CONQUERED
Chapter 1
"What's wrong, Richard? It's a little early, even for me." Martha came down the stairs, not expecting him to be home yet. He should still be at the precinct with Katherine finding murderers. Instead, he was in the kitchen doing something almost impossible, at least for him. He was refilling his glass with Scotch.
"She lied, Mother. She lied straight to my face. For an entire year." Rick took a swallow from his glass that almost half emptied it. He really shouldn't be drinking this much, but he needed something to kill the pain.
"There's only one person, besides Gina, that could get you this upset," Martha said, and while she was interested in joining him, she chose not to and just talked to her son.
"Beckett. All this time she lied. I heard her admit that she remembered everything from her shooting. She admitted that she knew I told her that I loved her, and she lied to my face for a year." Rick took another swallow.
"Are you sure you heard correctly? Where did you hear it?" Martha questioned him. "It doesn't sound like Katherine." It was more like she didn't want it to be that Katherine was capable of doing such a thing.
"She was interviewing a suspect, and I was in the observation room, watching and listening. He claimed that he didn't remember anything after being shot. She called him out on that lie. She said she was shot in the heart and she remembered every moment of it.
"I've never felt so foolish in all my life. Stringing me along so she can make a fool out of me. How can she be so cruel?" Rick was shocked, angry, felt used, and was working fast toward being furious with her.
Martha wasn't sure she believed him. She wanted them to work this out, but lying to her son for an entire year was horrible. Doing that to her son was unfeeling and hurtful, and she didn't want to think Katherine was capable of doing such a thing.
"So, what are you going to do?" Martha asked him since she believed he should confirm that Katherine was lying to him.
"Quit and go check on my retirement site," he said. "Spend some time looking it over. It's almost finished, and I need to go check on it. About one more month to completion, I was told."
"Retirement." Martha wasn't happy with the word. She sighed. She knew her son could write from literally anywhere. It was just where he planned to retire to was isolated. Incredibly isolated.
"You're the one, Mother, who keeps reminding me that I'm not getting any younger," Rick told her. Besides, it was a very viable option. The planning alone had taken months. And that was in addition to weeks of searching for the right site to purchase. It had been under construction for almost a year.
A year ago, it looked like his time with NYPD was coming to an end. Roy was dead, and Gates hated him. Only going over the former head of Internal Affairs to the mayor had gotten him back in. Yet Gates insulted him every chance she got. He had a thick skin or a Teflon skin, if you prefer. But he could only take so much for just so long. How Kate put up with her was something he didn't understand. However, he was betting her dead mother had something to do with it.
"That's not what I meant, Richard, and you know it," Martha countered. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Give Katherine a chance to explain." She wanted to give Katherine a chance.
"Let her explain why she did this to me? For a year. Give her a chance to lie to me again to explain her lie? No thanks, Mother. I'm done. You're hoping to go on tour, and Alexis is starting college and wants to be in the dorms, not living at home. I can be the cool dad and let her select the school that she wants to attend instead of talking her into being close to home. Stanford, Oxford, or wherever." Rick thought about it more and more. "Seattle isn't that far. Northern California, not so much." Suddenly his idea wasn't not that great.
"That will make Alexis happy. I still think you should let Katherine explain, Richard. You've put a lot of time into this relationship," Martha said.
"Relationship?" Rick knew the meaning of that word. "We haven't gone on a single official date in all this time. Everything we do is something that won't cause her to just up and run away.
"There is nothing to lose, Mother. I'm happy for you and proud of Alexis. My contract with Black Pawn is at an end with this book. I'll keep writing but do it more slowly." Rick finished his drink and put the bottle away.
"So long as you're certain." Martha knew she couldn't stop him, and she was at the point where she, too, was unhappy with Katherine.
"I'm going to go write my resignation and make a reservation for my trip." Rick headed to his office.
Martha had somewhere to be, so she let him go. She shook her head sadly. "I truly thought better of you, Katherine."
O~O~O
Kate stopped at her desk and found a cold cup of coffee sitting there. There was only one person that would bring her coffee, and that was Castle. "Was Castle here?"
"Yeah, he showed up while you were interrogating Bobby Lopez, and then left again," Espo told her and went back to work.
Kate stood there looking around to see if she could see him, but she didn't. Then she looked at the interrogation room and the observation room. She couldn't think of anything at the moment that would cause him to leave without telling her. She shrugged. She had a murder to solve and that came first.
O~O~O
Rick knew he had been gone for hours, and people might be questioning where he had been. But they would get over it. Walking out of the elevator, he didn't see Kate at her desk, but he did see Espo and Ryan. A quick look told him that Gates was in her office. So, he walked to her door.
Rick gave it a knock and went inside. "Mr. Castle?" She hadn't seen him for a while, which left her conflicted between having him here to help and wanting him gone.
"Captain." Rick held out a piece of paper for her to take.
"What's this? Did you find something?" Gates was thinking it was something that had to do with this case they were all working on.
"My written resignation. I'm not employed here, but I felt I needed to make it official. You can forward it to 1PP or anyone else you feel needs it. I want to thank you for letting me stay."
Gates took it but didn't open it immediately. "Resignation." It was a dream come true, yet why did she feel so terrible about him leaving? The fact that he wasn't a cop and had no training of any kind to do this job still upset her. However, he was actually useful.
"Thank you, Captain. I don't believe we'll see each other again." Where he planned to go meant they would be thousands of miles apart. A little over 3,000 miles.
"Good luck, Mr. Castle," Gates said to his back as he walked out of her office. She hadn't thought he would quit mid-case. She thought he would at least help solve this case. But he was gone, and she didn't have to put up with him any longer.
Rick stopped at Espo's and Ryan's desks. "Guys, I'm leaving, and I won't be back. I just wanted to say that it's been a pleasure working with you both, even if it hasn't always been that smooth."
"You're quitting, Castle?" Ryan was shocked.
"What brought this on?" Espo asked him.
"It's time. I've stayed here too long already. Nothing left to learn or gain from staying. I wish both of you the best of luck." Rick managed to shake both their hands.
"Beckett's not here," Espo told him, so he would either need to stay or come back for her.
"I'm stopping to see Lanie and then going home. Good luck, guys." Rick gave them a little wave and left.
"He's not talking to Beckett?" Ryan asked his partner since that was a shock.
"Uh-oh!" Javi wasn't any fool. Beckett definitely wasn't going to take this well. She wouldn't show it, but she'd be hurt.
"Mom and Dad had another fight?" Ryan suggested.
"Something happened. Maybe we can get Lanie to tell us what." Espo would talk to her later.
O~O~O
"Castle!" Lanie was happy to see him. Except she didn't see Kate with him.
"I came to say goodbye, Lanie. I've already handed in my resignation to Gates to make it official. You're my last stop."
"You're quitting? Why?" Lanie needed a reason.
"It's time. I've spent enough time here. It's time to start a different life," Rick deflected. He wasn't in the mood to talk about why.
"OH! Does Kate know?" Lanie didn't get an immediate answer. "What's wrong?" She'd been getting Kate to see Castle for a while. She still didn't understand why Kate was resisting.
"It's not important. I don't believe we'll see each other again," Rick told her. "I'm leaving the city, moving to a new location thousands of miles from here. It's my planned retirement site."
"What did Kate do? Talk to me. You're my friend, and Kate's my best friend. You can't just leave. You need to tell me what happened." Lanie, as usual, wasn't going to just let it go.
"It's not important. I wish you the best of everything, Lanie." Rick turned to leave.
Lanie physically stopped him and stood in front of the doors, blocking his exit.
"If what's wrong is enough for you to not say anything to Kate, then it's more than important. I need you to talk to me, Castle. Maybe I can fix it." Lanie wasn't letting him leave like this.
Rick should have known Lanie wouldn't just let him leave like the guys had or Gates would. "She lied, Lanie, she lied."
"Lied about what?" Lanie questioned him. "Castle?" Lanie studied his face, and she saw hurt, anger, and maybe something far worse. He was done!
Rick groaned. Only his mother and Alexis knew about it and he wasn't comfortable telling anyone else. Besides, he knew Lanie would take this to Kate. At least he would be gone by the time she did.
"At Roy's funeral, moments before Kate was shot, I saw a flash and guessed sniper. So I tried to tackle her, but I wasn't fast enough," Rick began with.
Lanie knew all that already, so she stood there and waited for the rest of it.
"I told her that I loved her. I actually told her, and I meant every word. She needed to know that someone loved her. To give her a reason to fight for life and not just give up.
"She said she didn't remember, but I heard her admit that she remembered everything about her shooting. So she lied. For an entire year she lied straight to my face. Made me feel like a fool thinking that she cared about me when she didn't…doesn't. She made a fool of me, Lanie. So, I'm done with her and the NYPD. I'm leaving and going to get as far away from here as I can get."
Lanie gasped and then put a hand over her mouth. "OH-MY-GOD!" She'd never expected anything like this from Kate. She wouldn't do that. She couldn't. She knew Kate cared, so there had to be a reason. It was just lying to him for an entire year was truly cruel. She thought she knew her best friend. Maybe she was wrong.
"I don't believe it. Kate wouldn't do that. You must have heard wrong. Taken it out of context." Lanie watched him shake his head.
"She knew what she was saying, Lanie. I'm leaving. I'll be back later but only long enough to finish a few things. I'll never be back in this city again. Take good care of yourself." Rick gave her a hug and made it around her and out the door.
Lanie spun around and watched him leave; she could feel tears escaping. "What have you done, Kate? What have you done?" This had to be a mistake and she didn't have much time by the sound of it.
O~O~O
Alexis heard the door and ran out of her room since it had to be her dad. "DAD!" She raced down the stairs, and he had only just managed to close the door and lock it.
"Tell me she didn't," Alexis asked him.
"Didn't what?" He wasn't following. His mind was on getting packed and to the airport for his flight out. He had a 7:00 pm flight on United to Vancouver, British Columbia where he would switch planes to reach his next destination.
"Beckett lied about not remembering that you told her that you loved her?" Alexis was going to be furious and begin hating Detective Beckett. She would never stop hating her.
"So it would appear," Rick confirmed.
"Appear?" Alexis glared at him. "Don't lie to me, Dad. She either did, or she didn't. It's that simple."
Rick sighed. He knew Alexis was going to blow up. Well, either at him or at Beckett, but either way, she was going to explode. She was protective of him, and he knew it. Usually, he liked it. This wasn't one of those times, though.
If Alexis was questioning him, that meant his mother had told her. "Yes, she lied about remembering. I don't know why, and right now it doesn't matter."
Except Alexis didn't blow up. In fact, she said nothing at all. What she did do was turn and head toward the stairs so she could scream in private. But she stopped and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"I have a red-eye to Vancouver at 7:00 pm. From there another flight to Victoria, and then my boat to the site. The last report I had they were about a month from being done." Rick changed the subject because he was done talking about Beckett and her lies. "Have you decided which college you want to attend? I know you finally got approved by Stanford, in addition to a few others."
Alexis took a moment to take her mind off of Beckett. "I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning toward Oxford. You don't really mind that I'm leaving the city?" Alexis knew he had resisted at first.
"There isn't a college where I'm going, so no. I just want you to be happy. I have my satellite phone and you have the number, so you can use it and reach me day or night."
Rick suddenly found himself being hugged by her. "I'm sorry, Dad. There's something very wrong with her." Alexis let go of him and started up the stairs. "Oh, I invited Michael over later. I promise we won't break anything."
"I did something seriously wrong raising you. You need to break something so you have some memories," Rick teased her.
"Dad!" Alexis scolded him and hurried to her room. The first thing she did was get on her bed, grab Money Bunkey and crush him. She begin stewing, she was so angry. It wasn't until she saw the time and heard the front door. Then she screamed as loud as she could and cursed the existence of Katherine Beckett.
O~O~O
Gates was at her door. "Beckett, a moment."
"Sir?" She still didn't have a good lead on who, but she could eliminate people from her list.
"Earlier, Mr. Castle came into the precinct while you were out. He left this behind." Gates showed her the letter but didn't give it to her.
What Kate didn't get was why she hadn't seen him come in, why had he gone to Gates, or what that letter was about.
"Mr. Castle has finally officially removed himself from this precinct. He has resigned from his consultation job with this precinct effective immediately. No longer do any of us have to put up with him."
"WHAT!" The color drained from Kate's face, and she felt her heart sink. Castle wouldn't do that to her. It wasn't him, he would talk to her first. He was her partner!
"May I read it?" Kate managed to hold out her hand. Now came the willpower to open it and read it.
Sure enough, he typed it, telling Gates that he was resigning from the NYPD, and then he signed it. She was familiar with his signature, so she knew it was his. He had left her. He had abandoned her, and he had done it without talking to her.
"Back to work, Detective." Gates took her glorious letter back, folded it back up, and stored it away for later. She would keep the original and send a copy to 1PP and the mayor so he wouldn't call her again.
A shocked and very pale Kate walked out of her office, and instead of making it to her desk, she found herself at Ryan's and Espo's desks. "Castle quit." She still couldn't believe it. She was so hurt.
"Yeah, we know. He came into the office while you were out and told us goodbye. He didn't talk to you?" Espo asked her. To not talk to her was cold.
Instead of answering him, they watched her walk away, go to her desk, and just sit there with a blank look on her face.
"He didn't talk to her. That is really cold, bro." Espo thought better of Castle.
"We don't know everything. He talked to us and said he was going to go see Lanie next," Ryan pointed out. That had Espo taking out his phone and sending a text to Lanie to see what she knew.
O~O~O
"Kate." Lanie walked with purpose toward her desk.
"Lanie?" If she had something new, she could have just called instead of coming to her in person.
"You're coming with me." Lanie grabbed her hand, pulled hard, and walked over to the breakroom. She had a stumbling Kate following her.
"Lanie, what the hell?" She didn't know what this was in regards to. Lanie let go of her, closed the door, and began closing blinds. "What's going on?" This wasn't like her at all.
"You're not getting out of this room till you talk to me. I want to know why you lied to Castle," Lanie demanded.
"I don't understand." What lie? She hadn't seen Castle for a while and had no idea where he was now.
"At Montgomery's funeral Castle tackled you to try and keep you from getting shot. But you were shot anyway. While Castle had you down on the ground, he told you that he loved you. And you remember every word he said. You've been lying to him for a year. So start talking, Kate."
Kate felt her heart stop. No one but Dr. Burke knew she had lied. She had lied, and instead of admitting her lie to him, she just let it go on. It was easier than talking to him. She wasn't anywhere near ready to tell him that she cared about him, that she might love him too.
"I don't have time for this." Kate headed for the door only to find Lanie blocking her way.
"Castle knows you lied to him. You told Bobby Lopez in interrogation that you remembered everything. Castle was in the observation room watching and listening. Now he's gone. He resigned, and he isn't coming back, Kate.
"You lied and now he's gone. Really gone this time," Lanie told her. "Permanently!"
Kate went into panic mode. What she had said ran through her mind, and she remembered that she did say that. NO! This wasn't happening. Kate walked backward, stumbled, and she barely managed to land in a chair. It explained the letter Castle had given Gates. And why she hadn't seen him for a while.
"You lied, and now Castle is gone. So you are going to explain it to me. I'm your best friend but if you can't explain it to me, you're never going to be able to explain it to Castle enough to begin to get him back.
"Unless it's okay with you that you'll never, ever see him again?" Lanie looked at a shocked and broken Kate, who was beginning to cry. What she saw told her that yes, Kate loved him, but what was her problem? They could have, should have, been together for over a year. Maybe even married by now. But no! Instead, her friend was hurting, and Castle was gone.