Author's note: Many thanks to MoreThanAMuse, who kindly reminded me that ffnet's formatting wasn't reading my section breaks. I have reformatted chapters 4, 5 and 6 to reflect the missing breaks; you might want to glance back over those if you got confused by the shifting action. ~RC
The theater where they met with Shaw wasn't an ordinary one. Rather than giant rooms filled with rows of seats, the Little Screen Theater boasted small rooms with tables around which groups of people could sit. They also served pizza and other snack foods in addition to just popcorn and candy.
Ryan and Jenny got to the theater first, so Ryan ordered a large pepperoni pizza for the group to share. Shaw and Avery got there next, holding hands and still pretending to be a couple. Esposito and Lanie were last, fifteen minutes late, as though he had been trying to convince himself that by not showing up he could make what they had to say not exist.
They didn't start talking until the movie began; it was a typical early-summer blockbuster full of noise and explosions, which gave them some cover from possible listeners. As some random action hero saved the world on the screen, Ryan and Esposito laid out all the information they had for Shaw, piece by piece.
Her face remained impassive until both detectives were done. For a while she said nothing, but when she turned to look at Avery he got up without a word and left the table. "Avery will do all the footwork on this one until we are positive. The moment I know for certain you will know too."
Jordan let the two agents absorb her words before she continued. "Now, there is the subject of your team lead and her writer."
Esposito and Ryan shared a look, both nodding before Esposito took the lead. "They need to know. As soon as possible."
Shaw nodded. "And I will pass on this information to her. But she is going to have to stay where she is. If Montgomery is involved in this… we don't know his role. Is he there to keep an eye on her? Just to keep her away from making real progress on the case? Or is he an actual danger to her?" She sat back for a moment, thinking, then leaned forward again. "I need to know something. Can you two – you three," she corrected herself, glancing at Lanie, "go back in there on Monday and act like nothing's happened? Can you absolutely, one hundred percent go in there and not let him know that you know something about this? Because if you can't, then we need to get you to safety. All of you," she added, with a pointed glance at Jenny.
Esposito and Ryan shared a long look. "If we're not in there," Ryan finally said, "she's got nobody in there on her side."
Esposito nodded. "Think we can do this?"
Ryan took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I think we can do this."
They turned in unison back to Shaw. "We got this," Esposito said firmly.
"All right," Shaw replied. "I'll keep you updated."
That night Castle didn't sleep for several reasons.
Alexis had arrived home in time for dinner and he had tried to play off Kate's absence as no big deal but he was transparent. His daughter didn't push; instead, she told him about her day while they ate. The real worry didn't set in until he had almost finished cleaning the kitchen and put away the leftovers.
It was getting dark and still there was no sign of Kate. He felt like such an idiot for upsetting her with his stupid fears. Castle knew that she loved him and that should have been enough. He had been so close to going out in search, but then the call came from Agent Shaw.
By the end of their conversation he felt even more bruised than before. The fact that Captain Montgomery was their third cop left an awful taste in his mouth. He had trusted the man, but more than that, Kate had trusted him. Kate believed in him and loved the man like he was family and now... Castle would have to break the news to her.
Sleep refused to come and he made the best of it by adding information to the murder board and then attempting to write. Every scenario with Rook and Nikki ended up sounding too much like his fight with Kate and so he shut his laptop with more force than needed.
He was still awake when Alexis headed out to meet her friend the next morning, much to her dismay. Only after she pushed did he lay back on the couch because he was really too stiff and too sore. Rick closed his eyes and felt himself drift off just a little, but his worry about Kate and the Captain kept him awake until he heard the door open a little before noon.
She was wearing the same clothes she'd left in the day before, her hair was tied back in a simple ponytail at the base of her neck, and she wore no makeup. Her eyes were red as though she'd spent a great deal of the time she'd been gone crying, but they were dry as she came up the stairs.
He sat up on the couch and watched her come around the corner. She stopped, stood there and studied him. "You look like hell," she finally said.
"So do you," he replied.
She sat down at the dining table and studied her fingernails. "I crashed on a bunk at a youth hostel last night," she said after a long pause. "What's your excuse?"
"That you crashed on a bunk at a youth hostel last night." He came over and sat down at the table as well. "I couldn't sleep with you gone. I was worried about you."
"I needed to think," she said softly. "It took awhile."
He looked down at his hands for a moment, then up at her. "Kate, listen. What I said yesterday –"
"It doesn't matter, Castle –"
"Yes, it does." Those three forceful words stopped her and she stared at him. "It does," he said again, more gently, "because if it didn't, you'd still be calling me Rick." He reached out and took her hands. "When I asked you that yesterday… I didn't make it clear what I meant. And I didn't realize that until after you'd gone. I thought we were on the same page, but it wasn't until about the third time I replayed it all in my mind that I realized what I forgot to say."
She kept the impassive look on her face, waiting for him to continue. Rick took a deep breath as he laced their fingers together, hoping this worked out. "I know this relationship means something. It means everything, Kate. You're all in. I get that. I know that, but I'm all in too and maybe I didn't make that clear, and I'm sorry." He paused for a moment, squeezing her fingers as he watched her intently.
Her face gave away nothing, but the look in her eyes was slowly changing. Word by word she was opening up a little more.
"This relationship means everything to me, Kate, and what I meant yesterday... it came out wrong. You are a very private person. You don't like people prying into your personal life and I know how much you dislike being in the spotlight with Nikki Heat, but being with me... being my girlfriend... the press would have a heyday with that."
"Do you think I don't already know that?" she asked him. They might have been fighting words but for the gentle tone she spoke them in.
"No." He gave her a slight, self-deprecating smile. "I'm well aware that you know that. I just… I wanted to make sure you'd thought about it. Because I forget, sometimes, that people who don't deal with that kind of thing on a regular basis often don't like it when it blindsides them. And you have to admit that when you get blindsided like that, you do tend to react first and think later."
She couldn't help the slight smile that escaped at that pointed comment. "That's true," she admitted. She took a deep breath and studied him carefully. "So… that's what this was about, yesterday? Not our friends or anything, but… the press?"
He nodded.
She considered him for a long moment, then stood, walking around to his side of the table. She stood in front of him for a long moment, then suddenly balled up her fist and socked him in the arm. "You jerk! Why didn't you just say that?"
"Ow! Apples, apples!" He rubbed his arm, flinching away from her. Castle opened one eye, glancing up at her timidly. Kate waited a moment before relaxing, giving him a softer look. He really did look like hell.
"You really didn't sleep did you?" she asked quietly. He gave her a tired smile and that was the only answer she really needed from him.
They remained silent for a time, Castle sitting and Kate standing, before he reached out and took her hand. "There's some leftover pasta from last night. I saved your plate." he offered quietly. Now that Kate was back he had only one thing weighing on his mind.
She smiled at him, reaching out to touch his face. "That sounds good. I'm starving."
He heated the food for her and waited quietly while she ate, going over the conversation with Shaw in his mind.
It was almost 11:30, and he was worried. Anything could have happened to her out there. She could have been mugged, kidnapped, murdered by some street thug. Their cover might have been blown and she could be in the hands of whoever killed her mother. He tried calling her new cell phone, but she'd left it; it rang proudly from its charger on the entertainment center.
When the satellite phone rang, he snatched it up quickly, thinking irrationally that she might have forgotten his new number and be calling that one. "Kate?"
There was a long pause. "Castle, it's Shaw."
He felt himself deflate. "Oh."
"Is Beckett not there?"
"No, she…" He swallowed hard. "She went out. Forgot her cell phone. I thought…" He sighed. "It doesn't matter. What's the news?"
"Not good." He heard her shuffling papers. "We think we've found the third cop. The evidence is circumstantial, but… frankly, if I was a D.A., I'd take it to trial."
"Wait, how is that not good news? Is he dead or something?"
Shaw was quiet for a long moment before speaking again. "It's Montgomery."
Rick couldn't believe his ears. He sat down heavily on the nearest chair, taking it all in as Shaw laid out the evidence that Ryan and Esposito had found. Yanavich. The photograph. Montgomery's order to the two men that Lockwood should be killed on sight. She was right – it was damning. Were he seated on a jury, he would likely vote to convict based on that evidence.
It was going to destroy Kate.
He listened as Shaw explained that Avery was doing more digging; before they tried to take Montgomery down, they wanted to be one hundred percent sure it was him. If they were wrong, the results would be disastrous. "I need you to impress upon Kate the absolute necessity for going nowhere and doing nothing," Shaw said once she'd finished. "We could be wrong. I hope to God we're wrong. But if we're right, Montgomery will be the key that leads us to whoever's behind all this."
"I'll make sure," Castle said, his voice sounding distant and tinny in his own ears. "Keep us updated."
"I will. Don't expect to hear from me for a few days, though, at least."
"Noted." He cleared his throat. "Good luck, Agent Shaw."
When Kate finished eating, he took her plate and washed it, then took her hands. "We need to talk," he said softly. "Jordan Shaw called last night."
Kate looked up at him and her heart clenched at the serious look on his face. Something was wrong. "Is everything okay? Is everyone-"
The look on his face transformed immediately and he gripped her hands. "No, Kate. Everyone is fine. They're okay."
She released the breath she had been holding, relaxing a little. The look on his face had worried her more than anything. His sudden silence, however, made her brow furrow in confusion. "Well, spit it out Castle."
He took a deep breath and then let it all out. "They found out who the third cop is. You have to promise to stay calm and no overreacting. You have to –"
"Rick, who the hell is it?"
"... Montgomery."
She stared at him in utter shock. "I'm sorry… what?"
He sighed. "The evidence is circumstantial, but it's strong. Shaw has Avery running it down, double checking and making sure that there's no way it could be a mistake. But Ryan and Esposito were sure enough that they told her."
"No. No, it can't be him. It can't."
"It may not be. Like I said, Avery's running it down to be sure."
She stood up. "I have to get back to New York. This is ridiculous."
"No." His voice was firm when he stepped in front of her, and he laid both hands on her shoulders. "You're not going anywhere. You're staying right here until we hear from Shaw again."
"Castle, this is –"
"I said no." His grip tightened just a little bit, and when she looked up into his eyes, she saw no trace of the joker who usually inhabited them. This was a version of Rick she'd only ever seen a few times before – notably, times like when he was beating the living shit out of Hal Lockwood. This was a version of Rick that was absolutely in charge, and was not going to take a bunch of crap out of anyone.
She swallowed hard, and wondered if she was losing it when her mind whispered, That is really fucking hot.
He waited until he was sure he had her full attention before speaking again. "The last thing she said to me was that I needed to impress upon you the absolute importance of staying right where we are and not doing anything stupid. So you're going to listen to me. We don't know what they know. We don't know what Montgomery knows. We don't know if it's even true about Montgomery. The guys could be wrong. So you are going to calm down, and you are going to stay right here if I have to handcuff you to the bed upstairs. Do I make myself clear?"
She swallowed hard again, and then she nodded.
Castle slowly relaxed his grip, but he didn't let go. Instead, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and whispered softly against her skin, "I'm so sorry, Kate." The silence engulfed them again and he just held her close, rubbing his hands up and down her back slowly. Eventually he felt himself start to drift off, exhaustion overriding even his need to be there for the woman in his arms. Rick rested his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes, pulling her closer.
Kate untangled herself from his arms and took his hand, tugging him gently toward the stairs to their room. He followed on her heels, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his free hand while biting back a yawn. She had at least managed to get a few restless hours of sleep, but it seemed that he had been completely serious about not sleeping at all. Once they made it to their room she turned and gently helped him pull off first his shirt and then his pants. Her eyes trailed over his body and she reached out, fingers dancing across his side as she felt for any injuries.
"Does it still hurt?" she asked, looking up at him, her eyes telling him that he'd better not lie to her.
"A little," he admitted. Then he pulled her into his arms again. "Not as much as you being gone."
"I'm here now," she murmured against his chest. She squeezed him carefully, then turned and pushed him gently toward the bed. "Let's get some sleep."
He sat down on the side of the bed and watched as she changed her top for a sleep shirt before sliding her pants off her legs. She pulled her arms inside the shirt; a moment later, her bra fell to the floor and her arms came back out. She smirked at him and he grinned back, and then she climbed into bed next to him and waited.
He slid in with her, finding a comfortable spot and reaching for her. She moved into his arms and cuddled up against his side, resting her head on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply of the scent of her hair, and was asleep in moments.
It took her a little while longer.
He couldn't sleep knowing what he did.
Esposito shifted onto his back with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling as he listened to the sound of the rain outside. It was too early to be awake, but he hadn't really slept either. He couldn't get his mind to shut down long enough for anything, really. Just the thought of facing the Captain had him both angry and upset. He didn't want to believe that their Captain was the third cop, but all of the facts were laid out for them to see.
"Javi…?" the soft voice next to him startled him from his thoughts and he shifted again, pulling Lanie against his chest. He pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her shoulder before he curled up tighter against her.
"Right here, baby," he whispered softly, smiling when she snuggled back against him before falling back asleep. He waited a few moments before closing his own eyes, breathing her in as he managed to fall into a restless sleep.
Sunday was rough. It was his and Ryan's usual day to play Madden, so Ryan came over – with Jenny – but neither of them were really in the mood to play, so they just sat on the couch and drank beer while the two women talked about them in low, worried voices in the other room.
Finally Ryan spoke. "This fucking sucks, man."
Esposito raised an eyebrow; Ryan seldom swore, and he couldn't remember a time before when he'd heard his partner drop the F-bomb. He waited, knowing there was more.
"I mean, what the hell are we supposed to do? We ratted out fucking Montgomery, man!" He stood up and started to pace. "So now what? We arrest the Captain? Interrogate him like… like he's a freaking perp?"
"Bro – calm down, all right? We don't know anything for sure yet," Esposito responded, hoping to calm down his partner. He was having his own issues with what they might have to do and he didn't need Ryan's emotions tacked onto his. It was bad enough that he didn't know how Beckett felt about the whole ordeal. She was his other partner and not having her around felt weird, but knowing what they did about everything… he wanted her to be back just so that he could keep an eye on her.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Castle, because he did, but there was a difference between them. Ryan finally sighed, sitting back down on the couch as he fiddled with his beer bottle. "You know Castle's got her back, right?" he asked, glancing over at his own partner.
Esposito nodded his head, locking eyes with Ryan. "He always does, bro."
"He better," Ryan mumbled, leaning back. He tilted his beer bottle and peered into its mouth. "Dammit. My beer's empty."
"Hey, baby!" Esposito called out. "Would you bring us a couple of beers?"
There was a very long silence in the apartment before Lanie appeared in the bedroom doorway, her eyebrows up near her hairline. "Excuse me?"
Ryan's eyes widened.
Esposito swallowed hard. "Nothing, baby, nothing. Lost my head for a second."
"Mmm-hmm. That's what I thought." She disappeared back into the bedroom. "Get your own damn beer."
"You bet, baby." He scrambled to his feet, heading for the kitchen. "You and Jenny need anything in there?"
Jenny's laugh tinkled through the apartment. "We're fine, Javier. Thank you."
Ryan shook his head at his partner as Esposito passed him a cold beer and plopped back down into his own spot on the couch. "Taking your life in your hands, there, man."
"The hell was I thinking?" Esposito muttered. "Lost my damn mind."
The office was dark, but that was nothing new; it was always dark for meetings like this. The man known to the NYPD as Hal Lockwood made his way across the carpeted floor of the outer waiting area and into the inner sanctum. His boss was there, his back to the door, staring out the window at the night-draped city. Lockwood did not speak; he waited.
"Is she handled?"
Lockwood swallowed. He wasn't usually a nervous person, but this man was unpredictable, and had been known to react very poorly to bad news. "There's been a… complication."
There was a long silence. "What kind of complication?"
"She's disappeared. So has her father, and the writer and his family."
"She's gone into hiding." The man at the window made a disparaging noise. "She thinks there's someplace in that city where I can't find her."
"She… may have left the city."
The silence was longer this time, and tinged with danger. "May have?"
"She, the writer and his daughter flew to D.C. a couple of days after we left her that message," Lockwood explained. "There's no indication that they returned."
"Find her." The words fell like leaden weights. "No excuses. Find her, and take care of her."
"Yes, sir." Lockwood waited a moment to see if there would be anything else, but there was not. He turned and left as silently as he had entered.
The man at the window stayed there for a very long time, looking out at the city. Then he turned and picked up the handset of the phone on his desk. He dialed a number and waited. "Yes, sir?" came the reply.
"I'm ready to leave, John," he said. "Would you mind bringing the car around?"
"Be right there, Mr. Senator."
"Thank you." He hung up. Behind him, through the window, the lights of the Capitol building burned brightly in the D.C. night.
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