When Kate returned that following Monday, Castle met her at the airport and got the full rundown of how things went with Jordan. Kate was practically euphoric about the prospect of finally nailing Bracken. Rick was not so disposed. The process had a long way to go, and neither of them would be in the loop about what progress if any was being made. He needed to tamp down her expectations so nothing in her demeanor got the attention of either Gates or Lara.
After a welcome dinner with Martha and Alexis, they began the cleanup, and the discussion of next steps. Castle started on a very cautionary note. "It sounds like the trip was a success, and I am very proud of you. Now though, we are in a waiting game of cat-and-mouse."
"What do you mean?", Kate replied.
"If Gates and Lara are monitoring as we suspect, we cannot give them any reason to alert the Senator. That is going to be a tall order because they both have ideal vantage points from which to watch us. The logical first step is to curtail our time with them so there is less of chance of an errant look or a suspicious remark. I would suggest that we use my unreasonable publisher and your pledge to Gates as valid excuses to start limiting our time at the precinct."
"Castle, I don't work that way. You know that, and they do too."
"Kate, you need to sell the idea that your trip to California changed you. You cannot go back to what you were or they might reconsider your reasons for going to California. You want to be the cop Gates wants and cutting it off everyday is your way to insure you don't lapse into old habits. Remember Karpowski's team works that way, and no one considers it abnormal. All you are doing is becoming like everyone else, and they will see nothing odd in that."
"I'm not sure I can do that. I have carried this burden for so long, and now, maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel. It is hard not to be hopeful and perhaps let that show."
"Kate, for the duration two principles must guide all our actions - patience and predictability. If you want to see that light at the end of the tunnel shining brightly, you can never give them reason to take notice that anything is different except in ways they expect."
The next day when Kate returned to the precinct, she did her best to follow Castle's advice. She met with her team first, and Lara and Kevin had lots of new information to impart and discuss. They had not missed a beat while she was away, and she was appreciative of their efforts. Later that morning, Gates welcomed her back, but didn't offer any small talk about her recent trip west. Kate had feared some type of grilling, but that was not to be.
At lunchtime when Castle appeared for a trip to Remys, Kate was as dumbfounded as anyone when Gates came out of her office to greet him. It was a surprisingly friendly conversation. Her contempt for all things Castle was legendary, and yet here she was making nice in a way she was sure all the bullpen would notice. Kate could come up with just one rationale for this rather abrupt change-of-heart. Gates was all about the case closure rates, and Kate's team had one of the best in the borough.
Perhaps Gates finally appreciated that Castle was more than a celeb playing cop. Yes, that would explain another curious thing about Gate's demeanor that was bothering her. By now she must have tumbled to the idea that she and Castle were more that just work colleagues. Normally, that would have elicited a strong rebuke, but none was forthcoming. It seemed like Gates was turning a blind eye preferring to take credit for her team's success rather than nitpick on a policy that might only vaguely apply to Castle.
The big takeaway about the current case came from Lara. Once again her follow-up canvas showed that solitary men were much more forthcoming when talking to a female officer who dressed more like a date than a cop. Two of the follow-ups reported their victim had an active social life where both sexes came and went for what appeared to be loud extended hook-ups that could be heard, but, of course, not seen.
What Lara did not report was that the Senator had called while doing her evening canvas session to suggest a rendezvous later that week. He had met a new girl, Sonia, and she was interested in her first threesome. He liked the sound of that and wondered if Lara would like to join them. Lara now faced exactly what she feared most. She was now relegated to being just one of many. She wanted to refuse; her ambition stopped her. If a romp or two kept her in his good graces, was it really that bad? When she left, she knew the Senator would notice her lackluster performance. What he would not get was it was intentional. Sonia could be the next batter-up, and she was fine with it. Dale was a keeper, and it was time to admit that her days of straying in the hopes of finding something better were coming to a close.
At work cases came and went with only a few that defied their scrutiny. One in particular bothered all four of them, and Gates graciously let them work it when nothing new needed their immediate attention. For Kate and Castle this dispensation from normal procedure was a sure sign that Gates approved of how things were going.
Within the team there was also good news to consider. Kevin had finally found a job posting that looked like an ideal match and provided the regular hours Jenny was pushing for. Meanwhile, Lara had regularly stepped up her game in the box and was to the point where Beckett or Castle just listened or sat in observation. Her success in those encounters put Lara in her happy place, and as Castle wisely pointed out, a contented Lara was far less to likely to be curious about anything odd said between Kate and Castle.
On the home front things were also in flux. Castle had finally worked up the gumption to ask her to move in. To say Kate was surprised would be a lie. She was regularly staying overnight at the loft and frankly enjoying it. Nonetheless, it was a big change, and she wanted to be sure all the Castles and her dad would be happy with the new arrangement.
The timing for their announcement was obvious. Without realizing it, they had fallen into a routine of jointly preparing a rather elaborate brunch on just about every Sunday morning. By then Alexis had been conscientious for a couple of hours, Martha's hangover was waning, and her dad was hungry. Castle made the announcement, and Kate followed-up with a statement he could listen to all day. "I love him, and this is where I want to be if you all will have me." All were pleased by the announcement, and toasts were made to the couple for finally living as all knew they should. Jim was especially proud of Kate for being so forthright about something so intensely intimate. He knew such public pronouncements did not come easily for her and was glad she had finally found the happiness that had eluded her for so long.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is wrapping up shortly. Have you enjoyed the ride?