Looking Glass Partner

7:45 P.M. Saturday- Case 15 days cold

Detective Kevin Ryan sat in Javier Esposito's living room with Karli's box in front of him on the coffee table. The x-box controllers were on the ground on either side of the table and the warmth of another body sat close to Kevin. He glanced over at his partner and gave a weak frown. "You're sure about this? I mean, you don't this is unhealthy of me?" Kevin asked, eyebrows scrunched and making creased worry lines on his forehead.

Javier turned his body to face Kevin more directly. "Kev, I said you can't go about this alone, man. Now drop the road-kill attitude and let's take another look."

Kevin stared at Javier for a few long beats then nodded, gave a soft smile and turned towards the box and coffee table. He grabbed the two large case files and handed one to his partner. The other he opened up on his lap and found himself looking at a picture of his sister. She was beautiful, even in death. Flipping the photo over, he flicked through the police write ups, one by one, scanning for a misstep. Nothing. The cops on the beginning of the case had filed everything perfectly. All signatures in transfer of evidence were accounted for. Each detail was marked, photographed, tagged and sketched.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kevin noted Javier checking signatures. "What about the cops on the case?" Kevin asked looking over his partner.

"Hmm?" Javier turned his eyes, catching electric blue ones. "What about them?"

"Check for connections to other cases, maybe…I mean this case was gone over so thoroughly." Kevin looked down, not believing he was voicing this thought. It was something a cop never wanted to imagine, to come across, let alone investigate. "This case was gone over so well, it's not hard to believe that someone from the inside could have had a hand in this, right?" His thoughts flew to the case nearly two weeks ago, with the girl sprawled out looking a lot like his sister. What about cases that looked like his sisters? They could check those against signatures on his sister's case and-

Javier's deep timbre interrupted his thoughts. "Kevin, think about your inferring." He reached a hand across the space between them and set it on Kevin's knee. "You sure you want to pursue this?"

Kevin's eyes went to Javier's hand then up to the deep brown eyes. He froze, losing all current thoughts as he stared into the chocolate depths. "Wha- uh, yeah. I know. It's a terrible thought, but what else do we have to go off of? It's a lead that shouldn't take long to prove or disprove, right?"

Pulling his hand away and shaking his head, Javier sank back in his seat. "Yeah, I guess not, but…"

"I told you, you don't have to do this with me. If you want out, just say so. I'm not going to drag you into something you're not comfortable doing." Kevin shifted to the edge of the couch, flipping through the case file again mostly for something to do with his hands.

Javier scoffed. "Nah, I told you, wheels."

"I'm pretty sure we're down to rims, bro." Kevin tossed the file back into the box and put his hands up to his temples, running his fingers in small circles over them. "All right, if you're still in, let's check this lead later when we have access to the system at work."

From his peripheral Kevin saw Javier nod and roll his head back on the top of the couch and close his eyes. "Fine."

"Hey, part of me moving in was to give you a more frequent bar buddy. You want to go out tonight?" Kevin inquired standing up and gathering the rest of the things from the table and tossing them into the box. He figured the lax way he was now handling the case material was a good thing. He shouldn't be obsessing to a point of paying even the police reports such careful attention as he paid Karli's personal things.

Standing up as well, Javier grabbed the box to put away in the hall closet between their rooms. "Yeah, that sounds good."

8:50 P.M. Saturday

Kevin and Javier sat at the bar, each with a tall beer in hand and looking up at a T.V. screen showing a baseball game. They both had on smiles and were bumping shoulders as Reyes slid his way in to the home plate. "Man Castle is going to owe us so much Sunday," Kevin chuckled as the score went up yet again.

"No kidding. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't show up tomorrow." Javier took a long drag from his bottle. "I think the only thing getting him out of his place tomorrow is if it's a case involving ninja aliens conspiring with the government to retrieve some time travel device."

Swinging blue eyes over to his partner, Kevin lifted his eyebrows. "Ninja aliens?"

Javier looked at him and sputtered in laughter. "Yeah, that's what I came up with. That's why I'm a cop and not a writer."

Kevin's face quivered as he tried not to laugh then lit up with bursting laughter. "I see that. I'm sure Castle would love to hear your theory, though. Sounds like something he'd come up with." Kevin clapped Javier on the back and took a drink from his own beer.

The Hispanic detective smiled along with his partner and held up his hand to get a couple more drinks for them. "I'm just glad to see you're having fun," he said cracking open the two bottles that were set in front of him. "Here," he passed one down to Kevin. Javier watched a woman approached Kevin's other side. Her eyes flicked to him then over Kevin and she smiled.

The first thing that Kevin noticed was Javier turning away from him on the stool at the bar. The next was beautiful red headed girl sitting on his other side. She was looking right at him, a smile on her pearly pink painted lips. "Hey," the woman breathed out turning towards him, showing off her body which was hugged in a tight black dress. "I'm Katherine. What's your name?"

Kevin stared dumbly at her for a moment, not fully realizing that she was hitting on him. "Wha…" The feel of Javier's fist in the middle of his back brought him back to himself. He sat up a little straighter, his black leather jacket creaking, and he smiled putting little crow's feet next to his bright blue eyes. "Kevin Ryan. Detective Kevin Ryan," he said in a smooth cadence. Flirt with her, keep this up. Maybe you'll stop your ridiculous thoughts about your partner…

"Mm, a cop huh? You carry a gun, Detective Ryan?" the woman asked peering down at his waist and reaching an arm out to push the lapel of his jacket away.

Kevin's cheeks were dusting pink as she fawned over him and he couldn't help but think about the man sitting behind him. He listened for a moment and heard a soft scoff come from Javier. "Not while I'm out," Kevin said catching her wrist and holding onto it. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand and noticed how pale she was. He was pale, too, having those very Irish parents and all. Their skin tones were too close, too clashing. It wasn't a good match. "Can I get you something to drink?"

A fourth presence crowded the space at the bar; a tall man who looked liked lifting weights at the gym was a hobby of his (for a man with a lot of time for hobbies) stood in front of Kevin and Katherine. He moved quickly, as soon as the two looked at him, and grabbed the front of Kevin's jacket. The man pulled him up, fists balled tightly in his leather jacket and lifted him off of the seat. Kevin's feet were barely touching the floor and his hands were now wrapped around this man's wrists. "What the hell are you doing with my girlfriend?" the man roared, giving Kevin a little shake.

Javier was to Kevin's side in seconds, landing a hand in the middle of the guy's chest. It was the hand on Kevin's lower back that reassured him the most. "Let go," Kevin said at the same time Javier spoke up.

"She approached him, man." Javier's thumb ran an absent, comforting circle on Kevin's lower back as he attempted to get him out of this guy's grasp.

After another shake, Kevin found he could get his footing, but the guy didn't fully let go. Javier pulled his hands away and Kevin glanced down; he'd balled them into fists. Looking up to Javi's face to gage a reaction he saw the set eyes, the slightly flared nostrils, and the tight jaw. He was ready to hit and be hit. "Let him go," Javier said in a low tone.

Kevin quickly moved his arms upwards, hitting the guy's arms off of him. If the man hadn't had a loose grip and been cooperative, Kevin doubted he would have been able to get him off. Even that little gesture had a lot of weight. "If you're going to yell at anyone, she's the one hanging all over me." Kevin shot her a look and his heart froze a moment. She looked terrified. Not the "oh no, I'm going to lose a boyfriend" terrified, but she looked about ready to either faint or run into busy, fast traffic.

Before either Kevin or Javier knew what was happening, the man turned and backhanded the woman hard enough to send her falling off of the barstool and onto the floor. Katherine yelped and both cops were lurching for the man as he advanced on her. Kevin noted a large bouncer parting the crowd and quickly heading their way. This could get messy. As Kevin and his partner tackled the guy and fought his swinging arms, Kevin had to admit he wasn't thinking about work, about his perversion towards Javi or even his sister's case. He was busy thinking about the elbow in his gut, the possible black eye from a flailing fist and how dirty the floor was getting his leather jacket. It was a rush, taking this guy down, and though it was in a way, fun, he was thankful of the added help from the bouncer.

Katherine, at the end of the brawl, was cowered against the bar on the floor. Javi's cuffs were on the guy- another thing Kevin was thankful for; at least one of them had come prepared.

"I'm taking him out to the car, you get her and I'll meet you at the precinct, bro." Javier said. "You got cash for a cab?" Javier had a hold of the guy's arms but still needed the bouncer to keep a hold of him.

"Yeah, I've got cash. Meet you there." Kevin looked at the spitting and swearing large angry boyfriend. "You be careful, Javi." He looked into his deep brown eyes and offered half a smile.

Javier beamed at him, straightening up. "Always am, bro. Always am."

"Uh huh," the roll of Kevin's eyes was joking and he smiled a large beaming grin when Javier walked away with the guy. Turning back around he held out a hand to Katherine. "Come here, I've got you," he said as she reached a shaking hand out towards him. He took hers in a steady grasp and helped her to her feet. Wrapping an arm around her waist he noted she wasn't wearing a jacket. "Where's your coat, Katherine?" She just shook her head so Kevin figured he'd play the gentleman card and pulled off his, wrapping it around her before they hit the cool night's air.

Hailing a cab, Kevin helped her in and told the cabbie the address of the Precinct. He kept an arm around the woman, trying to offer whatever comfort he could as they made their way through the city. He was the first out of the car and saw Javier's car around the side in the parking lot. He was waiting on Kevin to get the guy inside. Looking at Katherine he wasn't sure she'd want to be around the guy at this point in time. "Katherine, could you right inside those doors for me? Just take a seat on the bench in there and if anyone asks what you're doing, tell them Kevin Ryan said to wait there for him, all right?"

She looked up at him, nodded and smiled just a little. "Sure, thank you so much, Kevin. I really appreciate it," she was up and off, slowly across the courtyard, up the stairs and inside as Kevin made his way over to his partner. Seeing Kevin making his way over, Javier opened the backdoor and started to pull the man out. He had a fresh cut on his lip and was a lot more willing to cooperate it seemed. Kevin looked at his partner with a raised and questioning eyebrow.

Javier just twisted his lips upwards in response and nodded to the side door by the parking lot they were in. "Get the door, please?" he asked nudging the disorderly man forward.

"Sure thing," Kevin said. He moved up to the door with a quick few jogging steps and slid his I.D. through the security system. The door beeped and he yanked it open allowing his partner and the guy to go through. "I'll meet up with you in a minute. I have to get Katherine."

The disorderly man's shoulders tensed at the name and he swung his head toward Kevin. Javier's hand moved up quickly and he smacked him in the back of the head, making him turn his eyes forwards again. The look on Javier's face was amusing, lips pursed in a frown and eyes narrowed.

Kevin smiled as he looked at him for a moment. Javier pushing the man down the hallway to booking had Kevin shaking himself back to reality and he turned away from his partner. Moving towards the front offices and out to the lobby, Kevin looked around the nearly empty space. The floor was empty but for an elderly man hobbling out of the building. The benches were completely empty. The front desk held one officer who was scribbling something down on a piece of paper, eyes turned away from the room.

Loping over to the desk, Kevin leaned his forearms on it and waited for the man to look up at him. "Hey Josh, you see a woman come in here?" he asked, jerking his head back towards the benches.

Josh glanced in the general direction of the head swing and nodded his head. "Yeah sure. She came, looked around, and took off. Was that your jacket around her?" he asked with a grin. "Don't you know not to bring your dates to work?" Josh joked lightly, patting Kevin's shoulder.

"She's not a date…" Kevin turned and looked back towards the doors then bounded away from the desk. He was hoping that maybe she didn't make it very far yet. Maybe she couldn't get a cab.

10 A.M. Sunday- Case 16 days cold

"I'm mostly upset about the jacket, Javi," Kevin said pulling into the parking lot of work.

Javier shook his head. "Whatever man, you seemed pretty upset about losing her, not the jacket." He opened up the car door as soon as the car was stopped enough to climb out of. Jumping out, he shrugged his own jacket closer.

Kevin watched him with a confused frown that darkened his blue eyes. "What's it matter anyway, even if I did like her?" Kevin asked. There was no way he actually did. It wasn't red hair and a smile that he thought of laying in bed last night; no, his thoughts had consisted of deep tan skin and rich brown eyes. He shook his head lightly, shutting the car door and jogged to catch up with his partner.

"Just forget it. I don't even know why we're still arguing over this." Javier opened up the door to the building and held it open for Kevin. "Did you get the manuscript from Castle? I'd like to read what he's getting our characters into…"

Looking over his shoulder at Javier, Kevin grinned a little. "Thought you weren't interested in reading about crime in your time off?" he asked falling back enough to bump his elbow into his partner's arm. He watched Javier fall inches off kilter and try to hide a smirk.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Javier just shrugged. "Well, Castle writes good stuff. Who could pass up that sex scene between him and-" Javier cut himself short and made a choking-cough sound as he turned his eyes very quickly to his shoes.

"Between Castle and Becket?" Kevin finished for him and looked over at his suddenly blushing partner. This was a new facet of Javier that Kevin hadn't seen before. The man wasn't one to be prude or bashful. "I wonder if it's from personal experience." Turning his eyes back to where they were walking Kevin stopped himself from running right into Kate Becket and he made a strangled-gagging noise. "Uh, hi, um- Becket…h-how was your night?" he asked forcing a large smile and wide innocent eyes.

She just glared and smacked his chest with a book. "Shut it, Ryan. And you're welcome. And no, it's not personal experience." She turned away from the two and plopped down in her chair, turning on her computer.

Kevin looked down into his hands and gaped at what sat in them. It was a hard cover of the book about Raley and Ochoa. "How did you get this?" he asked looking back at up at her. He saw her smile and she remained silent. He looked over at Javier with a raised eyebrow and held up the book so that the cover was visible.

Javier laughed and snatched it from him. "Thanks man, I knew you'd come through."

"Hey!" Kevin exclaimed and lunged for the book. His fingers breezed by the bottom of it as Javier lifted it higher. Straightening up and standing in front of the Hispanic detective, Kevin sized up how he was going to wrestle the book back. Fortunately the office was mostly empty so only Becket would be there to yell at them for roughhousing. He lunged suddenly, with flailing arms and practically jumped Javier.

Javier held out an arm, setting it firmly against the Irish cop's chest and pushing him back. His other arm was outstretched away from them both, keeping it as far from his partner as he could. They grappled for a few minutes ending with Kevin putting in Javier in an arm-bar against his own desk.

Snatching the book back, Kevin whooped triumphantly and took his seat, hovering over the book as he opened the first page and started to read it. "Don't worry, I read fast." He was sure Javier was about to spout some smart response but the three detective's pagers went off.

Becket was to her feet quickly, sticking her gun and badge on her belt. "Let's go, guys." She picked up car keys from her desk and tossed them up in the air, catching them in her other hand.

Kevin stood, tossing the book already forgotten on the desk top. He eyed Javier grabbing his own gear and took a deep breath. He didn't want either of his partners to notice the sunken look he was trying desperately to put away under some semblance of a straight face. Since his sister's murder, new cases meant to him that someone was about to go through the same grief he was. The stoic look he normally managed was there with the thoughts that he was going to close the case and give the family a sense of closure that he had yet to find.

Moving after the two of them, Kevin took in another deep breath and settled his nerves quickly. Of course, his nerves were far gone when he got to the crime scene. As Javier, Kate and he gathered around an all too familiar scene with Katherine's body as the center piece, Kevin could feel the other two's eyes on him. He stood immobile, staring down at the red hair fanned about and the rose petals, dropped from the full bloomed roses lying carelessly on her chest. His head was spinning with the colors and scents of the scene, images of memories and nightmares flooding and barraging his mind's eye. "Javi…" He breathed out, seeking some strength, something to ground him.

Lani was crouched by the body of the young woman and slowly reached forward for something white tucked under the three roses. It was a letter and it had a name scrawled in neat, loopy hand writing. "Kevin Ryan," she read and turned her eyes quickly to Becket. She raised an eyebrow, holding the letter partially outward in some purgatory between her and Kevin.

Becket nodded her head forward once and turned her eyes on the man. Kevin stood with furrowed brow and a tightly set jaw. He reached out slowly for the letter and clasped his trembling fingers around it. Pulling it to him, he seemed to become steadier in his handlings as he unfolded the rectangular piece of paper. A few rose petals fell from its middle and he brushed them aside to get to the writing.

Detective Kevin Ryan,

It's nice to play with you again. It's been so long since Karli's death.

I felt it was time to reconnect. I saw you the other night, being so

helpful to this woman here. I just think, if you have time to help her

out maybe you aren't giving our game enough attention. Perhaps,

I thought, you needed more to work with. I hope this enough to get you

back in the game, Detective.

.

Kevin's hands started to shake as he read the letter, reread it, and read it a third time. He stared at his name, at "game" and at the signature. "Javi…this is- he said…" Kevin was not overly willing to let go of the letter but Javier clasped his fingers around the top edge of it and pulled gently. Kevin let it go, allowing Javier to read it over for himself. "A game, man. He called it all a game." Kevin's voice was steadily growing louder. "It's someone's life. Mine, my sisters, not a fucking game!"

A camera flashed from the far side of the yellow tape and Javier turned looking over at the news crew standing there. Javier stepped in front of Kevin, keeping between him and the cameras. "Yeah, I know." He put a hand on Kevin's shoulder, squeezing it gently and keeping close to his partner.

Becket moved over to the two of them and looked very hard on Kevin. "You shouldn't be working this." Her statement was simple but it sent Kevin into a frenzy.

His blue eyes went wide and sharp. "Yes, I should be. My name is on that letter. This is personal and I need to be a part of it." Kevin's hands were clenched at his sides and shaking with his intense anger.

"You shouldn't be working it for just that reason. It's too close, too personal. Montgomery will say that same thing," Becket said folding her arms over her chest. "You know as well as I that this case has taken a very dangerous turn. With your emotional attachment to the events, it would be risky to let you continue in the investigation." She sounded like a boss, detached from her personal feelings on this.

Kevin's face was falling, his fists were unclenching and his breathing was slow. He looked at the body of the girl then turned half around to Javier. Pain and confusion sat in his azure eyes and he was seeking comfort in the depths of earthy warmth that made up Javier Esposito's eyes. If anyone could see how badly he needed to do this, it would be his partner. The man would stand up for him and help Kevin stay on this case. "Esposito," he said in a soft but steady voice.

Javier looked between Kevin, the body and Becket. "Kate, the letter was addressed to him." He ran a hand along the back of his neck, feeling fidgety. "I think you should let him stay on the case. He'll just go around us and find something out for himself anyway. I know you're not dim; he's been following the case since it went cold anyway."

Kate heaved a frustrated sigh and cocked her hip outward as she looked away from the scene and thought. Another car pulling up dragged all three of their attentions' away from the girl's body and to the road beyond the yellow tape. Castle was jogging over, this time minus the normally large curious smile. Kate had warned him of the situation in a text. "All right, but the moment I think you're compromising this case or yourself, I'm pulling you off of it. And you owe me; Montgomery is going to have a pay day with me when we get back."

Kevin watched Castle come to a stop next to him. Looking slightly up at the man Kevin offered an "I'm all right" half smile and looked back at the body. "I'll stay with Lani and get all the details here," he offered quickly before Kate or Javier could send him off to get statements from those around or to case the surrounding area. He wanted to be right here, with Katherine, with the immediate scene. He heard Javier shifting behind him and Castle moving over to where Becket was standing but kept his gaze on what Lani was starting to do now that the quick drama had been dealt with.

"Esposito, you and Castle want to see about witnesses and what not?" Becket asked tearing her gaze from Kevin.

"Mhm," Javier murmured taking a few steps back, not yet able to take his eyes from his partner.

"Wait!" Kevin spun around on his heel and took a few quick steps towards Javier. "The letter, give it to me."

Javier tightened his grip on the letter and leveled a very calculative look on Kevin. He wasn't so sure he should give it up. Kevin was suddenly giving him a very tense but collected look as he held his hand very steadily out towards Javier. Reluctantly, slowly, Javier handed over the piece of paper with Kevin Ryan's name on it and watched him take it.

Snatching the paper, Kevin grabbed a plastic baggie from the kit next to Lani and stuffed the paper in it. Looking at the baggie you could still see every letter on the page, the swirling writing sitting pristine and mocking the crime scene. Kevin felt his breath sticking in his chest, felt his body running cold as his focused on the job at hand, and had he been a weaker person, he probably could have curled up and cried.


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