Is Forever Possible
by RGoodfellow64
Chapter 26, How do I love thee?
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Disclaimer: Geez, for the twenty sixth time, I don't own Castle.
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It was Thursday evening and Kate was sitting with Martha and Alexis. The three women were dressed and ready to go to the Mayor's ball, they were only waiting on Rick who suddenly had a burst of inspiration and was sitting in front of his PC writing a scene to be incorporated into a Nikki Heat book.
From the living room, Kate looked at him sitting at his desk, and said, "I'm glad he took his jacket off before he started, I wouldn't want him to wrinkle his tux. He looks so good in it."
Martha tapped her arm and said, "Don't worry dear; I've seen this happen before. He's learned to take his jacket off before sitting down to write."
"So Grams," Alexis said, "you and Kate were going to tell me how to stay nonchalant when guys show a lot of interest in you."
Kate turned to Alexis and said, "It's all in the way you carry yourself, Alexis. My mom used to be able to walk into a room and grab everyone's attention immediately."
"Kate's right dear," Martha said. "Once you have their attention they can be easy."
"But how do you get their attention in the first place?" Alexis asked.
"Once my greydar finds one, I just usually walk up and let 'em become interested in my sparkling conversation, but Kate does it more quietly."
"I do?" Kate asked at the same time Alexis said, "She does?"
Martha looked at the two of them and said, "You're cute when you do that. Yes, Kate has a quiet, smoldering quality that draws men like flies, and yet when she's not interested can seem like an iceberg to turn them away."
"An iceberg, Martha?"
Patting Kate's knee Martha said, "Kate, when we were waiting for Richard at that lovely little bistro before we went to the theater a few months ago, it was practically all I could do to keep the men away from you. How many untouched drinks did you have in front of you that night?"
"Really?" Alexis asked. "I don't remember hearing anything about this!" she exclaimed. "What happened Grams?"
Now as animated as Alexis, Martha said, "Kate was wearing that green silk over the shoulder dress that your father loves so much, and her hair was down and curling at the ends." Turning to Kate she said, "I must say dear, you really did look exquisite that night."
Kate found herself blushing and could only mumble "thank you" before Martha continued. "Alexis, the place was packed and it seemed there were quite a few unattached men there, who all wanted to become attached to Kate."
"Martha!"
With a little chuckle Martha said, "Oh shush! It's true. You managed to catch the eye of every man in the place the moment we entered. I saw that immediately."
"This is starting to become embarrassing," Kate mumbled at the same time Alexis said, "Quiet Kate! I'm trying to learn things here!"
Turning to her left to look at Alexis and then to her right at Martha Kate said, "I'm beginning to understand why Rick feels he's outnumbered in this house."
As Martha was about to explain more to Alexis, Rick walked out of his office with his jacket on his arm and said, "Ok, I'm ready to go."
Kate mumbled "Thank goodness," under her breath as she got up and lent an arm to Martha, who shooed Kate away and got up from the couch almost as quickly as Alexis. Rick put on his jacket and all four walked to the hall closet to get their coats before leaving. At the elevator Kate reached up and adjusted the collar on Rick's coat just as he said, "There will be some press downstairs, but not many, so we won't be bothered too much on our way to the car."
Shaking her head, Kate said, "As long as I don't hear any more 'we're sorry for your loss, Detective Beckett,' I'm fine with them."
"Four of my friends from school called to tell me how sorry they were about Dad," Alexis said. "Dad had to offer to make Paige a smorlette just to convince her he was ok!"
"Richard! Tell me you didn't do that to the poor girl!"
"Mother, I only offered, unfortunately Paige doesn't have the culinary taste that I do."
Alexis looked at Kate and rolled her eyes which brought a smile to Kate's face. Alexis had that down pat.
They exited the elevator and passed the guard station where Kevin was on duty. Rick waved and said, "Good evening Kevin, not too many of them outside, are there?"
"There's about half a dozen Mr. Castle. Your drivers seem to be so intimidating that they're keeping the press away from the car and doorway."
Martha looked out the window and said, "I see Pyotr by the car and I believe the young man by our front door is Dmitri."
The members of the press who were waiting outside the Loft saw Castle and his party talking to the security guard and got themselves into position to take photos and ask questions the moment the group stepped outside to get to the limousine.
Rick saw the press arrange themselves and turned back to the three women beside him and said, "Ready ladies?"
"Oh Richard, for the love of Pete; there's less than a dozen out there. I had to deal with more than that when I was seventeen!"
"I know Mother, but this is still pretty new for Kate and Alexis hasn't had too much experience as an adult with them either."
"Well you hold on to Kate and I'll hold on to Alexis and let's get this show on the road."
Shaking his head Rick offered his arm to Kate who took it with a smile and the foursome headed for the door.
"Have a pleasant evening Mr. Castle, Miss Rogers, Miss Beckett, and Miss Castle," Kevin said as they were walking out. They each called out the same to him and then walked outside to Dmitri.
As they stepped out the door photos were taken of the four as they made their way to the waiting limo. Dmitri looked impressively daunting as he led them to the car, glaring at reporters who tried to get too close for his comfort.
Questions were thrown out but no one answered till they arrived at the car and Rick made sure the three women were safely inside. Then standing by the door and next to an imposing Pyotr he turned to the press and said, "I realize most of your colleagues are waiting at the Mayor's ball and that you stayed here in the hopes of a quote. You can tell your readers that I am almost completely healed from the minor injuries I sustained last week. I am already back at the precinct and hopefully soon will once again be allowed to go out in the field with Detectives Beckett, Esposito and Ryan. Thank you all very much and now if you will excuse us, we have a ball to attend."
With that, he entered the limo and Pyotr closed the door after him. Dmitri stood by the door in case any reporter tried to get close and as soon as Pyotr started the engine and put the car in gear, he jumped into the front passenger seat and they drove away.
Inside the limo, Martha already had a glass of wine in her hand while Alexis and Kate both had some water. "Richard! Pyotr stocked up on my favorite caviar, wasn't that sweet of him?" Martha said with a little wave of her hand.
Kate looked through the window at Pyotr's reflection in the rear view mirror and smiled. 'Sweet" was not a word that anyone first seeing Pyotr would use to describe him. Huge, scary, ogre-like, perhaps, but sweet, no. Looking in the mirror, she caught Pyotr's eye and Kate had to hold back a giggle as he winked at her. He had definitely heard Martha's comment.
Twenty-five minutes later Pyotr pulled up in front of the hall where the ball was being held, and they prepared themselves for another walk through the press. At least this time they had a red carpet to walk on, with plenty of security to keep the press and others away.
Dmitri opened the door and Rick stepped out first, then he turned back to the car and assisted Kate, Alexis and Martha. They stepped away from the car and Dmitri said, "We will be ready whenever you are Mr. Castle," just before he got back in the car and it drove away.
As cameras flashed around them, Martha gave a big smile, waved at the crowd, then grabbed Alexis by the arm and headed towards the main entry. Rick shook his head with a grin, offered his arm and when Kate took it, they also started walking down the red carpet.
Although questions were called out, Rick and Kate merely smiled until they entered the building where press stations were set up for short celebrity interviews. One of the Mayor's assistants waved them over to a station and as Rick started to head over, Kate let go of his arm.
"Why did you let go?" he asked as he stopped walking.
"This interview is for you Rick, if I'm there all they'll talk about is Nikki Heat and you said this charity is important to Bob…I mean the Mayor." Kate said with a smile.
"But…"
She patted his arm and said, "You go on and answer a few questions, I'll head in and find our seats." She looked towards the door and added, "And look for Alexis and Martha too."
He gave her a puppy dog look but knowing it wouldn't really work anyway, agreed. As he was turning around, he saw Captain Montgomery talking to some people and his wife quietly standing by his side. He nodded his head in their direction and said, "We're sitting with Roy and Evelyn and she's over there looking as bored as you probably feel. Why don't you go with her?"
Kate smiled when she saw Evelyn, gave Rick a kiss on the cheek and said, "We'll be inside." She caught Evelyn's eye and walked over to her. The two women greeted each other, and decided to enter the ballroom to wait for their men. As they entered, Kate saw that Martha had found their seats and was speaking to a distinguished looking older gentleman, while Alexis was at another table speaking to one of the Mayor's younger aides.
Kate watched as Alexis and the aide spoke and had to smile as she saw the smitten look on his face. It was almost as if he was shocked someone as lovely as Alexis would talk to him. Evelyn smiled and said, "She's going to have a long line of broken hearts behind her when she finally settles down."
Kate agreed and the two headed to the open bar and get something to drink. When they got to the bar, they had to wait as quite a few people made their first stop there. After a few minutes however, Kate was able to order for herself and Rick, and Evelyn ordered for herself and Roy. As they stood waiting for their drinks, Evelyn overheard a conversation between two women and brought it to Kate's attention.
The two women were dressed to impress, not simply dressed to kill. They were looking for money and were talking about the eligible men who would attend the ball. Kate smiled, remembering Ruthie who came to these affairs to look for rich, single men. Kate was going to say something to Evelyn about how she caught the "white whale" when one of the women said, "Isn't that Rick Castle?"
That immediately caught Kate's attention and she looked over to their table to see Rick and Roy reading the place cards to find their seats.
"Oh yeah, that's him," the second woman said. She sighed and added, "He sure does know how to fill out a tux, doesn't he?"
Kate smiled and thought to herself that he certainly does and it's even nicer watching him put one on, but as she was thinking this, the first woman agreed and said, "I think I know who I'll be leaving here with tonight."
The second woman replied, "But Mary, isn't he engaged to a cop?"
'You're darn right he is,' Kate thought as Mary said, "So what? He's here by himself which means the engagement may be over or he's not as engaged as they say he is."
Kate stood up straighter and thought, 'Yeah, over as in married and off the market!'
"I don't know Mary…" the second woman said, but Mary interrupted her and said, "If he was mine Shelia, I'd never let him come to one of these things alone, and since he is here alone, he's fair game."
Kate's eyes narrowed as she thought of several ways to get rid of Mary or simply keep her away from Rick. She heard Rick's voice in her head suggesting alien abduction and she smiled and felt her eyes automatically drift his way.
Shelia looked past Mary and suddenly whispered, "Don't look now, but someone else has her eyes on Castle."
Mary turned around to see Kate looking at Rick with a smile on her face. She immediately felt threatened and said, "Excuse me, I haven't seen you around at these events, but there are rules to this and I saw him first."
Kate took her first good look at Mary, and noticed that although she was attractive, most of her looks seemed to have come from a doctor's office and the application of lots of makeup. An idea came to her and feigning ignorance Kate said, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was interfering," then pointing to Rick asked, "Are you talking about that man over there?"
"That's right," Mary said, "Richard Castle, very rich and very handsome. So leave him alone. He's mine!"
"Richard Castle," Kate said, "and you saw him first?"
"That's right," said Mary. "You must be new to the circuit since I haven't seen you before, but those are the rules we follow at these affairs, or else things could get messy with too many women hitting on one man."
"Oh, I didn't realize there were rules about this sort of thing," Kate said. "You're right that I'm new to this."
Mary relaxed a bit and said, "That's ok, we all have to start somewhere, but tonight you don't start with him."
Kate gave a disarming smile, put out her hand and said, "I'm sorry, we weren't introduced."
Mary paused a moment to look at Kate's right hand, then put hers out to shake and said, "I'm Mary, and this is my friend Shelia. And you are?"
Kate gave a big smile and said, "Hi Mary and Shelia, my name is Kate."
Kate was having a lot of fun with Mary and since Rick was still at the table with Roy she decided to have some more. "I was only noticing how well he fit into that tux," she said, adding, "I won't make a move on him but tell me, what's the story about Castle over there?"
"You don't know who Richard Castle is?" Shelia gasped, "He's only been on the top 10 most eligible bachelor list for the past few years…"
"Except during his two marriages," Mary added.
"What makes him so eligible?" Kate asked, trying to hide her smile. Behind her Evelyn had to turn away to hold in the laughter, but she continued to listen.
"Look at him," Mary said, "Not only is he extremely handsome and in great physical shape, but he's rich, very rich…"
"And that's what makes him so eligible," Shelia added, and all three women looked over at Rick at the same time he turned to look at the bar and saw Kate.
As Rick was looking at Kate and smiling, Shelia said, "Look Mary, he's checking you out…and he's smiling! Oh, he's heading your way, get ready!"
Mary straightened her stance and gave a beaming smile at Rick, pulling back her shoulders to make sure her surgically enhanced assets were out in front for his inspection.
Kate was standing behind Mary and Shelia, so when he arrived at the bar he planned to politely apologize for pushing between the two women. The moment he said, "Excuse me," however Mary interrupted, put out her hand and said with a come-hither smile and sexy voice, "Oh, no need to apologize, my name is Mary and I'm very glad to meet you."
With a confused look on his face Rick said, "What?"
Even from behind her, Kate could sense that Mary turned up the charm, and used an even sexier voice when she said, "Now, now, no need to be coy, I saw you watching me, and the feeling is mutual, I assure you."
Kate heard Evelyn try to hold back her laughter and then, to make things even better, Rick looked beyond Mary and with a puzzled look on his face said, "Kate?"
Mary and Shelia turned around to look at her and Kate just smiled and said "Hi, Rick."
As the two women looked at Kate in shock and disbelief, Rick stepped around them, came up to the bar and said, "I've been looking all over for you," before he gave her a kiss.
Kate smiled and said, "I was just passing the time talking to Mary and Shelia here. Evelyn and I were getting drinks for us all; you're just in time to help carry them to the table."
Rick gave a small smile to Mary and Shelia, a bigger one to Evelyn, and went to pick up his and Roy's drinks after putting a bill in the tips jar. Pursing his lips, he threw Kate one more kiss then headed to their table. Kate smiled as she watched him go then heard Mary say, "What the hell just happened?"
Kate looked at Mary and said, "What happened was you just met my husband."
As Mary and Shelia stood there in shock, Kate smiled and said, "It was nice meeting you. I hope you have a lovely evening," then she and Evelyn followed Rick to their table.
Still stunned by what had just happened, Mary and Shelia watched as Rick pulled a chair out for Kate to sit down, then they sighed and started looking around the room.
Pointing to a handsome man by another table Shelia said, "Isn't that one of the Mayor's top aides?"
Mary looked where she was pointing and said, "Yeah, but he seems to be really into the redhead he's talking to."
Shelia gave a big sigh and said, "Ok, let's split up and mingle, there have to be some eligible men here tonight."
As Shelia walked away, Mary took one more look at Rick and Kate and said to herself, "Kate Castle, I never expected her to be right behind me." She started to turn away when a thought came to her and she looked back at the table. "Wait a second, I thought they were just engaged. When did they get married?"
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Friday morning Kate was fixing breakfast with Alexis and Martha was reading the paper and sipping her coffee, while Rick was taking a shower, having slept later than everyone else. Folding the paper Martha said, "Now look at that. Isn't it wonderful? With all the beautiful people who attended Bob's party last night, whose photo do you think they put on page 6?"
Busy with the eggs and bacon, Kate didn't turn around but Alexis walked over to her grandmother and looked at the photo. "Kate, this is a great photo of you and Dad dancing."
Turning over the bacon Kate said, "If it's really good remind me to call Paula to see if we can get a copy of it."
"Oh it's really good Kate," Alexis replied. "In fact it's probably one of the…" she stopped speaking as she read the small story under the photo.
Not hearing anything else from Alexis or Martha, Kate turned around from the stove to ask about the photo and saw them both reading the paper with surprised looks on their faces.
"Alexis?" Kate asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Um, not really wrong, but remember when you told us about that woman who had her eyes on Dad last night?"
"Yes…" Kate said, dragging out the word.
"I think you want to read this yourself dear," Martha said, and handed the paper to Kate.
Kate first saw the photo and noticed that it was indeed a very nice one of the two of them, and then she read the short paragraph underneath while Martha watched her anxiously and Alexis hurried to the stove to watch the breakfast.
The blurb under the photo was small, but it had the potential to be a lot more and Kate had to read it several times before she put the paper down on the counter. When she did, she raised her eyes from the paper and looked at Martha with a puzzled look on her face. "No one said anything, so what makes them write that?" Kate asked.
"Write what?" Rick asked as he walked into the kitchen.
Kate turned to him and immediately noticed how good he looked with his hair still damp and his face unshaven. Without saying a word, she handed him the paper.
He quickly noticed how good the photo was and then read the words underneath, Richard Castle and Katherine Beckett spent most of the night dancing at the Mayor's Charity Ball last evening. Although she's only wearing an engagement ring, a little birdie told us that the two are now secretly married. Perhaps some more investigating should be done on the writer and his fiancée/inspiration/wife?
Rick looked up from the paper at Kate and wasn't sure how he would describe the look on her face. Testing the waters, so to speak, he said, "Uh, nice picture isn't it?"
Kate nodded her head and said, "I'm going to call Paula to see if we can get a copy," then turned around to thank Alexis for helping out, before taking over to finish making breakfast.
Rick looked at Martha and Alexis who both had surprised looks on their faces; he nervously cleared his throat and said, "Uh, Kate? You're not angry?"
Putting the eggs and bacon on the assembled plates, Kate didn't turn around when she said, "Nope."
Surprised by her simple answer, and hearing no trace of sarcasm or anger in her voice he said, "Uh, this may be a stupid question but…why not?"
Kate started putting the plates in front of everyone and then took her seat. With a look that held part love and humor she said, "I guess you were probably still under the influence of the drugs, but I distinctly remember marrying you in the hospital," she tapped his plate with her fork and added, "And I fully intend to keep you."
"Huh?"
Putting down her fork, Kate patted his hand and said, "Rick, eat your eggs before they get cold. We are married, and they didn't print anything that was untrue."
"Um."
Kate gave him a look that said 'you're driving me crazy but I love you anyway', and asked, "Do you want those eggs or not?"
"Ahh…"
She smiled and said, "We only needed to keep it a secret so it wouldn't outshine Ryan and Jenny's wedding."
At his surprised look she said, "Rick, you're my husband and I love you."
A huge smile came over his face and Kate could see matching ones on Alexis and Martha. As Kate picked up her fork to start eating again, Martha said, "It's just that we know how private you are dear."
"Thank you Martha, I am, but this is one thing I don't mind sharing." Suddenly a wicked smile came across her face and she nonchalantly said, "Besides, it's good for people to know someone caught the white whale."
Alexis spit out her orange juice and said, "Kate!"
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The rest of the week went by quickly and Kate's team continued to help Karpowski's and Perkins' teams. Paula managed to get an original copy of the photo and Kate had it in a frame on her desk. She and Esposito had to work over the weekend and now that Monday was here, she arrived early to welcome Ryan back from his honeymoon and to try to hold back some of the enthusiastic jokes that Esposito and Rick had planned for him.
Rick would arrive later as he found more inspiration for Nikki and Rook and was furiously typing on his laptop when Kate left for work. Sipping her coffee she gazed at the photo of her and Rick dancing, and thought back to the conversation with Paula when she brought it to her.
Holding the photo in her hands Kate looked up at Paula and said, "Thank you again for getting this. It may just be one of my favorite photos of us."
Paula waved her hand and said, "No problem Kate. Anyone looking at that photo can tell how much in love you two are."
Nodding her head Kate said, "Yeah and I think I want it on my desk, to remind me how much I love him when he does something completely outrageous or even worse, reverts to a nine-year-old."
Paula laughed and said with a droll voice, "You have my sympathies."
As Kate chuckled Paula added, "But really, Kate the press from the Mayor's Ball is fantastic! Everyone is speculating whether you two are married or not."
Kate gave a little shake of her head and said, "It wasn't one of my smartest moments, but I really wanted to let that woman know she couldn't go after Rick."
Paula smiled and said, "Marking your territory, huh?"
Kate smiled back and quietly said, "Yeah."
"So when do you want me to post the photos? I think the ones you and Rick chose where the best but I especially like the one where we were all in it."
"Let's wait till Ryan gets back from his honeymoon, then I'll check with him since Esposito, Lanie, Captain Montgomery and my dad are all ok with it. Rick has the ok from everyone else and then we can choose when to do the big reveal."
Rubbing her hands together Paula said, "Oh my God Kate, this is so much fun!"
Kate was brought out of her memories when Ryan walked in to a round of backslapping and congratulations from Perkins' team who were just getting off the night shift. With a big smile on his face, he came over to Kate and she welcomed him back by saying, "Be careful when you go to your desk. Esposito's had free reign for the past week."
Looking over at his desk Ryan asked, "Was Castle helping him?"
Kate grinned and said, "What do you think?"
A thoughtful look came on his face and he half seriously asked, "Should I ask the bomb squad to check it out?"
Before Kate could respond she heard Esposito's voice booming out, "Bro! It's about time you came back!"
She looked towards the elevator and saw Esposito walking up with a big grin on his face. The two gave that weird handshake that they still refused to teach Rick and then walked to the breakroom for coffee.
An hour later Rick came in with a coffee and bear claw for Kate, and glanced over to Ryan who was cautiously looking over his desk, said, "Oh this is too perfect!"
Kate turned to him and said, "What's perfect?"
Without moving his eyes Rick answered, "Ryan. Look at him, checking everything out, expecting a bomb or something to go off."
"Well you guys were hanging around his desk an awful lot last week," Kate replied. "It stands to reason that you did something dastardly to it."
A huge grin came over his face and he turned to her and said, "Dastardly? I am so proud of you!"
"Geez Rick, get over yourself, I did go to college you know."
He smiled and took a sip of his own coffee and turned back to watch Ryan.
"So what's perfect about Ryan trying to find your practical jokes and booby traps?" Kate asked.
Rick turned back to her with a smug look on his face and said, "Because my dear Detective, we didn't do a thing to his desk."
Her eyes and mouth opened in surprise and Kate asked, "You didn't? Then why did you spend so much time at his desk?"
The smug look never left his face as he continued to watch Ryan. "We did that to make everyone think we booby-trapped his desk, so when he returned people would tell him to be careful when he sat down."
The smug look lasted only a few more seconds before he called out, "Apples! Apples!"
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Tuesday afternoon Montgomery came out of his office looking for Kate and realized she'd already left for lunch. He was about to turn back into his office when Lanie stepped out of the elevator and headed to Kate's desk. "Dr. Parish, nice to see you again, are you also looking for Detective Beckett?"
"No sir, I'm meeting her for lunch; she just forgot her phone and asked me to pick it up before I meet her."
Behind Montgomery, a man appeared from his office and said, "Captain, if I go along with Dr. Parish I can start my questions and possibly not take up too much time from any other cases they may have pending."
Having found Kate's phone, Lanie looked up as she thought she recognized the voice, and turning from the desk she looked back towards the Captain and saw the man who was speaking. The moment she saw him, Lanie knew she was right. She did recognize the voice. Special Agent Will Sorenson, FBI. 'Damn, what's he doing here?' she thought as she heard the captain say, "That may help out a bit Agent Sorenson, but it might be best to talk here where all the files are."
Sorenson smiled and said, "True, but it will be nice to see Kate again in an informal setting before having to get to business."
She saw Montgomery nod his head in agreement so Lanie said, "I don't think that's such a good idea, Sir. She and I were going to get together for a little 'girl' time, and three would be a crowd."
Sorenson looked at her with a slight frown and said, "This is about a very high profile case and I think…"
"Dr. Parish," Montgomery said, interrupting, "This is about 3XK. They believe he's killing again in Detroit and the FBI has been called in."
Knowing she wouldn't be able to change their minds, Lanie quietly sighed to herself and then told Sorenson to follow her as she left the bullpen.
The taxi ride to the restaurant was quiet. Neither one quite knew what to say, and Sorenson was aware that for reasons of her own, Dr. Parish certainly didn't want him with her when she met with Kate. After about five minutes, the silence was becoming too much for him and Sorenson cleared his throat to speak when Lanie interrupted, "You know she's engaged now. Going to be married this year."
"I heard that. Engaged to the writer who always gets in the way."
"Engaged to the writer who's saved her life too many times to count!" Lanie said with some heat.
He was going to speak when the taxi pulled over to the curb and they got out. Lanie waited for Sorenson to pay and the two walked to the sidewalk in front of Remy's.
When Lanie stopped he said, "Is this where…" and then his voice trailed off as he could see through the window to a booth on the inside. There, sitting side by side were Kate and the writer, Castle. As Sorenson watched Kate, Lanie observed them both and saw a shadow fall over the FBI agent as he studied her friend. Kate was smiling the smile that only Castle could put on her face. Her eyes were shining as she gazed at Castle and listened to him speak. As Rick took a bite of a french fry, some ketchup was left on the side of his face.
Sorenson watched mesmerized as Kate gently put her finger on the side of Castle's mouth, cleaned off the ketchup and licked it off her finger. Never once taking her eyes off his. He then leaned down and kissed her and she reciprocated with enthusiasm.
Sorenson gasped in surprise and Lanie heard him say softly to himself, "She never allows PDA. Never."
Lanie looked at him and felt a bit sad for the man before quietly replying, "She does with the right guy."
"I didn't even hold her hand in public," he softly said, then visibly shook himself as he watched Kate pull back from Castle and an even bigger smile appeared on her face. "I've never seen her smile like that. I've never seen her so happy."
Lanie shook her head and said, "Still want to interrupt her lunch?"
"I don't understand…" he started to say before he turned to look at Lanie and pondered her question before he stood straighter and said, "Yes. This is more important."
Lanie nodded her head and they entered the restaurant and headed to the booth.
To say the remainder of the day was awkward would be putting it mildly. Kate wasn't happy that Will had returned and seemed interested in bringing up things from their past, all while supposedly asking for information about 3XK, aka Jerry Tyson. Snarky little comments about when they were dating were mixed into the conversation before questions were asked.
Although Rick seemed to be unaffected, Lanie started throwing little comments back at Will about how perfect the two were together. Kate was simply tired of the whole thing, and was willing to do her part in answering the questions about the case, but after fifteen minutes, she said they should take this back to the precinct and got up to leave. Rick and Kate never finished their lunch and Lanie asked for her order to go.
Back at the precinct, Kate, Ryan and Rick, spent the next couple of hours in one of the interrogation rooms going over every detail of the case from last year. Sorenson couldn't help but see how Kate put one hand on Castle's and her other hand on Ryan's as they spoke about how they were caught off guard, and Tyson escaping.
Kate was very concerned about Ryan; he had almost gone over the deep end last year when his service revolver, the one that Tyson had taken from him, was used in a homicide. The entire team had come together to support him, since it had even strained his relationship with Jenny.
Sorenson meanwhile tried to use that to show how ineffectual Castle really was, insinuating that if he had been on the case, Tyson would never have gotten away. Kate actually barked a laugh at that, then informed Will that if were not for Castle the FBI wouldn't even have the information that they did.
As worried about Ryan as she was, Kate was even more concerned about Rick. She knew he still had dreams of Tyson, dreams where he was shot, Ryan was shot or even she was shot. And as much and as often as she tried, she could not truly make him believe that he was not to blame for Tyson escaping. That every murder Tyson committed was not blood on his own hands.
Despite Kate's endorsement of Castle, Sorenson found it hard to believe that the killer would just leave Ryan and Castle tied up and walk away. He could also see that his questions were getting to Castle and that gave him a slight feeling of triumph, showing in his eyes that he was better than Castle. He decided he'd push on that, as well as reminding Kate how good they were together, but when he tried to question them again about Tyson's leaving them alive Kate immediately called the discussion closed and got up from her chair.
"But I still have several questions to ask," Sorenson said to her as she told Castle and Ryan to get up along with her.
Castle still sat on the chair, eyes down at the table, feeling more anger at himself than at Sorenson, but Ryan stood up and saw the look that crossed Beckett's face as Sorenson tried to push. There was anger; there were signs she was upset, but mostly he saw that her eyes looked both icy cold and furiously hot, she looked ready to ram Sorenson's words down his throat to protect Castle…and him, from any further questions.
Kate was about to explode at Will when Castle quietly spoke, "Tyson said it was to make me suffer. Knowing that he was faster or smarter than me. That I wasn't good enough to catch him and that he would kill again. And to let me know that everyone he killed was due to my failure."
Ryan put his hand on Rick and said, "Castle." It was the only way he knew to let Castle know he was there for him. That he also felt the sense of failure, and he was there to support Castle just as Castle was there to support him a few months before. Looking at them both, Kate knew they were reliving those moments in the motel room and Rick wasn't seeing the table before him, he was seeing Tyson's gun pointing at him.
Kate nodded to Ryan and he left the room as Rick slowly got up from the chair and followed. The look she sent to Sorenson was enough to let him know he'd totally stepped over the line as far as she was concerned.
Sorenson was surprised and somewhat shocked by her reaction and pulled back as she said in a tightly controlled voice, "Agent Sorenson, you are looking for a profile, looking for reasons why Tyson acted the way he did. The FBI has plenty of profilers that you can tap for that information. Rick and Detective Ryan have given you all they have. I suggest you check the files from the case and go back to Detroit to catch the killer rather than waste any more time here."
As she was walking out the door she turned and said, "This is over Will," before she turned and left the room.
Kate walked with Rick and Ryan to the breakroom where she left them sitting at one of the tables. On her way to the Captains office, she stopped at Esposito's desk and quickly told him to go in with them. They were both hurting right now. Knowing exactly what she meant, Esposito walked to the breakroom while Kate went to the Captains office, knocked on the door and entered at his wave.
"Has Agent Sorenson been filled in on the case Beckett?" he asked.
"Yes Captain, he has," she said, and then added, "I strongly suggest that if the FBI needs any further information they send an agent who is more interested in the case than in me."
Montgomery sat up in his chair and said, "Explain."
"Sir, you know that Agent Sorenson and I were in a relationship years ago, unfortunately the last time he was here, during a missing child case, he tried…and failed…to renew that relationship. Although he is aware that Rick and I are engaged, he spent an inordinate amount of time mentioning things from our past, dredging up forgotten and unwanted memories during the discussion, and constantly throwing them in Rick's face. Then near the end he tried to force Rick and Kevin to profile Tyson and explain why they were left alive."
She paused as she saw the look in Montgomery's face. He usually had a good poker face, which had served him well over the years dealing with problems, but now he looked angry. Very angry.
"Honestly sir, after the stunt he pulled here today I'd rather not ever see the SOB again."
Montgomery looked over Kate's shoulder and his eyes hardened even more than before. Without looking at her he said, "Thank you Detective Beckett. I'll take care of the situation." He then said over her shoulder, "Come in Agent Sorenson, I'd like to discuss a few things with you."
Surprised, Kate turned around and saw a stunned Will Sorenson standing behind her. She knew that even if he hadn't heard everything she said, he definitely heard the last. The look she gave him would shatter steel, she was so angry with him and his behavior. Without saying a word, she walked out of Montgomery's office, ignoring Sorenson's plaintive, "Kate?" and walked back to the breakroom to Rick and Kevin.
The last thing she heard as she walked away was Captain Montgomery's cold, angry voice saying, "Close the door behind you Agent Sorenson," as Will went in to speak with the Captain.
The team spent the next half hour in the breakroom, Esposito and Kate sometimes calming, other times soothing and basically being there for Rick and Kevin as they relived in their minds the shame and sense of failure they still felt at not being quick enough to realize that Tyson was really 3XK.
Kate's heart broke as she saw the haunted look in their eyes. One night, when Kate woke him from a nightmare about 3XK, Rick told her that he felt emotionally mauled by Tyson, and the look on his face had her heart aching for him. The feelings he and Ryan usually hid were clearly seen now due to Will's questions. All she and Esposito could do was let them know they weren't alone.
Knowing that Ryan and Rick were reliving those moments in the motel room, Kate quietly stepped away to call Jenny to let her know that Kevin was hurting, and why. The language Jenny used didn't really surprise Kate. Jenny and Kevin had been married for only a little more than a week, but Jenny was very protective of her husband and wasted no time in letting Kate know what she would do to Sorenson if he was ever stupid enough to cross her path. Kate realized that was also the way she was feeling right now.
She would do anything to protect Rick and that Will was the one who opened up Rick's wounds only made things worse, as she felt it was her fault that he did this. If she had never dated Will, then he wouldn't have made the digs at Rick while hitting him with Tyson. Under normal circumstances, Rick could easily have dismissed Will, but in Kate's mind, what Will did today was simply dirty and spiteful. She hoped she never had to see him again.
Sorenson meanwhile, was read the riot act by Captain Montgomery for his behavior. This didn't really bother him much as he considered Montgomery just another police captain while he was a Federal Agent, a Special Agent at that. This feeling of superiority quickly evaporated however when Montgomery made a call to the ADIC of the FBI in New York. The Assistant Director in Charge had almost godlike powers over the agents and special agents under him and Sorenson was shocked to find he was a personal friend of Captain Montgomery.
Shortly afterwards Montgomery personally escorted Sorenson to the elevator to make sure he left the precinct in one piece. The mood in the bullpen was almost volcanic and he wanted to make sure that the only explosion Sorenson faced was from his own superiors, who after Montgomery's call, were extremely displeased with the Agent.
After watching the elevator doors close on Sorenson, Montgomery entered the breakroom and told Kate and her team to head home. Shutting down their computers and getting their things, they quickly closed up and headed to the elevator. The four never said a word as it took them to the parking garage and soon Kate was driving Rick back home. As she was driving he said, "Let's stop at the Old Haunt Kate. I need…I'm not sure what, but I just need to not go home right now."
She nodded her head, patted his knee and said, "Sure Rick," before making a turn to take them to his bar.
Thirty minutes later, they were in his office, drinking some of the rare old scotch he purchased, sitting quietly. Kate knew he had something on his mind other than Tyson, and sooner or later he'd say what it was. It came quicker than she expected.
"I really don't like that guy."
Knowing he was speaking about Sorenson, Kate replied, "I know Rick. Right now I really don't either."
He looked up and stared at her, something in his eyes. Something that she couldn't quite place her finger on till it suddenly dawned on her! "You don't need to be you know," she said.
His eyes widened and he tried to change the subject but she simply said, "You can't fool me Rick. I know that part of you is jealous that I was with Will."
He looked embarrassed and she quickly added, "But there's no need to be."
He sighed and said, "I know Kate, it's just…" he paused and she waited for a few moments before she said, "What?"
"If he hadn't gone to Boston, would you have stayed with him? Would you have married him?"
Kate was caught off guard by the question. This amazing man. This wonderful, sweet, loving and caring man had been blindsided today by someone she once thought she cared for, and all she could do is sit by his side and hold his hand in hers. Well she could do more than that. "No."
"No?"
"No. The relationship was slowly ending before he took the job in Boston, Rick. He didn't know it though. He'd asked me several times to move in with him and I knew I couldn't. I just didn't love him."
She paused a moment and said, "A couple of weeks ago you joked about my number, how many men I'd been with."
He shook his head and said, "Kate, you don't…"
Kate put her finger to his lips and said, "Shhh. Let me say this, it's important to us…to me. Especially to me. My number is one, Rick. Just one."
He was puzzled and she continued, "Everyone who I was ever with, and it wasn't as many as you may think, everyone wasn't you. Till you came along I had one foot out the door. Till you came along I never considered my life even needing a man in it. Till you came along I was content with merely going through the motions of living. My mom's case, my own pain, they determined my life. I was driven to end it and find her killer, to find closure, to do something to take away the loss I felt."
She paused again and took a breath, "Till you came along Rick I always chose death, the weird and 'Beckett flavored' cases were just ways to learn more, to help me try to find my mom's killer. But now I choose life. I choose you. I'm living again and it's all because of you."
She felt tears form in her eyes and knew she had to finish, had to get this out before the totality of the emotions she felt for him wouldn't let her continue. "You are my one Rick. Remember, my one and done? That's you. It has always been you and it will always be you. That's why I am so angry at Will, and angry at myself for ever wasting my time with him, because he hurt you. He went out of his way to use your pain from Tyson to hit you with his own jealousy, because he could never, ever, measure up to you Rick, and he knows it. He knew it three years ago when you first started shadowing me."
Taking the empty glass from his hand and putting it down with her full one, she put her arms around him and whispered, "You will never really know how grateful I am for you, Rick. And I wish, I so wish I could take away all the hurt you feel, because you don't deserve any of it. Not one bit!"
The fierceness in her voice as she spoke sent jolts of electricity through his body. A thing inside him that he didn't know was there, slowly dissolved in the wake of her words. He knew she loved him, everything she said and did proved that in a myriad of ways each and every day; but he never truly understood the depth of her love for him, and a small stone of doubt that he wasn't even aware he still held, was suddenly gone.
He put his arms around her and held her tightly to himself. He was amazed at how this woman of usually few words, completely took away the anguish he was feeling, along with the anger he felt towards Sorenson and himself.
This was his wife. Yet this woman who fiercely defended him, who eased his mind and soul, became more; she also became his life, because he knew that he wasn't living before he met her either.
As he held her and took a deep breath of the cherry scent loved, he realized his number was also only one.
.
.
.
AUTHORS NOTE: When you finally find that one person who, for want of a better phrase, completes you, that person who you desire to spend the rest of your life with, the person who you love with your whole heart and soul…when you find that person your only number is One, because honestly, all the others don't count.