Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 7:35 am
John F. Kennedy International Airport
Terminal 4, Gate B-24

Jackson decided to complete his trip to New York to coincide with his son's birthday. The silent agreement that they had between them that neither would voice their good wishes with each other was soon coming to an end. He gathered his carry-on and stood in the line to leave the aircraft. They never acknowledged the others day of birth because, when his son was little, he was always under the impression that he would just have a normal birthday party and everything would be fine. But his mother had always taken his birthday parties to the opposite side of the spectrum. One year he remembers that she hired part of an actual circus act that was passing through town. After they had performed earlier that day, they had been paid by his wife to put on a partial show at Central Park. His son at first was excited to see the performers there because he had not been to the main show earlier that day.

But he soon lost interest in what was going on around him because while his mother wanted him to feel special for his day, they were in Central Park after all, and soon there were more children there then they could shake a stick at. He remembers the moment when his son had finally given up on his day and insisted on making the event fun for all the kids who had come to see the men and women performing. He would always be amazed by his son's ability to give total stranger's anything they needed to feel wanted.

Jackson made his way off the jetway and into the terminal quickly heading to ground transportation. He hailed a cab which responded quickly. He went directly to his penthouse on Central Park South paid the cab driver and caught his wife just a few minutes before she was getting ready for her day.

"Ahh, there she is! My beautiful rose!" He said as he walked into their bedroom.

"Always the passionate one Jackson."

"That I am. How are you, my love?"

"I'm well. I'm surprised to see you here. It's been a year, but why are you here?"

"I have concerns about your son. He is getting involved with the NYPD and not in a way I like."

"What are you talking about love? He's been holed up in his loft for the last month!"

"I am not so sure sweetheart. He seems to be very interested in a certain female detective."

"Do tell Jackson, according to our son, the last time he had left his loft was on Tuesday of last week."

"That's what he told you huh? I have it on good authority that he was at the 12th precinct for the first three days of last week."

"What in heavens was he doing there?"

"I haven't a clue. But after I have a quick shower I intend to find out what he was up to."

"How quick is this shower you plan on taking? Martha asked with a seductive smile on her face.

"Well now that I think about it, I am really dirty, so a long one I'd bet."

"Hmm, maybe I could wash your back, make sure that it's clean?"

"Maybe, but there's something of yours that interests me a little more than my back."

Martha takes his hand and pulls him with her in the direction of the bathroom. After a shower together and then having many satisfying rounds of sex, he is dressed and kissing his now sleeping and very stated wife goodbye. He calls Roy and asks to meet him at the coffee shop near the 12th. He agrees.

Xx

When Roy arrives he sees his friend and smiles. Time has been very good to him. The CIA keeps him active and his body shows it.

"Roy, over here." Jackson waves as he calls out to him.

"Jackson, it's been a while, you look good my friend." Roy says as he sits down at the booth.

"You're no slouch either Roy! Your own precinct? Now I never thought that you'd get your act together and become a cop, let alone a Captain of his own precinct!"

"Yeah, well what about you? A supervising director for the CIA managing their overseas operations. I thought that after our time in the Army you'd retire once you had enough time in."

"I did, Roy. I retired over six years ago with full benefits."

Roy can only stare at his friend in awe.

"Enough reminiscing. Tell me about Richard."

"Jackson, he's not in any trouble if that is what you're asking about." Roy told him proudly.

"No Roy. I need to know if he is becoming more involved with the day to day operations of the 12th precinct."

Roy knew what he wanted to know. And while his son was not really doing that much, he had helped them with two cases that had his detectives following the evidence in the wrong direction. He only pointed out that they needed to look more at the suspect they had dismissed earlier in the investigation. His thoughts were able to give them a solid arrest in both cases.

"Jackson, he thinks outside of the box. He finds a way to move forward when everything else falls apart. I've never seen it before. When he does think about a case he becomes dreamlike and it's like he shuts down everything around himself and just thinks. It's the damnest thing I've ever seen."

"Roy, he does this when he can't make the pieces fit and when that happens he gets frustrated at the situation. There have been times in Afghanistan when he'd be planning an operation, and he would think about every possible outcome of the op. He would be in a trance for hours. But when he came out of it, and the mission was put into play, what he planned always had a zero-causality rate and the mission was successful."

"Wow. This happened every time he planned an op?"

Jackson just nods his head.

"Listen, Roy, I had a plan in effect that covered him in the event of something happening to him. What I need to know is do I alter this plan to cover him as well as someone else?"

"Jack, I'm thinking that this might be a good idea, only if I were you I'd add room for two more."

All he can do is look at his friend and give him a questioning look wondering how deep in this his son has become.

Xx

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009, 9:45 am.
12
th precinct homicide floor

She still didn't know what else to believe. The way he can wrap his head around the evidence in a case and come up with a different avenue of clues for her to follow has her and her team seriously reconsidering their profession. He asked just to have a quick look at what they had in the case so far. She was reluctant at first, but when she saw how serious he was, she gave him a simple five minutes to look over the file while he sat at her desk with her looking over his shoulder watching him the entire time.

Xx

"Detective if I may?" Rick asked, hopefully giving him some leeway.

He picked up the file and walked over to the end of Esposito's desk, placed the file down and opened it up to the picture section of the file. He walked away from the team and past the break room. He was gone for about a minute and he returned with a large white eraser able type board. He moved the board to face them. On the top, in the middle, if the board he wrote "Victim" in erasable red marker. He turned around and pulled her DMV picture from the file. He used a magnetic clip to place it under what he wrote.

Then he wrote "Suspects" off to the left of the victim. He placed the pictures they had of the persons of interest under the word suspects. He then started to read the reports from the file at a speed of which she had never seen before. Finished, he drew a long line at the bottom of the board. He started at one end with the time the crime was called in. He drew a hash mark and wrote 5:43 am at the beginning of the line. He added the time Kate, Espo, and Ryan had arrived. All at different times. And then on the right side of the board, he added the COD & TOD that was given to them by the ME. Then he added possible theories as well.

He turned around and looked at each of them with a shy look.

"Well, what do you think? I know that it's a little crude, but it works."

Ryan speaks first.

"What is it?"

"What it is, is a way to get all your facts for a case in a central location. So, whenever you needed to add anything, you can do it without bothering anyone else."

Kate walked up to the board and looked at it for a little while. When she was done she looked at the boys.

"I like it. It has a central location, everything is here on it for us to see, and we can theorize when we add more to it."

Kate looks over to Rick who has now mysteriously disappeared. He's nowhere nearby and she swore he was there a split second ago right next to her. She looks to her team and they are just as confused as she is.

Xx

He needed to leave before he became too important to them. He liked to help them but now he was getting too involved. He needed to keep a low profile and he caught the attention of the Captain as he finished up with the murder board. He knew something had changed his views towards him. He saw it in his eyes. The Captain had talked to his father and told him everything, he knew that he did. He had to make a quick and quiet exit and did so.

The second he opened the door to his loft he noticed the smell of his cigar and noticed the half-empty bottle of 20-year-old single malt sitting on the bar.

"So, just make yourself at home why don't you?"

"I will Richard. So, tell me, what do you think you are doing?"

"Doing dad? Whatever do you mean?"

"Come on Richard. I've seen her. And I've read her file. Tell me that you at least like her, this way I can justify some of this in my head!"

"Dad, it's none of your business and neither is she. So please just drop it."

"Richard, you've associated with an innocent. And now she is in danger."

"Dad, I can take care of this myself. I know the consequences."

"I hope you do son, I really do. Jackson calms down a little and then he remembers why he was here.

"Oh and on a brighter note, Happy Birthday to you Richard, how does it feel to be…"

"Dad, you finish that sentence and I swear I'll kill you myself."

Jackson relents but instead, gives his son a hug.

"Dad, I thought we stopped doing this years ago?"

"Well, there are times in your life when you realize that moments like this can be gone in a second."

Xx

Kate looks herself over before she leaves her apartment. She has decided to wear a dress, something that she has not done in ages. She just wants to show him her more feminine side. She takes a light shawl from her closet and heads out. She knows his address by heart. Now if she can just gather up her courage, she'll be okay.

When she arrives in front of his door, she knows that she will be showing up uninvited. She doesn't even know if he is at home.

Deciding that it's now or never she raises her hand and knocks. At first, she thinks that she hears him inside the loft. And in less than two minutes the door opens and there he is.

"Detective, what a surprise. Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine Mr. Castle." Kate caught the concern in his eyes, and something else she can't quite place in them.

"Detective, please it's Rick or Richard. And would you please come in and make yourself at home."

"Thank you, Rick.

"Can I get you anything? Water, a soft drink, Scotch, maybe or what about a nice red wine?"

She thinks about it and she is off for the weekend, she'll be cordial and accept a glass of red.

"Can I have a glass of red please?"

"Why not? Let me get it and I'll be right back." Rick makes his way over to the center island and pulls out a bottle of California red from the under counter wine cooler that will probably make her tingle inside. He pours out a glass and returns back to her.

"Here you go detective, sit back and enjoy!"

"Rick, it's Kate."

"Very well, Kate, I hope you like the wine."

Rick heads back to the bar and pours himself a glass of Scotch with a splash of water. He sits down in front of her. He wants to know why she is here, but it's a bit awkward. So, he stays silent.

Kate can tell how tense her being with him is now so, she breaks the silence first.

"Rick, your loft is very manly."

Manly? What were you thinking by saying that Kate? She thinks to herself.

"Thanks, Kate? but I guess to be honest it does miss a woman's touch."

"Oh no Rick, that's not what I meant. What I mean is that your loft seems to be just about you."

He can only look at her with a question written on his face.

"God Rick, I'm so sorry. Nothing I seem to say is coming out right."

"Kate, it's okay. Just relax and regroup. I'm sure you'll find the right words."

She just wants to say the right thing without offending him. So, for now, she stays silent.

Thinking that five minutes is enough time to stay quiet, Rick decides to make the first move to start an easy adult conversation.

"So Kate, what brings you here tonight?"

"Well, Rick I wanted to thank you for your great idea with the murder board, oh, by the way, that's what we're calling it now. But when I turned around to thank you, you were nowhere to be found. It's like you just disappeared into thin air. What happened?"

"Kate, while helping you with those two cases was intriguing, I really can't be involved with anything that happens in the 12th precinct anymore. I would be purposely putting you and you're team in danger and that's not what I want."

"Rick, there's no way I'll get hurt by you helping me. You're just helping me solve a case here and there it's nothing major."

"Kate, I wish I could believe that. But trouble seems to find me no matter where I go. And I don't want to risk you getting involved in anything that could get you hurt. So, I'll just consider our consulting time as a way to help for those two cases."

"What if I want more? What if I believe that you could be an asset to my team. You bring a new kind of thinking to what we need. Could you at least think about it?"

"Okay, I'll think about it. But I'm not promising anything I'll weigh the pros and cons of what would happen if we decided to work together. And I'll have an answer for you by Monday morning."

"Okay, Rick. That's all I can ask."

They both finish their drinks and Kate decides that her being there might sway his vote, so she thanks him for the drink and hospitality and leaves.

As she gets up to leave he finally notices the little dress she is wearing, and it is little, showing off her body in all the perfect places. And he was wrong when he told her that he wanted to think about working with her, now all he wants to do is protect her, and if he will be coming home to her dressed like that, let's just say that he will never want to leave her again.

He tells her that she is welcome anytime when they reach the door and he makes his intentions known when she stretches up on her toes and places a soft kiss on his cheek.

Startled a little at the kiss, he gently takes her arm and stops her from leaving.

"Rick?"

"Kate, would you be interested in a dinner to get together sometime?"

"A get together, or maybe a date?" She pushed him gently.

If a man could blush like a woman, it was Rick right then and there.

"Well, yeah a date I guess. I could cook or we could go out?"

"Rick that sounds great. So, when you come to the 12th to give me your answer on Monday, I'll have one of my own for you."

"Kate? What answer? To what question?"

"Whether you will cook for me or not? What else?"

Rick's face just breaks out in a smile. He understands now what she meant.

"Okay Kate, I'll see you Monday morning."

As he shuts the door, he seriously considers how helping her will only end in heartbreak. They will not survive if something or someone was able to get wind of what he was doing by helping her. He has made many enemies in the Middle East, and here as well in this country. There only needs to be someone who wants to hurt him to see them working side by side with her for her life to be put into jeopardy. He is really torn. He thinks that they could be able to make a go of this (whatever it was right now) but his past would always be there in his mind. He'd need to be extra observant and watchful in any event if he did decide to work with her at all. So, as she walked down the hallway and threw him a wave as she stepped onto the elevator, he was thinking that he had a lot to do this weekend and it was going to take a lot of time because the one thing he had to do was break into a police precinct. The things he'll do for the people he cares about, it still amazes him every time.