A/N: Hey guys! I'm glad so many of you liked the resolution of this case. It took me so long to work out everything, so it's even more pleasing. Thank you those of you who reviewed. Extra thanks go to phnxgrl for pointing out to me that Congress would still need to expel Woods in order for him to face trial. I probably did know that somewhere in the depths of my memory because I did once study American politics, but I'd certainly forgotten. I do plan for this story to continue after the closure of the case, and it's highly likely that the case will still play a role in the background from this point onwards so that information was very helpful! (Being purposefully vague here to avoid spoilers for you guys…)
"Hey, Lanie, you remember sending those blood tests on Marcus DeWitt for analysis? You get the results back yet?" Kate said, not bothering with a proper greeting as she walked into her friend's lab.
"I'll check," the ME replied, raising her gloved hands away from the cadaver she was investigating and pulling the dirty, blood-smeared gloves off before walking to the computer station to pull up her emails. As she scrolled the list of read and unopened emails, she glanced at Kate, noting how the frown lines that had seemed to be a permanent fixture on her forehead the few times she'd seen her recently were gone. "Case closed?"
"Yeah, just have to hope that with the shitstorm in the media and the charges being processed, Congress will see fit to throw out Woods."
"Three counts of murder-"
"-All of which he confessed to," Kate added.
"I don't think he's got a leg to stand on, girl. He's hardly going to keep his seat," Lanie said, raising an eyebrow at Beckett for her lack of faith. "His guilty mug'll be all over the newspapers tomorrow morning."
Allowing herself a small smile, Kate hid it behind one of her hands. "Anything?"
"Give me a second," Lanie requested. "Yep, here we go. Must have missed this one. There's been so much evidence going back and forwards recently," she murmured as she scanned the email before turning to Kate and summarising its contents, "Looks like Marcus is a match for his daughter."
Kate nodded, processing the information. "Thanks Lanie," she said, turning on her heels and striding back to the heavy metal door only for her best friend to suddenly speak up.
"None of this happened. We didn't run the blood for any tests, right?" she asked. When Kate had asked her whether it was possible for her to run some tests to see whether Marcus DeWitt might be an appropriate donor for his daughter, she'd guessed that if it surfaced that Madeline Cleaver's biological father was in fact suitable Kate would be unable to leave the matter alone. She didn't need to be her best friend to know that that was where Kate was heading right now.
She knocked once, waiting patiently for Marcus to open the door to his apartment. After some insistent buzzing, one of the building's other tenants had let her in when the man she sought had ignored her. Stood outside his door, it was plainly obvious why. Music blared from inside, the floor actually vibrating beneath her feet with the volume of it. Luckily, the old building's thick door smothered enough of the sound that for Charles Avery across the hall; though she doubted she'd be able to say the same for the unfortunate people living either side of Marcus. Growing tired of hoping he heard her first knock, she began pounding on the front door, not stopping even as the music got paused and she heard his voice getting closer.
"Alright, alright, alright. Jeez, can't a guy ever get some peace aroun- Detective Beckett? What is it I'm supposed to have done now?" he asked agitatedly.
"Nothing," Kate answered, trying to alleviate his fears with a small smile. "Can I come in?"
"Okay," Marcus replied hesitantly, opening wide the door before hurrying to explain his messy apartment. "Sorry about all this. I just started a new piece and well, I guess I can be a bit exuberant," he finished lamely, gesturing about at the dozen colourful paintbrushes left on all the surfaces, and the splatters of acrylic across his canvas. The spray of paint was just as impressive as it would be if he had thrown darts at paint balloons. "So…"
"I'm sure you must have heard about our arresting of Congressman Alan Woods." She paused and looked to Marcus, waiting for his nod before she continued. "We formally filed charges this morning."
"So he did it? He killed Rachel?"
"I'm afraid so, Marcus," Kate clarified. "He's facing charges for the murders of James and Monica Cleaver too. I thought you'd like to know that you were no longer under suspicion and that Rachel's killer had been brought to justice." If she had to choose a word to describe Marcus DeWitt in that moment, it would be numb. It was obvious that the poor guy didn't quite know what to do or say, so he just sat there and did his best to process what it was she was telling him. Before he could start drawing things to a close and thank her before showing her out, she moved on to the other reason she had gone to visit Rachel Winter's ex-boyfriend. "There was something else." Pulling her coat open, Kate pulled out a single, folded photo and passed it along to Marcus. "This is Maddie, your biological daughter." She watched as the photo stayed in her hand, the artist opposite her staring at it but refusing to take it. Sighing, she opened up the photo and turned it so he could see his daughter's face. "I know you said you want nothing to do with her but she's sick, Marcus, really sick."
After a moment, Marcus reached out and took the picture in shaking hands, asking hoarsely, "What's wrong with her?"
"She's got a rare condition. Gaucher's Disease. She needs a liver transplant."
"I-is she gonna be okay?"
"That depends on you, Marcus," she explained gently. "You're a genetic match for Madeline. You would be a suitable donor."
It had surprised her how well Marcus had responded to her interference. She'd expected him to tell her again that Maddie was nothing to do with him, that he wasn't interested in contact with her. It was partly why she had made sure to grab a copy of the photo from the case file, hoping that seeing Madeline would be able to help change his mind. She just hadn't really thought she would actually succeed, let alone that she'd be driving Marcus DeWitt to Presbyterian Hospital and taking him to the Paediatric Ward where Maddie had been staying since Wednesday.
"Ready?" she asked, receiving a determined nod from Marcus before she twisted the handle and opened the door, stepping into the ward first and heading straight for the little blonde haired girl sitting up in bed near the end of the room.
"Detective Beckett!" she exclaims happily, soon receiving a reminder from her foster mother that she's supposed to be resting and that she should be careful with the cannula and IV in her arm.
"Hi, Maddie, how are you feeling?" Kate asked, smiling warmly and running a hand down the arm which didn't have an IV feeding into it.
She shrugged, a lacklustre movement that reminded them all just how ill she was. That in itself was a symptom of the way her body was malfunctioning. Anaemia was common in people with Gaucher's Disease, she'd learned. Apparently so were enlarged spleens and livers – Maddie's problem. "It hurts," Madeline grumbled, pointing at her stomach.
"Well, I brought you something to help you feel better," Kate replied, lifting up the carrier bag she'd pulled from her car boot before entering the hospital and placing it on the table wheeled along aside and swung over Maddie's bed. From the bag she grabbed the first of her small gifts – a soft, toy elephant – and jiggled it slightly before passing it to the small girl. "What are you going to call him?"
"Marvin," she answered decisively, already snuggling the plush elephant into her side.
Next Kate drew out a pad of plain paper and some bright colouring pens. "I remembered how great you were at drawing so I got you these. Maybe my friend Marcus here can help you decorate a bit, huh? He's an artist so he should be pretty good, right?" At her side, Marcus startled at being thrust into the limelight and raised an unsure hand, wiggling his fingers just enough for it to be considered a wave. After an encouraging nod, he quickly grabbed a spare chair and pulled it up beside Maddie's bed, opening the box of pens and tipping them out for his daughter to take first pick of the colours. Kate stood and watched for a few moments, letting the two acquaint themselves and get started with a drawing before she offered to make a coffee run. When she returned, the doctor was in the room, asking Maddie some questions about how she felt and checking the levels of fluid in the intravenous drip.
"What's the verdict then, doc?" Marcus asked as the paediatrician finished making his notes on Maddie's paperwork.
"Sorry, are you a relative?"
"I-"
Taking pity, Kate stepped forward and murmurs quietly enough to the doctor that Maddie can't overhear, "This is Marcus DeWitt, Madeline's biological father."
"And you are?"
"Detective Kate Beckett," she answered, using her official title to reassure the doctor.
"Well, we've got Maddie here on an enzyme replacement therapy program, that's what's in the drip; but I'm afraid at this point much of the damage to her liver is irreversible. The problem is that because Gaucher's Disease is so rare and the symptoms are similar to those of natural childhood illness – stomach bugs and the like – the symptoms can go untreated for a long time, particularly as the deficiency in white blood cells means infection is more common. Liver enlargement in particular is less noticeable since it doesn't swell as much as the spleen can in these situations. Maddie has been lucky not to suffer both symptoms. However, she is still in need of a liver transplant from a viable donor."
Marcus stared at Maddie for a moment, before brushing a lock of hair out of his daughter's face and squeezing her hand. "Take mine."
Exhausted, Kate sank down into the couch, eyes closed as she curled and flexed her toes in the shaggy rug covering the floor. She'd barely made herself comfortable in the cushions when the bell rang and she found herself sighing, heaving her tired body up and across the floorboards.
On her doorstep stood Lanie, clearly dressed for a night on the town with her red dress beneath her open coat and her bright lipstick. Black eyeliner was expertly applied to her eyes, and her hair was straightened to perfection, sleek and shiny on either side of her bronzed face. Without giving Kate time to even ask where she was going, Lanie bustled in past her and headed straight in the direction of Rick's office and their bedroom, pulling open one of the wardrobe doors and leaving Kate to shut the front door and follow.
Every so often Lanie pulled a dress or skirt down and gave it a critical eye, murmuring to herself things like, "Maybe," and, "I guess that's possible," and "No, definitely not!"
Leaning against the open door frame, Kate sighed. "You gonna tell me what it is I need to get dressed for."
"Celebration drinks," her best friend answered distractedly. "Javi and Kevin are going to meet us there."
Resisting the urge to groan at the thought of putting on her highest pair of heels Lanie had so generously put out for her, Kate calmly said, "Right. It's just I kind of had…plans for tonight."
"You're alone in the loft. And you have plans?" Lanie span and gave Kate the eye, both hands on her hips with her head jutted at an angle on her neck. It would have been effective if Kate weren't long used to Lanie's antics and desperate for a chance to relax for at least an hour or two. "Care to tell me what you have planned? It was my understanding that after closing a big case, you cops like to have a few drinks and celebrate." To say she was dubious of Kate's story would be a rather large understatement. "Are you sure it's not just that you can't handle a night drinking into the wee hours of the morning? I mean, you are married now."
Straightening and moving from the doorway, Kate stood at her full height – a few inches taller than her friend. "Oh, I can handle it," she assured Lanie, one hand reaching out and taking the black, lace dress from her hand. Busy changing, she didn't notice Lanie's mischievous smile of achievement as she left the room and went in search of some alcohol to help put Kate in the mood and get the party started. No doubt the boys would already be out and drinking at the bar she'd arranged to meet them in. It made sense that they make a headstart too.
By the time Kate emerged from the bedroom, with new makeup coating her face and a pair of black spiralling earrings hanging from her ears, Lanie had already progressed halfway through her glass of wine while Kate's sat stagnant on the kitchen counter. Her friend has truly made herself at home in the space she and Rick now shared. Not only was she sat on the couch with her feet resting on the coffee table, but she'd taken the liberty of putting some music on too.
A glass or two of wine later, they left, catching a cab to meet up with the boys, find them munching on chips and dip, occasionally swigging beers but primarily staring at the TV that's hung over the bar and displaying the latest action in the Colts vs Titans game. It was a Monday, but because of the game, the bar was full.
"Trust you, Javi, to bring us to a sports bar," Lanie said reproachfully, clearly not impressed that she'd dressed for a night of clubs and was now overdressed for a few beers while watching the game.
Despite Lanie's obvious disappointment, their small group were still having a great time together with some pub grub on the table in front of the them and finally a chance to have a good catch up. Kate didn't think the four of them had really had a chance to have a proper get together since the wedding – being at work just didn't count. Still, while her friends carried on joking around, she couldn't help wishing that Rick were there. It didn't feel right being without him. Especially when one of the young guys sat at the bar kept staring at her, clearly trying to attract her attentions.
"Yo, Beckett, looks like you got an admirer," Esposito said with a cheeky grin as he finally noticed her admirer.
Rolling her eyes, Kate took a tiny bit of pleasure in telling her partner to 'can it' and had a moment to herself, pulling out her phone to check whether Rick had called her yet. They had agreed to speak to each other that evening, when he wasn't busy signing books – and human anatomy – but neither of them had signed up to the responsibility of actually making the call. She was just in the middle of typing out a text, explaining why she hadn't called him yet when Esposito interrupted her concentration.
"Alright, next round's on you, Beckett."
Even though they weren't at work, between them Kevin and Javi had decided that they just couldn't call Beckett anything else. It was very unusual for either of them to call her Kate, just as it wasn't common for her to use either of their first names, and it was downright weird calling her Castle. They knew her new husband probably wouldn't be pleased – she'd taken his surname after all, but what he didn't know, couldn't hurt him.
Flashing a sarcastic smile, Kate grabbed her purse and stood, well aware as she headed over to the bar that the reason she had been sent – and not Lanie, who had also yet to buy a round – was because her group of friends wanted to watch what would happen with her fan and that that was why they were currently observing her.
"Hi, two beers, two glasses of whatever white wine you have, please," she asked the barman, who turned to her straight away since most of his customers were watching the game on the tv screen anyway.
While she waited, she felt her the man's admiring gaze once more and knew it wouldn't be long before he plucked up the courage to sidle down the bar and strike up conversation with her. As she had intuited, barely half a minute later, he slid in beside her, arm purposefully brushing against hers, and held up his empty pint glass and a folded dollar bill between two fingers, signalling a refill.
"You here for the game or for something else?" he asked as they waited side by side.
"Just having a drink with friends," she replied politely, nodding in the direction of the booth Lanie and the boys occupied and fighting a smile as she watched the poor guy pale at Esposito's warning glare and his threatening posture.
"Why don't you let me get this drink for you then?"
"I'm okay, thanks. They've already given me the cash for the round."
"If you're sure?"
"I'm sure," Kate said, wiggling her fingers to display her wedding ring as she reached for the two beer bottles and glasses of wine the barman had placed before.
The guy gave her a disappointed but understanding smile. "Well, it was nice meeting you anyway…"
"Kate," she offered, nodding.
"Paul," he replied, "Like I said, it was nice meeting you, Kate." She stood a moment after he walked away, not quite able to believe that he'd actually winked at her before re-joining his friends.
Returning to the table, Kate divvied out the drinks before taking her seat and telling Lanie, "Guy's got balls. Apparently even marriage won't deter him from flirting."
"Well, I should probably be getting home. Jenny must be run off her feet now-"
"Already?" Esposito asked, his voice taking on a whining-like quality. "You've only been here two hours."
"And I'll have already missed bathtime with Sarah Grace," Ryan replied, putting on his coat as he was not to be won over by Espo's moaning.
"I should probably leave too," Kate said, leaping at the opportunity. She knew it was a little bit pathetic but it wasn't the same when Castle wasn't there drinking with them and they weren't at the Old Haunt. Perhaps she'd have been more willing to stay if she wasn't fending off Paul's lecherous looks every time she moved. Plus, she was tired. For the second hour at the bar, she'd been trying to hide yawns from Lanie. "I was supposed to be calling Rick this evening."
It took a few minutes to convince Esposito that he'd have more fun without she and Ryan, that he and Lanie could stay out later and keep drinking, maybe go dancing, but once she'd been let out of the booth, she took a few quick steps out of the bar and didn't bother flagging a cab but instead dialled the number of the reputable car service Rick sometimes used. She had a comfortable ride back home within minutes.
The only thing she did before calling Rick, was change out of her dress and heels, pulling on instead one of her husband's t-shirts and a pair of brushed cotton pyjama pants, covering her feet with some thick, fluffy socks to stave off the cold of the hardwood floors.
"Hey!" Rick answered with palpable excitement when she rang.
"Someone sounds happy," she replied, feeling herself smiling along with him.
"I just found out that I can have a longer Thanksgiving/Christmas break. Paula's run into a scheduling conflict with another of her authors, so she's cancelled my appointments in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas."
"That's great!"
"So, what's new with you? What did you need earlier?"
"Just some words of encouragement, babe. We ran into some difficulty with Alan Woods – he got rid of the gun he used to murder the Cleavers and replaced it. I wasn't sure we were going to get the evidence to charge him when we didn't have either of the murder weapons-"
"-But you did? Right?" Rick interrupted to ask.
"Well, I worked through the events of Rachel's murder with Espo-"
"With Espo?" he complained.
"-And afterwards CSU were able to find some fingerprints on the piano that placed Woods there the night of the murder, and the doorman ID'd him. After that, Ryan found the evidence we needed to prove that the gun that shot James and Monica Cleaver was his and I managed to get a confession out of him."
"Kate, that's great!" Rick crowed before growing sombre. "I knew you could solve Rachel's murder. We should celebrate when I get back."
"Yeah? How should we celebrate?"
Responding to her coy tones, Rick replied, "Well, with fine wine and dining, of course. I'm sure Maddie could fit us in easily at Q3." He paused a moment before adding, "The hot, passionate sex afterwards goes without saying."
Kate chuckled. "I'm surprised you're willing to forgo the sex long enough to dress up, go out and eat."
"Well, I guess the order of affairs could be reworked… God, I wish I was there to celebrate now."
Taking pity on him, Kate ended the flirting, instead turning the conversation back to his book tour to find out how his most recent signing had gone.
After hanging up, Kate was left wondering what to do. Her phone conversation appeared to have woken her from her exhaustion, and she didn't feel like she could go to bed. If anything, what she wanted was to be with Rick so they could get to celebrating. An idea coming to her, she made a brief trip to the bedroom to get her oft-neglected laptop before returning to the couch and sitting down with it. It only took her a few moments to get onto the internet and a flights website. Tickets to LA were expensive, but luckily she shared Rick's sizable bank account now. He wouldn't be in Los Angeles for a few days, so she would only be able to spend the weekend with him, but the idea of going back to the city where she had very nearly caved in and admitted what she was feeling for him and not closing the door on him this time was very appealing. Surprising him, as he'd surprised her on the flight to California, well that was bound to be entertaining too. Should she go to a signing or wait sneak into his hotel room? Luckily for her, she had some time to figure that out.
A/N: I'm sorry to say that this might be my last update for a week or two. Unfortunately I managed to bugger my laptop the other day – I think I did something to the memory modules but I'm not entirely sure – and it now won't boot up so I'm having it sent away for repairs. Luckily, I was able to get this chapter and a few other documents off the harddrive beforehand and use my mum's laptop for a day to finish this off and upload it. However, I'm going back to university and will be without a laptop for at least a week, so please don't expect an update on this story or any of my others if you read them until after May 2nd at the earliest. I hope you enjoyed this chapter though! Let me know what you thought. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to work on this story relatively soon. Apologies if I don't manage to reply to any of your reviews from the last chapter - I'm on borrowed time with my mum's laptop (and I'm supposed to only be using it to finish my university assignment so nobody tell her I did this too...).
