Rocket Man Chapter IX


I'm really sorry it took me so long. But this chapter gave me a hard time. So, I know I promised some Caskett in this Chapter
and again I'm sorry. It just didn't fit in BUT chapter 10 will be up in a couple of minutes so I hope that'll make up for a broken
promise.

As always thanks to the fabulous BBB's.

Disclaimers:

They are not mine. I'm not keeping them, just borrowing, although I wouldn't mind to keep Castle. ;-)


The boys were working through the list that Kommissar Brandner, true to his word, had emailed ten minutes after Beckett hung up. She had called Lanie once more, asking if she had an update on the fibres and tissue samples the M.E. had found on the victim's body, but they were still being tested. So, for the past ten minutes Kate had been staring at a picture on Maren Leichsenring's Facebook profile subtitled with the name John. A blond man was smiling back at her, beside his name under the picture was the sentence: You don't wanna be in love, you wanna be in love in a movie. That was it. No last name, no nothing. Maren Leichsenring wasn't friends with any John as far as Beckett could tell from the friends list, so they were more or less back to square one. They had a face from some guy in California named John but nowhere to go from there.

Sighing, she looked at her phone for the twentieth time, eagerly awaiting Martha's call. Beckett hoped Castle's mother had been able to calm the waves and shed some light on yesterday's events. Reluctantly she dragged her eyes from the phone and looked over to Esposito and Ryan.

"You guys find anything?" she asked and two heads popped up to look at her.

"Nothing," Ryan shook his head. "So far neither of them," he tapped at the list in his hand with Maren's American friends, "has talked to her lately."

"Anything on the security footage?" she turned her head slightly to look past Ryan at Esposito.

Again she was rewarded with a headshake, "Victim took the 3 from Lincoln Centre to 34th Street, but we can't track her movements from there."

"Her phone?" she questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Still turned off," Esposito confirmed and they all knew it would stay this way.

She let out a puff of air, this case was so frustrating.

"If it was a robbery, we barely have a chance to solve it," Ryan vocalized what everyone was thinking.

Beckett got up and stood in front of the murder board, looking at what they had so far. Who did Maren Leichsenring want to meet and where? Or was she already on her way back to the hotel? The time frame allowed for both possibilities. She looked at the map of the area around 34th Street, but there were just too many possibilities, and no way of telling where their victim was headed to, or from.

Running her fingers over her face, she looked at Gates closed office door, knowing the Captain wanted answers. Answers they didn't have. She heard the elevator ding in the background, but didn't bother to turn around to see who was entering the bullpen, and it was only when she heard Esposito's surprised voice that she turned.

"Mrs. R.," he exclaimed and jumped up to meet her halfway, Ryan in tow.

"Gentlemen," she smiled and hooked each of her arms under one of the two Detectives, "So good to see you again." She shot both of them what could only be described as a flirtatious smile that quickly changed into a mastered pout, similar to the one Kate was so accustomed to seeing on her son's face, "I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed that you have neglected me and our poker games."

Esposito and Ryan both went pale, "No … We … no, it's just."

Martha Rodgers laughed and pulled the two men closer, enjoying every second of it, "I'm just kidding."

The boys chuckled, obviously enchanted by Castle's mother and Kate couldn't fight the small grin, playing around her lips. Martha certainly knew how to twist the boys around her little finger.

Giving Ryan a thorough look Martha continued, "Detective Ryan, I have to say marriage obviously becomes you. Look at you, all handsome and beaming!"

"Well, yeah. Thank you," he stuttered and blushed.

"And you Esposito?" her tone reprehensive, "Breaking up with that lovely Doctor of yours."

"Well, yeah… em," he repeated Ryan's stutter but then found some footing and quickly changed topics, "How's Castle doing?"

"Better and don't you worry, he's going to be alright," she said with so much conviction that Kate, who had listened to every word, believed it, - if only for a second.

"But now youGentlemen have to excuse me. I have to steal your lovely Lady Detective away for a couple of minutes," and with that she released her hold on the two men and walked over to Kate, hugging her close she whispered into her hear, "Good to see you, darling."

Kate nodded and pulled back, "Good to see you too." After their greeting, Kate led them to the break room, closing the door to give them some privacy.

"Can I offer you some coffee?" Kate asked, suddenly nervous and wanting to buy some time to steel herself for what was to come. She hadn't expected for Martha to show up at the precinct and wondered what had brought her here. The actress nodded, sitting down and taking the opportunity to watch Kate while she was trying to tame the coffee machine. Martha could sense she had taken Kate by surprise by coming to see her at the precinct, which had been her intention. Some things were better said in person and she didn't want to give Kate the opportunity to run. Doing this face to face gave Martha an advantage, since she knew Kate wouldn't just walk out on her, make a scene where everyone would witness. In observing the younger woman, she suddenly recognized the dark circles under Kate's eyes and couldn't help but wonder.

"Kate did you sleep at all?" Castle's mother asked, and she saw Kate's shoulders fall. When she turned around to place the cup of coffee in front of Martha the whole extent of the last few days events became visible. The Detective was pale, her eyes hollow and she looked truly miserable.

Kate sighed and shook her head, "No."

For the first time Martha could see the restlessness and the haunted look her son so often talked about. It was in the other woman's eyes and she understood, placing her hand over Kate's she waited for her son's partner to look at her. When Kate didn't, or couldn't, meet her eyes she spoke nevertheless, "Before I tell you what happened yesterday between Alexis and her father, I need you to know one thing. While I don't agree with the tone my granddaughter used with you - most of what she said is true. I won't repeat it though, as I think she got her point across loud and clear." Kate flinched, trying to pull her hand away, but Martha wouldn't let go. Contrary to her son, she wasn't afraid to push, or hold on in this case, "But you need to hear the truth. You need to know what those months without you did to him, and what you are still putting him through. I am aware it is not deliberate but that doesn't make it any better, or easier. He would never tell you himself, and he will be upset once he finds out you know about it, but since it's now out in the open we may as well deal with it." There were other things, secrets, Martha wouldn't address. Things she wished she could just forget about.

"Why wouldn't he talk to me?" Kate asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Oh darling, he's so afraid to lose you that he's decided it's safer to keep it all to himself. He believes telling you all of this would push you away. You told him you needed time and that's what he's trying to do, give you time." She paused, glancing at Kate. Seeing that her words had scored a direct hit, stirred something in her. She continued gently. "There's one thing about Alexis' outburst I do not agree with. I know you care; for him, for Alexis, for all of us. What you did for Alexis and Richard in the past few days shows me just how much. And if that smile you gave my son in that bank is any indication …," she let that linger before she went on. "And I do understand where you're coming from. I understand what you are struggling with and part of me even understands why you ran and hid this summer. It does not make it okay, but it helps putting things into perspective. And Richard -"

"He knows me," Kate almost whispered, her eyes fixed on the table.

"Yes, he does. And that is why he's handling things the way he is. But it also makes him blind." She looked at Kate, wanting her to know she meant it, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, quickly continued. "The important thing is you came back. And I can see you are trying to do things differently. It's in the way Richard talks about you, telling me you smiled at one of his wild, ridiculous theories when normally you would have rolled your eyes. All the small things he talks about that make his face light up without him even noticing it, because he's too anxious, too afraid to do or say something wrong. It makes him hold back, putting his own needs on hold. You are doing this to him Kate. You make him do this, unconsciously so, but you do so nevertheless. So you need to hear this because as much as I care about you Kate, I don't know how much longer I can take it. Seeing him like this, in this agony."

Silence filled the room before Martha added, "I don't want you to apologise or explain to me. I'm not the one who needs to hear it anyway. I just want you to know, to understand."

Kate tried to process what she had heard, Martha was right, she needed to hear this but it was hard. The last thing she wanted was for Castle to feel miserable because of her. Not after all she had put him through, after all he'd done for her. Especially when after all that had happened, he had chosen to remain at her side. They sat in silence for a while, until Kate finally nodded, meeting Martha's gaze and stating in a clear concise voice, "I heard you."

Martha squeezed Kate's hand one last time before she let go, glad they had gotten through this without Kate retreating. It was yet further proof for Martha that Kate was indeed trying to make a difference.

"So, about yesterday," she changed topics into slightly calmer waters, diving right in, "Richard read Heat Wave and got certain ideas." She lifted her eyebrows.

"About him and me," Kate concluded and then frowned, realizing something. "How did he get it? I didn't bring any of the Nikki Heat novels."

"No Alexis did. She thought it might help him to remember," Martha made a flickering gesture with her right hand and Kate remembered the morning at the loft when Alexis had returned to the apartment after they had gathered Alexis's and Castle's things. For what? She had not thought much of it then, but now she knew why and wondered if she should have seen it coming. "So when he asked Alexis about the two of you and she told him it was only fiction - ."

"He didn't believe her." Kate finished for Martha.

Castle's mother nodded: "I spare you the rest. Needless to say it wasn't pretty."

"So that's why she was so upset." Kate could see how for Alexis it must seem that yet again her father's partner was again the reason for his misery. Kate understood why Alexis had wanted him to read Heat Wave, it was for the same reason she had contemplated taking it instead of the Derrick Storm novels. In some ways it was theirstory, even if not in every way. And she did have the same idea, the same hope that in giving him something close to reality, it would stir something in him. But ultimately she had decided against it, because she had feared what had now happened.

"Yes and no. It's part of the reason why Alexis blew up at you, but there's more to her anger than the obvious."

Kate looked at Martha, "More?"

Martha nodded, "We care about you," she paused before she carefully continued, "and your shooting did not only affect my son, you know." She paused trying to shake away the memories of that dreadful day. "And you and Alexis, you need to talk about it."

"I'm not sure that's what she wants," Kate stated quietly.

"Oh she wants to, but you need to make the first step," Martha's tone made it clear that this was not a request.

Kate looked at the woman sitting next to her, who had given her the brutal truth and still had managed to make it bearable. She owed her at least this much, "I will talk to her."

"Good," Martha patted Kate's hand once more, her face brightening up, "Now on to a more hopeful matter. Richard is going to be released this afternoon."

"He is?" Kate asked surprised.

"Yes, he wants to go home and frankly, I think it's for the best. How one is supposed to get better in a hospital escapes me. And as long as he takes it slow, takes his medicine and works with his physiotherapist he should be fine. Dr. Bernstein thinks it might also help his memory if he returns into his normal environment."

"That's good news, Martha." Kate smiled and felt relief washing through her. Being released and able to go home was a good thing, a feeling she knew all too well.

"So I suspect you'll come and visit him this evening?" Martha made it sound like a question, but Kate knew it really wasn't. She shot her an uncertain look, unsure if she was ready to face Alexis just yet.

"Alexis won't be there until later tonight," Martha said, as if she had sensed the cause of Kate's discomfort.

"Okay?" it was something between a statement and a question.

"She has to work on a school project," she elaborated, before she got up and gathered her belongings. Kate opened the door for her and was surprised yet again when Martha once more hugged her tightly, before she asked. "So I'll see you tonight?"

"See you tonight." Kate nodded, and then added quietly, "and thank you!"

Martha smiled at her warmly before turning to bid her adieu to Ryan and Esposito, inviting them to come and visit Castle anytime.

Kate stood and watched, with an unsettled feeling in her stomach, and hope she couldn't ignore trying to battle its way to get the upper hand.