Thanks again for all of the great reviews. I have enjoyed reading what you have to say.
Guess what, I own nothing.
And now to it.
Chapter 109
The ride had been silent with Kate only answering Will's questions with noncommittal hums. She had tuned out the constant drone coming from the driver's side of the vehicle. As they approached the hangar they saw multiple NYDP cops providing a perimeter as well as FBI agents who were closer to the hangar conducting the investigation.
Will, on the other hand, felt that she was playing coy with him. The last time he saw her, they were working on the Candela case. They had worked to return the kidnaped child to her parents. After the case was wrapped up, they went to dinner a couple of times to reminisce. Then there was a case where he helped her with a mob informant. After he was shot she stayed with him in the hospital. He felt they were almost back to the place they were at when he was transferred to Boston.
After he recovered, he was sent to DC for training on running an entire office. He was given the NYC office just a few months ago and had been trying to get up the courage to call Kate. But it looked like fate had intervened and now he was working with her on a case again. It's almost like déjà vu.
Turning to face Sorenson for what might have been the first time the got into the SUV, Kate asked, "Why are we here again? If you were here earlier, isn't this a waste of time?"
After Will parked he turned to Kate and said, "I want to see what we are dealing with here. I didn't keep Castle away because I don't like him. He is a liability we can't afford."
Kate looked incredulously at Sorenson. "So we are here so you can show me that Castle is not an asset to my team, and that you are right?"
"No Kate. I need to check to see where we are and I thought that since you are the lead detective we could compare notes. I want you to inspect the crime scene and tell me what you think."
As Beckett exited the vehicle she snapped on a pair of latex gloves and headed into the hangar. Since she knew what happened in there, she was torn as to what to say. She didn't want to give away what she knew but she needed to investigate. They needed to know if there was, in fact, another team out there as Castle suspected.
"Damn, it looks like there was one hell of a shootout in here," Kate said as she turned to Will. "And you're telling me no one heard the gunfire?" Kate turned away from Will and continued to investigate the scene, not seeing the longing look that crept into his eyes.
"Because of noise ordinances there are no flight operations from dusk till dawn." Will waited for her to digest that before he began to speak again.
Kate cut Will off before he could speak. "So if there are noise ordinances, the people involved in this shootout must have done their homework. They must have used silencers." As Kate made her way around the helicopter she called out, "I am not sure you told me what types of weapons you suspect were used. But I'm guessing some type of lightweight military/swat assault weapon.
Am I correct?"
Xx
It was closing in on seven when Kate and Will returned to the precinct. It was then that Will sprung an unforeseen condition on Kate. "I am putting a team on you."
If Kate thought this day couldn't get any worse, it just did. "Will, I don't think so. I can take care of myself."
"Kate, Lockwood was after you. Your own team verified that after you rescued them. And that was a hell of a job, getting them out, if I do say so myself."
Beckett turned to face him. "I wasn't alone that night. Castle went in with me. He didn't have a gun and he took out Lockwood, not me. He beat him in to within an inch of his life."
"Kate, I don't want to fight with you. We are going to agree to disagree on Castle. But you will be having a detail on you. If you don't like it, I will arrest you as a material witness and put you in a safe house." Will could see Kate scoff as she began to fume, but he continued, "I only want you to be safe. If the guys who killed the team in the hangar are still around, they could be tying up loose ends and I am afraid you are one."
"So you think it's a team not a single person."
"Yeah, I think it's a team. Look, we don't have all of the information back but five of the guys had a tattoo that Russian Special Forces get. I know it's thin but if they were Special Forces, there is no way one guy took them out. It's not possible. So I'm inclined to think that there were at least three guys there and they ambushed the dead guys."
As Beckett got out of Will's SUV she turned and looked him in the eye. "Where are they?" Will nodded his head to indicate they were in a car that was parked in precinct lot. "Well, tell them to come on, I'm headed home." And with that she headed to her Crown Vic. She smiled inwardly at the knowledge that the FBI had no idea what really happened.
Xx
Sorenson went up and checked on the status of the investigation. He set the duty roster for the evening and headed out a few minutes after Beckett. He decided to stop at a little shop to pick up a few items for the evening when he got a text he was waiting on. He smiled and added a bottle of wine to his cart and headed for the register.
Xx
Kate was incensed and ready to spew flames when she entered the loft. She couldn't believe that Sorenson had put a team on her. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. And besides that, she had Castle. If there was anyone who could keep her safe it was him. He had been doing it for years, and after the revelations in the hangar she knew that there was no one more capable than him.
She was in his loft and would soon be in his arms; there was not safer place on earth she could think of being. She slowly made her way through his office to his bedroom. This was the first time she had been in this room, she knew where it was because she stayed with him last year, but she never entered it.
Kate placed her bag in Castle's bedroom and decided to change clothes. She went rummaging through his closet and found the perfect outfit. She had an idea that this just might drive him crazy at dinner. After she changed she texted him to ask if Pasta Carbonara was okay for dinner. She wanted to cook for him and had found all of the ingredients in the kitchen.
Castle had replied that it would be wonderful and that he would be there soon. He let her know that the key he had given her was his, so she should be prepared for his knock.
Kate pulled out a bottle of Castle's favorite red wine from the wine cooler and poured two glasses when she heard the knock. She quickly made her way to the door with a glass for Castle as she unbuttoned the top two buttons leaving very little to the imagination. "Oh my!" was all she heard when the door opened.
Xx
Esposito and Ryan were still upset that Castle was not on the team and worse yet, that he was okay with being sent home.
Ryan was the first to speak. "He must be up to something. There is no way he would leave Beckett alone at a time like this."
"Bro, shh! We don't want Johnny Fed over there to hear us. But yeah he is up to something. If I had to guess, he's working his own angle. Tomorrow Beckett will be able to tell us more."
Ryan questioned, "You think so?"
Javi had the 'I can't even look at you right now' look on his face. "Do you really think he can keep a secret from her now that they are together? And speaking of that, what do what do you think about them?"
"Beckett deserves to be happy. And we know that he puts a smile on her face. You remember what it was like before he showed up."
Montgomery had been standing at his door listening to his two detectives talk. "If you two are through gossiping, you can call it a night. There is a floor at the Plaza reserved for everyone involved in this at the Twelfth, courtesy of our resident writer. How about you guys collect Dr. Parrish and head out for the night."
"Yes sir," they replied in unison.
Xx
"Hello Kate."
"Will, what are you doing here?" a stunned Beckett asked, trying to button up her shirt.
"Well, I thought we could catch up. It's been a long time, oh, and I brought you these." He handed her a dozen roses and the bottle of wine as he eased his way past her. "Wow, you sure do have a nice place here. It's nicer than your last place. By the way, I was sorry to hear about that. The insurance company really took good care of you."
Kate was stunned at the turn of events. She could hear Will talking but her mind wasn't registering what he was saying. When she started to get her bearings, she realized that all she had on was one of Castle's white oxford shirts.
"Will, excuse me while I go and change." With that she went into Castle's bedroom to find a pair of yoga pants.
Xx
Will was sitting at the bar when he heard a knock on the door. He called out to Beckett that he would answer it; he assumed she didn't hear him as since she didn't answer.
Castle was standing at the door shifting from foot to foot. Kate Beckett was cooking dinner in his home, for just the two of them. He was really one lucky man. When he heard her coming to the door his heart began to race. This is ridiculous. He couldn't believe that she was having this effect on him.
As the door opened it brought him out of his musings, and his smile faded instantly. "Sorenson," Castle said, his voice flat.
Xx
Kate came out of the bedroom expecting to see Will still at the bar where she left him. When he wasn't there she called his name.
"Right here Kate, I answered the door for you. It looks like you have a visitor."
As Kate turned the corner and the door came into view, all she could do was giggle. "Will get out of the way and let Castle in."
Castle had a befuddled look on his face. Here was one of Kate's ex-boyfriend's standing in his living room answering his door attempting to keep him out of his own home. Then he noticed that Kate had stopped at the bar and picked up two glasses of wine. She took a sip out of one and headed straight for him. "Am I missing something?" he asked, confused.
Sorenson turned to look at Kate. She answered before Will could. "Not a thing babe. Will got here a few minutes before you." She handed Rick his glass of wine and gave him a welcoming kiss. It was not one that was full of passion, nor one that you would use to greet a friend. It was the type that you gave to someone whom you have been with for years. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes." With that Kate turned and headed to the kitchen to check on dinner.
Castle could see that Kate was trying to let Sorenson know that she was with him, so he decided to have a little fun with Will. "Will are you staying for dinner?"
Kate heard Castle and snapped her head around to see Will staring at her with an open mouth. Rick was smirking at her where Sorenson couldn't see.
Castle decided to turn up the heat a little more on Will. "I sorry that you are out of clean sleep ware. I intended to do the laundry today but time got away from me. I hope that I can make it up to you later."
"We'll see writer boy, we'll see. Are you staying for dinner Will?"
Almost choking on the words, Will said, "No. I just wanted to make sure you got home okay, and that the surveillance is in place. You have a nice night Kate, Castle. I will show myself out."
With that Sorenson headed for the door.
Xx
Castle had tried and failed to keep Kate from setting the table for dinner. "I have planned this all day Mr. Castle so let me have my way." All he could do was nod and take his seat.
As they ate Beckett asked where he spent his day. "I'm not sure that you really want to know."
"Rick, I don't think that it's a good start to this relationship if we start out keeping secrets."
He reached out for her hand and sighed. "Hell's Kitchen, I went to Hell's Kitchen to speak Finn Rourke."
She just looked at him waiting for more information. "He said there is a Russian who has taken over Coonan's contract work. He is also distributing heroin from Afghanistan but only to dealers. No direct sales to users."
Kate refilled their glasses. "It sounds like to me he has taken over every aspect of Coonan's operation. I wonder if he was the one that Coonan was really working for. I guess we aren't lucky enough that Rourke gave you a name and address, are we?"
"Nope. Just that he likes to play poker in Chinatown."
"So I guess you are going to play poker tomorrow?" she questioned with a hint of worry in her eyes.
"Yeah, but don't worry I'll be very careful. Now what did Sorenson really want tonight?" he asked with a fearful tone in his voice.
"You know, I'm not really sure." Thinking back about the day it was almost as if a light turned on when it hit her. "We rode out to the hangar today. I spent the entire trip staring out the window remembering the past weekend. I barely answered his questions, and to tell you the truth it was just with 'Uh Huhs.' I don't really even remember what he asked. But I am guessing that there were innuendos that I missed and it gave him the thoughts that there might be a chance."
Hearing this made Rick quite nervous. He was trying to tamp down his feelings, trying to hide them from her, but Kate wasn't buying it. "Didn't we just talk about no secrets? So what are you thinking?"
"You may not know this about me, but I am very insecure when it comes to relationships. Seeing him here gave me pause. I can see where someone like him could appeal to someone like you. Hell, it did a few years ago."
Kate was not having any of this. "Listen to me! He had me years ago and let me go. And yes, that type of man has appealed to me in the past but not now. I want fun, crazy, nutty, a nine year old on a sugar rush. I only want you. I told you once that I'm a one and done type of girl. Well I'm done, you're the one!"
Castle's heart exploded at this revelation. "Kate Beckett, did you just ask me to marry you?" Castle was joking but he could not have predicted her answer with a thousand guesses.
"Yeah, I guess I did!"
Now before I hear that Kate is out of character. When she made up her mind in Always' she let Castle know in no uncertain terms what she wanted. I feel that after the tramatic experiences of this story she would do the same.
Just my two cents before I get skewered on the reviews.