Around the World Series
Part Five
North American Dream
Chapter 11
*Note: This is terribly edited. And by terribly, I mean not at all. For which I apologize. Mostly.
. . . . .
Despite the miracle CSU had managed to dig out of the wreckage of the mangled car, by Sunday they still hadn't been able to track Hanson down. He'd gone under, from what Rebecca had managed to discover and it left the detectives without much to do. They'd staked out old places Hanson was likely to frequent, but it hadn't amounted to much of anything. It was the reason, despite a full caseload, that Javier was driving into Queens, Lanie in the passenger's seat.
And she was nervous.
It was, to him, a phenomenal thing to see. She was rubbing her hands on her thighs and twisting her fingers together. He was, admittedly, amused. This was what she'd wanted. Hell, she'd already talked to his mother and yet, she was so obviously nervous.
"You're laughin' at me," she accused.
Javier reached over, prying her hands apart until he could weave his fingers through hers. "Maybe. They don't bite, Cari."
"Easy for you to say," she shot back.
"It's no different than you tossin' me in the deep end on Memorial Day."
"Seriously?" she asked incredulously. In her mind, her family was the most open-minded, welcoming group of people in the entirety of the world.
"Your brother tried to break my fingers," he replied, squeezing hers gently. "Four of your cousins threatened to help make me disappear." He grinned whens he snorted, apparently set on believing it was impossible.
"You didn't have to impress my Ma. She heard 'cop' and 'Spanish' and you were in."
"Puerto Rican," he groused good-naturedly. "Your father made it clear he had friends that could end me. Good speech too, I should have taken notes."
"Da?" she questioned, firmly ignoring the implication of Javier's one-day hoped-for fatherhood. "Da wouldn't hurt a fly."
"Neither would Mam." Much. She'd love Lanie. Javier already knew that. She'd love that Lanie loved him.
"Even Kate's a little afraid of her," Lanie argued.
Javier sighed, releasing her hand as he turned into his parents' street and parallel parked at the curb. "Lanie, everything's going to be fine."
She snorted as she climbed out, waiting for him to come around the car and taking the hand he extended. They climbed the steps and rang the bell. Then, because her hand was clammy, he tugged her against him and settled his mouth on hers. He felt her fall into the kiss, sliding her free hand up his chest.
"If you wanted a moment, Javi, you probably shouldn't have knocked on the door."
Lanie squeaked in embarrassment as she yanked herself away. She glared as Javier sent his sister a bland smile. "Hola, Squirt."
Anna's face fell into a predictable pout as she stepped back to allow them entry. "No need to be mean to impress your chica. If she's been with you this long and still puts up with you, she's not going anywhere."
"She's right," Lanie agreed with a sweet smile, but they both knew how close they'd both come to walking away.
Javier grimaced. Anna was teasing but… it could have happened. And he was beating himself up about it enough. "Cari, meet Julianna. Anna, Lanie."
Anna grinned as she flipped the locks on the door. "I am so happy to finally meet you!"
"You have no idea," Lanie replied with a warm smile. Anna was Javier's favourite. She'd gathered that much long ago.
Javier kissed his sister's cheek and reached for the coat Lanie was sliding off. "Everyone's here?"
"Just waiting on you," Anna agreed. She glanced at Lanie. "We all wanted to be here."
She was making it out to be a big milestone. It wasn't, per se, because he'd brought girlfriends home before. But they had never been quite like Lanie.
"Mam?"
"In the kitchen," Anna replied with an affectionate roll of her eyes.
He grinned. There was nothing Mam loved more than cooking huge meals for her brood, but it drove his kitchen-challenged sister more than a little batty. He hung up his coat with Lanie's then, because he could, leaned in to kiss hid girlfriend. "Tell them we'll be in, in a minute."
Anna rolled her eyes, but headed for the living room. Javier tugged Lanie a few steps down the hall. He paused at a doorway, looking in as he tugged Lanie closer. It was the second doorway to the kitchen where, true to Anna's word, Mam was muttering over pots on the stove. There was affection and amusement in the smile that blossomed over his face.
"Hola, Mam," he called, slipping his arm around Lanie.
"Javi!" Mam exclaimed bustling over. "And you are Lanie."
Lanie virtually beamed as Mam cupped her hands around the pathologists cheeks. "Hello, Mam."
"Hola." Mam smiled, taking her in. "You are small."
Lanie blinked. She'd never been described quite like that before.
Javier chuckled. "It's not a critique, Cari," he offered, used to his mother's less-than-politically correct adjectives.
"But you are not muy delgada. Barbie."
"She keeps feeding Ryan, trying to fatten him up. Beckett too, if she can make it," he explained. Then, to his mother, "Si, Mam, she's not a stick." He kissed Lanie's temple. "I like her that way."
Lanie relaxed against his side.
"A woman needs curves," Mam stated decisively. "These sticks, they don't keep men."
Now calmer, Lanie chuckled.
Mam took in her son, his girlfriend and told him in rapid Spanish, "Se ven felices."
Javier glanced down at Lanie, infinitely glad he'd chosen to bring her home rather than let her go. She did make him happy. He loved her. He was starting not just to see it, but to really, truly and honestly believe it. "Si."
Mam's smile brightened. "Go. Show her around."
Javier smiled and kissed his mother's cheek, then he was propelling her down the hall, back into the living room. The chatter died away rather quickly for his family once they spotted them both. "This,' he said, squeezing Lanie's hand. "Is Lanie."
The chatter came back with a vengeance then as everyone stood and bustled over to try and get Lanie's attention. He saw her eyes widen, a little overwhelmed – and filed it away since when her family celebrated or got together there were at least three times as many – before he had to let her go or lose his arm. He wandered over to the big armchair his Pop occupied and snatched his niece from her grandfather's lap. Michelle giggled loudly as Javier turned her upside down quickly before righting her again.
"So that's your Lanie," Pop said as Michelle snuggled into his shoulder. She'd always been a clingy toddler.
"Yeah," Javier agreed. His. His Lanie.
"She keep you in line?" Pop asked.
"She does."
"She like family?"
"Loves family." Only Pop could ask him that question and not get a green tinge out of him.
"Strong mind? Warm heart?"
Javier nodded his agreement to both.
Pop looked up at him. "You love her?"
Javier paused. When Pop asked the question it always meant more. "Yeah Pop. I love her."
They fell silent for a moment watching as the family absorbed Lanie. The pathologist looked over, amused panic in her eyes and Javier smiled.
"She fits," Pop said, seeing the look exchanged between them.
He saw awareness float through Lanie's eyes as she took in Javier with Michelle on his shoulder. Yeah, she fit. And more than that, she belonged in this chaos. He could see it, years down the line, with maybe a few of their-
Whoa.
Pop chuckled beside him. "True love's like that," he said with a knowing glint in his eyes. "For your mother, it was slow and gradual." He shifted, settling back into the chair further.
"And you?" It was the question Pop had been fishing for.
Pop grinned, wide and child-like. "Like a slap to the side of the head."
Yeah, Javier thought to himself, I know the feeling.
Kate huffed out a sigh as she took in the island around her. It was an absolute mess, a mix of wedding invitations, honeymoon brochures and case files amongst to-do lists and take-out menus. Yes, she'd resorted to take out, because it was just irritating to cook for one and despite the knowledge that she'd be catching up with him in New Orleans in just under two weeks, she abhorred the thought of feeling the loneliness more acutely that she did already.
It was tough to plan a wedding alone. Tough and irritating and heart-breaking, no matter how many times she tried to tell herself that he was only trying to think of her. She wanted them to plan their wedding together. Yes, she understood that he was on the road, that he was partying late because it was what was called for, then on the go all day with signings and appearances, but she wanted some help. She was tired too. She was overworked too. She was up late and up early more days than she'd like to count.
But she'd never told him. She wouldn't. She couldn't. She hated fighting with him when they were together in New York, let alone when they were in separate cities, separate states. It was unfair to fight over distance and she didn't want to drive a wedge like that between them. They'd work it out, she continued to tell herself, they always did. And this time, Kate knew they had to.
This wasn't just a wedding. Kate Beckett didn't do things in half-measures and that included relationships. It included believing in things like what she did, one-and-done, him, them. Of course, it didn't make her any happier about the fact that she was planning the biggest event of her life since her graduation from the Academy by herself.
God, she wanted Rick there.
She sighed and dropped her head into her hands. Two weeks, for Pete's sake. How long had she gone on without him to begin with? Could she even remember her life when he wasn't in it? Huh. Late nights and take out. Looked a lot like now, just with crappier furnishings and sheets that were not near as soft on her skin.
With another sigh she reached across the island for her phone, hitting her speed dial and waiting.
"Hey." God, he sounded as exhausted as she felt.
She forcibly swallowed all of the wedding questions she wanted to ask, all of the nuptial things she wanted to talk about. "I need a minute."
He laughed. "It's about all I've got." His sigh came through the phone loud and clear. "I wish I had more."
And here she'd been the one looking for affirmation. He sounded melancholy. "Less than two weeks."
"I know," he replied, his voice warming. "A whole weekend, just you and me, no interruptions."
None. She was going to leave her phone and files at home. They'd talk about the wedding, they'd make plans and they'd… Well, needless to say she was going to go digging in her drawers for a good 'thank God I'm finally seeing you' present. "I know."
He cleared his throat. "What did you need?"
"Just…" She chewed her lip. "Just… a minute."
"Next time," he began. "Next time, I'm not going for four months. Not straight. A week. Tops."
"Yeah," she agreed.
"Okay. I have to go. You know, sign things."
This hadn't been the phone call she'd wanted. She'd wanted light, upbeat, happy Rick to make her feel better about the distance between them. "No skin, Castle."
He laughed, kind of, and Kate knew it was because her voice was sharp and bossy. She'd done it deliberately. "No skin. Just books." He sighed. "I love you."
They had too many of these conversations. They needed the upcoming weekend. Badly. "I love you too," she replied.
She felt worse, rather than better, when she clicked off and ran her hand through her hair. Never again. No more of these trips. She looked up as it rang and jumped for it when Sookhold's name showed up on the screen.
"Beckett."
"Body."
Kate blew out a breath. Never had a body come at a better time. She could throw herself into work. That would get her mind off of the clutter that the island seemed to represent in her life. "On my way." She was already reaching for her keys. "Hey, Sookhold?"
"Yeah?"
Lanie had been talking about dinner with Esposito's family for weeks. She wasn't going to ruin it. "Don't call the guys, okay?"
"Sure thing, Beckett."
She did stop and pause at the door, looking back at the chaos at the life, berating herself for how dependent she felt. She was independent, dammit! She locked the door and headed for the elevator.
But independence didn't mean she couldn't miss him. With all of her heart. Or be mad at him for never having time to help her plan. For not wanting to help. And everything.
God, it sucked.
When Javier had climbed back in the car and pulled away from the curb, he glanced over at Lanie sitting next to them. "So?"
Lanie sighed in contented happiness. She was pleasantly full, happy, having laughed for most of the night, and currently on her way home with the man she loved. "You have a beautiful family."
He burst out laughing. "That's somethin' an old lady says when a couple's got a young kid."
"Don't give me that," she said with an amused snort. "I saw the look on your face when Michelle climbed into my lap." And it was most definitely her exhaustion that made her say, "You want kids, Javi?"
His heart warmed as his stomach churned. "Maybe."
"Mmm… Someday."
He could see it. It was odd, considering how close he'd come to walking away. An almost-break-up had definitely taught him how much she meant to him. He wanted her around, with him, and now he was picturing the future? He could see it too, which was the part that was almost more terrifying. More family dinners, kids, a house, not just a dingy tiny apartment…
How effing surreal.
"Mam likes me."
"I told you she would." He glanced over. Her eyes were closed. She was fading, not that it shocked him. She'd done the same thing after Memorial Day, like being around so many people for long spans of time just exhausted her.
"I'm glad. I love you."
He reached over, squeezed her hand. "I love you, too."
"'M just gonna have a nap," she murmured out. "Wake me when we get home."
He jolted again. Why, tonight of all nights, did he seem so hyper-aware of the future? Of their future.
He wanted her in his life. That much was a given, obvious, written on his sleeve, if the weeks without her were any indication. And he had experienced quite a visceral reaction when he'd caught Lanie on the floor with Michelle, the toddler nattering away. Michelle was a social baby, but it said just as much about Lanie that she seemed perfectly at home talking about Barbie and monkey bars. He could see her with kids.
He could see them with kids. Which spoke volumes in itself, good ones and bad ones. It was terrifying to be looking over at a diminutive pathologist knowing there was a 'forever' in him. He never would have expected it. Then again, he hadn't really expected Lanie either, had he? She'd blind-sided him. One second they were colleagues then… then he was bringing her coffee, asking her to dinner, daring her to put her toes in a Central Park fountain and climb a tree.
And now… Now he could see her with two-point-three kids. He could see her, toddler on her hip as she saw two older kids off to school. He could see Thanksgiving, Christmas, summers on the beach. With Lanie Parish.
Today, tomorrow, forever… He wanted it all.
The thought settled in his mind and in his heart. He glanced over at her, sleeping peacefully, eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks. He loved her. He wanted forever with her.
But he'd take it slow.
Because until that night, forever had barely been on his radar.
It's kind of entertaining to see your reactions to the last chapter. Mostly because there was always going to be a weekend where Rick and Kate saw each other. I'm even trying to figure out if I can finagle a Thanksgiving celebration before it all goes to hell in a handbasket. So we're going to have at least two Rick'n'Kate weekends where there will be fluffy stuff.
Sidenote: I apologize for repetition in the middle. Kind of. Building seems to require repetition. So it's there 'cause I want it to be so I can build what I need to build.
Speaking of. So, I've got them in New Orleans. Problem is this: I've never been. So if you have been to New Orleans I'd love to hear your take on things to see or do. I mean, yeah, I can have them holed up in their hotel room for somewhere between 48 and 72 hours (or whatever I end up deciding) but that just seems repetitive, especially since I wouldn't be writing half of those scenes. I think the date'll be mid-October.
And this back to back? So, funny story. I'm writing away at this, or plugging away at it, or whatever we want to call it today, and I said to myself, you know Self, your readers are going to think you're going against your word by posting this within days of the other. Such is life, I'm afraid. I was internet-less at the cottage for CDN Thanksgiving (Happy Thanksgiving fellow Canadians!) and got a chunk of this done instead of my thesis (or in between, whatever) then realized I had to do massive amounts of Googling and refused to do those massive amounts of Googling when I got home, so you guys got a chapter instead! Perfect storm, 'cause I go back on Tuesday and then it's back to the books. Like I said though, as soon as I have a better thesis idea nailed down, I'll be able to do a better job at getting some sort of routine down.
Deal? Well, review and we'll see if we've had a good talk. Or a good chapter. Or both. Both would be nice…
