Out of the Forest and Into the Woods: Chapter 2
DISCLAIMER: None of these characters are mine, but they are memorable. Thank you Mr. Marlowe.
Camille Evangelista's Residence in San Francisco, California, Jan 5, 2012, 9:45 a.m. PST
Kate Beckett stands outside the door to the old two-story home on Carr Street, just off Highway 101. The home, built in the 1940's, sits just a couple of streets down the road from Third Street, which runs from the Bayview area just a few miles from the old Candlestick Park all the way uptown to Market Street in downtown San Francisco. Castle's Ferrari is parked in the front, on the narrow street. The closer she and Regina got to the young woman's mother's home, the more Kate began recalculating her decision to drive the flashy car to this older neighborhood.
The looks she and Regina Overstreet have received as they walked up the narrow stone steps to the front door are familiar to Kate. She's seen these looks walking into similar neighborhoods in New York - neighborhoods where those living there clearly see you as someone who doesn't belong. It's clear that the fact that the neighbors seem to recognize Regina is a good thing. But that doesn't stop a couple of the younger teenagers from venturing close to the sports car, whistling.
"Cripes, this is going to be a short honeymoon period of I don't bring his car back in one piece," she thinks to herself, then immediately discounts such a thought, smiling. "Actually, who knows, Castle might find it funny, knowing him," she thinks again as Regina knocks a second time on the door.
"Mom, come on, it's cold out here," the young woman yells into the door. Half black and half Hispanic, Regina's long black hair flows gently off her shoulders in the cool breeze. She notices Kate glancing back at the sports car and the curious onlookers, who now are very close.
"Best just to let them look, Kate," she tells her. "They will touch it, talk about it, and then they'll leave. That is, unless you give them a reason to stick around."
"Message received," Kate smiles, nodding, as she notices a woman – probably in her early fifties – come to the front bay window that juts out toward the street, to their left as they stand at the door. She wears a San Francisco Giants sweat shirt, with a gold chain and crucifix hanging atop her chest, a few inches under her neck. The woman smiles at Regina, a genuine smile from a mother happy to see her daughter. Her smile freezes when she sees the stranger Regina has brought with her.
A few seconds later, the old, heavy wooden door opens, inviting the two women into the small entry area. To the left is a dining area, maybe eight feet by ten feet. It leads further back into the house into a small kitchen. To the right sits a larger living area, brightly lit by the second and much larger bay window that allows the morning light to illuminate the room.
"Mama," Regina says with great affection, as her mother pulls her into a not gentle, but very much appreciated hug.
"Gina, my Gina," she begins. "Where have you been? I have been so worried. Josh has been so worried," she continues, and suddenly Kate's tightly-honed police senses are on high alert. She glances furtively into the living room and the small sitting room behind it, further back into the house. They seem to be alone in the house with Regina's mother. As she closes the door behind them, Kate risks a final glance outside to the street – this time not for Castle's car, but to see if there are any other cars that might be parked at this house. Not seeing any, she relaxes for a moment, shutting the door.
"Mama, I'm fine," Regina responds quickly, as she disengages from her mother. "And don't talk to me about Josh, Mama. We are done."
"He's your husband, Gina," her mother disagrees, shaking her voice. "He loves you."
Kate watches the family soap opera play out in front of her, and she cannot shake the feeling that this might not end well. She knows how reluctant Regina was to come and see her mother, especially now, so soon after she had left Josh. She had made her concerns known to Kate repeatedly back at the Castles, but Kate had continued to encourage her to reach out to her mother.
"Believe me, Regina," Kate had told her days ago, "you should make every attempt to stay connected to your mother. We never know how long we have with them."
Kate had relayed her mother's story to Regina as the two of them had sat in the grass field at the Castle's on New Year's Eve, watching the firework show. There was no hesitation in Kate's mind that meeting her mother now was a good idea, even if her mother wasn't fancy to the idea of her daughter picking up and leaving her abusive husband. Perhaps her mother would better understand just seeing the bruises above and under her daughter's eye – her dark face barely obscuring the offending bruises - and the scab growing on the beautiful young woman's lip.
She is now revisiting the wisdom of her own advice, as it is clear that the woman has overlooked these obvious facial disfigurements. Her mother speaks to Regina, looking directly at her daughter without ever once reaching out and touching that face, without once looking with compassion at the horror she has to know her daughter has faced.
"Mama, I had to leave," Regina tells her, now starting to lose her composure only a minute into the visit. "I couldn't stay another day, another second."
"Come on, baby girl, let's sit over here," her mother tells her. She glances at Kate again, this time acknowledging her presence in her home.
"Who is your friend?" she asks her daughter.
"This is Kate Beckett, Mama. She works at the safe place that I found. She's been helping me for these past few days."
"Hello, Mrs. Evangelista," Kate offers in greeting, extending her hand out to the older woman – who refuses it. She simply nods her head at Kate, and then looks back to her daughter.
"How does she help?" her mother says, glancing uncomfortably at her guest. "She tells you to leave your marriage? She tells you to leave your vows? No! If you have problems you come here – you come back home."
Kate opens her mouth to speak, but quickly – and wisely – decides against it. She is an outsider in this. Best to see how it plays out before inserting herself into the discussion. It's clear that her presence here is undesired, as is her daughter's decision to leave her husband.
"Mama, it wasn't safe there," Regina cries, tears now forming in her eyes, threatening to spill out, her slowly rising anger holding them at bay for the moment. "You weren't there! You didn't see what he did -"
"All I know is that you don't run the first time you have problems in marriage, baby," her mother interrupts, pleading with her. "It's not all good times, Gina. We have to take life's bad with the good." Her mother's sincere tone all but shouts her unwavering belief in the words she speaks.
Kate searches for her new friend's eyes, willing her – if she could – to glance her way, just for strength. This was a mistake. Perhaps it's too soon, or perhaps her mother's views will never change. But it is clear that her mother's stance is immovable. For a brief instant, she understands – for the first time – the sheer isolation that these women back at the Castles must feel. She understands now – for the first time – why they might opt to run to a safe house with strangers rather than run home to family.
She understands – for the first time it has become personal to her – why Castle has poured tens of millions of dollars – much of it his own – into this grand venture.
It all goes to hell as she sees the shadowy figure approach slowly from her left. Josh Overstreet appears from the kitchen. Evidently, the husband has been hiding in the back of the house, or perhaps downstairs. Either way, he looks marginally happy to see his wife, and far less happy to see one Kate Beckett.
Kate – for the first time since she has been here – regrets not having her gun. She is no longer a police officer, and she has yet to file the appropriate paperwork here in California to obtain a license to carry a firearm. She's going to have to diffuse this situation the old-fashioned way, and she mentally kicks herself for her lack of foresight.
"Gonna have to take care of that, today, once I get us out of this," she thinks to herself.
There is no question when Regina becomes aware of her husband's presence in the room, as she immediately jumps off the couch in fear, stepping toward Kate without thinking about it. She knows that Kate is a detective from – scratch that – she knows that Kate is an ex-detective from New York, specializing in homicide. She instinctively decides that the closer she is to the ex-cop, the better.
Josh Overstreet walks quickly toward both women, his intentions clear. He wants his wife back. Regina immediately stands behind Kate, who has now also risen out of her seat.
Kate, for her part, is taken aback with Josh's appearance. She chastises herself for her surprise. The man is dressed almost impeccably. He wears a dark grey suit, with a white shirt and a dark blue tie with a soft black pattern. He looks every bit the financial portfolio manager that he is. He's not what she expected to see, damn her.
"Uh . . . what exactly do you think a wife abuser looks like, Kate?" she remembers Dr. Samantha Peraza asking her at one of the sessions late in December. It's a mistake she won't make again.
She is casually reaches for her phone, and immediately opens her texting application and sends "911" to the text group named Emergency. The action takes her less than seven or eight seconds. Anyway, let him try to take her phone away . . .
Fortunately, Mike Monroe has insisted on a check-out policy and implemented a specific procedure. While it sounded somewhat draconian when he first told the women about it, Kate is very thankful for his foresight now. Anyone and everyone is free to go when and where they please – but they must check out, letting security know where they are going.
"And by 'where', I mean you need to leave an address and your phone number," Mike had told the group in that first session. "This is for your protection, in case something happens. In that case, all you have to do is send a 911 text to us. If you don't give us a specific address, then we will assume you are at the location you signed out to," he had continued, then giving them instructions on how to create the emergency text group.
Within seconds, she knows that the security team will place a 911 call to the emergency response teams in San Francisco, giving them Mrs. Evangelista's address on Carr Street. Help should be here within a few minutes.
"Who'd you call?" Josh asks Kate. He is very cordial, but Kate can sense the menace behind the words.
"Oh yeah, you are a wolf, old boy," she thinks to herself. "You may look like a sheep, but you don't fool me."
Kate glances back toward the door, calculating their best exit. No badge, no gun, no jurisdiction. Not having those little perks changes things considerably.
"I didn't call anyone," Kate smiles, emphasizing the word 'call'. She's not lying. She's just dodging a bit.
"Come back over here, Gina," her mother says, trying her best to offer a stern, parental tone. "This is a family thing."
"Yes, Regina – we are family," Josh agrees, his smile sincere in appearance. "Let's sit down and talk through things."
"Oh, you're good," Kate thinks to herself, reaching back to ensure that Regina stays standing right where she is – safely behind Kate.
"No, we'll stand, thank you," Kate says sweetly, glancing between Regina's mother and her husband, as he now eyes her a bit more warily.
"You should stay out of things that do not concern you, Miss . . ."
"Beckett," she tells him, still maintaining her smile. Delay this as long as possible. "Kate Beckett. And for now, Regina is my business."
"Regina, stop playing around now," Overstreet tells her, his tone now slightly changing as he steps toward his wife – and Kate. The smile – the ever sincere, plastic smile – it is still in place. But his eyes have darkened a bit. Kate realizes that her short nails are digging into her palms. She's been tensed for the past minute or so without knowing it. She also smiles, realizing that her body has slightly coiled downward, anticipating a rapid movement.
He reaches – casually, without malice – for Regina, attempting to circumnavigate Kate. Not finding success, he finally shows a small amount of frustration. It is such a slight facial change that had Kate not been staring so intently at the man, she would have missed this transformation.
"You see what I mean, Mother," he says affectionately to Camille Evangelista, who has now taken a step backward herself. Although she speaks of staying the course and the importance of vows, the woman is no fool, and no stranger herself to an abusive relationship. She senses what is coming long before the moment arrives.
He reaches again for Regina, this time brushing Kate Beckett's arm along the way. Kate instinctively brushes his arm away, assessing her footing and surroundings.
He's roughly 6'1, so he is taller than her, and he seems to be of a good build underneath the suit. Probably works out multiple times a week at one of the local gyms. She won't underestimate this guy.
He takes a step backward, and Kate realizes he is just searching for his footing, as her casual swipe of his hand has set him slightly off balance.
"Ok," she smiles. "This guy knows how to hit a woman, but he doesn't know how to fight."
"Josh, please believe me when I say you do not want to do this," Kate warns. Her smile is now gone, all pretense of niceties behind her. "Regina, start walking toward the door," she tells her. Kate takes a slow step toward the door, then another, with her friend mirroring her steps behind her.
"Say goodbye to your mother, for now," Kate tells her, when suddenly the larger man strikes. He takes three quick steps – he's faster than she expected – and is upon her in seconds, swinging wildly with a right cross. She easily sidesteps him, and – in a crouch – swings her right leg low and fast in a lightning half-circle, catching him above the ankles, sending him airborne.
Camille Evangelista's screams are almost drowned out by Regina's, who cries not out of fear, but out of sadness for her mother. She did not want – or expect – to come into her mother's home – the home Regina grew up in – and cause any type of trouble.
Josh Overstreet hits the floor hard, his head bouncing off the old wood with a sharp, sickening thud. He moans, reaching for the back of his head, trying to pull himself into a sitting position, unsuccessfully. Kate instinctively reaches behind her back to pull out handcuffs that are no longer there.
"Damn, I need to rethink this a bit," she tells herself, as she speaks to the groggy man lying on the floor.
"Mr. Overstreet, please do not get up. This has gone far enough already, sir," Kate tells him, trying her best to maintain a form of composure. It's highly unlikely she's going to calm the man down now, not after sweeping his feet from under him like that. But she has to try. She cannot let this get any further out of hand. She's spent the last few days looking at her friend's face as they talked, and, needless to say, her face looks much better now than when Kate first saw it. She knows the damage this man is capable of inflicting when angry.
And he is angry right now.
He slowly makes his way back to his feet. Putting him back down again won't be a problem. Kate Beckett realizes this. However, putting him down without tearing up Regina's mother's house could be another thing. And as much as she wants to – needs to – protect the woman, Kate also is astute enough to realize that no one needs Regina going back to the Castles complex talking about how Kate rough-housed her husband and tore apart her mother's house – even if it is warranted and self-defense.
She also knows – she can sense it – that Regina is not ready to be a witness to this type of violence so soon after her own event.
He stumbles toward her, obviously still groggy from the hard hit to the head, but clearly raging now – he has dropped all appearances.
"You're going to be sorry, bitch," he says, bull rushing Kate. Kate could easily sidestep him again, but she feels Regina's presence directly behind her, and knows that if she steps aside, the man will run headfirst into his wife. So she takes to the floor, going as low as she can, rising up at the last second, body blocking the larger, heavier man upward and to the side. She is barely successful, and feels the strain in her shoulder with the effort.
"Shit, I need to end this," she realizes, and follows his backward motion toward the sofa behind him. She offers him a swift roundhouse kick to the head, watching the financial manager fall unconscious into the sofa. Kate is quickly upon him, ensuring he doesn't fall into the table lamp just a foot or so away.
The room is filled with the screams of Regina's mother, undone by the violence brought into her home – again. In the distance, Kate hears the police sirens, and sends a silent prayer that they are headed here. She glances back at Regina Overstreet, who simply watches – somewhat numbly – as the ex-detective pull herself away from the sofa.
"I'm so sorry, Regina," Kate tells her, genuinely. "I didn't –"
"No, don't be," Regina interrupts her, and quickly walks to her mother, trying to calm her down. "Mama, please don't cry, Mama," she tells her mother, guiding her to the large chair against the side wall. She pulls her mother into an embrace, knowing the memories the violence has brought back to the surface for her mother. She cries softly, the daughter suddenly becoming the parent, as she rocks her mother back and forth for a few minutes until her mother's sobs subside.
There is a knock at the door, and Kate moves quickly to answer the door. Seconds later, two uniformed SFPD officers are in the home, staring – eyebrows raised - at the larger, unconscious man laid out across the sofa in front of them.
The younger officer walks up to the sofa, and cannot hold down a smirking chuckle. "Do I want to know what happened to this fellow?" he asks, drawing a chuckle from his partner.
"Nothing funny here, officers," Kate tells them, her voice probably more harsh than she intends. "This is Mrs. Evangelista's house," she says, pointing to the older woman.
"Regina," she says, pointing to the younger woman, "is a resident of the Castles safe complex, which just opened a few weeks ago.
"I know of the place, ma'am," the older officer replies. "Do you work there?"
"Yes, I do," Kate tells him, taking out a business card that Richard Castle had provided for her just days ago. It's just another thing for her to be thankful for to her partner – her lover – right about now.
The officer takes the business card, and glances at it, nodding his head.
"Have any other identification-"
Already expecting the next question, Kate has already pulled out her New York driver's license from her purse.
"Going to have to hurry and get a California license," she realizes.
"New York, eh?"
"Yes. The Castles Complex is new, as you know, and I was brought in from New York to consult and counsel," she tells him. There is a lot of truth to the statement.
"So . . . what happened here?" he asks Kate, but Regina steps in to answer, still sitting and holding her mother.
"Ms. Beckett accompanied me here to my mother's house. I left my husband a week or so ago, and it was the first chance for me to come back and see my mom," she tells the officers. "And good thing she was here with me, because he was here with my mother," she finishes, pointing to the still unconscious but slowly recovering man on the sofa.
"And he physically assaulted you again, here at your mother's house?" the officer asks, unable to hide his surprise.
"Well –" the young woman begins, but is interrupted now by Kate Beckett, who is putting her driver's license back into her wallet.
"He attempted to, but I handled the situation, officer," Kate says, matter-of-factly.
"You did, eh?" he responds, glancing back at a still unmoving Josh Overstreet on the sofa.
Kate merely nods. She knows the less she says the better. Cops can tend to get suspicious of too much talking.
"Is this true?" he asks Regina, who nods her head in agreement. He glances at the older woman, but her mother remains too distraught to speak at the moment.
"Well, we received a 911 call from the Castles Complex," the older officer tells them. "I assume you sent in the request to them?"
Kate nods, without saying anything further. She notices now, for the first time, the younger officer is on his radio set, as he stands next to Overstreet.
"Dispatch just confirmed from the Castles Complex, a Kate Beckett is indeed an on-site counselor for them."
"Exactly what kind of counseling do you do for the Castles, Ms. Beckett?" the older officer asks, not looking at Kate, but instead again glancing back at Overstreet on the sofa.
"Whatever if necessary," Kate responds.
"Fair enough," the older officer nods, walking over to the now awakening large man on the sofa. "Looks like Prince Charming is coming back to us," he says with a smile. "You won't mind coming down to the station to give us a statement, would you?"
"Not at all, officer," she says agreeably, "but if I could request – can we not have Regina be pulled into a police station right now? I'd say she's had enough –"
"I'm good, Kate," the younger woman says, now standing up, letting go of her mother who has finally calmed down enough, and is sitting back in the chair, eyeing the policemen in her home somewhat warily.
"I think we should make sure that Mr. –"
"Overstreet," Regina tells him, filling in the blank.
"Yes, Mr. Overstreet – I think we should make sure Mr. Overstreet leaves this residence safely," he finishes.
"Where is your precinct, officer?" Kate asks, and the younger officer responds by providing a card to her.
"I assume you can find this, Regina," Kate states, getting a nod of affirmation from the younger woman. "It's not too far from here," she tells her.
"We will be just a few minutes behind you," the older officer tells her, allowing Kate and Regina to leave the house. Regina takes a few quick steps to her mother, giving her another hug. Her mother's hug in return lacks the embrace of their initial welcome less than twenty minutes earlier. Her lack of enthusiasm is not lost on either Kate or Regina as the two women leave through the front door.
"I'm sorry, Regina," Kate tells her companion as they walk down the outdoor stone steps back to the street level, and to the sports car waiting for them.
"Don't be," Regina replies. "I told you, that's how she would react."
"I know you did," Kate tells her. "But at least you got to talk to her, to see her," she finishes, willing her mind to stay in the moment and not consider the family she herself has lost.
"Anyway," Regina tells her with a soft smile, that she cannot stop from growing. "It was nice to see him get a little comeuppance."
"A little comeuppance?" Kate smiles with her as she puts the car into gear.
"Navigate for me," Kate tells her. "Get us to the station."
Bayview Police Station in San Francisco, California, Jan 5, 2012, 10:30 a.m. PST
Kate Beckett and Regina Overstreet sit in the lobby area inside the precinct, awaiting the return of Officers Sloan and Diaw. While Regina is noticeably uncomfortable in these surroundings, she smiles as she recognizes that her companions' mood is exactly the opposite. Kate finds herself smiling, just breathing in the familiar scents and recognizing the familiar sounds of a precinct.
Hopefully, the two officers will be here momentarily, and she and Regina can get on their way. They should grab a bite to eat on the way back, since they never got to the meal part of their visit back at her mother's home. She smiles wistfully, knowing the disappointment the younger woman has, but also knowing that she has faced a small demon down this morning. Yeah, Regina had help, but still . . .
"Kate? Detective Kate Beckett?"
Kate turns toward the female voice that is calling her, clearly confused. She knows no one here, so who can be calling her? And referring to her as a detective, at that. Suddenly, she puts the voice and approaching face to a name, understanding the familiarity.
"Jenny?" she says brightly, finding the smiling face walking toward her.
The two women embrace tightly, smiling broadly at each other.
"Good heavens, how long has it been, Kate?" her friend asks.
"Since college, for certain," Kate responds. "The last time I saw you, you were proudly wearing our Stanford colors –"
"Still do," the woman interrupts, laughing. She glances at Regina, causing Kate to mock slap her forehead.
"I'm sorry, Regina," she tells her. "This is Jennifer Blackard, an old college friend of mine from . . . from a long time ago," she finishes, as both women break into laughter again.
"Detective Jennifer Blackard," her friend corrects.
"Detective?" Kate responds, clearly surprised. "I didn't know that."
"Well, I know you are a detective," Jenny tells her. "Followed your exploits from afar, I have," she says, still smiling. "Went into police work because of you," she tells her, somewhat more somberly.
"When you left school, because of your mother," she says, and pauses, feeling a bit uncomfortable now for bringing it up.
"It's okay, Jen," Kate tells her. "It's okay. Go on."
"Well, when you left because of your mother, it was hard to watch one of my best friends leave – and for that specific reason. I just started looking into law enforcement just because of what had happened to you – to your family."
Kate's eyes mist, quickly, as she realizes that a friend she has not had contact with in over a decade has chosen the same profession as she – and for the exact same reason. Her old friend sees the emotion in Kate's eyes, and she pulls her back into a hug.
"Any, I'm ex-Detective Beckett now," Kate sniffs, slowly extracting herself after a few seconds. "I live here in the Bay Area now," and Jen steps back, clearly surprised and pleased with the news.
"You are kidding me!" she exclaims. "You left the force. And – what? You live here?"
"Let's just say that I found a new calling," she tells her. "I'm working out at the Castles across the bay in Sausalito –"
"That's right!" Jen says, realization now dawning on her. "Richard Castle built those safe homes over there – ex novelist – and . . ."
Her friend smiles even more broadly, as she half mock-slugs Kate in the shoulder.
"Oh – my – God. He brought Nikki –"
Kate stops her with a soft – but slightly harder – slug of her own.
"Don't say it, don't say it," she warns her. "Yes, I am here. Yes, we are together. And no, I am not a fictional cop anymore."
"Fictional slutty cop," her friend laughs, emphasizing the adjective, and this actually draws a laugh from Regina, who quickly loses the smile after getting her first dose of a glare from Kate Beckett.
"It is so important that you stop talking, Jen," Kate warns again – her smile intact but her intent fully recognizable.
For the next few minutes, Kate and the detective catch up, waiting for the officers to arrive. Kate brings her up to speed on the Castles, on her role at the Castles, on what transpired at the Evangelista house.
"If you're going to help them out there, you're going to need to get a few licenses," Jen tells her. "You should start with a private investigator license, Kate."
"What?"
"It will give you the freedom to come and go with a little more latitude from the local police here," she tells her. "And you need a license to carry a firearm, a license to carry a concealed firearm –"
"A private investigator?" Kate asks, still processing her friend's earlier words, and wondering why she hasn't thought of this before.
"Sure," Jen tells her. "It would give you a chance to investigate any of these scenarios you face. A woman comes to your complex, you would have the authorization to go and investigate what happened, follow the leads . . . do what you do."
Kate is nodding, and she notices the smile on Regina's face, as the woman nods her head in agreement. "Would let you be completely legal, without worrying about ramifications like having to come down here to this precinct," she tells her.
"Climb out of your box a little, Kate," the detective tells her. Clearly, she knows Kate's tendencies well, and clearly those tendencies haven't changed much in the last ten-plus years.
"So often, when something abusive occurs, nothing happens to the man, to the abuser, assuming it is a man. More often than not, no charges are filed, no changes are made."
"Why not?" Kate asks, but she already has a hint of the answer.
"Well, believe it or not, sometimes the woman just doesn't want to file charges. She wants to make it work. She might even blame herself. Other times, she doesn't have the backing of her family, and if her family isn't going to back her, well . . ."
She leaves the thought unsaid, and Kate makes an effort not to glance at Regina Overstreet, who has grown quiet again.
"And finally, often Kate, if I'm a woman, maybe I don't want to bring a man in to investigate. Maybe I don't feel comfortable with that. It hasn't happened to me, so I can't say for sure. But I do know that having you – having a woman – a licensed woman – to uncover things is something that at least some women would see as a good thing, as a safe thing."
Kate smiles again, pulling her friend back into an embrace.
"Jen, you have no idea what you have just done," she says softly. In truth, she has been excited about her role with the Castles. She has been excited about counseling women, even though she really has no training for this. As Dr. Peraza had said, for now, she could be something that these women desperately need – a friend.
But in reality, she can be so much more. She can not only provide comfort for these women – but as Jennifer has helped her discover – she can help them find much more than comfort.
Perhaps she can help them find a little justice – and closure.
A/N: Difficult topic, I know. And I know that some of you may find the entire lack of support from Camille Evangelista to her daughter to be totally unrealistic. Being a bit transparent, I will only say that I have been married to my wife for twenty years this month. She left an abusive marriage over twenty-four years ago, and the reaction of her parents was much like what you read in this chapter. Her parents were convinced that she should stay, and do all she could to make it work, to keep those vows 'for better or for worse'. Fortunately, my wife has a "you hit me once and I am gone" policy. Anyway, abused women often lack the support they need from the most obvious place you would think they would get it from: their parents.
Thanks for reading. More chapters to this story are coming soon. But needless to say, Kate being licensed to be able to investigate abusive situations while Castle provides a safe haven for those going through them is going to open our favorite couple to some interesting cases.