Greetings again folks. I'm glad you're enjoying this story and hope you continue to do so.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them.
It was a bright and beautiful Sunday, the perfect summer day for a stroll down the beach. Kate couldn't recall a time when she'd felt more peaceful, more at ease. She watched and laughed as Rick tossed the little boy over his head, earning a fit of giggles as he caught him mid-air. The sun captured the golden undertones in the boy's curly hair, causing Kate to smile.
He had his mother's hair and personality, but his father's eyes and goofy grin. Kate was taken by just how perfect he was.
"Be careful." She yelled sternly, attempting to muster as much authority as possible. Castle simply continued to laugh, blowing raspberries on the little boy's stomach. Their son.
Kate couldn't help but laugh as Castle set him down, allowing him to run on the beach, his chubby little legs propelling him forward at a miraculous speed. The ocean was shallow along the boy's legs, crashing against his little feet but not violent enough to deter his actions.
Rick ran to Kate, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together as they watched the little boy bend down to grab shells a few feet ahead of them. She rested her head against his shoulder, noting the glint of her wedding band in the sun as she stared down at her own hand momentarily.
Castle stopped mid-stride, but said nothing. She found it odd. He seemed to be looking strangely at the little boy as he continued to play with shells. The water had receded, pulled far out to sea. Kate watched as the toddler clapped with delight, running as he spotted a huge conch shell.
Kate was filled with confusion, unease as he lifted the shell, displaying it proudly for both of them to see. Her trepidation soon turned to panic as she saw the large wave, rushing towards them. She turned to Castle, who simply stared forward, no longer responding to her. She let out a scream, propelling herself forward to try and grab the child before the wave did; but found that her feet were impeded by the sand, her legs felt incredibly heavy and she could only run in slow motion.
Kate collapsed onto the beach and cried out, watching helplessly as the wave swept the child out to sea. She screamed for Castle, but he was gone.
The water came to shore and Kate was now chest deep. She still couldn't move her feet, but used her arms to search in the murky water for any sign of the child.
"He's not there, Katie." Came her mother's voice. Yet, when Kate turned around she found herself alone. She didn't bother to move, instead she dropped her head into her hands and sobbed. She didn't care if the water swallowed her whole.
She woke up sobbing, "I couldn't get to him. I couldn't save him." She spoke weakly, finding Castle right beside her, pulling her into his arms.
"Shhh." He kissed her brow.
"I tried, but I couldn't do it, Castle. I tried." She was helpless, broken.
"It wasn't your fault, Kate. Please hear me, it wasn't your fault." He kissed her brow, urging her to be coherent enough to absorb his words. Slowly, her breathing settled, becoming steady. For a moment Castle thought she fell back asleep.
"I had no idea." She spoke. It was the truth. Kate had no idea that she was pregnant.
"I know." He whispered, believing that she would have told him had she known. Kate inhaled sharply, one last breath needed to shake off the effects of her horrible dream.
She sat up, looking at Castle with more clarity than he'd seen in days. He adjusted himself to her level, reaching down to grab the bed remote and elevate the head. It gave Kate the opportunity to be upright and the physical support to remain there.
"Did they know how far along I was?" She questioned.
"The doctor said about 10 weeks. It was still early in the pregnancy." Kate nodded, absorbing the information. She hesitated for a moment before sharing.
"It was a boy." She stated.
"Well, we don't know that. I mean, they're going to perform an exam and learn as much as possible, but-"
"It was a boy." Kate spoke again, finality in her voice. Rick pulled a tissue from the box by the bedside, one for him and one for her.
"I've seen him twice now." She took the tissue Castle handed her, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I didn't remember the first dream until I had the second." Kate spoke again. Castle simply listened, rubbing soothing circles into her back as she leaned forward, staring now at the tissue in her hands.
"Was that...was that the second dream, just now?" Castle asked, referring to her startled awakening and her emotional state. She nodded.
"Both times my mom was there. The first time- before I woke up here, she was talking to me at the loft, and she was holding a baby boy." Kate whispered. Rick's eyes began to water once again, sorrow filling him once more.
"This time he was a toddler, and we were on the beach, but…" She couldn't give more detail. It was too painful to think about.
"I lost him. We lost him. I was helpless to watch it happen. Then I heard my mom's voice again. He's not there, Katie, she told me."
Rick simply held her, both of them grieving the possibilities that had been lost to them. Castle hadn't given himself permission to wonder on the baby's gender. It was too difficult, but now he couldn't help but envision a sweet little boy, lost to them forever.
"He'll come back. When it's time, he'll come back." Kate whispered, as if reading Rick's mind. It was the last thing she spoke as she settled herself onto his chest and fell asleep once again.
Castle was so struck by her words, by how out of character they were for his stoic and skeptic detective, that he was speechless. Kate Beckett was the last person to speak of spirituality and the metaphysical, yet her words were filled with truth and certainty. He simply let her statement settle within himself, hoping that they were true.
Later that morning the boys sat at the precinct, going over evidence that had compiled in the week following Neiman's death. It had been quite a ride for them. Before Beckett had awakened, they were hot on the trail of several new leads; all of which surrounded Kelly Neiman.
Although there was no trace evidence on her body, as Tyson was too good for that, they were able to use the single credit card receipt that led them to the bistro across from the loft. The same receipt led them to the woman's apartment. The evidence trail was so sloppy that they couldn't help but wonder if it was all intentional. As a result, they waited for backup from both the NYPD and the FBI before visiting the address.
The apartment was upscale, in immaculate condition, and it seemed as though the place had been wiped clean of physical evidence.
"Why am I not surprised by another dead end?" Ryan spoke bitterly.
"I'm not so sure about that." One of the technicians spoke as they examined the walls with florescent light. The light soon relieved a single smear of blood in the air conditioning vent on the wall behind the flat screen TV.
"Tyson's work was never bloody, why would there be blood?" Esposito questioned cautiously. It was odd that there were no fingerprints, but a single smear of blood was present. Ryan grabbed a step ladder and with a drill provided by another technician, removed the vent cover. Inside he found a box.
The boys took the box into evidence and transported it to the precinct, leaving CSU to continue sweeping the apartment for evidence.
Once back at the 12th, Ryan and Esposito set themselves with Gates as they removed the objects one by one. With gloved hands, they handled the contents with care. Inside they found a letter, clippings of hair, a pair of earrings, a syringe, a match booklet, and several photographs of Castle and Beckett. It appeared as if the photographs were taken over a long period of time, and all depicted the couple in various stages of wedding planning.
Gates pulled the letter open and read the writing,
"Dearest Jerry,
Or perhaps I should address this to the fine folks at the NYPD, as chances are that if anyone is reading this, I'm dead. To whomever reads this, please grant me the last request of reading this letter to my beloved.
While I love you, Jerry; I don't trust you. I know I can't run, and I know I can't hide- you're too good for that, but I can promise that if you harm a single hair on my head, you'll rot in hell. Hence, I've gathered a few trinkets to honor our time together. I apologize for keeping such secrets from you, but rest assured that if I am not harmed, no one will ever find them. This won't even be on your radar, darling. Afterall, we know that blood is too messy for your tastes. Why on earth would you look for a tiny blood stain that I took care to wash away, such as the one I left on the wall? You wouldn't. The cops would, but not you, dear.
I've enclosed in this box several items related to the kidnapping of Kate Beckett, which was committed by both of us; I considered it a shared hobby- meant to bring us closer. Now Jerry, I know you're likely to pin this one on me. However you'll note that there is a specific object enclosed that will tie you to the crime as much as me. You are welcome, my sweet.
Now, I know you prize yourself on not being found, so you'll have to accept my apologies, darling. Afterall, I wanted the fine detectives to enjoy a drink in my memory. I'm sure you'd understand. That's all for now my dear, although I'm sure we'll meet again one day.
I'll see you in hell, my beloved. Yours truly, Kelly."
The letter had a single marking in blood beneath Kelly's signature. They had no doubt that the blood would be hers and that the letter would be covered with her fingerprints. Further, finding a signed receipt would guarantee they could compare and confirm the letter was written by Neiman.
It would appear the doctor was very thorough.
"Hell hath no fury." Ryan stated.
"Like a woman murdered?" Esposito looked to his partner, eyebrow cocked.
"Ok, let's process all of these things; see what the smoking gun that Neiman mentioned might be." Gates sounded encouraged. It would appear that for the first time, they had a lead. She left the boys to their work as she called McCord to share the good news.
It was later in the day when the boys stopped by the hospital. They were beside themselves, eager to share their exciting news with Castle. Although they'd planned to pull the writer aside, the boys were surprised to find Kate awake and quite conversational. She'd come incredibly far since the last time they'd seen her and it had only been days.
"How are you feeling?" Esposito asked Kate.
"Well, you know. Life is better when you've got food. Even if it is from a tube." She spoke wryly. Kate was feeling a bit better. She'd had another appointment with the therapist, one that had lasted a bit longer. The baby didn't come up. Afterwards she slept away the afternoon, waking just an hour or so before the boys arrived.
Both Ryan and Esposito laughed with relief at Kate's joke, as she sounded like herself again. She was weak and frail, but her personality was very much there. Nevertheless, they weren't sure how far they should press things.
"Um, Castle. Can we talk to you for a minute?" Ryan tried to motion him into the hallway.
"Boys, it's fine. You can tell me whatever you've got to say to Castle." She spoke. She was leery, especially after last night's blow, but couldn't stand the thought of anymore secrets.
"Well, it's actually good news." Esposito spoke.
"We found Neiman's apartment and it would appear that she left a little care package." He continued.
"A fail safe, just in case something should happen to her." Ryan interjected.
Beckett listened, but didn't really engage with the boys. Castle leaned in with interest,
"What did you find?" The writer questioned.
"Well, we're still processing a great deal of it, but according to the letter, there's a smoking gun in that evidence." Ryan supplied.
"What do you think it is?" Castle asked.
"We're not sure, but we're hoping for something that will tie Tyson to Kate's kidnapping. Maybe DNA or fingerprints… anything, really." Ryan spoke. Everyone knew they'd been grasping for a lead.
"Don't trust a word she says, she's just as lethal as Tyson." Kate finally spoke, the first indicator that she was still listening.
"Yeah- She is lethal." Esposito responded, "which is why she might just be the type to do something just like this-the ultimate payback for what Tyson did to her." The detective seemed confidant. They all sat in Kate's hospital room, lost in the possibilities.
Only time would tell if the lead would pan out. If they would somehow finally bring Tyson to Justice.