Chapter 4

Kate Beckett: May 2012

After getting off the phone, Kate looked at her notes from her conversation with Alexis.

It had been more than three days since she's heard from her dad. The last time they talked, he was home and told her about her Gram and Chet leaving for their Mediterranean cruise, and said he was going to try to get some writing done. He did not say anything about leaving the loft or any other plans, but his phone had been turned off or had died the day before and he had not answered or returned her calls, texts or emails. They hadn't fought and he'd sounded tired but not sick or like anything was wrong.

Alexis was worried. She was ready to fly back and tear the city apart brick by brick until she found her dad. He was known to fall off the face of the earth now and then but never for three days, not from Alexis.

Kate told the girl not to book flights just yet. She'd try to track him down and would call her back as soon as she found him.

She was annoyed at Rick for his lack of consideration. If he was writing, he was most likely, "in the zone" and had neglected to check his phone or emerge from his office, needlessly worrying his daughter.

She dialed the house number and waited as the phone rang. She wasn't surprised when then voice mail picked up.

When the digital voice cued her to leave a message, she did.

"Castle, if you can hear this, call Alexis. You've scared the hell out of her."

After hanging up, a smidgen of regret crept in. The message was harsher than she planned. What if he wasn't just zoned out in a haze of rough drafts, lack of sleep and stale coffee?

She dialed again, this time she called his cell. There were no rings this time. The voice mail picked up immediately.

"Castle, Alexis is looking for you. If you can't get a hold of her, call me. You've really given her a scare."

This message definitely had less venom in it. She knew him well enough to know that no matter what the situation was, he never would intentionally worry his only child.

That particular grain of knowledge ate at her. There were a lot of people Rick would block out. She'd seen him do it to Paula, Gina, Meredith and others, countless times. She could believe he would ignore her now too, and possibly his friends and even his mother, in certain circumstances but never Alexis. Maybe something was wrong.

Anger and annoyance faded away to be replaced with curiosity and concern.

She glanced over to her keys on the counter. She still had the key to the loft. He never asked for it, and for some reason she never took it off her key chain.

Moving on autopilot, because she couldn't let herself dwell on what exactly she was doing, Kate went to her room, changed into jeans, a purple tank top and a gray hooded cardigan; grabbed her phone, keys and purse, and headed out the door.

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It had been a year since the last time Kate entered the loft, but Henry the door man still greeted her with a nod and a smile.

"Good to see you again, Detective."

"You too, Henry. How's your wife doing?"

"Wonderful. She's been done with chemo for about six months now, and is really starting to get back to normal. Thanks for asking."

"I'm so glad." Kate smiled a genuine smile at the older man and turned toward the elevator.

The ride up to the loft passed slowly. Although she hoped and expected to find Rick asleep at his desk, she mentally prepared herself for other possibilities.

When she got to the door she'd passed through countless times, nerves attacked her gut. Pushing them aside she raised her hand and knocked loudly. When there was no answer, she tried again, waited a few moments and then reached for her keys.

Ever the cop, Kate also removed her service piece from where it was safely tucked in the back of her pants.

Carefully, with with weapon raised in her right hand, she opened the door with her left.

The lights inside the loft were off, except for the two lamps that she knew were on timers. Kate shut the door and slipped her keys back in her pocket. Then while gripping the glock with both hands, she called out, "Castle!"

No answer.

She let her eyes roam over the living room and kitchen. It was very clean, as it always was. Today was Friday so unless something had changed, she knew his cleaning lady had most likely been in that day. Experience told her though, that Rick's cleaning staff would leave some things alone... like his desk.

Leading with her piece, Kate moved to the office. The shelves and furniture were neat and orderly, but Rick's desk stood in stark contrast. Half empty coffee mugs dotted the surface between papers. His laptop was half open, and a tipped over cup of pencils left a mess that had scattered from the desk to the floor. It certainly painted a picture for her. An empty crystal brandy canister also sat on his desk, and the opened drawer holding a lidless flask told her more.

The scene reminded her of her father's office after her mom was killed.

Not dwelling on the frightening realization, she lowered her hands and walked to his bedroom. She pushed the door open with her foot and stepped in.

The clean, musky scent of Rick assaulted her nostrils. It immediately took her back to the nights she spent here in his arms. If she closed her eyes, she could still feet the heat of his skin next to hers, and the cool slippery sheets wrapped around them as they moved together as one.

Her eyes darted to the bed. Then somehow, she found herself standing next to it.

Knowing no one would ever know, she reached out and touched his pillow, allowing herself the bittersweet moment.

Kate Beckett: February 2011

"Happy Valentine's Day," Rick whispered in her ear, after crumpling atop her body.

Unable to speak at first, Kate just smiled. This had been the best Valentine's she'd ever had and one she hoped to have many more of.

"You outdid yourself this time, Mr. Castle," she teased as soon as her breathing evened out.

He chuckled. "Only the best for you my lady."

He propped himself up on one elbow so that they could look each other in the eyes. "Although I must admit, Detective, you're quite the giver yourself."

"Well, when I was trying to figure out what to get you, I figured it was a toss up between this and a box of Red Hots."

"Mmmmmmmm, I'm glad you chose wisely, cuz nothing is hotter than you."

Kate felt the fire deep within her, reignite. Rick had a way of completely satisfying her and yet always leaving her wanting more.

She raised herself up on her elbows so that they were again flush. She brought her mouth to his collar bone and kissed her way across his shoulder and up his neck until she found the spot below his ear that was extra sensitive.

When she felt him respond, she took advantage of the moment and flipped them so that she was on top. Within minutes she buried her fingers into the plush pillow behind his head and held on as she was swept into a wave of euphoria.

Kate Beckett: May 2012

The sound of a fire engine passing by on the street below brought Kate back to the present. When she saw that she'd buried her hand in the soft pillow, she released it and smoothed it out so that it matched the opposite side.

Kate gave herself a mental shake. She wasn't here to relive the past, she was here to find Rick for his frantic daughter.

She continued to look for clues, checking his closet, the kitchen and the upstairs rooms that, with Alexis and Martha gone, were now almost empty. He obviously wasn't there and hadn't been at least for the day.

She wracked her brain for places he might have gone. She knew that Martha and Chet were gone, so it was unlikely that he was there. She would check The Old Haunt, Finnegan's Pub, or Mayfield's Bookstore, all places she knew he considered retreats. Alexis has told her she'd already called a couple of his friends who hadn't seen him for a few days, and from what she knew, he wasn't seeing anyone. So if he wasn't at one of those places, that only left one other place that she could think of to check... his home in the Hamptons.

An hour and a half later, Kate still hadn't found anyone who'd seen or heard from Rick in the last several days. She looked at the clock in her car. The green numbers told her it was almost eleven at night.

She was tired. She wanted to go home and fall asleep, but she wouldn't, not tonight. Not after Alexis' text asking if she'd had any luck.

After stopping at Starbucks and grabbing a venti sized caramel macchiato, Kate pulled into traffic and headed for Long Island.

As she emerged from the Midtown tunnel, Kate couldn't help but think about the last time she drove alone to the beach house in the middle of the night.

Kate Beckett: August 2010

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I don't agree. I'll be fine."

Montgomery's sigh wasn't hidden even through the static of the bad cell connection. "Detective, this isn't open for argument. I know you hate to admit that you're not invincible, but you're injured. If the doctor recommends a week of rest, then I second that. I don't need an injured officer with a stubborn streak getting in the way of cases."

"It's just a sprain. A couple asprin and I'll be as good as gold."

"Kate," his tone changed from annoyed to angry, "You almost broke your ankle tonight running in those damn heels of yours. Frankly I can't believe it hasn't happened earlier. Now, you have a full bank of sick days and even more vacation time, I advise you to take a week of it before I put you on leave. Esposito said that the ER doc said a week minimum to stay off that ankle. I don't want to see you for at least that long. If you want another week to go with it, its yours, but you are not working for at least seven days."

"First of all, it had nothing to do with my heels, it was a broken step on the fire escape that made me fall. Second, what the hell am I supposed to do for a week? At least let me come in and catch up on paperwork."

"Right, like you could sit at your desk and watch the boys field it, if a fresh case dropped. No, you are officially off-duty. And as far as what to do, that's your prerogative. Catch up on your reading, see if there's a Mythbusters marathon on TV, make a scrapbook, I don't care."

"Sir..."

"Or..." he interrupted thoughtfully, "Isn't Castle still in the Hamptons for a couple more weeks? I bet he misses you."

Kate was not about to confirm or deny how much they missed each other. They were keeping their relationship quiet for the time being. He'd been gone all summer except for two nights that he'd come back to stay with her. And any time she'd had more than one day off, she'd visited him. But it had been almost two weeks since they'd seen each other.

"I'm sure he wouldn't care for an unannounced and uninvited house guest." Kate rebutted. Although she knew better, she fought to keep up appearances.

Montgomery laughed. "Oh Kate, you think you're hiding it, but we all know things have changed between you too. It's been written all over you since Memorial Day weekend. Go see him. Enjoy some vacation time and relax."

The heat of embarrassment washed over her. She'd been so careful, and yet they knew? She felt exposed.

Still in shock from Roy's revelation, Kate didn't answer, which only confirmed what her boss already knew.

"See you in a couple weeks Detective." With that Montgomery hung up leaving Kate sitting in her living room with a bag of ice on her left ankle, and in complete disbelief.

Since there was obviously no way to get out of her current situation, she figured she might as well take her mentor's advice. After hobbling around to pack a duffel bag, Kate grabbed her keys and headed to the beach to surprise Rick.

She arrived that night just before midnight. When she drove up the curvy driveway she could see a bonfire on the beach behind the house. After parking, she slowly limped around the house until she could see Rick sitting next to the fire, staring out at the dark ocean beyond.

Even thought she never made a sound, before she was half way to him, he turned around and spotted her.

"Kate? What are you doing here? Are you limping?"

He jumped up and ran to her.

"I'm fine, really. It's just a sprain, but I'm on a forced vacation for at least a week while I rest."

"You should have called! I would have come and got you."

"It was kinda an impromptu decision. So it's OK that I came?"

"OK? OK! It's fantastic... not that you're hurt, but that you're here."

"What about Alexis? Is she going to mind?"

"Not at all."

After a long kiss, Rick scooped Kate up, bridal style, and carried her across the sand, back to the fire. They spent the rest of the night just sitting in each other's arms, talking and just enjoying being together again. It wasn't until after the eastern horizon began to lighten that they finally headed in to bed.

Kate Beckett: May 2012

Though not nearly as hectic as rush hour, the combination of a warm Friday night and holiday weekend added considerable traffic to her commute, despite the late hour. It was almost three in the morning when she finally arrive in East Hampton.

The hours spent in the car were spent alternating between recalling memories of their past, worrying about Rick's safety, and fighting the anger at him that she felt bubbling deep inside because he just wouldn't answer his phone.

By the time she pulled into the driveway, she was back to being worried. There were no lights on, nor any other outward signs that he was there or had been there any time recently.

After pausing for a moment to calm her nerves, she got out of her car and headed toward the garage. Instinct told her that he probably hadn't changed the code.

Kate flipped open the partially hidden keypad box and punched in the the date that his first novel made the New York Times' Best Seller List.

Almost immediately the large door began to rise off the ground.

Before the garage was completely open, Kate breathed a sigh of relief. Rick's car was parked safely inside. It was the first thing she'd considered good news all night.

Once inside the garage she hit the button to close the large door again, and then tried the knob on the door that she knew led into the mud room. When she found it locked, she pulled a bobby pin from her hair and picked it. Less than two minutes later she was back in the familiar kitchen.

In the dim light of the full moon shining in the windows and skylight, Kate could tell that Rick had indeed been there. Empty coffee cups were stacked in the sink, and half empty take out containers and empty booze bottles littered the counter.

"Castle?" She called softly into the dark of the living room that sat just past the large kitchen island.

Nothing.

Kate pulled out her phone and switched on the flash light app. A quick inspection told her he wasn't on the main floor, so she climbed the stairs to where the bedrooms were located.

All the doors were open including the one to the master suite.

She froze in the hallway before entering. What if... what if he had "company"?

She thought about it for a second and came to two conclusions. One, she had so far seen no signs that would point to more than one person being there. And two, she was a homicide detective, she knew there were a lot things she could find that were much worse than finding her ex with a new lover. She gave Alexis her word and she would keep it.

Kate steeped into the doorway and knocked on the door frame. "Castle?"

There was no response, so she tried again, only louder. "Castle! Are you OK?"

When he still didn't answer, her pulse began to race. Not hesitating any longer, she headed quickly to the bed. Rick, wearing only shorts, was laying face down in the pillow completely motionless.

Her fear escalated. Kate reached out and shook his shoulder. It was warm and only after she touched him did she realize his torso was rising ever so slightly with each breath.

Now that she knew he was alive, some of her anxiety broke into a cold sweat. Kate shook him again but all he did was turn his head and snore.

Her fear was now melting away back into anger and annoyance.

She rolled his almost naked body over so that he was on his back. "Rick Castle! Wake up! You've scared the shit out of your daughter!"

"Wha?" he slurred without waking up.

"Alexis is scared out of her mind right now. She hasn't been able to get a hold of you in days."

Rick, who smelled like a still, mumbled something entirely incoherent that ended with something that sounded a lot like a sob.

Kate stood and watched him, wondering what to do next. She was exhausted and emotionality drained.

After another few moments, she pulled out her phone and texted Alexis.

Found your dad. He's safe at the beach house.

A reply came back after just seconds.

Is he awake? Can I talk to him?

Kate considered sugar coating it at first, but then decided that the girl deserved the truth.

Call tomorrow. He's sleeping one off. I'm guessing he'll be hungover for a while.

Alexis' last reply took a little longer but eventually came back.

Thank you Kate. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you doing this for me.

She thought of all the stress and hassle the last few hours had been, but softened. It was worth it all if it meant Alexis would sleep easy tonight.

No problem. Good night.

Now that that was taken care of, Kate needed to make some decisions. Should she go back to the city tonight? And if she did leave, should she leave a note or just slip away into the night?

A large and unladylike yawn wracked her body. She knew that with enough caffeine she could make it back home, but the last thing she wanted to do was get back behind the wheel.

How awkward would it be if she stayed? What would she say to him in the morning?

Rick turned over again onto his stomach. She just stood there staring at him.

No, she wasn't going to leave. She was tired and no matter the hell the morning would bring, she would stay.

Kate left Rick's room and went back to the room she stayed in the first night she ever spent in this house.

And like the last time she slept in the comfortable queen size bed, only one thing filled her thoughts, and he was sleeping in the next room.

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A/N: Well I said I'd post this early Monday morning, and I know for some of you it is Monday, but I wasn't really planning on this early. I knew tomorrow would be busy, but I forgot that I wouldn't be at my computer almost at all, sooooooo when I realized that tonight, I got busy so I could get this out. Hopefully I'm not so tired that I missed something.

Anyway, thanks for reading and Happy Castle Monday to everyone! Let hope Headhunters leaves up happy!

I'll post again in another couple days!

DeBo81