Wow! What can I say? Im still in awe of the reception this story has gotten. I'm only a few reviews from a huge milestone. I can't thank everyone enough for reading and reviewing. All the behind the scenes people who have all offered their help and expertise! Thank You! It really does help motivate me, knowing people are waiting and wanting to read more! So thank you! I hope you enjoy, and it look forward to your comments.
They spend the rest of the day knee deep in paper work and phone calls. McCord, Villantes and Smith have teams tracking down Vulcan Simmons and Bracken's where abouts, so they are under surveillance and accessible when the time comes. Neither has been spotted. The blinds in the conference room have been lowered facing the precinct and towards the outside window. Earlier in the day Gates had the room swept for bugs. If information did leak now, it would be easy to find the culprit.
When everything they could do was done they head out for a good nights rest, hoping that tomorrow would be the end of this hellish I nightmare.
After spending time with what had become their little makeshift family, Martha and Alexis retreat to their room. Castle follows them up the stairs a few minutes later. Jim and Kate remain in the living room catching up on the days events.
"How are you doing Dad?"she asks quietly. She knows that he feels this as strongly as she loss of Johanna almost buried him and watching her almost lose her life over it had almost driven him back to the bottle.
"Katie, I just want this done. I've already lost your mother over this. I almost lost you two years ago. I want whoever is to blame to pay for everything they've done, but most of all I want you safe and happy. I can't lose you to him, to this. I won't survive it."
"Dad it's almost over. Bracken will pay for the multitude of lives he has taken. So many people will get closure besides us. I want him to pay for what he did to Mom. What he did to Captain Montgomery, and me, Dad. He sent an assassin to kill me. When this is over I can finally have the life I want! I can have a family and not fear for their safety."
"Just promise me you'll stay safe. Whatever happens remember you have people waiting for you who love you." He changes the subject knowing he can only push so far on this.
"They said I'll be able to return to work tomorrow with my shadow of course," he rolls his eyes and humphs.
"I'm glad, I know you must have been going stir crazy in here. It's going to be over soon and we can put it all behind us. We can go on and be a family."
Jim gets up and bends over to kiss the top of her head. "You know you're just like your mother. She would have loved Castle and his family. She'd have been happy for you, Katie-bug." He smile and turns towards the stairs.
"Good night, Kate." He call out as he walks up the stairs.
"Until tomorrow, Dad." She smiles as she remembers the memory those words bring up. She's feeling hopeful tonight for the first time in a long time, as she ascends the stairs and heads towards their room.
The next morning everyone tries returning to their daily routines with some alterations. McCord, Castle and Beckett were the only ones left in the house. They were leaving for the precinct in about 45 minutes.
Kate and Castle were still in their lounge clothes, while McCord had gone out to get something out of the car. They hear the front door open and close.
"Hey, we're in the kitchen want some coffee before we leave?" Kate yells out.
There's no answer.
"Hey Rachael, want.."
"Your little FBI agent, can't come to your rescue Detective." She hears and her heart stops as she watches Vulcan Simmons walk towards them.
"What are you doing here, Simmons?" She demands as Castle inches towards her.
"Doing what Elena should have done in the woods. I don't know why the Senator didn't make sure you were taken care of when he had the chance. Instead I lost a good man and we had to move our operation out of that house."
"You don't have a chance of getting out of here. There are patrols out there. Agents coming in and out, someone could be here any minute." She bluffs, if McCord is really out of the picture then it's just her and Castle.
"I've done my homework detective. There's no one left, and you have no place to hide a piece in those clothes. I want to know what the police know. Either way, I'm putting a bullet in both your heads."
"You're done Simmons, you're both washed up. Nothing can help you now. You'll just being adding murder one to your list."
Kate catches movement over Simmons shoulder, but can't make out who it is. She purposely looks directly at Simmons giving whoever it is a chance to get closer.
"I'll have the satisfaction of putting you in the ground, Detective. Of knowing I put the bullet in that pretty little head of yours. You've been nothing but trouble for us. Either way you'll be in the ground before I am."
Castle steps in front of her, and Simmons lets out a loud bellow of laughter.
"You're still sweet on her. Too bad." Simmons raises his gun and aims the gun at him. "You got first."
"No!" Escapes from Kate's lips as she moves to push Castle out of the way.
"Don't you touch them." A loud defiant voice startles Simmons. Before he can fully turn to see the culprit, two bullets pierce his side and he drops to the ground. His gun gets jarred out of his hand on impact and skids across the floor, where Beckeet secures it.
Castle runs to the shooter and pries the gun out of her badly shaking hands. "Mother, are you okay? My God, I thought we were surely dead."
"I heard him talking. He was going to kill you both. Richard, I couldn't let that happen."
Kate checked Simmons, he's alive but won't be going anyplace. She turns to Castle's mother, "Martha, thank you! That was a brave thing you did!" Castle carefully hands Kate back her gun.
"He was going to kill you two both. You could hear the determination in his voice. The information he wanted wasn't why he was here. His script was to kill you. Period! There was no time. I had to do something, he was threatening my family!" Her voice trembles as she takes in the body lying on the kitchen floor. Castle holds his mother as she begins to tremble, and show the effects of the adrenaline. He finally moves her to the sofa where he sits and tries to calm her.
"I've called it in, help is on the way." Kate nods towards Simmons. "He's not going anywhere but he's not dead either. I'm not taking any chances, I need to go put some pressure on his wounds, make sure his lungs don't collapse. I want him alive. I don't know where Rachael is, but no one is leaving the house until help arrives. We don't know what's out there." Kate grabs a clean kitchen towel and some wax paper to seal the sucking chest wounds before his lungs can deflate.
Within a couple of minutes the sounds of approaching sirens can be heard. The tension in the air gets a tiny bit lighter. Emergency personnel find McCord behind the house within minutes of arrival. She had been found shot in the left thigh, restrained with her own cuffs, and sputtering a multitude of unintelligible swear behind the tape over her mouth. There was no spurting blood or severed arteries and she was still conscious, but mad as hell at herself for being surprised. Vulcan Simmons was currently being whisked to the nearest trauma facility as paramedics kept him alive. Explicit orders given by Chief Villantes stated that Simmons could have absolutely no visitors, and only essential personnel screened by his office to be strictly enforced once out of the OR.
Kate walks over to where Rachael is being buckled in for transport, when she sees Kate.
"Damn, I hear I missed all the fun. You were rescued by a tactical thespian!" Rachael grunts in pain With the movements.
"Yeah, I learn something new about Martha everyday. Sometimes more than I want to know. I hear you were laying down on the job. Now really, how are you doing?" Kate asks genuinely.
"Lucky me the bullet didn't hit anything important. Will be out of work for a while. Maybe I'll take a nice vacation." Kate laughs, and Rachael regrets trying to laugh. "Stay close to that future mother-in-law of yours; she's a jewel but she'll need a lot of support for a while – not because she shot Simmons but because she almost lost you and her son. From what I heard she knows exactly how close it was. Tell her well done from me."
"I will. When this is over, I'll come see you." Kate grabs the other woman's hand and squeezes."Thank you for everything. I owe you." She watches them put Rachael in the ambulance when she hears, "That's what ex-partners are for!"
Gates and the boys arrive as the ambulances and some police cars depart. Gates spends quite a bit of time speaking with Martha over the incident. With the safe house compromised everyone was going to have to head back to the 12th precinct, where statements would be made and new arrangements discussed.
My reminder to please visit /:support dot woundedwarriorproject dot org. I know PTSD affects soldier, law enforcement, healthcare provider, firefighters, and ordinary people who have gone through extreme trauma. I chose this charity because it is the best known for this work. Please, if you can donate it would be appreciated.
Follow me on Twitter glo1196 and on Pinterest my Castle board glo11962
Life is to short to spend being angry and negative!
Thank you!