Per Adversa Ad Luce - Through Adversity to the Light A novella in three parts Part One: Tenebris Procumbit - Darkness Falls
Set Season Six just after Kate returns to the 12th.
All past events are established canon, with references and possible spoilers, but the story is AU. (Warning Character Death)
Rated T - contains some descriptions of violence and coarse language
I don't own Castle - ABC Studios and Andrew Marlowe do. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while to play.
I am not making any money from this; it's just to freeshare with my ff friends.
"We're putting up the tree the other day, and Jenny says to me, 'It just doesn't feel like Christmas without kids.' She wants to try.
But I come to work. I watch the news every day. It seems like the world's falling apart. How am I supposed to bring a kid into that"
Kevin Ryan: Secret Santa
Prologo: Prologue
November 2013
Kate Beckett was on her way to a bodega where the owner had been shot and killed, when she met up with her shadow and partner Rick Castle. He held out a cardboard cup containing her usual coffee, offering it to her.
"Thanks, just what I need. I haven't had time to grab one since I left this morning, and as you know THAT one was rather rushed."
He raised his eyebrows at her. "Well not my fault if you had trouble getting out of bed today, detective."
"Oh it was totally your fault, as you know very well!"
"But you enjoyed what I was doing, didn't you?" She glanced at him and there was his trademark smirk.
"Yes, I enjoyed it," she conceded, "but I would have been TOTALLY pissed if I had not had time for coffee at all."
"Well, good job I got one for you now, then. Where are the boys? I don't see them anywhere."
"Ryan seems to have forgotten what day he needed to come back from his vacation, and his phone is switched off so Esposito swung round to his place to pick him up."
"Well I hope he doesn't interrupt anything. This week is meant to be their pre-natal second honeymoon after all."
"Honeymoon's over, I need him on the job."
"You are a hard woman."
Kate laughed, "True, true." She glanced around as they entered the bodega, "but where are they? They should be here by now." On cue, her phone rang. "Espo, where are you? The scene's getting col… WHAT?!"
Seeing her expression change to one of horror, Castle tugged on the phone so he could hear as well. Esposito's voice was hard and cold, and he spoke succinctly and slowly…
"I said the place is wrecked and Ryan's not here. But Beckett, Jenny IS here and she's dead!"
AN: A HUGE thank you to Firestar385 for beta reading, Americanizing and generally correcting this work. Any remaining mistakes are mine! All constructive criticism is welcomed - I haven't written in quite a while and the only way to improve is to take on board other people's comments. I hope you will enjoy the reading journey as much as I am enjoying the writing one.