Chapter 36: I Love You Whether it's Wrong or Right
Daniel Bedingfield 'If You're Not The One' inspired this entire story.
I nodded, "So, we'll check that apartment. It's the likeliest place they'll be."
Kate unrelenting spoke.
A cold tip hit the backside of my neck, digging into my skin, "You catch on fast, Sherlock. Too bad you weren't able to save the day for your little boy."
"Castle? …Castle?!" Beckett screamed into the phone repetitively.
Then everything went black.
K POV
The line cut off. The very last thing I heard was a distinguishing male voice in the background and someone falling to the ground.
"Ryan? I think something happened to Castle! We need to go to their location right now." I shouted across the bullpen. My eyes searched the room for the Irish male, my blood pressure rose and the shirt I wore became suddenly constricting.
Uniforms locked eyes with my panicked expression as Kevin ran to my side in a flash with his gun tucked snuggly into his holster, his white dress shirt wrinkled, the sleeves rolled to his elbows and his forehead wrinkling with concern.
My heart persistent to race out of my chest, the sound of it contracting repeatedly rang in my ears.
"Got it, boss."
I ran to my chair, grabbing my coat and throwing the keys in my hands to the squad car outside the precinct.
Ryan jumped in some minutes later, showing the address clasped in his fist before I stepped on the gas.
My foot was heavy like iron.
Ring. Ring.
"Beckett."
"Hello, Detective." His accent was all too recognizable.
The voice of the man I wanted to exterminate.
I knew it was either Tyson or Bailey Mack, the voice changer did nothing to cause me from thinking otherwise.
"I know who you are, Bailey, or Tyson. I know either you're one or the other." My voice was a lethal flame that should've stung him through language.
"Oh. I see you and your writer figured it out. Too bad you're a little late. I already have him."
"E-Excuse me?" I stuttered, losing my calm posture the minute he let that information sink in.
"It's OK, Detective. I have a small video for you. It's sending right about...Now."
The phone vibrated in my hand as I continued to steer the wheel with Ryan's eyes cutting into my peripheral vision.
The line went dead. The number was the same burner cell number that just led to dead ends.
I allowed the short time of inhalation to bring myself to clicking on the short video that was just sent to me.
It was Richard.
His face was to some extent bruised, he was tied to a metal chair against the brick wall, and a black bandana covered his eyes and his mouth was opened.
The swollen facial appearance and his lacerated pink lower lip showed that he must've hit the floor pretty hard.
The video only showed what looked like Tyson punching him in his jaw, causing Rick to spit out a small amount of spit filled with blood.
Ryan peered over my shoulder at the stop sign before we reached where Javier was supposed to be after we told them we had another day.
"Holy shit," Ryan breathed, allowing his Catholic ways to turn and go out the window momentarily once seeing Castle spit out the red goo from his mouth.
My vision distorted briefly. Where was Esposito when this all happened, and why wasn't he saved before these men got him?
I turned the corner, upcoming to a screeching halt before Esposito.
In the matter of seconds, I made my way from the vehicle to Javi's face, "Rick's kidnapped. Where were you when this happened?"
"With Jackson," he clarified composed.
"Jackson?" The lethal attitude dissipated within seconds of being thrown out a loop of knowledge.
"Castle's pops," his tone remained tranquil.
Suddenly, as if on cue, the gentleman from the farmhouse when we were looking for Alexis came to Esposito's side, "Jackson Hunt."
He reached his hand out to find a solid grip on Ryan's hand before repeating the action with me.
"What's the plan so far?" Ryan broke the silence.
"Well, I went to search that apartment and it looks as if they were there. Key word: 'were'. They are no longer located there. However, I found tread marks in the soil over there, examined them, managed to get some of my buddies back in the CIA to run the prints on it and find out what vehicle it was - which we found out - and they even got security on the apartment complex to find the license plates on the van and find the exact location of them now."
The anticipation continued to course over my body while the words hit my face like a ton of bricks.
The sweat on my forehead trickled down my face in a stream, it wasn't even that hot in New York, but like I said, the anxiety was starting to get to me.
"So, that means we're going now?" Ryan whispered.
The sooner the better, right?
"Of course we need to go now!" I practically shrieked, "We need to find Rick and Lucas!"
The men stared at me in a combination as if my tone had startled them each in their own way.
R POV
I woke up, the bandana around my eyes lacking the capability to let me see through it.
I knew the voice too well, though.
Tyson and Bailey conversed between themselves and Luke unrelenting to say "Papa" repetitively as if he were praying for me to get him from wherever he was located in the room.
"You're not going to get away with this, you know?" I as a final point spoke up once my vocal chords allowed the sound to travel from within.
"Oh, Sherlock is awake. I knew that punch should've done something." Tyson bellowed a hard laugh.
"You might as well unfold this bandana. I assume you've taken all of my electronics, and my hands are tied up. I can't really do anything, but you can at least stop being pussies about it and allow me to look at you guys."
I felt as if they both raised their eyebrows at my selection of words.
Soon enough, the light was smoldering into my vision.
It took several seconds to adjust to the beaming flash of lights.
I skimmed the room, focusing on the cage in the corner that held my son - gashed up and dry blood splattered on his forehead.
"Papa?" Lucas whispered with his eyes wide with fear; his shirt had a hole in it from the cage that must've torn it when he was thrown in.
"Don't worry, buddy. Mama's coming to get you. I promise. Always," I whispered back with the guilt of not paying enough attention at the park that could've avoided this entire situation.
"Awe, isn't that cute, Jerry? Ricky thinks Beckett is actually going to come over and save the day." Bailey mocked with a grin at 3xk.
I curved to face him, "You know, we have you all figured out, Mack. We all know the only reason you did this was to get back at your former aficionada because she wasn't going to marry you. She loved her new boyfriend and it pissed you off-"
Whack.
The marble fist came in contact with my jaw once again. Tyson cracked his knuckles before taking a swing, too. The feelings of not getting my son back to safety persistently swirled in the haze of my unclear thoughts. What happened if Lucas didn't get to spend his second birthday with us, or with anyone for that matter? What type of father would I be to not have been taking better care of the son I just got after the years of missing out when Beckett wasn't remembering anything? Just as everything started to get better?
As I broke from my thoughts, Tyson grabbed Bailey's arm, pulling him away from the room and going away to calm him down from my correct theory.
I'd say a few hours of talking nonstop to my son from across the room went by. If we weren't getting out of here soon, the least I could do is try and keep my toddler from freaking out even more.
I wonder if they had been feeding him.
Just in time, Tyson came in with a few crackers and milk, placing them in the cage and making his way over to redirect my face to meet his, "So, buddy, did you bring the money, or does your girlfriend have it?"
"She's not my girlfriend." I pointed out. His face remained stiff as he waited for my answer. I sighed, "The money is with Kate. I'm sure they're coming soon enough, though." I admitted.
His hand pat against my face in a friendly gesture, "Good. And don't worry; we've been feeding Little Luke over there. We wouldn't want him to starve before we got the money, now would we?"
I at a snail's pace shook my head with my lips in a solid line and my eyes showing now emotions.
I watched him make his way elsewhere out the room once again.
Lucas bit into a cracker, "Papa, where's Mama?"
I bit the inside of my cheek before tearing my eyes from his green orbs, "She's coming."
His curls were in a need of combing, but he just scratched it down and continued chewing the small crackers, "I miss Mama."
I lastly allowed myself to glance at him again. His legs were crossed; he watched the small television on the wall and sipped on the straw placed in the white liquid.
"I miss her, too." I confessed, waiting nothing more than to hold him in my arms.
Another hour passed by, I sat contently trying to watch the show with him, and not worry so much about the two males in the room planning whatever it was they were coming up with.
My eyes scanned the room every now and then, but this time I met the eyes of my father in the small window allowing street lights to beam in.
After noticing the wooden boards across the windows, I found it strange that that was the only window without it being boarded. After dozens of times blinking to make sure I was seeing the correct thing and I wasn't just hallucinating, I allowed myself to interpret his hand signals that unrelentingly pointed in the direction of the door.
Esposito made his way to my side in an instant, keeping Lucas from crying out for his uncle, and cut me loose from the tape clutching me to the seat.
"Where's Kate?" I without delay posed with fret of what the sociopaths could've done.
"She's outside with your dad and Ryan; they managed to get a hold of the guys working with Tyson and Mack. They're dead. Tyson and Bailey are somewhere in the building, but I didn't see them when coming in. They still don't know we're here," he continued to give explanation while helping me out the chair and making his way to Lucas's confinement.
"Stand back, kid." Esposito demanded, pulling out his gun. Lucas obeyed. The cage door unlocked after being shot with. Lucas ran out immediately, a grin on his face, jumping into my arms as I crouched down to meet his clutch
"Oh, my God. You're okay." I huffed into his neck, squeezing him gently, inhaling his scent – even though he needed a bath. I couldn't help the small tears that were now trickling down my cheeks as I ran my hands through his locks of hair.
Unfortunately, the shot caused Bailey Mack to make his way into the room the minute Lucas was in my arms. "Put him down, or I shoot!" He commanded.
Esposito stood up gradually "Put the gun down, Mack."
"No! You put the gun down!" He shouted, waving the handgun in the air causing a warning shot to go off.
Esposito didn't want the next shot to go through one of us; so, he put the gun on the floor and kicked it to the side with his arms raised above his head and his eyes cutting into Bailey's.
Ryan came in bit by bit behind Bailey, "Look, we have your money. You can take it and go away with 3xk."
Bailey turned around, startled from Ryan's incoming and pointed the gun at him quickly.
In the seconds of Ryan trying to calm Bailey down, Esposito reached into his boot and shot Bailey's calf swiftly allowing the sound of his scream to echo in the room. I met eyes with Lucas-who would probably be traumatized for the rest of his life about this needing years of therapy, -with his hands covering his ears and his eyes filled with moist unshed tears.
Ryan cuffed him instantaneously and pushed him to the wall before knocking him out with a punch that he must've held in since he found out about the payment.
The boys made their way to my side and both smiled at Lucas before fist bumping.
Hunt ran in soon after them, taking Luke from my hands and hugging him tightly, Luke squirmed in his arms, not quite sure of whom the strange man was.
"Papa, who this?" Lucas's eye filled with puzzlement.
"This is my papa, he's your other grandpa." I explained.
Luke beamed, "What's your name?"
Jackson's face lit up, he was actually getting the chance to meet his other grandchild, and simply answered with a "You can call me Grandpa Jack."
"Gwandpa Jack." Lucas repeated with his lisp as if trying to burn the face and name into his memory.
The bliss didn't last long, though because Tyson soon walked in with his shotgun pointed at the boys, "You make any sudden movement and I'll kill you all," he threatened.
After several moments of silence he looked over at Bailey, and then back at all of us, "Your precious girlfriend, or whatever she is, is probably locked outside the gate and won't be able to come in time to watch me kill her family."
Kate struggled to make her way in with his side covered in blood from the gate she had to quickly climb over, but she pointed her gun at Tyson, "Not this time, 3xk. I've been waiting days to get you, and I'm not letting you get away now."
Tyson tried to grab hold on Ryan, but in a single shot, Kate let her bullet plummet into his skull.
He dropped to the floor in a thud.
It was over, it really was over.
Although it was probably the fastest killing they had done.
Bailey was still alive, and would be off to jail the minute we made him sign the confession and allow the D.A to handle him. And now we could finally all try and get back to the precinct in one piece…With a little medical attention, too.
In an instant, Kate was the only thing I saw, everything else blurred out of my vision and Lucas cried out for her.
We made a way into our small family group hug and she kissed me hard before taking Luke into her grasp.
"Thank you for saving us in there." I finally spoke up after catching my breath from the extremely insane scenario we just went through and the kiss that left me gasping for air.
"Always," she breathed out with a small smile forming on her lips.
The boys left us to our small talk to go call Gates and get an ambulance here for Luke and myself. Hunt made his way over not any longer to tell us he would be meeting up with us later on tonight to talk to Alexis and Luke.
After everyone had left and Bailey was taken out with uniforms, Kate placed Lucas down on the ground and made her way to my side, pulling my face forward to kiss me again.
After minutes of the soft mold of her lips on mine, and the 'eww' that came from our son's mouth, I rested my forehead against hers and whispered teasingly, "My lip is busted; I don't think it is okay for you to kiss me."
She let out a small laugh before growing serious, "I know this is a terrible time to let you know, but Rick, I love you…Whether it's wrong or right."
Her face stayed serious awaiting my response, but the only thing I could allow myself to do was kiss her once again. After the numerous amount of thinking she was dead, never giving up on her when she left me for Josh, causing the heartache to eat away at me, and the arguments and hot sex that led up after it, I hadn't heard her say those three words since she texted me before the plane crashed.
The medics soon made their way to our side and pulled us to the ambulance with our son to get us all check out.
And in those moments, I knew that we'd finally be able to live together with Lucas, even if it had it's hard times.
Always.
Because I loved her whether it was the wrong or right thing to do, too.
Now. Bam. This is probably the end of this story.
A/N *super important. MUST READ, PLEASE*
HOWEVER, I'm thinking about either continuing on here or making another story but with these characters. You know? Like a spinoff, but it won't have as much angst to it and the 3xk is goneeee. Whooo hoo!
I need your opinion, though.
Do you all want me to continue the story on THIS story or start a new one, but still use Lucas, Kate, Castle, and the gang. It would be a spin off type thing. More like a part 2 to my story. It'll have a new title, though. BUT, in the description it would allow you all to be aware that it's the part two of this story. I was planning on making this story 100 chapter or so, but the depressing chapters are a little hard to write AND I'm in the mood to start the fluff up and the family going through familial challenges.
However, if you guys want me to continue the story here (which I'm not sure of), just tell me and I'll take a vote and allow you all to decide what will be best.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it took so long for me to write and it's been a long time since I updated. Anyway, I'm in need of sleep and the hiatus, my summer work, etc. is making it hard to update. Hopefully the fluff I'm wanting to write will make it easier.
ALSO, big idea is that I'm going to start another story up (though I have like 5 lol). But, I'm really taking it into consideration. I also have to write a new chapter to 'Papers' but I know that story will probably be like 20 chapters max. I'm not sure when I'll update that, though.
The new story - if I go through with it - will be pretty long, fluffy, and somewhat AU.
P.S thank you to all the viewers, reviewers and readers who have stuck with me since day one back in December 26th, 2012 who followed the story and will continue to follow the story whether it be here or in my part 2 spin off type thing (hopefully). This is my first fanfic on Castle and I've had a great time writing it and will have a great time continuing this series.
I really hope if I make the part 2, you will all enjoy it, as well. Seeing how much you all love smut, fluff and Casketty goodness.
Thank you.