Chapter written by Julie...Thank U so much, Castle fans, for continuing to read and support this story.
"Hey, you wanna go inside and start dinner? Your dad should be here soon." Rick breathes in her hair as they remain seated on the lounge chair on the deck.
"Can we just sit out here a little longer? I just want to enjoy the sun and the fresh air for a bit longer before we go inside." Kate says turning to meet his beautiful blue eyes.
"Do you need some time on your own or do you want me to stay?" He asks hesitantly.
"I want you to stay...we're in this together. We need to figure out how to break this news to our family without freaking them or us out too much. Telling Lanie and the guys went remarkablywell but it is always easier over the phone than in person." She says with a shrug.
"Yeah, especially when nobody can see your body language or your gorgeous eyes that give you away every time. Kate, your eyes have always said way more than your voice ever could...especially with something as serious as your mom's case." He says as he hugs her just a little tighter. "I know you're nervous about telling your dad about everything that has happened in the last few days and about the warning that Maddox left at your apartment but you aren't in this alone anymore. I'm right here where I have always been...where I always want to be. We can do this together. I know Mother and Alexis will be worried just as your dad will be but we will be okay. I've hired the best security money can buy and we know what we are up against."
"Do we really? Maddox told me on that roof that I had no idea what I was up against. Can anybody really keep us safe? Will they ever stop? I walked away...why can't they honor the deal you made with Mr. Smith?" She huffs with equal parts anger and fear.
"Kate, you know as well as I do, that none of us will ever truly be safe until this conspiracy is revealed and put to rest permanently. All we can do now is accept the security details and hope that Ryan can find a clue to Maddox's whereabouts over the next couple days." He says as he meets her eyes.
"What happens if he doesn't find anything? Ryan gave us two days. Are we going to be any safer in the city than we are here? I can't even go back to my apartment...it's a freaking crime scene, Rick!" Kate says as her voice rises to a very un-Beckett like squeak.
"Kate, you know you can stay with me. The loft is a secured building and frankly, I was hoping you would choose to stay with me even if your apartment wasn't a crime scene. I'm not really sure why Ryan gave us two days and what he expects but we will re-evaluate things again when the time comes. Maybe we should take Jordan up on her offer to look into things...unofficially, of course." He hesitates, not knowing how Kate will feel about Jordan's help.
"I'm not involving her in this right now. I'm not saying no, I'm saying not today." Kate says ending the discussion on the topic. "I was really hoping this would all just go away when I resigned. I meant what I said when I came to your apartment that night, Rick. All I want is you. I just wish..."
"Kate, we can't change the past or any of the stuff that we have been through, but we can have one hell of a future together. We could even make up for some of those missed opportunities right now if you're interested." He says with a smug grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows. "I think we should go inside and 'freshen up' before your dad arrives."
"As appealing as that sounds right now...you are gonna have to settle for a few more minutes of snuggling in this lounge chair and maybe a few very, very passionate kisses from a woman who wouldn't dream of being anywhere else right now." Kate says all the while turning around so that she can face him and create the perfect angle for those passionate kisses.
"I would never turn down kisses from you, especially if they are anything like the ones you attacked me with the night you showed up dripping wet on my doorstep." He grins as he steals a kiss.
"I certainly didn't hear any objections that night or any of the times since. Shut up and kiss me Rick!" She says as she grabs him for the first of those promised kisses.
"Oh...uh...Richard...Kate, dear. Your father is here." Martha says interrupting them from the task they had so very recently become engrossed in.
"Hi...Katie...Castle." Jim says quite embarrassed at seeing his daughter and her writer in a compromising position.
"Daddy, I..." Kate mumbles as she peels herself away from Rick.
"Mr. Beckett...I see you found us okay." Rick says trying to change the tone of the encounter.
"Oh, I found you alright...I see you're busy...got a little caught up there." Jim smiles enjoying this chance to tease his usually unflappable daughter. He can tell by the splotches of pink on her neck and cheeks that she is embarrassed. He is also smart enough to know that the flush of Kate's complexion isn't solely from being caught by her father. If he wasn't sure before, he is now, that Kate and Rick's relationship has moved passed partners to something more.
"Kate, Mother and I will go start dinner so that you can have a little time with your dad before we eat."
Rick beams at her as he makes a quick escape inside to avoid his girlfriend's father's uncomfortable stare. He feels like a teenager all over again and feels just a hint of guilt about leaving Kate to face her dad all alone...just a little.
"Coward!" She mouths at him over her dad's shoulder as he looks back before disappearing inside.
"So...anything you want to share with your dear old dad, Katie?" Jim chuckles. "Sure looks like you and your shadow are pretty close these days. Is this what you wanted to tell me about...the reason for inviting me out here?" He continues teasing her.
"Yeah...that is one of the reasons we invited you. We wanted you to be one of the first people to know that I finally realized what I've had all this time and was too stubborn to see. Dad, I think...no I know, I fell in love with my best friend." Kate says so softly he almost can't make out the last few words.
"Well I'm glad you finally saw what I have known for a year now. " Jim states.
"What do you mean...you've known for a year?" Kate asked thoroughly confused by his statement.
"Honey, I never told you this, but I went to visit him last year...before you were shot. I went to his home and asked him about the man that you were chasing and asked him to try to talk some sense into you because I knew you would never listen to me. I could see it in his eyes the first time I met him. He loved you. And if I wasn't sure about it then, his actions that day in the cemetery when you were shot made it perfectly clear. He tried to take a bullet for you Katie." Jim says through blurry eyes as he relives his only child's shooting.
"Dad, why didn't you tell me this before?" Kate says drawing her father into a hug.
"Katie, you knew how I felt about you chasing your mother's killers. I had already lost her to this...I couldn't bear losing you too. I went to the one person that actually had a chance at making you see that your life was worth more than her death. I knew by the way you talked about him, that he meant more to you than just a partner...even when you were with that doctor." His voice almost a whisper as he continues to hold her in his arms. "If you could have seen the devastation written on his face in that waiting room...God Katie...I could tell by his grief that he loved you like I loved Johanna. He couldn't even bear to look at me...He took the blame for you being shot when 'your doctor' shoved him into a wall in the waiting room. He looked like a man ravaged by guilt,...guilt for not being quick enough, guilt for not getting you to walk away. How could you not have known that man loved you?" Jim asks full of wonder at his daughter's obliviousness at the time.
"Daddy, I think I knew all along...it was just so complicated. We were partners and friends. I was so worried about losing what we already had to dive in with him...We just always had such awful timing when it came to saying how we really felt,...what we really wanted, ...needed from each other." Kate says with a wistfulness in her voice that Jim has never heard.
"So what is the other reason that I was invited? It's not a wedding is it? I don't think I could take that kind of news after the shock I received when I arrived. It's not everyday that a father witnesses his grown daughter making out with her boyfriend." Jim says sensing Kate needs a change of subject.
"No, Daddy. No wedding. Can't a girl just want to spend time with her dad without an ulterior motive?" She laughs rolling with the change in subject and trying to avoid the darker, more serious reason for inviting her dad to the Hamptons. "There is another reason we invited you but we want to fill you, Martha and Alexis in at one time. Which I would assume will be over dinner or shortly after. Did you bring an overnight bag? Do you want me to show you where you will be staying? We can grab your bag and take it to your room." She says knowing that her dad can sense another shoe about to drop.
"Sure. We can put my stuff away, but you are not off the hook. I know you didn't just invite me up here for some quality time. I know you Bug, I know when something is bothering you. But I am a patient man...I will wait until you're ready to spill the news that you have for us." Jim says breaking the hug, preparing to grab his bag and follow Kate into the house.
"Hey, I was just getting ready to send Alexis out to tell you dinner will be ready in about five minutes." Rick calls out before taking in the suspiciously red eyes of his girlfriend.
"I'm just gonna show Dad where to put his bag and then we'll be back down." Kate says. "I'll explain later." She whispers in Rick's ear as she squeezes his arm and heads for the stairs.
Rick returns to setting the table as he wonders what happened out on the deck between Kate and Jim. Is she upset about facing the music on her own? Is Jim not happy about them being a couple? Did she already fill her dad in on what is going on? I'm gonna have to ask her about this later.
"Dinner's ready!" Rick yells from the kitchen so they can start what he hopes is the first of many family dinners...The rest under better circumstances in the future.
"Dinner looks wonderful Rick. Alexis told me you are quite the cook." Jim says as everyone takes their seats around the table.
"I had to learn to cook when Alexis was small. I find that it is kind of therapeutic. It takes my mind off my worries, ...if only for a short time." Rick says giving Kate a knowing look. "Plus I couldn't have my darling daughter eating takeout every night."
"Well, hopefully, this cooking thing will rub off on my Katie. Have you seen the inside of her refrigerator?" Jim chuckles taking in his daughter's expression.
"She has quite the Styrofoam temple going on in there." Rick laughs at the glare he gets from across the table.
"Hey, I'm sitting right here! I can hear both of you and don't think that I won't get you back when you are least expecting it." Kate giggles, enjoying the mood of the dinner.
"I thought the only thing Kate eats were bear claws and coffee." Alexis chimes in from the other end of the table.
"Hey, Little Castle, I thought you were on my side!" Kate smirks in the girl's direction.
"I'm a daddy's girl, what can I say?" Alexis banters back.
"Well, then...to daddies and their daughters!" Martha says as she raises her glass in a toast.
"Here, Here." The rest of the table agrees, raising their glasses.
"So, Alexis. Katie tells me you just graduated from high school and valedictorian, no less. Where do you plan on attending college?" Jim asks trying to find out about the youngest member at their little family dinner.
"I plan on attending Columbia in the fall. I wanted to stay close to home so I could keep my internship at the morgue with Doctor Parrish and keep an eye on my dad." Alexis says sheepishly.
"I didn't know you were going to keep working with Lanie." Kate says showing her surprise.
"Yeah, we might have to issue a gag order on Alexis where Lanie is concerned. I'm sure the good doctor might try to persuade her to share secrets from Chez Castle." Rick says grinning.
"Ew, no. You and Kate can have all the secrets you want...There are some things a daughter doesn't need to know about her father." Alexis pleads.
"And things dads don't need to know about their daughters." Jim adds.
"Hey, mothers don't need to know about all the intimate details in their son's lives either." Martha adds from the kitchen where she has begun working on the post dinner clean-up.
"Let me help you with the dishes, Martha. It will give the kids a chance to talk before they fill us in on what exactly the reason for this dinner is." Jim says as her joins Martha in the kitchen with a stack of plates.
"Yeah, I figured something was going on when they set this up. Richard and Kate have been enjoying their time alone too much for there not to be a serious reason." Martha admits as she loads the dishwasher.
"Dad, I'll be upstairs if you need me." Alexis says, excusing herself from the table.
"Can you come back in about fifteen minutes? We have something we need to tell you." Rick says as Alexis leaves the room.
"Kate, what happened out there? Is everything okay with your dad? Are you mad because I left you out there to face your father about what he walked into? I know you were crying and you know I won't drop it until you tell me why." He pleads, exasperated by the situation.
"Dad shared some stuff today that I knew nothing about. Stuff from last year around the time I was shot. Some of it was really hard to hear,...made me a little more emotional to hear it from his point of view." She says as her eyes fill with tears again.
"Kate, what is it? What did he tell you to get you this worked up?" Rick pleads as he grabs her hands and threads their fingers together.
"Dad told me about him coming to your house and asking you to convince me to walk away from my mom's case before I was shot at the funeral. I guess that is why you showed up at my place and we fought. When I told you we were over. Rick, I wish I would have listened then...There isn't a day that goes by that I wish that I wouldn't have thrown you out. That I would have listened. How things might be so different if I would have just walked away." Kate's voice shakes with grief for her, for them, for Roy.
"Kate, I should have told you I loved you then,...not when you were bleeding to death in my arms. I've wondered how much things would be different too. I just didn't want to tell you during an argument when you were still with Josh. I didn't want you to think I was just saying it to get you to stop. Would you have stopped if I had said it then? You didn't stop the last time we had an argument about your mom's case. The only thing different this last time was that I said we were over. Things happen for a reason...You hadn't reached your breaking point. It took you hanging off a building by your fingertips and me walking away to make you realize what you could have. I'm just glad you found your way to my door that night so we could be here,...now." Rick's voice now soft and shaken. "What else did he say?"
"We talked about us. He asked me how it took me so long to realize what was right in front of me the whole time. He wanted to know how I couldn't see how you felt. He said, 'that man tried to take a bullet for you Katie.' He told me about what happened in the waiting room at the hospital after I was shot. He told me he could see that you were devastated, wracked with grief. He said he knew the night he talked to you, how you felt about me, but it was confirmed that day in the cemetery. He told me he knew then that you loved me like he loved my mom." She says burying her face in the crook of his neck.
"It's always been you." He breathes into her hair. "I love you Kate."
"I love you too Castle. So much." She mumbles as she kisses his neck.
"You guys really need to stop this. You're going to make your old man lose sleep if he keeps seeing this every time he walks into a room, Katie." Jim teases.
"Sorry Dad." Kate says brushing the tears from her cheek. She doesn't know if they were hers or Rick's.
"Everything okay kiddo?" Martha asks from the doorway.
"Yeah, we were just talking...remembering." Rick says squeezing Kate's hand that is still wrapped in his. "Let me get Alexis so we can fill you guys in."
"Alexis, could you come down here now?" Rick calls from the bottom of the stairs.
"Okay, I guess we can't put this off any longer. We know that you're all wondering what is going on and why the sudden urgency for a family dinner. I know you guys are going to have lots of questions, but I need you to wait until I am done to ask them. So here goes nothing." Kate begins only to be interrupted by Rick settling in beside her on the couch and reaching for her hand.
"Sorry." He says meeting her eyes, ...trying to give her the strength to get through this with a look and the squeeze of her hand.
"A few days ago we caught a case that involved a robbery at Captain Montgomery's house and a subsequent murder. After some investigating, a connection to my shooting was discovered. The suspect in our murder was also the man who shot me in the chest last spring." Kate ignores the gasp from Martha and continues on. "Once we discovered the link, Castle...Rick came to me and asked me to step away from the case for my own safety. He had been quietly working on the case and had been contacted by an interested party who told him that he needed to keep me away from the case or they couldn't protect me anymore. Well...I was furious at him for going behind my back and working on Mom's case. I wouldn't listen to reason...He told me he loved me but he couldn't watch me get myself killed so he walked away." She pauses to take a breath and to regain her composure. "While Rick and I were having it out in my apartment, Espo and Ryan got a lead on the suspect. I headed back to the precinct and informed the boys that Castle was no longer on the team. I was so hurt and determined to solve this thing that I threw myself headlong into the case. Espo and I headed out to follow the lead while Ryan stayed behind. He did not approve of us going after the shooter without backup. The hotel manager let us into the suspect's room where we found all of the stolen items from Roy's house. We were so caught up in the files that had been stolen we let him get the drop on us. Javi was looking at the paperwork and I had turned to call for backup. The next thing I knew Espo was taken out with one punch and I was chasing the guy up the stairwell and onto the roof,...the call for backup long forgotten." Kate stops again looking at the faces of her captivated audience.
Knowing that her dad is going to really struggle with the next part of the story she glances over to Rick for reassurance and he gives it to her in the form of a wink and a nod. Silently telling her with his eyes that she can do this and he is right here holding her hand. After a deep, cleansing breath she forges on. "Somehow he ended up behind me and we proceeded to fight on the roof. I was outmatched and couldn't compete with his brutal strength. At some point, I'm not sure exactly how it happened, he threw me off the side of the building." She meets her dad's tear-filled eyes, but continues on. "As I was hanging by my fingertips, he tells me I have no idea what I am up against, smiles and walks away. He left me there to fall to my death. I was hanging on as best I could but my arms were getting tired and my fingertips were getting rubbed raw from the concrete. All I could think about while I was hanging there was that I never got a chance to tell Rick that I loved him too,...that I was going to die without telling the man I loved how I felt. I was so desperate, I actually thought I could hear is voice telling me to hang on. Just as my fingers were slipping away from the rooftop, a hand reached over and pulled me up. When I saw the blue eyes, I thought it was Rick. As it turns out Ryan had brought backup which much to my chagrin, included Captain Gates. I looked for Rick, but for the first time in nearly four years he wasn't there to save me this time. Gates was pissed, she took us back to the precinct and told us we didn't deserve to wear the badge and put us on administrative leave and made us turn in our badges and guns. I told her she could keep mine and then I quit. I had finally found something that meant more to me than being a cop...more than my mother's case. Him." She says pointing at Rick. "After some soul searching and my own personal pity party I showed up at his door soaking wet and told him that I wanted him. That is how we ended up here in the Hamptons. Rick is going to pick it up from here." Kate sighs knowing that her part is done.
"Okay, so after we arrived here and spent a little time enjoying the sites and each others' company. We got a call from Ryan saying that Kate's apartment had been broken into. Someone was obviously looking for files and information that she might have had pertaining to Johanna's murder and her own shooting. This is the reason that we are having this talk now. The man who threw Kate off the roof left her an ominous message. As a result of the message, I have contacted a private security firm...The best of the best and vetted by the FBI, to protect us all. They have teams in place back in the city for Ryan, Espo and Lanie. They will be arriving here shortly as well. We figured it would be easier to protect all of us if we were together in one place. Each one of us will have our own detail. They will go wherever you go. They will be discreet, but they will be there watching. I do regret this being the reason for the family dinner, but it is so very important to us..." He says motioning between himself and Kate. "That you are safe and what better way to keep you safe than be here with us in the Hamptons? We are pretty sure that no one knows we are here. We haven't told anyone other than Lanie, Javi and Kevin where we are. We aren't saying you have to stay cooped up in the house. You can still go out on the beach or into town. But we are saying to be cautious. If something seems off or out of place let one of us or your detail know about it immediately. I guess that's it. Now you can ask questions." Rick finishes with a weary sigh.
"How long do we have to have security following us around?" Martha blurts.
"Hopefully, just for the next few days, but it could be longer. It depends on what Ryan says when he calls us back in a couple days." Rick answers trying to put his mother at ease.
"Do you really think that all of us are in danger?" Alexis asks full of worry.
"We don't know that they will come after any of us,...so far they have only tried to kill me." Kate says meeting Alexis' eyes.
"What was the message he left at your apartment, Katie?" Jim asks hesitantly, not sure he wants to hear the answer.
"The message said,...Johanna's waiting." Rick chokes out.
"Do they have any leads as to where this man is?" Martha questions.
"Kevin said they had some leads they were following and he would know more in a couple of days. He said he would keep us informed." Kate says trying to hide her doubts.
"If you guys don't have anymore questions...I think Kate and I are going to go upstairs and lay down. It's been an emotional day that started far too early for my liking." Rick says as he helps Kate off the couch.
"We'll be back down in a bit...we just need to rest and recharge before the security details arrive." Kate tells them as she and Rick head for the master bedroom.
"You okay?" Rick asks as they reach the quiet of their room.
"Yeah, all that talking has made me tired. Who knew that talking could be that exhausting?" She yawns as she flops onto the bed.
"Maybe that is why we never talk. I have a few ideas for things we can do that involve no talking at all. And we are very, very good at them,...especially together." Rick winks.
"I almost forgot...My dad did say something else. When he was trying to find out why we invited him up here,...you know after he found us making out like horny teenagers,…he said he guessed that we were more than partners based on what he just witnessed and asked if he was here for a wedding." Kate laughs taking in Rick's dumbstruck expression.
"He...what now? Wedding? Where the hell did that come from? Not that I don't...Not that I haven't...Never mind. I'm shutting up before I really say something stupid." Rick stutters.
"He thought he was funny and he only said that after I told him that I had finally seen what was right in front of my face all along, and that I had fallen in love with my best friend." Kate says with a twinkle in her eye and a beaming smile on her face.
"Me too Kate...Me too." He whispers taking a seat next too her on the bed. "Now, about those non-verbal activities I mentioned.
"Can we start with one of those world famous Castle massages and maybe work our way up to a more physical non-verbal activity later?" Kate sighs as she rolls over onto her stomach.
"Massage it is. But, I will hold you to the rest of those other activities after we meet our new shadows.