Rick Castle and the FBI Agent

Chapter 11 - Sam and Paul

Samantha Armstrong was at her loft on a rare early off work evening. She had just finished her take out dinner and saw it was only 8PM. On routine work days, she is at the office till 9PM or later. Such was the reality of law enforcement, long hours. So when an opportunity for downtime came, it was relished.

She poured herself a glass of wine and got on her laptop to do some web surfing. Visiting the Rick Castle web site, she got all the latest gossip, some of which was so totally out of the blue with no truth to reality, it made her smile. Others gave hints of what was really going on in Rick's life, especially the one that alluded to a new woman in his life. She had to smile but then wondered how the site got it's news. Was she that 'new' woman in Rick's life? She would be with him at the loft now, if not for the fact that he had been in a meeting at his publisher's which went late. He called to tell her that he would catch her at the precinct the following day.

They had gotten close in the weeks they had been together working a case and it looked like a budding romance; if not for the appearance of one Paul Mikelson. He had been her partner for years at the FBI but he was married at the time and Sam would not go there. But when Paul's wife developed cancer, she had consoled him, at times giving him a caring hug to get him out of his melancholy of his wife's condition. Someone had seen the PDA's and rumors began of an office romance between the two. Those rumors had gotten back to Paul's wife and had hasten the cancer. That is when Sam left the NYC office for the Boston Office removing herself from Paul's life and a situation she could not cope with. But eventually Paul's wife succumbed to the cancer and Paul was now a widower and single.

Were old feelings for Paul now emerging despite Sam moving on with Rick Castle, her favorite author? This relationship was a story made for a novel. Little 'miss no body' meeting a rich and famous author, a Cinderella plot if nothing else. But with Paul now back in her life, his presence started to rekindle what had been buried. What did this mean for her? Was it to develop into a competition, with Rick and Paul vying for her heart?

And what of Kate Beckett, Rick's unrequited love, she was with Josh? But Sam realized that Rick's situation was much like Her's with Paul. This situation was getting more complicated by the day, when it had started out so simply. Rick was available and she was available, so they had started dating.

Both were strongly attracted to each other and no one could deny the sparks that flew between them. However, they wisely chose to follow a five date rule to allow time to see how this attraction would develop before becoming intimate. Had they slept together after that first meeting, that might have changed everything. Both had been involved in the past with others so chose to be caution with this now growing romance.

Sam let these thoughts settle for a while and then decide it was time for sleep. She finished her glass of wine, got ready for bed, and fell asleep with thoughts racing thru her mind about her current situation.

Paul's Brooklyn Apartment

At his apartment Paul Mikelson was contemplating his current situation with his once partner Samantha Armstrong. There had been feelings between them, but they had wisely kept it professional between them. Sam because she respected Paul's marriage and Paul because he would not break his vows. But thru the ordeal of dealing with a wife stricken by cancer, Paul turned to his partner for emotional support and like a good partner she helped him thru this event in his life. Rumors developed that they were having an affair at a time when such rumors carried consequences to the emotional and psychological needs of his wife. She did not need the stress that such rumors created and her emotional well-being took a toll on her cancer exacerbating that condition.

As a result, his partner requested a transfer to the Boston office. It took her out of the picture, but rumors continued that Sam had left because the two of them had been outted. Eventually his wife died from her cancer, months after Sam had transferred. Sam blamed herself for his wife's worsened condition, even though Paul had tried to convict her otherwise. Now there they were together again on a case.

Would this past history affect their daily interactions at work? Both were professional enough to not let that happen, but what did it mean subconsciously to them. Would past emotions and longings surface, and how would that affect the job? Paul thought to request removal from the case, but he was the expert on child kidnap and trafficking and was needed. There was also the bigger case or shutting down a global infant trafficking ring. It was apparent that he would have to continue as the expert on this case and would have to deal with this current situation. It was not a situation that Paul was confident in, but he had to play the cards he was dealt.

Working The Kidnapping

Thru tedious detective work the team had discovered the 'safe' house that the kidnapped children were held before being sold for 'adoption'. Again, it was Espo and Ryan who got the intel from canvassing the 'hood and being keen to listen to their CI's. As they followed these leads, they discovered the facility where the children were held for adoption. The location was a fake child care facility in the city. It was a brilliant front for illegal infant trafficking operations that went unnoticed in plain view. It was also ironic, if not sad, that the safe house is disguised as a child care facility!

A 24/7 surveillance was placed on said facility and the team took turns observing the comings and goings to the facility. Children were observed playing on the grounds of the facility under the watchful eye of their 'care givers'. Couples were observed coming on a regular basis and leaving with their 'adopted' child. In the dead of night, 'deliveries' were made of children that had recently been kidnapped by the traffickers.

The kidnapped Sanchez boy had been observed being allowed to walk on the grounds and get some sun under the close scrutiny of his 'care provider'. He is now walking and was just starting to get used to his two legs. The Team would find out later that children of his age were widely sought after as they would have no memories of their real parents and grew up thinking their adopted parents were their biological parents. It seems a bidding war had occurred for adoption of the Sanchez child and the traffickers were holding the boy back waiting for the highest bid! Such was the nature of this illicit business.

During the surveillance part of the investigation, Sam and Paul had been paired to be on the late night shift. Espo and Ryan, Kate and Castle were the remaining teams who worked the observation post in shifts. It was during those times that the two had an discussion about their past partnership. Up to that time, both had avoided the subject, but it was Paul who started the conversation.

"Sam, I know you still blame yourself for Megyn's death, but it was not you. The experimental drugs she took had stopped attacking the cancer, despite the early success with the drugs", Paul had told her.

"The drugs were not working because the emotional stress I created on her were accelerating the cancer."

"No, you are wrong. The researchers found out as a result of analyzing her test data, that the drug mix had to be done in a precise range of dosages and at the appropriate times. Her death gave them that knowledge and they adjusted how the drugs were administered. The change has saved many as a result, so Megyn's death was not in va

in. You can take consolation in that."

Samantha is quiet for some time after hearing what Paul had to say.

"Still, our behavior caused her much anxiety and we should have been more cautious."

"Sam, it was I who turned to you. Like a good partner you were there for me. We could not stop how others viewed that and the rumor mill became viscious. You can not stop what peope will think, even if it is in error. We were in a no-win situation. If we had responded in the negative to the gossip, it would have just fueled the rumors. We both decided to not acknowledge that gossip and let it die. Did you forget that?"

Again a long silence.

"You are not to blame for her death, so stop that remorse. Megyn accepted that we were close as partners. She understood that. Megyn knew you would never go there and she even understood your transfer to the Boston office. She died knowing we had not slept together. She admired your actions in this siutation. So, can we put all this drama in the past and start new?"

After a while, Sam responds, "What you said makes sense, let's continue as friends."

"You are and always will be my best friend Sam."

There is again a long and tension filled moment. Sam is thinking about how to respond to Paul. They had not seen each other during the two years she was at the Boston office. This was the first time they had actually spoken about this subject since Paul arrived to join the Alpha Team. After a while Sam speaks up.

"Rick and I are dating. It has not gotten intimate."

"I wasn't asking Sam."

"Yes, I know. You were not asking quite loudly."

They both laugh at her response, and that broke the ice. Their watch continued and it had been like in the past when they were still partners on the job. That familiarity and comfortable confidence that each had for the other had again arisen. It was like nothing had changed between them and it was a safe and welcoming place to be for the two of them.

Sam wonders why she chose to disclose this information to Paul after his declaration to her. Was she subconsciously giving him a signal that she might want to rekindle what they once had and that she might want to explore that further? This was now getting more complicated. Sam was in active pursuit of Castle, but now the appearance of Paul may have changed all that.

Still, she and Rick had decide to see where it went with them and had used the five date rule as a guide. It had not yet become intimate between she and Rick, but she was falling for Rick and may have already gotten there. Two dates to go before she had to decide to commit to a more serious and carnal relationship with Rick. She now was doubtful where this thing with Rick was going. She needed to talk to him.

The Talk With Rick

Days after the Sam-Paul talk, Rick had noticed a subtle change in Sam. She was more carefree and her worries had seemed to be lessened. He knew of the past relationship with Paul Mikelson and had seen the unease with them when they were physically near. He wondered if somehow they have managed to reconcile whatever troubles they may have had. Rick also noticed that the tension she had when in Paul's presence seemed to have dissipated. He could not help but notice how much her demeanor had become more hopeful and bright.

Concurrently, Rick had noticed a similar change in Kate, his urequited love interest. Had she also made up with Josh, whose absence from the last time he was at the precinct were duly noticed. In fact, Rick could not recall in a long while any cell calls Josh had made to Kate. In the past Kate would get a call from him on ocassion during the day or sometimes when they worked late. Josh called just to find out how she was doing. That situation had changed in the last few weeks and Josh was no longer calling her at the office. Maybe they had agreed to keep the calls to just private moments? It was a small almost undetectable change, so subtle as to go unnoticed, but Rick caught that little detail almost immediately.

Whatever was up with these two women in Rick's life seemed to be coming to a significant event where they might cross. Rick knew something was up and he was trying to figure out what it was. He had a feeling something was out there. Something was coming and it was something good that was going to be a life altering event. He just needed to figure it out. His anxiety levels had risen inversely to that of the two women, as theirs went down, his came up. Something was on the horizon, something was arriving, and it was just around the corner.

Rick just wanted to be in the right place to benefit from this future event when it happened. Rick Castle's keen intuition levels were now at its highest. His emotions were tingling, Rick's version of Spidy sense, as in one of his favorite comic book characters. Rick just knew by his gut instinct tht something was about to happen. Where it lead, he would not know until it happened.