Chapter 7
As Kate walks back to autopsy with Rick following closely behind her Lanie and Alexis look at the both of them with raised eyebrows.
"Did the both of you settle anything in there?" Lanie asks inquisitively.
"Lanie, we had mostly a one-way conversation with Rick doing all of the talking." Kate replies with raising one eyebrow challenging her to continue.
Kate moves over to the table and looks down to the files that Dr. Clark had left behind. Picking up one directly in front of her, she opens to the first page and reads the name to herself. She was her mom's assistant. Her name was Nancy Roberts. She was killed in almost the exact same way her mom was. It was three quick stabs to kill her then superficial stabs to cover up the initial stab wounds.
"Have you have found anything that the killer might have left as a clue?" Rick asks the two.
"This guy was good. He left no evidence whatsoever." Lanie replies.
Kate places the file back down on the table then walks over to Rick and Lanie.
"Lanie, we need something concrete to find this guy." She said looking directly into Rick's eyes.
She was telling him that she was okay with his findings on her mother's case. It was Alexis that had found something of a clue. She had realized that all the murders had taken place during the daylight hours. There had to be some video camera that caught the whole event.
"Detective Beckett, These are daylight occurrences. Would the ATM or traffic cameras capture something? Do you think that they might be able to help us here?" She asks.
"Alexis, you know that you can call me Kate, right? That is a great idea only we are going back a lot of years though. I am not too hopeful that there is any footage we can recover." Kate responds.
Alexis looks like she just lost her best friend. Rick walks over to her then looks down at her. She looks up to his loving eyes. He takes her by the upper arms and wraps his very large muscular arms around her then gives her a hug. Kate and Lanie look at the both of them in wonder.
"Where did the 9 year old go?"Kate thinks.
"Kate, do you see the love he has for his daughter?" Lanie whispers while pointing out the relations between the two.
"Of course I do Lanie, I'm not blind." Kate whispers back not wanting to disturb this precious moment.
"Well, girlfriend you should take notice. I know that what he shares with his daughter he would also definitively share with you too." Lanie whispers back.
Kate thinks about Lanie's last comment.
"Would he share himself with her?" She thinks.
Kate pushed that thought from her head.
"Alexis, that is a great idea! Although, Kate is right. The archives would not go back that far. We would need to find a better lead." Rick says breaking the moment between father and daughter.
Rick looks at Kate. He notices that she is staring at the two of them with a shy look on her face. Rick is concerned that he did something wrong then quickly looks back down to the files that they have on the table.
"Hey guys we need to look over everything that Dr. Death brought to us to see if we can put something together to find this guy." Lanie says.
They all take a seat and start to read over all the files. They were hoping to find something. After finding not so much as a breadcrumb to go any further they all decide to call it a night. Kate really does not want to break up the group. They all need sleep. Maybe with a fresh set of eyes in the morning they might find something new. Kate does not want this to end especially with Castle right here next to her.
"Hey guys who's up for burgers and fries at Remy's?" Kate asks.
Lanie gives a knowing look to Alexis. They both know now what they must do. This had been prearranged between them if this event might take place. By the look on Kate's face, they must do this.
"Kate…With the exception of your mom's case, I still have a job here as the medical examiner. There are 2 bodies on my table awaiting my attention." Lanie says.
"Yeah, I have a biology test to study for. I need Dr. Parish's assistance. So I will stay here too." Alexis begged off.
"So Castle it's just me and you. Do you want to come with me?" Kate shyly asks.
"Well, since you asked so nicely, how could I resist." Rick responds.
Kate smiles and gets ready to leave.
"Are you sure you will be all right with Dr. Parish, Pumpkin? I do not want to learn you were in her way, Ok?" Rick asks.
"Oh, Little Castle will be just fine under my care. Now scoot you two get out of my autopsy room!" Lanie says. "Or else I might have to give you an up close and personal look at my bone saw!"
"Oh, threats like that won't get him to move. Lanie, you should know better." Kate laments.
"Er actually Kate let's get that burger…Threats exactly like that will give the desired results." Rick says as they walk hand in hand out the autopsy doors.
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Lanie turns to Alexis after both Rick and Kate were gone.
"So Alexis do you think that they can see past their differences and make a go of this?" Lanie inquires as she prepares the first body for the autopsy.
"Dr. Parish, I know my dad. He loves Kate. I think Kate, on the other hand, might take a while to come around full circle." She replies.
"Tell me about it, I swear she can be so stubborn at times. I have been her friend for quite awhile. I see it in the way she presents herself when she is around your dad. She becomes a totally different person." Lanie observes.
After talking back and forth about the relationship that Rick and Kate said they don't have along with Lanie pointing out the finer points of anatomy it was 3 hours later. Lanie and Alexis were getting ready to close up the morgue. Securing the two bodies back into cold storage they head out.
By the time Alexis arrives at home the loft is dark.
"Grams, she was probably out at the theater." She thinks.
However, her dad is nowhere to be found.
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Rick and Kate walk from the morgue. Kate had one question burning in the back of her head. She replays their conversation in the morgue break room. It's the place that Castle confesses that he loves her. So as they walk she poses a question for him that would give her the answer she needs.
"Rick, would you do me a favor?" Kate asks.
"Anything Kate, Always…." Rick replies with shining eyes.
"Define love for me." Kate asks.
Rick was shocked at this question. He knows it must relate to his confession earlier. So he needs to give a truthful answer. As he thinks about it they were getting close to Remy's. Though, lost in thought he never forgets his manners. He steps in front of her then pulls the door open for her. They walk over and sit down at their table. It is the one they have sat in so many times. He is just about to give her an answer when he hears.
"Rick, are you still with me?" Kate asks startling him.
Rick stops for a moment then collected his thoughts.
"Kate, love is a hard for me to define." Rick says.
"Why?" Kate asks earnestly.
"Well…As a writer, I know the definition of love means different things for different people. When I was dating Meredith, I thought I was in love with her. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a joke. It was not true love but duty. I had to own up to what I had done. I got married because of that duty. That is when the love faded." Rick says with a far away look on his face.
Kate realizes that he is not finish. She looks deeply into his eyes for him to continue. As she makes eye contact, she notices something else.
"Could it be fear or maybe rejection?" She thinks.
He continues.
"Kate, since then I have been trying to find love. I don't think Meredith ever actually loved me for who I am. She was actually in love with my money and position. I am searching for someone that I could invest my whole heart. She would have to do the same. I believe that I have found her." Rick says turning to gaze directly into her eyes.
Kate's face is one of total shock. The waitress appears then waits for their order. They give it to her. She returns the kitchen to place it.
"Rick, are you saying that you want to give me your whole heart?" Kate asks dumbfounded.
"Kate I know that this is so sudden. I have been so upset since you booted me out of your life. I know that I deserved this treatment. So I took a step back and thought really hard about where I wanted to go. My heart wants you. I can't live without you. It may sound silly to you. Since, you really don't believe in soul mates. However, I think that we are so great for each other I would love to try." Rick says with such a serious demeanor.
Kate thinks while trying to formulate an answer. She comes up with a compromise.
"Rick, while I know that you say that you love me. Don't you think that it is way too soon?" Kate starts then Rick cuts her off.
"Kate, it's never too soon to give the heart what it wants. Don't you see that?" Rick asks.
Kate starts to protest.
"Kate, do you really know why I look into your mother's case?" Rick asks.
Kate nods no, not trusting her own voice at the moment.
"The reason I had looked into your mother's case. It was not to get you angry or create another puzzle I could solve. I did it because I want to see you happy with your mother's case finally solved. Having it put behind you so that you could move on with your life. I want you to find the happiness you are missing even if it was not with me." Rick says.
The waitress arrives with their order and they start eating. While they eat in silence, Kate thinks about everything he confessed. She has made up her mind...
A/N: So sorry for the delay in posting. Life sometimes gets in the way! My thanks to phnxgrl, without her my chapters would just be one long drawn out sentence!