Disclaimer: Castle and all of its characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, Terri Edda Miller, and ABC Studio Productions. "The Best of Me" belongs to Josh Kelley.
They can talk behind my back and lie about me,
Take my money, take my pride.
They can kick me down and break every bone in my body,
Force tears from my eyes,
But they can't get the best of me,
They best of me, the best of me,
They can't get the best of me,
They best of me, the best of me,
'Cause I've got you.
The silence of the loft was odd and had Rick peering out of his study curiously. He padded down the stairs into the living room. He glanced around the large room slowly, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Finding nothing, he started to head back to the study. It was only when the tiny voice from the kitchen broke the silence that he let a smirk crease his face.
"Daddy?" The small voice called. Rick walked quickly into the kitchen and settled onto the barstool next to his son. He glanced at the small boy tenderly and ruffled his strawberry-blonde hair gently.
"What's up, Roy?"
"Well, we were talking about police today at school. My teacher said that police officers are there to protect us. Does that mean that Uncle Javi, and Uncle Kevin and Mommy would die to save me?" Rick stared at the boy, dumbfounded for what seemed like an eternity. Sometimes, the things that came from his son's mouth were enough to leave him speechless.
"Of course they would, Roy. They love you and they would never let anything bad ever happen to you." He whispered, his voice clipped with emotion. Roy was only eight, but he was as wise and mature far beyond his years. He was so much like his older sister.
"What about you?" Rick quirked an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"Would you die to save me?" Rick pulled his son into a tight hug, placing a kiss to the top of his head, and holding him close to his chest.
"Every single time, buddy. I love you more than you could ever know." He released Roy a moment later and the boy pulled away from him, a smile on his tiny, freckled face. He placed a kiss to Rick's cheek and braced his tiny hand against his face.
"Just so you know, I would die to save you too, Daddy. All of you." He extended his hand and 'fed the birds' with Rick. "Always." With that, he scampered off, a juice box in his tiny hand, and went up to his room. Rick stared after him, tears shimmering in his eyes, and a smile on his face.
"Always, buddy." He jumped slightly, startled when Kate's arms wrapped around his waist.
"We did well, you know?" She whispered into his ear. Rick nodded, still up the stairs.
"Yeah. We did. He's so smart. So kind. So caring."
"Just like his father. He's brave and sweet and extraordinary."
"Just like his mother." He grinned, turning and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you, Kate. I would die to save you too, you know?"
"I love you too, Rick. I hope that you never have to make that decision, but I wouldn't hesitate to lay down my life for you or the kids or the guys. It's part of my job when I put on that badge every morning. I know that I may not be coming home at night, but I do it to keep the city safe for my family." Rick lifted her left hand to his lips and placed a kiss to her wedding ring.
"Always." He whispered.
"Always."
I'm not sure where this came from, but I hope you guys enjoyed it and it wasn't completely horrific. Drop me a review and let me know.
Much love,
J. Rook