Author's Note: Sorry for the length of time between delays. Work has been hectic, and I'm trying to figure out where to take all these fics next. Hope you're enjoying it, and if you are, feel free to leave a review!
The other reality…
Richard Castle would've been lying if he'd said his mind didn't go to a very dirty place when Kate Beckett led him up the stairs and into her bedroom because she had something to show him. Logically, he knew that wasn't what this was – considering her parents, whom he had just met, were still downstairs.
They made themselves scarce, but not that scarce – and Castle didn't really feel like potentially ruining the good first impression he had apparently made on them.
However, in a rare show of discretion, he kept those thoughts and whatever other witty banter he would normally throw out there to himself. He stood at the doorway to Kate's room as she crossed over to her closet, opening the door and dropping to a knee as she rummaged through a few boxes.
"This isn't where you hide the bodies, is it?"
"No." Kate gave a sly grin over her shoulder. "That's what the basement's for."
He smiled in return, glad to see her humorous side – and even more glad that in some ways, it was in-tune with his. That was almost as much a relief to him as the fact that he got along with her parents – though Castle couldn't help but let his mind drift to their counterparts, sad that they would never experience a quiet night and a nice meal with her mother.
Kate stood and smoothed out her skirt, breaking Castle's train of thought – because honestly, those legs would break the focus of anyone, even those guards at the palace gates in England. You know, the ones who aren't even supposed to smile.
"I told the other you that we'd never met." Kate gave Castle an expectant look, and his eyes flicked downward to notice a book cradled in her arms. "While that's true…I've known who you are for quite some time."
When Kate held out the book for Castle, he gasped. It was a copy of In a Hail of Bullets – his first published work.
"Kate…"
"I wish I could say I've kept up with your career." Kate gave a sheepish grin, ducking her head.
"Why haven't you?"
"Part of it's my work." Kate sighed. "I live murder and mystery every day, so why come home and dive into even more of it, you know?"
Truth be told, Castle felt a sense of pride in knowing Kate was a fan of his first book – and in a way, it was a better feeling than he had whenever someone complimented him on any of his other works. Not that he didn't enjoy the praise heaped upon his Derrick Storm novels, or even his latest work, but for someone to admit to being a fan of In a Hail of Bullets? Easily his worst work?
That was special.
"At least in my books," Castle took a tentative step forward, tracing his hand along Kate's right arm, "you know there'll be a just ending…if not necessarily a happy one."
"I feel bad, though." Kate shrugged. "Apparently, the other me was a huge fan."
"Of the other me, yeah." Castle took one of Kate's hands into his. "And apparently, the feeling was mutual if he created an entire series of books based on her."
"They were good, too." A wistful smile crossed her face. "Okay, maybe the first couple, not so much, but eventually he hit his stride and Nikki Heat was every bit as popular and successful as Derrick Storm."
Castle grinned. "Guess I better get to writing, then."
Their fingers intertwined as Kate tossed the book onto her bed and led him out of her room, back down the stairs, and outside. They sat on a bench overlooking the back yard of the property, and beyond that sat a lake and a small grove of trees. The moonlight reflected on the lake, and Castle smiled at the view – and the feeling of Kate's arm wrapping around his.
"You think we'll be okay?" he asked. "The other us, I mean."
"I think so." Kate nuzzled against Castle's arm with a contented sigh. "Maybe they'll finally get married now – if they haven't already."
Canon reality…
"Come on, Castle, we're gonna be late!"
"No, we're not." Castle hustled from his office to the front door of his loft, roller suitcase trailing behind him as he hoisted a blue backpack over his shoulder and carried a pair of coats in his arm. "That's the beauty of private planes, Kate…they leave whenever you want."
Kate stopped him when he got to the door, pulling him in for a long kiss, biting her lower lip when they finally parted. "Well, maybe I'm just anxious to get our honeymoon started."
Castle smiled, locking the door once they crossed into the hallway. "Who could blame you?"
By the time they made their way down the stairs, through the lobby, and onto the sidewalk, the car service was already there waiting for them. Castle placed all of their luggage into the back seat of the car before swinging open the rear door on the passenger's side for Kate to slide in. She stole another kiss before lowering herself into the vehicle, before Castle joined her and their hands immediately clasped together.
Rapping his knuckle against the partition, Castle couldn't keep the smile off his face. "LaGuardia, please."
The car rolled off, and Kate leaned in to rest her head on Castle's shoulder. Her left hand rested on his arm, and when Castle looked down, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of the rings on her finger. The wedding had gone off perfectly, and he was still pinching himself at random, unable to believe Kate Beckett was finally his wife.
It was the most at-peace Castle had been since his disappearance months prior.
They rode in comfortable silence for several minutes, until Castle's turned his head to look out the window. He frowned and sat up a little straighter, leaning toward the window. Kate's gaze followed his own, and her grip on his arm tightened.
"Castle…?"
"The airport's the other way." Castle tapped the partition again. "Uh, excuse me? I'm sorry, but uh…I think you got turned around somehow. We're going the wrong way."
Without warning, the car swerved violently across traffic, soliciting a cacophony of blared horns and angrier-than-usual New York drivers. Both Castle and Kate grabbed onto anything they could – each other, mainly – to hang on as they jostled along the back seat. Castle flashed Kate a worried glance before she sat up, clenched her jaw, and pounded her fist against the partition.
"NYPD! Stop the car – now!"
On cue, the car screeched to a halt. By the time Castle and Kate had a chance to catch their breath, they heard the driver's door slam shut, footsteps crunching along gravel and pavement. The rear door on the driver's side swung open, and before the pair could react, they were staring down the barrel of a gun.
"I know where LaGuardia is." The man was doing his best to keep his face hidden, but he knew the pair in the back seat would recognize his voice. He smiled at that knowledge. "But that's not where we're going."
Castle felt sick, his hands starting to shake. "Tyson…"
The man lowered himself so Castle and Kate could finally get a good look at his face, clean-shaven and a little thinner than the last time they'd crossed paths. He shrugged and his dark eyes lit up with disturbing glee. "Good to see you too, Rick. Congratulations, by the way."
"What the fuck do you want?" Kate snarled.
Tyson cocked the gun, which made Castle flinch. "I want…things to go back to the way they used to be." He waved the gun back and forth, his eyes narrowing and jaw clenching. "Before you two started fucking things up."
"So this is your big plan?" Castle shook his head. "Kill us on our honeymoon?"
Tyson laughed and shook his head, pointing the gun behind himself before pulling the trigger and then placing the weapon in the holster on his left hip. "Kill you? Rick, if that was what I wanted, you and your cop lady here would already be dead. No…I want to destroy you. That's much more fun."
"So this is just some big game for you."
Tyson regarded Kate with a dark grin, leaning in and resting his hands on the top of the car. "Oh, I'm having a ball, Detective. Tell me…take any good trips lately? Meet any long-lost familiar faces?"
Realization and dread overwhelmed her hazel eyes, and Kate shook her head with her mouth agape. She dared a sideways glance at Castle, noting the darkness in his eyes and his clenched jaw. She hadn't seen that look since Alexis was taken.
"I'll take that as a yes." Tyson fished around in the pocket of his coat, producing the circular amulet Kate remembered seeing at that coal plant before she wound up back in her own reality. She gasped when she saw it, tightening her grip on her husband.
"It was you." She shook her head. "This whole time…"
Tyson pocketed the amulet again with a chuckle. "Hey, when I go, I go big." He slammed the car door shut, his muffled voice still carrying enough for them to hear him. "The best part? I'm just getting started."
The engine roared to life again, and the car started moving. Castle gave his wife a worried look, some of the darkness and anger in his eyes giving way to unbridled fear. No one got under his skin quite like Jerry Tyson, and it seemed that he had stepped up his proverbial game to a level neither of them could've fathomed.
"Kate…"
"We'll find a way out of this, Castle." She shook her head. "I don't know how, but…we will."
"How do you know?"
"Because I am not gonna let some psychopath goon tear us apart after we finally got our happy ending." The look in Kate's eyes mirrored that of Castle's just minutes before, her hands balling into fists, even as she leaned against him. "We'll bring him down once and for all…even if it means I have to put him in the ground myself."
