then my mother and finally Alexis"

"At least we weren't caught by my dad"

"True. That would have been real embarrassing to be caught by my girlfriend's dad"

"Castle. Are you telling me that you were NEVER caught making out with a girl by her father?"

"Making out? YES. The other. NO"

"Let's just keep it that way. OK?"

"Got it"

* * *

**12th Precinct Mid Afternoon**

Castle and Beckett have just come upstairs from booking the evidence into the property room in the basement and have brought up all the items to the 4th floor and into the conference room.

She had already called CSU in to go over the materials she brought in but since these items have been out in the world for over forty years they do not expect to locate much in the way of DNA, prints, or trace. Only one item might. Just might have discoverable data and CSU takes that item to the central lab for processing.

Beckett and Castle are sitting at the conference table with the two books open in front of them. Page after page is flipped with Beckett taking notes from the information written inside. Whenever she is not writing notes, she unintentionally is leaned up to Rick's side with her head almost on his shoulder. Castle realizes just how comfortable Kate has become next to him and he is definitely enjoying the closeness that now prevails between them even in this public place

Beckett is writing notes as to a time line. She looks over her own notes realizing she is now profiling a murder that occurred ten years before she was even born. Instead of hours this time line is in days instead of hours.

She has drawn a star configuration with the victim in the center and the possible connections to the victim and the suspects. Each spoke has reasons as to why or why not the suspect should be connected. She realizes that she is only firming up the case. The evidence clearly tells them what happened but due to many factors, especially the age of the crime and the reasons for the murder, she must have every base covered, so to speak, before making an arrest.

The clock on the wall moves close to 5:00 PM when Rick reaches over and touches Kate's arm. "He. CSU will not have results until tomorrow and we need to go if we are going to get to the dress shop before they close"

"Rick! You don't have to buy me a…"

Castle places a finger on her lip stopping her statement "Time to go"

She smiles back at him "OK. Let me get my bag"

Castle closes the book and places it back into the evidence locker and joins Kate beside her desk

The couple moves to the elevator and during the walk are bouncing theories back and forth just like they have done so many times over the last few years. This conversation brings to the forefront of her mind exactly what he meant about them being together for so long. The elevator door finally opens and the couple step inside. The doors close and as the cab begins its descent, a voice from inside the cab can again be heard "CASTLE! Stop that"

Katherine Beckett has never in her entire life been in a dress store anywhere comparable with the one she is currently inside. Besides the fact that the dresses all appear to be 'One of a Kind' and glamourous, there is not a price tag on any of them

Kate selects several items from the cocktail dress' rack and goes to try them on. When she reenters the room with a silky off the shoulder light and airy light red dress Castle can be heard gasp and his eyes almost pop put of his head

"Kate…that's...I….uh…WOW!"

"You like it"

"Yeah. We'll take this one"

Beckett leans into Castle's shoulder to whisper in his ear "Rick. There are no prices. I don't know if I can afford this"

He uses the closeness to kiss her "This is on me. Now go change so we can grab a bite and go home"

She returns to the main room after changing back to find castle talking to the owner. A man who obviously knows Castle and his family

Palo is in the process of wrapping her new dress into a carry bag as Rick pulls out his wallet getting ready to present his platinum card to the man

She huffs back at him "Castle! You cannot do this. I will buy my own dress"

Rick grins at Kate then shakes his head before he turns back toward the proprietor as he is finishing bagging Kate's new dress

Beckett look across the counter to the owner "Palo, can I ask you something?"

"Certainly Ms. Beckett. What can I do for one of the loveliest ladies to ever grace my shop?"

"I was wondering about your pricing. Would you give me the method of your prices?"

"Yes, of course. The dresses on the front racks are from forty and up the second row are from thirty. The third row are twenty and finally the cocktail dresses begin at ten"

Castle can feel her fingers grab into his arm as her hot breath enters as a whisper into his ear "TEN THOUSAND?"

He shakes his head in a positive response

"Wh...What? Castle I can't afford to even look in the window of this store. Let alone walk inside the door and buying is out of the question" Her breathing is quickening "Rick, we need to go. I can stop off at the dress shop around the corner from my apartment to get something"

Castle reaches over and gives Kate a soft kiss "No. I am doing this for my new girlfriend, we are taking this home, and then we go get dinner. And after that we can do that other thing…" He leave the sentence open

Kate smiles at Rick raising her eyebrow "I think I will like that other thing…"

Back into her cruiser they discuss trying a New Greek Restaurant in the village, but they decide it is best to drop the dress off at the loft before going to dinner.

She pulls up to the curb outside the Rick's building and he jumps out "I'll be back in five minutes" and he rushes up the steps and inside

After she watches to door close Kates leans back against the head rest and sighs "Is this really happening to me?" she says aloud to herself

Moments later she opens her eyes and sees a group of about fifteen girls enter the front door of the building. One appears to be Alexis. It appears she has some gathering of her classmates

Over the next few minutes her mind drifts back to where her life has gone in just three days. She had wanting to do something to change her relationship with Rick and now here they are. And it is nice. The longer she waits and thinks, the less interested she is in the Greek food and the more interested in the 'other thing' that Castle had suggested

About five minutes Castle reappears at the side door and gets back in the car. "Alexis showed up with her French Club"

"Yeah. I saw them arrive just after you went up" As Kate pulls off from the curb she reaches over and takes Rick's hand and intertwines her fingers into his. This does not help her or her heart and her mind decide she would rather have something other than food.

As she turns the car toward her apartment building she pulls their linked hands from her side to her thigh.

Castle notices the change in direction and turns toward her with a question on his face "Kate? Isn't the Greek café in the village?"

She takes a deep breath "Yeah, but my place is this way and there is nobody there"

Castle quickly picks up on exactly what she has in mind and is in total agreement with her decision "I understand. We can order in?"

She look straight ahead "We can do that too"

As the cruiser pulls into the parking space the two are fighting their feelings and are having a great deal of difficulty keeping their hands off each other.

In the lobby they have been able to keep a discrete distance waiting but once inside the elevator a voice from inside can be heard "CASTLE…don't stop!"

The trip from the elevator to her apartment door is filled with fumbling, fondling, and kissing mixed with attempts to walk a few feet. Once the door to her apartment door closes…

Thirty minutes later the two are cuddling on her bed with Castle pulled up behind Kate with his arm around her and softly nibbling on her ear and whispering into her ear.

"Kate…I…I can't believe how far we have come"

She snuggles back closer behind him "I know" She turns her head to look at him "I need you to know something"

"Hum?"

"I have never had this"

"SEX?"

She giggles "No" she turns to completely over to face him "Love. Real Love"

"You have it now"

"I know" she responds as she kisses him

Their moment of bliss is interrupted by a knock on her front door. She turns her head toward the entry way "I wonder who that could be?"

Beckett jumps up and finds her dressing gown and then throws a robe to Rick who puts it on quickly realizes it is way too small for him and he follows her to the entryway

As she arrives at her door she peers through the peephole and shock appears on her face "OH MY GOSH!"

Castle responds "What it?"

"Today is Thursday? Isn't it?"

"Yeah" Rick answers

"I forgot, I had dinner plans with my dad"


	18. Chapter 18

Kate has turned back at Castle "Quick! Hide! In the closet"

"What? I'm not hiding in there"

"I hid. You can too"

"Wait…Beckett we agreed that we were already out in the open so why don't we just open the door to your father?"

"CASTLE! I am not telling my dad we are a couple while standing in my living room with you in my housecoat and wearing nothing else and me almost naked in this cover-up! So go back in the bedroom and close the door"

Castle retreats to her room and pulls the door closed as Kate looks herself over and makes sure she is properly covered

Kate waits until the room is clear and he is out of sight. She then pulls open the apartment entry

"Hey Dad. I forgot you were coming over tonight" She is trying to cover for all the odd things that are totally obvious going on here

Jim definitely can tell by her demeanor that his daughter is hiding something "Katie? Should I come back later?

"UH…no…I just… I mean I came home and got undressed then fell asleep on the couch" she points toward the divan where all the pillows are in their perfect places and the throw is folded and placed properly on the back indicating that, probably, no one was asleep on this resting place

Jim enters his daughter's home carrying one box of pizza and a sack of other things from their local favorite, Carlo's Pizza Oven around the corner. He sets the packages on the counter and proceeds to take his coat off and lays it across the back of one of the dining room chairs

"Katie, you look flushed. Is everything OK? You don't have a fever do you?"

She realizes her face must be totally red at his statement "No, I just…I thought I might not be properly dressed for my dad. That's all"

Then trying to deflect any more embarrassing statements she goes to the boxes he just brought in "So, what did you get for us?"

"The usual. Pepperoni and green olives along with a salad for you and I brought your favorite creamy garlic dressing. The one you like so much"

Her mind immediately goes to the dressing. There is no way she can eat this garlic dressing and then go kiss Castle. At least for several hours. She will smell like the dressing and he will not want to continue their earlier activities.

"Thanks dad, but tonight I think I will try this new vinaigrette that I just bought"

"OK. If it's that good, I may like to try it myself"

Whew! She thinks. He did not pick up on that

Meanwhile in her bedroom, Richard Castle has had time to dress and is currently listening to Beckett and her father's conversation. He wants, so bad, to just walk up to Jim Beckett and say 'Hi Jim. I am in love with your daughter and I want to marry her. Is that OK with you?' But he knows that NOW is not the moment for that, so he decides to just listen and wait

The father-daughter pair has plated up the food and proceeded to the dining room table where they continue the visit.

Kate starts up the conversation hoping to deflect any thoughts her father might have as to why she is not dressed "So dad what is happening in your life?"

"Not a lot. We have a product liability case for one of our clients. A man cut himself with a chainsaw while trying to cut down a tree. He was standing on top of a kitchen chair on top of a wooden box cutting a limb when the chair leg poked thru the top of the box and he fell to the ground cutting himself on a broken branch"

"And he is blaming the chainsaw?"

"No. The chair. He is suing the chair manufacturer. He said the bottom of the leg was too narrow and caused it to poke a hole in the top of the box"

Castle almost chokes trying to suppress his laughter from that comment causing Jim to turn toward the sound

"Is there someone here, Katie?"

"UH! No dad. Why?"

"I just thought I heard something"

Kate looks toward her room to see the door is slightly ajar. She can just make out the outline of Castle and gives him a very serious glare with those fierce hazel eyes of hers

"Well Katie, are you making out?"

Her face goes red "What? Making out? What do you mean?"

"You know. How are you doing?"

"OH! Great, dad, just great"

Jim continues "So has anything new and exciting happened in your life?"

"What?" Her brain is more worried about her heart is doing rather than her father actually means with his questions

"So what kind of wild crazy things has my favorite daughter been up to lately?"

She takes a deep breath trying to calm her nerves "Oh you know the usual. Murders"

Kate takes a bite of her salad to avoid letting her dad see her distraction

"Well Katie, have you been on a Hard One today?"

She tried not to let her mind go down that road, but it did. She did not know it was even possible to blow lettuce out your nose

"Hard? What? Uh! Yeah it was hard. It was a hard case "

She looks toward the bedroom door and can see Rick smirk. He is not helping this

"So this is one case you can really wrap yourself around?"

Every phrase he says is traveling inside her head differently that it was meant by him

'I wish he would quit using these terms' she thinks

"Why do say that, dad?" she chokes out

"I am not real sure. But there is something different about you today. You seem happy like there is some change in you. You seem to be glowing"

The more her father talked the hotter the room felt

"You must be really enjoying this case you're on if it makes you glow this way"

Trying to move the conversation away from where it is heading "So dad this case is very unusual. The victims were killed forty-five years ago"

"WOW. That is a long time. In fact Johanna and I were still in law school then"

"That's about what I thought"

"Alright. Tell me about them"

Kate thinks 'good we are finally moving away from the discussions that were only causing me to think about Castle'

"They were discovered in a hidden bomb shelter from the 60's or 70's. There was evidence that they might have been killed by a neighbor that might have been a Nazi concentration camp guard"

"Were they prisoners there?"

"Yes they were Jewish and concentration camp prisoners"

"Well then did you talk to the neighbor? Is he still alive?"

"No. Actually he was murdered a short time after the other two disappeared, except his was a street crime. He was found beat to death in an alley"

"Did they solve his death?"

"No. His case is also still open also"

"Do you think the cases are linked?"

"Yeah, dad we do. Castle found a diary in the shelter. The victims thought the neighbor was the camp guard. There were pictures and letters in the book that suggested that the victims were tracking the neighbor"

"Do you think there is a connection?"

"Yes. We have evidence the neighbor killed the couple with poison gas"

"Really?"

"Castle found the empty canister in the shelter while we were trapped down there"

"Trapped? What do you mean trapped?"

"Castle and I got trapped in the shelter for two days when the bomb door closed and locked trapping us inside"

"So you and Rick were trapped ALONE together for two days?"

"UH Yeah?" She can feel her face beginning to flush again

"And did something happen?"

"What do you mean? Happen? Like what?"

"Katie, the last time I saw you, I asked you if you were seeing someone and you said no. I then asked why and you said it was complicated. That has been your code word excuse about Castle for the last four years. Then you tell me you were trapped in a room with him for two days and now you are radiant like a woman in love"

"DAD!"

Jim Beckett reaches across the table to his daughter's hand "Katie. I see something here that I have only seen once before in my life"

She looks at her father and her eyes give away that she has a question

"I see a look on my daughter that has never shown by her before. It is the same look I got from your mother on our wedding day when she entered the church. Her love for me filled my heart. Now I see my daughter glowing like the morning sun because …"

Kate Beckett smiles and tears of happiness flow down her face

Jim finished his statement "my girl is in love"

* * *

**A/A OK Enough of this mushy stuff. Next chapter goes back to business**


	19. Chapter 19

**I rarely respond publicly to reviews but this one just got to me. A guest was totally critical of my last chapter. Blasting Beckett for making Rick hide. Eating with her father. Etc. I think they TOTALLY missed the reason I did that**

** For the humor. **

**This story is A/U and designed to be FUN not a serious novel and as I said earlier certainly NOT following the canon of the TV show**

**So for ALL the rest of you that got a laugh where laughs were written.**

**THANKS!**

* * *

The smile across Katherine Beckett's face and the sheen of unshed tears of joy told her father all he needed to know about the status of his little girl. A father can tell when his child is hurting and when she is not.

What Jim Beckett sees today in his only daughter is the opposite of unhappy, the TOTAL opposite of hutting. He can tell that for the first time ever, his girl is happy.

Completely Happy

"Can I tell him he can come in here?" Jim asks of his daughter

Kate responds by nodding her head to the affirmative

Jim turns his head slightly toward her bedroom "Rick we have plenty of pizza. If you would you like a slice?"

At that statement, the door can be heard to open as Rick appears from the shadows and walks into the dining room. He sits down at the table between Kate and her father. She places her hand, closest to Rick, on the table top for him to take

Richard Castle, a large man formerly known for his wild, not caring what people thought of him attitude, speaks respectfully to his now girlfriend's father "Hello Mr. Beckett"

"I think it would be most appropriate for you to call me Jim now. Don't you?"

"Yes sir"

"Dad. I'm sorry I tried to hide this new thing with Rick from you. We just got together and we…"

"Katie. I understand. This is something totally new for you. You have never been this deep in a relationship before and you are just protecting your emotions"

Kate smiles while looking at her hands linked to the two men she loves the most or has ever really loved at all

"What do you mean, deep? We just started up three days ago"

"No Katie. You started four years ago. It finally built up to where it should be"

As Kate looks across at her father questioningly Castle comments "See I told you. Everyone knew it except us"

"I guess so" She finishes with Rick's thought then cuts her eyes at Castle "So dad. I want you to meet my new boyfriend Richard Castle"

She then decides to add some brevity to the conversation "He is this famous mystery writer, playboy. Skirt chaser…you know the type bad boy I always went after when I was younger"

"HEY!" Rick cuts her off with a laugh

She finishes "…dad, I love him and he loves me. He takes care of me when I'm sick or needing. He consoles me when I'm hurting. He stands beside me when I need a partner. And I will say he is pretty good figuring out stuff at crime scenes…"

"Pretty Good?" Rick cuts back at her

"OK maybe more than just pretty good. He makes really good coffee…oh and one more thing" her eyes are locked on his "And even with all faults, he still says he wants to marry me…"

Castle's mouth falls open but Jim Beckett does not seemed surprised

"And dad, since you are here I think he has something he would like to ask you"

* * *

**8:00 AM Friday morning 12****th**** Precinct**

The elevator opens and the happiest couple in the city are moving toward her desk. When they finally reach the murder board, Rick looks over to the information detailed there

"Has the lab results come back yet" Beckett asks Esposito

"Yeah I think it is in this morning's run. But I have not had a chance to look yet"

Beckett takes an envelope from out of her in-basket and begins reading over the information

"Castle, look here" Kate points out the data listed "I want to go to the morgue and verify some things with Lanie"

"Right with you" comes the response

Once more when the two lovebirds enter the elevator and just moments after the doors close Kate's voice can be hear "CASTLE…STop…that…mmmm"

* * *

**Morgue**

Doctor Lanie Parish is standing over a work table reviewing the details on her latest victim when she hears the outer doors open. She looks up to see her best friend and that friend's tag-a-long walking down the corridor towards the entry into the lab

When Kate enters the main work space, leaving Castle outside, Lanie does not move for several seconds to just add a little tension to the situation

"Well look what the cat dragged in…and yes I am talking about you, girlfriend"

Beckett responds "What did I do?"

"You know exactly what you did. You went and got yourself a new boyfriend and did not even tell your best friend you were working on doing that"

"Lanie! " Beckett whines "It just happened. I mean it wasn't planned. We just realized that …Oh never mind" Kate realizes that nothing she says will suite the answer Lanie wants

"Kate, don't worry about it. I think I figured out what happened with you two and I am so happy that you two finally got your act together"

"Thanks, Lanie. So can Castle come in and you not slice and dice him"

Lanie picks up a sharp instrument "Sure. Tell him to come on in"

Kate waves to Rick who enters the doors. "Is it safe?"

Dr. Parish drops the scalpel and wraps Rick in a hug "Come here writer boy"

"Are you good with this" Castle asks

"Are you kidding? We have all just been waiting for you two to get your heads out of your own backsides and do what you two finally did" Lanie pauses

"I mean you did do it right?"

Kate almost chokes "LANIE!"

The medical examiner looks back at Beckett "So what can I do for my best couple friends?"

Beckett takes two files from her bag and hands them to Lanie "This is the information I need compared. The old case file is from 1970. I am not sure how much help you can get from the contents. And the second is the CSU report from the evidence we brought in from Virginia's apartment. Can you tell me if these cases connect?"

Lanie takes the two files from Kate "OH I didn't tell you but Javi went into the archives and pulled old original file box from 1970. Inside the box was an unidentified wood chip there was a blood sample. I thought it might be too degraded to run DNA and it was, but there was other tests I could do and there is a match"

"What kind of a match?" Kate asks

"The victim's blood type was AB negative. The rarest type in the world and the sample from the evidence was also AB negative. The victim had not only the rarest blood type but a rare blood disorder"

Castle questions "What is that?"

"He had Hemophilia"

"And?"

"The evidence sample also showed Hemophilia"

Beckett has the facial expression that Natalie Rhodes mentioned she gets when she has a suspect "So the bat was the murder weapon?"

"No doubt in my mind. Even without DNA, the blood evidence on the head of the bat came from the victim"

Beckett then asks "Did we get a fingerprint from the bat?"

"Lanie responds "Yes we did"

Kate looks at Rick "We need to get a fingerprint from Virginia to see if we get a match"

Lanie hands the CSU report over to Beckett "No. She is not your killer"

Kate's face changes to confusion "Is this right?"

* * *

**12****th**** Precinct Conference Room Early Afternoon**

Castle and Beckett walk into the conference room closing the door as they do. Waiting inside are Virginia's nursing home director Ruth Grimes, the patient advocate Ellen Scott and the neighbors from the deli Ruth and Sarah Finkelstein

Kate starts up in her usual take control of a room manor "Thanks everyone for coming in today"

Castle is closing the door behind Beckett

"We have been going over the evidence on the deaths of Barry and Levi Levitz and the murder of Bill Gerhardt and we wanted to tell all of you what we found"

Kate places a file on the table and takes out a photograph. "This is the canister that was discovered in the air intake for the bomb shelter. It was of German origination. It also had a set of fingerprints that we were able to match to the neighbor, Mr. Gerhardt. So we have determined that he is the one who dropped the canister into the air shaft killing Betty and Levi"

Beckett pauses, letting the truths soak in to the assembles group

The patient advocate, Ellen Scott speaks up "So what does this have to do with my client Virginia?"

"That brings us to the murder of Mr. Gerhardt that occurred shortly after the Levitz disappeared" Beckett pauses "Mr. Gerhardt was found beaten to death in an alley with no suspects nor was a murder weapon ever found…until now"

Beckett pulls out the photograph of the framed baseball bat that Virginia had in her room at the home. "Mr. Castle noticed the bat was inside the award case incorrectly"

"Director Grimes pipes up "How can a round bat be inside a display case wrong?"

Rick answers the question "An award bat is always placed so the manufacturer logo is clearly in then center and right side up. The bat was installed not only backwards but with the name plate on the back side. The bat had been put back in the case backwards to hide the chip missing from the end and the blood evidence"

"Are you suggesting my resident was the person who murdered this Gerhardt guy" Director Grimes asks

"Beckett smirks slightly "No. The murderer was Not Virginia. But we did find a fingerprint on the bat that did not belong"

Everyone looks at Kate who looks at the older woman "Mrs. Finkelstein can you tell me about your husband"

The elderly woman speaks "My Joseph. Rest his soul?"

"Yes. Joseph Finkelstein, we found your husband's fingerprints on the handle of the bat. But we also have Virginia's diary and the Levitz journals"

Sara reaches over to her grandmother "nana. What are they talking about?"

"The Levitz and your grandparents were watching the neighbor and keeping records of his activities. After the Levitz vanished your grandparents and Virginia kept following him.

Then Ruth starts telling the story "Your grandfather Joseph was taking Virginia's award to a hardware store to get a new glass one day the old one had become cracked, when he saw Gerhardt. Joseph told me he saw Gerhardt talking to another man in an alley. He watched them for a few minutes and as they parted the two men gave each other the Hitler salute"

The older woman is struggling to finish "My Joseph said he could not help himself. The fury filled him. He said he took the bat out and used it on the man. I am so sorry Sarah"

The woman is now in tears

* * *

**Later in the day**

Rick reaches down to touch Beckett's shoulders and gently rubs his hands to her neck "Kate. Are you OK?"

She has pain in her face "Yeah! This was such an emotional case and I still have to write up my report before shift end"

"Kate I need to go to that stupid book signing and if you don't feel like it, we can skip the charity…"

"No Castle. It's for Children's Hospital. We need to go"

"Kate, if you don't feel like going you don't have to go"

She reaches up to his hand and puts her fingers over his. No you spent a lot of money on that dress and you deserve to see it on display"

"Or rather I want to have YOU with me in the dress"

"Rick, I love you" she almost whispers

He leans down and kisses her on the temple "Love you too. Come to the loft when you get off and change. I will schedule a car to pick up you and Alexis"

"OK"

She turns back to her desk and the report that is waiting for her


	20. Chapter 20

Detective Becket has finally, FINALLY finished the report on the case of the victims found in the fallout shelter and the cold case involving a man found in an alley 45 years ago. This was an exceptionally difficult report to write up. It has so many twists and turns not to mention the cases were 45 years old

She reviews the final documents one last time then signs the report and places the files into her out basket.

She leans back into her chair and lets out a well earned sigh.

In all the prior times when she was wrapping up the paperwork her writer and ever present shadow had already left to avoid being around the 'boring' paperwork. He might have left before because of the paperwork, but he in many other ways he was always here for her

Today was different in only one way. He was not gone to avoid paperwork. He was gone to be at a prior commitment. And she will be joining him soon

The last time she was here finishing up on a case like this, she was alone. Not just alone at her desk but alone in her personal life as well. Afterwards she would have left the station, dropped by the Chinese takeout, went home alone, get into a hot bath, then would have spent the rest of the evening eating alone before going to bed. Also alone

Tonight will be very different. Tonight she will be going to a fancy fund raiser with her new boyfriend and will be experiencing what she expects to be a long night facing the media. This is the one thing about her new guy that still gives her pause to think about what she is jumping into

She knows now that she needs to go be with him. She needs to go get ready. Get dressed up so she can be at a fancy event. An event filled with dignitaries. Famous celebrities and actors. City officials and people with money. More accurately now, she WANTS to be with him.

She takes a deep breath before standing up from her desk, grabbing her bag, and heading to the elevator

Once the doors slide shut she closes her eyes and thinks about all the more recent elevator rides when Castle would bend down and nibble on her neck causing her to chide him. Even though she told him to stop, she really enjoyed every nibble. This thought brings a smile to her face

She hurries through New York traffic to get to her apartment to pick up some items she needs for tonight. Shoes, some underwear appropriate for the dress she will be wearing, a makeup bag that she will fill with the cosmetics that she does not normally wear to work but only to special occasions. It has been a very long time since she went out like tonight.

Once she gathers the necessary personal items, she grabs another, more leisurely, change of clothes for tomorrow. Since she is not on call and she is expecting to go home with Rick again tonight so she will need something to put on in the morning.

The drive to the loft is fairly easy even though rush hour has begun. It does take a little longer than she wanted it to be.

When she arrives at the building she pulls into the parking garage using the card key Castle had given to her to open the gate. He told her this is just one more step for them to be one. She agreed to accept this happily

She gathers up the clothing and cosmetic items she brought and rides the elevator to the second floor and down the hall to the loft door. Castle had told her that Alexis and, probably, Martha would both be home and they would let her in. Beckett knocks on the loft door and a minute later she hears the latch being released

Inside the loft, Alexis is running around in her attempt to be completely ready before the car service her father ordered arrives to pick her up. She has just finished her makeup and hair when she hears the knock at the door.

"Grams, there's someone at the door" Alexis yells down the stairs

Martha responds "I've got it"

As she rushes to answer the visitor, she wonders who it could possibly be. Maybe her son ordered something and it is being delivered.

The woman takes the handle of the door and swings it open.

"Katherine, darling" Martha begins "You're not ready?"

"Martha, my dress is here and I am running late"

Martha offers to carry something "OH Can I help?"

"No I just need to go get ready" and Beckett rushes toward the bedroom

Alexis Castle finished dressing and has reached the bottom of the stairs when she hears a noise coming from her dad's room

"Grams who's in there?" pointing to the door just as Kate sticks her head around the corner

"Hi Alexis"

Alexis is shocked to see a woman at her father's bedroom door she honestly did not expect to see tonight or possibly ever again.

"Detective Beckett?" the teenager says more of a question than a statement "Wh…what are you doing here?"

"I came here so I could change"

"Change? Change into what?"

"My dress for the fund raiser tonight. It is in the closet" Beckett points toward the bedroom

Alexis is stunned by Kate's response. Why would her dad let Detective Beckett change clothes here and why is she going to the fund raiser anyway? "UH!...I…Detective. I need to ask…"

"Alexis, can we talk while I start getting ready? I am running a little late" Beckett walks back into the bedroom

"UH, yeah?" Alexis is very confused as she follows Kate into her father's room

As Beckett walks directly into the bathroom like she is comfortable in her dad's private space, Alexis glances to the floor where she had seen the nightgown earlier. She sees that it is no longer on the floor

"UH, Detective Beckett I was…"

Beckett cuts her off "Alexis, please call me Kate. Detective Beckett is not here tonight. I left her at the station. I'm just Kate now"

"O….KAY?" The teenager responds still wondering exactly what is happening. Alexis watches as Kate opens her cosmetic bag and begins placing her beauty items on the second sink in the room as if she knows exactly where Rick's items are and…

Beckett reaches up takes her hair down from the bun she had worn all day

"Detective…I mean Kate? You…I… I don't understand something"

Kate looks in the mirror at Alexis "What don't you understand?"

"You…here…now like this. Like you live here"

"I have not decided yet about moving in but we are talking about it"

"What do you mean….?" Alexis takes a deep breath "Detective Beckett? Are you and my dad…?"

Kate stops in her makeup work and looks at Alexis again. She has started to worry that the girl is not OK with this

"Alexis. I am so sorry. Your dad hasn't told you about us? About him and me?"

"UH…NO…I thought…"

Kate suddenly feels frightened. She is afraid that Alexis is not happy about this. Beckett turns to the younger girl

"Alexis. I will never do anything to come between you and your dad. Or even to cause you problems, so if this…me…us being together is a problem for you, I will leave right now and…"

Alexis has turned a deeper shade of crimson than her skin is normally "OH! NO! PLEASE! You don't understand. I didn't understand. Yesterday when I came home and dad was handcuffed in the bed? I thought he had picked up some…some random woman"

Beckett instantly turns bright red "Those were MY cuffs Lex. I was on the other end"

"You mean you and my dad FINALLY got together?"

Kate takes Alexis by the hand "Yes. Is that OK with you?"

"OK? OK? Are you kidding me? It is more than just OK it is fabulous"

Alexis stops talking for just a moment "Was that YOUR nightgown I found on the floor?"

Beckett turns red once again "Yeah I guess it was. She looks down at her own feet. This is embarrassing"

"I bet my dad like it"

Kate just smiles "Yeah I think he did"

Alexis looks at her watch "Kate. We are going to be late. You have to finish getting dressed. We need to get going. Hurry" And the red headed teenager rushes out of the room

"They made it! They finally made it"

Thirty minutes later Katherine Beckett walks out of Castle's bedroom and into the living area where Martha and Alexis are waiting

"You look amazing" Alexis states

"Really?" Kate asks. She does not see in herself the beauty that the rest of the world sees. Especially one particular mystery writer

"Katherine darling! You will be the envy of every woman there and knowing my son, you will not be able to get more than a foot away from him. He will hover over you like a lion protecting his pride

* * *

**Only one more to go**


	21. Chapter 21

The streets of New York are busy. But they are always busy. Katherine Beckett along with Alexis Castle are in the back seat of a Lincoln Towne Car riding in luxury to the charity event at the Waldorf

After several miles of silence "Kate?" Alexis speaks softly

Beckett looks over to the younger girl "Yes Alexis?"

"I am so embarrassed. I am sorry"

Kate is honestly worried for the way Castle's daughter is acting "for what?'

"I…thought…I thought that my dad had finally given up on being with you"

Kate reaches over to take Alexis' hand "I was getting worried that I had waited too ling myself"

"What do you mean? You thought that you waited too long?"

Beckett smiles at the red head "I thought your dad was not available and he thought I was still dating Josh. We were both wrong"

"So what finally made you two do this? Get together, I mean?"

"We were building theory like we have always done. And for us it is like…I don't know…it's like a drug or even better, like making out without actually kissing. We were working on the case, building theory, and when we figured out who the killer was." Kate smile grows bigger "We kissed and that started it all happening"

"All this time dad thought you and your boyfriend were still together and…"

"And I thought he was still with Gina"

Alexis puts her hands on her face and in a muffled scream "OH! MY GOSH! GINA!"

"Lex? What's wrong" Beckett has become more worried than before

Alexis is almost hyperventilating "Gina called the other day to set up this signing and the charity event…"

"Right. They text ed Rick and told him to be there"

"Gina is using this as a promotion event. She is setting dad up on a blind date with the number 8 Bachlorette. He does not even know it!"

Beckett is looking across at Alexis who is now on the verge of panic "What do we do, Kate?"

"Take it easy. Let's think about this. Rick doesn't know about the other woman and Gina does not know about me coming"

"I think Gina needs to be embarrassed by this" Alexis comments

"No. Let's not do that because she will blame you"

Alexis looks across the seat at the older woman "Kate, you are ravishing in that dress. Even if you and my dad were not together right now, I cam promise you he would pick you over ANY other woman in there"

"What do you have in mind?"

"When we get to the hotel this is what we do…"

* * *

Richard Castle has finished the book signing and has moved to a hospitality suite to freshen up before going into the large ballroom for the actual charity event.

Inside he washes his face and checks his hair. He wants to look his best for his date when she arrives He puts on the tie that he brought but did not wear during the book signing

As he exits the room he comes face to face with his publisher and ex wife Gina

"Rick I have been looking for you"

"Well you found me"

"I need to go over the rest of the evening's events"

"What do you mean? The rest of the events. I am here to show my face and to donate a first edition Nikki Heat and personally sign it to the winner. Otherwise I will mingle with the crowd"

"Richard, I was planning on more than just the mingling. First I want you to take this key" she passes a hotel room key card to him "You might need it before the night is over"

"Why would I need this?"

"Oh you never know"

"Gina! What have you done?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Now listen. There will be several items of a personal nature auctioned off tonight. But after the book I have a special surprise for you"

"Gina. I have NEVER liked your surprises. What is it?"

Moments before she can form an answer a voice can be heard from across the hall

"LOOK! IT'S NIKKI HEAT!"

All eyes in the room turn in the direction of the sound and two women appear. One in particular absolutely stops all the conversation in the room.

Katherine Beckett enters along with Alexis Castle. If anyone were looking at Rick Castle they would have seen a smile unlike any even he has ever had

This tall, slender, long legged, absolutely stunning woman glides across the threshold entering the ballroom.

The dress she is wearing clings to her curves in exactly the right places and falls gracefully around others. Its material gives the false impression that it is transparent when absolutely nothing immodest is on display.

Kate is directing her smile to the man on the opposite side of the room while all the other men are wishing her looks were for them.

While the men in the room are holding their breath, the women are turning green with envy and Richard Castle is glowing with pride

The photographers are in a frenzy trying to take the one picture of these two women that will be published in the next edition of the paper. They all know that this appearance will be the subject of all the social pages for days to come

The two women are approached by several guests and are being swamped by greetings. Most already know Alexis but only a few are familiar with Kate.

Beckett is having her struggles with the current frenzy but her focus is still on her man across the way.

Just as they think they have no chance to migrate to the other side of the room, the mayor appears

"Kate Alexis, I am so glad to see both of you. Detective Beckett I have to admit that if you weren't Rick's girl I would be after you. Let me see if we can get across the room to your guy"

Kate breathes a sigh of relief "Thank you Mayor Weldon"

"Kate. Call me Bob, OK?"

"Yes sir"

The three move across the floor protected by the mayor's security detail.

""Rickey, I bought you a present" the mayor chuckles to Castle

"Thank you sir" Castle reaches down and kisses both women on the cheek "I am so glad you two finally got here"

"DAD you may be mad at me after I tell you something"

Castle has a concerned look on his face

"When Gina called and set up this up she told me she was going to use this for publicity"

"That's what she does"

"Well she thought you were single so she is planning on setting you up on a blind date with the number eight bachlorette tonight"

Castle looks at Alexis then up to Kate "Are you kidding me?"

"No dad! I'm sorry I went along because I did not know that you and Kate are dating"

"OK so I am here with my new girlfriend and a blind date is set up" Castle looks at Kate wondering if she has her gun hidden under her dress somewhere.

He looks her up and down…then up and down again enjoying the view then decides that there is no possible way for her to hide a flat piece of paper under that dress, let alone a Glock23. So he feels safe for the moment

"That explains the room key" he states

"What room key" Kate asks

"Gina slipped me a room key and told me I might need it later"

"OH she did! Did she?" Beckett gets right up nose to nose with Rick

"GULP"

Kate grins "Play your card right and you still might get to use it"

She moves away then starts looking around the room "So where is this date of yours?"

"I understand that she is number eight this year. I haven't even see the paper so I don't really know for sure"

At this moment Gina walks up to the trio. She has not realized that Detective Beckett is the ravishing woman standing here. She has only seen Kate in her work clothes and normally Kate dresses way down from what she is wearing tonight

Gina pretty much butts her way in between Kate and Castle

"Hey Rick I have a little surprise for you"

"OH! What's that?"

"I have arranged for you to meet on of the Ledger's most eligible tonight…so" Gina reaches over to her side and pulls close a very tall, extremely lanky long legged woman with jet black hair almost to her waist and big, obviously fake, breasts

"Rick I want you to meet Jessica. This is Jessica Abbott. Jessica this is Richard Castle, the famous novelist"

In a very deep, sultry voice the woman speaks "Hello Rick I am so glad to finally meet you. I have been a giant fan of your books for years"

"Always glad to meet one of my fans, Jessica but…"

The woman interrupts "Oh Rick. Please my middle name is Robin. My Friends call me JR"

Kate almost chokes and Rick gets a smirk on his face "You're name is Jessica R Abbott?" He puts the initial and last name together and it sounds like he says rabbit

With Castle's comment everyone in ear shot that was listening to this starts to laugh

"I am sorry Jessica or JR but you see I am with someone"

Gina is infuriated by Castle's actions "Rick can we talk?" and she pulls Castle to the side "First you insult Jessica…"

"How can I insult her? It's her name. I didn't make it up and secondly you did NOT consult me before pulling this stunt"

"Rick the Ledger said…"

"Well the Ledger is behind the times. I am with someone"

"And just WHO are you with?" she ask in an almost accusatory manor

"My girlfriend, and muse, and the model for Nikki Heat"

"Well I don't see her here tonight"

"That's because you almost ran over her" Castle points at Kate who has not moved from the spot when Gina stepped in between her and Rick

Gina finds herself almost speechless. "That's Detective Beckett?"

Castle walks back to Kate and in an action that the cameras are ready to capture gives her a gentle kiss on her lips "The one and only"

Rick, Kate, and Alexis mingle in the crowd for the next hour until the Master of Ceremonies steps up to the microphone. He begins the live auction with several items from sports teams along with Box seats to Broadway shows and other memorabilia.

In the middle of the auction the item being donated by Richard Castle comes on stage.

"The next item for auction is a personalized, autographed first edition Nikki Heat. It will be signed tonight to the winner himself immediately after the bidding closes. So what do I hear as an open…"

Castle speaks up before the auctioneer can finish "Excuse me. Before the bidding begins I would like to come up there" And Rick steps on stage pulling Kate with him

"As most everyone in the room has surmised, this beautiful creature with me tonight is the inspiration for Nikki Heat, Kate Beckett. Sometimes art copies life or life copies art. I don't think I am telling anything new but my stories were loosely based on Detective Beckett's real cases and as some have also been able to determine, Kate and I are now a couple just like Nikki and Rook. So for this auction, I want to offer this copy of Heat Wave with a little added bonus. It will be autographed by both me as the writer and Kate as the model for Nikki. How does that sound?"

The room fills with cheers

Rick takes the book from the hands of the auctioneer and pulls out his pen. He writes several words on the page then hands the book to Kate for her to read

She looks at what he wrote and immediately tears appear in her eyes and she struggles to suck in air. It is evident that she is having difficulty breathing. She smiles at his words then takes the pen and places her words beside Rick's

Knowing the proceeds go to Children's hospital she closes the book and hands it to the auctioneer then turns to the audience "If you want to know what Castle and I wrote, you have to bid on the book"

She takes Castle's hand and the pair leaves the stage. They move to the rear of the room and watch as the bids go higher and higher and higher.

After the book sells for an enormous amount of money Kate leans into Rick's ear "You want to go and use that key Gina gave you?"

Hand in hand the pair walks out of the ballroom and into the closest elevator. Moments after the doors close Kate's voice can be heard

"Please Castle never stop doing that"

**FINIS**

* * *

**Another complete story. This is fun**

**Please join me in "A Death In The Hamptions"**


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Castle, Humor, Romance