Private Eyes 4: Extreme Ways


Epilogue


June 4, 2013


The plane landed late last night and they went straight to their Gramercy Park apartment, curling up in bed, exhausted from the long flight. Allowing themselves to sleep in, they didn't get up until late, close to 11 AM. It was decided that unpacking could wait for later, and they lazed around in bed for about an hour, needing to simply be together before life came knocking at the door. Neither wanted to hurry the bursting of the honeymoon bubble that they had managed to regain since the unexpected interruption a little over a week prior.

Soon, however, familial obligations came a-calling. They were forced to slip out of the cozy comfort of their bed and socialize. While cancelling had been a wonderful notion, and extremely tempting, they couldn't. And that was how they found themselves arriving just a little after 1:30 PM at the Soho apartment building on the corner of Broome and Crosby.

"She really didn't have to do all this," Kate said as they stepped out onto the rooftop garden where they'd wedded a few short weeks ago. She had been dressed in white then, now she wore an inexpensive soft yellow ruffle trim Swiss dot dress with a shirred back. And a wedding band adorned her left ring finger.

"I know, I know," her husband draped his arm around her shoulders and leaned in, lowering his voice. "I'd rather be back at our place, decompressing."

"Is that what it's called nowadays?" she asked, quirking up an eyebrow. Tongue firmly in cheek.

He grinned back and waggled his eyebrows. "I love the way your mind works, Mrs. Castle."

"As I do with yours, Mr. Beckett," Kate teased back with a wink. She couldn't hold back the laugh at the brief look of fright that passed over his ruggedly handsome features. It just tickled her silly that she could get such a rise out of him.

The delightful moment was interrupted by the materialization of an aging redhead in a vibrant pink and turquoise wrap dress. Numerous bangles, of various colors, clattered against one another as she raised her arms in joy.

"Oh, darlings, there you are!" cheered Martha Rodgers, hurrying towards them and immediately engulfing Kate in a dizzyingly embrace that left her a little discombobulated afterwards. "Katherine! You great, beautiful creature!"

Her enthusiasm was infectious, and Kate found herself smiling easily after the woman had released her, though she was a little dizzy from the unexpected spinning hug. "It's good to see you, too, Martha."

"What!?" Castle hooted with a smirk. "No hug for me, Mother?"

"Oh, shush!" Martha scoffed with a playful gleam in her eyes, swatting at her son's shoulder, before drawing him into another one of her twirling hugs.

Castle returned the embrace with true earnest. "It really is good to see you, Mother," he echoed Kate's sentiments.

"Now, come on, I've got drinks and food all laid out," she announced, sliding between them and linking arms as she guided them through the rooftop garden. "Oh, and Katherine, I made sure to have some nonalcoholic beverage options for your father. James—he always insists I call him Jim, Heaven knows why—told me he was partial to cranberry juice and cream soda, so I got enough in case anyone else also wanted some. Oh, yes, and Alexis kindly helped me make a large pitcher of lemonade. We just finished squeezing the lemons."

"You really didn't have to go through all this effort, Martha," Kate insisted, when she looked over the table spread that included cheese slices, cold cuts, crackers, black and green olives, three kinds of grapes, veggies, and an assortment of fruits, all laid out for everyone to enjoy.

"Nonsense, dear," Martha asserted with a large smile. "What's life without a few celebrations."
Castle leaned over to Kate as Martha rushed forward to help Alexis as the younger woman emerged from the rooftop entrance, dragging a large cooler behind her, and clearly out of breath. "Money was tight when I was a kid, so we didn't always have enough to properly celebrate birthdays or holidays like other families, but that didn't stop Mother from making them special."

"That's nice."

"Yeah," he sighed, and rubbed his temple. "Now that she can afford it, she overcompensates for the previous sparseness."

"I heard that!" Martha interjected from the other side of the rooftop garden. "And you're so wrong, kiddo!"

"Whatever you say, Mother," Castle hollered back with a large grin on his face. He placed a hand on Kate shoulder. "I'll just go help Alexis with that cooler, it looks a bit heavy."

He went off, pausing to hug his daughter and kiss her on the top of her redhaired head, before stooping down to lift the cooler up. Kate turned at the sound of footsteps, and immediately smiled with genuine happiness at seeing her father. Jim Beckett spread his arms wide and hugged her tightly.

"How're you doing, Katie?" he asked. "Enjoy Paris?"

"Um… yeah, it was great," Kate replied. "We wandered along the Seine, saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, and we even had lunch at the Eiffel Tower." She decided it was best to leave it at that. No need for her father to know how that lunch had been a set up by her father-in-law to lure them into participating in a CIA operation, and all the subsequent events that occurred thereafter.

"That's good, sounds like you had fun," he said with a grin.

"Very much, yes," Kate smiled back. "Though, I am happy to be home."

"I bet," Jim nodded. "Your Mother and I didn't have as extravagant of a honeymoon as you two, simply going up to a B&B in Vermont, but it was still nice to come home." He paused, contemplatively. "She'd be happy for you, Katie. And so very proud."

Kate felt her eyes start to mist up. "Oh, Dad."

She fell into his arms again and hugged him tightly. The years that followed her mother's death had been hard on them. His drinking had caused her to feel like she was losing her father as well as her mother. For a time, she'd been resentful and bitter, believing him to be selfish in his grief, when she had needed her daddy most. But time had healed some of the wounds in their relationship. While it would never be what it had once been, it was much better now.

"There, there," Jim gave her a gentle squeeze before releasing her and stepping back. "For what it's worth, I'm also very proud of you, Katie."

She smiled, practically beaming. Kate opened her mouth to return the sentiments, but before she could, someone was grabbing her by the arm and yanking.

"Sorry, Mr. B, I need to borrow Kate for a sec," Lanie announced as she tugged.

Kate shot her father an apologetic look, but he merely just shook his head and held up his hands, laughing lightly as he watched his daughter getting dragged behind on of the large flowering bushes running along the edge of the rooftop.

Huffing in annoyance, she spun on her best friend. "Lanie! What the hell? I was in the middle of talking with my Dad!"

"Still feisty," Lanie chuckled. "I see marriage hasn't tamed you."

She allowed herself a small smile. "Me, tamed? Ha. As if."

The two best friends hugged, happy to see one another again.

Lanie stepped back and glanced over her. "Wow, girl, you look tired!"

"Um… thanks?" Kate furrowed her brow, though it came out more as a question than anything else.

Lanie laughed. "It's a compliment, sweetie," she assured. "As in your boy tired you out from all the amazingly hot honeymoon sex."

Kate's eyes went wide and she glanced around the flowering shrubbery to make sure her father was far enough away not to accidentally overhear. She chastised her friend, but Lanie just shook her head, not the least bit deterred.

"You know it's true," she said, playfully tapping Kate's arm with the back of her hand.

"Okay, yes," Kate admitted with a defeated sigh, and lowered her voice. "We had a lot of great sex, and I promise to gossip with you, but not here. Okay?"

"You better believe it," Lanie agreed with a wink. "Next Monday after work, we're going out for drinks, just me and you, and you are going to spill all the delicious deets."

Kate forced a smile, already dreading the eventual interrogation, because that is what it would feel like when Lanie had her cornered in a booth at some bar, grilling her for all the juicy details on her sex life. To be honest, it was one of the aspects of their friendship Kate wasn't as keen on as she had been at the start, especially now that she was with someone who was more than a passing thing. Castle was it for her. And she wanted to keep some of that for just herself. So, she determined, Lanie would get the bare minimum required.

Her best friend was eyeing her with a suspicious look, as if she could read her mind, which was kind of scary, actually.

"Okay, girl, you can keep some of the salacious bits to yourself, but I'll take what I can get," Lanie conceded.

"You're far too perceptive of the living for someone who works with dead people," Kate noted with a shrewd look.

"Nah," Lanie dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Just with you, Kate. And that's only because we've known each other for so long." Her gaze shifted over Kate's shoulder. "Shit. Javier just arrived."

Kate arched her neck to glance towards the rooftop entrance. Esposito was just emerging, carrying a six pack of Dos Equis. She turned back to Lanie, and raised a curious eyebrow.

"I'm confused. I thought you two decided to give it another try before the wedding. You two looked happy at the reception."

Lanie scrunched up her face and gestured vaguely with her hands towards the spot where a small dance floor had been set up during the wedding reception. "That was just the delirious effects of the lovely-dovey aura around you at the time, you love sick fool you. Ugh. I couldn't help but be infected by it." She shuddered. "Oh, I'll admit, we had some fun, but it was fleeting. Barely lasted the weekend before reality came crashing down around us. And we remembered why we didn't work. But boy, was it good while it lasted."

Kate couldn't help but feel sad for her friends. She had really hoped they'd managed to work things out, but it really did look like they wanted different things. She sighed.

"Hey, don't you get all glum over my trainwreck of a love life," Lanie insisted, giving her shoulder a playful jab. "Tonight's about you, girlfriend, and that delicious man of yours."

"Yeah," Kate sighed again, this one much different than the first, as she glanced over at Castle chatting with Alexis as they set up the drink station. "He is pretty great."

"See!" Lanie enthused. "There you go, getting all moony again. Really, I should give you a complete physical."

This time Kate laughed. "When you meet the right guy, you'll understand."

"God, I hope not," Lanie declared with a shake of her head, and amusement dancing in her eyes, which faded rapidly as she gazed over Kate's shoulder. "Shit, he's coming this way." She twisted around. "I'll go say hello to Spy Boy." And she was off.

Kate shook her head, but turned to greet Esposito.

"Hey chica," Esposito said, taking her into an awkward one-armed hug, patting her back with his freehand. "Welcome back." He held up the six pack of Dos Equis. "Didn't know if I was supposed to bring anything or not. Mrs. Rodgers wasn't exactly clear on that."

"She can be that way at times, yes," Kate concurred with a smile. "Where's Kevin?"

Esposito grimaced. "Please, don't make me say."

"Ah," Kate nodded, understanding immediately. Kevin Ryan and his wife Jenny were working at getting pregnant. "No need."

"Thanks," he grumbled, and trudged off to add his six pack of Dos Equis to the cooler box.

Castle passed him as he walked back over to join her, the two exchanging friendly nods.

"I saw you talking with Lanie," he commented. "She already grilling you for the honeymoon details?"

"She has us booked for a girl's night on Monday," Kate informed him with a pout.

He offered a sympathetic look, and rubbed a soothing hand down her back. "Hungry?"

"Very," Kate nodded. "We skipped lunch. Remember?"

His eyes glazed over as he recalled. "Yes. Yes, I do."

She suppressed a grin. But before she could tease him some more, the shrill sound of her cellphone interrupted her. "Ugh," she grunted. "Sorry. I thought I had it on silent." She dug it out of her purse and pulled it out.

"You're not on duty yet, are you? I thought you were off one more day," Castle said, brow furrowed.

"I am," she assured.

"Well, if it's dispatch, tell them to call Esposito," he offered with a smirk.

Rolling her eyes, Kate didn't bother to check the caller ID before answering, making the assumption that it was just the Twelfth's desk sergeant calling to confirm her work schedule.

"Beckett," she answered in her usual professional manner.

"Hello, Katerina."

The voice was smooth and sensual. And it was definitely not the desk sergeant from the 12th precinct.

"Elena," she hissed, immediately drawing Castle's attention.

He quickly moved over to join her by the edge of the rooftop, looking down on Broome Street. He leaned in close until their temples were brushing. Kate shifted her hold on the phone so that he could also hear what was said. There was no way she was going to put it on speaker, not with their friends and families present.

"What do you want?" Kate demanded.

"Nothing, except to wish you well on your recent nuptials," Elena asserted. "I didn't get the opportunity before. We were all so very… busy."

Kate huffed. She very much doubted that was the reason for the assassin's call. "Thanks," she snapped out.

"No need to be rude, Katerina," Elena said sweetly. "I hold no hard feelings for you and your husband. I might even be… envious. You have such a congenial life. Not all are so lucky."

"Right."

"It's such a shame we were never able to have a proper rematch," Elena went on, unperturbed by Kate's indifferent responses. "It would have been… exciting, would it not?"

Kate pursed her lips, and didn't answer.

Elena didn't seem to mind. The woman let out a little laugh. "Don't worry, дорогой мой, we'll meet again." She paused for a brief moment. "Oh, and Katerina, мой сладкий ангел, I love the dress. It looks good on you."

And the call was disconnected.

Both their heads immediately jerked back in alarm. Kate glanced at the building across the street, while Castle spun around, scanning the other buildings on the horizon. Neither of them could see any indications of where Elena Markov could be. Kate turned towards Castle with large eyes. His own expression matched the sinking feeling of disquiet and unease.

Castle wrapped his arms around her, and she sank into his embrace, burying her face in his chest.

"It's not over," he grumbled.

"No," Kate agreed. "It's just the beginning."


Extreme ways are back again
Extreme places I didn't know
I broke everything new again
Everything that I'd owned
I threw it out the windows, came along
Extreme ways I know will part
The colors of my sea
Perfect colored me

Extreme ways that help me
They help me out late at night
Extreme places I had gone
That never seen any light
Dirty basements, dirty noise
Dirty places coming through
Extreme worlds alone
Did you ever like it then?

I would stand in line for this
There's always room in life for this.

— Moby, Extreme Ways


The End


*Author's Note: Thank you all for reading. I struggled a bit with this story. The prologue was written back in February of 2021, and I had originally intended to have it ready for the summer Castle Ficathon 2021, but that didn't happen. I worked on it off and on, and struggled with it some more, before everything started to click, and here we are.

The initial idea for PRIVATE EYES 4 came about when I was finishing up writing PRIVATE EYES 2, and the original plan was for it to be an extended epilogue to the entire series. Elena Markov was always in it, and it would involve Caskett encountering the assassin while on honeymoon and recapturing her. But when I finished writing PRIVATE EYES 3, I no longer felt that the series needed an extended epilogue. So, I dropped the idea and pursued other fanfiction ideas.

However, the PRIVATE EYES universe wouldn't go away. Most of the original ideas for PRIVATE EYES 4 remained, but I wanted it to be more than an extended epilogue, and turned it into the stepping stone into a sequel trilogy with a new antagonist for our favorite couple to combat. So, expect more to come from this universe, though the next story probably won't be for a while, as I plan to have the next one completely finished before I start posting.

Meanwhile, I hope you all enjoyed reading this entry in my Spy Castle universe. Until next time.


Castle and Beckett will return in… PRIVATE EYES 5: A VIEW TO A KILL.