Love's Journey
Originally by The Muse of Apollo, now carried forward from Chapter 8 by Castlefan6 with permission from author
Authors Note This is set before the end of season 2, but after Tick Tick/Boom. Chapters 1-7 are the work of the original author The Muse of Apollo, following chapters are work of Castlefan6
I don't own Castle, I only use the characters for amusement purposes only
A/N Also changing up the format and font a bit, sorry if it confuses you.
Chapter 26
Previously
"Well I talked to Esposito and Ryan after I finished the Outline of Final Heat, I have six cases that I need to be sure are vetted to insure no liability because of them being too close to actual cases, and the guys offered to help out. I know you haven't met them and I would like to have a small party and invite Ryan Espo and Lanie over to meet you, and to keep the ball moving for Final Heat."
"Why would that be a problem Sweetie, they are your friends and I want to meet them too. Why aren't you inviting Kate, or is it too soon", Jess sees the panic on Ricks face "sorry Hun that isn't my business." "I think it's a great idea and I am fine with whoever is invited, OK?"
One Month Later:
NY City Morgue
Lanie is just completing work on her latest victim, a man who thought his wife was cheating shot by her brother that he didn't know she had, so sad, as her cellphone chirps with a new text message. Discarding her gloves, motioning the assistants she had finished, and they were free to take the next steps, she grabs her phone and opens the new text.
"Hey Lanie, I know it's been awhile since we talked but wanted to get together with you and the boys at the loft, lots of changes going on, and would like to see you. Please be discrete when you talk to the boys, This Saturday at 7:00 if that works, Let me know, Thanks, Rick AKA Writer Man."
Lanie sits for a moment in disbelief, then a smile appears as she re-reads "AKA Writer Man," just like Rick to try to take the tension out of the situation, and it doesn't need explaining when she reads "Please be discrete" she knows she needs to keep Kate out of the loop. She immediately responds, "Checking with the boys at lunch, can Ryan bring Jenny, that boy is attached to her hip, text you after lunch." Lanes "PS Thank You Rick, we have missed you"
Now the next challenge, how was she going to keep this from Kate, bigger challenge how was she going to keep Javi from letting it slip. She texts Javi, "Meeting in my office 1 hour, bring your partner and keep your mouth shut, or you will wish you had, I mean it!"
Javi is sitting at his desk going through the financials of the last body drop they had just picked up when he heard Lanie's tone chirp on his phone, expecting a cute joke or plans for what they were going to do later that evening he discretely opens it, and reads the message. "Hey Bro, take a walk with me, got to stretch these legs a bit" he quietly says to Ryan, not quiet enough apparently,
"What's up Javi, and don't tell me nothing, you know I know when you are lying" Kate accuses
"What makes you think something is up, well it is but it's guy stuff and I need to talk to my partner, is that OK BOSS?" the last word perhaps a bit too strong, but it has its desired effect,
"Sorry Javi, of course you and Kevin go talk, I guess I am just still edgy after the last several months, Forgive Me?" It doesn't go unnoticed to the bullpen that Kate Asked for forgiveness rather than her typical "sorry".
Ryan falls in place walking behind Javi still having no clue where they were headed. Call it worry, or just that Espo knew Beckett to well, Ryan punches the elevator button, and Javi motions for the stairs, and they head down quietly to Lanie's office. Espo was right, Kate made a motion to head to the files, and just lingered to see if she could pick up what floor the boys got off on. Karpowski mumbles "wasting your time Beckett, they took the stairs" as Kate looks like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar and makes her way to the file room to complete her unsuccessful distraction.
Ryan is still clueless to what is going on, but knows if Javi is this direct with Beckett, it is something that needs to be dealt with quietly, finally they reach the morgue, and Javi just mutters, "She demanded a meeting with just us, and made it clear JUST US." Ryan nods as they head into Lanie's office and wait as she is brushing some assistant off yelling "Handle it Damn it, what do I pay you for", no this is not going to be pleasant with an angry Lanie.
Lanie pulls the blinds and locks the doors, and turns to the boys, "I got a text from Rick, and we need to answer him by this afternoon, but none of this, Javi I mean NONE of this get's out to anyone, especially Kate, Understood?" Javi pouts with Lanie but nods his head in agreement with Ryan, "We got it Chica, no Beckett".
Lanie opens her phone plugs in the external jack, and now is displaying the complete text from Rick on a big display screen, she gives the boys time to read it, and then shuts the phone and display down,
"Well what do you guys think, can we make it Saturday?" Ryan nods, "Jenny and I were going out anyway so I's sure we can make it, and for your information we are not joined at the hip" ** Javi is looking at Lanie, and finally acknowledges, "Yes of course, Castle is one of us, and it'll be great seeing him again."
"Great, I'll set it up, and we need to come up with a story in case Kate wants to go out for drinks or something," ** Ryan interrupts, "Lanie she hasn't accepted one invitation from any of us in the last 5 months, first it was Demming for 2 months, and for the last 3 all she does is work and hide in her apartment, I think she's afraid of running into Rick again"
"Maybe so Kevin, but we need to have our stories straight anyway. You and Javi are going to the baseball game, and I'm cramming for a re-certification exam, That's the story and you have to stick with it, Got It?"
"Not sure she will buy it but at least the lie will be the same from all of us" Kevin mutters, he doesn't like hiding things, especially from Beckett, but he is aware that there is still a lot of pain between the two.
"Ok guys, I live the farthest from Kate so let's meet at my apartment at 6:15 PM and share a cab to Rick's. We can minimize the chances of her seeing us, and I hate this as well Kevin, but maybe this will start to open the two of them up, let's just pray. Now get out of here before I get a surprise visitor prying me for information and take the back exit."
Once again intuition has saved the day, as the boys were slipping out of the back exit, Lanie pretended she didn't see the tall brunette coming through the double doors headed for her office. Few moments later the door to her office opens, "Hey Lanie, you got a second," Beckett asks sadly.
"What's up girl, and why are you walking all over your lower lip. You look like someone just died"
"The boys are hiding something from me Lanie, I don't know what, but I know something is going on, I can just feel it" Kate responds
"Kate, you do know that Kevin and Jenny are getting closer don't you, what makes you think it isn't anything but guys talking about taking the next step. You know how scared Kevin gets over relationships and why he would trust Javi's advise is a wonder to me"
"Maybe you're right Lanie, it just feels off, I mean everything feels off without Ri** since I have been back"
"You mean since Rick has been gone right Honey, I wish I could do something about that, but none of us has seen him since he left" (It wasn't a lie, they hadn't seen him, texted yes,)
" I know Lanes, I just wish I could go back in time, but I have started working on myself, so I never screw up like that again. I met with Dr. Burke for three sessions as part of my reinstatement, and believe it or not, I did listen. In fact, this is for you," Kate pulls an envelope out of her pocket containing the letter she had written following the rules in the book. "It's not much but I hope you know how long and how hard it was for me to write this,"
Lanie pulls her friend into an embrace "I know it was Sweetie, I know. Just keep working and keep the faith, we never know OK?"
"I guess you're right, I got to get back, Montgomery is still pissed at me, and I know I am not getting any slack like he cut me before, see you later" Kate states as she turns and heads back to her desk.
Lanie hated deceiving Kate, but it wasn't her party to invite people to, and knowing Rick, he could only deal with Javi and Beckett one at a time, both cut from the same wool. That Jackass would follow her into a burning building if she asked, but let the ME mention the word commitment suddenly had something to do, and not with her.
Lanie pulls her phone out and locks her office door as she pulls up Rick's texts, so she can keep the conversation string and begins her reply. "Hey Rick, look for 3 guests Saturday at 7:00 PM, Can we bring anything? Looking forward to seeing you WM, and I'll smack Javi if he gets out of line, Thanks Rick, Lanes"
Castles Loft
Same Day
Rick and Jess are in the office each working on their own projects, soft oldie music streaming from Spotify that Jess had found and grown to love. From time to time Rick would hear that sweet voice singing along, not even conscious she was doing it. She had a beautiful voice and Rick loved hearing her sound so happy, it made his mood light and his fingers fly across the keyboard. He raises his head to gaze upon Jess as she is softly singing along, what was that, oh yea an Eagles song, Love will Keep us alive, as his phone chirps and brings them both into the moment.
Rick opens Lanie's text and calls out "Angel, we are going to have guests Saturday night, Lanie and just the boys for now" "I'm going to order the party tray and beverages now, do you want anything special?"
Jess raises her head with a smile and says "Yes, I want that kiss you promised me 2 hours ago, you must really be making some progress to forget to recharge our batteries with batting practice" she laughs
Rick picks her out of her chair and begins to kiss her up and down each side of her neck, finally reaching her lips, then he loses track of time and how they got to their couch. Yep, he really likes Jess's idea of how to recharge and could not fathom ever going back to the old way.
After a brief recovery when Rick is sitting down at his desk, he hears a soft voice, "Hey Rick, which one called you Babe?" and looked up at Jess eyes full and concern showing.
"Hey Angel, it was just a silly pet name, I'm sorry if that worries you"
"Which one Rick, Please it's important to me. It was Kate wasn't it"
Her answered came almost as quick as she finished the question, Rick dropped his head and simply muttered sadly "Yes, yeah it was her"
"Rick, you know it's OK don't you, every time her name comes up it seems you want to skirt around it or change the subject, is that because of me, or do you still have feelings for her, and please think Honesty before everything before your answer, Right?
"Jess PLEASE, I HAD feelings for her, but that was before you, I'm sorry if you mistook my avoidance about her as meaning I still loved her, well like that anyway. I will always love her, but not the same way I love you. I'm sure there is someone in your past that you may have thought was the answer to your dreams", **
"Mine turned into a freaking nightmare Rick" as Jess interrupts and smiles, "I stopped having dreams or hope till I met you. I know you don't turn feelings like that off like a faucet, so I don't want you to hold back, I really would like for you to see her and talk, if not for you then do it for me.
Things are going really well between us, and I don't want to trigger some unresolved anger caused by her that could hurt our relationship. Does that even make sense, me telling the love of my life to go see his ex and to forgive her?" Jess is pleading almost in tears.
Rick has been pacing slowly as Jess has been talking trying to figure out what is triggering this. Suddenly he has a flashback to his marriage to Gina, a silly disagreement about what wine to serve for diner party had turned into a two-week standoff. Suddenly he realized he had transferred his anger towards Meredith onto Gina and suddenly what Jess was saying was making sense.
"You really don't know just how special you are do you? I was listening to your fear of me transferring hurt or anger on you from something she did, and it hit me, God I am an idiot, I did it to Gina. Not that our marriage was going to last anyway, but still I put something on her that Meredith owned." "I'm not proud of that now, but at the time I just couldn't see it."
"So you're not upset with me for bringing this up again, I know we talked about forgiveness a few weeks ago, and really Rick, holding on to hurt, will hurt you, well us, and I want us to last OK? We are going to be building new structures for Lost Innocence Project, and you would never start without clearing all the rubble from the old, would you? This rubble with you and Kate has to be cleared so we can start building,"
"Tell you what, let's get this small party off the ground, then We'll talk about the best time for me to see Beckett, would that work?"
"That's a deal, now let's plan a party" as she kisses his cheek and takes his hands heading towards the kitchen.
TBC
A/N Imagine that Jess pushing for forgiveness for Kate, and before you bash the idea, it is based on a real personal experience.
Thanks for reading, following and favoring, always appreciated - Tim