Hi sorry about the delay – am in Athens at the moment and completely forgot to update :P hope you like it xx
Chapter 4
Livie swallowed hard taking one step at a time, soon she stepped into the shadow of the house and shivered, she looked at the door before reaching out a shaking hand and she touched the doorknob, she flinched before taking a deep breath and clutching it and turning it slowly opening it, the squeal of the hinges made her jump and very nearly stopped her, but she just paused breathing hard before she opened the door and stepped in.
the floorboards creaked as she stepped in looking around, she didn't remember the kitchen, she had been unconscious the first time she had gone through and the second time she had been very sick and couldn't remember much of that, she looked around, this room in itself was innocent, until she saw the yawning hold in the floor in the corner, the hold that led to the basement and it was hard to force herself over to it, she looked down into the blackness before she spotted a switch and flicked it causing light to burst forth below her, but even the warm yellow light couldn't make the journey down the steps any less terrifying, by the time she reached the bottom she was shaking hard, she kept expecting him to appear, to grab her and hurt her, to spin more lies to her about her mother.
she moved very slowly down the hall before pausing as she saw a door lying open at the end of the passage, she moved slowly past it and peered in before gasping and stepping in looking around, this was where she had woken up, where she had been kept with Tali and April, she looked at the chains lying on the floor shivering as she remembered their cold restraining weight around her ankle preventing her from leaving, she looked around and then staggered as memories hit her.
"no" I said "no, no, you are not my father" he smiled at me "sorry sweetheart but I am, I got your mother pregnant when she was 18,Olivia not long after I met her, we were both pretty surprised by it, I told her to get rid of you but she refused, saying she couldn't, though she planned to give you up for adoption because there was no way she could look after you" he looked at her "I was mad at her I have to say, I told her I wasn't sticking around and I left her, I never heard anything about her until I was handed her picture and asked to put a bullet through her heart, I did my usual research, tracked her down where I saw you, I looked at you and realised that you had to be mine, there was no other explanation, I was surprised that she had kept you, after all how was she to support you at 19, I learned everything about her, how her mother had been killed, how she had become a cop, how her precious little secret daughter had been kidnapped"
I stared at him terrified, then he moved forward "no" I cried "no stay away from me" I scrambled backwards away from the others but he followed me and April and Tali backed away again, tears were streaming down my cheeks as I scrambled into a corner and unable to go anywhere else I turned away from him, sobbing, he continued towards me, and I felt him place a hand on my shoulder but I pulled away angrily.
"I understand it is hard" he said "to hear it so suddenly, and to learn what your mom has been hiding from you over the years, I will give you some time to digest that" he stood and backed away from me, glancing over my shoulder I saw him watching me, his eyes hard, then he turned and left the room, shutting the door and locking it behind him.
Livie let out a sob, that was when everything had changed, everything she thought she knew had been destroyed, who she thought she was had been destroyed and everything she had thought she knew about her mother and who her father was had been ruined.
she turned and fled from that room and stood in the hall gasping until she calmed herself slightly, then she looked up the hall and saw a door she recognised...
I was dragged out of the room and he held me tightly as he locked the door, I heard April and Livie shouting out in panic to me but I was to scared to respond back, he turned then and forced me down the hall, pushing another door open and then he threw me inside, I staggered and fell to the floor, I instantly rolled over wriggling away from him as he advanced on me, then he grabbed me and I felt a cuff get replaced round my ankle, then he stood up and smiled at me "comfortable my sweet" he asked, I didn't answer, I just stared at him terrified, he crouched down in front of me then "I know you don't believe me" he said "so why don't I prove it too you" I stared at him "I am going to go get your mother now" he said "I will bring her here and she will tell you that what I have told you is true my darling, you will have no choice but to believe me"
he straightened up and that was when I found my voice, as he turned I leapt up and launched myself at him "NO" I screamed "no don't touch my mom, leave her out of this" he growled and grabbed me but I sank my teeth into his arm causing him to swear and strike me, as I fell he glared at me "don't touch her" I screamed again "shut up" he snapped but I didnt, I continued to scream so he reached into his pocket and pulled out a needle, then he grabbed me and pinned me against the wall by my throat, then he injected the needle into my neck and I gasped staring at him, I felt my limbs go heavy as he lowered me to the floor "leave...mom...alone" I managed before the world went black.
Livie choked back a sob as she looked around the room, then she noticed something she hadn't seen before, that she hadn't noticed when she was in this room last time, she doubted anyone had noticed it. A wall covered in shadows with a light above it, and there was something on the wall, slowly she moved over and switched on the light. Instantly she regretted it as she stared at the wall where pictures lay, pictures of his victims, lying there taken moments after the shooting, next to them were the newspaper articles on them, all of them had a piece of red thread going from it to a map which marked the location of each shooting, Livie looked over and spotted the one of the Petty Officer that she had witnessed, she could see herself and Lexie in the picture of the dead officer staring in horror, he had blown that picture up in size so that there was one of just her staring with wide eyes and next to it was one of her and her mother minutes later , her mother holding her protectively.
she looked over then and spotted the one of her mother's shooting, the clipping about the shooting and the picture of her mom lying in Rick's arms as he stared at her in pain, then another of her crouched next to her mother, one hand pressed against her mother's heart trying to stop the bleeding, the other clutching her mother's hand, she could see that she was begging to her mother, begging her to stay with her. Livie swallowed and looked away from the map and instantly froze when she saw what was on the wall next to it.
Hundreds of pictures of her mom, dating back maybe two years, pictures of her mom walking down the street, at crime scenes, talking to Rick, Ryan, Esposito and Lanie, hundreds of them, then she saw one that made a chill run through her veins, her mom and Rick lying on the beach behind their house in the Hamptons, her mom lying leaning against Rick, sunning herself with a smile on her face, two rings visible on her finger, Livie knew when that had been taken, on her mom's honeymoon with Rick, he had followed her mom and her new husband on their honeymoon and stalked them.
As Livie looked over these pictures she saw that in many Rick's face had been scratched out, there was some information about him too, about his writing, about how he had married his muse Detective Kate Beckett.
Livie looked over again then and saw then more pictures that made her flinch backwards, pictures of her, the first one was one of her and her mom in the park and it had been zoomed in multiple times, she stared at her face smiling at her mom, this must have been where he had first discovered her, there were many pictures that followed her walking to school, her with her friends at school, her and Lexie walking down the road laughing her riding Skye, jumping over a fence grinning in delight, one of her and her mother riding, smiling at each other, her and Rick talking as they walked down the road. they were all dated after her kidnapping and that had its own little section there was another newspaper clipping, talking about how the daughter of a cop had been taken and tortured, held as leverage, there were many documents and in all of them one name was circled; Tyler Paige. then there were pictures of her kidnapper in prison, then another of him lying dead in the prison courtyard.
"do you like my wall my darling, I hope you like the little montage of you and your mother, it took me a while to complete"
Livie flinched as she heard his voice and she gasped breathing hard "it's revolting" she whispered "you stalked us" "aw my darling, stalked is a bit of a strong word, I did my research on your mother that is all, and then of course i saw her with you and put two and two together and realised that you were mine" "no" Livie whispered "I am not yours"
"don't deny it my darling for you know it to be true now" she looked over then and cried out in terror when she saw him standing next to her, exactly how he had looked on the last day of his life, the same clothes, the same gun at his waistband and the same evil smirk on his face as he stared at her with dark glittering eyes.
she backed away against the wall gasping terrified as he moved towards her "no" she gasped "stop stay back" but he continued towards her and reached out to her, she closed her eyes pulling away and she could almost feel his fingers tracing down his cheek "leave me alone" she cried "stop it just stop it, leave me alone" "this is my house Olivia, my house that you are trespassing in, and you are my daughter, you came into my house, why?" "to face my demons and to stop my nightmares" Livie whispered, very slowly she opened her eyes and stared at him still standing a few feet away "you're not real" she whispered "you're dead you cant hurt me" he smirked at her "physically no Olivia, but mentally I am sure i can be very painful"
Livie stared at him "you're not real" she whispered "I know you are not real", he smiled at her "once I was" he said "now I am nothing more than a memory that you reduced me to" as he said that a line of blood appeared across his neck and began to stain his shirt, Livie felt herself begin to shake as he grinned at her and touched the blood at his neck so that it stained his fingers, then he held them up to her before grabbing one of her hands and staining them in blood "my blood is on your hands Olivia" he said "don't you ever forget that" Livie wiped her hands on her jeans trying frantically to get rid of the blood but it wouldn't rub off, she looked up at him "and you have the blood of many people on your hands" she said trying to keep the fear out of her voice "I saved the lives of many"
He looked at her "you killed me" he said "to save those people you killed me" Livie flinched at his words "does that make you any better than me sweetheart" he grinned delightedly "you may look an awful lot like your mother but is there more of me inside you my sweet" "no" Livie said desperately "no I am nothing like you, nothing at all" he smiled at her "yet you came here, why? You say to get rid of me but are you sure it wasn't to embrace me" Livie stared at him "I would never embrace you" she said stoutly "never"
He laughed at her "come now sweetheart I am your father, you should embrace me embrace what you are, my daughter" Livie stared at him breathing hard "no" she managed "I will never be like you, never, I am not your daughter" "yes you are Olivia, I am your father" he moved towards her and looked her straight in the eyes "why do you fight me when you know it to be true, your mother even confirmed it did she not" Livie lowered her head feeling tears dribble down her cheeks "I know it to be true" she whispered "but I don't want it to be true" "why not my dear" he asked moving towards her but she backed away "because you have done nothing for me, and you are a killer, you abandoned me and my mom before she had even given birth to me, why do you want me to accept that you are my father when you abandoned me, you abandoned your daughter and my mom leaving her to struggle alone"
He looked at her and his eyes narrowed "I have done something for you my dear, I killed for you, has your mother ever done anything like that for you" "yes" Livie said, "she gave herself up to a killer to save me" she saw his jaw tighten and he narrowed his eyes at her "your mother and I were young when she got pregnant with you, I had barely lived my life, I didn't want a child holding me back, and I did not think your mother would keep you, I mean she was wild when she was 18, wild and free, I dint think she would have a baby hold her back either, which was why I was surprised when I learned that she had kept you" he moved over to the wall covered in pictures and studied one of Livie and her mom, Livie glanced at it too and saw that it was at her yard, her mom was sitting on the bonnet of the car watching her with a smile on her face as Livie rode over on Skye grinning.
"I never thought she would give up so much, everything she loved to be a mother" he murmured "she surprised me when I watched her, she wasn't the Katherine Becket I had met at 18, she was a single mother Kate Beckett" he turned to look at her "what would she have become if you hadn't been in the picture" he mused "how great would she be right now if it hadnt have been for you I wonder, she certainly wouldn't be an NYPD cop who got stuck with a bored writer following her around like a little puppy, and she certainly wouldn't have married him, she could have been one of he best lawyers in the country, rich and powerful, but no it is because of you that she is who she is today"
Livie stared at him "she became a cop because of what happened to her mother" she said "because her mother was murdered and she wanted to catch the killer, a killer which hired you to kill her" she suddenly realised, he smirked "yes indeed" he said grinning "and she will not be safe if she continues to go after her mother's murderer, maybe you should suggest to her that she should let it go sweetheart" Livie stared at him "who are they" she asked "why did they kill my grandmother" he smiled "sweetheart why would I tell you that" he said
"who" Livie persisted but he shook his head before turning to face his wall of photos again, he looked at the ones of her "hows the boyfriend" he asked then and Livie flinched "why should I talk to you about him" she asked angrily "how do you even know about him" he smiled and walked towards her touching her forehead "because I am inside your mind Olivia" he said "you should tell me because I am you father, I should be protective of you" "you are not my father" Livie said angrily "my father is Rick, Rick Castle is my father"
She saw anger flash in his eyes "Rick Castle is not your father, I am" he snapped, Livie flinched at the anger in his voice before she took a deep breath "he is my father" she said "my name is Olivia Johanna Beckett Castle" he glared at then he launched for her and pinned her against the wall in a way similar to how he had pinned her mother almost a year ago "I should have made her get rid of you" he hissed "I should have done it myself, beaten her until she lost you or until she had the abortion, I never should have let you live, I never should have let her live"
"NO" Livie screamed covering her ears but all she could hear were his words "I should never have let you live, I should never have let her live" she opened her eyes then and saw that he was holding the gun and she let out another terrified scream.
XO
Ziva was pacing backwards and forwards in front of the car, she was getting more and more anxious by the second, Tony sat on the bonnet of the car watching her, Tali was leaning against the car too tossing a knife at a stump then retrieving it and repeating the process trying to pass the time.
"how long" Ziva asked, Tony looked at her "less than a minute since you last asked Zee" he said gently, "it has been eight minutes" she sighed and groaned "Zee calm down, she is going to be ok, nothing can hurt her down there" Tony said comfortingly and she looked at him before leaning against the car "yes but I don't know if I did the right thing bringing her here, what if this makes her worse rather than better Tony, what do I do then" he wrapped one arm around her and they both looked at Tali who had moved a few feet away and was flicking her knife at the trees around her.
"Livie isn't like Tali" Ziva whispered "she isn't as strong as her, she is more normal", "I know" Tony said "but she is still strong Zee, not many other girls who have been through what she has have the strength to even get up in the mornings, but here she is, fighting to get better, she is amazing Zee mentally strong rather than physically strong" Ziva nodded slowly "how long now" she asked and Tony groaned "nine and a half, Zee please..."
He was cut off as a scream echoed through the woods startling birds out of trees, they all looked at each other in shock, then another scream ripped through the air and instantly Ziva was running towards the cabin, Tali launched after her but Tony leapt forward catching hold of her round the middle and dragging her back "whoa ninja you are not going in there" he said "dad that's my friend" Tali gasped struggling but he held on tight ignoring her struggles "Tali" he said firmly "your mom is going to look after her ok, the last thing we need is for you to start panicking down there" "I won't panic" Tali said still struggling "you don't know that" Tony said "you have never gone back to a place where you were held before have you"
Tali continued to struggle but then slowly she stopped and just hung in his arms breathing hard before she looked at him, Tony pulled her into his arms hugging her tightly as he looked towards the cabin wondering if Livie was ok...
X
Ziva rushed down the stairs into the basement panicking about what she would find at the bottom, she checked the room at the end before rushing into the room that they had found Kate and Livie, "Livie" she called as she rushed in but then she stopped staring around.
The room looked different to the last time she had been in it, for starters it was now bright with light but as she looked around she wished it wasn't when she spotted a wall at the other end of the room now flooded with light, the last time they had come in here they had been so focused on saving Livie and Kate they hadn't looked round and once they were safe no one wanted to come back here so they had just left it, they hadn't seen the wall covered in photos of the victims and the map linking all his kills plus more that she had not seen before. And the worst part of the wall were the hundreds of pictures of Kate and Livie, really personal ones, she could see Kate lying on the beach in the Hamptons on her honeymoon, even one of her at her wedding with Livie and Alexis in their bridesmaids dresses, the wall was disturbing but she couldn't focus on that right now, and she turned her attention to Livie who was crouched on the floor.
She was staring into space her eyes wide with terror whispering "no leave me alone, no stop it, stop it" Ziva looked around, the room was empty aside from her and Livie but Livie was terrified of something that was for certain.
X
Livie sank to the floor as he held the gun up "recognise this sweetheart" he asked cruelly, his eyes burned with anger and hatred "no" she whispered "leave me alone" he smirked "you do recognise this don't you honey, you used this gun didn't you, you used it to kill me" he hissed those last two words "no" she begged "stop it" "but it is true my darling isn't it, you did kill me with this gun" he thrust the gun in front of her "stop it" she cried.
"Livie"
Livie looked round and saw Ziva standing there looking at her worriedly, she saw her father in her mind turn to look at her "ah" he said "Ziva David, mother of your little kick ass friend, ex Israeli Mossad agent, daughter of Mossad Director Eli David, well disowned daughter after she got pregnant with your friend" he looked at Livie grinning "she fascinates me too" he said "she is a killer too sweetheart why do you trust her but not me?" "Ziva" Livie sobbed "get out of here please go", she saw Ziva stare at her in confusion "Livie" she whispered "nothing in here can hurt you, you are ok, I promise" Livie heard her father laugh "physically no" he said "but I am mentally painful aren't I ... Livie" he smiled at her using her preferred name "leave me alone" Livie screamed and saw Ziva flinch back in surprise, she looked at him standing there feeling herself trembling and breathing hard, she clenched her fists in anger.
X
Ziva was startled when Livie screamed out "leave me alone" but she wasn't directing her words at her she was glaring at something and Ziva could see her trembling, suddenly she realised what Livie could see "Livie" she said gently "he isn't real tateleh, he isn't real, you understand, he is nothing but what you allow him to be, don't allow him to haunt you, don't feel any guilt, don't listen to a word he tells you honey, he isn't real, and there are three things that you should know when it comes to killing him, one – you did what you had to do, two – you saved many lives, and three – we are all so very proud of you for being so brave"
Livie was staring into space still but her head was cocked slightly to one side showing she was listening, her eyes focused on something and she glared at - what Ziva guessed was her to be seeing - her father "she is right" she whispered, "you are not real, I shouldn't allow you to scare me or haunt me, I don't have to feel any guilt" Ziva watched as her clenched fists shook but then they tightened and steadied and she rose, standing tall and straight.
X
He glared at Livie as she rose, but Livie felt no fear "you are not real" she said firmly "you can't hurt me, you can't hurt mom and you can't hurt anyone, and..." she paused "I don't know why I let you scare me, you are a coward after all, got all cocky and killed a lot of people, then when the feds got close to catching you, you panicked and cowardly took three children, and you gained the upper hand then so you got cocky again and look where that got you"
She took a step forward glaring at him "why should I feel guilt – I saved lives by taking your life, a little pain for many lives, a little pain I now realise I can live with because, living with that pain means I get to see my mom every day, to see her smile at me, or my dad, to hear her laugh and to feel her embrace, and if the price of all that is a little guilt..." she stared at him as he stood there eyes full of anger "so be it" she said firmly "and you can tell me that you are my father and maybe you are, maybe you are the man who fathered me, but that doesn't make you my daddy, to be a daddy you have to show love and compassion and to always be there for your daughter when she needs you, that is something you never did for me, that is what Rick has done for me every day since I met him, that is what makes Rick Castle my father"
Instantly he launched towards her and stood over her, "you little bitch" he hissed but Livie didn't flinch, in fact she felt a smile slip onto her face "go away" she said firmly "I am no longer afraid of you"
He launched towards her but Livie closed her eyes, she heard a shriek of fury and then nothing, breathing heavily she opened her eyes and looked around, he was gone. It was just her and Ziva in the room, she looked at Ziva and then realised she felt different and she smiled again at Ziva who was watching her cautiously "Livie" she asked softly and Livie smiled "he's gone" she whispered and let out a small giggle. Then she fainted.
XO
Ziva caught the girl as she collapsed instantly she shouted for Tony and he came hurrying down, crashing into the room tumbling down next to her "what happened" he exclaimed "she fainted, she will be fine" Ziva said "help me get her outside" he nodded and carefully gathered the girl up into his arms and carried her out of the basement with Ziva's help up the stairs.
Tali was waiting by the car but when she saw her father emerge with her friend in his arms she ran forward her eyes wide with horror "oh my gosh Livie" she exclaimed "hush tateleh she is going to be fine" Ziva soothed "she just fainted that is all, look she is already waking up" indeed the girl was stirring in Tony's arms, her eyelids fluttering "fetch some water ninja" Tony said as he carefully lowered her to the ground and Tali ran back to the car to fetch some, Livie moaned and looked around "what happened" she mumbled "you fainted" Ziva explained "how do you feel" Livie looked up at her and gave a small smile as Tali came running back "I'm fine" she said and Ziva remembered what she had said earlier when talking about Skye "when I am with her, I forget everything, I think that it is thanks to her that I can smile at the world and say 'I'm fine' even though I hardly ever mean it" "do you mean that" she asked and Livie smiled "yeah" she said "I really do" and Ziva smiled.
Tony held out the bottle of water "drink" he said firmly and helped her slowly sit up so that she could sip the water "feel dizzy" he asked and she shook her head "no I feel great" she said and then she looked at Tali "my dark passenger... he's gone, I can't feel him at all" she said and Tali smiled carefully hugging her best friend "that's great" she said "good for you Livie, your demons are gone" "Every last one of them" Livie said happily, Tony looked at Ziva and smiled at her and she smiled back "you ready to go home now Livie" he asked "please" Livie said "I cant wait" Ziva smiled "then lets go honey" she said "I am sure there are a lot of people worried about you" Livie smiled and Tali helped her to her feet and the two of them headed to the back of the car and slid in, Tony grinned at Ziva "I'll drive" he said and headed for the drivers seat "it would be faster if I drove" Ziva said sliding into the passenger seat "yeah but it is safer if I drive" Tony said winking at her making her scowl and the girls laugh.
XO
The drive to New York took a while and it was early afternoon by the time they were getting close with the huge skyscrapers beginning to tower over them Ziva was feeling much more relaxed, the girls had gone quiet an hour or so ago and when she looked over her shoulder she saw that they were in the exact same position they had been in the last time she had checked. Both of them had slumped sideways kicking their shoes off and curling up across the back seats, Livie had her legs across it with her feet hanging off, leaning against the window and Tali was resting her head on Livie's legs, both of them peaceful.
She looked at Tony who glanced at her and smiled "do you think you made the right choice now" he asked "to take Livie to the cabin" Ziva looked at the sleeping girl again "yes" she said "I think I did, do you" he smiled at her and nodded "yeah" he said "now she can live the life she deserves after everything she has been through" Ziva nodded and looked out the window at the approaching city
"hope Kate is ok" she said "hope she isn't mad at us for not calling" Tony said "she is scary when she is in a mood apparently, according to Rick".
There was a mumble from the back "don't worry I will tell her that I wouldn't let you call which is the truth" Ziva looked at Livie who was looking around blearily "when did I fall asleep" she mumbled confused, Ziva smiled "about an hour ago, not long after Tali" Livie looked over at her friend and smiled "still feeling good" Ziva asked and she nodded smiling "thanks for all your help guys I really appreciate it, I don't know what I would have done without your help" "no problem" Tony said "though promise me one thing" Livie looked at him questioningly "don't do it again, though if you have too, at least tell your parents" he said, Livie smiled "ok I promise" she said before looking out the window.
Tali woke not long after that and the two of them continued to chatter before Livie let out a small gasp "Tony" she said "can you pull over" Tony glanced at her in the rear view mirror before doing as she asked and pulling over, then he looked round "you ok kiddo" he asked, she nodded looking out the window "can you guys give me a second" she asked, Tony looked out the window "do you know someone here" he asked and Livie nodded "yeah" she said opening the door and sliding out, slowly she shut the door and turned round before moving slowly up the hill.
Tony looked at Tali questioningly but she shrugged, then they both looked at Ziva as she pulled out her phone "I think now is a good time" she said and Tony nodded as she dialled the number and lifted the phone to her ear, then she took a deep breath before she said "hi Kate... its Ziva..."
XOXO
Rick awoke early the next morning and instantly reached for his phone hoping for a call that would let them know Livie was ok, but the screen was blank, he looked over at Kate, she was curled up on her side, one hand gripping her phone, she was stirring in her sleep, mumbling Livie's name, he gently reached out and ran his hand through her hair before kissing her forehead, to his relief she quietened and mumbled Livie's name one last time before she sighed and rolled over falling still.
He quietly slipped out of the bed and into his office leaving her to sleep, he opened his laptop to check his emails finding the usual ones from his publishers reminding him that he owed them more chapters of the next Nikki Heat story, he ignored them for now and leaned back in his chair sighing, then he looked at the picture of his three girls, Kate, Alexis and Livie all grinning at the camera at the beach in the Hamptons, their last holiday before Alexis left for Colombia University, he missed her an awful lot but Livie had always been there to help fill the void that she had left, now she too was gone and he had no idea where she was and it scared him, he also had no idea why she had left, it wasn't like her to run away, and it was especially not like her to not tell them where she was going.
Just then he heard a small cry from the bedroom and he instantly leapt up rushing in to see Kate gasping in her sleep "no" she begged "please Adam don't hurt her" she gasped "no Livie no please, I'll do anything, anything just let her go" she whimpered and turned her head burying it into the pillow "please, Livie" she begged.
"hey hey Kate" Rick said bending down next to the bed and shaking her shoulder gently "hey Kate, it's ok shh, wake up" she jolted awake gasping and looking around wildly before she let out a small sob and moved towards him, he wrapped his arms around her holding her against his chest
whispering words of comfort to her "shh, it's ok, it's ok" he whispered kissing the top of her head "Livie" she whispered "we'll find her" Rick said firmly "I promise Kate, we will find her and she will be ok" she rested her head over his heart for a while staring into space with tears dribbling down her cheeks, Rick just sat there holding her tightly.
"why do you think she left" Kate mumbled after a while "I don't know" Rick whispered back "But I am sure it was for a good reason", she sighed and pulled away to look at him "you think so" she whispered, he kissed her gently "I know so" he said firmly and she gave him a weak smile before she rose and headed to the bathroom and he slipped out to the study again and picked up his phone pressing speed dial 3, "hey Livie" he said gently when his call went straight to voicemail ""it's me… listen honey, please call us, let us know where you are, we are all worried out of our minds, this isn't like you honey, why did you leave and not tell us, please … kiddo, call us"
He sighed and ended the call 'please Livie' he thought 'please call'.
He headed into the kitchen and began to make some breakfast, trying to keep his mind busy so as not to allow him to think about where Livie might be or what trouble she might be in 'no' he told himself when his thoughts did stray 'she isn't in trouble, she is a good girl, she doesn't get in trouble' but the little voice in his head whispered 'she doesn't run away either, but she has'. He shivered and forced the thought out of his mind focusing on the pancakes he was making.
By the time Kate came out, her hair wet from the shower he had made more that enough to feed the two of them, she seemed to understand and she smiled weakly at him as she sat down at the table next to him, the meal was eerily quiet, both of them picking at their food until there was a knock at the door and Rick went to open it to find, Ryan, Esposito and Lanie outside, all three of them rushed in and headed over to the kitchen table "ok" Ryan said "I spent most of the night looking over traffic videos surrounding your area looking for Livie and I got a bit of an idea about where she went"
Kate looked at Esposito who smiled gently at her "we couldn't sleep" he said, "so I went to the precinct to try and find her and not long after Ryan showed up and we got the security footage", Rick went to make coffee quickly as Ryan opened up his laptop and then once Rick returned with a tray of steaming mugs he began to play it, Kate looked at the footage of her daughter feeling an ache in her chest at the sight of her, they watched as she stood there zipping up her coat looking around "she was obviously trying to figure out where to go" Ryan says, "because then…" sure enough Livie moved off down the road walking at a determined pace, "I managed to track her progress and at first I thought she was walking to school because she headed there but then she walked right past it" Ryan said, he looked at Kate who was leaning over looking confused "where did she go then" she asked "that's… where things get a little interesting" Ryan said clicking on the next clip.
It showed Livie running down a variety of roads, at first Kate thought she was being chased but then she saw that her daughter was just jogging and then she ducked into a park that made Kate gasp and they all looked at her "that…" she managed before taking a deep breath and continuing "that's the park where she was first kidnapped" Ryan nodded "now there are no lights in the park so the footage is really dark and I found her…" he showed them the grainy image of Livie standing in the park "but then…" Livie suddenly bolted forward out of sight of the camera "I couldn't get another angle on her" Ryan said "but I found her again when she emerged from the park 15 minutes later" he clicked on the next bit of footage showing Livie walking down the road before she ducked down an ally "unfortunately that ally has lots of smaller ally's leading off of it" Ryan said "I didn't manage to find her again but I am still looking"
Kate smiled "thanks Ryan, that is amazing" she said "I owe you like crazy" he grinned at her "no problem Kate, I just hope that it helps" she smiled and hugged him before looking at the footage that they had of her daughter in the park, it just showed her standing there before she ran forward out of sight "what were you doing kiddo" she whispered before moving away so that Ryan could continue his work.
It was their day off so none of them needed to worry about heading to work, none of them protested about working on their day off, they just worked diligently to try and find their missing friend, the worst part was when Alexis called asking where Livie was because she hadn't answered any of her calls, she was terrified when her dad quietly told her that Livie was missing and it took him a while to calm her down and persuade her to stay at the university, eventually she agreed after making him promise to give her regular updates and tell her the moment they found her.
By lunchtime they were all beginning to get worried, they hadn't heard anything from Livie since her cryptic little call last night, Kate leapt for her phone every time it rang getting hopeful but it was crushed every time along with everyone else's.
Kate sighed as she sat at the table waiting for something, anything.
Her phone rang then and she sighed no longer wanting to get excited "hello" she said tiredly "hi Kate" came a familiar voice "it's Ziva" Kate felt a small smile slip onto her face before it disappeared again "hi Ziva, listen it is lovely to hear from you but now really isn't a good time, can I call you back" "um Kate, I know that you are looking for Livie and I think I can help with that" Kate frowned "what do you mean" she asked, she heard Ziva take a deep breath "um I know where Livie is" Kate leapt up "you know where she is" she gasped causing everyone to leap up after her staring at her "how" she asked "listen it is a really long story and I think I should explain it to you face to face, come meet us" "ok" Kate said "is Livie ok" she asked "yes" Ziva said and Kate could almost hear the smile on her face "she is fine Kate, better than fine, I will explain when I see you" "ok" Kate said and took the location, she widened her eyes as she recognised it "ok" she said "see you soon, thanks Ziva"
Then she looked at everyone waiting impatiently "well" Lanie demanded "Ziva has her" Kate said "I don't know how or why but she has her" "is she ok" Rick demanded and Kate nodded "apparently she is fine" she said "come on lets go" they all followed her "where is she" Ryan asked, Kate smiled "visiting family" she said softly.
XO
Ziva looked up as a car approached and Kate leapt out followed by Rick, she and her family got out and Tali ran forward "Hi Kate" she exclaimed and Kate smiled catching hold of her into a big hug "hey Tali how are you" she asked, Tali smiled as she hugged her "yeah I'm good she said smiling at her and Kate smiled back "glad to hear it" she said "you're looking good, that's for certain", Tony laughed "yeah seriously don't even argue with her now, she is a good verbal fighter as well as a physical fighter now"
Kate smiled and then looked at them, her eyes flicking over them before she looked at Ziva who looked slightly worried "what happened" she asked "where did you find her", Ziva bit her lip "she came to DC" she said.
"what" both Kate and Rick yelped "she went to DC" Kate exclaimed and Ziva nodded "I don't know how, all I know is that April spotted her walking along the road and picked her up, Brennan and Booth are out of town on a case and she is staying with Angela so she couldn't help her so she called Tali and Tali told her to take her to NCIS, she did and we took her home" she sighed "she told us she called you and we thought you knew she was in DC, it wasn't until this morning when I tried to ring you to tell you that she had a flashback nightmare last night and she stopped me that we found out you had no idea that she was in DC" she smiled weakly "so we brought her back"
Kate moved forward and hugged her "thank you" she said "for looking after her" Ziva looked at her again "that's not the whole story" she said "she was in DC for a reason..."
By the time she was finished Kate looked shocked and confused "she did all that" she whispered, Ziva nodded "I saw the last one" she said softly "it didn't look good but she was so strong" she looked at Kate doubtfully "I am sorry if we did wrong to take her to the cabin, but she was desperate" Kate smiled weakly "don't be sorry Ziva, by the sounds of it nothing would have stopped her, she would have probably gone straight back up their next weekend if you hadn't" Ziva and Tony smiled weakly
"I guess I should go talk to her" Kate said looking over the field "do you know someone here" Tony asked gently and Kate nodded "My mom" she whispered softly.
XO
Livie slowly walked over the grass, moving between the gravestones, walking a path that she hadn't walked in a really long time, she moved down the rows of grey stone before stopping at the one she was looking for, then she stopped and stood looking at it, reading the words engraved into it.
Johanna Beckett
"Vincit omnia veritas"
February 4th1951
January 9th 1999
She stared for a while before she knelt down in front of it and reached out to touch the smooth stone "hi grandma" she whispered before leaning back on her heels "it has been a while since either of us came up to visit and I am sorry about that but you would like the reason why we haven't" she smiled "I bet mom has come up and told you this but she got married at last, to Rick Castle, he is really awesome and he really loves mom and she really loves him, I see it in her eyes, they shine when she sees him" she smiled and breathed in the cool breeze that tugged at her long brown hair.
"he is perfect for her, he helps her stay strong and he is amazing to me too, he helps me get over everything, he bought me Skye, my favourite horse and he legally adopted me, so I am a Castle too now, but don't worry there is still a lot of Beckett in me mom says" she sighed.
"I think another reason why we haven't been up recently it that we just felt different, we both had a pretty close call with death and it really shook us, scared us both, I got kidnapped as you know and then mom got shot, I was so scared, I thought I was going to lose her, I mean she was shot in the heart, but she made it, thank god, I don't know what I would have done if I had lost her" she slowly sat down in the grass and looked at the stone "then we went to DC and the sniper who shot her came back and he kidnapped me and my friends April and Tali and used us as leverage because our parents were getting to close, then I found out the truth"
She paused blinking back tears "I found out that the sniper was my father" she looked at the gravestone, "he was hired by the people who killed you to kill mom because she was still trying to find out who killed you, I didn't believe him but then he took mom, well she gave herself up to him to save me and my friends and she confirmed it"
"I didn't know how I felt at first, I could feel nothing but shock but then I felt denial and I wanted it to be a lie so bad but then mom came and confirmed it, though I think she wished it was a lie too, she was mad when she found out who he was" Livie blinked and looked away "I know I should be glad to find out who my father is because when I was little I always wanted to know, just to know who he was, I wouldn't have looked for him, I mean he abandoned me, why would I, but to just know would have been nice but I guessed mom didn't want to talk about it so I didn't push her. Now I wish I didn't know because knowing that your father is a serial killer is not a nice thing, knowing that his blood runs through your veins scared me, knowing that I could have it in me to kill someone and I did, and for a long time it haunted me"
A small smile crept onto her face as she spoke, and she didn't notice her mother moving through the gravestones towards her, she stopped a few feet away remaining unnoticed to listen as her daughter spoke.
"but it doesn't haunt me anymore, I stopped it, I didn't think I would be able to do it, to face all my demons but I did, and they are all gone, I did it, I even faced him, my father, my devil and I stood up to him, I got rid of him and he no longer scares me, he is dead and I have accepted that it was by my hand that he died but that is ok, for a little guilt because I took a life, I get to have my family.
My uncles Javi and Ryan, they are awesome, so cool to hang out with, I get to go shopping with Lanie and hang out with my boyfriend Alex, we go riding together on our horses, he is so sweet, I get to have awesome girly talks with Lexie, but she is away at the moment, I miss her but I know I will see her again, I get to hang out with Rick, and play laser tag, it is so much fun and he tells me things about his books that he doesn't tell anyone else, not even mom and I know that annoys her sometimes but it is our little thing"
Livie smiled "the best part of it is that I get to see my mom every day, she is my best friend and I don't know what I would do without her, I love her so much and I don't know what I would do if I lost her the way she lost you" she swallowed and ducked her head "I am happy to live with a little pain, and a little guilt if I get my family"
She sensed movement and out of the corner of her eye she saw her mom moving towards her and then she slowly knelt down next to her, reaching out to touch the stone before ducking her head too.
They sat in silence for a minute before Livie mumbled "are you mad at me", Kate slowly looked over at her and saw her watching her uncertainly, she let out a shaky sigh and reached out to her daughter and pulled her into her arms, she felt Livie wrap her arms around her middle as she hugged her daughter tightly kissing the top of her head, sighing in relief "no" she whispered "I am not mad, I am just glad you are ok", Livie slowly looked up at her and Kate touched her cheek gently brushing hair out of her eyes as Livie gave her a small smile "I am better than ok" she said softly and Kate looked at her questioningly "they're gone" Livie said smiling "My demons, my nightmares, they are gone, every last one of them, I can't feel them, it worked, I won't dream again, I know it and I hope you won't either"
Kate stared at her and saw the light in her eyes a light of freedom, she was no longer bound by her pains and fears, they were gone and as she saw the light once again in her daughter's eyes, Kate felt the weight of her pain and fear get lifted away and she let out a shaky sob before pulling Livie back into her arms hugging her tightly, Livie clung to her too and for a while they just sat there hugging each other before Livie looked at the tombstone "Vincit omnia veritas" she mumbled "Latin for "truth conquers all", she looked up at her mom "why did you write that" she asked, Kate smiled "because that is what my mom believed and after she died I knew that one day I would find out the truth, I would find out the truth about everything" Livie smiled "I think it is nice" she said "truth does conquer all", then she looked up at her "that and love" she said and Kate smiled "yes" she said "love does conquer all doesn't it"
They sat there looking at the tombstone for a bit longer before Livie slowly got to her feet "let's go home" she said "I am exhausted" Kate smiled and hauled herself to her feet too "can we come back soon" Livie asked and Kate nodded "very soon" she promised and with a grin Livie headed towards the gates, halfway there she broke into a run and ran straight into Rick's arms, he scooped her up and hugged her tightly as she hugged him back.
Kate smiled at the sight of them "I wish you could see how happy I am mom" she whispered looking at the grave "I never thought I would ever be this happy, but I am, completely and undeniable happy" she sighed "I will see you soon mom I promise" she whispered, she touched the stone one last time closing her eyes and holding a memory of her mother in her mind before she straightened and headed back to the car park, to her family where she felt safe and happy, where her demons could no longer hurt her.
When she arrived at the parking lot Rick was still hugging Livie tightly, the look of relief on his face was contagious and Kate felt the same feeling rush through her and she smiled at them. Eventually Rick released Livie and she turned and went to hug Tony and Ziva who both hugged her firmly back "thanks for your help" she mumbled "no problem" Tony said with a smile "any time, though preferably don't disappear again without letting someone know" Livie smiled and nodded hugging Tali "talk soon yeah" she said and Tali nodded "very soon" she promised "you might want to let April know how things turned out soon too though" she said, Livie nodded "will call her soon" she decided.
Kate smiled and moved over to hug Ziva "nice to see you again" she said "wish you could stay longer" Ziva smiled "yes we should all meet up soon and catch up, that would be nice" Kate nodded "thank you for helping her" she whispered "I can already see how happier and alive she is" Ziva smiled at her "no problem" she said before looking at her carefully "do you feel any different" she asked, Kate smiled "yeah" she said "I feel safe, and … free" Ziva nodded understandingly.
"well" Tony said reluctantly "we had better head off if we are to get back to DC before night, Gibbs still has AJ… hopefully" they all laughed and said their goodbyes before the DiNozzos climbed into their car and with Tali waving from the back seat they drove off heading back to DC.
Kate looked at Livie who was standing with her eyes closed smiling as the breeze tugged at her long unbound hair, blowing it back, then she slowly opened her eyes and smiled at them "can we go home now" she asked and Rick smiled and nodded, then the three of them headed back to their car and clambered in. The drive home was silent, mainly due to the fact that Livie fell asleep, obviously exhausted, Kate stared out the window, taking deep breaths finding it easier, she smiled, the worry about her daughter's pain was gone and somehow she knew that the nightmares were not coming back or they would be very scarce, they wouldn't attack without warning, they would never catch them off guard again.
When they arrived at the loft Livie was awake and looking around smiling, when they opened the front door she stepped in grinning before turning to face them "can we watch a movie" she asked and just like that things were back to normal, Kate smiled and nodded moving into the kitchen after Rick to order a pizza as Livie slotted the chosen movie into the DVD player and set it up. Once the pizza arrived Kate followed Rick over to the sofa and settled down next to him, Livie then clambered onto the sofa leaning against her, Kate wrapped her arms around her, leaning against Rick, she didn't watch the movie, she just thought.
Things were back to how they were two years ago before this whole mess began, before her daughter had been ripped away from her for the first time, neither of them were innocent to the true dangers of the world any more, but now they were ready, they wouldn't be unprepared, they would be able to take it, to fight it, 'no' she realised 'things aren't back to normal they are better'
She looked over at Rick who glanced at her before kissing her forehead gently, things were better for them, Livie might be the girl free of pain that she had been before this but now she had a full family, they both did, their family was complete, the pain would no longer haunt them and they were undeniably blissfully happy.
Hope you enjoyed that, more will come and it will be sweeter now, more innocent and loving
Would love to know what you think so pretty please with a cherry on top review – love to all those who do
Thanks, mysticgirl xx