100 Sex Positions of the Kama Sutra
By Dana Keylits

Chapter Forty-Four: The Triumph Arch

A/N: Most of these chapters can stand by themselves, allowing the reader to enjoy the chapter all by itself without having any previous context. However, that's not the case with this one. To understand this chapter, you really need to have been following along with the previous chapters. If you haven't read them, I encourage you to do so. This chapter will make a lot more sense then.

"Ooh, ouch. Move! Castle," Kate urged, wiggling out from beneath him as the rapping at the door grew louder.

"Why do you even have to answer it?" He pouted.

She pointed at the clock. "Look at the time. It's ten o'clock at night." When he gave her a blank stare, she made a face. "Who would knock on my door at ten o'clock at night unless it were an emergency?"

He swung his legs out of the bed and looked around the room for his boxers. They were stuffed inside of his crumpled jeans that were still folded like an accordion on the floor. "Well, I suppose you have a point," he agreed, plucking the dusty blue boxers up and shaking them out.

Kate was already in her bathrobe and was arranging her hair into a messy ponytail when the knocking stopped. She paused, her fingers tangled in her long tresses.

And, then her cell phone rang. She looked around, frantically searching for it. Finding it on top of the dresser, she snatched it up and when she saw the name of the caller on the iPhone screen, her face suddenly turned three shades of white.

"Castle," she whispered.

He stood up, pulling his boxers on. "Hmmm?"

She turned the phone in his direction to show him the screen. "It's Gates."

He paused, one hand hanging in mid-air as he stared at her wide-eyed.

She punched 'answer', and in her calmest voice said, "Hello, Sir. What can I do for you?" She winced, nervously biting her thumbnail.

Castle watched as Kate quickly nodded, the look of horror on her face growing exponentially. "Yes, Sir."

Kate slammed the phone back on the dresser and tore off her robe. In her haste to get to the wardrobe, she roughly pushed past Castle, causing him to stumble backwards, the backs of his knees hitting the edge of the bed and he fell heavily onto the mattress with an audible unfff.

"Kate, what?" He asked, struggling to get up.

She whirled around. "Get dressed!"

"What?"

Kate pointed in the direction of her living room. "It's Gates!"

"I'll just stay in here," he offered.

Hopping on one foot as she pulled on a pair of jeans, Kate hissed, "She knows you're here, Castle. Get dressed!"

He didn't need to be told twice, and in lightening speed he was dressed and competing with Kate to get out of the room. As though they were in a Vaudeville act, they got stuck in the doorway as they tried to exit at the same time. Kate wiggled her way free, cursing him under her breath as she escaped.

She hurried to the front door, pausing when she heard Castle hissing behind her.

He was spinning around in circles.

"Castle!" She spat.

He stopped spinning.

"Just act," she rolled her eyes, realizing there was no normal for him "as close to normal as you can, please?"

"What do I? How do I? Why am I here?"

She held up a staying palm. "Just follow my lead." She pointed at the television. "Turn on the TV."

He jumped, looking wildly around for the remote. "Ooh, good idea!"

Just as he clicked the television set on, tossing the remote onto the couch, Kate opened the door. Castle stood as casually as he could, although his forehead was dotted with beads of sweat and his hands were shaking. He coughed.

Captain Gates strode into the room, giving Castle a disapproving look before turning her attention to Kate.

"Sir," Kate started, closing the door and following the Captain into the living room where Castle was fidgeting so much it looked like he had to pee. She gestured at him to calm down, and he bounced on the balls of his feet, his hands stuffed into his front pockets, muttering 'yup, yup.'

She would kill him later.

"Is everything alright, Sir?" Kate asked, gesturing at the sofa. "Please, sit down. Can I offer you…?"

She held up a staying palm. "This isn't a social call, Detective," Captain Gates interrupted. She took the offered seat and Kate sat opposite her in the side chair. Castle sat on the couch next to Gates, stood up as though confused, and then sat down again.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Castle?" Gates asked, her voice dripping with annoyance. "You're even more fidgety than usual."

"No, um, no. Everything's good. Fine, sir. No problems. How are you?"

Kate shook her head.

Captain Gates ignored the question and turned her attention to Kate. She seemed to be having an internal debate about something. About what she was here to say, or do, and Kate could see that this wasn't a small matter.

"Sir," she started again, her voice calm, her demeanor sober. "What is it?"

"Detective," she paused, side-glancing at Castle before continuing. "What I am about to tell you is classified. I could lose my job if anyone found out about this conversation."

Kate nodded, her eyebrows knitted together.

"I need to know that I can trust you. I need to know you'll have my back."

"Of course, sir."

"You know what I mean by that, don't you?"

Kate knew. It meant she would have to lie if asked about this conversation. "Yes, sir."

She side-nodded at Castle. "And him?"

"Sir, you can trust him."

Castle held up three fingers. "Scouts honor. Doesn't leave this room."

Gates palmed one hand on her knee and turned to look at him. "Were you ever even a boy scout, Mr. Castle?"

Castle cleared his throat, holding one fist up to his mouth. "Well, ah, no, not exactly."

"I didn't think so," Gates stated impatiently.

"Okay, well, ah. You can trust me, Sir. Cross my heart, hope to…" He caught a glimpse of Kate's disapproving look, her eyes wide, her head shaking back and forth. "You have my word, Sir. I won't tell anyone, and I'll have your back. As though your back were her back." He chin-nodded at Kate.

Gates regarded him, horizontal lines criss-crossing her forehead. "That will have to do, I suppose," she said, before turning back to Kate. She leaned back against the cushions, crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. "I understand you and Dr. Parish were snooping through Roy Montgomery's autopsy files?"

"Sir?" Kate asked, having Lanie's back.

Gates waved one hand in front of her, "Oh, don't worry, Detective. I already know all about it. I also know that Dr. Parish was called in to the CMEs office." She dropped her hand into her lap. "Kate, you cannot go snooping around that file anymore, is that understood?"

"Sir," Kate started, debating her options. Continue to deny, or just proceed on the assumption that Gate's wasn't bluffing and did know that Kate was behind Lanie digging into the autopsy file. She chose the latter. "Did you know that file was classified?"

Gates hesitated, glancing at Castle before answering. "Yes."

Kate leaned forward in her chair. "Why is it classified?"

Gates took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Alright Detective, this is the part where I could get fired. So pay attention, because I'm not saying it twice."

Kate nodded just as Castle scooted forward, his attention focused intently on the captain.

"Roy Montgomery didn't die in that Hangar," she started, holding up a staying palm as Kate's mouth dropped open. "He survived, and once he was ambulatory, he went into hiding. He and his family have been kept in safe houses ever since."

"But, that doesn't make any sense," Castle interrupted. "We saw his wife," Castle glanced at Kate. "Just a few months ago."

"When her home was burgled," Gates finished for him. "I know. She and the kids remained in their home for a year after the assault in that hangar."

"It would have aroused suspicion, otherwise." Kate supposed, a faraway look on her face as she remembered the horror of that night. Of roy's bullet riddled body, the blood pooling around his middle as she knelt beside him, crying, wailing, forgiving him. It was hard to believe he'd survived, and yet, somehow, Kate knew that Captain Gates was telling the truth.

"Exactly," Gates confirmed.

Kate stood up, suddenly overwhelmed by feelings of relief, and confusion, and then a sudden flash of repressed anger. "All this time?" She blurted. "All this time he's alive and no one told me?" She paced back and forth behind her chair.

"It wasn't safe for you to know, Kate," Captain Gates stated, attempting to keep her voice calm in the face of Kate's growing fury. "The threat is still out there, and if they know Roy's alive?"

"They're both dead," Castle blurted.

Gates nodded.

"But, we know who's behind this. We've," she looked at Castle, unsure of how much to reveal to her CO. "…taken care of that threat."

"Or, you think you have," Gates interjected. "Look, I don't know what deal you've made, or with what devil. All I know is that the world needs to believe that Roy is still dead. Even if he's not a threat for whoever was behind his shooting…"

Gates didn't know, Kate realized. She knew a lot, a lot about what Montgomery did, but she didn't know that it was Senator Bracken behind Roy's murder, er, shooting, She corrected herself. Behind her own shooting, her mothers murder. Why Montgomery hadn't told her, even now, remained a mystery to Kate. But, since Roy had decided to keep that particular secret, so would Kate.

At least for now.

"…enough will come out that he'll wind up in prison for a stupid mistake that he made over two decades ago." She looked from Castle to Kate. "And I don't think any of us want that."

"Wait," Castle interrupted. "Just who is Montgomery in protection with?"

"Not who you think," Gates answered.

Kate sat back down. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I can't say. But, it's not what you would call official."

"But official enough that the Chief Medical Examiner knows about it."

Gates looked annoyed. "Something like that."

Kate pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, closing her eyes. "So, why are you telling us this now? After all this time?"

Gates leaned back, folding her hands in her lap and giving Kate a familiar disapproving look. "Because it seems you already knew the truth, didn't you, Detective? You and your side-kick here," she side-nodded at Castle, "…have been digging in places where you shouldn't be. Places that you wouldn't be unless you suspected the truth. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, sir," Kate admitted, absently biting her thumbnail. "So, what do we do now?"

"Excuse me?"

"We need to help him," Kate argued. "We need to figure out how to…"

"Detective. There is no helping him. He's safe. His family is safe. We need to leave it alone."

"But,"

"But, nothing. I was ordered to shut you down. To get you to back off in any way that I could. Which included suspending you, firing you, if I had to."

Kate stared at her. What the hell was she talking about? "I don't understand."

"I know you well enough, Kate, to know that none of that would have worked. You'd have kept on looking, getting yourself into trouble, getting me into trouble. I knew the only way to stop you, would be to tell you the truth." She paused, folding her hands as if in prayer. "And, now that I have. I need you to promise me that you will tell no one."

Kate and Castle exchanged a knowing look. "Of course, yeah, no one," Kate affirmed.

"Detective. I mean it. That includes Dr. Parish, Esposito and Ryan."

Kate nodded.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, of course. We won't say a word."

Gates glared at Castle.

He put his fingers to his lips as though locking a padlock. "To anyone." He tossed the invisible key into the air.

"Fine." Gates stood up. "Oh, and this is not something we can discuss at the Precinct, Detective." She warned Kate. "Understood?"

Kate stood up, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Understood, Sir," Kate complied. "And, thank you."

Gates looked at her sharply.

"For telling me," she gestured at Castle. "Us."

"Well, you forced my hand, Detective Beckett. It was either tell you or fire you and you're too good a cop for me to let you go."

"We appreciate that, Captain," Castle offered, moving to stand beside Kate.

"You, I could let go of, Mr. Castle."

"I, yes, Sir." Castle mumbled, curling his fist to his mouth to cover his nervous cough.

Gates glanced up at the television. "Interesting choice of channels, Detective," she quipped before marching to the door and letting herself out.

Kate looked up at the TV and rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Castle?"

"What?"

"The Disney channel?"

"Wha-? Hey. I, what's wrong with Disney? Disney gave us Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers," he lowered his voice and waggled his eyebrows, "Annette Funicello."

"Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck," she flicked his cheek with her fingernail "Goofy!"

He flinched. "Ouch, hey!"

She sat heavily onto the couch, raking her fingers through her hair as she exhaled deeply. He sat next to her, placing his hand on her knee.

"You okay?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah. I guess. It's so weird, Castle. Montgomery being alive."

He nodded sympathetically. "I know. Hard to believe, right?"

"I need to see him."

"Kate," Castle cautioned.

"Castle, he owes me an explanation."

"I know. But, this might be a scab you shouldn't pick."

Kate sat back, biting her thumbnail, her mind racing, her stomach tied up in knots. "I'll be careful." She leaned against Castle. "I won't put anyone, including us, at risk. Okay?"

He rested his head on top of hers. "'Kay," he agreed.

They sat that way for several minutes, until Castle picked up the remote and changed the channel. "Oh, look," he chirped. "Bunnies."

Kate glanced at the TV and groaned. "Jesus, Castle."

"What?"

She grabbed the remote from his hand and clicked off the TV. "We're not going to sit here and watch the Playboy channel." She stood up and reached for him. "C'mon. Let's go back to bed."

"Yeah?"

"To sleep," she admonished, recognizing the eagerness in his voice. "We can tackle the Trimph Arch tomorrow."

He let himself be towed to the bedroom, "'Kay."