Hey, so it's really late...or really early depending on how you look at it, but my internal clock is so off at this point it doesn't matter. I really don't know why I'm actually getting these done so fast. I guess part of it is that I'm procrastinating with NaNoWriMo. Sad, but if I don't get my word count up tomorrow I don't know if I'll finish on time. Good new for you guys though because that means I'm updating this more! I don't know how I feel about this chapter though. It just feels a little off to me. Eh, that could just be the insomnia talking, or the fact that I spent most of this morning thinking about how I'm going to marry Castle and Beckett off, if I can get to that point. Man, I have it down to what I want the wedding vows to be and how I'm going to include Leah in it. ;) Anyway, I hope you like this.

A child needs a grandparent, anybody's grandparent, to grow a little more securely into an unfamiliar world. ~Charles and Ann Morse

Chapter 3: Surprise, Surprise...

Kate watched Castle and Leah from the other room where they had set up the murder board. They were sitting at her desk coloring pictures for each other. Castle was keeping up a steady stream of small talk with Leah who managed to respond with short answers and cute smiles every once in a while.

Leah was about as opposite as Castle in personality as you could get; she actually reminded Kate a little more of Alexis. Of course, a little while with the Castle Clan would probably bring out a whole other side to her. Kate grinned as she watched Castle waving his arms about, crayon in one hand, as he told Leah some story. Leah gave him the cutest little half grin. They were adorable.

"Beckett," someone called from the doorway. She turned to see Esposito and Ryan walking into the room. "We managed to track down Michelle Townsend's parents. They're on their way over here now. You've got about half an hour to get them ready," Esposito said nodding toward Leah and Castle.

"You want us to distract Leah?" Ryan asked quietly. The two had grown rather fond of the little girl in the past hour they'd had her with them.

"Yeah, let me explain it to Castle first and then we'll talk to her about it." The boys nodded and plastered smiles on as they walked over to the duo.

"Hey Castle, you're hogging all the pictures!" Esposito called. Ryan nodded backing him up.

"Yeah, we want to color too!" he said. Leah looked skeptically at them while Castle just rolled his eyes.

"You two are about as subtle as a bull in a china shop," he remarked getting up. "Leah, why don't you color with the detectives for a few minutes while I go talk to Detective Kate?" Leah nodded and extended her box of crayons to Ryan and Esposito who gladly began a playful fight over who got the green crayon. Leah, obviously more mature than the three males in the room, went back to coloring quietly.

"Did you find something?" Castle asked, stepping into the room and closing the door. Kate shook her head.

"Not exactly… Ryan and Esposito managed to track down Michelle's parents. They are on their way here." Castle winced and looked out at Leah who was watching Ryan and Esposito's antics with a raised eyebrow.

"What if they want her Beckett? I just found her. I can't lose her now." Beckett put a hand on Castle's shoulder and he turned back to her.

"Right now, we worry about telling Mr. and Mrs. Townsend that their daughter is dead. We'll work everything else out in time," she assured him. He nodded and glanced at the murder board.

"Is Lanie done with the autopsy yet?" he asked. Kate shook her head.

"No, she just got started. I'm hoping she'll be ready to see us this afternoon." Castle looked back over at her.

"I still get to be on the case?" he questioned surprised. Kate raised an eyebrow.

"You're my partner," she stated as if that was the only answer he needed. He smiled that smile that she loved so much.

"That I am."

"Mr. and Mrs. Townsend," Kate greeted shaking their hands. "I'm Detective Beckett and this is Richard Castle. He consults on cases with us." The two grieving parents nodded in acknowledgment. "I'm so sorry to have to do this now…" Beckett began but she was cut off by their son.

"Where's Leah?" he asked. Beckett exchanged a look with Castle.

The Townsend's were nothing like Kate expected. Mr. Townsend was a rich business man that owned one of those prestigious been-in-the-family-years companies. He had salt and pepper hair and vibrant blue eyes. He looked the part of old money, but Kate could see that glimmer of recklessness beneath his cool exterior. Mrs. Townsend was the perfectly coifed wife. Her blonde locks were styled to perfection and her eyes were a cool brown. They gave Kate the impression that she was used to looking right through you rather than at you. Their son, Alexander, was a mixture of the two. He had his father's dark black hair and his mother cutting eyes. He wasn't as neatly put together as they were he wore his school uniform loose around the collar and his tie hung around his neck barely on. He wore a black leather watch on one wrist and a medical ID bracelet on the other. Around his neck, beneath his shirt, you could just see a silver chain from a necklace he kept hidden. He couldn't have been more than fifteen. There was certainly a story there; his sister had been thirty-four.

"She's with two other detectives. Their watching her while we talk to you," Beckett finally answered. The boy's dark eyes flashed and he stood up angrily.

"I want to see Leah!" he yelled. His father yanked on the back of his uniform jacket and he fell back into his seat.

"You will not speak to her that way young man," he scolded. "We will see Leah shortly." The boy scowled, leaning back and crossing his arms, but said nothing.

"You wanted to ask us some questions?" Mrs. Townsend said turning from her husband and son to Kate. Castle raised an eyebrow but thankfully said nothing.

"Yes, we have Michelle's record here. She was arrested twice for possession and once for shoplifting?" Mr. Townsend nodded.

"Yes, after she started modeling she got hooked on cocaine. When he modeling career fell apart she…well, she never really recovered. Leah's about the only good thing she has left from that time," he told them. "The shoplifting happened around the same time and she was beginning to socialize with some very unsavory people."

"When was the last time you talked to your daughter?" Kate asked, moving on from Michelle's drug habit.

"Around May," Mrs. Townsend replied after a moment's consideration. "She came asking us for some money and to look after Leah for a time. Leah stayed with us for about a month before Michelle came back for her."

"Did she say what she wanted the money for?"

"She said she owed some people money and if she didn't pay them back they would be very upset," Mrs. Townsend replied. Her voice was carefully controlled, but Kate could just make out the hint of worry. She may pretend like she didn't care but it was all an act. "We gave her the money and when she came to get Leah she said it was taken care of."

"Did Michelle ever lead you to believe she was in trouble again recently?"

"No, but we very rarely hear from her. She only brings Leah by when she's desperate for more money." Alexander's scowl deepened and he looked away from his parents. Suddenly he straightened.

"Le-le?" he called. Beckett turned to see Leah with Ryan and Esposito making their way over. Leah spotted her uncle and broke free of Ryan and Esposito to run to him. She burst into the room and flew into his waiting arms. "Le-le, are you alright?" he asked. The two detectives followed her in and mouthed 'sorry' to Kate. She sighed and turned back to the Townsends.

"Xander! Grandma! Grandpa!" she exclaimed. "Are you here for mommy?"

"Yes sweetie," Mr. Townsend replied running a hand over her head lovingly. He clearly had a soft spot for his granddaughter. "We'll be done soon and then we can go home. Okay?" Leah titled her head confused.

"But Daddy said I'm staying with Detective Kate while everything is being figured out," she replied. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend turned to look at Kate, but Alexander was looking at Leah with wide eyes.

"Your daddy? But Le, we don't know who he is," Alexander reminded her. Leah nodded her head and crawled off of Alexander's lap to go over to Castle.

"This is my daddy," she told him. "I showed Detective Kate the picture book mommy gave me and she brought him here." That wasn't exactly how it happened, but it was close enough. However Alexander was once again furious, this time it wasn't with her.

"How dare you leave her with them!" he yelled lunging at Castle. His fist managed to graze Castle's cheek but Ryan and Esposito interfered before he could go in for another swing. Leah surprised them all by jumping up on Castle's lap and trying to put herself in front of her Uncle to protect him.

"Don't hurt him," she whimpered clinging to his neck. This seemed to drain the fight right out of Alexander who back away. Ryan and Esposito let him go but stayed close. Castle and Beckett tried to calm Leah down. Castle rubbed her back soothingly and Beckett whispered words of comfort in her ear.

"Le," Alexander finally called softly. Leah turned around in her father's arms. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she whispered. "Don't hurt daddy. Please Xand." Alexander nodded and Leah seemed to relax slightly.

"Well, I can see we're going to be here for a while," Mr. Townsend stated in shock.

Alright, so it's not very long, but it had to happen to progress the story along. I'm also getting really sleepy so I need to get off and go to bed. I'm going to post pictures of Leah and Alexander on my website. As the story progresses I'll be posting more characters and other little things. I hope you guys liked it.

-JJ

p.s.- yes, Xander is a Buffy reference. :p