Chapter 7 – Leaving your problems behind

"Where are we going?" she asked from the passenger seat. After the horrible scare of the other day she was very glad when he called asking her out so she could reassure herself he had indeed survived.

When she was in the academy, learning about this world of magic she would never have imagined existed, she would have scoffed at, having to see demonstrations in front of her, on her to actually believe, she understood the logic. Certain places had wards protecting them. No magic could be done inside or within a certain perimeter. That made for an easier Prison system. The prisons had magic suppressing wards and had wards that changed anything anyone said about magic to the ears of someone who wasn't magical or already in the know. So, if anyone talked about magic near someone who didn't know, they'd think they were talking about something else and be inclined not to pay attention. That was actually a ward that was later spread around cities, thus protecting the Statute of Secrecy more. This way they didn't have to have different prisons. And the magicals had one more incentive not to commit a crime, another punishment.

Banks were another one of those buildings where magic was suppressed, for security reasons. And she had cursed that ward several times while he and Martha were stuck in there. From the personnel and hostage files, there were at least four magicals in the bank at the time of the hostage situations, counting Castle and Martha. They could have subdued the non-magical robbers easily. But the wards weren't there for the people's security, but the money's, and they didn't want people being able to use magic to steal that money.

So, she had spent a very tense day. Worried about Castle and Martha and having to reassure Alexis, Robin and Harry, who was once again petrified that, again, his newly acquired family was in danger – that night during dinner Harry showed Castle the benefits of internet banking. She found that amusing since Castle was always an early adopter of new technologies. Not to mention the fact that Alexis had finally snapped at her. Oh, she knew that was coming. The girl had tried to be polite every time they interacted but she'd noticed the difference. How she was more reserved when talking to Kate, how she preferred to gravitate around anyone else also there when before she would have peppered Kate with questions. She couldn't even blame her. Lanie had told her Castle had been depressed while she was away and the girl had seen him almost getting shot trying to save her. For a second she probably wondered if he had been hit and Kate wondered if the girl, or even Castle, knew he had indeed saved her. The doctors said he stopped the bullet from actually reaching her heart with accidental magic. Out of sheer desperation. If the bullet had reached her heart she would most likely had died immediately, or if for some miracle she did survive she would most certainly not have had the full recovery she did. She would have been impaired for life and not been able to return to duty.

After everything was said and done, Martha and Castle were safe and the bad guys behind bars, all she had wanted to do was hold him and never let go. But they hadn't had a minute alone. Dinner had been wonderful, a celebration of life. But a full celebration with his entire family there.

So, yes, she had welcomed this break. That is, until he refused to tell her where he was taking her.

"You know, I've noticed you aren't a very patient person."

"Why is that?"

"Because you've asked where we are going several times now," he smiled at her from the driver's seat.

"And you have yet to answer."

"Right," he nodded. "You'd think you'd have gotten the message by now that this is a surprise."

"Castle!" she said warningly. "You do know I have a gun right?"

"Yep," he said happily turning on the blinker and taking an exit.

"Private airspace? Castle, what is going on?"

He didn't answer just calmly chose a spot to park and got out of the car. She followed even more confused as he went towards the trunk, and as he opened the trunk and she saw the object inside she glared at him.

"You are kidding me right?"

"Magical transportation is highly regulated in the US. You can't Apparate or portkey anywhere within 300 miles of either coast or the borders for national and border control security reasons. You can't floo within 100 miles and flying," he said happily grabbing a shiny broom from the trunk. "Can only be done for sport or leisure in private magical airfields so as to not interfere with Airplanes and Helicopters air traffic. Plus, you know, we don't want a non-magical posting pictures of people flying around on brooms on Facebook. Private magical airfields have wards that keep people from seeing what is going on inside."

"I know all this," she said simply.

"Well, that's why I brought you here. I couldn't very well take off with us from the roof of my building."

"Castle, I ain't getting on that twig."

"This is not a twig," he said affronted caressing the broom. "This is a state of the art Boeing 2000. One of the best brooms out there, no matter what the Nimbus company states, built by one of the best Airplane companies in the world. They really know their aerodynamics."

"Castle," she protested.

"I'm a good flyer, dare I say, an excellent flier."

"Cas-"

"Kate," he sighed. "I haven't used much magic in the last eight years. I put up wards at home. I helped Alexis practice a bit, but I shied away from magic because- well, I didn't know much about myself but I knew magic had taken away everything from me. And I may remember now, but I honestly don't feel like using magic again for the day to day, I don't miss magic that much. But this Kate, flying, the sensation of leaving all your problems behind, that I miss. Let me take you out."

She looked at his eager face. She had never felt different with Castle just because she wasn't magical. He was right, through all the years they'd known each other she could count on the fingers of her hands the times he used magic, and they were usually for safety. When Dunn bombed her apartment, after he broke down the door and got her out and seemed to finally remember he could do magic, he extinguished the fire. Her apartment wasn't saved but all of her stuff was. He tried to stop the bullet and though he hadn't managed to completely stop her from getting shot the bullet never reached her heart and he kept her from bleeding out. He had tried getting them out of the freezer even though he knew he wouldn't be able to. Like he said, for reasons of national security you couldn't just Apparate or portkey within 300 miles of each coast, but more than that, there was a half a mile extension from the seaside, borders and any airport or non-magical airfield where no magic at all could be done, and they had been by the docks. She had known he had put up wards in her apartment and the cabin. She might be non-magical but as a cop she'd been around magic enough to recognize the slight electric spark of protective wards. She had seen Ryan dismantle them at times and had become familiar with the feeling. And her father had confessed to giving Castle the address and keys to the cabin when she announced that as soon as she was released from the hospital she'd be going there. The fact that he knew where to find her, went through the trouble of going there to put up wards so she'd be safe from her shooter, and still hadn't broken his promise to wait for her call let her know how much she had hurt him by not calling.

But none of that had changed once he got his memories back. Yeah, he amped up the wards at the loft, to make sure absolutely no one could hurt his children, but other than that, he was still using the espresso machine to make coffee.

"Okay, but I swear to you Castle. You let me fall."

"I won't, trust me.

"Always."

Xx

Okay, so maybe he had been right and maybe this was a great sensation, which she had felt similar only when on her bike. She'd have to take him on her bike now. And the fact that she had to hold tight to him wasn't bad either. He had been right. The wind on their faces, the beauty of the scenery. People might not be able to see them but they could see so far away. Her problems had definitely been left behind, even if temporarily. Up here there was only the two of them. No snipper waiting to attack. No lurking British Wizards who might want to take revenge on them for taking down their idol. No left over Death Eater who might take exception to their very vague involvement in Voldemort's death. No new Captain who kept them on edge. Here they just were in the moment. At first he had been cautious, concerned for her wellbeing. For not scaring her with bold maneuvers but as she started smiling and whooping he started with exhilarating dives and twists and she was loving every second of it. She lost track of time and couldn't possibly say how long they had been flying when he finally took them down and they laid down in the grass watching the other fliers.

"This was great!" she said with a megawatt smile and he smiled happily back at her.

"Told you. I've always loved flying. I wasn't really good at sports. In elementary school I was always picked last. I wasn't really popular and I figured Hogwarts would be the same, you know. After all, I was a geeky kid with glasses who loved reading and sci-fi and could never invite friends home, but at Hogwarts they didn't know liking sci-fi wasn't cool. And I could fly, really well. Always could. I couldn't throw a ball but I could outfly any seeker out there.

"But at the same time there are only two places you can fly at Hogwarts. The flying lessons in first year and if you're in the team. Otherwise you'll have a teacher yelling at you and be in detention in two seconds. That's why first years aren't allowed brooms. They aren't allowed in the team, something about not wanting distractions in the adaptation year, so there is no need for a broom. So my second year, I went to tryouts. I tried for every position. I just wanted to be able to fly and if I was in the team, I could fly even if there wasn't a practice or game because all I had to say was that I was practicing. Needless to say I didn't fare well in the throwing the ball department, but I did manage to outfly everyone so, despite my glasses, the captain decided I would be a good seeker. After all, I didn't actually have to spot the snitch, as long as I could outfly the other seeker. I got really good at spotting the snitch though. Even with the glasses. Which by the way I got rid of as soon as Lasik came out!" he shook his head remembering those dreaded glasses, and how he had wanted contact lenses but his mother had forbidden him. Not knowing what would happen if a stray spell caught him in the eye while wearing contacts, or what potion fumes might do to them.

"I ended up being popular, because of Quidditch," he snorted. "Because I brought the victories to Gryffindor they overlooked what they called my eccentricities. Me keeping up with my non-magical studies, my talk about how we needed to merge with non-magical society. They just rolled their eyes as if they were indulging me. Kind of like you do when I give you one of my Alien abduction or magic theories," he winked at her.

"That's different. You are being ridiculous then. You know that any case where magic is really involved is instantly turned to the Magical Division of the PD."

"But the curse of the mummy-"

"Castle, you know as well as I do that no Goblin would let a magical mummy end up in a non-magical museum!"

He grinned unrepentant at her and she shook her head fondly and then she didn't know what possessed her to ask.

"Did you take her flying?"

"Who?"

"Your ex-wife."

"Lily – sorry Gillian hates flying!" he snorted. "As a matter of fact she hated a lot of the things I liked. Don't get me wrong. She is a good person, and, well, my only problem with her is how she's hurting the children," he grimaced remembering how Harry had stoically nodded when he had tried to explain that his mom wouldn't be showing up. He had been worried with Harry's just "That's okay, I've got you and that's already loads better than before". He had talked to Harry's therapist and the doctor had said that for now they shouldn't worry, because to Harry, he might have wished his mother was around but the family he had now was, like he had said, a lot more than he had dreamed of. Maybe once he was more secure in his family, when he was older, he'd feel the need to revisit the subject.

Alexis hadn't said anything either. She hadn't been surprised at all and, much like her brother had said they had all the family they needed. He worried but there wasn't much more he could do other than let them know he was there for them. "But if the war hadn't been going on. If you weren't so scared to fight with the people you cared about because you never knew what would happen when you went out the door we would have come to blows long before Alexis was ever conceived, never mind getting married. We were complete opposites. I've learned that a little difference is good, you gotta complement each other to work, but you can't also be complete opposites, you have to have similar tastes and goals or else you won't work."

"Really," she tried to sound nonchalant as if she didn't know who the message was intended to. Yes, they were different in so many things. She was grounded, he was a dreamer. She was guarded, he was open, sometimes too open. But at the same time he was right, they were both sci-fi geeks, they both found a fascination in understanding why people committed the horrible acts they did, in the reasons behind murder, in finding justice. They both loved the thrill of the mystery and playing practical jokes.

"Uhu. Cam once said that dreamers need grounders and grounders need dreamers. Because dreamers together would always live in the clouds and grounders together would never take flight. Dreamers need grounders to pull them back to reality and grounders need dreamers to pull them up. He was talking about his family. You know, him and Mitch, and his in-laws. And I remember thinking he was right, but I also remember thinking that he and Mitch have a lot in common too. They like the same things, they both like the family life, if they didn't they wouldn't work well. So I think you need that balance, and Lily and I, we didn't have that balance. Or Gina and I," he snorted.

"Gina?" she asked curiously. She had misunderstood them, the day he left for the summer to finish writing Naked Heat. She thought they were going up there together. The way Gina had taken his arm possessively. Turns out she had promotion events up there and he had offered a place for her in the house. Also turns out, she was dating some doctor who lived in the Hamptons and aside from when she came to pressure him about chapters, she was almost never there. He had spent a lonely summer up there and she had spent a lonely summer down here.

"Yeah, can you imagine that? Mother tried to set us up once. She thought we looked good on paper. But no, Gina is my friend, I care about her, but we'd kill each other," he laughed.

"I thought you were together, back when you went up to the Hamptons."

"I told you we weren't. Remember, when you were grilling me about Maya. When you arrested me."

"I already apologized for that."

"Actually, no, you haven't," he said simply.

"Of course I have."

"Nope."

"I did in my head!"

"That doesn't count!" he poked her side laughing.

"Well, you never apologized for not calling!" she huffed.

"I thought you wouldn't want me to," he said more subdued and she could see the hurt in his eyes before he averted them to look at the sky. "We said we'd see each other in the Fall and you were with Demming. I didn't want to intrude."

She heard the dig. He had never said he'd call during the summer. Unlike her couple of days.

"I wasn't."

"What?"

"With Demming. I broke up before you left. I was going to take you up in your offer but then Gina showed up and I chickened out."

"Why?" he asked thoroughly confused.

"Because Gina showed up," she repeated exasperated.

"But she's just my friend," he said even more confused.

"Well I didn't know that, did I?"

"Was that why you were so angry with me? Kate, you'd been dating Demming for almost a month and I tried to pretend you weren't serious but then when you lied about the Bed & Breakfast I- I thought I was in your way. And you know me. I hate being alone. My house is always full. So when Gina mentioned she had to go to the Hamptons for the summer I offered a ride and boarding. But we were never together."

"I know. I know that now. And I shouldn't have been mad. Intellectually I knew you weren't at fault. You couldn't have known but-"

"The heart isn't rational?" he offered raising an eyebrow.

"Definitely not," she snorted.

"For the record. I haven't been with anyone since Ellie Monroe. And even her, if you had given me any indication – she wouldn't have stood a chance. I've been waiting for the wall to come down Kate and I'm still here waiting. You just need to let me know I'm not waiting in vain," he said earnestly.

She should have changed the subject of this conversation a long time ago, she knew they'd reach dangerous waters and she still didn't have the guts to let him know she heard him the first time. Though he had said he loved her again. In anger but he had said it. And he sure as hell had demonstrated he loved her. But now he was stating with all the letters that he was waiting for her and she had to give him something.

"You're not. But I'm not there yet."

"That's okay," he smiled at her and leaned his head closer lifting his arm and pointing at a young boy doing drills. "That's a Wronski Feint. I pulled one once at a game. Hooch gave me detention after the game for malicious intent against my fellow schoolmate. Not my fault he followed me," he defended himself and she just laid there resting her head on his shoulder as he continued to tell her his adventures in Quidditch.

Xx

"Have you considered the possibility that they were not malicious, that they are just, you know, stupid?" Sherlock asked leaning back on the counter at the loft. Sherlock had arrived yesterday and was staying at his parent's house. Rick had told him to take his room at the loft but he had said Rick and Harry, and especially, Rick and Kate, needed for the loft not to be Grand Central Station. Rick hadn't wanted to but he agreed. Especially after the sniper case they had just finished. He had known Kate was struggling and he had wanted to help but he also knew she would rebuff him, so he had asked Esposito for help. She had thanked him later and had surprised him even more when she showed up at the loft with the first of those 100 coffees for a quiet movie night. If Sherlock had been there she might not have been that forward.

"Stupid?" Rick frowned skeptically at Sherlock. He had asked Sherlock to check on Frank and Alice, after the news of their not-so miraculous recovery had reached him. Interestingly enough, through Sherlock, who had managed to keep an eye on everything that was going on in the British Wizarding World. He had reported to him Snape had been the one to contact the Secret Service and even provide the passage to Hogwarts Castle and a contact with the Goblins so they could retrieve two of the Horcruxes. And then he let him know that at the same time he was getting his memories back, Frank and Alice Longbottom had woken up.

He was conflicted about the couple. Frank was his big cousin, he had always been his friend. But at the same time Augusta had had no compunctions in helping Dumbledore. He and Charlus had to tell her about what happened to them because Augusta had access to a family tapestry and she had the right to execute his will. She had also led the Wizengamot vote that let her and anyone else who directly or indirectly helped Dumbledore and Potter free.

On one hand, he understood they were not responsible for Augusta's actions. After all, he was related to her and Potter too. But on the other, Frank and Alice were currently living with Augusta like a happy family and as if she hadn't done anything. And according to Sherlock, since Dumbledore had already been arrested they were content that justice had been served. Never mind all the bureaucrats who didn't do their job in the placement and protection of a minor at Dumbledore's request, on McGonagall who actively put a ward at Private Drive to guarantee Harry would be hurt and Augusta who helped keep the fact he wasn't dead on the hush hush.

On the other hand though, Frank and Alice were as much as victims as he was and he wanted to make sure they weren't being coerced in any manner. So he sent Sherlock to talk to them. He knew that despite not being magical Sherlock could hold his own against magical folk. Sherlock hadn't revealed who sent him. Introducing himself as a consultant from the Yard, but after his first contact, in which he verified that no, Frank and Alice weren't being coerced and were fine, he maintained contact with them and had even met the others, Sirius, Severus and Remus.

Apparently, Sorenson had been right. Dumbledore's arrest had sent the British Wizards on a spiral. Moreover, his arrest, for violating International laws allowed the British Crown and the ICW to finally put some pressure on the British Wizards and they were given a deadline to adapt, to bring their society up to speed with the non-magical world and other societies and would be embargoed by other counties until they did. The Castles selling all the Potter companies to parties who could enforce that on the Potter companies' employees with the help of Mycroft Holmes, just gave them that extra push they needed and after decades, centuries of refusal, the British Wizards had finally had to start moving their butts against their wishes.

They had created a committee formed by Hogwarts's Heads of Houses - which apparently Lupin was now one. He had been hired as the DADA teacher and took over for McGonagall who became headmistress. How that irked him. That she was promoted. The Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, his former boss Arthur Weasley, and Frank, Alice and Sirius who had volunteered, probably since they were all victims of the archaic system in the British Wizarding World. They had all come here, to New York, much to Rick's annoyance, to learn about the American Wizarding School system. Sherlock had accompanied them as a glorified babysitter to translate the non-magical they didn't understand and to make sure they didn't break the Statute of Secrecy, and Rick knew, to keep an eye on them, even if he was worried Sherlock was becoming too fond of the Longbottoms.

The one consolation Rick had was that they had never received a full Magical Visa, which meant that upon entrance in the US they were given magical blocking bracelets that only customs and borders officials could remove. A policy that had been instituted after 9/11 and that made the extents of Potter's and Dumbledore's scheme even grander. They had managed to override dozens of protection measures there were for a magical foreigner to come to the US and the Feds still didn't know how because Dumbledore wasn't talking and Potter said that Dumbledore was the one who took care of everything.

"Yes, stupid. Don't get me wrong, I think that in Lupin's case there is a fare bit of resentment he felt towards your children that fed into his willingness to be stupid but I don't think they actually knew what was going on. I think they believed Dumbledore, or at least really wanted to believe him."

Rick crossed his arms annoyed and Sherlock hastened to defend his position, "Hear me out. I'm not saying they are blameless. They should have inquired further. They were your friends, they knew you didn't trust Dumbledore. So Dumbledore's word that Harry was fine shouldn't have been enough. And Black especially should have never handed Harry to Dumbledore, or, you know, not tried to defend himself when he was arrested. But my point is, as much as I believe they willingly fooled themselves, I also don't think they would have stood by had they actually known Harry was being hurt or you were alive and memoryless. They're not like McGonagall or your Aunt who actually knew what was going on."

"I'd known Remus wasn't fond of the children. And even Sirius wasn't always thrilled. He liked to play with them, but I saw how he resented them when I didn't join them for adventures anymore," Rick nodded grimly. "But I thought that would pass you know? As the children got older, as they maybe became parents themselves and understood what I was experiencing. Not everyone likes children. But I still trusted them to have my back and I thought they understood that meant having my children's back. That Remus and Severus could just go on with their lives without even checking on Harry, that Sirius did the one thing I told him not to do. Handed Harry to the one person I made him promise not to. That's a betrayal to me that I can't forgive Sherlock, even if they weren't being malicious. Just stupid. I can forgive a lot Sherlock, but never hurting my children," Rick said fervently and Sherlock nodded understandingly.

xx

A/N:

Thank you all for the support this story has been receiving! You guys are great!

Rick and Kate seem to be moving forward and Rick is being confronted with his feelings towards his old friends.

On another note, there is a campaign going on for those interested. Now that we were given the Castle/Beckett happy ending, for ABC to take ahead the idea of a Castle PI spin-off they had mentioned previously knowing that while Rick and the others are dealing with PI cases Kate Beckett will still be kicking ass out there. They did leave the door wide open for that since they only showed us their family happy ending but didn't much say what they were doing. So, anyone who would like to continue having an hour of fun mystery instead of an hour of depression of darker shows (Me! Me! I don't watch TV to get depressed!) should drop a tweet or a comment to ABC or on the Castle official pages showing their support.

#YestoCastlePISpinOff

#CastlePI