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Chapter 6

"Are you serious?!"

Holding her arms crossed over her chest, Johanna sat on the bed for ten minutes now watching her husband pacing around in a circuit, venting and reciting all reasons of why this was a bad idea – a very bad idea.

"Yes, Jim. I am serious."

"Johanna, we aren't talking about a dog or a cat, or any other animal at all! We're talking about a boy – a human being."

"Well, I'd be worried if he wasn't human." Johanna replied sarcastically.

"God!" Jim exhaled. "I feel like you're not listening to me."

Now Johanna raised from her place, walking up to her husband standing nose to nose. "I am listening, Jim. I heard all of your cons."

"Obviously not, because we're still talking about this."

"Jim, we're perfect for this. We've enough money and space. As lawyers we have both a stable income and we have years of experience of raising a child."

"Yes, our sixteen year old daughter. Did you even think about her in all of this?"

"Of course I did-" Johanna started, but got quickly interrupted.

"And you still want to take in a stranger? Let him move in with us? With our daughter?"

Johanna scoffed. "You make it sound like he's a criminal, Jim. He's just a boy. A teenager whom lost everything."

"You don't know anything about him. I don't know anything about him. Maybe he is a criminal. Just because he conveniently doesn't remember a think doesn't mean he's a saint."

"Jim, he's all alone. I want to help him and this is the best way I can. He could go to Katie's school, find new friends. He could start re-building his life. I'm afraid that he's spiraling, and he won't stop if he's continuing like this."

Jim sighed. "Why do you always want to save the world?"

"It's not the world I want to save. It's a soul. A soul of a young boy. Is that so wrong?"

Jim was about to reply something when a knock on the door cut him off before he even had the chance to say one word. "Yes?"

The door opened slightly and the head of their daughter squeezed through the gap, glancing at them. They both had kept their voice low so that they wouldn't wake up their daughter, though it seemed like it didn't work. The sleepy girl walked towards her mother whom had taken a seat on the bed as Kate had knocked on the door.

"I'm sorry if we woke you up, Katie." Jim apologized.

"It's okay, Dad. But mom is right. We have everything we need to help Rick. Maybe he could give it a try."

"Not you, too!" Jim groaned.

"You and mom earn more than enough money. We could clear out the room opposite mine. There's only useless stuff in there anyway."

"And what if it doesn't work? What then? He moves in here, changes school and finds some friends. Then something happens and we realize that it doesn't work, he'd have to move out again, change schools again, lose his new found friends. This would disrupt his life more than it already is."

Johanna cleared her throat, picking up the other side of the coin. "And what if it does work? What if he integrates himself perfectly, has good grades and forms friendships? We'd have changed his life for the better."

Jim looked at the two women who stared up at him, two sets of hazel orbs. He'd never won an argument when they had joined forces against him, and it looked like he'd lose this one too. Of course everything could turn out fine. But there were also risks.

But mostly Jim was frightened. He didn't know anything about the boy, didn't trust him. His first priority was to protect his family, and he was afraid that this could harm his family. A wolf in sheep's clothing, and if something should happen, it'd be too late then.

"I'm not going to win this, am I?"

He sighed when the two just continued to stare at him. He shook his head and drew his hand through his hair, leaning back against the wall.

Life will become quite interesting.

"They want to do what?!"

Mr. Whittaker took a deep breath. "Mr. and Mrs. Beckett would like to take you in."

"No."

"No?"

"No." Rick repeated.

"And why not?"

Rick looked back out of the window. He'd been happily counting down the remaining hours until his release, couldn't wait to get out here. This anticipation and giddiness switched into confusion and tension. But mostly confusion. Confusion as to why the Beckett's would want to take him in. Him, a sixteen year old teenager who had a lot of baggage. Though maybe he knew the why.

Johanna Beckett.

He didn't need to be a psychic to know that this was her idea. For reasons unknown to him this woman just couldn't let him go. Did she not notice that he wanted to be let alone? Lick his wounds by himself?

Then there was Kate. He had been relieved with the thought that he'd never see her again, that she wouldn't get another chance to try out her x-ray vision. But if he'd live with the Beckett's, he'd have to be on alert at all times, always having his masks in full display and his walls even higher as normal.

Back at the orphanage he'd had his peace. No one wanted something of him. But if he'd live with Johanna, they'd expect him to integrate into the normal family life. And they'd surely want to know things. Things he couldn't tell them because he didn't know them himself, and if he could there was the possibility that he didn't want to tell them.

Besides, all he knew was the life at the orphanage. He'd never lived with a family.

At least not that he could remember.

"The process would take months. It wouldn't be worth it. I've just got two more years left."

"Well, they're both lawyers, have a lot of influence. And I could speed things up a little." Mr. Whittaker countered and sighed once again when Rick stayed silent, looking anywhere but at him. "Rick, they'd probably excel in all of the requirements for foster parenting. They have a stable income, a great home, no criminal records, and they even have experience at parenting."

"And what's missing?" Rick asked sarcastically, yet serious. There was no way that they could be that perfect. But maybe it would be just his luck that the one family that would want him was without any flaws, making him look more insane for declining.

"Besides your courage?"

"I'm not afraid." Rick scoffed.

"Oh, I think you are. You're afraid to find a new home, to start a new life. Maybe you're even afraid of the feeling of belonging." Mr. Whittaker began and waited until Rick's eyes found his ones, knowing he was talking to the Rick behind the walls now. "Rick, you're allowed to feel like that. But this is your chance at something good. So take it. This is your turn into a new beginning, a fresh start."

Rick took a deep breath and looked out of the window again, thinking everything over.

"The Beckett's are waiting outside."

Whipping his head back to his social worker, Rick widened his eyes in surprise. "They're here?"

"Yeah. They'd like to talk about this with you personally."

Great, Rick thought. No pressure at all.

"Shall I go let them in?" Mr. Whittaker asked and smiled as he saw Rick's face. "Come on, take a deep breath and get to it."

Rick didn't have much time to reply anything since the man already opened the door and let his surprise visit in. The first one to enter was Johanna, smiling slightly at Rick, a touch of nervousness was visible in her eyes. The next one was a man he'd never seen before, but he guessed that this must be Mr. Beckett. Their daughter Kate was nowhere in sight.

"Hi, Rick."

"Hey."

"This is my husband Jim." Johanna introduced the man at her side, and said man nodded at Rick. "Kate gives you her regards. She couldn't come with us because she and her friend are working on a school project."

"I believe Mr. Whittaker already told you what our visit is about?" asked Jim Beckett, cutting straight to the main reason for their stop at his hospital room.

"You want to take me in."

"Yes, Rick. We'd like you to come and live with us." Johanna confirmed.

"Why? I'm sixteen. Why would you go through so much trouble for a child that only has two more years in the system?"

"You'd have more space to yourself, your own room. We'd enroll you in the same school as Kate. It's a very good one, one of the best."

"I get that, but I'm not interested in any of those things." Rick replied stubbornly and saw Johanna take a step back in surprise at the hard voice of the teen. "And the least of all I need is you taking me in out of pity."

"We're not taking you in because we pity you, young man." Jim started, but Johanna put a hand on his shoulder to quieten him, wanting to lead this discussion herself. "Yes, you've been through a lot and I feel sorry for everything you've been through. But that's not the reason we're doing this."

"Then what is the reason?"

"It's a simple one, and I'm almost disappointed that you haven't consider it yet." That got her a confused expression, obviously having caught him off-guard. "You helped me, Rick. Now I want to help you."

"I did not ask for your help."

"Most of the people don't ask for help, though that doesn't mean they're not happy when they get some. My wife and I may not be able to change what happened, but we can help you find your place in the world." Jim reasoned.

Johanna's eyes bore directly into Rick's, searching for anything that would show her how the boy would decide. "Please, let us help you."

Rick considered all pros and cons. He knew life at the orphanage, knew what he'd have to do to be left in peace, knew where he'd find anything he could need and he definitely knew that he wouldn't have any problems living there for another two years.

But at the same time the Beckett's were right, he'd have much more freedom and more space. And for him there was no difference with living with dozens of children or if he'd live with the Beckett's. There were all strangers to him, though if he'd put some effort into getting to know them, to work on his social life, a life with the family standing in front of him was safer. They wouldn't just disappear, at least not just like that. If he'd befriend the children at the orphanage, it would be more risky regarding at losing their friendships. They could move to other accommodations, drop out of the system or be – just like him – taken into a new home.

He glanced over to his social worker Scott, whom sat in the corner and was happy to just observe their conversation. He smiled as he saw Rick looking at him. Rick knew exactly what his opinion was on this matter and he'd have to admit that Scott was right. He was afraid.

Richard Castle was afraid of this change. And living with the Beckett's instead of the orphanage was a huge one. He only knew life at the orphanage and he guessed that living with a family was complete different.

But then again, Scott was also right with this being his chance at a new start. Maybe this could enlighten his future a little, helping him orientate himself and showing him a direction. Yet this scared him too. But he was a fighter. People have said so in the past.

Normally he shouldn't have survived the car accident. Apparently it was pretty nasty. But he did survive.

The doctors almost lost hope of him waking up and recovering from his injuries and the coma, but he did wake up and recovered.

He beat the odds. And now he'd do it again.

Looking up with a new found resolve, he stared directly at Johanna and Jim Beckett. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Scott's smile brighten his face, already having noticed that Rick came to a decision. "Alright. I'd be happy to come and live with you."

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