DISCLAIMERS: Alas, I have yet to be hired to take over 'Castle.'

SUMMARY: Ariel has another appointment with Dr. Franklin. Kate gets a visit from her father.

A/N #1: Castle's recounting of the Tyson/Neiman nightmare will conclude in the next chapter.

Chapter 25: The World has too many Bad Guys

It was Rick's moaning and thrashing that woke Kate up out of a sound sleep. "No," Castle was throwing his arms out and mumbling her name over and over.

The night before had been rough. It had taken a long time for the both of them to go to sleep. Kate's cheek and head had continued to throb badly from her earlier assault and Castle had been so concerned with injuring her by accident that he'd stayed awake, whispering nonsense words against her skin and softly caressing her until she finally managed to fall asleep, his words the last thought in her head. Now he was paying the price with a horrible nightmare.

"Rick? Castle?" She put her hands on his shoulders to stop his tossing and turning. "Castle, it's okay. You're safe. You're just having a bad dream."

"Tell him to stop," he groaned.

"Shh," she stroked his face, his skin slick with sweat and tears. "We're all safe, Rick. The kids and I are safe. Please wake up."

Suddenly Kate found herself clutched fiercely in Castle's arms, his lips seeking hers, his hands groping under her shirt. She wasn't sure if he was awake or still in the throes of his nightmare, but all that mattered was that he needed her. She assisted him the best that she could in removing her t-shirt and sleep shorts. "Kate," he mumbled her name, his hands and lips seeming to be everywhere at once.

"I'm here, Rick," she trembled under the onslaught of his hands and mouth. She gasped at the feel of his fingers between her thighs. "Oh god, Rick," she arched against him.

He moved back up, roughly biting and kissing the sensitive skin of her neck and collarbone. Kate reached her hand down to his boxers, feeling him hot and pulsing in the palm of her hand. "I love you, Kate," he hissed against her neck.

"I love you, too," she shoved his shorts down over his hips and guided him to her. "Yes!" She cried out as he entered her with a savage thrust.

It didn't take long. And it was the first time Kate could remember not being able to keep up with him. Her name came out of his lips on a hoarse cry and he collapsed on her, his breath coming out in harsh rasps against her shoulder. After a few minutes, he slowly rose up and looked into her eyes, his blue eyes filled with worry and regret. "Kate . . . I'm so sorry. You were just there and—"

"Castle," she put her hands on his face to stop his rambling. "It's okay."

"But, you didn't . . . you didn't come. God, I'm such an asshole," he rolled over and threw an arm across his eyes.

"You're not an asshole," she propped herself up on one elbow so that she could look at him. She reached over and pulled his arm down from his eyes. "You're not an asshole," she repeated. "You were having a nightmare and needed comforting. I'm glad that I was there to provide what you needed. You don't have to make it about me every time."

"There are times when I think that I don't deserve you."

"Rick, why in the hell would you ever think that you don't deserve me? I'm the one who pushed you away when you tried to get closer. You're the sweetest, most wonderful man I've ever known. You're a great husband and father; you're an extremely attentive lover," she kissed him softly. "Stop with the self-flagellation."

"I've gotten you into some awful situations over the past several years. Now I'm dragging our children into those situations."

"Castle, you didn't ask Jerry Tyson to torture our family. And you certainly didn't ask him to target our daughter. I know that talking to Dr. Swann about this hasn't been easy. But I'm sure that she's going to tell you the same thing that I've been telling you for almost three months. What happened that day wasn't your fault. Ariel's already doing so much better. And so are you."

"I should've been with you yesterday," he lightly touched her gauze covered cheek.

"Rick, the guy was hiding in a blind alley. Even if you'd been with me, one of us still might've got hurt. I'm going to let you in on a secret," she bit her lip. "I was doing this long before I met you. I took care of myself just fine then and I can take care of myself now. It's not that I don't miss you being my partner at work. I do," she kissed his jaw, "but I'm okay when you're not there."

"In the fall," he stroked her bare shoulder, "when Jack is in school, I'm coming back."

"Okay," she grinned as her lips came down on his.

The next morning Kate groaned before rolling over and reaching for Castle, only to find his side of the bed empty and cold. Disoriented, she sat up and reached for her phone. "Shit!" She swung her legs over the side of the bed and headed for the bathroom.

"Where's mommy?" Ariel asked with a mouthful of toast in her mouth.

"She's still asleep and don't talk with your mouth full."

"Castle, why didn't you wake me up? I have to be at work," Kate stumbled into the living room, carrying her boots in one hand.

"No, you don't," he stopped her. "Capt. Gates called and said if she sees you walk into that bullpen, she's going to send you right home. She told me to tell you to take a couple of days and that's an order."

"Oh," she looked over at the kids, who were still staring at her as if she was a creature from a horror movie. "Well, do you need help with them?"

"Yes, you can help Jack get dressed."

"No," Jack shook his head.

"Jack, it's okay. Come here," Kate reached for him as he reluctantly stepped forward. She lifted him into her arms, feeling his soft, warm toddler body against hers. "You smell good this morning. Do you want to get dressed?"

She loved the way Jack cuddled into her, something that he rarely did any more. He was so much more fiercely independent than Ariel was. He didn't like cuddling into her lap now unless he was sick. So, Kate and Castle had learned to take advantage of his hugs whenever they could. She kissed his chubby cheek before placing him beside her on the sofa and helping him into his clothes. "Jack, are you going to stay with me while daddy takes Sissy to school?"

"I was going to take him to Helen's," Castle volunteered.

"Why? Castle, I have a cut on my face. I'm not incapacitated."

"If you're sure," he said as he helped Ariel with her coat and backpack.

"Of course I'm sure."

"Mommy, I don't have to go see Dr. Franklin today," Ari walked over to her mother. "I can stay home and make you feel better."

"Sweetie, that's very thoughtful of you, but do you know what would really make me feel better? Knowing that you're feeling better. So, I want you to go to your appointment today. Okay?"

"Okay."

"I was thinking that I could take Jack with me this afternoon and then I'll take the kids to the park after. On the way home, I'll stop and pick up some Chinese food."

"Castle, I can take care—"

"Park!" Both kids shouted with glee.

"Well, I guess that's been decided," Kate smiled.

"Great," he grinned. "Come on, Ariel, we need to go. I'll be back in 20 minutes."

"We're not going anywhere."

"Put another ice pack on your cheek," he called out as he closed the door behind himself and Ariel.

"I be back!" Jack called out before thundering up the stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him.

While he was gone from the room, Kate went into the kitchen and took one of the ice packs from the freezer and wrapped it in a dishtowel before returning to the living room and getting comfortable in Castle's favorite recliner. A few moments later, she smiled when she saw Jack coming down the stairs, his favorite stuffed animal under one arm and a storybook under the other.

"Is it story time?" Kate asked as Jack nodded and somehow managed to climb into the chair with both hands full. He nestled against Kate's breast with his stuffed elephant in his lap and watched as Kate opened up the book. "You'll have to help me turn the pages, okay?"

"Okay."

Kate read the story of Peter Rabbit to her son as he turned the pages when she directed him to. She enjoyed moments like these with both children. Before falling in love with Rick, the thought of motherhood was terrifying to her. Like she'd once told him, she just wasn't a baby person. Sure, they were cute, but it was always nice to hold one and then give it back to its original owner.

Then she'd gotten pregnant that first time and even though it had ended in a miscarriage, it had opened her up to the reality of maybe being a mom. When she'd gotten pregnant with Ari and had felt the changes her body went through, that reality became ever more exciting. When she'd put Ari to her breast for the first time, she'd understood what Castle had told her so long ago about her life being forever changed.

Jack's pregnancy had been totally different from Ari's. With her small son, she'd felt like she'd had to fight tooth and nail to keep him safe inside of her until it was time for him to be born. Two bouts of pre-term labor had earned James Jackson Castle the nickname of 'The Escape Artist.' But holding him that first time the day after his birth and feeling him nurse had assured her that the fight had been so worth it. He looked so much like his father complete with his smile and his easygoing charm. She knew that he was going to be a lady-killer when he started to school. He was already a huge hit with the little girls at the playground.

"Does your face hurt, mommy?" He craned his neck to look up at her.

"It's a little sore," she admitted.

"I can kiss it and make it better," he grinned his father's disarming grin as she melted.

"I know you can, but why don't you wait a few days until it's not quite so sore. Okay?"

"Okay," he curled up against her once again.

Kate took out her phone and brought up her photo album. Both kids loved to look at the pictures on their parents' phone and to hear the stories about them. One of the pictures Kate brought up showed Castle, her and Ari. Kate was hugely pregnant with Jack at the time. The date stamp showed that the picture was taken just a few days before his birth. "Where I am?" He asked. He asked the same question every time Kate showed him the picture.

"You're inside of mommy's tummy," she pointed.

"How did I get in there?"

"Daddy hid you in there so that you'd be safe," she kissed the top of his head as he giggled.

"Mommy, I'm a big boy. I won't fit in there."

"Once, you were really little and you did fit."

"Sissy fit in your tummy, too?"

"Yes, once Sissy fit in there, too."

"How did daddy hide me?"

"I'll tell you when you're older," she kissed him again as he began struggling to get off of her lap.

"You tell silly stories, mommy," he was shaking his head as he went up the stairs to his room.

***CCC***

"How are you doing today, Ariel?" Dr. Franklin asked his young patient that afternoon.

"Daddy is taking Jack and me to the park. A bad guy hurt my mommy yesterday."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she's okay."

"She had to get stitches. Do stitches hurt?"

"No, the doctor gives you a shot to make you numb before he puts the stitches in."

"I don't like shots. I'm glad that you don't give shots."

"Is it getting easier to ride in the car?"

"My seat is in the middle now. That way even if the bad guy breaks the window, he can't reach me."

Dr. Franklin knew from the conversation that he'd had with Rick and Kate that the accident had happened right in front of the FlatIron Building. It was important to get Ariel to return to the scene of the accident. "Do you go to the Empire State Building or the 9/11 Memorial with your school?"

"No, we went to the museum. I like the museum. They have dinosaurs."

"Have you ever been to the FlatIron Building with your school?"

"I won't go there," she got up and began wandering around the room. "It's too far."

"Ariel, is that where you and your daddy had your accident?"

"I told you about the bad man and his wife taking me! I don't want to talk about them anymore! Where are my daddy and Jack? I want to go home!"

"Ariel, you know that I can't let you go home," he said in a gentle voice. "It's not time, yet."

"I'll tell my mommy and uncles to 'rest you!"

"Ariel, are you angry because your mommy and uncles didn't arrest the bad man and his wife?"

"They couldn't 'rest them," she turned toward him, her eyes huge and teary. "They couldn't find them. I wanted them to find me," she sat in the middle of the floor and began to cry. "The bad man and his wife kept yelling at each other. My daddy was hurt. I wanted my mommy to find me. I wanted her to shoot the bad man and his wife. She kept touching my hair and telling me that she could make me even prettier than my mommy. I wanted her to leave my hair alone! I wanted her to stop touching me!"

Dr. Franklin got up and walked over to Ariel, sitting down across from her. "Your mommy and daddy love you very much. I know that your mommy and your uncles were looking everywhere for you. Did your mommy ever tell you how they found you?"

"No," Ariel shook her head.

"You have a magic watch," he pointed to the pink and white watch strapped around her wrist. "It has a chip in it. You were wearing your watch when the bad man and his wife took you."

"Daddy gave me this watch for my birthday. Is it really magic?"

"It sure is. Your mommy and daddy told me all about your watch."

"So, they knew where I was?"

"What happened right after the bad man's wife threw you out of the car?"

"I hit the ground and it really, really hurt."

"What happened after that?"

"Uncle Javi was yelling at me to run. And I saw Uncle Kevin running in the middle of the street. I was scared that he was going to get run over, but the cars weren't driving. They were sitting in the middle of the street."

"Did you do what Uncle Javi told you to do?"

"I got up and ran fast. When I ran to him, he held onto me so tight that I couldn't breathe. I was so happy to see him, but I really wanted my mommy."

"I bet that you did."

"I kept asking for my daddy, and they wouldn't say anything. When they took me to the hospital to see my mommy, Uncle Javi was driving the car and I sat in the backseat on Uncle Kevin's lap. He kept crying and I didn't know why. I thought that my daddy was dead and he was sad. But he kept hugging me and telling me that they were so glad that I was okay."

"Do you remember when you saw your mommy?"

"Oh, yes," her face brightened for the first time in several minutes. "I don't know where Uncle Javi went but Uncle Kevin carried me to where my mommy was. Gram, Pop-Pop and Lex were there, too. My mommy sat down on the floor and I ran into her. We fell over and she wouldn't stop crying. I was so happy to see her, but I wanted to see my daddy."

"Ariel, did someone give you something after Uncle Kevin and Uncle Javi found you?"

"A policeman gave me a stuffed rabbit. He said it would help me not be so scared until I could see my mommy and daddy. I don't know where it is now."

"How do you feel about the bad man and his wife?"

"I don't feel anything about them. I know that they can't hurt me anymore. Dr. Perlmutter showed me the room where they were. He said all of the people in that room are dead. He wouldn't let me go in there, though. He said I was too little. But he was nice to me."

"Who's Dr. Perlmutter?"

"He works with Aunt Lanie. They work with dead people. Daddy told me that Dr. Perlmutter even worked on a zombie once. My daddy likes to tell me and Jack funny stories like that. Mommy told him that zombies aren't real, not even on 'The Walking Dead.' They're just real people wearing a lot of makeup."

"Would you like to go find your daddy and Jack now?" Dr. Franklin asked as Ariel nodded eagerly.

***CCC***

Kate was dozing off on the sofa, but the ice pack kept sliding off of her face and waking her up. She'd just reapplied it when the doorbell rang. She struggled to her feet and walked to the door, surprised to find her father standing there. "Dad, hi. Come on in."

"Rick texted me last night and told me that you'd gotten hurt. I hope the other guy looks worse," Jim Beckett gently hugged his daughter.

"Javi put a bullet in his shoulder. He's definitely in a lot more pain. Would you like some coffee or iced tea?"

"Water would be great. Where are Rick and Jack?"

"Ari had an appointment with her therapist. Rick took Jack with him and then he's going to take both kids to the park since the weather's so nice."

"How is she doing?"

"She's doing better. We moved her booster seat to the middle of the back seat. Now the only problem I have is when her and Jack start squabbling. That's much easier to deal with than trying to force her into the car to go anywhere."

"How is Hurricane Jack?" Jim smiled.

"He's still a one-man demolition crew," Kate smiled. "Have I mentioned lately how much I love being a mom?"

"Not in the last 15 minutes or so. Are you and Rick taking the kids to the Hamptons for the summer?"

"Rick will probably take them when school lets out. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to join them since I took so much time off when Rick got hurt. You should take some time off and go out there with them. The kids would love it and I know that Rick certainly would appreciate the help. You know that you want to," she could see his eyes light up at the idea. "Come on, dad. When is the last time you took a real vacation? And I'm not talking about going to your cabin for a few days. I'm talking about a real vacation of a couple of weeks."

"It's been a long time," he admitted. "When will he go up there?"

"I'm not sure. School ends the first week of June, so right after that."

"I'll think about it. It is beautiful up there."

"Yes, it is."

Kate looked toward the door when she heard Castle's key. He opened the door and the kids walked in, brightening when they saw their grandfather. "Pop-Pop, you're here!" Jack ran over, leaping into Jim's lap.

"Jack, what are they feeding you? You're huge! Hello, Ariel," he reached out for Ariel.

"I missed you," Ariel hugged him. "Are you staying for dinner? Daddy brought Chinese food home. Please, Pop-Pop? Mommy, tell Pop-Pop to stay for dinner."

"She's hard to say no to," Kate whispered to her father.

"Then I guess I'm staying for dinner," he said as both kids cheered, jumping up and down excitedly.

"You'd think we never have company," Castle took the bags into the kitchen.

Lying on her side later that night, Kate smiled when she felt Castle slip into bed and pull her against his chest. She'd taken a pain pill earlier, so she was drowsy, but feeling his arms around her made her feel so safe and warm. "Dr. Franklin wants to meet with us on Monday," she tensed up at his words. "He said it's nothing awful, so relax. I get the impression that they got a lot talked about today."

"How was she when she came out of his office?" Her words were slow and drowsy.

"She looked like she'd been crying at some point, but she was fine when she came out. She was anxious to go to the park."

"You didn't watch her on the monitor?"

"Truthfully, I try not to. It feels a little creepy."

"It's not my imagination, is it, Castle? Ari really does seem to be getting better, doesn't she?" She turned toward him, wincing at the pain in her cheek.

"She seems like it to me. She's certainly laughing a lot more."

"I invited my dad to the Hamptons with you and the kids this summer. That's okay, isn't it?"

"Of course. I hope you'll be able to come out for more than a few days, Kate. The kids are going to miss you. I'm going to miss you," his lips closed over hers in a long, slow kiss.

"I need to lie on my other side," she touched his lips before rolling over and taking his hand, placing it on her hip. She closed her eyes and went to sleep with the feel of his fingers stroking over her hip lulling her under.

Castle listened to Kate's deep, rhythmic breathing, all the while keeping up the same rhythm on her hip. He couldn't admit to what he'd witnessed that afternoon. Jack had been quietly playing with his toys in a corner, bored by the fact that while he could see his sister on TV, he couldn't hear her. Castle had occasionally glanced at the monitor while playing games on his phone. At one point he'd seen Ariel as hysterical as he'd ever seen her. He'd seen her on the floor in tears before the doctor had come over, sitting down with her. Gradually he'd seen her terror fade away.

After she had come out, Dr. Franklin had instructed Anna to take Ariel and Jack back to the other room. He'd told Castle that he wanted to talk to him and Kate on Monday. At the park, Ariel had been her usual self, almost the same little girl she'd been before December 19. She'd helped Castle push Jack on the swings, and they'd raced to the top of the monkey bars, laughing and chattering like a couple of monkeys.

Castle closed his eyes and drifted off, happy that they seemed to finally be getting their little girl back. That night he dreamed of the little girl who'd always delighted in using her daddy for her own personal jungle gym. The little girl that seemed to be more Kate than him. He longed to have that little girl back again.

A/N #2: One more chapter and then the epilogue. I'm actually going to make the deadline!

A/N #3: Stana and Nathan were a clue on today's 'Jeopardy!' The category was 'Canadians on TV.' The answer was: 'Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic solve crimes on this ABC series.' They had a picture and everything. It was great!

Follow me:

Twitter: at Caskett1960

Tumblr: Caskett1960

Facebook: Cindy Wylie