Big Time Rush 1. Chapter 1

**I've been lurking on the shadows with this one for a while now and have only managed to write a chapter and a half. One of my friends advised me to upload at least the first chapter and see how it is received, and then decide if I should continue it or not. You guys are all going to need a bit of a backstory here because it is going to be kind of confusing (thought, not **_**that**_** confusing), so better be safe than sorry, no? **

**This is all set in an AU which I have lovingly nicknamed the Castle!AU, which means that it is set inside the Castle Verse. For all of you who don't know what Castle even is, here's a hint: It's a procedural crime show about a best-selling author named Richard Castle that follows around New York Detective, Kate Beckett, because she's the inspiration for his new book series, Nikki Heat. Castle drives Beckett crazy following her around and there is tons of sexual tension involved. It's a cool show; believe me, so if any of you are interested you should totally watch it! So, this whole thing is actually based on the Castle Verse! **

**I think the rest is sort of implicit in this chapter. I tried my best to explain as much as I could without losing the plot of the story, but the first part is more like a background check for you guys to understand a little better and to meet some of the original characters that will be included here (It started off with only canon characters from the BTR show, but then I had to fill in some spots and there are quite a few original characters that have a really big part, hope none of you get too mad about that). So that's about it, go ahead and enjoy people!**

**Before I forget, I do not own any of the characters here, those are property of Scott Fellows I assume, except for the original characters, which you'll be able to point out I'm sure, and I definitely do not own the idea for this AU, that's all thanks to the genius Andrew Marlow and the lovely Terri Eda (and all the writers from Castle).**

_Chapter 001 – How it all changed._

The 12th precinct is one of the quietest buildings the NYPD force had ever seen. Sure, there was always that occasional quip or joke that had everyone laughing lightly for a while, but it soon quieted down and the bull pen went back to its graveyard-like state; the only noise heard was the rustling of pages, the scribbling of a pen, typing from several computers, and information briefing that never got louder than a whisper. Logan found it slightly unnerving the first few weeks he began working there; the silence was never something he had to put up with back in Narcotics.

By this point in life however, Detective Logan Mitchell had gotten used to the quiet that the 12th precinct provided him with. In fact, he was beginning to take solace in it whenever cases got too difficult or, sometimes, too personal. Whenever the familiar feeling of uselessness hit him, he would sit down at his desk, alone in the midst of all that silence, and took a moment to gather his thoughts.

His squad leader, Detective Kendall Knight, had caught up easily with that little quirk of his and always left him alone when he needed to be left alone. Logan always told Knight that was what he most liked about him; the way he seemed to be an omnipotent presence in everyone's lives in the precinct, how he knew and saw it all with ease, and how he knew what approach would work best with each of his squad members.

Darren Somers and Dallas Cruz – or Double D, as everyone in the bull pen knew them as – were, perhaps, the weirdest pair of partners Logan had seen. While Detective Cruz was cool and quiet, exclusively using his vocal chords to either brief his leader on a lead or mock his partner on something he had said, Detective Somers was a little ball of energy, ready to burst with the many bad jokes he had under his sleeve. Despite all the differences, however, Double D was one of the most efficient pair of detectives when it came to work.

The only girl in the squad, Charlotte Sullivan, was even more insightful than Kendall at times and, maybe, even more active and alive than Darren. Despite not looking like it, she was among the strongest in the bull-pen, easily surpassing Logan in training spars and more than able to bring a man twice her weight to the ground. Although she was one of the nicest girls in the face of the planet, the boys were definitely scared of her; once that certain time of the month came around, each of them had the _responsibility_ to bring something to appease her mood.

Detective Carlos Garcia was another thing entirely. When Kendall and the rest had been warm and welcoming to the Narcotics' transfer, the Latino had been cold and closed off to Logan, arguing with his squad leader he did not need a new partner, and generally just pissing the younger detective off with his sarcastic remarks. And, it had taken a while – and a lot of Knight's signature scolding – but Detective Mitchell had managed to crack Carlos' shell bit by bit and now both Junior Detectives were practically joint at the hip, laughing with and at each other, crashing in each other's houses when shifts got too long or nights too lonely, and finishing each other sentences when briefing Kendall on any leads.

Then things around Logan started to change, perhaps for the better.

In through the elevator doors walked James Diamond, best-selling-author and a general nuisance to every one on the team. He was handsome – Logan had to give him that – and had a general charm to himself that Mitchell certainly had fallen for when they first talked. The younger detective didn't see anything wrong in James, in fact they both hit it off once they talked for the first time, and they developed this weird, geeky bond that Kendall _and_ Carlos spent almost two weeks fretting over.

Kendall just despised the writer's guts (although everyone in the bull pen _knew_ he _read_ his books and _liked_ them).

Carlos _swore_ it wasn't because he was jealous that Logan seemed to like James more (but even the chief had seen through that) instead choosing to admit that he thought the writer was a bad influence on his partner.

Gratefully, things had worked out in the long run.

Once a full month went past, James had already won Charlotte over; what with all the chocolate he liked to buy for her at random intervals or the little notes he liked to leave around her desk as a sign of respect. After Charlotte, it was Darren. Somers had easily been won over by Diamond's tales about his past ride-along adventures; after all FBI agents at work and world-wide known actors sounded amazing to his ears. It had taken a little more with Dallas, but Cruz soon went under after he learned James was an old high-school friend of his fiancé, Sydney McCrery; god knows Detective Cruz is whipped. Carlos needed a lot of coaxing from his partner, but at the end he accepted the man as a new part of the family and, little by little, they both became friends. And, of course, Kendall had been one tough thing, but he inevitably ended up liking Diamond around, silently thanking the world for giving him a _partner_ that did an amazing job at solving crimes.

Everything was nice and stable after that. James reported early for duty when he was needed, and made sure to assist as much as he could around the bull-pen. The cases they got weren't anywhere near stressful like those they got a year ago, much before James was there and the squad members found themselves with more time for themselves than in the past. Lottie went back to her un-partnered state, since Knight and Diamond had found they were a perfect team, and Double D had taken her under their wings. Carlos still got jealous of the weird, geeky bond between James and Logan, but Mitchell liked to remind him every day that it was him who brought the Latino coffee in the morning and that their partnership had been going on for five solid years, so he had nothing to worry about.

And then things around Logan started to change for the second time in the span of half a year, perhaps for the worse.

Gustavo Rocque, chief of the 12th Precinct and Kendall's adoptive father, was shot down in his own home.

The investigation, of course, had not been performed by the 12th precinct squad. They were all way to compromised to be given the honor to uncover their own chief's murder, but at least they were given regular information on the case. Kendall had grown cold and distant towards everyone after he had to carry his father's coffin in the ceremony that had been held, and refused to even acknowledge James' presence in the precinct for two whole weeks.

Carlos didn't fare any better than the blond; in the time he had worked under Gustavo's orders he had grown close to the man, and no amount of screaming would ever make him feel better. Logan had to give the man his space, respecting his pleas to be left alone and leaving the Latino to his own devices.

Darren remained silent for the rest of the next month and, to every one's surprise, it was Dallas who filled that empty void that remained with Somers' silence, telling bad jokes of his own and trying to keep the high spirits in the bull-pen. He was the second eldest, and while Kendall was silently broken he had to take his place as the omnipotent presence around the squad.

Logan and Charlotte leant on each other. Having gotten to Homicide thanks to Gustavo, both had held a great admiration for the short-tempered man, so they found solace in each other, talking about the time they had been brought up from Narcotics and Robbery, respectively. How they had been afraid of the man at first, but later on found out he was just a big guy with a big heart and a great passion for his work.

James watched everything from outside, having known Captain Rocque for only six months. He had been close to the man, of course he had, but he didn't have that connection Kendall or Carlos shared with him, or even the silent admiration Logan and Charlotte held for him. Perhaps not even the same level of respect Double D had had once. Over that month, James went back to his place in the background, being ignored by most of the members of the squad and, what hurt him most, being silenced by Kendall when he tried to begin one of his stories.

Soon, a dark skinned woman came to take Gustavo's place and Kendall finally stopped being so broken. Kelly Wainwright, now Captain of the 12th precinct, had been what Knight could only call a mother as he grew up; while Rocque had been his solid rock, the man who kept him from going astray, Kelly, once partner of Gustavo, had been the kind, feminine presence a kid his age had needed.

Having her take over Gustavo's place was, probably, the best thing that had happened to the team in the 12th in a while.

The 12th went back to its graveyard-like state as much as it could with James around.

The pain of Captain Rocque's death still hung in the bull-pen. Tugged at everyone's heartstrings harshly once in a while, as if to keep the wound open, but they were trained cops and one of the first and foremost of rules in a trained cop's handbook was never to let emotions get in the way of your job. So, everyone pushed aside that nagging feeling and continued to work as if the person who was in the crystal office was Captain Rocque.

Kendall went back to his insightful being in no time, offering the rest a quick pep-talk before resuming his job as the squad's leader. Charlotte followed next, mostly because Diamond began bringing chocolate for her almost every day under Knight's orders, but also because she knew Gustavo would've wanted them to keep doing their best. Darren continued with his bad jokes, finally relieving Dallas from his part-time duty, and Cruz could finally go back to his old quiet demeanor. James finally got Kendall's attention back and resumed his duty as a chatter-box next to the blonde's desk. Carlos had stopped his angry, sulky attitude once the squad leader sent Logan to talk to the Latino and the next day he wore his usual mischievous grin around the bull-pen, playful banter being thrown back and forth between himself and Mitchell.

Logan sighed in content. He couldn't help but think about how proud Gustavo would be of them if he saw them now, working their asses off as if he was still there.

But Logan's bliss was short lived and after a month of calm, the storm hit.

It had been an awfully slow week for the homicide department (which meant no one had murdered anyone, gratefully) and Detective Mitchell couldn't help his eyes from sliding close while he had all that paperwork still pilling up in his desk. It had taken him no time to fall down to Morpheus's arms and it had taken less time for Carlos to roll his chair back unto his and startle him awake. The younger detective mumbled incoherencies, looking around him in alert in a comic way that had Darren sniggering quietly next to him.

"Not fun, bro" Logan groaned, rubbing his face with the palm of his hands.

He heard his partner's low laugh behind him and then Carlos walked into his field of vision, a soft smile grazing his lips as a tanned hand reached down to slap a pale cheek gently "Time to wake up, partner" Garcia's voice called kindly to him "Captain W just walked through here and was about to throw a hissy fit if I didn't wake you up when she was back"

Before Logan could say anything, Kelly burst into the bull-pen, phone trapped between her shoulder and ear as she barked out an address for the team to get to as fast as possible. Then everyone was moving back and forth, taking their coats and holstering their service weapons in a hurry, while their Captain stormed inside her office to take her own gear. James followed Kendall to the main elevator in a hurry, smile spreading across his face in a way that reminded his partner of a kid in Christmas. Double D and Charlotte took the second elevator in the Tech Room's hallway and Logan was already running down the stair behind Carlos when the Latino had called out his name over his shoulder.

When Kelly Wainwright said _as fast as possible_ it really meant _faster than light_.

The four police cars parked in front of a shadowy looking apartment complex and everyone began to silently question why their Captain would seem so interested in having them come up here. Logan slammed the door behind him, leaning against the car and looking around him in curiosity. The perimeter had been taken care of, but what had piqued his interest the most was the obvious looking Narcotic's Officers stationed around said perimeter. He felt a knot tie in his throat, constructing his breathing for a moment before he swallowed hard and walked behind his partner.

They walked through a set of stairs, all the while Logan tried to drown James' continuous ramblings coming from behind him, more preoccupied about those Narcotics outside. He probably shouldn't pay much attention to it; maybe this had some relation to some drug ring Narcotics had looked to bring down for a while and now they were just gathering evidence. He couldn't, however, scare that weird tingling sensation in his fingertips.

He knew this building. Mitchell had lived here while undercover.

The team finally made their way to the crime scene, waving their hellos to Jo Taylor and Lucy Stone, who were already busy working on the body, and Logan wished he had stayed outside the moment he saw who was laying in the floor, blood pooling under his body. He looked for the nearest surface he could lean against, holding his head low and taking in deep breaths that, he hoped, would calm him down.

Jett Stetson was one of his old Narcotic's partners. They had worked together for the four years Logan had carried around the Officer instead of Detective, had even gone undercover together once the situation presented itself and were actually pretty good friends despite the rivalry that they set between them the first year. Now he was dead, shot once in the chest and a second time in the head from what he could hear Jo saying, and Logan felt the pain washing over him for the second time that year.

A hand came to rest in his shoulder and he was expecting Carlos to smile down at him, telling him that everything would be okay and that they would capture the son of a bitch who did this to his old partner, but instead of mocha brown eyes, there were electric blues looking down at him, rosy pink lips smiling a smile he hadn't seen since the day he left Narcotics to become a Detective.

Link Neally's small frame wrapped around him in a tender hug and he hugged back, tightly "I should've warned you before you came in," came her soft voice, just above a whisper "but you were already coming inside when I decided that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me and that Logan Mitchell _was_ here"

"What happened?" he asked as they broke apart under the suspicious glances from his team "Who reported it?"

The blonde girl sighed, squeezing his upper arm in reassurance "We still don't know, Logie" he could hear Darren's confused whisper, asking something to Carlos, but he could care less right now. His attention was full on his old partner "Dak came to check up on him yesterday night, saying he had called him out of the blue about something that was bothering him, and when he got here he was already like this" her eyes were sad as she took in a deep breath and relaxed under his grip.

"Was he under?" Logan asked after a moment of silence "Was he still working under?"

Link nodded slightly "Once you left, someone else got the case we were working on, but they didn't make any advances and then decided they could let it rest for a while" her eyes wandered to the body of her old partner, before they shut tightly and returned to look at Logan "Jett asked the chief to give him the case again, saying he wanted to finish that job no matter the cost, and he had been under for at least a year now"

"Man," Logan whispered lightly, snaking a hand through his dark locks "I can't believe he's dead" His brown eyes closed momentarily, taking in a deep breath before opening them again and asking "Do you think someone found out he was a cop and decided to put him down?"

"He would've called me"

"He called Dak"

"He never said what he wanted," a third voice from Logan's left called and both pair of eyes disconnected to look at their fourth partner coming through the door. Dak didn't look very well, there were bags underneath his eyes and his hair was even messier than usual; he definitely looked tired and the smile he shot Logan didn't look as convincing as it once did back when they worked together "Jett didn't sound like himself when he called, he said he had come upon something big and that he wanted to talk to me about it" He shook his head, eyes lingering over the body of his old friend "He never came to our meeting spot, so I came looking for him here and…"

Dak's voice trailed off and he swallowed hard, standing in his place for a few seconds before regaining his composure and walking over to Logan, snaking an arm around his shoulders and pulling the smaller cop into a hug "It's good to see you again, dimples"

"Although the circumstances are not all that amazing" Logan chuckled, humorlessly "I'm glad we got to see each other again, Dak"

Someone cleared their voice behind the reunited team and they all turned to see Carlos standing off to the side, holding a black notebook in his left and a pen in his right. He looked slightly embarrassed to have interrupted the old team's reunion, but his expression soon changed for one of determination "Officer Zevon, I'll need you to answer some questions for me, if you could?"

Dak flashed his smile to the detective "Of course, Detective, whatever I can do"

"Mitchell," Logan's eyes snapped to look at his partner who was already herding Dak away from the group "Knight wants to speak with you"

Logan excuses himself to Link and walks over to where his leader is standing, whispers being thrown back and forth between him and the best-selling author. As his presence becomes known to both, Diamond takes a step back and mutters something about going to talk to Double D, but Mitchell knows it is just a flimsy excuse to give both detectives a little privacy (which, don't get him wrong, it is quite appreciated; James is kind of insensitive sometimes).

Kendall gives him a silent look before setting a hand on his shoulder, applying a certain amount of pressure so that Logan gets a move on; Mitchell isn't sure how many times this has happened in the past, but they had been enough to have him used to it by now. Once they were outside the room and far into the hallway so that no one would bother them, Knight finally opened his mouth to speak.

"If you need to step out of the case no one will blame you, Logan" he says, his voice slightly above a whisper.

Logan shakes his head, taking in a deep breath "This is my old partner we're talking about," he begins, looking over his shoulder at the police officers moving in and out of the room, and then back at Kendall "I need to do this. If not for me, for him"

His blond leader only looks at him with a wan smile, eyes hiding something that the smaller detective could only describe as pride. There's a last squeeze on his shoulder before Kendall is gone, already walking back to the scene he's supposed to be investigating; then he stops, looks back at Logan over his shoulder "Why don't you go outside and take some fresh air? You don't need to be here if you don't want"

Logan sighs deeply, a lazy smile draping over his lips "I'll be downstairs waiting in the Cargan Ride, in case Garcia looks for me"

A solemn nod is exchanged and then Logan is walking downstairs, into the cool autumn air and slipping inside the car he shares with his partner.

Only then does he let himself cry.

When Carlos comes back to the car, Logan has already pieced himself together again.

There are no signs of the tears that 20 minutes ago had stained his pale cheeks and the stabbing pain he had felt in his chest had subdued to a quiet nagging in the depths of his heart. He smiled up at Garcia the moment he stepped inside the car and his partner smiled back, oblivious to how broken the younger detective is at the moment.

"So, how'd that interview go with Dak?" Logan's attempts to sound okay aren't all that bad, but the moment he looks into Carlos' dark eyes, he knows his partner _knows_.

Carlos never stops smiling, although the grin he previously wore falls considerably and his face washes over with concern. A tanned hand comes to rest at Logan's knee and a light squeeze lets Mitchell know that his partner is there for him, like so many times before. A paler hand travels down to capture the one at his knee before it's gone and he gives it a squeeze in return, silently thanking the Latino for the support that hasn't been said, but it's there.

They stayed like that in comfortable silence, before someone came rapping at the passenger's side window, inevitably scaring Logan and making Carlos snigger under his breath before rolling the window down. Darren beamed at Mitchell, apologizing for scaring him and then turned to look at Garcia "Knight's asking if you wanted to go talk to Jett's parents, _dimples_?"

Logan scoffed playfully at the nickname, Somers must've heard Dak call him that and was probably never going to leave it die "I think I would like that" he smiled lightly "Might give me a bit of closure for the moment, right?"

"If that's the case," a feminine voice interjected behind Darren, startling the black haired detective into jumping out of the way "Dak and I would really like going with you, if it is possible"

Mitchell smiled at Link and Dak once Somers jumped to the side. He quickly turned to look at Carlos, apparently expecting some kind of permission from his partner, who just chuckled lightly and nodded "Sure, you guys can come" he unlocked the car and waved a hand, inviting them in "The more the merrier!" he stopped mid wave and arched an eyebrow "Although I'm not sure that's the proper thing to say"

Both Narcotic Officers slipped inside the car, only smiling lightly at Carlos' attempt of a joke.

Once Carlos' rearview mirror was met with electric blue eyes, the detective ignited the car, reversing out of the parking lot and driving through New York's busy cities, all the while listening closely to Logan's directions over to the Stetson's household.

"So, Garcia" Link called over to him after a while, blue eyes meeting dark brown over the rearview mirror "You _are_ the Garcia we met back in '08, right?"

Carlos smirked, clearly remembering that one case that had led him to Logan "Yeah that would be me"

"He was the guy you and Jett liked to piss off, right?" came Dak's stifled laughter from Logan's back, and Mitchell had to force himself not to laugh at his partner's expense.

Garcia raised an eyebrow at Logan, eyes never leaving the road completely. The younger detective grinned at him sheepishly "I must admit it was sort of a contest just to see who'd piss you off first"

Link smiled warmly before humming thoughtfully "So, who won?"

Mitchell shrugged "I don't know," he said truthfully "But it must've been me because Carlos actually kicked down my door and cuffed me rather harshly" He punched his partner in the arm, bottom lip sticking out in a pout (not that he'd ever admit he _was_ pouting, but he totally was) "By the way, that was mean. I still haven't gotten you back for that"

The tanned man only rolled his eyes, drumming his thumbs against the steering wheel "Well I do recall you talking back that time, I _had_ to arrest you for resisting the law"

"I did say something back then, right?" Logan smiled before his hand flew up to his mouth the moment he thought it over, cheeks adorned by a light pink "Oh god! I did say something back then!"

Link's laugh was heard from the back seat followed by Dak's eager "What did you say?"

Carlos opened his mouth to reply, but Logan was faster and his pale hand was soon covering the latter's lips to stop him from saying whatever he was about to say. "Nothing!" Mitchell exclaimed in hysterics "I didn't say a thing back then! Nothing's that important either way…"

Dak moved to the edge of his seat, taking Logan's shoulder from the back and rattling the poor man's smaller frame "C'mon! You _have_ to tell me what you said to piss 'tough-guy-Garcia' off so much!"

The Latino only laughed behind Logan's hand at the nickname and then proceeded to pull over in front of a decently sized house and everyone stopped their bickering to look up at the Stetson household. Neally was the first to jump from her seat, fumbling to take her seatbelt off in a nervous outbreak. Dak reached over for her, taking a hold of her smaller hands and telling her to take a deep breath, moving then to take off the seatbelt for the blonde. Logan turned in his seat, brown eyes looking into the blue ones the second time that day, only this time the roles were kind of reversed.

Mitchell and Zevon both shared a glance, one that conveyed the feelings buried deep within the other. Jett's parents had been the closest any of them had had to a family when they came out from police academy. Logan's mother and sister were back in Texas, Dak's dad was constantly busy with business and Link's parents lived back in her hometown. Having to come back here, after almost 5 years of not, to tell the people that had almost adopted them that their only son was dead surely wasn't something any of them ever envisioned doing.

And Carlos sensed this, mostly in his partner, because the next thing he said was: "I can go in alone if you guys don't feel up for it…"

Dak shook his head, a hand landing on Garcia's shoulder and a small smile spreading across his lips "We made the trip over here to _do_ this because it's something _we_ must do as Jett's old team" he squeezed Carlos' shoulder in a friendly manner, taking ahold of Link's hand with his other "We can do this, right guys?"

Logan took in a deep breath, keeping it trapped in his lungs before letting it go, turning to look at Dak and nodding "We can totally do this"

The blonde woman squeezed Zevon's hand in return "We can. We _can_."

One by one they slipped out of the car and Carlos considered leaving them alone to do whatever they needed to do, but when Logan poked his head in a nudged him lightly on the shoulder, he knew his partner needed him there, no matter how much of an outsider the whole thing would make him feel. They advanced up the steps up to the front door, Carlos and Logan leading the small group, and rang the doorbell.

There was someone screaming "Coming!" and then the shuffling of feet coming closer, followed by the jingle of keys being taken from somewhere. A click, a turn of the door knob and the door opened to reveal a small woman, greying hair styled up in a bun over her head and reading glasses over her mint green eyes, which focused first on Carlos who had his badge out in the open.

"Oh dear," the woman breathed out, not yet having noticed Logan or the rest "are we in some kind of trouble?"

Logan then decided to clear his throat, effectively bringing her gaze down to him. Ellie Stetson's face lit up in cheer happiness and her arms quickly wrapped around the small frame of Logan "My boy, Logie! How long has it been since I last saw you?" she pulled back to take a good look at him "Look at you, all grown up and handsome!" she squeezed his left arm playfully "You even got some muscle on you! Last time you were looking like a talking fishbone!"

Link's giggled travelled from behind both junior detectives and Ellie's eyes soon moved over to her, looking even more excited than before. The elderly woman pushed past Carlos and went over to hug Neally, not before sneaking a glance at Dak and pulling in him for a hug, too. Both narcotics smiled and laughed at Mrs. Stetson's natural giddiness, words about missing her flowing out of their mouths in no time.

Once the reunion was over with, Ellie remembered the badge Garcia had flashed only minutes prior and turned to look at the tanned man again "And who might you be, dear?"

Carlos smiled politely, putting his badge away "Detective Carlos Garcia, ma'am" he reached out a hand for her to take.

The woman took it eagerly, shaking his hand while smiling "Well aren't you the cutest thing ever! What would you need of this poor, old lady, Detective Garcia?"

But it was Link who answered "We need to talk about Jett…" she began softly, putting a hand in the woman's shoulder "Why don't we go inside the house so we can talk comfortably?"

Green eyes shifted between Zevon, Neally and Mitchell but found no answer in any of them. Then she turned to Carlos, whose smile was almost completely wiped off and then she asked "Detective Garcia? What division do you work for?"

"Homicide, ma'am" came his soft response

Ellie's hand flew up to her mouth as a sob left her mouth, tears already gathering at the corners of her eyes "Oh, please no…" she moaned, looking at Carlos pleadingly "Please tell me my boy is alright…" but Carlos didn't answer, and that only made the woman anxious "Please, detective! Tell me my son's alright!"

Zevon's hand fell upon her shoulder "Mama Ellie…" he whispered as he pulled her close "Link's right, we should probably get inside and talk, okay? Would that be okay?"

Ellie only nodded lightly, burying her face in Dak's chest, sniffling audibly. Every one moved inside the house, Dak taking the lead with Ellie in his arms, followed by Link and Logan, with Carlos taking the rear. The Latino hesitated for a moment, standing in the threshold to the living room. He usually tried to avoid talking to the victim's family, feeling out of place and sometimes even unwelcomed by them, but as Logan's partner this was a family he couldn't avoid.

Carlos sighed. Oh, the things he did for his partner.

**So, that's the first chapter! Hoped you guys liked it at least a little bit! Please tell me what you think in a review. If you didn't like it, that's cool too, but maybe there's no reason in leaving a flaming review. If you **_**did**_** like it, riddle me this: **

**Should I continue it? **

**Oh and! I am a huge fan of leaving references to other shows or movies in my writing, so if you managed to catch any here you can leave a review saying which one you found and from where! Let's make it a game! **

**Love,  
I.K. Holdrige**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there! So, I was planing on updating tomorrow, but I got too excited to update again and decided to put this up a day earlier. I hope these first few chapters aren't boring to you guys, or anything. If they are you can come to me and tell me and we'll do something about it togethere, 'kay? I want to keep you as happy as you can be and as involved with the story as it is possible! **

**A shout out to RusherB29HimNae who took their time to review on the first chapter! Was very pleased to see you like Castle and BTR as well! **

**And a big hug to 0verdramatic and ticklemekendall who were as nice by clicking the follow button! Thanks a ton to the three of you and this one's for you! **

******Before I forget, I do not own any of the characters here, those are property of Scott Fellows I assume, except for the original characters, which you'll be able to point out I'm sure, and I definitely do not own the idea for this AU, that's all thanks to the genius Andrew Marlow and the lovely Terri Eda (and all the writers from Castle).**

_Chapter 002 - A look into the case_

It had been an awful 20 minutes while Carlos told Mr. and Mrs. Stetson about their son's murder. Ellie was already sobbing by the time they had even reached the living room and when Jacob Stetson walked in, he instantly knew something was wrong. As Garcia began the normal tirade, giving out condolences and asking the same questions he asked any time he was in this particular duty, the man only listened to him intently, swallowing down every question and mumbling down a half-assed answer that Carlos couldn't blame him for.

The Latino had gotten what he went there for in less than 20 minutes, but Logan just didn't look like he wanted to leave any time soon. Excusing himself, Detective Garcia got up from his seat, walking down the hallway and out the door to the crisp autumn air. He took in a deep breath, holding it in his lungs for a minute before letting it out, dark brown eyes closing as he enjoyed the stillness of the evening. It was quickly turning dark, so he pulled out his phone to call Kendall.

"_Detective Knight_" Kendall's voice picked up in the middle of the third ring.

Carlos smiled as he heard James say something in the background; those two never went without the other "Yo, Kendall, just letting you know Logan and I will probably run a little late to the precinct" he listened to his leader's confused hum and continued "It's like a family reunion in there, bro. These guys were tight, no kidding"

The blond's laugh was echoed by Diamond's own and Carlos wondered if he was on speaker "_Getting jealous, Detective Garcia? Should I remind you what went down last time it happened?_"

A roll of eyes "You're mental, Kendork"

Kendall scoffed "_No, __**you**__are mental_" there was a brief pause and Carlos shifted his weight from one leg to the other "_You're probably wishing Logan would just come back to the precinct with you and ignore the pair of pretty people he used to hang out with_"

James laughed again and then he was talking "_I remember when you were jealous of me, bro_" a slight snigger came from somewhere else and then Carlos knew for sure everyone in the bull-pen was listening to their conversation "_Those were the dark days, man. You couldn't even stand to look at me without being remembered that Logan liked me better._"

"Logan did not like you better, bro"

"_He so did, dude! He couldn't keep his eyes off of me!_"

A quiet slap rang through the line and Carlos grinned knowingly; thank god for the Knight slaps. "_We settled this, months ago, Diamond. Logan did __**not**__ have a crush on you_"

"_That's what he said but we all know he had a tiny crush on me! I mean, it's me!_"

"He did not have a crush on you, James. Just drop it"

The sound of a chair creaking filled the line and then Kendall's voice came back "_Anyway, crush or no crush, he couldn't have liked you better than Carlos_"

James whined "_Why? What's there not to like?_"

Carlos interjected before Knight could "First, he obviously likes me more because I'm his partner. Partners don't go around liking other people more unless it's their wife or husband" Diamond scoffed at him from the other side "Second, there's plenty not to like. You're annoying, maddening, infuriating, and aggravating"

"_Those are just synonyms for annoying, Carlitos_"

Garcia pressed three fingers to his forehead, rubbing absentmindedly "You got my point didn't you?"

"_Well yeah! But, I am none of those things, mind you!_"

Three different voices called out, seemingly farther from the phone "_You are, Diamond_"

Carlos chuckled along Kendall, and once laughter had died down his leader talked again "_Anyways, get here when Logan is ready, Double D can take care of your job for a while_"

There were two indignant replies coming from the background but Carlos didn't stay any longer to hear them, bidding farewell to his leader and hanging up. His phone found its way back to his pocket and he decided his feet needed a rest, sitting down at the steps that led up to the door to give them just that. Garcia stared up at the night sky, holding his hands together before his folded knees, rolling around what Kendall said about him being jealous.

The Latino liked to think he wasn't jealous, but he also knew for a fact he couldn't fool anyone in the precinct for the life of him, let alone himself. He had had a hard time inviting Logan into his life, but when he did he just couldn't let go of him anymore. Mitchell was a dorky kid; Carlos knew that from the moment said kid walked in through the precinct elevator with a tie that had Double D laughing for a month, but that dorky kid turned out to be something more.

Sure, he got beat up by Charlotte his first week and still hasn't managed to come victorious from any of their sparring matches, but he had this kind of strength Carlos had never seen in someone. He was smart and quick on his feet, ready to spring into action when needed; he was kind and understanding with witnesses, which made him the good cop in their partnership; sometimes he would panic under pressure, getting all anxious and nervous when Garcia least expected.

All in all, they worked well together. Their psychologist liked to say the completed each other, but Carlos and Logan both decided that word was way to cheesy for them to ever admit to it. Now that he thought about it, maybe the woman hadn't been all that wrong after all. In a sense, Garcia and Mitchell were like two sides from the same coin, and one couldn't go without the other because it felt _wrong_. He never really realized how much he truly needed his partner being his partner until he waltzed into his life, and maybe he had been harsh at the start, but that harshness had built their relationship to be strong and lasting.

Carlos thought it was only _normal _that he got jealous and Logan never called him on that, so that hadn't been a problem. The problem always was the rest of the precinct. Kendall was always the first one to call on his bullshit, telling him to quit the jealousy before someone got badly hurt, and now James could also pin point the exact moment it happened. Darren was a pain in the ass when he noticed, annoying him to no end with small jabs that he just _knew_ would piss Carlos off, but at least Dallas understood, usually telling Somers to back off before he got strangled by their Latin friend.

But Charlotte. Damn, Charlotte was another thing completely. Sullivan was always over him when she sniffed out his jealousy, poking and prodding at him until he lost it and actually admitted it to her (and twice, to half the precinct). Garcia liked the woman, she was sweet and incredibly caring when it came to 'her boys', like she had so lovingly nicknamed all of them, but she was also nosy and meddling, and it drove Carlos mad.

Thoughts lost in Detective Sullivan and her impressive meddling skills, Garcia failed to notice the moment the door opened behind him, and nearly jumped out of his skin when an all too familiar hand fell over his shoulder. Logan's laughter carried from behind him and the younger detective was soon sitting by his side, nudging his side lightly with his shoulder "Sorry about that, didn't think you'd be so defensive"

Carlos rolled his eyes, crashing his shoulder against his partner's in retaliation "I'm not defensive," he said chuckling "I was just lost in thought"

Logan's eyes were curious "I'm usually the one lost in thought, aren't I?" when Garcia didn't answer he continued "What got the great Garcia mind so preoccupied?"

"Us."

Mitchell fell silent, a smile creeping up his lips and settling contentedly there "Why're you thinking about us, bro?"

Garcia shrugged, turning to look at his friend next to him and smiling "I don't know. I guess the whole situation is making me a little uneasy"

An arm slung over the broad shoulders and soon, the tanned man was being held in a one-armed hug "You aren't getting rid of me any time soon, if that's what you think!" Logan bumped the side of his head with his and laughed "In fact, I think you are stuck with me until eternity, bro"

"I could get rid of you if I wanted, man"

"Nah, bro. You're too attached to me to ever _want_ to get rid of me"

"You're such a dork"

"Careful! Don't bite your tongue or it might just bleed!"

A slap in the back of the head and Logan was still beaming up at him, light bouncing off brown eyes in a way that made Garcia's stomach flip in his belly. Carlos shook his head, a light smirk gracing his lips at his partner's expense, and then he unwrapped himself from the paler arms, standing up and reaching out a hand for Logan to take.

"Should we go back to the 12th?" the Latino asked, arching an eyebrow towards the door "Are they coming with us?"

Mitchell shook his head "No, Link and Dak wanted to stay with the Stetsons for the night, just to make sure they're alright and whatnot" his voice trailed off, eyes downcast.

"Do you want to stay, too?"

The question seemed to catch Logan off guard because he just stood there, brown colliding against brown as the younger detective searched for words inside his brain. A wan smile spread on his lips and he shook his head "Nah, man, we need to get back to the precinct before Kendall gets pissed."

Smiling, Carlos pressed a hand to the small of his partner's back, herding him to the car to which Mitchell scoffed at him that he knew how to walk by himself. Garcia only laughed opening the driver's seat door and slipping into their car, waiting to ignite it until Logan was sitting by his side with his seat belt on.

Of course his partner didn't say it out loud, but Garcia knew Mitchell needed comfort, and those small reassuring touches were the only thing Carlos knew how to give to him.

The ride back to the precinct was mostly filled with light jokes that Carlos expected would light up the mood. The Latino knew perfectly well his partner wasn't in the best mood right now, just after leaving his old partner's house after telling said old partner's parents that their only son was murdered. So, Garcia did one of the things he did the best: used banter to keep Logan from focusing, poked and prodded until he could get a reaction he was comfortable with, and so far, things were going smoothly. Both detectives slipped out of their car as soon as it was parked in the underground parking lot of the 12th precinct and decided on taking the elevator instead of how they usually took the stairs.

"Yo, Mitchell!" they were immediately greeted by Somers holding what looked like a box of surveillance tapes and Logan knew what was coming "Good thing you guys are back! Kendall needs the 'King of All Surveillance' media to check these tapes for anything suspicious" he dropped the box in the paler arms and turned to retreat back to his desk "You know the drill by now, I believe _milord_?"

Logan glared at Darren's back as he walked back into the bull pen "That bastard," he muttered with gritted teeth "He's such a lazy ass sometimes"

A pat on the back was all it took for anger to slip out of Logan's system "He _did_ call you the King of All Surveillance Media"

"Oh shush, don't side with him"

"I'm not siding with anyone, just stressing the fact that you're the best on this job"

"Fine. Whatever. I am the best for this job"

Carlos smiled, ruffling his partner's already messy hair and turning on his heels after his indignant yelp. He waved his hand in the air as he pranced back into the bull-pen, plopping down in his chair when he got to his desk. Kendall came up to him only seconds later, leaning against his desk and slapping down some documents.

"These are all the things Narco's got on the case Jett was working on before getting killed"

The Latino sighed, taking the file in his hands and opening it reluctantly. He scanned it once with his eyes, only stopping over key words that caught his attention. From what he was making out, this was a case almost 30 years old, one in which Gustavo Rocque was once involved back in the golden ages and Kelly Wainwright worked her fair share when she was younger. Carlos's brow furrowed as he stopped on a list of names written down almost at the end.

_**Kendall Knight. **_

Mocha brown eyes looked up from the file and locked with green ones, expecting some sort of explanation from the older detective. He waited a fair amount before turning the file around and shoving it in Kendall's face, to which his leader only scoffed and pushed it away.

"Care to explain this?" Garcia asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

The blond sighed and snapped the file shut in the Latino's hands, pulling it away from his reach "I wouldn't have shown it to you if I knew you'd react this way"

"I want to know why your name's there" the other answered, shrugging as he tried to calm his impatience "That's all"

Kendall rolled his eyes and flipped the file open again, taking the list of names from it and motioning for Carlos to follow him. The Latino did as was told, standing up from his place and walking a step behind his blond boss. They crossed the bull pen in long strides and knocked at their Captain's door, awaiting the clear 'enter' that would grant them permission to walk in. Kelly peered up at them curiously from behind her glasses as they made their way through her office, stopping only when they reached the last thing that remained of their last skipper; a framed list of names. With a rough pull, Knight forced Garcia to look at the hanged list, slapping the one in his hand against the wall next to the frame.

Carlos read them both over and suddenly understood everything.

The list that hung on the office's wall belonged to an old case Captain Rocque had been involved in back in Narcotics. A case in which they busted through the doors of an old warehouse, only to find women, kids and young men trapped inside. Kendall Knight had been among the found babies, but while all the rest had found their way back home, no one had reclaimed the boy with no name. After much deliberating, Rocque had decided to adopt the baby and raised him as his own, with the help of his then partner, Kelly Wainwright. Everyone in the homicide department knew that case like the back of their hands.

The Latino's head hung ashamedly, un-daring to look into his friend's eyes.

There was a pat on his back and both Garcia and Knight walked out of the office after offering Kelly a brief explanation.

"Sorry about that, man" Carlos said once they found their way back to his desk "Didn't know they were the same case"

Kendall only shrugged and patted him on the back again "It's alright, Garcia" he said "I know your temper runs away from you sometimes"

A grin was sent the blond's way and Knight grinned back at his junior detective, pushing his wheeled chair back a few and into Logan's desk "Read through the case back and forth. I want you to know every single detail of it."

"Yes, sir"

Meanwhile, of course, Mitchell was hard at work in the Tech. Room, where he sat coursing through the various tapes he was burdened with. It was the usual procedure they followed; there was a murder? Look through all the tapes around his work, house and the crime scene. Said task was usually given to him, not only because he had been the last one to come in the team, but because he had become so accustomed to it in his first year that there was no one better than him for it. Sometimes, when he wasn't available, they would leave the chore to Somers, but the black haired detective was a little on the lazy side and they never got any good results with him.

Hence the title 'King of All Surveillance Media'. It had been bestowed upon Logan well into his second year in Homicide by no other than Captain Rocque.

"Yo," a familiar voice called out behind him, snapping him out of his tape-induced reverie.

Logan paused the video, turning in his chair to look at his partner standing in the doorway "Hey," he mumbled tiredly "What're you doing around this kingdom, Sire Garcia?"

Carlos grinned at him, revealing the bag he was hiding behind his back "Got you some food, _fishbone_"

"What is it with you guys stealing nicknames from my past?" Logan whined from his place, turning back to the screen and pouting "Now my past is, literally, coming back to haunt me"

His partner only chuckled, moving a chair closer to him and plopping down unto it "Well, I don't know, Loges. It just seems cute"

"Cute?"

Garcia began pulling out take out cartoons from the bag, ordering them in a straight line before him "Yeah, cute"

Logan's eyebrows rose comically "Don't call me cute"

"Who said I called you cute?"

"But you just said it seemed cute"

"Yeah, your _nicknames_; never once did I say you were cute"

"You thought about it"

"Oh, so now you read minds, too?"

"You bet your ass I do"

Carlos snorted "You really are the biggest dork I've ever met"

"How many dorks have you met?"

"Two" the Latino answered nonchalantly as he opened each of the cartoons, leaving them back in their line "No, wait. Three"

Mitchell smirked "So, me and who else?"

"Knight and Diamond"

"I'll tell them you said that"

"Shut up and eat before I change my mind and share this dinner with Somers, okay?"

"No need to tell me twice"

Logan awoke with a crick in his neck, reminding him of the uncomfortable position he had slept in last night. The couch underneath him was warm, but that didn't make it any less painful, and with a strangled groan he pushed himself off the black leather. He sat on the edge, working the knots out of his neck and shoulders, groaning under his breath as his bones cracked audibly. Mitchell felt like an old man, groaning and moaning like he had arthritis, but he really had slept in the most uncomfortable position he could find.

He stopped mid-stretch and looked around him inquisitively.

"_I don't remember having walked up to break room_" he thought to himself, standing up from the couch and noticing, for the first time, the other man sleeping on the one-seat couch across the table from him. He smiled at his partner's mumbling form, making his way to the coffee maker.

Carlos had probably moved him from his place in the Tech. Room when he had fallen asleep last night, deciding it was too late for either of them to go home. Luckily, both had a spare change of clothes down at the gym, so clean clothes would definitely not be a problem. Logan went through the delicate routine of preparing coffee for himself and his partner, adding just the amount of sugar both of them needed (Carlos's more so than his, but that was beyond anything right now) and stirring them both with care.

He silently thanked James for the beautiful coffee machine he had bought for the bull-pen as a gift to _soften_ Kendall (it had done nothing but soften Logan, who already liked him enough by then).

Mitchell deposited his partner's cup in the table before him, shaking him slowly and calling out his name softly. Garcia only turned over in his sleep, mumbling something about giving him 5 more minutes to sleep. The paler detective shook his head and proceeded to move the other a little bit harder, urging him to wake up already, but his pleas definitely fell on deaf ears and he restored to screaming, effectively waking his partner up.

"Man," Carlos groaned, visibly annoyed "Why do you have to be so mean? After I carried you over here last night?"

Logan rolled his eyes, pushing the cup of coffee into his partner's fingers "Here, drink this"

Garcia sniffed the beverage, smiling softly as he recognized the amount of sugar Mitchell had poured in it. Five years of bringing coffee to him every morning had definitely paid off.

They talked in pleasant tones, their voices echoing around the empty bull-pen walls, and they both decided a bath down at the gym was in order. They made their war to the elevator together, still chatting about yesterday's discoveries (which were zero to none) and basically just basking in each other's presence. Their Captain was only arriving at the moment, crossing the elevator doors as they dinged. Kelly stared up at both of them, arching an eyebrow at their presence at such an early time and their obvious yesterday clothes. Both partners were about to offer an explanation but were quieted down by her waving hand of dismissal. Dismissing their skipper's attitude, together they continued their trail downstairs to the gym and finally took the shower they deserved.

When Mitchell and Garcia emerged from the gym, Kendall was already sitting at his desk, making calls to check financials and the like. The blond greeted them both with a pleasant smile "Good to see you both here so early" he greeted while he scribbled something down on a paper "How did you do with the tapes yesterday, Mitchell?"

"Nothing so far, boss" Logan answered, grimacing slightly at Knight's heavy sigh "I still have a couple missing though, so I'll get to that, yes?"

Kendall stopped his junior detective in his tracks, pointing towards the break room "No, let Somers handle that for now. There's another task I need you on right now"

"Sure," the paler detective said "what should I do?"

The leader pointed over at the break room "Your partner, Link Neally, has been assigned to our case so I need you to show her the ropes and what not"

"Link's here?"

"Isn't that what I just said?"

Logan blinked owlishly at his leader and a little smile broke over his face "Yeah boss, sorry about that" he let out a nervous chuckle "So, I'll just go talk to Link"

Kendall stopped him again before he could leave; grabbing him by the arm and pulling him back to his former place "Do it quick, I cannot leave Somers in the Tech Room"

Mitchell smiled down at his friend, amused at his pleading tone "Of course. She's a quick learner; it'll take no time to introduce her"

With one last grateful smile, Knight finally released the paler detective's hand, letting him continue his journey over to the break room. He then turned to look at Carlos, who stared after Logan as if he was watching the other leave him forever and promptly tugged his ear. The Latino let out an indignant yelp and turned to look at his boss, asking what the hell his problem was while simultaneously rubbing at his affected ear.

"Control your temper, understood?"

The Latino groaned "_Si, mama_"

**Hope you all guys enjoyed this chapter, because I honestly had a thrill writing some scenes down! I know it was a little bit longer (and the chapter sizes may vary depending on my creativity for the week) so I hope you guys are okay with that!**

**Don't be afraid to leave a review and have a beautiful day! **

**Love,  
I.K. Holdrige**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am back from the death with this new chapter and although I am not a 100% sure with it I'll upload it so you guys at least have something to read! **

**A big shout out to the amazing RusherB29HimNae and to the awesomsauce 0verdramatic who were kind enough to leave a review and brighten my day! Honestly, thanks a bunch! **

**And a big hug to the equally nice ifthesesheetswerestates who just began following the story! Enjoy the ride! **

**********Before I forget, I do not own any of the characters here, those are property of Scott Fellows I assume, except for the original characters, which you'll be able to point out I'm sure, and I definitely do not own the idea for this AU, that's all thanks to the genius Andrew Marlow and the lovely Terri Eda (and all the writers from Castle). **

_Chapter 003 - Wherein there's a new teammember and tensions arise._********

Logan walked into the break room, instantly catching a glimpse of his old blonde partner. Link had her hair tied up in a high pony-tail and bags under her eyes that stole away her blue eyes' natural brightness. She wasn't aware of his presence so, as soon as he called out her name, she jumped out of her skin, nearly dropping the fresh cup of coffee that she now balanced in her right hand. The woman turned to him, eyeing him with an annoyed look plastered across her face, before breaking out into a grin that didn't quite reach her eyes and walking over to give him a one-armed hug.

"Good to see you again so soon, Neally" he greeted, squeezing her mid-section like he hadn't seen her in years.

She squeezed back and then pulled away "I need this as much as you do dimples"

Mitchell nodded his head a few times, understanding Link's position perfectly "So," he began a little more cheerfully "ready for an intensive course on the 12th Homicide department?"

"Am I?" she bit down on her lower lip, looking concerned "I've known Narco all my life, so am I ready to work with you guys?"

His hands fell down to each side of her arms, holding her softly "I came from Narco once, too" he whispered "And Kendall says I did well even on my first week"

"Kendall?" Link turned her head slightly to the side, confused.

"Detective Knight! My boss"

Her mouth formed an 'O' and he chuckled slightly. How accustomed he was to his new family that now he forgot how other people only knew them for their last names. A smile found its way to his lips and he took Link's hand in his, pulling her close into a hug. She snaked her arms around his neck and Logan breathed in her shampoo, finding solace in the familiar smell that filled his nostrils. Yeah, he had grown accustomed to this new precinct, to his new family, but he couldn't forget who had been there at the start. Narcotic was the first thing he ever knew and Neally part of the first team he had referred to as a family. Dak, Jett and she had been his solid rock for his first years after the academy and now it all hit him at once.

Logan hadn't said goodbye to Stetson. Hadn't had a proper chat with him in almost 5 years and now his partner was dead, gone to never come back. His arms tightened around Link's form, bringing her closer if that was even possible, and he tried his best to keep the tears threatening to fall at bay. One of her hands was now on his hair, rubbing soothing circles at the nape of his neck. Mitchell felt his shirt dampen slightly and knew Neally needed the support, perhaps, even more than he did; so he let her cry, let her cling to him as much as she needed and decided to be strong for her. Just this once, he needed to be the stronger one.

It felt like an eternity when she finally unwrapped herself from him, blue outlined with red and a trail of dried tears down her cheeks. Link sniffled a few times, passing the back of her sleeve under her eyes and down her cheeks, trying to erase as much evidence as she could from her previous meltdown. The woman looked up at him, a wan smile decorating her features as she tried her best to seem okay. He returned the smile pleasantly, rubbing her upper arm as a sign of comfort and then told her if she wished to get that course on the 12th precinct.

"Hit me" she said, smiling a little brighter "I'm ready for this"

Logan spent his evening explaining how their team worked. He told her about how he usually was in charge of surveillance media, so she wouldn't need to worry about watching any tapes just yet; told her about Sullivan's brute force and strength; embarrassed Somers's ability to stay focused on paperwork and begged her to be a little patient with him; praised Cruz's amazing pressure skills; talked about Knight's capacity to solve murders in the weirdest of times; gushed over Diamond's awesome theories, but begged her to never give him the reason.

And then, he spoke to her about Garcia and how much of a good cop and partner he was; talked nonstop about his talent on getting people to do what he wanted; praised him and gushed over him like he was the only one cop in the 12th capable of anything good.

"Okay, so, wait" Link interrupted him in the middle of his rant "You're just bragging about your partner now! What happened to the intensive course on the 12th?" she asked, a foxy grin locking on her lips "I thought I'd have to learn about work dynamics and what not"

Logan's cheeks tinted pink "Got carried away there" then he passed a hand over his face, trying to cover his blush "I was just getting to the work dynamics. Give me a break, woman"

"Get to the point"

"It's pretty easy" he said once his face returned to normal "You just go to Knight when you have a clue and expect his next orders to get this or that. He usually asks you to cover the basis, like surveillance tapes, financials, and interviews on people close to the victim. Once you got those, he'll send you to gather clues on the clues you got from the later mentioned basis. If a suspect comes up we haul him up to interrogation and we do a number on him; try and get as much information as we can. Then, if we got the wrong guy we just go back to the start and look again, look for things we may have missed at the start and gather new evidence. Knight however, will never _ever_ let you start from one particular point; with him you'll have to start from scratch and he'll beg you to look at everything with a fresh set of eyes, so you find something new and fresh."

Link held up a hand and stopped him from talking "What does that even mean?"

"It means that, if everything else fails, you go back to square one and you look at your evidence as if it was the first time you were seeing that evidence. You stop yourself from making the same conclusions and go out and pursue different paths, so that you find a different conclusion" Logan stated, proud of himself to have gotten the Knight principles so down to a T.

The woman made a confused face and bit down her lip "I still don't get it. Why would you want to start from scratch?"

Mitchell sighed and looked around him, trying to find any visual aids to help him on this one. Brown eyes fell over a mug and he smiled triumphantly before stretching himself over the couch to grab it. Neally giggled at his puppy eyed look as he plopped back down next to her "Here, tell me who this mug belongs to"

Link arched an eyebrow "I don't know"

"Try"

"Okay…let's see" she looked at the mug and swiped her thumb over the 12th precinct crest "It belongs to the community"

"What tells you that?"

"Well, it has the 12th precinct crest" she stated, hinting at a duh hidden behind her tone "So I'm guessing it doesn't belong to anyone in particular"

Logan shook his head "Nope, everyone here has their own mug. It's like a golden rule; issued by Rocque himself a month into my arrival"

"But why does only one mug have the crest if you all belong to the precinct?"

"How do you know that's the only mug with the crest? Have you seen any other mugs around?"

Link hummed "True, I didn't think to check if all the other mugs had the crest"

He snapped his fingers and smiled triumphantly "Understand the Knight Process now?"

"I…guess?"

"Explain it to me"

"Well," she begun, staring at the mug in her hands "At first I guided myself through a set of evidence that was given to me; that being the mug you gave to me and the crest printed on it. And when I failed to point out the real owner, I kept guiding myself through that evidence, dismissing any other clues that may have been hidden under my nose if I had looked again" Neally smiled softly to herself "When starting from scratch, you understand things you didn't catch the first time"

Mitchell smiled proudly "You have passed your first Knight test with exceeding scores, my dear. My leader will be pleased to hear of these advances."

The blue eyed blonde smiled sheepishly and chuckled under her breath.

"Now, I'll have to teach you the beauty of the Sullivan Method"

Link snorted a laugh "You dork!"

But Logan seemed unfazed "I'm being serious, you know? There is an actual Sullivan Method" then he held up four fingers and pointed at them with each new word "And a Somers Technique, because he's tacky like that. There's the Cruz Way, which is actually a little bit confusing, but turns out to be actually simple and effective. Also, the Garcia Procedure, that is kind of scary, but works on the tough cases. And, of course, there's the Mitchell System too, which is amazingly operational."

"What? Logan, you can't be serious"

"Oh, but I am! You need to learn all of this if you wish to be a part of our team, even if only temporarily"

"That's ridiculous"

"It's a _routine_ and you cannot break it"

"I will not learn all of your stupid methods, Logan Hortense Mitchell. There's no way"

"They're not all methods. There's a Technique-"

"Hortense, I swear to god, I'll tell your mother about this"

"-and there's definitely a Way-"

"Logan."

"-and a Procedure, and a Process-"

"Logan!"

"-and a carefully laid System, excuse you!"

The rest of the evening was passed with silly banter among Link and Logan. The female detective seemed to like contradicting her ex-partner, if only for the fun it came out of it rather than actually having a different opinion. During that period of time they drank a total of 7 cups of coffee between the two of them and had each a sandwich that Darren had bought from the joint down the block they all liked. Mitchell was an excellent teacher and Neally a great student, so it was barely 1 o'clock when the woman had finally gotten everything down to a T.

"Well," Logan clapped his hands "I guess that's about it. We should go see what Knight needs, if anything"

Link nodded, pushing herself off the couch and walking over to the bull-pen, following the male detective as he made his way to his desk. Once Mitchell reached the comfort of his own chair, his ex-partner was left standing next to his desk, eyeing the furniture with an arched eyebrow.

"What did my desk ever do to you?"

"Nothing"

"Then stop trying to burn it with your eyes, please"

The female detective turned her glare to Logan "If I'd wanted to burn your desk, I would've already done it a long time ago, dimples"

"Gratefully," he began, typing in his computer password "You haven't had the urge to do that yet" Once his loading screen appeared, he turned to Link again "But, seriously, why are you staring that way at my desk?"

Before Link could express her feelings on that, a third voice interjected in their argument "Maybe she's trying to figure out whether you'll offer her a chair, or something, Mitchell" Sullivan called out as she entered the bull pen, delivering a file to the first officer that walked past her "I'll get you a chair and you can sit by me, Neally" the redhead grinned, beckoning the other girl closer "Us girls have to stick together, no?"

As Logan tried to stop her, Neally waved a hand back at him in dismissal, walking behind her new-found friend. Charlotte winked an eye at Mitchell smugly, puckering her lips as if sending a kiss his way. Sarcastically, he grabbed the air around him as if grabbing the floating kiss and proceeded to stomp down on it a few times. Sullivan mimicked a mock-offended face and resumed her walk behind the blonde, poking her tongue back at her co-worker and laughing behind her hand once their little act was over. The dimpled detective was left at his desk with a smile on his face as he surveyed his e-mails, hoping to find anything from Knight or the morgue.

"Are you free at this precise moment?" Carlos asked as he leaned against the younger's desk, startling the other out of his reverie "Or is your girl still in training?"

Logan's left eyebrow rose and he smiled uncomfortably "My girl? Carlos. What?"

"I don't know man," the Latino grinned "You two seemed pretty cozy over there in the break room"

Mitchell glared up at him.

Garcia lifted his hands over his head, smiling sheepishly down at his partner "I'm just saying"

"Don't say anything then"

Carlos sighed "Anyway, you didn't answer my question. You got time?"

"I don't know" Logan answered, not even bothered to look at his partner, brows furrowed together as he concentrated in the screen before him "Still have to talk to Knight and see my next assignment"

"Knight is down in the morgue with Diamond," Garcia announced "Probably won't be back until later"

"I'll call him to see what's up" Mitchell fast typed something and clicked another something a few times "I must've missed some stuff while I was with Li-" he stopped himself at the last moment and corrected "Neally"

Garcia licked his lips, pushing himself off the other's desk and pulling his chair over to sit "Somers finished reviewing the tapes and found just as much as we did yesterday night" he said "And Stetson's financials, both undercover and normal, came back clean. Gratefully there were no exorbitant withdrawals that could've pointed to anything" the Latino toyed with one of his partner's pens "And-"

"What do you mean?"

Carlos looked up "By what?"

"Just," Mitchell did a gesture with his hands "that."

"What's that, precisely?"

"What you just said. About Jett's financials."

"Well, they came back clean, nothing to worry about" he shrugged his shoulders.

Logan finally turned to look at Carlos, pushing himself away from his computer "I wasn't really worrying about his financials coming out with something, Garcia"

"Mitch-"

"Jett was a good cop. A great cop even" the paler detective began, angrily "He was a bit of a goof and maybe self-centered, but he was a cop for a reason and that reason was he wanted to serve people" he poked Carlos's chest roughly "Don't you dare to _think_, even for a second, he could've gone rogue"

And with that, Logan was off and away, taking long strides towards the elevator doors as he mumbled incoherencies under his breath. How dare Carlos even come up with that belief? Jett gone rogue? Please! Stetson being a dirty cop was as plausible as Mitchell taking Sullivan down in combat. He punched the elevator's button with as much force as his anger managed to give him and waited impatiently for the doors to ding open. Once they did, his leader and the best-selling author strolled out of it, greeting him in two different levels of happy. Logan dismissed them both, walking past them and into the elevator, once again opting to punch the button that would lead him down.

Knight's head followed the door's movement "Mitchell! You okay?"

"Oh! Sure! I'm brilliant!"

Kendall turned sharply over his heels, stalking over to Carlos who was still looking at Logan's chair as if it had offended him in some way. "Care to explain your partner's displeasure? Or should I go around asking and find out by myself?"

Garcia rolled his eyes "Okay bro, this was definitely not my fault" he said defensively "I only said something about Jett's financials coming up clean and he went berserk on me"

"What did I say about controlling your temper?"

Carlos's head turned sharply up to look at Kendall "You're telling me this is my fault?" he threw his hand to the direction Logan had walked away to "He's the one who got all prissy about his old partner's financials!"

Kendall's shoulders slumped forward and he sighed tiredly "Listen here, Garcia" he begun, letting one hand land on the other's shoulder "You need to understand how hard this case is for Logan. His ex-partner was murdered and he's trying his hardest to keep his feelings at bay" green collided harshly against brown, settling Carlos's emotional turmoil "He doesn't need you throwing him off balance so much, got it?"

"I didn't even say anything remotely bad!" Garcia yelped indignantly, flapping his arms against his sides "I just told him Stetson's financials came back clean and that was that" he turned away from his leader, continuing in a louder voice "And then he snaps on me and goes on and on about how Jett was a good cop and how he would never betray the force!" he turned over his heels, tugging at his short black hair "Things like that have happened! It's not like it's impossible!"

"And I understand" Knight stated calmly, trying to soothe his junior partner "But as Mitchell's partners and friends we have to be supportive, especially in these times, and it's for the better if you keep any line of investigation of betrayal out of Logan's sight"

Carlos stopped in his pacing and dropped down on his chair "I cannot keep things from him, Knight" he buried his head between his hands, talking between his fingers "He's my partner"

James, who had been listening to the conversation off to the side, took this as his cue to interject in the argument and seated himself next to Garcia "Stetson's murder was definitely a low blow for Logan. One that came out of nowhere and knocked him off his feet, for certain, and if we need to keep these things from him I think it will be better both for his sanity and ours"

"He's too invested into everything" came Carlos's mumbled reply.

Diamond nodded his head a few times "Don't you think that's what makes him such an amazing cop?" the Latino made a sound of confusion "He's too invested, that's true, but _because _he's invested he always tries his hardest" he lowered his head until he could see Garcia's brown eyes hiding in between his hands "And there have been plenty of cases we've closed because he's gotten too invested"

"It's unhealthy"

"And that's why he's got you"

"…"

"To keep him grounded"

That's when the Latino decided to pull his head away from its hiding, looking at James as if he'd just told him the answer to life and the universe. He took a moment to consider his options and decided keeping quiet on that particular line of investigation was probably for the best. Logan would only get angrier at him if he even mentioned anything that had to do with Jett betraying the force and perhaps he would still get angry if Carlos kept things from him, but right now he'd rather have Mitchell mad at him than Mitchell losing his mind. Garcia nodded a few times, as if finally agreeing with the whole thing, and James couldn't stop his smile from slipping into his lips.

A few weeks later, Carlos was regretting his choice to keep quiet.

After the first incident things had been a little bit strained between them. Mitchell had forgotten to bring him coffee the day after that, and then continued to forget every single day after that one. The lack of caffeine turned Garcia into a little, tanned monster and he snapped at Logan more often than not, which in turn only drew his partner even further away. There was no more banter to keep either of them busy, so they continued to self-destruct themselves little by little. The younger detective still regretted the time he hadn't talked to Jett; meanwhile Carlos blamed himself for his partner's misery.

Knight watched his two best detectives spiral into blackness, unable to do anything about it but offer small advice that could only do so much for them. James tried his best to keep everyone in the team at least partially sane, but the demons that haunted Mitchell and Garcia's relationship begun to take their toll in the team dynamics, and soon everyone was feeling a little exhausted of their constant fighting.

Then, Counseling Day came around and everyone knew what was coming.

**So, I am aware the chapters are getting even smaller every time I update but school has been eating me away with Monthly Exams and now that I've failed one of them I think I will be even busier trying to better my score. It's been one of the longest weeks in the history of longest weeks and I cannot wait for things to get better if I'm being sincere. I wanted to get to this part ever since the idea for this fanfic struck me and now I cannot **_**wait**_** to write chapter 4! **

**Counseling Day will be explained next chapter, obviously, and I hope you guys like the idea because I fell in love with it! **


	4. Chapter 4

**So, I know I'm the worst author ever because I left this fanfic without an update in almost three weks (maybe more, you guys tell me) and I'm even worst-er because this chapter is so much smaller than the rest of the chapters, but I needed to give this to you before I reached the month mark and forgot the next update! I hope you can forgive me, I've been very busy with school stuff and life stuff that I haven't had time to sit and write in a long time! But, I'm back and I hope you like this one!**

**A big shoutout to the amazing Rusherb29HimNae and to the awesomesauce 0verdramatic who never fail to leave a review! You make this Rusher very, very happy!**

**A huge hug to the new followers, amrice101 who followed about three weeks ago (I'm sorry I disappointed you, my dear) and to The Weasley Way who followed earlier this weekend (it was thanks to you that I forced myself to update this. Cheers!) **

**************Before I forget, I do not own any of the characters here, those are property of Scott Fellows I assume, except for the original characters, which you'll be able to point out I'm sure, and I definitely do not own the idea for this AU, that's all thanks to the genius Andrew Marlow and the lovely Terri Eda (and all the writers from Castle).**

_Chapter 004 - Where you learn what a pain in the ass Counseling Day is._

As it was usual every month, Dallas was the first to walk inside Dr. Goldwater's office first thing in the morning. He went in with a smile, calm about that day's session, and came back with an even bigger smile, proving his ability to keep his cool under the worst conditions. Cruz called Diamond to go in next and the writer seemed a little too nervous to go into the room. He took small steps towards the back of the bull-pen, trying to drag out his time as much as possible. The best-selling author wasn't particularly scared about talking to Dr. Goldwater about his troubles (he was James Diamond, after all) but rather about what came after his own session. James knew perfectly well that, when the psychologist was finished with him, he'd be the bearer of bad news to the rest of the team.

Minutes passed on by in which tension settled comfortably over everyone's shoulders and Somers had to restore to taking a walk down stairs, as if avoiding the news he knew were coming. Poor Darren wasn't spared and just as he plopped down back into his seat, James came out of Dr. Goldwater's office, shuffling his feet and looking downcast. He walked past Garcia's and Mitchell's desk, muttering darkly under his breath and let himself fall down into his usual spot next to Knight.

Green eyes looked at him inquisitively, waiting for the words to come out of his mouth anytime, but the usually talkative man kept quiet for five straight minutes. Kendall tapped his pen against his wooden desk, biting down on his lips as he became increasingly impatient with Diamond's lack of words, and restored to violently ripping James's words out of his mouth. He pinched his lower arm and the brunet squeaked.

"Garcia," came out the writer's soft voice "Your turn"

Everyone let out the breath they were holding and then took it sharply in when James continued to talk "Mitchell. Dr. Goldwater told me to call you in, too"

Logan took no time to stand from his place, loosening his tie a little to let him breathe easier and walking over to the direction Diamond had come in from. Carlos, on the other hand, took his time to follow, stretching out his limbs in front of him as he tried his hardest not to scream in pure agony. Apparently he took too much time because his partner poked his head from the hallway and told him in an annoyed tone that he should hurry. Rolling his eyes, Garcia followed down the path Mitchell had taken, all the while fixing his jacket and tie as if to look any more presentable.

The door at the end of the Tech hallway clicked shut and everyone let out the breath they weren't aware they were holding. Somers scratched at his scalp, weary of the headache that was creeping up into his temple slowly and turned back to his screen. Cruz let out a low whistle, losing the smile he'd been sporting since earlier and choosing to hide from the tension by leaving to pour himself a cup of well-needed coffee. Knight and Diamond exchanged a worried glance and then returned to their work after a minute of silence. Sullivan only scribbled away on her paper two seconds faster than before and Neally, who'd been sitting by her since a week, only looked like a lost puppy among the different reactions.

Link bit her lip pensively, thinking of a good reason for why Carlos and Logan were going to therapy together, and why the team was even going to therapy. Was there an old trauma they hadn't been able to recover from? Were all of them haunted by their pasts and needed serious counseling? No. Logan couldn't have had a troubled past. _She _was part of his past and there had been nothing traumatizing to try to recover from. Sure, police work was sometimes tough and gruesome, but her ex-partner never held any regrets. She'd heard about Carlos being an ex-military, so maybe that would explain why he'd go to therapy.

But what about the rest? Lottie definitely looked chipper and smiley, so there didn't seem to be a problem there. And Darren was just the same, almost always keeping his head in the clouds. Dallas too, looked grounded enough to not let much bother him. It sounded like Kendall had problems sometimes, but the best-selling author seemed to keep him sane enough without therapy.

So, what was it?

Her brows furrowed in deep concentration and it wasn't long after when Sullivan noticed "What's wrong?"

"I'm just…" Link held her breath expectantly, as if looking for a word "thinking, I guess?"

"Are you asking or are you telling me?"

"Telling you?"

Charlotte let out a small chuckled "Okay girl, tell me what's up"

The Narcotics detective was hesitant, but under Sullivan's pressure, she gave up "Would it be intrusive if I ask why you guys go to counseling?"

The red head shook her head, smiling almost sadly "Plain curiosity, I'd say" she dropped her pen and started to look for something on her computer "Don't tell anyone about these files I'll show you, okay?"

"Why? What's on them?" maybe that theory about the old trauma wasn't that far off.

"Performance reports from the first weeks Logan and I were transferred from our respective divisions" Sullivan was talking barely above a whisper, and Link was having a hard time understanding her mumbled words "Captain Rocque, our old skipper, had to turn over some reports to his superiors on how the team was adjusting." She clicked on a few other things and a whole file appeared on the screen "You see my reports weren't that bad. I'd been assigned to Kendall and he was pretty open in letting us both in. The problem was Carlos and Logan's partnership.

"Right from the start, Garcia had flatly refused to even work with a new partner, let alone a rooky coming from Narcotics. He was mad, angry at the world, and he took it all out on poor Logan. The first week had been fine. Carlos would just go all out and lash at Mitchell, calling him names and telling him his work was awful. Logan was shockingly professional and never talked back; if you ask him, he'll always say he saw Garcia's complaints as 'areas for improvement'. Then one day, he got so fed up with Carlos's bullshit and he talked back. He went on and on about how Carlos should start worrying about solving murder cases rather than making the rookie's life a living hell; he screamed and screamed his lungs out and all Garcia could do was stand there dumbfounded, because never once had a rookie talked to him like that.

"And things got uglier after that. Kendall asked Cap. Rocque if he should interfere, but Gustavo said none of us should try to even get close; the Cargan team was a ticking bomb, ready to explode at any second if anyone prompted it. So, we all kept quiet and the war continued. The reports get more dreadful the more you read on; Gustavo couldn't lie to his superiors. When 1PP got notice of how tense the situation was up in here, they ordered Rocque to do something about it."

Link, who had been skimming over the passages as quickly as she could while listening to the story, was suddenly struck with Logan's despair during those weeks. The more the girl read on, the more distraught she was with the whole thing. Gustavo Rocque explained each development so clearly, that she felt she was back at the time of the fights, listening to every word the detectives threw at each other. The worse thing was 1PP's responses. They all went against Mitchell, saying he had no right to talk to a 'superior' like that and that 'the boy should be kept in his place'. She felt a nauseating feeling crawling up her throat and felt the necessity to ask what Rocque had done to fix the whole situation.

"It was a long process," Charlotte continued, pointing at a certain passage were Rocque explained the reprimand he had given Detective Mitchell after work "First came the several scolding Logan had to put up with. One after another, Rocque kept telling him to back off his superior even though he knew it wasn't Logan's fault as a whole. 1PP's orders were clear and that was what they wanted Gustavo to do" the red head gave time to the other woman to process the whole narrative and flinched when she got herself to a certain point in it "But Logan never backed down. He had one hell of an unbreakable spirit, that boy. He never let Carlos push him down; whatever he said, whatever he did, Mitchell would always voice his opinion on the matter.

"Which was only worse, you know. They sent someone from 1PP down here to the bull-pen and Logan got an earful in front of everyone in the station. Officers, secretaries, tech experts; they all listened in as the bastard put Mitchell down bit by bit. That dude rambled for almost 20 minutes, on how 'Mitchell was supposed to listen to everything his partner said as he had more expertise on the homicide department, and as a law enforcement as a whole'. We all thought it was bullshit, especially Kendall. He had been the angriest from all of us that Logan was the one getting scolded for something Garcia had caused himself. When 1PP threatened to take Logan's earned position away, Knight had caused a riot in Gustavo's office, pleading him to do something for Mitchell

"And then, an idea struck Rocque's tired mind" Charlotte scrolled down near the end and pointed at one sentence in the report:

'_...partner counseling sessions will be applied to Detectives Mitchell and Garcia every week, hoping that therapy is enough to keep them from killing each other. I ask of your patience, as dealing with bottled emotions is rather difficult and will take some time to prove their effects on the pair. Doctor Goldwater has assured me that if they're not getting well together three months from now, there is definitely nothing to be done for them. I also ask for Detective Mitchell to be given the same amount on time to change his attitude (as you so had requested as a condition to keep his job) as his past skipper – and I myself – has guaranteed that he is good at what he does and it would be a shame to lose such an asset in law enforcement._'

Link raised an eyebrow, questioningly "What does that even mean?"

"Counseling day was created as a weekly therapy session for them to get along better" Charlotte explained "It used to be once a week, like stated here, and had been a sort of marriage counseling if you ask me. They'd go in together, mad and obfuscated at each other, and come back with a new piece of mind each time. It was slow and tedious, and it took its toll on all of us; so Dr. Goldwater happily agreed to let us go in individually as if to 'calm out qualms'. Three months' worth of therapy sessions and they were joint at the hip! We never knew what Dr. Goldwater did, but she did it well and we ended up keeping Counseling day as a tradition"

"Why is it so bad that they're going in together?" Neally asked, certainly confused "I mean, if Dr. Goldwater cured them back then, why not now?"

"Thing is, 1PP still has their eye on Mitchell" Sullivan closed the files they'd been reading "They always inspect his performance even though both Rocque and Wainwright have told them he's well behaved now" she shrugged and leant back on her chair "They're sort of paranoid about him and told Cap that if they were ever fighting again, they'd relocate Logan to another precinct. If they find out Carlos and Logan are together in marriage counseling again, our Logie is out for good"

There was a crash.

Cecilia Goldwater never understood why she kept coming back to these two men. She'd always remember the first session with them; that in which they only kept screaming at each other back and forth how stupid the other was. The second was even more memorable; Mitchell had lost all patience he had and ended up throwing a vase at Garcia's head. But maybe _this_ was the one she'll always remember. It wasn't the vase again. No, Logan had always been unpredictable, so instead of going for the last item he had thrown all those years ago he actually pushed Carlos against a wall, making it rattle and drop all the things hanging from it.

The older woman didn't even flinch. She was used to this type of behaviors; especially from cops. Goldwater maintained her voice calm, soothing; just at the right decibel to let her be heard but not feared. Her hand rested on Logan's forearm, drawing small circles to help the Detective calm down again. He's always been the most expressive from the pair, always been the one more open about his feelings, so there wasn't anything particularly off putting about his reaction. Unpredictable? Yes. Unusual? Not really.

Logan was a man controlled by emotions, perhaps even more so than Gustavo had once been.

Mitchell's muscle un-tensed underneath Goldwater's touch and his partner's feet touched the floor again. Carlos jerked himself away from his partner, fixing his clothes and glaring at Logan as he walked away back to the couch. The woman smiled up at Logan, watching intently as anger slipped away from his expression and was quickly replaced by shame and regret. He mumbled a few apologies between gritted teeth and Cecilia assured him it was all part of the process (as she had reminded him so many times before), leading him back to the couch and ordering him to sit down.

Garcia maintained his place near the window that faced the street, looking down at the busy city below his feet. His eyes moved between each car, building and person, taking his time to cool down. Carlos had always been the calm one, the one who had everything figured out even before things happened, and the one who was always afraid of feeling. Afraid of showing he cared. He was always afraid of being the one to talk. Whenever Cecilia would ask who wanted to talk first it was like he took a step back to hide; he never talked first, he never showed anything first. It was only after Logan exploded that he'd start talking, but even that took some time and that right there, his careful assessment of the streets below, it helped him step up.

"You never listen" he starts ever so slowly, and Goldwater knows he's talking to his partner "When I try to tell you, when I actually talk, you never listen"

Mitchell is quick to answer and maybe Carlos is right "What are you even talking about? I always listen to you. I listen to everything you say because if I don't I'll lose my job and you know that!"

Carlos turns over his heels, arching an eyebrow his partner's way as if trying to convey his point a little more strongly. Logan lets out a shaky breath and leans back into the cushions, waving a hand in the air as if prompting the Latino to continue his trek. Cecilia urges the older detective to continue talking, eager to hear what this will develop into.

"Last week," Garcia began, pacing a little around the room "I tried to tell you we should fix things– "

"You never said such a thing"

Goldwater's eyes are on Logan again and she reprimands him with a look "Maybe you should let him finish and then you can say whatever you have to say"

The younger detective nods a few times and goes back to his position in the couch, looking over at Carlos who's ready to keep speaking "I came up to you at lunch time on Wednesday. You were fixing your things to go out and while you were putting on your jacket I told you 'Logan, maybe we should talk about things, you know? Try and sort this out before this gets out of hand?' and you just hummed, mumbled a half-assed answer and told me 'maybe next week would be better', then scurried off behind Neally"

Mitchell's eyes are wide as he processes the information and he turns to look at his lap in disbelief, scared to confront his partner "I wasn't even paying attention to you..." he admits, shakily "I was so angry about that comment you made earlier that day that I didn't want to know anything about you"

Goldwater hums peacefully, gaining their attention "Can you tell me what comment you made, Garcia?"

Carlos looks out the window again, having paced all around the room by this time and shakes his head "I honestly don't remember much of the things I say when I'm angry"

"That's the thing, Carlos" Logan begins in this soft voice that Cecilia has trouble picking up "You never think about what you're saying. You never think whether it will hurt me or make me incredibly angry at myself; you just say them"

"You know I don't mean them. Not a single word."

Then Mitchell is standing and he's moving his hands as he talks; a habit, Cecilia knows by now, when he's nervous "No. You think I _know_! But have you ever sat and thought about how many of those things you say I actually _believe_? How many of those things keep me up at night because I keep worrying I'm not good enough for you?"

Its Carlos's turn to look dumbfounded and Goldwater has to intervene again "Okay, so _he_" she points at Logan "doesn't listen. And _he_" she points at Garcia "doesn't know how to choose his words. Now," she folds her hands over her lap and she leans in forward a bit "why don't you tell me something good about the other? Something you like about them?"

Logan is sitting down again and he's running a hand through his hair "He always listens to everything I have to say"

"He always knows what to say" continues Carlos as he leans against the window glass.

Cecilia scribbles something down and looks at Mitchell, knowing she'll have no problem to get him talking "Something else?"

"Well, I don't know what I am supposed to say" he says angry, maybe at himself "We've been fighting nonstop this past few weeks"

Goldwater smiles "It doesn't have to be something about these past few weeks. Think about your whole partnership, what do you like about it?"

The younger detective takes a little of time to think. He plays with his hands where they're resting on their lap and he begins "He knows how I like my coffee and the times I like to drink it at. When the team is canvasing a dangerous place, he's the first one to ask if I'm fine after it's over. He makes me laugh when I'm stressed about a case. When Kendall catches me sleeping at work hours, he takes the blame for 'wearing me out'. He's always there so I never truly feel alone or unprotected. I mean, he _cares_. He might not say much, but I know he does"

The woman doesn't give Carlos time to think and prompts him to talk.

"Ah. Well…" the Latino bites down on his lower lip, gnawing at the skin absentmindedly "He never forgets to bring coffee for me first thing in the morning. He's got my back at all times, even when Cap W is taking out her anger on me. He's got this way to know what I'm feeling when I don't even tell anyone. He walks me home when it's time to go home or stays with me at the precinct when it's too late. He's always reminding me I'm important to him and you know that's a good thing to be reminded of daily. Maybe he whines about going to the gym with me from time to time, but he never fails to do it"

Silence at last.

Kendall takes in a deep breath when he can finally hear pure silence coming from the tech hall. Minutes ago there had been a terrible crash that the squad leader had been afraid to look at, but now everything seemed to be at peace inside of Dr. Goldwater's office. He knew that woman was a saint. Back then she had been the one to bring Logan and Carlos out of their first and, supposedly, last big fight and it was a nice reassurance to think she'll be able to that again. But there was also that nagging feeling in the back of his head that told him things were only getting rougher after this.

He's back to writing down notes while he wishes he's wrong this once.

"I never thought I'd be alive to see Cargan's second fight, if I'm honest" James voice comes from Knight's right and he's a little put off by it. "I thought I'd be dead by the time that happened. Or maybe they'd be dead. I honestly don't know, I just thought I'd never see it"

The blond smiles fondly and thinks that he holds the same sentiment. Knight always thought – no, he _knew_ – the Cargan ship basically sailed itself so, it was kind of weird to think of a second big fight between them. Now that it was happening, it made him feel like his was failing as a leader. "Yeah well, who knows? The world might just end tomorrow"

James straightened up in his chair and knocked twice on the desk "Hey, hey don't say such things! Quick, knock on wood!"

Kendall rolled his eyes at the writer as he indulged in his fantasies "Diamond, don't be ridiculous, the world will not end tomorrow despite the fact that our boys are fighting"

"Our boys?" James inquired, amused.

Knight noticed his momentary slip and blushed slightly "I meant 'the' boys, not 'our'" he slapped the report he was reading shut and stood up "It was only a mistake. Now, are you coming with me to pick up the ballistics report or are you staying here?"

Diamond grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and smiled "No, no. I'll go with you! Can't leave the father of my kids alone"

James wasn't fast enough to dodge the pen that was headed his way.

**Once again, I aplogize profusely for not having updated in nearly a month! I'll try to be more constant from now on, but school is really important, especially because I'm on my last year of junior high school and 9th grades are the most important in order to get into a good High School (for those who are wondering, I live in Mexico and the school sytems in widely different). **

**Love,**

**I.K. Holdrige**


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