Chapter 35 – Secret

'Something's coming over me, my baby's got a secret' - Madonna

Kate sat at her kitchen table, the case file of journalist Justin Baines lying in front of her. As soon as she had read over the items her mother had found online, she had placed a call to Esposito and asked him to discretely pull the file for her. She hadn't wanted to take the chance of pulling it herself, just in case it did turn out to be connected. A slight smirk touched her lips as her fingers brushed against the edge of the folder. Getting it into her hands without being seen had been akin to a scene in a spy novel, much to Castle's delight. Esposito had passed it to Ryan; Ryan had shoved it into a small stack of files and delivered it to Castle at a diner not far from the precinct, and Castle had spirited it back to Kate and she had locked it away in her desk until she got home from work.

Now it was lying unopened in front of her; her mother hovering at her side. If this turned out to be another link in the chain, would it be a blessing or a curse? Kate wondered. Would it be another stone to turn over only to find nothing and be right back where they started? She wasn't sure how many more false leads they could stand to take. She didn't even know why she was hesitating so much; it could be that the murder of this journalist wasn't connected at all. Could there really have been a victim that had gone unknown for all of these years?

Kate studied the photo of Justin Baines that was clipped to the front of the file. Auburn hair, brown eyes that looked full of life, a square jaw, a kind smile. She wasn't sure if she should be hoping for a connection or hoping against one but she figured there was only one way to find out which way it was going to go. She opened the file carefully, extracting the reports and the photos. She studied every detail intently; she read the reports several times to make sure she didn't miss anything as a sense of unease filled her with each review of the information.

"What do you think, Katie?" Johanna asked once Kate put the documents back into the file and closed it.

She looked her mother in the eye. "I think we're going to do some more digging," she told her. "Tomorrow after work I'll have Ryan, Esposito, and Castle come over and we'll discuss what needs to be done. I'll have Lanie come too; she can look over the autopsy report and photos. There are enough similarities and things that don't sound right for what this murder was classified as to make me want to investigate further."

The next evening, Castle, Johanna, Ryan, Esposito and Lanie were all gathered around Kate's kitchen table as she prepared to present her findings.

"Justin Edward Baines; age 36, married, father of three," she stated as she held up a photo of the writer. "He was a freelance journalist who did most of his work in the political sector. At the time of his death he was writing a series of campaign articles for a political newspaper called 'The American Way'. Some of those articles were picked up by the Ledger and other newspapers. The subject of those writings was William H. Bracken who was running for the Senate for the first time. Bracken was the D.A. who prosecuted Joe Pulgotti," she reminded them as she paced the area by the table.

"Justin Baines was killed a month before the election and according to some online sources, before he could expose the corruption he was accusing Bracken of. His body was found in the park. Cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the chest. The lead Detective on the case…John Raglan."

"There's a coincidence," Esposito commented.

"If you like that coincidence, you'll love these," Kate remarked. "Raglan wrote this off as a random mugging that had gone wrong."

"He must've been big on the word 'random'," Castle muttered.

"There's more," she went on. "There were no witnesses, no suspects, and no murder weapon found. Raglan wrote that there were indications that Baines had fought the assailant and that was what lead to his death."

"That's possible though," Ryan spoke up. "Those things do happen."

"That's true," Kate replied, "But take a look at this," she said as she placed the crime scene photos on the table for them to view and pointed at the victim's wrist. "That's an expensive looking gold watch, his wedding ring looks to be platinum. There were no witnesses, no security cameras; do you think a mugger would've left without at least snatching the watch?"

"It does seem odd that he wouldn't have at least snatched the watch," Ryan agreed. "It wouldn't have taken long to pull it off once Baines was on the ground."

"Raglan said there were signs of a struggle," Esposito spoke up as he examined the array of photos; "But the area around the body doesn't look disturbed. There's a lot of dirt in that area, but no scuff marks indicating a fight. Even the patches of grass don't seem to indicate that a disturbance had taken place."

"I noticed that too," Kate replied as she picked up another file from her counter and handed it to Lanie. "Lanie, I made copies of the M.E. reports and the autopsy photos. I'd like for you to go over them when you have a chance and see if you find any discrepancies, or anything you think has been falsified."

"I know the drill," Lanie answered as she accepted the folder.

Kate held her gaze, "And if you could do it outside of work, I'd appreciate that."

Her friend nodded in understanding. "I'll do it at home; and you don't have to worry about me, I won't say a word about it."

"Are you saying that she needs to worry about us?" Esposito asked.

Lanie smirked at him, "Well you do talk in your sleep."

Laughter erupted around the table as he vehemently denied the accusation.

"They're a cute couple," Johanna said as she glanced at her daughter.

"Been there, done that," Lanie remarked.

"I think there's still some sparks lingering there," Johanna replied.

The M.E. shook her head, "That's just Javi's wishful thinking that you're picking up on."

"Wishful thinking?" Esposito said as he eyed his currently off-again flame. "It didn't seem like I had to do too much wishing last weekend."

"Busted!" Castle exclaimed.

"I'm not going down alone here," Lanie proclaimed. "Let's talk about you, Writer Boy; because if you and Beckett think you're hiding your love glow from us; you're both sadly mistaken."

Kate's cheeks flamed and Johanna's laughter rang out but she wisely refrained from making a statement that would egg her daughter's friends on.

"Alright, that's enough. This isn't Love Connection or the Maury Show so can we please get back to work?"

"Sure," Ryan said teasingly, "As soon as you admit that you've been making goo goo eyes at Castle."

"I have not!"

"Actually you have on a few occasions," Castle remarked. "But who can blame you?"

Kate glared at him and Johanna laid a hand on his wrist, "You should probably stop talking now or she may never make goo goo eyes at you again."

"Take her advice, Castle," Kate said; "And as for you, Mother; don't encourage this nonsense."

Castle looked to Johanna, "That's code for 'you have to shut up too'," he teased.

She smirked at him, "Thanks for translating that, Rick. I may have never figured it out otherwise."

"Any time."

"Are you all done now?" Kate asked; leveling them all with an unamused stare.

"No," Esposito said, "But since you're looking at us like that, we'll pretend like we are. What do you want us to do about this Justin Baines case?"

"I want you find out if the bullet that killed him is still in evidence. If it is, I would like for you to have ballistics run and see if it's a match for any of the weapons that has been used in this case; most specifically any of the guns that were found in Shadow's apartment."

"We'll get on that first thing tomorrow," he told her.

Kate ran a hand through her hair. "I hate to sound like a broken record but try to do it discretely. We don't know if this case is related to ours yet but if it is, I don't want to set off any alarms before we make any progress."

"We'll be careful," Ryan promised.

"What are we going to do?" Castle asked.

"We are going to head back to the library and do some more research. Since Bracken is a common denominator in both cases, it won't hurt to look into these articles and see what Baines thought he was into. Maybe we'll look into some other mentions of Bracken as well."

Johanna cleared her throat as if she were reminding her daughter that she didn't want to be excluded from the task.

"Of course you're coming along, Mother," Kate said, "It isn't a party without you."

Johanna shot her a slightly amused look; "When are we going to do this research?"

"If I don't catch a case, we'll go tomorrow when I get off work. In fact, if I don't have a case, I'll try to slip away early so we don't have to be rushed."

"We'll cover for you so you can leave early," Esposito offered.

She nodded in acceptance of that plan and then looked at the people gathered around her table. "Okay, we all have our assignments. Remember that if it's possible, we'll update each other outside of the precinct. Let's keep this between us."

They all knew what was at stake and their promises of desecration and protection was written upon their features as they rose from the table and said goodnight before setting off in their separate directions.

It felt like déjà vu as Kate, Castle and Johanna sat in the library the next evening, scanning reel after reel of microfilm. They were accumulating a small stack of articles by Justin Baines, as well as a stack of articles about Bracken's first campaign run in hopes that there would be a name or a mention of something that would firmly tie the Senator to their case, or at least give them an area to work with.

They worked quietly and diligently, shoving any pages they printed into file folders to keep them from view even though they were the only ones occupying the room. There was the unspoken feeling between them that something might've finally shifted and presented them with an answer…but they were all holding their breath as if it might be too much to hope for, especially given the lack of concrete evidence.

Kate paused on a section of film that held yet another article about Bracken. Instead of scanning the words, she focused on the photograph of him at a public speaking event. He was trying to look congenial, she thought to herself, but he couldn't completely mask the arrogance in his features. His cold, manipulative eyes stared out from the image, giving her the impression of a man who was used to getting his way. The thought put a chill down her spine. She tore her gaze away from the photo, intent on scanning the article but something pulled her attention back to the picture. This time, instead of focusing on Bracken, she focused on the people surrounding him in the background. She studied each face intently and when she came to the face of the person standing behind Bracken's left shoulder, recognition slammed into her and she sucked in a breath.

"Castle," she whispered; her gaze never straying from the screen.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he leaned towards her.

Kate pointed to the image that held her attention. "Does he look familiar?"

Castle studied the man she pointed to and after a moment he turned his gaze back to her. "It's Shadow," he stated quietly.

"Looks like he was working security for him," Kate whispered.

"Is he in any of the other photos?"

"I don't know. We're going to have to go over them when we get back to my place."

"Maybe we should look into some more recent photos of Bracken's events to see if Shadow appears in any of those as well," Castle suggested.

"That's a good idea," she answered. "Do you want to switch to the computer and see what you can find?"

"What about this stuff?"

"We can finish this," Kate told him as she gestured to her mother. "Go ahead and see what you can find."

"I'm on it," he said with a nod as he abandoned his seat to cross the room to use the computer that been set aside for researching online archives.

"Do you think we caught a break?" Johanna asked quietly; the edge of caution in her tone as if she was trying not to let her hopefulness show too much.

"We can connect them in a small way now, but let's not get excited yet," Kate stated. "How are you doing on the search about the journalist?"

"I've finally found his final article," Johanna answered. "I've added it to the rest of them and now I'm collecting articles about his murder."

"Good. Just print whatever you come across, we'll do our reading when we get home."

Her mother nodded and went back to her task as Kate did the same. She just prayed that their reading would yield something useful and that they weren't spinning their wheels.

Back at Kate's apartment, the trio congregated around the kitchen table, spreading out their findings from the library and sorting through them as they each took a task, along with a piece of paper and a pen to make note of anything important that needed to be discussed when they had finished their individual reading.

Reading the numerous articles detailing Bracken's campaign was tedious work and Kate was relieved when she finally finished off her last page, but there was also the frustration that she hadn't learned anything helpful, with the exception of seeing Shadow in the background of two more photos. She looked across the table at her mother and saw that she had scribbled enough notes to fill half of the piece of paper that she was using.

"What have you learned from the articles that Baines wrote about Bracken?" she asked her.

Johanna glanced up at her, "He wasn't a fan."

Kate smirked, "We figured that. Why wasn't he a fan?"

"It seems that Mr. Baines felt like Bracken was putting on an act. He didn't believe his spiel about being for the people and being big on family values. Baines wrote about the rumors that were going around claiming that Bracken wasn't as clean as he wanted everyone to believe and that there may have been a certain level of corruption during his tenure as a District Attorney."

"Any political candidate is going to face those kinds of rumors," Castle spoke up.

"I'm not finished," Johanna said; shifting her gaze towards him.

"I'm sorry your majesty, please continue," he quipped, unable to keep a boyish grin from his lips.

She shot him an amused look, "As the Queen, I decree that the Macaroni remains quiet until I'm finished."

Kate laughed, "Good luck with that decree. Go on with what you were saying."

"There was also the issue of where Bracken was getting all of his campaign funding from. Baines felt that the numbers weren't adding up. Bracken was spending far more on his campaign than his funding should've allowed for. He had money from his position as a D.A. but he wasn't as wealthy as the Macaroni," she said with a teasing grin on her lips.

"Just for that I'm breaking the royal decree," Castle stated; his blue eyes shining with humor. "What about Bracken's family? Maybe he was getting extra money from them?"

Johanna shook her head. "Baines investigated that angle. Bracken's parents were middle class and they lived comfortably but not well enough to support their son's political ambitions."

"What about his wife?" Kate asked; recalling the case of Councilman Horn that they had worked a few years before.

"No," her mother stated. "He looked into that area as well. Bracken's wife is of the same background as him, but at the time of the campaign, his wife's family had faced several setbacks in the business world and they weren't as comfortable as they had been. Baines wrote that Bracken had to be obtaining money from another source and not reporting it, and as you know, that's a big no-no in the campaign world."

Kate was quiet for a minute as she digested that information. "Montgomery said that this person blackmailed them for the kidnapping money and that he used it to make himself who he is now."

"They were charging mobsters a pretty large sum," Castle commented. "I'm sure it would've been more than enough to finance a campaign."

"The trouble is we can't prove that right now," she replied. "Anything else?"

"In his final article, Justin Baines seemed a bit bolder," Johanna told them. "He mentioned that he was on to something and that Bracken would be exposed for what he really was."

"Sounds like he might have thrown down the challenge," Kate remarked. "And it could've marked him as someone who needed to be dealt with."

"Which would explain his 'mugging gone wrong'," Castle chimed in. "I read over the articles about his murder, but they didn't shed any light on anything. They basically said the same thing as the police report…which is basically nothing."

"I'm afraid there was nothing in the campaign article area either," Kate announced. "Except I spotted Shadow in two more photos. How did you do on that task, Castle? Did you find any more pictures?"

He nodded, shifting his papers to the center of the table. "These photos here are from a speaking event Bracken did in May," he said as he pointed at them, "If you look behind him and to the right you will see our ex middle man. He's also present in this photo from June. Along with looking for more recent photos, I backtracked and looked for photos from the 1998-1999 time frame and I found these," he said, shifting a few more photos into place. "Shadow is present as security at these events as well."

"So we can connect Shadow and Bracken in each set of time frames," Kate stated; "But it's not enough to build a case against him with."

"I've been thinking about something," Castle said. "I highly doubt that Coonan was the type of person Bracken would know personally, so maybe he had Shadow hire someone. We know that Coonan had a military background, and Shadow had a military background. Maybe we should check into seeing if they can be connected through their military careers," he suggested.

"That's a good idea," Kate said as she made a notation of it.

"What about the bullet from the journalist?" Johanna asked. "Is it still in evidence?"

"Yes," her daughter answered. "Ryan and Esposito are going to take care of that angle."

"What's our next move?" Castle asked.

"Tomorrow, I want to talk to the wife of Justin Baines," she announced. "I want to know why he was in the park that night."

After Castle and Beckett had introduced themselves to Candace Baines and had been shown into the living room, the journalist's wife wasted no time asking the one question that had came to mind as soon as she saw Kate's badge and heard that they were there to speak about her husband's case.

"Have you found the person that killed my husband?" Candace asked; the longing for closure in her voice and the pain of grief that had never abated in her eyes.

"No, we haven't," Beckett answered and before she could explain exactly why she wanted to speak to her; Mrs. Baines cut her off.

"Then why are you here?" There was the edge of bitterness in her words now; the unspoken accusation that she had been denied justice by those sworn to provide it and that she wasn't overly fond of cops in regard to it.

"Mrs. Baines, I want to talk to you about your husband's case because I am currently working on a cold case that is similar in nature to your husband's."

Something flickered in Candace's eyes, "You don't think it was a mugging either, do you?"

Kate refrained from confirming or denying the woman's suspicion. "Did you feel that it wasn't a mugging like Detective Raglan said it was?" she asked instead.

"I have never believed that my husband was killed by a mugger," Candace affirmed.

"Why not?" Castle asked.

"Because it didn't make sense," she answered. "If a mugger is going to go through the trouble of killing someone to take what he had, then why would he leave without taking his watch? Justin was wearing a very expensive gold watch that night. His father gave it to him when he graduated from college, it was from Cartier and very valuable and yet it was still on his wrist. He still had his wedding ring. There was money in his jacket pocket, along with his ATM card. The money from his wallet was gone but all of his credit cards were there. It just didn't ring true."

"Was there anything else that you thought was suspicious about what you had been told?" Kate inquired.

She nodded, "Yes, Detective Raglan said that my husband had been shot because he had fought the mugger…but Justin would've never fought someone who was trying to rob him; he would've just gave this person what they wanted."

"Why do you think that?" Castle questioned.

"Because Justin always made it a point to tell me that he would never fight a robbery attempt and that I shouldn't either. When he was a kid, he saw his uncle try to fight a mugging and he was very badly injured. He always said that if someone wanted his wallet or anything else he had on him that he'd just hand it over and that the kids and I should do the same because money and jewelry could be replaced…our lives couldn't and trivial things like that weren't worth dying over…so I know that he wouldn't have tried to fight."

Given what Lanie had told her about the autopsy photos in her phone call that morning, Kate knew that Justin Baines hadn't put up a fight…or he hadn't gotten the chance to, as there were no signs of defensive wounds that indicated a struggle, but she held back from revealing that piece of information for now. But she felt as certain as Candace did that this was not a random mugging that had gone wrong.

"Mrs. Baines, do you know why your husband would've been in the park that night?" Kate asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I know why he was there. He had gotten a call that evening from someone saying that they had information that he needed for his article. This person was afraid of being seen and wanted to meet in the park at 11:30 that night."

"Did he often go to meetings that late in the evening?"

"Yes, I didn't like it but it wasn't unusual. Justin always said that sometimes sources are more willing to talk at night than they are in the daytime."

"Do you know what this information was about?" Castle inquired.

"No."

"Do you remember what he was working on at that time?" Kate said; although she already knew, but she figured she better make sure that Bracken had been his only iron in the fire during that time frame.

"He had been working on a series of articles about William Bracken," Candace stated. "My husband was convinced that he wasn't the clean, family values guy he made himself out to be and Justin set out to expose him. He said we didn't need anymore corrupt politicians. All he told me about that phone call was that he was to meet someone in the park that night because they had information about Bracken for his article."

"Did he know the person who called? Did he mention a name?"

"No. Justin rarely ever told me the names of his sources. He said it was better that way in case he ever angered someone. I could always honestly say that I didn't know where he had gotten his material from if someone tried to press me for information."

"Did you tell Detective Raglan about this call and meeting in the park?" Beckett asked.

"Yes, I told him. The first thought that came to my mind that morning when I was told that he had been found, was that he had been lured there and set up," she said; pausing as tears welled up in her eyes. "But Detective Raglan seemed to brush it aside…he just kept telling me that it had been a mugging; that there were signs of a struggle and that Justin had been killed because he wouldn't give up what the mugger wanted. He said they'd do everything they could but that it would be hard to find the person responsible…it was like he didn't care that my husband was dead. It was like he was telling me from the get go that he wasn't even going to try to find the answers. I should've called someone, I should've tried to find out if I could have a different officer assigned to the case," Candace said as a few tears slipped free. "But I wasn't thinking straight and I had an infant who was never going to remember her father and a 4 year old and a 6 year old who couldn't understand why daddy wasn't coming home. The whole world felt like it was crashing down and I didn't know what to do."

Kate covered the woman's hand with her own. "I know," she said gently; "And it's not your fault that this case slipped through the cracks. Chances are, even if you had asked, you would've been denied in having the case handed over to someone else." Or worse, she silently added, if Candace had made noise about the handling of her husband's case, she might've met a deadly end of her own.

"Do you think that Justin's case is connected to the case your working, Detective?" the woman asked. "Do you think that you'll be able to find something new?"

"I think that it's very possible that it's connected to my case, but I'm not going to make you any promises, except that I'm going to do everything that I possibly can to resolve this if it's all linked together."

Candace Baines seemed to accept that answer. "You'll let me know if you find something?"

"Of course I will," Kate stated as she took one of her cards from her pocket and handed it to her. "And if you think of something that you think I need to know about that night or even something that might've happened in the days before he died, then please call me and let me know."

Candace nodded, a small flicker of hope igniting in her eyes at the thought that someone might finally be trying to give her closure. "I will," she promised.

Castle glanced at Kate as she drove them towards the precinct. "In the police report, Raglan said that all Candace had been able to tell him was that her husband had been working that night. He didn't mention that she told him about the phone call asking him to meet in the park."

Kate's gaze flicked towards him for a second, "Are we surprised that Raglan lied?"

"No, I'm just pointing out that like the other cases, Raglan falsified things and basically wrote it off from the beginning."

"I agree," she said, "And I feel very safe in saying that Justin Baines was not killed by a mugger; but our problem lies in who did the killing and was it for Bracken?"

He laid a hand on her knee, "We'll get it figured out, Kate. We always do."

She favored him with a small smile and they fell silent for the rest of the ride. When they arrived at the precinct they found Esposito standing outside, waiting for them.

"What are you doing out here?" Kate asked as they approached him.

"Needed to get some air," he said as a few officers moved past him. He subtly gestured for them to step off to the side with him so that they would be out of earshot of those coming and going from the building.

"What's going on?" Castle asked.

"Ballistics is back on the bullet that killed Justin Baines," he said quietly.

"And?" Kate asked.

Esposito looked her in the eye, "It's a match for one of the guns we found in Shadow's apartment."

She digested the information before speaking. "So Shadow killed Baines...and we have photographic proof that Shadow was associated with Bracken at that time...and Baines was threatening to expose Bracken in his articles."

"Bracken had Shadow take care of his bad publicity," Castle stated.

"It looks that way," Kate agreed. "But we can't prove any of it, and we can't even attempt to take a run at him without something concrete. Someone like Bracken will have a whole team of lawyers who will argue away a connection based on photos and a few scathing articles."

"Don't worry, we'll find the evidence," Esposito said with conviction. "We'll keep digging."

Kate offered her friend a smile and thanked him. She took a deep breath as the new information settled into her brain while they entered the precinct. She'd have to text her mother the update once she got to her desk; she knew that Johanna had been waiting on the results from ballistics. Another element had now officially been added but Kate still wasn't sure if it was bringing her any closer to solving the case.

After the dinner dishes had been washed and put away and Jim had left them for the card game that Jeff was hosting that evening; Kate and Johanna settled down on the sofa with the intent to relax. It was easier said than done; Kate thought to herself as her mind was still full of details that they had learned. Everything seemed to be leading towards Bracken and yet she had no way to prove it. She was constantly trying to wrack her brain to come up with some way to gain the proof they needed and had come up empty. She knew that she wasn't the only one suffering from that problem. When Johanna Beckett almost burned dinner and forgot to lay out silverware it could only mean one thing; her mother was distracted. If she was distracted to the point of losing her focus in the kitchen it meant that she too was mulling things over with a sense of desperation.

Kate sighed, 'Lidia's Italy,' was playing on the television and she cast a glance at her mother to see if she had found some escape in the program that she had chosen before laying the remote aside. She seemed to be absorbed in it and Kate debated between letting her be and breaking the silence. If her mind hadn't been so full she might have been able to squash the need for conversation but she couldn't and the TV wasn't distracting her. She needed light, meaningless conversation...and her mother was going to have to provide it for her since she was there and available. She seemed so engrossed in the show that it afforded her the opportunity of breaking the silence with the purpose to tease her about it.

"Why are you watching a cooking show?" Kate asked lightly. "You already know how to cook."

Johanna's concentration was broken and her gaze flicked towards her daughter, a hint of a smile hovering on her lips. "That doesn't mean I can't learn something new."

"True, but you had your own Italian cooks in your family; you probably learned it all from them."

"I did learn a lot from them," Johanna remarked; "Which is another reason I like to watch this show. The chef, Lidia; has an Italian accent and it reminds me of my great grandmother who also had an accent."

"I didn't get to know her, did I?" Kate asked as she tried to recall which relatives had been alive at the time of her birth.

"No, honey, she died when I was 15. I wish you had gotten to know her though, she was an interesting person and very loving."

"Her name was Josephina, right?"

"Yes and my grandmother was Sophia," Johanna answered. "Do you remember her?"

"Yeah, I remember her. She had a bit of an accent too, didn't she?"

"Yes she always retained a light accent despite the fact that she came to New York when she was 4."

"I remember Grandma Naomi speaking Italian sometimes," Kate said with a laugh.

"She loved to speak Italian," Johanna said; a smile on her lips as she recalled her mother. "Especially when she was issuing guilt trips."

"Can you still speak it?"

"Yes, I remember what I was taught but I'm out of practice. What about you? Do you remember anything that your grandmother taught you?"

"I remember 'Te Amo'," she answered.

"That was her favorite," her mother replied. "There was nothing she liked more than saying I love you."

"Oh, I remember something," Kate laughed. "Sometimes she'd call you 'Bambina'."

Her mother smirked at the teasing lilt in her voice but then she turned wistful. "There were times when that nickname drove me crazy; especially when I was a teenager and far from being a baby...but now...I'd give almost anything to hear her call me that again."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned that."

"Don't be sorry," Johanna replied. "It hasn't upset me...I think about her and miss her all the time and I like to remember her. It makes me feel closer to her...I still feel her love and that's comforting."

That might be true, Kate thought to herself but she figured it might still be better to shift the conversation back to less emotional ground. "You know what gets me?" she asked. "You have grandmothers named Josephina and Sophia; both of those names are very Italian and then you go down the line and get Naomi, Johanna, and Katherine, what happened?"

Johanna shrugged as she laughed, "I don't know; I guess the family became Americanized."

"I guess that could explain it."

"It'll have to," Johanna answered. "I don't have any other answer for you."

Kate chuckled and glanced back to the screen where Lidia was saying her goodbyes. "Is there another episode coming on?"

"No, but on a different channel there's a show coming on about the girl groups of the sixties," her mother replied.

"Who said you get to choose what we watch tonight?"

"I did. I'm older so I have seniority."

"You're just looking for a chance to relive your youth."

"That too," she admitted, "But I think you'll like it, I'm sure you'll be able to find amusement in it."

"If that means an opportunity to tease you about the era of your teenage years, then I'm all for it. Turn it on," Kate said.

The remote was lying at the edge of the cushion between them and when Johanna reached for it, she ended up bumping it and sent it flying to the floor.

"Nice one," Kate laughed.

"I thought so," her mother remarked as she shifted to lean down and recover the object.

Just as Johanna leaned down, the glass of the window behind her shattered, eliciting a startled scream from both of them. Before she could rise to find out what had happened, Kate was shoving her to the floor yelling, "Get down!"

They huddled in the space between the couch and the coffee table as bullets continued to pour through the windows, showering them with glass.

"Katie," Johanna said; her voice laced with undisclosed fear.

"Stay down," Kate ordered as she reached up and felt around the coffee table for her phone. Once she had it she hit Esposito's number, her panicked voice asking for help as soon as he answered.

Johanna was shaking as she remained next to her daughter; barely even hearing anything that Kate was saying into the phone as the sounds of bullets smashing into objects around the room filled her ears; the sound of glass and wood splintering, seemingly amplified as she felt the tension of chaos settle over them. "This is it," she thought to herself. This was where they were going to meet their end. Her throat tightened; if this was how it was supposed to be she could make peace with that, but only if they allowed Kate to escape unharmed. She'd gladly let them do whatever they wanted to her if they'd just spare her daughter. She didn't want Kate to go down with her or for her. "Please God," she prayed, "Keep her from harm."

Kate was quickly gauging their options as she waited for help to arrive. They could crawl towards the door and try to get out but it seemed like too much of a risk. Their gunman or gunmen might have considered that and they might have someone stationed in the hallway or right outside the building, ready to finish them off. They couldn't chance it, not when they didn't know what laid on the other side of the door. With the amount of bullets filling her apartment, she felt safe in assuming that there was more than one shooter and that they were in possession of high powered rifles. They were sitting ducks, but she had no idea what they were up against. It seemed safer to stay put, as she doubted that they'd take the chance of coming to find out if they had succeeded in their mission. They would be too careful for that, just as all the others had been.

She wished that she could rise up enough to get a look out of what was left of the window to see if she could see who was out there and where and some idea of how many, but she couldn't take that risk either. To do so would make her more of a target and she wouldn't be able to return fire against them. She glanced to her mother, she was as white as a sheet; fear etched into her face. She had to get her out of the room and into a safer area of the apartment. Her hand felt around the coffee table once more; finding one gun and then another and she brought them down to the floor where they were plastered in place.

"Hey," Kate stated as she nudged her mother in attempt to gain her attention, but terror had seemingly frozen Johanna and she appeared to be trapped in her thoughts.

Johanna felt a hand roughly take hold of her face and she jerked, startled by the action, her focus snapping back to her daughter.

"Listen to me," Kate stated firmly as she shoved a gun into Johanna's hands. "I want you to stay as low as possible and crawl to the bedroom and lock yourself in."

"What about you?" her mother asked; her tone shaky. "Aren't you coming with me?"

"I'm going to get into a spot where I have a good clear aim at the door just in case we get some unwanted visitors. Now go."

"Katie..."

"I said go!" Kate exclaimed as she gave her a push. The stream of bullets was fading and she wanted to get her out of the way as quickly as possible.

Johanna knew better than to argue further and she reluctantly crawled away from her; the action made awkward by the gun clutched in her hand. She didn't retreat to the bedroom however. She stopped as soon as she reached the hallway and she positioned herself so she could see everything that was occurring in the living room. She adjusted her grip on the gun, her finger laying against the trigger. If someone came through that door and took aim at her daughter, she wouldn't hesitate to shoot.

Kate moved into position and aimed her own gun at the door as silence finally filled the air. The chaos had only lasted for scant few minutes but it seemed as though it had been hours. Her ears strained for the sounds of approaching danger but so far she heard nothing. She could see her mother from the corner of her eye and she could tell that she was still shaking but she didn't dare say a word to her. If someone was waiting outside she didn't want to give them any signs of life. Her heart was pounding with trepidation as her detective's eyes took note of the large caliber bullets lodged in her door and the ocean of shattered glass that covered the room. It had been too close. If her mother hadn't leaned forward to grab the remote they would've gotten her. If she hadn't flinched and reacted to the shattering of the window, they would've gotten her too.

Kate felt choked for a moment by the realization that they had so narrowly escaped that deadly fate. She felt the sting of tears but she quickly forced emotion away as the sounds of sirens split the air. Only then did it dawn on her to wonder why the officers from the unit on her building hadn't responded. Had they been taken out before hand, or were they apart of the plot? Her mind switched into cop mode, questions flooding her brain as she heard Esposito's worried voice shouting "Beckett!" from the hallway. Kate scrambled to her feet and raced toward the door, unlocking it and allowing him and Ryan inside as other officers filled the hallway.

"Are you okay?" Esposito asked as he noticed the trembling of her hand.

She nodded, "I'm fine."

"What about your mom?" Ryan asked as he began to scan the room in search of her.

"She's okay," she said as she nodded in the direction of the hallway where Johanna was still sitting; her posture relaxing slightly at the sight of the boys.

Ryan moved in Johanna's direction to help her up from the floor, and Kate turned her attention back to Esposito. "What the hell happened?" he asked.

"Hell broke loose," she answered as her mother appeared at her side and wrapped her arms around her. Kate returned her embrace, holding on tightly. "Well, Mother; it looks like we rattled someone's cage."

Castle arrived a short while after the boys and he entered the apartment with a purposeful stride as he called out Kate's name.

"I'm fine, Castle," she stated as she stepped away from an officer she had speaking to.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked as she came near and he took notice of the small red cuts and scratches on her face, arms, and hands that had been inflicted by flying glass.

"Yeah," she said; glancing down at herself knowing that the marks upon her skin would trouble him. "A little shaken up and some superficial cuts but nothing serious."

"Thank god for that," he said as he tugged her into his arms.

"How did you know to come?" she asked as she drank in the comfort he offered.

"Ryan called me; what happened?"

Kate clung to him for a moment longer and then forced herself to let go as they were surrounded by officers, crime scene techs, and the always nosy Detectives Ryan and Esposito. She remained close to him however as she went over the evening's events with him, trying to keep her emotions in check as she did so. When she finished, she found herself being pulled back into his arms, his embrace even tighter than before.

"I'm okay," she assured him once more.

"You have to quit having these close calls when I'm not around, Kate," he told her. "As scary as they can be when I'm with you; they're even worse when I'm not."

"Tell me about it," she replied and then she released a weighted sigh as she looked around her apartment. "It looks like someone is getting worried," she stated as she looked back to Castle.

"Do you think someone heard that we've been looking into the case of a certain journalist?" he asked quietly.

"I'd say so."

"But how? We were careful."

Kate held his gaze, "How do they always find out, Rick? No matter what we do and what precautions we seem to take, they always seem to know what we're doing...if there's a leak like we think there is, we need to be finding it and soon."

"Where was the unit that was supposed to be watching your building when all of this was going on?"

"Good question," Kate said; "Because they're not out there, and apparently they weren't out there when this went down. Ryan is making calls to find out why that is."

Dread filled his stomach at the implication that the unit had either been bought off or called off somehow.

"They really cover their bases, don't they?" he commented quietly; his tone laced with a level of seriousness that she hated to hear as it matched the tone of the thoughts in her head.

"Yeah...they know what they're doing, that's for sure," Kate answered; and that was what scared her the most as she watched a tech dig the bullets out of her door.

It dawned on Castle that out of the two Beckett women that shared the apartment, only one was present. "Where's your mom?"

"Over there," Kate said with a nod in the direction of the hallway where Johanna was leaning against the wall, seemingly lost in her thoughts as she watched the action going on in the living room.

"How is she?"

"Scared," she answered. "Other than that, I don't know. When everyone started filing in, she retreated and hasn't moved from that spot."

Castle studied the older woman as she stood in the distance, her expression forlorn. She looked so afraid and so alone and it tugged at his heartstrings. "You should bring her over here with us. She's too alone over there."

She couldn't argue with that, and just as she was about to move from her place to go to her, her mother glanced at her as if she had sensed that she was being discussed. Kate caught her eye and beckoned her forward to join them.

Johanna hesitated, remaining in place. She had tucked herself away in the hall so that she wouldn't be in the way and she didn't really want to intrude on Kate and Rick's circle even if she had been invited to. It just didn't seem right, she didn't belong there, interrupting whatever comfort her daughter might be deriving from the man she loved.

There was a part of her that wanted to cling to her daughter, just for the sake of knowing that she was okay but aside from that one embrace, she had refrained. She hadn't wanted to embarrass her in front of her colleagues. She could feel Kate's gaze still upon her; she could even feel Rick's gaze boring into her as they waited for her to come to them. Finally she gave in, figuring that they would just come to her if she didn't move. Johanna crossed the room, remaining quiet as she slipped into place next to Kate.

"Are you alright?" Castle asked Johanna as he looked her over; taking note of the fact that she too was littered with the cuts and scratches.

"I'm fine," she answered; forcing a small, tight smile to her lips.

He almost let the topic drop but his gaze strayed towards Johanna's left hand. He could see a fair amount of dried blood and without hesitation; he reached for her hand and gently uncurled her fingers.

"I thought you said you were okay?" he said; looking at her blood caked palm. "This doesn't look too good."

"It looks worse than it is," Johanna stated as she drew her hand away. "It's just a few cuts. I'm sure Kate has some of her own."

Castle hurriedly reached for Kate's hands and examined them, finding that she too had a wounded palm. He looked at Kate with slight confusion as he tried to figure out why one palm was injured more than the other on both women.

"It's fine, Castle," Kate said; sensing his distress. "We crawled across the glass, that's why our hands are cut up...and probably our knees. We were each holding a gun, that's why one hand is worse than the other."

"When can I start cleaning this mess up?" Johanna asked; sensing a need for a change of topic.

"Not tonight," her daughter replied as she raked a hand through her hair only to jerk it back when her fingers came in contact with something sharp. "We're covered in glass," she muttered.

"I know," Johanna replied quietly as she looked down at herself and saw small pieces of the debris sticking to her clothes.

"Clearly, the two of you can not stay here tonight," Castle stated as he flipped into take charge mode. "So you'll come stay with me. Let's get you packed and we'll go to the loft and get you both de-glassified. I'll have Lanie come over and take care of those cuts. I know a guy who can replace the windows and the door. I'll call him first thing and the morning and have him meet us here when we come back to clean up, okay?"

The two women were quiet for a moment as they absorbed his speech and shared a look.

"Wow, look whose in control," Johanna stated; meaning it to be a lighthearted comment but it didn't come out that way even to her own ears and she was instantly sorry.

"Mother," Kate mildly chastened.

"I didn't mean it the way it sounded," Johanna said as she looked to Rick.

He shook his head, laying a hand on her arm. "It's okay," he said with understanding; "I know you didn't."

She nodded, crossing her arms over herself, feeling uncomfortable as she shifted awkwardly. She should've stayed in the hallway.

"He's right though," Kate told her. "We can't stay here until things are fixed."

"I know," Johanna replied. "I just hate imposing on people."

"You're not imposing," Castle replied; "I invited you and we have plenty of room. Jim can stay with you too if that's what's worrying you."

"No, Dad will be going home," Kate remarked.

"Why?" Johanna asked. "You know he'll want to be with us tonight."

"I just think he'll be better off at home. I think he's safer there."

"Have you called him yet?" Castle inquired.

Kate shook her head, "No, I'll do that once we're out of here."

They were quiet for a moment as the crime scene techs began to pack up and the uniforms filed into the hallway. Ryan and Esposito joined their group. "As you know we've marked the building across the street as the place where the shots came from," Esposito stated.

"Yeah, it's a busy place over there," Kate said; a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

Esposito cracked a smile, "If I was you, I'd think about moving out of this neighborhood."

"I'll take it into consideration," she quipped. "What else do you have?"

"The unit that was on your building said that it was called off by dispatch," Ryan stated. "And of course we'll be looking into that further."

Kate nodded, "Anything else?"

"Yeah," Esposito said, "Gates wants you to clear out of here for the night and to call and tell her where the two of you will be so that she can put another unit at that location...one that will be instructed to take its orders directly from her."

"We're going to stay with Castle," Kate informed them. "When you finish up, come over there and give me an update. I want to get her settled as soon as I can."

"We'll have a unit follow you," Ryan told her; "And we'll double check things here before we head out," he added as he glanced at the windows that were now boarded up.

She thanked them and then closed the door behind them before turning to her mother. "Make sure you have the gun, your phone, and your laptop. If you have any of the notes about the case, pack them. We aren't leaving anything case related behind. Let's try to get packed quickly while we still have a large police presence across the street."

Johanna nodded in acceptance and set off to complete her tasks, while Kate took a breath and turned to head in the direction of her office area to gather their case work.

"I'm going to call Lanie," Castle stated.

"We don't need to drag Lanie out to check a few cuts," she protested.

"I'm doing it anyway," he remarked. "She won't mind, and I think it would be best if she made sure there isn't any glass in any of those cuts... you don't want your mother to be walking around with glass in her hand, do you? Because I have to tell you, I don't think she'd say a word about it; she wouldn't want to bother you with having to take her to have it removed."

That was probably true. "Fine, Castle; I'm not going to argue with you."

"Good, you'll be needing your arguing skills for your Dad."

"I know what's best for him," Kate said as she looked her partner in the eye. "I want him to go home tonight as he planned on."

He nodded; knowing she wasn't going to relent. "Tell me where your papers are and I'll get that stuff together for you so you can go pack."

She told him where to find the files and notebook and then headed off for her bedroom. Anxiety filled her; the weight of responsibility and the knowledge of how close it had been pressing down upon her. She knew that logically, her father would be fine if he spent the night with them...but she needed him to go home. She hadn't lied when she said she felt it would be safer, but that reasoning was born out of fear. She had already had a close call with one parent under her care that night, why take the unnecessary risk of having them both on her watch when she was already feeling shaken and vulnerable. She'd have Gates increase the patrols in his area, although she didn't feel that he was being targeted...and then, maybe tomorrow she'd let him stay with them if he wanted; but for tonight she needed distance, and they'd have to forgive her for it.

Castle didn't know who he should feel sorrier for as he watched the scene taking place in front of him in his kitchen. He felt bad for Kate for having to go up against her father's strong will and his instinct to stand by them and protect them. He felt sorry for Jim for being put in the position where he had to take orders from his daughter and was essentially being kept from caring for his wife. But then his eyes landed on Johanna as she sat at the counter, her hands in Lanie's as the M.E. probed her wounds for shards of glass. Somehow, Johanna seemed to be winning in the sympathy pool, he thought as he studied her while she watched husband and daughter go head to head, seeing the anguish in her features. He could tell that she understood both sides of the argument and that she knew they both had merit and she couldn't seem to bring herself to intervene as she'd then be publically choosing sides. He didn't blame her for remaining silent. He seemed to be a member of that same club at the moment.

"Dad, I just want you to go home tonight like you had planned on," Kate stated; frustration beginning to seep through her tone.

"Why?" Jim asked. "Give me a reason; a good one."

"I just feel that since you don't appear to be a target, that it's safe for you to go home and I think that with everything that has happened tonight, that home is the safest place for you to be. Let's just stick to the routine."

Jim eyed her, "Are you saying that you're not safe here? Because if you're not safe here, than the two of you may as well go get in the car and come home with me."

Kate shook her head, "I'm not saying that at all, Dad. I'm sure we'll be fine here and I swear I'm not trying to keep you away from us…I just think this is what's best. I want to make sure that you're going to be okay."

"I don't like it," her father replied as he held her gaze. "I don't think it's what's best at all."

She was trying hard not to loose her temper. "You don't have to like it…but I want you to do it anyway."

He was about to open his mouth to argue further, but he felt Johanna's hand settle upon his arm. "Jim," she said quietly; allowing the sound of his name say more than any of the other people in the room could imagine. She wanted him to concede the battle, and for a moment it bristled but then he looked into her eyes and saw her pleading with him to stop the argument before it went too far. His gaze turned back to his daughter, reading the tension in her body language and the hints of fear in her eyes that she was desperately trying to hide. His jaw tightened; he hated to give in to her demands. He should be allowed to be with his family. He should be comforting his wife…he'd offer comfort to his daughter too but he sensed that he wasn't the one she wanted it from, and that was okay. It wasn't okay that they had to face danger alone…or most importantly, without him, but he was fighting a losing battle and he didn't feel like this was a place where he could force his presence.

"Alright, Katie," he stated; his tone even. "If you feel it's better this way…then I guess I don't have much choice but to accept that."

There was a small pang of guilt as she listened to her father's tense acceptance of her demand. She knew that in some ways she was taking away his rights again and she hated to do that but she wouldn't change her mind. She needed him to be away from this for the night, she needed to know he was safely tucked away at home. She didn't enjoy it; in fact she hated it and she hoped that it would be over soon before she caused detrimental harm to their relationship.

"How is she, Lanie?" Jim asked as his attention shifted back to his wife and the care she was receiving.

"She's fine," Lanie answered. "I cleaned the cuts and I haven't found any glass in them. I didn't find any in your little girl either," she added lightly.

"Thank god for that," he commented and before anyone could say something else, a knock sounded at the door.

Castle stepped away to answer it and reappeared moments later with Ryan and Esposito at his side.

"What do you have?" Kate asked as soon as she registered there appearance.

"The door of the apartment that Scott Hayes used to spy on you was ajar," Ryan informed her. "When we went inside, we found the windows open and the two rifles abandoned, affirming our belief that there had been two shooters."

"Was there forced entry?" she questioned.

Esposito nodded, "There were signs of forced entry but I had hung on to the number for the landlord just in case we needed it again and I called him to confirm that he hadn't been renting the place to anyone, which of course he hasn't been. CSU is doing a thorough sweep of the apartment, we'll know sometime tomorrow if they found anything useful. We turned the weapons over to ballistics; their report may take a little longer."

"Why?" Castle asked.

"They were having problems with their computer systems today and they're slightly backlogged," Ryan answered.

"Did you talk to the neighbors?" Kate inquired. "Did anyone see anything?"

"The only neighbor on that floor who was home at the time didn't see anything. She heard the shots and then when things got quiet, she heard movement in the hallway and the door of the stairwell opening. She was too afraid to look out her door."

Kate could understand that and she didn't blame the woman at all. She had probably been better off remaining concealed…there were enough people with targets on their back.

Castle observed as she launched more fully into cop mode, giving Ryan and Esposito her commands as they discussed theories. His gaze slid towards Jim and Johanna as they remained huddled near each other at the counter. He could read the longing for privacy on both of their faces as they held each other's gaze, silently communicating between themselves. He still felt badly for them and he could see how torn Jim was by having to give in to Kate's demands when he so obviously wanted nothing more than to assert his will and stay with them. He couldn't convince Kate to let Jim stay but he could at least afford the couple some privacy. Castle slipped away from Kate's side and moved towards her parents, catching their attention and motioning for them to follow him.

"You can go into my office," he explained as he led the way. "Take all the time you need."

"Thank you," Jim said gratefully.

Castle nodded and pulled the door shut after they had stepped inside.

Jim pulled Johanna into his arms and held her tightly, closing his eyes as she tucked her head beneath his chin and clung to him. There was the temptation to scoop her up and carry her out of there and put her in the car and just drive until he was sure that they were far enough away that she'd be safe. He'd do it in an instant if he could. He felt helpless. Johanna was his wife; he had vowed to take care of her, to protect her, to always keep her and their daughter safe. He couldn't think of a single viable way to uphold that promise of safety and it frustrated him.

He should stay there with her for the night but Kate was adamant that he go, the unspoken words that her plate was full enough and that she didn't need him looking over her shoulder or being an added worry came through loud and clear. He'd like to shove his daughter into the car and take her away someplace where she'd be safe as well but he knew he could never get away with that, and besides, she had chosen someone else to be her protector now. That job didn't seem to be his anymore. Jim understood that Kate was scared and worried, and he could understand that she thought he'd be safer at home since he didn't appear to be a target. There was, however, the thought in the back of his mind that among her reasons for sending him away was the fact that she didn't want him under the same roof with her when she'd be sharing a bed with her boyfriend. The thought didn't appeal much to him either, but he could deal with it. It would be awkward though for all of them. He could already tell that Johanna was uneasy with the thought that this was going to be an extended stay...and if she was going to feel out of place here, then he knew he would. He could handle a little discomfort though if Johanna wanted him there and he figured Kate would get over it eventually.

"Jo, if you want me to stay, I will," he told her.

She separated from him reluctantly so that she could look at him. "I do want you here..." she said; trailing off for a moment.

He knew when her pauses indicated that a 'but' was coming and he braced himself for it as he saw the word forming on her lips.

"But I want you to go home."

"Because Katie says so?" Jim asked as he rubbed an agitated hand against his jaw.

"No," she whispered. "I want you to go home so I know you're safe...I don't feel like you'd be safe here with me."

He gave her a sad smile. "I'm not afraid of you," he said lightly in an attempt to ease the graveness that lingered between them.

A small smile graced her lips as tears glimmered in her eyes. "And here I thought that I had trained you to fear me long ago."

"I just let you think that," he replied; his throat feeling tight with emotion.

He saw her throat constrict with a sob that she wouldn't release and he hated to see how hard she was trying to keep it together. He should be able to fix this for her. He had been able to fix a lot of things for her over the years...but he couldn't fix this and he hated it. Hated to feel so damn incompetent. "Johanna..." he breathed; unsure of what to say or what to offer as nothing seemed adequate.

She closed her eyes, there was always something about the way he said her name. It could warm her heart; it could slice right through her. He could say and tell her so much just by the way he whispered her name.

"I know," she said quietly; acknowledging everything that he didn't say. "I always want you with me...but I just need to know that you're safe tonight."

He read the expression on her face; her green eyes telling him everything she wouldn't say with her words. She couldn't protect Kate so she needed to feel like she was protecting him. Somehow it felt wrong to take that need away from her even if he was reluctant to leave her.

"Are you sure?"

Johanna nodded, "Yes...but tomorrow when Kate brings me back here after we clean up, I expect you to be here."

"I'll be here," he promised. "I'll come and help you clean up."

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "I don't want you to see it."

Jim was silent for a moment after that statement as he debated how to take it. They had recently had a more open discussion about the years he had spent struggling with alcohol and after prodding her, she had admitted that she sometimes worried that her reappearance in his life, or something she might say or do might cause him to slip back into old habits. He had assured her that he was fine; that he had no desire to go back to being that person. It had been eight years, he was in a better place now and he knew how to handle things without the need of a vice to get him through. She had asked him to promise that he would come to her and let her help him if he ever felt like he was backsliding, and he had made that promise willingly but he never intended to let her or Kate or even himself down by going back to that way of life.

Knowing that she worried about it though, made him wonder if she thought he couldn't handle this situation now that things seemed to be amped up to a new level. "I can handle it," he told her; hoping that she'd catch his meaning that she didn't need to worry.

She had always been able to read him and she knew exactly what he was thinking, and it wasn't what she had meant at all.

Johanna laid a hand against his face, her gaze locked upon his. "I know you can," she said sincerely; that was the truth and she didn't want him to think for one moment that she thought he was weak in any way. He was still as strong as he had ever been in her eyes, maybe more so. "You had to see her get shot once...you don't need to see how close she came to it being a second time. You don't need to see how close I came to it. I don't want you to see it, Jim. I don't want it to haunt you the way it's going to haunt me."

He had read it all wrong and he felt somewhat foolish. She didn't think he was weak, and he should've known better than to entertain that notion. She just wanted to shield him from the sight of what had happened, and what could have happened; just like she needed to feel like she was protecting him by sending him away.

"Alright, Jo," he answered; taking her hand and squeezing it to let her know he understood. "I'll be here when you're finished."

She managed a smile for him. "I'm being difficult, aren't I?"

He gave a soft, short laugh, "No more than usual, sweetheart."

She caressed his face and then moved closer, brushing her lips against his.

"I hope they catch the bastard that did this," Jim said as his fingertips trailed against her cheek. "I don't appreciate having my wife and daughter shot at...and I really don't appreciate someone causing this pretty face of yours to get scratched up by glass," he added before pressing his lips against the small red scratches that marred her cheek and her chin.

"I think my hands got the worst of it," she answered as she raised them for him to see.

"I don't appreciate that either," he said as he took one hand and then the other and pressed kisses against the angry looking cuts in her skin.

"All better," she told him; fighting back her emotions once more as he completed his task.

"I wish that was true."

"I wish I hadn't gotten out of bed this morning. This day has taken an ugly turn."

"Yeah," Jim agreed, "And it ruined my plans for tomorrow."

Her brow rose inquisitively, "You had plans for tomorrow?"

"Yes, you see I was lucky at the card game tonight and I was going to use my winnings to surprise you with a nice lunch tomorrow...and then I thought maybe I'd try my luck with you," he said with a grin.

She gave him a playful swat. "You think I can be so easily bribed?"

"You were before," he quipped. "I was even going to bring you a milkshake to sweeten the deal."

Johanna shook her head at him, a soft smile on her lips that faded quickly as she realized it was another missed opportunity. Another day with her husband that she was being robbed of. "That would've been nice," she said quietly.

He saw the sadness sweeping across her features and he pulled her back into his arms. "Don't worry, I'll save the money and we'll reschedule for a better time."

"I'll hold you to that," she whispered.

"I promise."

Silence fell between them and she hung on to him tightly for awhile. "You better go before it gets any later."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure," Johanna replied; letting him pull her back for a few more kisses.

"I love you, Johanna," he told her before allowing her out of his embrace.

"I love you too," she said; her voice cracking a bit. "Call and let me know you got home safely."

"I will," he assured. "And if you need me, you call me. I don't care what time it is, I don't care what the reason is, just call. If you change your mind and want me to come back, you say the word and I'm in the car and on my way. Do you understand?"

She forced a smile to her lips. "I understand, but I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

One last embrace and one more kiss goodnight passed between them before they finally opened the door of the office and stepped back into the chaotic atmosphere of the loft.

"Katie, I'm going to head out," Jim said once he and Johanna had rejoined the group. He figured if he didn't go now it would be too tempting to stay and argue further.

Kate stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "Don't be mad at me," she whispered.

"I'm not," he assured her. "You have your reasons and I respect them. I just want you to promise that you'll call if something happens…or if you need me."

"I promise, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, Katie," he said as he kissed her cheek and then released her.

He moved back to his wife, pulling her into his arms once again, whispering words of love in her ear before pressing one last kiss against her lips.

"We're going to head out too, Beckett," Esposito announced.

"If you don't mind, will you follow my Dad home and make sure everything is fine there?"

"That's not necessary, Katie. I'll be fine," Jim stated as he headed for the door.

"It is to me," she remarked.

"Don't worry about it," Ryan said. "We'll make sure everything is fine and send you a text to let you know."

"Thank you," Kate said as Castle showed the three men out.

Lanie pulled her into a hug as she got ready to leave too. "No more close calls, my nerves can't handle it," her friend stated.

"I'll try to refrain," Kate replied as she returned her hug and said goodnight.

Castle locked the door once they were all gone and set the alarm of the security system.

"Kate, if you want, I can lock your laptops and case files in the safe," he offered.

"That's a good idea," she said as she went to their bags and dug out the items.

He glanced towards Johanna and saw how tired she looked as he accepted the computers and files. "Why don't you take your mom up to the guest room and get her settled for the night," he suggested. "She looks tired."

Kate grabbed her mother's bag and then beckoned her mother to follow her up the stairs. Martha trailed behind them, ready to call it a night herself in hopes that sleep would quell the rising tension levels that could be felt in the air. She hugged Kate and said goodnight in the hallway, and then turned to Johanna and did the same, telling her not to hesitate to knock on her door if she needed anything.

Kate followed Johanna into the guest room and placed the bag on the bed before turning towards her. "Are you okay?" she asked her.

"I'm fine," her mother replied.

"Do you have everything you need?"

The older woman nodded as she opened her bag, intent on extracting her nightgown and robe but Kate stopped her by wrapping her arms around her and hugging her tightly.

"It'll be okay," she whispered even though she wasn't all that sure it would be.

"I know," Johanna replied softly; but her tone wasn't very convincing either.

"Get some sleep," Kate told her. "If you need me, you know where to find me."

"You try and rest too," her mother replied; ignoring the last half of her remark.

Kate released her hold on her. "I love you."

Johanna laid a hand against her daughter's cheek. "I love you too, Katie; always."

She said goodnight and then retreated from the room, making her way back downstairs. Castle had already carried her bag into his bedroom and by the time she had fished out her pajamas, he appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, ready for bed.

"Does your mom have everything she needs?" he asked as she passed him to take her turn.

"She's fine," she answered as she closed the door behind her. She took her time getting ready for bed, hoping to get her thoughts under control but it wasn't an easy task. Finally she emerged, finding him sitting in bed waiting for her. She slipped in next to him, pressing a kiss to his lips before she settled back against the headboard and waited for him to speak.

"Are you alright, Kate?" he asked; concern coloring his tone.

"I'm as fine as I can be right now," she admitted honestly before falling back into silence.

"Do you want to tell me what's on your mind?" he inquired gently. "And please don't say there's nothing on your mind…I can smell the wood burning from here."

His attempt at levity fell flat as she remained quiet for several moments longer, but he waited, knowing that she always had to debate internally before she revealed herself.

"I know you think I was wrong to send my Dad away tonight," Kate said quietly.

"I don't think you're wrong. I just think that there is more to it than you're letting on."

She was quiet for a minute, it never failed; Castle always caught her when she was trying to pass off one emotion in an attempt to mask the true one that lay beneath. She could admit to herself that her decision regarding her father had been irrational; that it had been founded upon the wealth of emotion that was still raw and swimming through her. She didn't regret her choice, she still felt that she had done the right thing...but was she the only one who would understand that reasoning? She felt Castle's hand settle against her back, the warmth of it seeping through her tank top as his hand moved up and down, soothing her as she remained quiet. Why was she debating this? Castle would understand, he always did...and he loved her...and that love guaranteed her his support.

"I just...I need to know that if something else was to happen tonight that my Dad will be safe. I already failed in my responsibility to keep my mother safe. I can't risk failing them both."

"Kate," Castle said gently; "You didn't fail your mom. You didn't know that this was going to happen."

"But I should have known. I'm a cop, it's my job to know, it's my job to protect her."

"You do protect her."

Kate shook her head. "It doesn't feel like it tonight, and I can't have them both here on my watch and take the risk that something might happen to both of them. I have to keep her with me...but I can send Dad home and have the security of knowing that come morning I'll still have one parent if the worst happens and I know that sounds terrible but that's just how I need it to be tonight. I know it's not what he wanted to hear and I know it's not what Mom wants but it's what I need right now. It's selfish, but I'm the one carrying the responsibility...and having him at home means I have one less worry to carry tonight."

"It's not selfish to want to lighten your load," Castle told her; "And if sending him away tonight makes this a little easier for you, then you made the right choice...and I think your Dad would understand that if you had explained it to him that way; but I can also understand why you didn't," he said as he saw her mouth open to protest the last part of his statement.

"He'd still argue to be here," she said anyway.

"Of course he would," Castle said with a nod. "He loves you; he loves his wife. He wants to know that your both okay."

Tears built up in her eyes. "I almost lost her, Rick," she cried as her emotions finally broke free. "If she hadn't moved when she did...they would've gotten her."

"But they didn't get her. She's right upstairs, she's fine, and so are you."

"It was so close," she said as she swiped at the tears pouring down her cheeks. "It was so close for both of us...and I'm scared, Castle. The warnings are over...they're coming for us and I don't know if I'll be able to save her."

He pulled her into his arms, allowing her to sob out her fears. He stroked her hair, trying to soothe her as he whispered words of comfort in her ear.

"Everything is going to be alright, Kate. We're going to get through this. We're going to get them before they get you and Johanna."

"How?" she asked; her voice ravaged by tears. "We have an idea of who it is but we don't have any concrete evidence to make a strong case with."

"We'll find what we need," he promised. "We have to be getting close to it or they wouldn't be getting worried. You're not shouldering this alone, Kate. We're all here for you and we're all going to keep you safe and we're going to help you keep her safe. You just have to keep believing in that; you have to keep that faith alive that your both going to make it out of this...because you are. It's not acceptable any other way."

"Because that's how you'd write it?" Kate asked as her sobs eased.

"Exactly. I would write this with the only plausible ending; mother and daughter live happily ever after."

She pulled away from him and settled back into her place. "I used to believe in fairy tales a long time ago. When I was a kid I had dreams of love that didn't end and weddings and babies."

"So you did tear a picture of a wedding dress out of a magazine?" Castle asked lightly; bringing up her denial of such a thing.

A small smile touched her lips and she ducked her head shyly. "Not exactly. Instead of a magazine photo I had a picture of my mother in her wedding gown. She looked so beautiful and so happy and I'd look at that picture and my girlhood fantasy would be to live up to that image. I wanted to look that pretty one day in a gown like hers. I wanted to be as happy as she looked in the picture...and then one day the world shattered and happily ever after was gone. In its wake was the feeling that it was all just a delusion that you got to live in until somebody somewhere decided that you had been happy long enough and that it was time to destroy you."

Castle covered her hand but remained silent, allowing her to go on at her own pace, voicing whatever it was she needed to unburden.

"I saw how painful love could be," Kate stated. "I saw my father fall apart without her…I saw myself crumble without her influence. I felt all of this pain and somewhere inside I thought that I didn't ever want to feel it again, nor did I ever want to inflict it upon someone I loved. I wouldn't want to destroy the man who loved me; I wouldn't want to abandon my child…and so I thought that maybe marriage and babies were better off not being in the cards for me. That way I couldn't get hurt and I couldn't hurt anyone in return. All of those childhood fantasies got locked away for a long time…but for awhile now, they've been coming back…and sometimes I let myself think about what it might be like to have those things I dreamed of when I was younger."

"So you've changed your mind about wanting marriage and babies?" he asked cautiously; because in his own fantasies he saw Kate as his wife, he saw her as the mother of his children.

"Yeah," she whispered; "I want it all; and I think that one of the reasons, besides the fear of being hurt or inflicting it, that I pushed away wanting those things was because I couldn't imagine having them and not having my mom to share it with. I don't want someone taking my dreams away from me again. I don't want to lose my mom again. Every once in awhile she makes a comment about wedding planning and how she wants a granddaughter…and I want her to help me plan a wedding one day…I want her to hold my children and say I told you so when I'm exasperated with the daughter she wished on me. I don't want to lose those things for a second time, Rick…especially when it would be my fault. How could I ever face my father again if I let something happen to her?"

Castle hooked a finger under her chin, tipping her face up and making her hold his gaze. "Nothing is going to happen to your mother," he stated with conviction. "Johanna Beckett is going to be here to help you plan the wedding of your dreams, she'll help you find a dress, she'll be crying in the front row when your dad walks you down the aisle. When the test results come back positive, she'll be the first one to run out and buy a frilly pink baby dress and a onesie that says 'Grandma Loves Me'; and I can just see her finding a way to be in the delivery room with you; unable to wait a second longer than she has to to see her grandchild."

A small, soft laugh escaped her as she brushed away a few tears from her cheeks. "I can see her doing that too."

"Good," he told her; "Keep seeing that, because it'll happen. You and Johanna still have a lot of life to see together. Holidays, birthdays, family vacations, and heart to heart talks when you need them...and if I know the two of you, a few squabbles along the way, because you're both so damn stubborn and bring new meaning to the phrase 'like mother, like daughter'. You'll have your dreams, Kate; and she'll have hers."

"How can you be so sure?" Kate asked softly.

He wiped away a few tears that had spilled down her cheeks against her will and then he retook her hand. "I'm sure because I know you, and over the past few months I've gotten to know Johanna and I've learned some things."

"Like what?"

"I've learned that the Beckett women are complex beings...but they're also very strong...even when they don't feel like they are. They're survivors. Sometimes they fall apart but they always pick up the pieces come morning and carry on."

"You think so?"

"I know so. I've seen you both get up everyday and carry on. I know you're scared and that's okay. It doesn't mean you aren't strong. It doesn't mean you can't win the fight, because you can and you will."

She smiled at him, her confidence rebuilding as his words lingered in her head. He always knew what she needed to hear. She kissed him long and slowly, allowing her mind to fill with nothing but thoughts of him for a few minutes.

"I love you," Kate whispered when they finally parted.

"I love you too, and I don't want you to force yourself to stay awake tonight. You're safe here. There's a unit on the building; I made a call and the doorman knows who is allowed to get to the door. The alarm system is set. The door is locked and the windows are locked..."

"My windows were locked too," she interrupted; "And the bullets still got in."

He smirked at her. "You don't have to worry about that here; we have shatterproof glass."

She grinned, "Maybe I should live here."

"Say the word and I'll hire a moving van."

"I was joking, Castle...for now."

"For now?" he asked; a glimmer of excitement filling him. Was he imagining it or did she just imply that she might want to move in with him one day?"

"That's a conversation we can have one day in the future."

He nodded, "Right, moving on. My point, before you distracted me, was that you can sleep easy tonight. I'm here and I'll take care of you, Kate."

She had to admit that that sounded so very nice. She could feel her adrenalin crashing and there was a part of her that desperately wanted to go to sleep so that she could put the day behind her.

"You'll wake me if something seems off or if I don't hear my phone?"

"I promise," he told her as she slid from her position against the headboard and settled against her pillow.

Castle brushed another kiss against her lips and then turned off the light before slipping into place beside her, wrapping her in his embrace. Her eyes felt heavy as she nestled against him, his warmth and smell soothing her. Some of the weight that been pressing down upon her felt lighter now; a portion of the load shifted onto Castle's broad shoulders. He would help her end this. He'd be on guard tonight, watching over them and that thought allowed her to relax against him.

"Stop thinking and sleep, Kate," he said quietly; pressing a kiss against her hair.

"How do you know I'm thinking?"

"You have a very loud thought process."

"Like you don't?"

"Shhh," Castle replied with amusement. "It's time for little Detectives to go nighty night."

She laughed quietly and moved long enough to steal a kiss before settling back into place and allowing sleep to claim her for awhile.

In the guest room, Johanna turned over for what seemed like the hundredth time, seeking a comfortable spot. She sighed, the problem wasn't the bed. The problem was her and her mind which she couldn't seem to switch off enough to allow sleep to claim her. There were just too many thoughts in her head and she was too alone. She wanted her husband; but then again, when didn't she want him?

It was too quiet and she had nothing to do to distract herself from her troubles or the silence that plagued the room. Her book laid forgotten on the nightstand in her room at Kate's, and there wasn't a television in Castle's guest room that she could switch on to chase away the shadows and fill her mind. She supposed that it would probably be alright for her to go downstairs and watch television or borrow a book but she didn't move. She wouldn't feel comfortable walking through Rick's home in the middle of the night, touching things she hadn't been given permission to touch.

Johanna released a heavy breath; she couldn't even seek out her daughter as she was tucked away with her boyfriend, which of course was where she belonged. She didn't begrudge her that, and she didn't want her company so that they could speak of the evening's events, talking about the shooting was the last thing she wanted to do. The fear was still there at the surface, the trauma still alive and streaming steadily through her mind. No, she didn't want to talk about it...she wanted to forget, she just wanted it to go away for a little while. She didn't want to keep thinking about how close it had been for both of them. She didn't want to think about what it meant or what might happen next. She didn't want to think about the damage that had been done. She didn't want to think about anything because if she did, she knew she'd break and she'd spiral downward into those thoughts of what if? She just wanted to go home...home to Jim, or home to Kate's; she'd take either one. She was accustomed to living with the fear and the knowledge that danger could strike at any moment but she had managed to obtain a small amount of security that she had clung to and now that security was shattered...like the windows behind Kate's sofa. She shook that thought away; she just needed some measure of that security back. She didn't want to be alone in that room. She just needed somebody or something to hold on to.

She shivered and pulled the blankets more tightly around her. It was August and yet she felt like she was freezing. It was her nerves, she knew that, and some of it might stem from the air conditioning that felt a little cooler than she was accustomed to at Kate's. It reminded her of too many cold, lonely nights she had spent in Wyoming, crying herself to sleep as she longed for her husband's warmth. That longing for Jim was filling her now. She'd be warm if she was with him. He'd tuck an extra blanket around her and then he'd pull her into his arms and hold her close, allowing her to absorb his body heat. She'd fall asleep feeling warm and loved and safe. A small smile touched her lips as she recalled how he had always teased her in the winter time when she'd become more clingy in bed than usual in her quest to stay warm. He'd always laugh and say that he was her personal heating system. Tears filled her eyes, she just wanted Jim. She reached for her phone, the intent of texting him on her mind but when she touched the screen and saw the time, she frowned. She shouldn't bother him this late, he needed his rest as much as everyone else. He wouldn't mind though, she thought to herself as she held the device in her hand; her heart at war with her head.

Finally, after three text messages that she deleted before sending, Johanna put her phone back on the nightstand. Keeping the blankets wrapped around her, she pushed herself up to sit against the headboard. Why was it always the times when you wanted to sleep the most that you couldn't sleep at all? If she could just sleep then she'd be able to forget for a little while…unless of course it tainted her dreams and she woke up the household with nightmare induced screams. That would be embarrassing. Perhaps sleep wasn't such a good idea after all. She rubbed her hands over her face, two thirty in the morning and the night stretched out before her endlessly.

She couldn't help but remember those times long ago when she and Jim had been dating and insomnia or worry would keep her awake. She'd get up and call a cab and go to his apartment in the middle of the night and she'd sneak into bed with him. Sometimes, if he was in a deep enough sleep, she could go undetected until morning. Other times, she got caught and as he'd pull her close, he'd lecture her about being out so late and he'd tell her that she should've called; that he would've came to her. Being with him always seemed to cure her; sometimes she'd drift off in the middle of his lecture as she settled into the security of his arms. A rebellious tear slipped down her cheek. She wished she could walk out of the loft and catch a cab and go to Jim like she had back then...but she couldn't and that knowledge stung her as much as those cuts on her hands from crawling across the broken glass in Kate's apartment.

It had been too close...just too damn close and she couldn't shake the chaos from her mind. She'd been so terrified, she was so terrified. She squeezed her eyes shut and slowly rocked herself back and forth. Everyone kept saying that they'd make it out of this alive, but now she wasn't so sure. She didn't want to die but if it came down to it, she'd rather it be her than Kate. She'd never be able to live with herself if she survived and Kate didn't; and even though Jim would never say that he blamed her, she knew that somewhere inside he would, and she would never ask him to live with the person responsible for taking his daughter from him. She couldn't do that, she wouldn't, it was better for all of them if she was the one to be sacrificed if it came to that.

She'd just have to quietly make it known to a couple of Detectives that if it came down to it, they were to save her daughter first. She didn't give a damn about their protocol; no one was to save her before Kate. Whatever her fate was to be, she'd have to deal with it; maybe if she had dealt with things in a better way years ago they wouldn't be in this situation. They wouldn't have bullets flying at them; they wouldn't have to live in fear. Self reproach settled over her, mingling with the fear and the tiredness and the lump that grew in her throat couldn't be swallowed. It all seemed so hopeless in the oppressive darkness of night. She shivered once again, her nerves still far from settled as she tried to remain composed. Loneliness and self hatred clawed at her and the sobs burst forth, wracking her slender frame as she pulled her knees up against her chest and lowered her head to rest upon them in hopes of stifling the sound of her cries. She longed for the night to end and yet she feared the morning. Was it ever going to end? Was she ever going to be freed from this nightmare? At the moment it didn't feel like it and it made her cry all the more.

The next morning, Kate rubbed a hand against the back of her neck as she stood in the kitchen while everyone assembled for breakfast. She had managed to get some sleep but she had woken several times, startled awake by dreams. Castle had soothed her each time and managed to coax her back to sleep. A smile crossed her lips as the man in question put a cup of coffee in her hands and kissed her cheek. She took a sip, watching as Martha and Alexis accepted their plates from him, while she stood by, listening for the sound of heels on the stairs which would denote her mother's presence. So far, Johanna Beckett was a no show and she tried to keep herself from worrying too much about that.

"Martha, have you seen my mother yet this morning?" she asked.

"No, dear, I haven't," the actress replied. "I was going to knock on the door but I didn't want to wake her if she was still asleep."

Kate nodded and shifted her gaze to Alexis who also confirmed that she hadn't heard a peep out of her either.

"Maybe you should go check on her," Castle suggested.

"I am," she replied; taking another sip of her coffee before setting it aside and heading upstairs.

Kate knocked on the guest room door and when she heard a mumbled 'come in', she opened the door and slipped inside, closing it behind her.

"Are you awake?" Kate asked as she rounded the bed and sat down on the edge.

"Yes," Johanna answered. "If you're ready to go, just give me about twenty minutes to get ready."

She shook her head. "I came up to check on you. You didn't come down for breakfast."

"I'm not hungry," she said quietly as she shifted to shield her eyes from the sunlight that seeped between the slats of the blinds.

Kate studied her for a moment, taking in the paleness of her face and her red, puffy eyes. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Did you?" Johanna asked; avoiding the question.

"A little."

"That's good," Johanna replied as she reached for Kate's hand. "I worry about you being out there on the streets when you haven't gotten any sleep."

"Did you sleep?" she asked once again as she realized that Johanna was deflecting the topic away from herself.

"No," she finally answered after a moment's hesitation.

"Maybe you should stay here and try to sleep," Kate told her. "Castle and I can take care of the apartment and Dad can come and stay with you."

She shook her head, wincing slightly as she did so. "No, I'm going to help you clean up and there are some things I need to get."

"What is it that you need?"

"My books for one thing."

"Mother," she said with a soft laugh; "You're staying with an author; Castle has a ton of books and he would've told you to take your pick if you had just asked."

"I don't like to be a bother."

Kate regarded her for a minute; "Is that why you didn't ask for another blanket? Because from the way you're wrapped up here I figure that you're cold."

"It was late," she answered. "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, it's just my nerves. I'm fine."

Kate sighed; she didn't believe that for a minute. Her mother wasn't acting like herself. Her tone was flat and her eyes betrayed nothing except the evidence that many tears had been shed over the course of the night. Kate looked around the room; no books, no television, no option of 4 A.M. brownie baking. It was starting to sink in; her mother had been awake all night with nothing to distract her and she could just imagine what she had spent her time thinking; the hours she must've spent blaming herself for every bullet that had pierced the glass of the windows.

A small measure of guilt welled up within her; she had sent away her father and then she had moved her mother into the guest room and had essentially abandoned her...she hadn't even checked on her through the night.

"I'm sorry," she said softly as she squeezed her hand.

"For what?" Johanna asked; her face conveying confusion.

"That I left you alone last night. I sent Dad away and I...wasn't here for you and I'm sorry."

"No," her mother said with a slight shake of her head, and this time Kate detected the small wince that accompanied it. "You were where you belonged and where you needed to be. I was perfectly fine here."

"No you weren't. I can tell that you cried all night and you didn't sleep...and I know how your mind works. You were up here by yourself thinking things you shouldn't have been thinking and you had nothing to keep you from doing it."

"I'm fine, Kate," Johanna insisted.

"I might believe that when I find you on my couch at 3 a.m. being kept company by your old friends Mary and Rhoda but I'm not buying it this time...so why don't you let me get you something for the headache that you clearly have and then you can tell me what's on your mind."

Johanna untangled herself from the blankets and got out of bed, moving in the direction of her overnight bag and kneeling down in front of it. My headache is fine for now; and I'm sure you can guess what's on my mind and I don't want to talk about it."

Kate stayed silent for a moment as she watched her mother dig through her bag and ultimately come up with the pair of jeans that she had pegged as her favorites. They were a bit faded and they were starting to show some wear...much like the woman she was facing this morning, because Johanna Beckett was lacking her usual optimism. She looked like she had lost that little glimmer of hope that she had clung to and Kate hated to see that. She hated to see her torturing herself and that was obviously what she had been doing all night.

"It's not your fault," she stated quietly.

"How can you say that?" Johanna asked; a touch of sharpness in her voice as she continued to rifle through her bag. "I'm putting you in danger. Someone took a shot at you...again, because of me. Someone destroyed part of your home because of me. What kind of mother am I?"

Kate thought about that question and then she chose her words carefully. "You're the kind of mother who cried when Grandma Beckett told me that there wasn't a Santa Claus because you thought that I had been robbed of some of the magic of my childhood. You're the kind of mother who put a dim lamp on the stand in the hallway and left my bedroom door open because I was afraid of the dark but wanted to be brave and sleep without a nightlight. My mother took care of me when I was sick or hurt. She listened to me cry over friends and boys and grades. She always had time for me, she always listened. She always supported me when I needed it. You're the kind of mother who knew that I was at the party you had forbidden me to go to...and you walked right through the front door of that party and snatched the beer bottle out of my hand, pulled me off the lap of a football player and dragged me out of there with an iron grip on my arm. You sent care packages to college, you stayed on the phone with me until dawn to help me solve a math problem.

You were waiting at the gate when my plane landed to bring me home. You're the kind of mother who made a sacrifice to keep her family safe; and she's the same person who came back here with the mission of helping me end this...because you want me to be safe. You took everything I threw at you and you never gave up on me. You've been here for me, helping me to find my way in a relationship that's important to me, helping me learn about myself despite all of the things I said and done when you came home. We've had our ups and downs, past and present, we've both made mistakes and hurt each other, but you've never stopped loving me. That's the kind of mother you are."

"I'm not that good," Johanna cried as she kept her back to Kate, her search of the top she had wanted abandoned.

"You are to me," she answered. "I know I might tease you sometimes about trading you in but you know I never would...you're stuck with me."

"There's no other daughter I'd rather be stuck with," her mother replied. "It's just a shame you have to be stuck with me."

"I like being stuck with you so just stop it or I'll call Dad and have him come and punish you."

Johanna scoffed lightly. "Do you really think that's possible?"

"I have faith in him," Kate said. "I'm sure he could think of something."

"I don't know about that; usually I give out the punishments in this marriage."

"I don't think I want to know about that."

"You probably don't," her mother agreed as she grabbed a purple top from her selection and rose from the floor. Kate grabbed her wrist and tugged at her so she'd sit down next to her.

"We're going to be fine," she told her. "I know you're scared and you're worried but it's going to be alright. I think we're on the right path and we're going to get this thing settled, okay?"

"If you say so."

"Mother," she sighed.

"Daughter," Johanna returned sarcastically.

Kate grinned, "Look, I know what you're really upset about and it's okay."

"And what do you think that is?"

"I know that you're just mad about missing that 'Girl Groups of the 60's' show that you wanted to watch. You got deprived of your chance to relive your youth. It was a great disappointment to you, I get it."

A soft laugh escaped her mother's lips; "I am a little mad about that."

"Me too. I was really looking forward to the chance to make fun of the music, fashion and dance styles that you grew up with. So you see, I got deprived of the experience too but maybe we can catch it on a repeat."

"That would be nice," Johanna said. "I'd hate for you to miss an opportunity to make fun of me."

"I live for those moments," Kate replied. "And lucky for me, you're the kind of mother who doesn't mind."

Despite Johanna's best intentions to hold herself together, she crumbled, her face dropping into her hands as a sob broke free. Kate wrapped her arms around her and she clung to her daughter for several minutes until she felt as though she had gotten it out of her system and then she pulled away and forced herself to regain her composure. "Give me a few minutes to get ready and then we can go," she stated.

Kate nodded; figuring she'd gotten all she was going to get out of her for now. "Take your time, there's no hurry...and to show you what an understanding daughter I am, we can listen to the oldies station on the radio in the car."

Johanna smiled as she gathered up her clothes. "I appreciate that."

Castle, Johanna, and Kate were silent while she unlocked the door of her apartment and swung it open. The boards covering the windows left the living room shrouded in darkness, and Kate fumbled for the switch to turn on the lights. Once the area was illuminated, they observed it with continued silence. Somehow it looked even worse than it had the night before.

Glass crunched beneath their feet as they moved inside and tension filled the air, strangling the two women who had been in the thick of that terror that had rained down upon them less than twenty-four hours before.

"I'll get what we need to clean up," Johanna said quietly; breaking the silence to rid the apartment of the oppressiveness that had settled over them.

Her words seemed to pull Kate from her thoughts and she turned to Castle. "Did you call that guy you know that you said could replace the windows and the door?"

"Yes, and he'll be here soon to take measurements and whatever else he needs to do," he told her; neglecting to mention that he had already made certain specifications for the repairs and that he had already paid for it. He had also instructed his friend Sam to give Kate a low estimate when he arrived, and to not say anything about the bill being taken care of.

"Good, I hope it won't take too long."

"It should only be a few days," he assured.

Kate sighed as her gaze swept across the room, "I guess we better get started."

They worked steadily through the morning and after a few hours they had the debris removed and the apartment put back to rights. Kate had kept an eye on Johanna the entire time, picking up on the signs that her headache wasn't getting any better. Eventually she sent her mother off to pack the things she had forgotten and she used that opportunity to text Lanie and asked her if there was something she could get over the counter to treat a migraine.

Lanie replied with the name of a medication and before Johanna reappeared; Kate pulled Castle aside and told him that they would be making a stop the way back to the loft.

"Why are we stopping?" Johanna asked as Kate pulled into the parking lot of a drug store.

"Castle's going to run in and pick something up for me," she answered.

"I'll be quick," he promised as he got out of the car.

"Are you alright, Katie?" Johanna asked in concern.

She turned in her seat to look at her. "I'm fine; Lanie told me the name of a medicine that we could get for that migraine you claim you aren't getting."

"That's not necessary, I'm fine."

"I'll be the judge of that."

"I'm the mother here, Katherine"

"And I'm the daughter," Kate stated. "And the daughter says that the mother is going to take something for her headache and not argue about it or she's going to get reported to her husband."

"I'm shaking in my heels," Johanna replied as she rested her head against the back of the seat, wishing that the day would've been overcast. Her sunglasses blocked out a good portion of light but she'd be able to hide the effects of the headache better if it wasn't so bright out.

"Speaking of Dad," Kate said; her tone softer now. "I sent him a text too; he'll be waiting for us at the loft so that he can stay with you."

"Thank you," Johanna murmured. All she had wanted all night and all morning was her husband.

Jim was waiting by Castle's door when they stepped off the elevator. Johanna walked directly into his arms as Castle unlocked the door and ushered them inside.

"Did you get everything taken care of?" Jim asked Kate.

"Yeah, everything is cleaned up and the repairs should only take a few days."

"Any updates?" he questioned next.

"Not yet. I'm hoping that the boys will have news when I get to the precinct. Speaking of which, I need to get going. Make her take these," Kate said as she handed him the drugstore bag. "Don't believe her if she says she doesn't need them."

"I'll take care of your mother, Katie," Jim remarked. "You just be careful."

"I will be," she promised as she hugged him and then her mother.

"Don't worry," Castle stated, "I'll look after her. Johanna, I put your bag upstairs. Make yourselves at home."

After locking the door behind them, Jim took the box of pills from the drugstore bag that Kate had handed him and read the label. It was an over the counter pain reliever for migraines and he shifted his gaze toward his wife as she took a bottle of water from the refrigerator. He had been able to tell from his first glance of her as she stepped off the elevator that she hadn't slept the night before and that she didn't feel well. He opened the package and pulled out the bottle to break the seal as she sat down next to him at the counter.

"Why didn't you call me, Jo?"

She didn't bother to pretend like she didn't know what he was talking about; it wouldn't do her any good anyway. "Probably because I figured there was no point in both of us being up all night," she said as she accepted the tablets he handed her.

"Do you really think I slept last night?" he questioned; watching her as she swallowed her medication.

Johanna didn't answer the question as her gaze shifted away from him for a moment. "I almost sent you a text," she admitted.

"I told you to call. Text messages don't tell me if you're crying. How am I supposed to help you through this if you don't let me?"

She sighed, the throbbing in her head was a little more severe than she was letting on and her eyes felt so very tired. In her mind she felt like she leaned on him constantly and she thought that he'd probably like a reprieve from being cried on.

"You always help me, Jim."

"Do I?" he asked; his frustration visible in his features.

"Of course you do," she answered as she focused her gaze upon his. "When I came home, you kept coming to see me and you kept calling me even though you were angry. You kept making the effort to let me in when you didn't have to. You kept giving me reason to hope that I would be able to have my family back; and if I hadn't had that hope, I would've crumbled completely. You've spent nearly every day of the last few months with me, holding me, listening to me cry, making me smile, making me laugh, and making me believe. You've spent every day reassuring me...loving me...giving me everything you can. You hold me together when I feel weak...and I feel weak all the time...but you give me strength and compassion and I don't ever want you to think that you're not helping me make it through, because you are. You hold me up. You keep me going, Jim; just like you always have."

"I just feel so helpless here, Johanna," he said quietly; his hand moving to cover hers.

"So do I," she admitted and then after a moment's pause, she looked at him. "You know, back when we first met, I wanted to impress you...and that feeling has never quite gone away. I still want to impress you on occasion...and maybe sometimes I want to put on the pretense of still having an ounce of bravery left somewhere inside of me so you won't feel like you're married to one of those weak, fragile creatures that needs so much constant attention."

Jim shook his head. "You're far from weak, Jo. You're so very strong and brave. I will admit to not always being so fond of that independent streak of yours...but that's purely for selfish reasons," he added; giving her a small smile as she gripped his hand. "I just want to protect you from the world. I want to keep you safe, warm and happy. I want to fix your problems like I was always able to before. I just want to take care of you like I always promised that I would."

"You do," she told him.

"It doesn't feel like it today."

She brushed her hand against his face. "Maybe I can make you feel better about that."

"How?"

"Well now that Katie is out of here and will be occupied for awhile at work; I'm more than willing to be taken care of...in fact there's nothing I want more than for you to take care of me right now."

Jim brushed her hair back from her face. "It's worse than you let Katie believe, isn't it?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Well considering that she stopped on the way back here to pick up these pills, I'd say you didn't fool her as much as you had hoped. Why didn't you just tell her?"

Johanna looked him in the eye, "I'm tired of being weak in front of her too."

"No, Johanna," he said with a shake of his head. "She doesn't think that at all, she..."

"Are you going to take care of me or not?" she asked as she laid her fingers against his lips; keeping him from speaking the rest of his opinion on that matter.

"Of course I am," he said; mentally chastening himself for not springing into action sooner. "Do you want to go to your room?" he asked as he got up from his seat.

"No, the couch will be fine, and that way we can turn the TV on; I can't stand for it to be too quiet...and you'll be able to watch it and not be bored if I fall asleep."

Jim nodded in agreement as she rose from her seat and then he wrapped an arm around her and guided her into the living room. She kicked off her heels and sat down on the sofa and waited for Jim to join her. He grabbed the remote from the coffee table and handed it to her before he grabbed the light blanket that was lying over the back of the chair. He then snagged one of the couch pillows as he sat down and he laid it on his lap before gently taking hold of Johanna's arm and tugging her towards him, maneuvering her so that she laid down with her head on the pillow. She remained silent as he draped the soft blue blanket over her, tucking it around her as much as he could.

His fingers began to move against her forehead; massaging the area carefully. Familiarity swept through her; he had done this so many times in the past once he had learned that it sometimes eased her headaches. Johanna smiled up at him. "I could get used to this kind of service.

"Good, and keep in mind that this isn't even my best work."

"Intriguing," she said. "Is there a free lunch and milkshake included in your best work?"

He grinned, "Who told?"

"Lucky guess," Johanna answered.

"Well now that you've ruined the surprise I'll have to think up something else to impress you with."

A soft laugh escaped her lips as she looked up at him with affection in her eyes. "I love you so much," she whispered; raising up long enough to press a kiss against his lips.

"I love you too," he replied as he gently pushed her back into her spot; his fingers resuming their actions in attempt to vanquish her pain. "You rest now, I'm here and everything's going to be okay."

"Okay," she whispered; that feeling of security that she had been longing for all night, filling her and making it easy for her to drop her guard. The feel of his fingertips against her head and the soft noise of the television lulled her and she finally closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Ryan and Esposito were waiting for them when they entered the bullpen; their expressions conveying the fact that they had news.

"What's going on?" Kate asked as she dropped her keys onto her desk.

"There was a burglary at Montgomery's house sometime last night," Esposito informed them.

Dread filled her. "Was anyone hurt?"

"No, Evelyn and the kids weren't there at the time. They came home this morning to find the place trashed," Ryan answered.

"What was taken?" Castle questioned; his own sense of dread making itself felt.

"As far as Evelyn can tell, all that's missing is Montgomery's old files and his laptop."

"Why wasn't I called?" Kate demanded to know, a bit of an edge in her tone.

"You had your own mess to clean up," Esposito replied. "We went out there and looked things over and we told CSU to send us a copy of their findings. Other than that there wasn't much we could do anyway."

She exhaled slowly, trying to defuse her emotions. "Did you find out anything about last night's main event at my place?"

"Dispatch says that they never dismissed the unit on your building," Ryan stated. "We went through the recordings and there is no record of the call being made at the time the officers specified. We even expanded the time frame to be sure that we didn't miss it, but there was nothing."

"Is it possible that the recordings were tampered with?" Kate inquired.

"It seems unlikely," the Detective replied. "It's more probable that someone patched into the radio of the unit and dismissed it, eliminating the need for clean up of the recordings."

"And if that's the case, than there's most likely no way to find out who was behind that, right?" Castle said.

"Pretty much."

"Have we checked into the backgrounds of the officers?" Beckett asked. "Maybe they're being paid off and this call from dispatch is just a story to cover their asses."

"We thought of that too," Esposito replied. "We looked into their backgrounds and found no connection between either one of them to any of the known players in this case. We also ran financials. Nothing out of the ordinary popped up but we'll keep an eye on them for a few days to be sure."

"Do we have the reports from CSU and ballistics?"

"Ballistics hasn't come back yet, we should have that tomorrow. CSU found a print on the door frame of the vacant apartment but it isn't in the system and we have no way of knowing if it came from one of our shooters," Ryan stated.

She ran an agitated hand through her hair. It felt like they being stonewalled again and she couldn't stand it.

"We'll get it, Beckett," Ryan said. "It's just going to take a little time."

"Time isn't something that I'm sure my mother and I have," Kate remarked; feeling the frustration well up within her.

The men shifted on their feet, unsure of what to say in reply to her remark. Kate Beckett didn't need empty words of comfort or promises that one day they'd resolve this. What she needed was action, a lead, something that could offer hope and none of them was in the position to give it to her...and they all carried that weight.

"We'll work harder," Esposito declared. "We'll dig deeper. We'll find something because we're not going to stand by and let someone hurt you or your mom. We have your back and we have hers. We'll win this fight."

"That's right," Ryan agreed. "We're not giving up."

A small smile of gratitude curved her lips upward. "Then let's get to work. Let's tear apart everything we know and try to find something new that will give us a fresh lead. Let's end this."

It was after six when they finally called it a night and despite their best efforts they still weren't any further ahead. Kate carried that feeling of failure and weariness home to Castle's loft. She tried to shrug those feelings off in the presence of her parents and Martha but she knew that they saw right through her. Castle tried to keep the conversation light at the dinner table but there was the feeling of depression lingering over the Beckett women, casting a pall over the lighter atmosphere that he was trying to create. Jim retreated after dinner, not wanting to upset his daughter further by demanding to stay. Johanna had kissed him goodbye and silently conveyed that she thought that he had made the right decision in relation to Kate's feelings.

Martha couldn't stand the oppression as Johanna and Kate cleaned up the dinner dishes and she set her mind to finding a cure for it.

"Do you know what we should do?" the actress asked as she approached the silent women in the kitchen.

"What?" Johanna asked as she raised her gaze from the sudsy water in the sink.

"I think we should open up a bottle of wine and have ourselves a friendly card game. What do you think?"

Distraction would be wonderful, Johanna thought as she nodded in agreement. "That sounds great, Martha."

"Wonderful," the redhead declared. "How about it, Kate; are you in?"

"Sure," she answered; figuring that playing cards would be better than drowning in her thoughts. "Just let me change first."

"Go on," Johanna told her. "I can finish up here."

"And tell Richard to quit admiring himself in the mirror and get out here and join us," Martha told her as she moved around the counter.

"I will," Kate laughed as she left the kitchen, taking the path Castle had taken several minutes before when he had gone off to change and had yet to return.

The bedroom door was slightly ajar and as Kate approached, she heard Castle say, "You're damn right we have a problem."

She paused; the statement grabbing her attention. She figured he must be talking business with his publisher and she was about to retreat as she didn't want to interrupt but then she heard him say something that froze her in her tracks.

"It's too late; she's not going to stop this investigation...they're not going to give up."

Her breath felt stuck in her throat and she couldn't force herself to walk away. Who was he talking to? His conversation had to be about her...it had to be about the case and she couldn't imagine that it might be Ryan or Esposito on the other end of the line.

"Johanna's not going to go back!" she heard him exclaim in a hushed voice. "She wants her life back, she's not going to run and neither is Kate..."

Icy fingers of dread slid down her spine. Why was he talking about her mother to someone? Who was it that wanted them to run? A thousand thoughts raced through her mind. Was it possible that Castle had been hiding something from her? Kate quietly moved closer to the door and through the small opening she could see him pacing back and forth.

"What about the break in at Montgomery's? What was that about?" he asked.

There was a knot forming in Kate's stomach as uneasiness settled in. She felt sick at the idea that she had somehow misplaced her trust in him.

"What about the deal?" Castle inquired.

"A deal?" she thought; the words ringing through her mind. What kind of deal, and what did it have to do with her and her mother? What had Castle done? She suddenly felt vulnerable; just as she had felt when they uncovered the possibility of a leak at the precinct.

"We have a good idea of who's behind this," he stated. "Tell me how to prove it."

Kate held her breath as he fell silent; obviously listening to the person he was speaking with.

"What do you mean you can't tell me that?" he exclaimed. "If they're not going to honor the deal than why shouldn't you tell me what you know?"

This couldn't be happening, Kate thought to herself. Castle couldn't somehow be involved with this...could he? And yet he had to be mixed up in something… something that he had been keeping from her and she couldn't help but wonder just how long he had been keeping this secret.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Castle said and after a long pause to listen to the response he received, he shook his head and added, "I'm not going to be able to talk them down. They're not going to walk away, they want to end this. Can't you do something?"

Kate closed her eyes, taking it all in. So there was yet another person behind the scenes pulling at some set of invisible strings that were connected to her and her mother. It was an unsettling thought. This web was so very tangled and now it seemed as though Castle was caught somewhere in the middle of it. The man who had broken down her walls, the one she trusted most...the man she loved with all of her heart. The sting of betrayal hit her as she put her hand against the door, ready to push it open.

"There has to be other options, Smith," Castle stated. "You have to do something."

Anger and frustration was written on his face as he pulled the phone away from his ear as the call disconnected. The door opened and his gaze jerked towards it. "Kate," he said; a tremor of panic moving through him at the look on her face and the thought that she had overheard his phone call.

Kate regarded him with eyes full of suspicion. "Castle, who the hell were you talking to? Who is Smith?" she demanded to know.

…to be continued