"Whew! That was close!" she says coming back from the master suite.
"Yeah, sorry about that." he mumbles sheepishly.
Smiling, she lets him off the hook "It's okay, but if you hugged me any tighter I was going to go off like a water balloon."
"I like hugging you. Sorry if I get enthusiastic about it." he apologizes with a dreary edge to his voice.
"That's alright. Hey!" she sees a look on his face "What's the matter?" she asks, him not meeting her eyes.
"Nothing. It's alright." he says just standing in the kitchen refilling her wine glass not facing her.
"Aw come on Rick, let's not do the dance aga... Rick?"
"Kate?"
"You didn't think I meant... Oh my god. I'm sooo sorry! RICK! You should not have thought that!" she almost explodes apologetically.
Now, in a tiny voice full of embarrassment "I'm sorry. I was... it was... we... you..." letting out a deep sigh he droops his shoulders, hangs his head and confesses "I couldn't help it. It started and I couldn't stop it. It snowballed."
"Okay Mister Writer-Man, that one you're going to have to make up to me." she says playfully as she goes back to where he is and wraps her arms around him. "Of course, I guess that means I'll have to make it up to you too. Ah well, such is our burdens to bear." she says getting another bear hug.
After a long while of just holding each other she decides to talk some more. "Rick?"
"Yeah Kate, right here. I'm that big thing you're hugging."
"I know." She says giving him another squeeze.
"There's a couple of other possible paths for me in that future we were discussing." she suggests.
"What are they?" he asks not wanting to talk but to continue to drink in the sensation of holding her.
"Well, Nikki Heat could become a private-eye and maybe even join forces with Derrick Storm." she says sort of whimsically, not admitting to herself that this is the first time she's ever really considered what her future could hold.
"Hmm... That's interesting. I'll have to ponder that. What else do you see?"
"Not so fast writer boy, I want credit for that idea if it happens."
"Ex-CUSE me?" he says sternly. "What the hell did you just say to me?" he snaps at her.
"I... I said I want credit for the idea of Nikki and Derrick working together." she sounds a little scared, like she's stepped over a line she never knew existed. "Rick, I'm kidding!"
"How dare you call me writer boy, it is writer MAN!" he says with a bright smile picking her up off the floor in a big hug and just holding her like that.
Not to be swayed, she continues the conversation trapped in his grip "There's also things like moving to a different police department. Maybe I could get Chief Brady's job when he retires. Think you could figure a twist for Nikki that puts her in the Hamptons full-time?"
"I like a challenge." he says pulling her tighter. "Maybe that's why I was drawn to you."
"Funny."
"But accurate." he counters as he puts her back onto her feet.
"Okay, so you got me there." she concedes "Getting serious again, I think what I'm saying is that until that meeting, I'd never really bothered to think of my professional life beyond the next arrest. It wasn't until you that I'd even thought about having a tomorrow. I have to admit, the idea of teaching doesn't seem so unappealing. I don't think I'd ever considered such a thing. I know nothing about it or what it would entail much less what he was talking about." she explains, feeling the fatigue catching up to her and letting out a deep yawn.
"Y'know Kate, the teaching he was talking about is not what you're thinking. The idea of a master class like that has a different dynamic. First off, the people who are taking the class aren't green, they're really advanced and will probably learn a lot by watching and doing. As an example, imagine if you tried to teach Johnson subtlety, you'd go crazy, the woman's got the temper of a truck driver and the strength to match."
"And the mouth." she adds.
"And the mouth." he agrees before continuing "You couldn't teach her to sit in the box with a suspect and stare him down no matter how much you tried. However, you get someone like..." he thinks for a moment searching for a good example "like Hastings, who's trying to learn and wants to advance, she's the kind who, just by watching and analyzing someone doing it right, would learn a lot."
"Hmmm... that's interesting." she says absorbing the idea.
"Just consider for a moment some of the things you learned from Jordan Shaw by just working with her and hearing her thought processes." he continues.
"Had to bring her up didn't jya." she smirks at him.
"Hey, remember who it is I'm hugging." he smiles back at her. "I also know someone who's a professional teacher who teaches master classes, maybe you could learn something from her."
"That's a great idea. Who?" her enthusiasm bubbling now.
"That actress Martha Rogers, you've heard of her right? Well I happen to know her landlord, real nice guy, ruggedly handsome too." he says like he's so clever.
"You think I should talk to her?" she asks smiling at his cute statement as she turns her head and rests against his chest.
"About teaching master classes and such? Absolutely. About my childhood? No, not at all."
After a while of the two standing there in the kitchen wrapped in each other, he suggests "Why don't we take this to the couch. If you can trust yourself with me, I might let you cuddle up under a blanket."
"What an ego! Yes, I can trust myself with you. For the most part." she says with a little wink. "Come on there writer-of-mine." she says pulling him by the hand and heading for the couch. On the way she grabs the remote control for the stereo and starts something mellow playing.
As they cuddle under a blanket and wrap each other up so only their heads are exposed, she confesses. "Rick. I'm glad you were there with me today. I could feel myself going back into my old habits."
"Like what?" he asks genuinely interested.
"For a very long time now, all I've ever had to think about was me." she says as she snuggles tighter "I still forget that there's now an us and that everything I do has to take that into account. And just for the record, I still don't know how to do that." and almost imperceptibly she adds "And it scares me to death."
The two remain silent for a while until she explains more "The first time there was ever an us, the other person ignored it. He persued a new job, had multiple interviews, put in the transfer papers, packed up his life and then asked me, as an afterthought, why I wasn't ready to drop everything. Castle, I know our relationship is difficult and I'm not asking for a free pass but I ask that you be a little bit patient and cut me just a little slack if I screw things up because of old habits and not having done this before. And yes, that's a guarantee, I am going to screw things up a few times."
"Only if I get the same consideration. Contrary to popular belief, a lot of this is new to me too." he explains in a low voice. "I'm..." he starts and then sighs.
She waits. He rubs his thumb over the knuckles on her hand that he's holding. He interlocks their fingers and releases them. He's still there, just not ready to talk yet. This is his turn, she's waiting for him.
Quietly he starts in a breathy distant sort of voice "If you want to know what to do on a first date, I can tell you. I've had, quite literally, many hundreds of them. If you want to talk about second dates, I can do that too. I've probably had a hundred or so of those too. This is all assuming we consider a date to be anything more than 'slam; bam; thank you, what's your name again?' and those I don't ever want to think about. I can tell you what is expected after you've been dating a month. However, if you want to have a conversation about six month anniversaries, now we're into some seriously rarefied air. I can only tell you I've screwed up the handful I've had. If you want to have an intelligent conversation beyond that, you'd better be prepared to do a lot of the talking because I have no experience and I'm clueless and I have the two failed marriages to prove it."
The two sit, wallowing in each other's warmth for a while before she speaks again. "Rick?"
"Hmmm?"
"I've thought about this a lot and I think you shouldn't hold yourself so responsible for those two divorces." she says quietly. "Of course I don't have any right to judge, especially since I've never been in that situation." She leans her head against his cheek and quietly continues "If anything, I think those two events in your life speak to your innocent optimism of life and hopeful efforts. You didn't fail those marriages as much as I think those marriages failed you. If you want to talk about a failed marriage, go talk to Thompson on the fifth floor. Get him to tell you his story. His first wife left him when she found lipstick stains in his underwear. His second attempt, now that was a spectacular failure. He said that he was having sex with his wife and called out a name that wasn't her's. When they started to fight about it, he called her a different name that still wasn't hers. When the fight went into the street and the cops showed up, she called him a name that wasn't his and tried to apologize for it. The clincher for him was when his wife's girlfriend bailed her out, they cleaned out his house, one of their bank accounts and disappeared. Now that man has failed marriages to be ashamed of."
"Yup, that was what I was missing. Perspective. When you explain it like that, it's clearer but I still feel like I bear some responsibility." After a long pause he asks her "You think about it a lot?" his voice now quiet and scared.
"Yeah I do." she admits easily.
"Why?"
She explains it simply "Because it is part of who you are and because you think about it a lot too. I've heard you reference what you consider to be your great failures more than once. When Lanie and I were talking about you and me, before you showed up with the blond bimbo stewardess because you were pissed at me, it was front and center in the discussion."
"Wow, that seems like it was so long ago." he says almost dreamily. "I told you..." he starts to say.
"Rick!" she says almost snapping at him.
"Yeah? I'm right here, no need to yell." he says quietly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to say yes it was a long time ago and it's history now and not important." she explains to him.
"You're right of course but there is one important thing I want to tell you. I told you before and I'll repeat it. Nothing happened with her. I didn't even want to try. All I could think of was you." he says giving her a squeeze.
"Thank you for feeling that it's important to say." she says gently.
"You're very welcome." he says hugging her close. Changing the track of the conversation back, he decides to dive right in "So tell me what you thought about that meeting? I mean once you decided to not kill that judge." he asks. "By the way, impressive display of self control you showed."
"Thank you. And you too y'know, that nine-year-old was nowhere to be seen." she smiles at him.
"Hmmm" he says "I think I might have pulled something exerting so much self control, I might need you to rub it and make it better."
"Who was it that said we should keep this chaste?" she reminds him.
"You're right of course. I'm sorry. I was glad to keep it all in check for you. When he ordered me out, I had already started to stand to turn to you and ask you what you wanted but you beat me to the punch."
"It was pretty surreal wasn't it?" she asks sounding far away.
"You just impressed me more, the way you handled yourself there like that." he smiles warmly at her.
She answers with a whack to his chest "You had to tell him about poker with Markaway?! What were you thinking?"
"The usual. What an extraordinary woman I get to spend time with. You know, nothing new." he smirks.
"You're not so bad yourself there Mister Writer." says cuddling up closer. Quietly, she says "I can't believe Mike did this and never said anything to me."
"That's because he knows... um... knew you...hmmmm" Castle says having buried his nose in Kate's hair at the back of her neck and getting lost in the smell of cherries. Almost mumbling he tells her "Royce knew..." *snuffle* "...you well enough to know that you'd... have argued... and fought over this to the point of possibly..." *SNIFFFFFFF* "...possibly damaging your own future by being..." *sniiiiffff* "ah... um... by being pig-headed and stubborn. I cannot believe how much better this smells when it is in your hair." he fades off like he's in a trance.
"Castle!" she snaps at him but unable to wipe the smile off of her face. "Cut it out! We need to talk!" she says trying to force him to sit up with a little bump from her shoulder.
"Yeah yeah yeah." he says with resignation, "I expect extra sniffing privileges tonight if you're going to ruin my fun now." Sitting up straighter and pouting "Where were we?"
"You were off in space." she smiles.
"Yeah, a space full of cherry scented awesomeness. Okay, I'll try to be good. Ahem..." he sits up a little straighter "Back to the subjects at hand. I'm sure you know it but I'll say it anyway. I don't care what you decide... sorry, wrong word, I care, what I mean is that no matter what you choose, you're not going to alienate me. I'll back your decision no matter what and I'll be right here."
Kate smiles a bit and cuddles down in the blanket a little more. Looking lost in space now herself she quietly confesses "This is so scary. If you asked me this morning what my future held, I think I could have told you with a reasonable sense of assurance that I knew but now... Now, there's a whole new world that I didn't know existed in front of me."
Sensing her needs, he says nothing and lets her wallow in the thoughts and feelings. She leans over a bit and he supports more of her weight as she closes her eyes and listens to the music. The two sit silently, unmoving, on the couch. He providing a solid anchor for her. She, seeking purchase in the maelstrom in her head and heart.
Before either of them realizes how much time has passed, they hear a key in the door and Martha comes in chattering away "Of course I'm sure! I wouldn't have said it otherwise." ... "They will be glad to have your insight and experience to learn from." she says into her phone as she closes the door "You can come over here afterwards and have dinner with us. I promise not to cook!" ... "Don't be silly, I don't need to ask, those two will be thrilled." She sees the two on the couch and gives a small wave while she takes off her gloves and coat. "Okay, thank you very much for returning the call and accepting my offer. You just let me know when it fits into your schedule." The two mummified on the couch smile back at her and then turn back to their seating position. Until she finishes her call. "That's great Jim, thank you again!" as she hangs up the phone.
At that Rick and Kate look at each other and mouth the word "Jim?" with raised eyebrows.
"Jim?" Kate asks quietly as Martha walks over and joins them on the other end of the couch.
"Yes dear, that was your father, he's going to join me at my school to help my students get into the mind of a lawyer." Martha says nonchalantly but carefully observing their reactions.
"My dad? At an acting school?" Kate says a bit disbelievingly.
"Mother! What did you hit him with?" Rick says trying to break the tension with humor.
"Whatever do you mean dear?" Martha answers a bit perplexed.
"Mother, Jim Beckett, visiting an acting school, full of empty-headed, flighty types?" Rick states, reminding her of his opinion of actors.
"Oh Richard, grow up, it's time to learn from your mistakes and move on. How are you Kate?" she says switching her attention and hopefully the conversation.
"I... ah... sorry, I'm fine thank you. How about you?" Kate asks a bit off balance.
"I'm doing fine thank you. Had a lovely day. You two look like you've run a marathon. Everything alright?" Martha asks concerned.
"Mother, stop trying to avoid the topic, what's going on? Why and how did you rope Jim into visiting your school?" Rick asks more sternly.
"Oh Richard!" the redhead waves dismissivly with a flourish as she stands up and walks to the counter to get herself a glass of wine. "I'm so glad you opened this bottle, I've been dying to try it."
"Mother!" Richard barks.
"Rick!" Kate admonishes him then turns to the actress. "Martha? I'd really like to hear how you got my dad involved." she asks politely still confused by the turn of events.
"Well my dear." the diva says, returning to the couch and scooting over to sit at the other end, glass of wine in hand. Speaking as if she's conspiring with someone she explains "I got asked by a young, up-and-coming, writer to stage a play of his at my acting school to help him work out some of the critical staging and dialog nuances. It's a perfect chance for some of my students to work on a live play that is still in development and see some of the behind-the-scenes work that is done. I'm not too optimistic about the play itself but it's not important, it's the gestalt that matters and contains the value."
"And my dad is going to be involved?" Kate asks giving Rick a nudge with her elbow to encourage him to help her.
"Mother, I don't understand." Rick finally adds.
"Well." Martha begins excitedly "This piece of work is a study of the lives of the two legal adversaries leading up to the trial portrayed in the play, and then the movie, 'Inherit the Wind'. He's got some silly name for it right now but one of my students, on first read, said that it sounded like a bad cable T.V. show and someone else agreed and referred to it as 'Breaking Bad Wind'. Anyway," the actress continues with her audience transfixed, "I decided that I'd ask a lawyer, who I now realize isn't dull and boring but well reserved and reticent," she says nodding towards Kate "to come and spend some time with the students, letting them ask questions, and see how a real lawyer prepares notes, does research, and the sort of things they worry about before a trial."
Stopping for a sip of wine, she continues "Jim was the first person I thought of when the idea struck me. We always see lawyers as bombastic or sleazy types and while that makes good theater, knowing what depths lie beneath those still waters might make the entire experience better. Then I thought of that lawyer you see on T.V. doing those foolish ads for his services and I thought it would be a nice counter-play to have him come in the next day after Jim to let the students see a different view of the same profession." feeling proud of herself.
Laughing now, Rick is the first to call her on this "I'm sorry Mother, I'm not sure I get it. You're inviting her dad, Jim Beckett, to your acting school, to be quizzed and scrutinized by student actors?" he presses.
"Exactly Richard." Martha says raising her glass in a mock toast.
"Mother! Have you lost your mind? Don't you remember the last time you two talked shop? Kate and I chose to get shot at by gangsters instead of hanging around the two of you!" Rick exclaims standing up from the couch, animatedly. "Kate, back me up here, does this sound like as bad an idea as I think it does?" he asks putting her squarely on the spot.
"I... I'm not so sure..." Kate thinks for a moment.
"Oh my god, I'm surrounded by them." Rick sighs defeatedly, throwing his hands in the air and heading across the room.
"Zip-it Castle." she admonishes him then almost cautiously, Kate digs some more. "Martha, what sort of class is this that you'll be teaching?"
"I don't know what Richard is so scared of, this is not first-year students. This will be a class for the very advanced people who are now sophisticated enough to learn on their own but need only a minor bit of guidance and molding to make them better."
"Castle, sound familiar?" Kate asks over her shoulder to him causing him to stop in his tracks.
"Master Class." he says as the realization hits him.
"Exactly!" Martha says raising her hands to a cacophony of bangles around her wrists.
"Martha, would you mind if I sat in on it and observed? I'd love to see it myself." Kate asks now very interested.
"Of course not dear! You're always welcome." Martha assures enthusiastically. "However, just to satisfy my own curiosity, what prompts this interest?"
"Kate, be careful." Rick advises.
"I know Rick, hang on." she says acknowledging his caution. "Martha," Kate starts solemnly "I want to talk to you about something but it must remain between the three of us, not even Alexis can hear this yet. I am not even sure if I'll be able to talk to my dad about it as much as I might with you." she says taking the redhead's hand in her's. "As it is, I shouldn't be telling anyone."
"Oh Kate, of course! Contrary to popular belief," she says casting a scornful eye at her son "I can keep a secret."
"Okay Martha. I trust you." Kate says preparing herself. "Rick, chime in if you need to." she adds without turning away from his mother. "Ahem..." she clears her throat a bit and gathers her thoughts "I was in..."
"A conversation." Rick throws in.
Kate picks up and continues "Right, a conversation, that may affect my career path and thereby my entire future. It involves my participation in"
"a branch of law enforcement?" Rick interjects as a question to help her along.
Nodding Kate agrees "Yes, participation in a branch of law enforcement where I may be instructing, what you just called a 'Master Class' type of program."
"Oh my dear!" Martha exclaims smiling. "This sounds wonderful!" she enthuses gleefully.
"It does but you can't imagine how scared and confused it has got me." Kate confides.
"I understand dear. You two have a lot going on and that's enough drama to deal with." she says patting the brunette's hand.
Blushing now Beckett bows her head a little giving the woman a slight grin "Yeah, even before all of that, this would have been a hum-dinger of a decision to deal with."
"The thing is Martha," Kate continues on "I've never in my life imagined the course of my career or life taking such a radical turn. When I hear the term 'teaching' I'm inclined to flash back to my college days and I see something alien. What you're talking about here seems to be something I can almost get my mind around. That's why I wanted to know more. That's also why I'd like to visit and see what the environment is like."
"I won't attend." Rick volunteers. "My presence will contribute nothing other than being a distraction."
"Well, it's about damn time!" Kate says to him as she sits back on the couch staring at him as does his mother.
He can feel their eyes boring right through him. "Wh... what do you mean?" Rick asks suddenly feeling like a bug under a microscope.
"It's about time you admit to just being a distraction." Kate says smiling.
"Argh! I can't believe I walked into that!" Castle groans as he walks away from the two towards the kitchen. The two women not noticing him smiling wide.
Kate makes a the sign of 'chocking up a point' for herself when Martha stops her by putting her hand on Beckett's wrist. "No dear," she says shaking her head "you don't get a point for that one. It was much too easy."
"I CAN HEAR YOU OVER HERE YOU KNOW!" Castle calls out from the kitchen to deaf ears.
"Please continue Kate." Martha says waving her hand dismissively at him.
"So, this whole idea is only a few hours old and I'm so unsure of what lies ahead of me." the young woman says looking down at her hands in her lap. "I was telling Rick, that up until this afternoon, before this happened, I knew, with a reasonable degree of surety, what my future held. Now, it's all changed. I feel like I've turned a corner in a house of mirrors, everything twisting and changing, it's all familiar but none of it is as I remembered."
"Do you mind if I ask how this alteration came into being?" Martha asks. "It seems that for something like this to affect you so, it must have come out of the proverbial left field."
"It did Martha." Kate sighs. "I think you've heard me mention my training officer Mike Royce before. He..." She trails off trying to put it into words without choking on it.
Rick fills in the story from where he is in the kitchen "He put some things into motion, a while back, as much as a couple of years ago, that have only now come to the surface."
"Thanks Castle. Well put." Kate thanks him across the room. "Mike seems to have thought of this but never mentioned it to me. Today, Rick and I had the first conversation about this."
"Katherine, let me tell you something." the elder woman says fixing her with a maternal gaze and holding her hands tight in hers. "Until you came along and made the suggestion, my life and my future were pretty well figured out too. Then, in passing, you made a comment that switched the purpose of that life and I've never looked back. You gave me more than just a better son..."
"Hey!" Castle calls out from the kitchen with a smile on his face.
"Ignore him dear." she continues without missing a beat. "You gave me a better man for a son and you gave me a purpose that gives more measure to my so-called 'golden years' than I'd have ever imagined. In my opinion, the good-will you've earned with just that should bless you with as much return as I feel I've gotten by my efforts."
The praise humbles the woman to silence. She averts her eyes from Martha's and blushes at the kind words.
Holding Kate's hands tight again, Martha encourages her "Kate, I have, for a long time, been an actress and it felt good and I've done things I can be proud of." Suddenly turning slightly remorseful and looking away "I have also done a few things that I'd just as soon not remember."
"And a few things you can't remember having done." Rick adds teasing.
Wincing and nodding in agreement, Martha returns to a serious posture and continues "All those things add up to a fulfilling career and a life to be satisfied with. However, in the past couple of years, I've seen the things I've done in a different light, in no small part thanks to you,"
"Me?" Kate asks surprised.
"Yes you my dear," she answers earnestly before continuing "and I've now seen the work and efforts I went through in my earlier life as a sort of training for me to impart that wisdom to others and to provide a place and a means for others to do the same and to build upon."
Sitting back and taking a sip of her wine, the redhead continues "I once told you I was nominated for a Tony award. Let me tell you my dear, that felt good and it validated a lot of hard work and a lot of hardships for me and my family. I will always treasure that recognition but it almost pales in comparison to a letter I got only a few months ago. I have it hanging in my office at the school. It's from a student of mine. He was one of my first students. He studied a lot and was doing well when he left to go to California for personal reasons. The letter he sent me was a thank-you note. He took his acting skills, coupled them with his addiction to adrenalin and became a stuntman. His note to me said that he had just been blown up for the first time and he owes it all to me." Martha says with tears running down her face as Kate hands her a tissue.
"That's beautiful Martha." Kate whispers.
"Thank you dear." Martha says dabbing at the tears. "The point I'm trying to make is that while my Tony nomination is something for me to be proud of, I don't have it hanging on the wall at my school. His letter means as much if not more. His letter tells me that my work has a tangible legacy and that the fear, dread and uncertainty that the prospect of starting an acting school evoked was worth braving. Sure, we all live on in our children.."
"And grandchild" Kate interjects.
"Yes," Martha agrees smiling "and our grandchildren, both of whom I am proud of, and I don't regret, resent or begrudge either of them one bit but the feeling of knowing that I did something that helped others grow and reach for and achieve greater goals and that it will outlive me is almost as good as having had a child grow up, become successful, and well liked."
Sitting back down on the couch behind Kate, Rick chimes in with "Well, I've done two out of three, that's not too bad." earning a laugh from both women.
"I think I see what you mean Martha." Kate says still deep in thought. "How did you find the courage to open your school to begin with?"
"Kate my darling girl, I didn't find the courage, it was loaned to me by others. My dear sweet Chet. He felt enough for me to provide what turned out to be the basis for this dream. He lent me his courage by having been so much more than I could imagine I deserved. Richard lent me... not just courage but his wisdom and forbearance, his daughter and her love and faith to pursue it with the knowledge that flourish or fail, I wasn't without love, family or friends and that the only way I could disappoint them was to not try to reach for my own dreams."
Martha continues right on without skipping a beat "Then there's my students. They give me courage every day. I'm awed at how much courage some of them show. One of my students is in his fifties. He decided that he'd had enough of being a cog in the wheels of the company he worked for and simply quit to pursue acting. He said it's always been his dream and he decided that now was when it was going to happen. His wife and he are living frugal lives and he's working hard to try and make something of himself. Now that's courage. Then there's you." as Martha says it, she can see the impact in the woman's features.
"Me?" Kate asks incredulously.
"Yes, you my dear! You lent me courage and confidence to see through the mists of ambiguity and confusion to recognize the path to a purpose I'd never thought of, much less imagined."
Mightily Kate struggles to maintain a stable mental footing after the impact of such a statement. Martha watches her and carefully reads her, waiting for the time to continue. Even Castle knows Kate's been thrown for a loop. "Martha... I..." Kate starts. She's not even sure of what she wants to say much less how to say it.
"There there now dear." Martha coos patting Kate's hand. "You don't need to say anything." Then standing and producing a small yawn behind her hand she announces "My goodness, where has the time gone?" looking at her watch "I really must get my beauty sleep. Kate, sleep on it all. You've obviously been overwhelmed by all your adventures today. A good night's sleep will do you a world of good." She turns to her son "Richard. Why don't you put this poor woman to bed for the night. She's exhausted. Not everyone enjoys being as sleep deprived as you do. Meanwhile, I'm going to practice what I preach." she says picking up her empty wine glass and turning towards the kitchen. "Ta-ta daalings, have a good night's sleep. I'll see you in the morning." she announces.
Meanwhile, Kate still sits on the couch, eyes wide in shock, unfocused and fixed on nothing while Martha has departed. She doesn't even hear Castle talk to her. Finally he puts his hand on her shoulder "Kate? Are you alright?" he asks concerned.
Slowly Kate turns to him, still wide-eyed and gently asks "Me?"
Smiling, he sits down next to her and puts an arm around her shoulder. "Yes dear. You. I've never said anything about it but yes you did, you gave her a great gift in helping her figure out what to do with that money from Chet."
"But... all... I did was..." she stutters, still a bit in shock.
"Yes I know. You're going to say that all you did was offer her a simple statement to make her feel better. The truth is, you provided the right information at the right time in the right way and she's never been the same. If you ever repeat what I'm about to tell you, I'll never let you off the hook again, on anything." he says smilling and moving in and lowering his voice "She says you've given her a better son. The truth is, you've also given me a better mother and my daughter a better grandmother. She has a singular sense of purpose that I don't think I've ever seen her have in many years. I've seen her driven for some things, some roles, some charities, some self indulgent things too but the new Martha Rogers is an amazing thing to experience. Even Alexis has pointed out that she seems to have a renewed purpose in life and we both agreed its because of your presence in our family." he finishes and sits motionless while she reels from yet another mental and emotional blow.
Very quietly and almost under her breath she sighs exclaiming "Oh my god." as she leans into him and closes her eyes.
The two sit there for a while, for once the nine-year-old Ricky is absent and the doting father, concerned friend, understanding partner and patient lover has taken his place and he just holds her tight and lets her recover.
He finally feels the stress in her shoulders starting to ease, he knows the storm is waning and exhaustion is tightening its grip on her. "Come on Kate, let me put you to bed." he says as he stands and quickly and easily scoops her off of the couch with only a little giggle from her as she puts her arms around his neck. She's so spent she doesn't even bother arguing with him this time. "You've had a busy day my dear. I want you to get some rest. Doctor Castle's orders are complete bedrest and sleep for the next six to eight hours minimum." he says as he sits her down on the side of the bed. "No arguments of any kind will be allowed. You are staying here tonight and then we'll deal with things tomorrow with a fresh perspective."
"Okay. You win." she says getting ready for bed.
"Huh? You didn't even argue with me? You must be spent." he cracks with a smile.
"You'll pay in the morning, right now, I just want the tornado to pass." she says winking at him.
"You get into bed and I'll be in after a little while. I've got some notes I need to work on and I'd rather get them taken care of tonight." he explains as he leaves the bedroom letting her have the space and the quiet to herself as she readies for bed.
Castle closes the door behind him and returns to his office for his own work. As he types up some of his thoughts a scheme occurs to him, he pulls out his phone and sends a text to Esposito asking if it would be a burden if he convinced Beckett to play hookey tomorrow. Almost as soon as it is sent the answer appears "No."
Smiling now he contemplates a little about how to give Kate some quiet time to think when his phone goes off again. Another note from Esposito, longer this time "no prob bro. noton call just case wrk to clean, we can hndle work. she ok?"
He smiles knowing how much she means to her team and how much they all care for each other, he replies "She's great. she has some stiff to powder from mike royce. I want her stay home and chill. thanks for evenheating-RC" as he hits SEND he realizes how much he hates the autocorrect on his phone. He punctuates the thought by holding it right up to his face and says to it "I said thanks for everything you annoying appendage!" before he retypes the message correctly to Espo.
He finishes his notes a little while later and goes around the house closing up for the night, checking the door, putting their glasses in the washer, turning off the lights and finally heading into the bedroom. He walks quietly to not wake her if she's sleeping, he can't tell right now if she is or not so he silently slips into the bathroom for his preparations when he hears her stir. "I'm not asleep yet." she says.
"Shhh go to sleep. Stop disobeying doctor's orders." he whispers to her. "I'll set the alarm for five so you can get up at your normal time." he says as he closes the door to the bathroom.
A little while later he comes out in his shorts and teeshirt to join her. He quietly and gently slips into the bed next to her and she stirs. "Rick, thank you for everything." she mumbles into the pillow as he settles in.
"You're very welcome my dear." he whispers into her hair over her shoulder causing her to spoon backwards into him seeking comfort in his presense. Snuggle Bunny Kate Beckett is one of his favorite things. He smiles at her actions and wraps his arms around her to hold her tight, to provide that anchor she needs so desparately. He kisses her ear and whispers "Good night Kate. I love you."
Half gone already, she mumbles "I love you" back to him. He can tell she's already mostly asleep, the exhaustion and emotions finally vaporizing behind the vail of darkness. He smiles and they drift off together.