A Long Way Home
by Castlefan6
Authors Note: Another What If based on the episode, COUNTDOWN, what happened if Rick didn't return to the precinct after leaving after seeing Kate in Josh's arms? It starts with Canon dialog, courtesy of Dust Jackets Dot Com, then goes quickly and completely AU. The journey continues with a new Kate and Rick, hope you enjoy!
I don't own Castle; I use the characters for amusement purposes only, except the ones I create.
A/N This may or may not end up as a Caskett fic, if that bothers you, please wait for updates to see which direction the story goes. Respectful comments are always welcome, trolls will be deleted.
Also, we may take liberties with the timeline from Canon and use events to make this a more believable fiction, thanks.
Previously
"I'm sorry about the divorce, I followed his career when I first returned, and I have to say, I had a poster of him on my wall, my Mom is a fan as well. When I told her, I got the job she begged me to meet him, but that wouldn't be appropriate, I'm sure he wouldn't like that."
Gina laughed, "You have to be kidding me, you had a poster of Rick on your wall, I thought I was his biggest fangirl when I was younger. It's good to hear I wasn't the only one, God he was, hell still is a hunk"
"No argument there Gina, so, eh, I noticed you two are still very close, so is there still anything, I'm sorry, I'm completely out of line asking about my boss's personal life."
"Beth, we love each other, a great deal, BUT we both know that we're not the one to spend the rest of our lives together when I got back into his life, it's been just kissing, nothing more, since I know someone is going to steal his heart, and I can't bear to lose the emotional and physical relationship. Don't get me wrong, we'll always love each other, but not enough to re-marry, that probably sounds crazy."
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Chapter 14
Berkeley Hotel
London England
Thursday 1:00 PM Local Time (8:00 AM NY Time)
Alexis and Paula were preparing to leave to return to the States, and Rick was having trouble dealing with his little girl, leaving, not knowing how long it would be until he saw her again. Gina had held his hand, consoled him, and strengthened him when he got weak, Alexis wasn't much better. She had confessed that she was worried about her Dad, and who would be there to take care of him after next week when Gina returned to start the American Operations of Fox Run.
She had confided in her Mom, that the big worry she had was that he would be lonely and just do something stupid, drinking or with some bimbo.
"Baby, I know what you're saying but you have to trust your Dad, he's much stronger, in a much better place than when the Detective put him on the skids, so trust him please. Watch for the signs in our SKYPE calls, and if necessary, I'll call Beth to tighten the reigns on him. You know she loves your Dad don't you Sweetie?
"WHAT? How do you know, I mean Mom, you and Daddy? *"
"We love each other Sweetie, but he deserves to be In Love with someone, I don't know if it's Beth, or if someone else, but I know your Dad isn't anywhere near ready for a relationship with anyone, well anyone but us. I like Beth, she and I talked woman to woman and she already knew why he was here, and who broke his heart. She promised me that she wouldn't or nor would she allow anyone else to start anything with him until he was ready. That made me feel much better, even though it's going to hurt like hell when he does" tears come to her eyes, and Alexis is now crying,
"Mom, I just don't understand, you love each other, but not in love? What's the difference?"
"Well honey, you will know that when the time comes, I really can't explain it, but look, I'll be here another week, and I'll make sure Beth takes care of him before I leave, I promise."
Xx
It was a quiet, procession to the airport, Paula trying to lighten the mood, but no one else responding, Beth had arranged everything and even arranged a private room at the airport for their goodbyes, something that Alexis had hugged her neck and thanked her.
"My pleasure Alexis, we'll either see you in the states, or back here when you prepare for Oxford, time will pass quickly, and if you ever get worried, call me at my private number, only your Dad has this, so please don't pass it on."
"Of course, Beth, just take care of him, Mom told me about your posters of him, and just, well just love him for us, OK?"
"Of course," as Beth wiped a tear from her eye and left the family for some quiet time.
It was tough but Rick made it through the goodbye without shedding a tear, Gina couldn't she did love Alexis as if she were her own,
"I'll see you in a week Baby, call me if you need anything, Love ya" as Alexis turned blew a kiss to them, quickly wiped her eye and joined arms with Paula as they walked down the ramp for their flight home.
Beth quietly took Gina's free arm, the other was wrapped around Rick, who was fighting like hell to keep the tears that had pooled in his eyes in place.
"Come on, I have reservations for a light lunch, and there are two places I want to show you I think will fit everyone's taste for Rick's London home and headquarters"
"Beth, that's sweet, but really it's Rick's decision, I mean," she stopped talking as Beth's look just said look at him, she turned her head, and saw Rick with that look on his face, not to argue with him.
"Genes, I wouldn't be here if you hadn't believed in me, so I asked Beth for a separate office space for you so when you come to visit or for meetings you will have a place to work, I don't want to see you in a hotel."
Gina's tears did fall, again, "Beth, do you see what I mean, he's about the most thoughtful man on this planet."
"I know Gina, now let's get out of here so we can stop the tears, you'll have me crying if we don't"
Gina smiled at her, and just squeezed her arm, "I know he'll be OK, so thank you"
Xx
After lunch the first home Beth showed them was breathtaking. It had 8 bedrooms and 5 baths. Rick was sold the moment he walked into the entrance, as Gina began reading the published fact sheet;
"Ravenswood House is a magnificent eight-bedroom detached house, situated in a private enclave on the edge of Kingston Hill and moments from Richmond Park.
The home offers rooms of immense proportions with high ceilings, period stone, and wooden floors. Entertaining and family living is at the heart of this magnificent property.
It is alleged that President Roosevelt once stayed at the house to play Billiards! The ground floor comprises a most wonderful drawing room/music room with polished pine paneling; a beautiful dining hall with the capacity to host plentiful guests; a recently fitted kitchen/breakfast room with all modern appliances; a second reception room; a family room; an office, two cloakrooms; utility room with storage; and the indoor heated swimming pool which has doors opening out onto the enclosed private gardens.
On the first floor, the master bedroom suite has a dressing area and an en-suite bathroom. There are four further bedrooms on this floor, three with en-suite bathrooms, a family bathroom, a further study, and a sitting room. On the second floor, there are three further bedrooms, a study, and a family bathroom.
Outside the garden is enclosed and has been beautifully landscaped with manicured lawns, mature trees, and plants. To the rear of the garden is a private cottage with a triple garage on the ground floor and a self-contained staff studio flat above."
"Beth, would it be too rude to cancel showing the second house, this is it, I mean I don't want to be rude, but I don't want to see anything else, this is perfect. You nailed it, every one of our requirements is here."
Beth took out her mobile phone as she called it, and dialed a number, "Thank you very much, I think we've decided and didn't want to invade your home, pause *** Yes lovely, thank you so very much, have a good day as well"
"Thanks, Beth, this is beautiful, so how long do we have to lease it for?" Rick was curious,
"Oh, we don't lease properties, we bought it, this morning, title changes in one week so when Gina comes back for her first board meeting, she will have her quarters all set up. Gina, do you have a preference for a Bedroom?"
Beth looked over to find not only Gina but Rick as well staring in disbelief,
"What?" she asked,
"You bought the property this morning, may I ask the price, or is that confidential" Rick asked,
"Well they asked almost six million pounds, but took our offer of six million one, hundred to be out of here within the week."
"OK so what's next, is there an address we can start passing out to Alexis, or where does Gina come when she returns?"
"I think you're asking me do we have a street address, well it's:
1649 Highway A-309
London, England, SW1W0NZ
United Kingdom
"Don't worry Rick, I'll take care of all the paperwork, I hope you don't mind but I have purchased, well as close as possible the exact furniture in your Loft, and your Town House Gina, so I'll coordinate setting it up with the decorator in the next two weeks,"
"So, what do I do," Rick asked,
"Good question Rick, we need to pick a topic and title, then you can start on your outline and draft, I have the templates to submit for approval by Lord Barrow, with your experience, I doubt you receive pushback at all, but the controls that had been in place for years were discarded, Lord B is restoring them."
Rick and Gina both were still in a state of shock,
"If you don't mind, I'll send you both back to the hotel to rest, could we meet for dinner say 7:30 PM, in the lobby, I'll take care of the reservations and transportation. There are a few things I need to attend to here"
"Sure Beth, we'll see you at the hotel at 7:30 PM, and Thank You, great job with the house. I know Alexis is going to love it."
"I know the quarters over the garage are supposed to be for servants, but I thought if she had some privacy, she would spend some weekends off campus with you and Rick, it's decorated for a younger crowd, "Beth smiled
Gina smiled, "Again, Thank You, that would make her Dad and me very happy, well when I'm here."
Xx
12th Precinct
NYPD, New York
Friday 7:00 AM, (12:00 Noon London)
Kate had almost made it through the week, this had been worse than her Rookie week, at least then she had Mike Royce to lean on, now she was on her own. She knew that no matter what happened, things would never be the same between her and her Captain, he had paid much too high a price for her screwup. They had handled the two cases they had drawn, both with signed confessions, and all paperwork to the DA, in proper order, no screwups to let a perp walk. She was glad to get this under her belt, it had been a long week, even with her team back, she still felt guilty for her actions that had caused hurt.
She had a lunch appointment with Doctor Carter Burke, the NYPD Psychologist she had been forced to see her first year as a Detective, trying to take every step to prove to Roy and the Brass she was working on correcting her flaws. She liked the doctor, well as much as she did anyone poking around in her business. He was at least pleasant, not condescending, and seemed to really care about helping his patients find their solutions.
She arrived for her appointment a few minutes early, filled out the medical insurance forms, past history, and stopped when she got to the short explanation why she was coming back, Why the hell was she coming back? No one was forcing her to, she survived the suspension without screwing half of the islands, that had been her first planned course of action, yet when she got there, she couldn't even have dinner with anyone, she felt like she was betraying Rick.
Her eyes returned to the form, she answered, "Difficult to maintain personal relationships that have meaning," and handed the forms back to the secretary. A few minutes later, her name was called, a kindly looking Afro-American Doctor, stepped forward,
"Good Afternoon Kate, it's good to see you again, please come in."
Kate took the chair opposite the Doctor's desk, avoiding the stigma of a psychiatrist's couch and all of the shame that came with it, even though Doctor Burke was a psychologist.
"Can I get you anything Kate, water, juice, or any beverage?"
"No thank you, Doctor Burke, I'm good, actually I'm on my lunch hour and I don't want to be too late getting back."
"Very well, Kate let's get into it, shall we? What brings you back to see me today"
She took the next twenty-five minutes to explain what had happened with her and Rick, not leaving any details out, she told him as much as she could about the near-death experiences they encountered, then how the bottom fell out when Josh had returned, Rick resigned, her catching Josh in the act, and the fall out from the brass at the NYPD. She ended by saying that this was the end of her first week back, and her Captain knew she was seeking counseling.
"Kate, how did you spend your time on suspension, did you stay in New York, or go out of town?
"I used a Christmas present from Castle, eh, Rick from last year, even if it were for two, I went alone to the Virgin Islands for two weeks."
"That sounds like a beautiful trip, especially compared to New York weather, how did you feel there, did it give you relief from the emotions you obviously were feeling, both from a failed personal friendship, a cheating significant other, and loss of your solace, you place of work"
"Why did you say failed personal friendship, I mean Castle and I are still friends"
"Are you Kate? Or is that just your perception? Being friendly to someone doesn't always mean you are friends."
"Well I sent him the Birthday Card, and well he texted to say thank you, I mean that's what friend do, isn't it?"
"Among other things, Kate, had you called him before that instance and if so, how often?"
She confessed that she had phoned him multiple times daily and texted even more, all without response.
"What do you think motivated Mr. Castle to text you this instance?"
"Well, he received the Birthday card, and the gift I had left for him, a very expensive book. He offered to pay half, so not to put me in a financial burden, he's always been thoughtful like that."
"What was your response?"
"I assured him it was within my budget and suggested we meet for coffee soon,"
"What was his response"
"He said he would be out of town for the next several weeks, perhaps months, maybe next time"
"Ah, I see"
"What, what does that mean, I see. Do you think Castle isn't my friend anymore? Do you think I screwed up so badly there's no hope? Just tell me"
"Well Kate, none of us know, but let's put it this way, he's not knocking down your door to rescue from a burning fire so let's talk more about this during our next session. I would like you to start the journal daily of things you think about Mr. Castle what happened, what you would do differently, how you think your actions made him feel, and how you could change those. I'll see you next week, but call me if you need me before."
Kate was only a few minutes late getting back from lunch, trying to be on her best behavior, and made it through the rest of the day, somehow, it was like a fog had eclipsed her world, when Dr. Burke had said, 'Ah, I see', innocent enough, but Kate was almost positive what his thoughts were, and it hurt to have them vocalized.
As she entered her building Leonard called to her, they had signed for a special delivery letter to her, to save her a trip to the post office, she thanked them and made her way up the stairs.
As she opened the Special Delivery letter, she could barely believe what she was reading, there was a personal note in Rick's handwriting to her clipped to the letter.
"Dear Kate,
Once again, thank you for the thoughtful and expensive Birthday present, it was far too much. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I know you wouldn't take any amount of money from me, so Alexis came up with the idea of a scholarship fund in your Mother's Name. One for deserving students who would pursue justice for the little guy as your Mother did.
Enclosed are the Incorporation Papers, don't be angry but we needed your Dad to be on the Board, so that's why his name is listed. He told me that I was on my own when I finally told you.
Your Dad has reviewed the documents, and funding plan, this should be in place for quite some time in the future, I hope it meets with your approval, and once again, Thank You for the Birthday gift, but please don't ever do that again, it is far too expensive for friends, much less associates,
All the Best,
Rick
He had created a memorial scholarship in her Mother's name, she cried at how thoughtful a gesture it was, but she also cried with his last line, too expensive for friends, much less associates. I guess that's what she had been reduced to, she couldn't blame him.
The final straw came when she picked up her copy of the paper, and there on the front page of the business section was a picture of Gina, with headlines, James Bond invades New York. The article went on to describe how Gina Castle-Cowell was the new American Vice President, charged with the development and launch of Fox Run Publications expansion to a global operation.
For only the second time since she was a little girl, she went to bed fully clothed and cried herself to sleep, the last time the night of her Mothers murder, life could be cruel indeed.