Jonas and Gabriel had spent the entire night tearing apart every lead they had. The coffee pot had been refilled twice, notes had been scribbled across multiple pages, and Beckett; thankfully, had stayed asleep through all of it. Gabriel sat at the kitchen table, arms crossed, scrolling through records on his phone. Jonas was leaning back on the couch, twirling a pen between his fingers, staring at the ceiling as he worked through their options. 

They had pieces of a puzzle. Now they needed to assemble it. 

Jonas yawned, finally dropping his pen, "Alright. Let's go over this again." 

Gabriel nodded, rubbing his eyes before leaning forward, "We know Castellan is pulling the strings to block Beckett's rebuilding. His contractors are backing out, his permits are delayed, and his suppliers are cutting ties." 

"But this ass clown is smart. He's not directly attached to any of it." Jonas hummed. 

Gabriel smirked, "That's where we make him sloppy." 

Looking a little confused, Jonas tilted his head, "What kind of devious plan do you have cooking in that head of yours?" 

Eyes gleaming, the alpha set his phone down, "We bait him into overplaying his hand." 

"I don't follow..." 

"Okay, it's like this, Victor has the resorces, the connections; simply put, he's got a winning hand," Gabriel explained. Jonas gave him a disapproving look. "But our hand isn't a losing one and Victor knows that. It all comes down to who folds first." 

The expression on Jonas' face didn't change, in fact it seemed to grow even more confused and maybe even a little frustrated. 

"Gabriel, just tell me the plan, no frills or metaphors." 

"Right, make him think we've given up. A man like Victor will want to witness his victory in person," Gabriel sighed, "Considering how much of a fight we've been giving him, this will be far to tempting a moment to pass up." 

"Heh," Jonas smirked, "See, I knew you were more than a pretty face and fine ass." 

Gabriel ignored that comment and tapped his phone screen, "I reached out to Detective Price earlier. Gave her a rundown of what's been happening." 

At this, Jonas sat up, suddenly more alert, "And?" 

"She's interested." Gabriel smirked, leaning back. He was looking exceptionally proud of this plan. 

Jonas let out a low whistle, "Castellan's problems are about to get a lot bigger, huh?" 

Gabriel nodded, "She already had her eyes on him. If we pull this off, we can nail Victor. Make him pay," he grinned, "both literally and figuratively." 

Finally, they were finally on the offensive. But they weren't done yet, Jonas stretched, cracking his neck, "Alright, so we push Castellan into making a visible move. But what about Beckett's side of things? If I know my brother...and I do...he's going to take some convincing to even pretend to show defeat." 

Jonas had a point, some of the bravado Gabriel had been showing deflated slightly. 

"There's also the whole renovation situation." 

Gabriel's tail flicked, eyes lighting up, "I'll start pulling from my contacts. There are suppliers who don't answer to Castellan. It'll be more expensive, but we need to get Beckett moving again." that was a problem he could fix, possibly, Gabriel knew he was running low on favors but he was willing to cash in all his chips for this. 

Peering over at the bedroom door where Beckett was still sleeping, Gabriel's tail started wagging slowly. His hopefulness betrayed by such an involuntary action, the alpha then looked away before Jonas made a comment. Refocusing on the task at hand, he pulled the semi-communal laptop closer and started in on the no doubt countless emails he'd have to write. 

Jonas of course, had noticed and was smiling to himself. 

====

Beckett woke up warm, that was the first thing he noticed. 

The blankets were thick, layered just enough to stave off the morning chill. The mattress was surprisingly decent. His muscles still ached from exhaustion, but the deep soreness that had settled into his bones over the past weeks felt lighter somehow. For the first time in what felt like forever, there was no urgent demand pulling him from sleep. 

No ringing phone. No gnawing stress clawing at his skull. 

Just the quiet weight of the blankets, the distant hum of morning traffic outside, and the ceiling above him; plain, unremarkable, slightly uneven in one corner. He stretched slowly, feeling the way his body adjusted, the stiffness easing slightly. His fingers flexed, his tail curled lazily against the sheets, his ears twitched at the faint creak of the building settling. 

For just a moment, he let himself exist. No fire. No sabotage. No fight. Just this quiet, empty morning. 

And then --

Memory slammed back into him like a freight train. He wasn't supposed to be here. He had fallen asleep at the table. Which meant...his stomach dropped. 

Beckett bolted upright, eyes snapping wide. His heart thumped once, hard, before he was shoving back the covers and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. The air outside the blankets was colder than expected, but he ignored it, barely registering the way his feet hit the floor as he stalked toward the door. 

Gabriel. Gabriel had....That smug, reckless bastard. 

Beckett yanked open the door and stepped into the main room, his pulse hammering, his thoughts already tangled in irritation and disbelief. What he found made him pause. 

Jonas was sprawled out on the couch, limbs tangled in a throw blanket, one foot haning over the edge like he had passed out mid-conversation. His hair was a mess, his face half-buried in a cushion, completely dead to the world. 

Beckett's eyes flicked toward the kitchen. 

Gabriel was slumped over the table, head resting on folded arms, breathing slow and steady. His broad shoulders rose and fell evenly, and his tail had gone slack, draped lazily over the side of the chair. The table itself was covered in evidence of whatever the hell they had been up to. 

Scattered papers, crumpled notes, an empty coffee pot. Jonas' laptop was still open but dimmed from inactivity, a tab pulled up to what looked like a permit request form. Beckett's own blueprints had been rearranged, notes scribbled into the margins. They had been working, all night. 

Beckett exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. It wasn't like he didn't know they had been planning something. But seeing it all laid out like this, watching the way they had exhausted themselves on his problems. It did something strange to his chest. 

He dragged a hand down his face, then crossed his arms, leaning against the counter as he took in the scene. Gabriel and Jonas -- two of the most infuriating people in his life, and yet....They had stayed, even when he had tried to push them away. 

Beckett huffed quietly, shaking his head. He'd deal with whatever the hell this meant later. For now? They deserved a little more sleep. 

The omega had never been one for sentimental bullshit. But even he wasn't completely heartless. Gabriel and Jonas had clearly spent the entire night scheming on his behalf, and while Beckett wasn't ready to unpack how that made him feel, he could acknowledge it in his own way. 

Which was why, instead of waking them up, he had quietly grabbed his jacket and slipped out the door. 

The city was already stirring to life, the streets bustling with early morning commuters and the scent of fresh bread drifting from a nearby bakery. Beckett pulled his hood up against the crisp morning air and walked with purpose, ignoring the lingering stiffness in his limbs. 

A few blocks later, he stepped into a small cafe, ordering three coffees; one for himself, one for Jonas, and one for Gabriel, who, despite his irritating existence, had earned it. And, because he wasn't a complete asshole, he grabbed a bag of pasteries and breakfast sandwiches as well. 

The cashier handed him the bag with a bright, "Have a great day!" 

Beckett just grunted in response, turning quickly to hide the pink blossoming on his cheeks like he'd just been caught doing something, he started heading back. 

--

Meanwhile, Gabriel woke up first. Which meant Jonas woke up to the very unpleasant sight of the alpha looming ove rhim, golden eyes sharp, tail standing at attention like he was ready to kill something. 

Jonas groaned, dragging a pillow over his face, "What now?" 

Gabriel didn't answer, so Jonas peeked out from under the pillow; only to realize why Gabriel looked one breath away from tearing the place apart. Beckett was gone. 

Sitting up immediately, running a hand through his hair, "Okay, wait, let's not panic..."

To late, Gabriel was already moving, "Where the hell would he go?" 

Squinting at the clock, Jonas swung his legs over the side of the couch, "I don't know, but it's too damn early for this." 

Pacing in circles, Gabriel then grabbed his jacket, "He wouldn't just leave." this was more a statement to himself than anything else. 

Jonas just arched a brow, "You do realize who we're talking about right?" 

Gabriel growled under his breath, already reaching for the door handle, "If he's not back in five minutes, I'm tracking him down..." 

Yawning and stretching, Jonas let out a long groan before muttering, "Damn, you're whipped..." 

The alpha just shot him a glare, at which Jonas smirked. Gabriel was halfway towards the door when it suddenly swung open.

And there stood Beckett, hood down, carrying three cups of coffee and a bag of food like he hadn't just give them both a heart attack. 

"There, see..." Jonas yawned again, "he's alive." 

Gabriel scowled, "Where the hell were you?" 

Ignoring the accusing tone, Beckett brushed past Gabriel like he was the one who had been inconvenienced. He set the bag on the counter, plopped the coffee cups down, and turned to face them, arms crossed. With an expectant raising of a single eyebrow, he demanded, "Alright. Talk..." 

Jonas and Gabriel exchanged a look. But it was Jonas that cracked first, letting out a snort, "He vanishes without a word, brings back grub, then wants us to talk? Unbelieveable." 

The adrenaline was still pumping through the alpha's veins, but he took a few deep breaths before tossing his jacket on a nearby chair. Despite everything, he smirked; because for Beckett? This was as close to a thank you he's ever seen.