SURRENDER
BNR848
Disclaimer: The publicly recognized characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plots are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary:
Some battles are just worth fighting.
CHAPTER 1
The enemy was in front of him, but he'd confronted worst odds. Richard Castle was facing a battle he was unwilling to lose. He had an arsenal of tools at his disposal, among them his smarts and puzzle solving skills.
The day had started off with all the hopes of a wonderful Saturday. Kate was off shopping with Lanie and Alexis. The house was all his. He had served himself a perfectly executed smorelette, enjoyed a glass of his new creation, a cucumber, broccoli, apple and orange juice smoothie and settled in to write. His plans were simple, peace, quiet, a little project and later a round of Halo with his number one nemesis, thirteen-year-old, Eugene.
The doorbell rang round eleven-thirty. He was prepared. The threat was isolated. They'd made their way to the second floor, third room on the left, just doors away from the master suite. In short time, it was just the two of them, eye-to-eye, mano-a-mano. Menacing warnings aside, he was set to tackle the dangers head-on, Larkin would be no match.
An hour later he was disheveled, and bleeding from a nasty cut to his hand. The box-cutter had been a mistake, it had turn on him. He had misread his opponent. Devious and multi-lingual, the challenge daunting. Communication or lack thereof was the problem. Why was it so difficult to understand? But, he was determined to win this fight, there was no turning back.
The enemy was secure, he had to think. Kate would be home by five. He needed to tame this beast before she returned. It wouldn't be safe, this monster had to be conquered.
So many vulnerable points of attack, slats, grooves, joints; he had underestimated his rival. His armor was dinged, but his hardware was ready, the battle continued.
By two o'clock Larkin was halfway defeated. Just as he got ready to finally slay this nemesis, disaster; the enemy produced an unknown variable. He needed help. He was use to Kate having his back, but today he was all alone. He pulled back, tried to regroup, slowly picked-up his phone and called for back-up.
CHAPTER 2
Kevin Ryan approached the steps of the brownstone with care and vigilance. Thirty-five minutes earlier Castle had telephoned, sounding cryptic but desperate. All he knew for sure was that Castle needed help. He pulled out his recently provided emergency key and stealthily let himself in.
Since announcing Beckett's pregnancy Castle had taken measures to make sure Kevin and Javier had access to their new home in case of emergency. Castle has approached the pending arrival of Baby Castle deux, like a strategic mission. Those that could drive them to the hospital, those that could deliver a baby, and those that did not fear Kate (that category presented a challenge), got keys and alarm codes.
Everything appeared in order, Ryan walked past the living-room, towards the courtyard, and called out to Castle but got no response. His next stop was the kitchen, then the media room, still no Castle.
Maybe he wasn't home? Ryan took out his phone and called Esposito. "Javi, have you heard from Castle?" he inquired.
"No bro, why? Something up?" a now curious Esposito asked.
"He called me about half-an-hour ago, making no sense, talking Castle speak, sounded like he need help. I'm at their house, everything looks fine. Maybe he's upstairs. Call you back when I find him."
"Is Beckett okay?" a concerned Esposito asked
"Javi, it didn't sound like Beckett was home when he called. I'll call you back," added Ryan as he headed upstairs.
"Bro, I'm not far from there, see you in a few," added Esposito.
"Castle?" Ryan called out.
As he hit the second floor landing he could wrestling and clanking from one of the rooms. What was Castle up to?
"Castle?" he loudly called again.
"In here, baby's room, hurry!" a flustered and out of breath Castle replied.
Ryan slowly approached, and opened the door. There in front of his eyes, disaster. A rumpled and bleeding Castle was tackling a formidable foe, one Kevin Ryan knew all too well.
"Jesus Castle, why didn't you call sooner? No one should tacked this alone!" uttered Ryan as he plunged in to assist.
"Where's Beckett?" asked Ryan.
"She's out with Lanie and Alexis. She'll be back by five," a worried Castle added.
"Castle this is serious, if Beckett see's this she's going to kill you!" a flustered Ryan added.
"I know! I thought I could handle it. I'm not ashamed to say, Larkin has kicked my ass. Ryan buddy, you can have the Ferrari for a month if you help me subdue this monster," a weary Castle declared.
Just then Javier Esposito rushed into the room. Startled and taken aback, a look of utter contempt masking his face.
"Seriously Castle? Dude what the hell is the matter with you two?" a relieved Javier Esposito exclaimed.
"Javi bro this is serious, Castle here needs our help. Beckett will be home is an hour!" a sympathetic Ryan added.
"I'm out of here! You two are on your own. One of us should be left to identify the bodies after Beckett kills you!" an adamant Esposito added.
Looking at the mess before him, Esposito sighed, shook his head, shrugged his shoulders and took a step inside.
"Espo, allow me to introduce you to the Larkin, four-in-one heirloom crib," a crushed Castle mumbled.
"Bro, this ain't no crib, this is a heap of parts and pieces. Larkin, four-in-one my ass, this isn't even a Larkin one-in-one,' an incredulous Esposito added.
"Well, that's just it. I completed half and was well on my way to defeating this monster, when I found a bag of inexplicable nuts and bolts. Guys, I can't put a baby, my baby in this thing! It has a bag of parts left!" a worried Castle cried.
"Castle, why didn't you pony up an extra couple of buck to have it assembled? This thing looks expensive, I'm sure they would've put it together for you," an exasperated Ryan added.
"Well…" he started but was cut off by Esposito.
"Oh my God! You didn't? Beckett paid for the assembly, didn't she?" a wide-eyed Esposito blurted.
"Dude, she is going to kill you!" a concurring Ryan added.
"Guys, guys, we can do this, we're smart, and handy. Kevin you have two kids, I'm sure you assembled a crib or two," hoped Castle.
"Are you insane? After I tried to help my brother-in-law assemble my nephew's crib, Jenny wouldn't let me near any unassembled baby thing," confessed Ryan.
"Well? Are we gonna keep yapping? Or are we gonna put this thing together?" an exasperated Esposito added as he rolled up his sleeves.
"Don't let it fool you, the Larkin is a formidable adversary, I have the scars to prove it," declared Castle.
"Castle, go wash off that blood and put on a band-aide, you're gonna get blood on this pretty white wood," added Ryan.
"What is it with him? He had heart surgery a few months ago, he shouldn't be doin' all this stuff," asked Esposito.
Castle returned a few minutes later, all cleaned and bandaged. Band-aides covered three fingers and his left wrist. But his face was masked with determination.
Ryan had figured out that the bag of extra parts were for converting the crib to a toddler bed. With that little dilemma out of the way, they were well into part three. Things were moving along. With any luck they'd finish before Beckett caught them.
"Castle, what gives? Why are you stressing yourself over a crib? Why not get it assembled?" inquired Ryan.
"Guys, when Meredith got pregnant she didn't let me do anything. She really just wanted to have the baby and get it over with. I never knew when she had doctor's appointments, she bought everything by herself and had it delivered; I felt like a sperm donor. She didn't even allow me in the delivery room. When they placed Alexis in my arms, it was the first time I'd had any part in the pregnancy," an overwhelmed Castle lamented.
"Castle, you've been a terrific dad. You blew it out of the park, raising Alexis," assured Ryan.
"I'm lucky, she is wonderful, and I don't mind saying, sometimes I'm surprised. I did a lot of stuff early on that would have scared an average child. Alexis brought me up well," chuckled Castle.
A somber Castle grabbed an extra screwdriver and proceeded towards the crib.
"Kate's been great. I haven't missed a single doctor's appointment, she shows me whatever she wants to buy, and asks my opinion, even if I know she's already decided, she includes me in everything. But, she worries about me, I can tell. She's done things she would have never done before the shooting and my heart surgery. Old Beckett would have bought a gallon of paint and had us paint the nursery, but now she showed me paint samples and hired painters. How difficult or strenuous could it have been to paint this room?" a frustrated Castle added.
"Anyway, I wanted to build the crib, something I did, for my child," Castle admitted.
"Well, it appears, you've done just that!" a smiling Ryan added.
The three men stood back and admired the fully assembled Larkin, four-in-one heirloom crib.
"Thanks guys, I'm not sure I could have done it without you," a grateful Castle declared.
"Nothing to it, you almost had it finished. That stupid bag for the toddler bed was the only hiccup. Kevin and I just doubled checked for you," added Esposito.
They quickly picked up the trash and empty box and said their farewell. Beckett would be back any minute and they needed to get rid of the evidence. As far as Becket knew, the Larkin, had been assembled by trained professionals. Castle's secret was safe with them.
After the boys left, Castle returned to the nursery and admired the crib. It was beautiful, Kate had selected the perfect bed for their baby. Now for the final piece. He picked-up the organic crib mattress and carefully placed it inside the crib. He pressed on it firmly, reassuring himself it was safe and secure. This had been his choice, Kate had smiled when he started to spew details about the mattress to her and the sales lady. He had demanded the one-hundred-percent organic, natural cotton, non-toxic design crib mattress. He had told them all about the innovative construction that did not use any fire retardant chemicals and passed all Federal and State flammability standards. It had earned him a kiss from his wife and a look of approval from the sales lady.
"Castle? I'm home," he heard Kate call from downstairs.
His grin was uncontrollable. Larkin had been a worthy opponent, but in the end, a father's love had known no surrender.
Note:
Thank you to all those that enjoyed my last story, "Life" and provided encouragement and support. I've taken the creative criticism to heart from previous writings and have worked on my format. Hope you enjoyed this little ditty.