Kate and Rick had just settled in for the night. Rick was whispering to Kate how much he loved her. Kate just snuggled closer to the man she loved. They were both about to fall asleep in each other's arms when a noise was heard in the front room. The tell tale squeak of wheels across the polished wood floor alerted them both of someone approaching! Rick was concerned it was 3XK again.
"Kate where's your gun?" Rick whispered as the sound got louder and louder.
"In your safe!" Kate whispered back.
Oh Boy Rick thought as he prepared to use his ninja like reflexes to subdue the intruder.
"Kate hide!" Rick whispered.
"Rick I will do no such thing! If it is dangerous I have the training I will be by your side." Kate hissed back.
Rick looked around in the dark to find something heavy to use as a weapon but there was nothing. There was not even a lamp to throw since they were attached to the wall.
Both Kate and Rick huddled in the bed waiting to see what that noise was going to be.
The light turned on as the knob to the door opened.
Rick was ready to spring at whoever came through the door.
In the doorway stood a Woman about 5 years younger than Kate, she was very tall and slender with flowing blonde Hair. Swedish from the look of her Kate thought. Rick stopped in Midstride recognizing her collapsed on the ground at her feet. Rick was passed out. Kate quickly robed herself and spoke.
"Who are you?" Kate asked.
The woman replied.
"Who the hell are you? She looked down at the fallen Rick then said "Wayne? What happened to him?" as she bent down to cradle his handsome face.
"Wayne?" Kate said "Who is Wayne?"
"Wayne is my partner" the woman replied.
"Partner? I am his partner! Kate Beckett NYPD! Now why are you here!" Kate screamed.
"Kate? Kate Honey it is ok!" Rick said slurring his words "She is just a ghost!"
"A ghost? Rick explain!" Kate said as the woman hearing that looked very real and uncomfortable.
Kate helped Rick up then he touched this woman and felt her being solid. Something is wrong here.
"Kate I can feel her! I thought ghosts could not be touched" Rick said.
Kate was annoyed that her partner was feeling up another woman in their bedroom
"Rick I think you need to put some clothes on. You!" Pointing at the woman who interrupted her slumber. "Whoever you are you can be charged for breaking and entering!.
The woman looking quite defeated quietly sat down next to her carry on luggage.
"I need some coffee. So I am going to brew a pot. You sit right there and after I had a cup you better explain yourself! Both of you! Kate said in her best detective Beckett voice.
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Rick more awake came out in a blue terry cloth robe with his blue boxers underneath. The woman for the first time smiled. She had bought that robe for him 7 years ago. It was nice he still had her present.
Rick a bit more coherent realized the Woman was real and not a ghost. But how could that be he wondered.
Kate sat and wondered what kind of crazy night this was going to be, Kate returned sipping her coffee. She was going to get to the bottom of this intrusion. The interrogation started,
"OK for the record what is your name?" Kate asked the woman.
Rick tried to volunteer but one look from Kate and he shut up.
The woman was impressed with the control Kate had over him.
"I am Clare Raye." The woman replied.
"Ok Clare, you mentioned something about a partnership?" Kate asked.
"Yes Wayne here was my partner for 7 years now. I have not seen him in 6 though," She replied.
"If you were gone for 6 years why do you still consider him your partner?" Kate asked.
"It was the only way to keep sane!" Clare replied.
Rick now being concerned over the woman asked. "Where you? I was told you were dead! We had a funeral and everything!"
"North Korea" the woman replied. "I just recently escaped bondage. The only thought was seeing you Wayne. I never thought you would have cheated on me!"
"In my defense I thought you were dead Clare. Honestly if I knew you were captured I would have waited. But Agent Black convinced me otherwise. Kate, that is why I killed off Derrick Storm. I just was heartbroken knowing the love of my life at that time was dead." Rick sadly said.
The woman now broke down into tears.
Rick took her and placed her in the guest room. Coming down stairs Rick knew he had to come clean with Kate.
Getting down stairs he was met with a fully dressed Kate who was about to leave. There were tears in her eyes too.
"Kate wait! I need to explain." Rick said.
Kate slowly turned toward him. Then sarcastically said "Why? Wayne?"
"Come on Kate you have known me for 5 years. I am not a womanizer as you already know. But you need to hear this whole truth and now!" Rick implored.
"Rick do I really know you?" Kate said
Rick wrapped his arms around her and said. "Yes you do more than anyone else. I've been totally honest with you in all things. All you needed to do was ask me."
"Ok Rick who is this woman who is upstairs in the guest room?" Kate inquired.
"Kate you really need to sit down." Rick said.
Kate let herself to be guided to the couch Rick sat across from her.
"What Clare said is true I was her partner. It happened after Sophie disappeared. Agent Black. That is Leo Black thought I would be a good asset for the company. So I was paired with Clare. She was from a Swedish family in Iowa. She spoke 7 languages fluently and she was also a computer genius. For a year I would do book tours as Richard Castle in Eastern Europe and she would be my partner for all the soirées. Having access this way Clare could break in to the computer systems and leave something behind." Rick explained.
"So you two were spies?" Kate asked.
"No not really we never did any real spying. We just planted false information. So anyway I wrote a blurb about her in Storming the Castle" Rick said.
"You mean the blond hacker Derrick met with was Clare?" Kate asked.
"Yeah she was only mentioned once since I at that time was going to propose. I had the suite all prepared in LA." Rick said.
"You don't mean that same suite I stayed in…" Kate said.
"Yes I do Kate the same place. We had three glorious nights together then she got a phone call. She had to visit her maternal Grandmother in Sweden was dying. Family was very important to Clare. So she left before I got to propose. I wanted to go but she convinced me that she would be right back. But that never happened. What I got instead was a phone call from Leo saying Clare died in a car accident out side the capital city when going to the funeral." Rick started to breakdown himself.
Kate was feeling so much for Rick. She reached out to hold his hand as he continued,
"I flew out for the funeral. It was a closed casket since they said she was burned in the fiery crash. That was the last time I knew of her before Tonight. Kate you have to believe me!" Rick said earnestly.
"Rick I believe you but why the name Wayne? Was it for John Wayne?" Kate asked.
"No Clare had a thing for an actor on MASH named Wayne Rodgers…" Rick started to say.
"Oh I see it was a play on your real last name! Pretty cool there slick!" Kate said brightly.
"Yeah well anyway that is what she always called me. I just went with it." Rick said sadly.
So Rick what are you going to do now? Kate asked.
"Kate I am with you! I will help Clare adjust but you are my one and done!" Rick said.
Kate smiled for the first time in the whole sordid night then they kissed. They broke apart. Kate said.
"Rick I still need to go. You will have to deal with this soon. I will see you at the precinct." Kate said still a bit uncertain for their future. Would Rick change his mind? She thought as she drove back to her apt.