Author's Note: I can't thank you enough for the beautiful reviews I got on the last chapter! I've got to admit, I'm overworked and overtired, but some of those reviews actually brought tears to my eyes. I feel so wonderfully appreciated. Y'all are amazing!
This is a little 'different'. It's also the last chapter before we get into some more 'casework' type stuff. Hope you enjoy.
People didn't understand Michaela Lyons' job.
Working for child services meant she was almost universally hated. The parents hated her when she took their kids away (although she had to admit, hating her was better than the ones who didn't care, or even seem to notice).
The children hated her when she took them away from their parents, even when those parents abused them, because they were the only family they had known. They hated her when she left them at a foster home. They hated her when she tried to discipline them, to make them stop skipping school, or stealing or starting fights. They hated her even more when she moved them to yet another foster home when things 'didn't work out'.
She thought of how her last boyfriend (nearly two years ago now, she really needed to remember to date) reacted when she'd tell him about her cases for the day. He'd told her it sounded depressing as hell. And the pay was terrible.
He'd asked her why she even bothered. She told him that she did it because someone had to.
He didn't understand. She knew then that their relationship would never last.
She did it because someone had to fight for these kids.
Even if they hated her for it.
She did it because no one had done it for her.
She had been the kid with just a few too many broken bones. The 'clumsy' kid. Maybe the doctors suspected something, but it was before the days of mandatory reporting, and they were busy, and they didn't want to look closely because they were afraid of what they might find.
But her whole life, Michaela was just waiting for someone to take a second look.
As long as it was in her power, she would never let that happen to another kid again.
It wasn't a part of town that Michaela visited often. She was far more used to seeing homes in the 'low socioeconomic' areas of the city. There was a doorman in the lobby, who said he was expecting her, and who smiled and told her how great Mr Castle and Ms Beckett were, and what a wonderful young girl Alexis was as he walked her over to the lift. There was a lift, for Heaven's sake. It was certainly not the seven story walk-up that she was used to.
Michaela paused in the lift and checked over the file again. Katherine Beckett and Richard Castle, applying for custody of Katherine's recently deceased cousin's children, Elijah and Ezekiel Beckett.
On paper, they had checked out. Katherine was a cop with a good record, stable job and impeccable references. Richard was a writer (Michaela had heard of his books, but hadn't had the chance to read any herself, although he was a very good writer if his net worth was any indication). Richard already had one daughter, Alexis, from a previous marriage. She went to a private school, had fantastic grades and no criminal history, which was a tick in their favour as far as a history of parenting went. Mind you, Richard himself had a history of indecent exposure and stealing a police horse, which they would certainly be talking about.
The elevator dinged, and Michaela looked up to see the doors opening. She closed the file and made her way down the carpeted corridor towards their apartment. Yes, this was a fancy building, in a great part of town, and they were loaded. That didn't mean jack about their ability to be parents, and it didn't guarantee they wouldn't hurt the boys or neglect them. Michaela was not going to let a little glitz distract her from what really mattered.
She reached up and knocked sharply on the apartment door.
The door opened almost instantly to reveal a tall, dark haired man. "Richard Castle," he said, holding out his hand and smiling broadly.
She shook his hand firmly, giving a tight, professional smile. "Michaela Lyons, social services."
"Please, come in," Richard said, opening the door wider in invitation. Michaela entered, her eyes glancing around the modern, spacious apartment for a moment before falling on the woman who stood a few steps behind Richard.
"Katherine Beckett," said the woman, stepping forward to shake hands. "Thank you for coming, Ms Lyons."
They were more good looking than she expected.
It was a bizarre first impression, and Michaela didn't really know what she was expecting. But they were both so tall, even the detective. Both long and lean and charming. They were obviously nervous, which Michaela appreciated, because it meant they cared. Eager to impress.
"This is my daughter, Alexis," Richard continued, indicating a tall red-head with milky white skin and a heart shaped face.
Alexis smiled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Ms Lyons," she said softly. Michaela liked her immediately.
"And these are the boys," Katherine finished, ushering them over from where they sat on the couch. "Eli and Zeke."
"Hi boys," Michaela said, crouching down to their level. "My name is Michaela. You can call me Mickey if you like." She showed them her Mickey Mouse watch. That got a smile out of one of the twins, so she lent closer. "Don't tell the adults, but later I might show you my Spiderman socks," she promised.
They both smiled at that, and looked up at Katherine and Richard to see if they had heard. The writer and detective pretended they hadn't heard anything, and Michaela raised a finger to cover her lips, telling the boys not to say anything.
She straightened up and looked over at Katherine. "Please, come and take a seat," the detective suggested, gesturing to the couches in the lounge.
"Can I get you a drink?" offered Richard.
"No, thank you," Michaela replied, settling on the couch. She paused for a second, while everyone sat down and then dove in. "I usually start by having a chat about what my role is, and then I'd like to speak to the boys alone, if that's ok." It wasn't really a question.
"Of course," said Katherine. "The boys can take you up and show you their room."
"Great," said Michaela. "Basically, my role today is to assess whether I think the temporary order for custody should stand. That involves some brief interviews and a home assessment to make sure this is a safe place for the boys. If that is successful, we move onto starting a new application for long term placement. Most of the basics for that will have already been completed as part of the application for temporary placement which you've previously completed and been granted."
Richard and Katherine nodded in understanding, so she continued. "I'm the case worker for the boys, which means that I make all my decisions based on their future best interests. If you disagree with any of my decisions you can lodge an appeal, but hopefully it won't come to that."
"Future best interests?" asked the writer, looking confused.
"At a time of crisis, kids have short term needs – food, safety, shelter, that sort of thing. What I have to consider now is not only those things, but what is in the long-term best interests of Elijah and Ezekiel; what's going to give them the best opportunities for education, social and psychological development, security and family support." Richard and Kate both nodded in understanding.
She smiled and turned to the boys. "But before we talk boring adult stuff, would it be ok if I saw your room?"
The boys looked at Katherine, who nodded once, and then they led her upstairs to a room that was neat and clean although liberally scattered with Batman memorabilia. She looked around the room briefly, noting the bookshelf filled with age appropriate books and a small pile of comic books, the power points fitted with child safety plugs, the safety rail on the side of the top bunk bed.
Michaela started with the easy questions: who had the top bunk bed, and what their favourite toy was, and if they could have one of Batman's gadgets which one would they chose and why.
They gradually warmed up to her, and while they showed her their Batmobile "which you take apart here at the front and then Batman is on a motorbike and he shoots out and runs over the bad guy, BANG!" Then she got to the real questions: what do they think about Katherine and Richard, do they feel safe, do they want to stay here.
"Mom's not coming back." Zeke informed her when she asks the last question. "So we have to live with Aunty Kate now."
"Do you want to live with Aunty Kate?" Michaela asked.
Zeke shrugged. "Yeah," he said. "Uncle Rick makes good pancakes, and we had pizza for dinner last night."
Michaela could understand why that would be a winning combination for any seven year old. Still, Michaela hasn't seen anything concerning, and the boys certainly aren't fearful of either of the adults.
"Thank you for showing me your room. I'm going to go downstairs and talk with Aunty Kate and Uncle Rick, ok?"
The boys nodded, not even looking up from the Joker figuring clutched in Eli's hand as he smashed it into the Batmobile.
Instead of taking a left and going back downstairs, Michaela poked her head into the room next to the boys. It was clearly a teenager's room, with a bright bedspread and desk neatly stacked with text books and a laptop. A violin case rested in the corner next to a music stand, and a shelf high on the wall was filled with trophies and medals. Alexis' room.
The room at the end of the hall was another bedroom, this time with a large four poster bed, with a small half-bath ensuite. This must be Rick and Kate's room, she decided.
Coming back down the corridor, on the opposite side to the boys' bedroom was a toilet and bathroom. She was pleased to see that the medical cabinet was locked and there weren't any dangerous chemicals under the sink. The boys were a bit beyond the age of putting everything in their mouths, but kids had funny ways of dealing with grief, and they wouldn't be the youngest overdose she had seen.
Deciding she had seen enough of the upstairs, Michaela headed back to the staircase. As she made her way down the stairs she took note of Kate sitting with Alexis on the couch. The younger woman had her head resting on the detective's shoulder and was speaking to both Richard and Kate. Michaela only caught the tail end of her sentence, saying that something would "be fine," but she had a suspicion the teenager was trying to reassure the adults about the assessment, which was very sweet.
Michaela continued down the stairs and into the lounge, talking a seat on the lounge chair opposite Rick, and adjacent to Kate and Alexis. "Should I go?" asked the teenager, moving forward on the couch as though she was about to stand.
Kate's hand feel on Alexis' arm, halting her movement. "Stay, Lex," she said. "You're part of this too. As long as that's ok with you, Ms Lyons?"
Michaela nodded. Alexis was just about to go from being an only child to one of three, and likely would be expected to help out with babysitting and such. Michaela wanted to be sure she wasn't going to resent the boys, or harm them in any way.
She took out a pen, and opened her case file, working through the standard questions. She made minimal notes, making sure to keep a sharp eye on the other three occupants of the room when they answered her questions, and was pleased when she couldn't detect anything but truth from each of them.
They hadn't yet enrolled the boys in a school, but they had made appointments with several principles to tour schools in the local area. They had a list of responsible adults who could provide care for the boys when they were unable to. Ms Beckett's work was going to be more flexible with hours and Mr Castle would pick the boys up from school and could work from home on his writing in the afternoons and during holidays or if the boys were sick. He even explained the incident with the police horse. So far, everything checked out.
Richard gave her a brief tour of the kitchen, and Michaela had to smile at how enthusiastically he showed her how they had moved the sharp knives and cleaning chemicals to a cupboard the boys couldn't reach. He started talking about fire safety, proudly telling her how Alexis had used her quick thinking to grab a fire blanket and covered a pan which had caught fire during an experiment with a flaming bombe Alaska when she was eight.
"Not that we have a lot of fires!" he suddenly exclaimed. "We take all reasonable precautions when we cook. Even some unreasonable precautions! When I was investigating quick freezing with liquid nitrogen a few months ago I wore industrial strength gloves and used tongs."
"That's fine, Mr Castle."
"I mean, I wouldn't want you to think that the boys were in any danger of fire breaking out. I mean, of course they are in danger of it happening, because it could happen to anyone, but not more than the average person."
"Yes, Mr Castle."
"In fact, maybe even less than the average person, because we don't cook dinner every night, we order in a fair bit."
"Okay."
"Not a lot though! I mean, we try and order healthy foods, although we did have Pizza last night, but that was special on account of it being the boys' first night in the city and we were tired from moving. But we don't eat a lot of junk food."
"Right."
"Because I wouldn't want you to think that were going to give the kids diabetes or something. Not that we wouldn't take good care of them if we did. Of course. But just so you know-"
"Mr Castle!" she interrupted.
Richard paused mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open comically.
"I understand," Michaela said, amused despite herself. She wondered how he ever managed to string a comprehensible sentence together when he wrote. "Why don't we sit down again?" she suggested, indicating the lounge room.
Richard nodded eagerly, leaning in "And maybe, don't tell Beckett what I said about the fire-thing, ok?" he whispered.
The edge of Michaela's mouth tipped up in a smirk. "Your ramblings are safe with me," she promised.
They re-joined the others in the lounge. Michaela turned over to the last page of the application. "Right, Ms Beckett. I know we've been over this, but I need to ask you formally; is it your wish to put in an application for temporary custody of the minor Beckett children with a view to permanent placement if this is successful?"
Kate Beckett took a deep breath and said the word that would change her life forever. "Yes."
"And is it your intention to file for joint custody with your partner Richard Castle?"
There was a pause, and the two of them exchanged a glance. It was the first time they'd appeared less than honest, and the hesitation was enough to arouse Michaela's suspicions.
"Look, I'm team Beckett on this one. It's obvious you love those boys. You are the closest relation they have, unless we can track down the father, and even if we can he's got a lot of proving to do that he is worthy of custody."
"I'll say," interjected Castle darkly.
"I'm not here to trip you up or catch you out. I'm here to work out what is best for these kids. But I need you to be honest with me if we're going to do that. And in return you have my word that I'll be honest with you. So, can we work together on this?"
"We're not in a relationship," Kate blurted out.
"You and Mr Castle?" Michaela frowned. "But you want to foster two kids together?"
"Yes," Kate replied.
"And you live together?" Michaela asked.
"Yes."
"But you're not related?"
"No!" they both interjected. A tad too vehemently for 'just friends', Michaela thought.
"But you share a bedroom?"
"We what?!" they said in unison.
"Upstairs," said Michaela, pointing with her finger. "Just three bedrooms."
"My room is off the office," Rick explained, pointing.
"Okay. But you've been previously raising Alexis Castle, aged 16, together?"
"Yes," said Castle. "Since Beckett moved in six months ago we both look after Alexis. And over the summer while I was away on a book tour for work, Beckett was talking care of Alexis alone. She's wonderful with her."
"Okay. And Ms Beckett moved in here because?"
"My apartment blew up. A fan of the Nikki Heat books did it."
"Nikki Heat?"
"My best-selling series of novels detailing the escapades of a sexy and daring New York City homicide detective, loosely based on my time shadowing Beckett," said Richard. Michaela heard Kate snort at the word 'loosely'. "I'd be happy to get you signed copies of the entire series, if you like."
"Castle!" hissed Kate.
"What?"
"Not the time!"
Richard looked confused. "But-"
"You do not offer freebies to people who are assessing your suitability for child-rearing," Kate said pointedly.
"Oh!" said Richard. "I wasn't trying to bribe you, Ms Lyons! I just thought you might enjoy the books."
"I understand," Michaela replied.
"If I was going to bribe you, I'd do it a whole lot better than just a few signed books."
"Castle!" Kate dropped her head into her hands with a groan.
"Right," said Michaela. "Let me get all of this straight. Ms Beckett solves murders. Mr Castle, you follow her around and write bestselling novels about her. Then Ms Beckett's apartment gets blown up by a deranged fan obsessed with the alter ego of Ms Beckett that Mr Castle created. So you move in here with him and help raise his daughter, whilst you continue to work together. Even though Mr Castle is not actually a police officer. Then Ms Margaret Beckett passes away, and you two apply to share custody of her sons. You want to raise three kids together, even though you're not actually in a relationship?"
Honestly, this pair was sounded more and more like a sitcom.
Castle's eyes sparkled as he smiled broadly. "You know Ms Lyons, you should really call us Kate and Rick."
Michaela sighed.
"Look, to be honest, I don't care what your relationship is, whether you're brother and sister or housemates or ex-spouses or dating. What I do care about is how it's going to affect those boys. They need safety and stability in their home life. I need to find the best opportunity to provide them with that."
That 'charming' smile appeared back on Rick's face. Michaela had the feeling he was used to using it to dazzle women into doing what he wanted. He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Kate.
"We can provide that. This is for the long haul," she said, gesturing between herself and Castle. "We've worked together and been best friends for 3 years, and lived together for the last six months. No matter what, we're committed to providing the best for Alexis and Eli and Zeke."
Michaela watched them for a moment, searching their faces for any sign of doubt or deceit. Finally she nodded. Best friends she could work with. At least they were being honest with her. And she'd seen a lot worse in her clients. "I don't want to put these boys in foster care. Chances are they wind up in a group home and shunted from place to place until they age out. You two are offering a much better chance at normalcy and I think you can make a wonderful family. We're not such a rigid system that we can't see that families come in a lot of shapes and sizes. And best friends raising kids together makes fine sense to me."
Michaela could feel the tension ease as Richard, Kate and Alexis all sighed in relief.
She considered for a moment, then shut her folder, capping her pen. "We'll see how this goes for the rest of the trial period. We will be making regular checks, and keeping a close eye on the school performance, health and happiness of the boys." There was the barest hint of threat to her voice. She paused for a moment, making sure they were all on the same page. The detective nodded.
"Good," Michaela continued. "My recommendation based on today is that the home is a suitable dwelling for Elijah and Ezekiel. We will review this formally in three months, and after six months you can make an application for a permanent placement or adoption if it is your wish."
The couple on the couch opposite was shell-shocked.
"We? Really?" Kate managed.
"Really."
Rick sprung from his seat and crossed to Michaela's side. "Thank you, Ms Lyons, " he said, seizing her hand and shaking it vigorously. "You won't regret it." Unlike his 'charming' smile earlier, the grin that lit up his face now seemed big enough to split his face in half with joy.
Between Alexis, Kate and Richard, Michaela couldn't decide who looked the most elated as they said goodbye to Michaela at the door. The door had barely closed behind her when she heard Rick let out a whoop of delight. She waited by the front door for a moment, and heard Rick shouting for the boys to come downstairs so they could go get ice cream to celebrate.
She couldn't hear if the boys replied, but she did hear Kate reprimanding Rick. "They had pancakes for breakfast this morning! They don't need more sugar."
"Ah, they'll run it off at the park," the writer replied. "Besides, it's not every day a man gets two sons. I think under such extraordinary circumstances we can have both pancakes and choc mint ice cream with the little fudgy pieces in twenty-four hours."
Michaela backed away from the closed front door, chuckling to herself.
Yes, most people didn't understand her job.
But at moments like this, Michaela wouldn't change it for the world.