Actions Have Consequences or Rewards.

by Castlefan6

Authors Note: This is Totally AU; Beckett has found a new love, Castle is hiding a deadly secret, Takes place after the punch to the stomach in Headhunters.

Taking Literary License to fill in the blanks.

I don't own Castle; I use the characters for amusement purposes only, except the ones I create.

Also, we take liberties with the timeline from Canon and use events to make this a more believable fiction, thanks.

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LAST UPDATE UNTIL AFTER THANKSGIVING. Happy Holiday to those who celebrate, see you next week.

Chapter 8

Rick's Loft

Two Days Later

Rick had been discharged late yesterday afternoon, but it was late by the time the pharmacy had filled his prescriptions, oddly enough the anti-nausea medication was one of them, where were they a few days ago he thought. Franny had been his constant companion, even when Gina and Paula had stopped by the hospital the day before, Franny didn't budge, sitting right next to him, adhering to his every need.

"It looks like you have someone who really cares about you Ricky, she's sweet, to take care of you like this" Paula said within earshot of Franny,

"Let's get something straight right now, shall we? Rick hired me to be his caregiver, I would have done it for free, but he won't allow that. That doesn't mean we're sleeping together, not by my choice just so you know Gina. I know you still love him, but I'm telling you both, he'll get whatever he wants, as long as it won't hurt his health for as long as I'm with him, and I do mean ANYTHING."

She bristled, as she fluffed his pillow, and checked on the wounds from surgery. She gently applied the antibiotic cream and gave him his pill to keep the infection down. A few more days and he could stop this treatment, he was healing nicely.

She stepped out of the room to check on his orders for the day, and Rick just smiled.

"She's a hurricane, for sure but she's the one I need to kick my ass and make sure I stay on track for this recovery. I wouldn't be going home tomorrow if she had gone soft on me, she pushed me to keep walking, keep building up my strength, and I'm glad she did.,

"Thank you both, I know I scared you, and I really didn't mean to, but I won't be going back to the precinct anymore, so that worry is over for you both. Alexis was elated to hear it, and if I feel like writing more books, I don't need to visit a place where I never was welcome to do so." Rick said as he looked out of the window,

"Ricky, whatever you want, you know that. You've made me a comfortable lady financially. I hated when you forced me to use the financial planners when you did, but now I never need to worry about working if I don't want to, thank you for pushing me for that" Paula leaned in and kissed his cheek, fighting back tears,

Gina held her hand, "Rick, we're going to leave you to finish getting ready to come home tomorrow, so let me or Paula know if you need anything from us. I'm glad you have Franny with you, she won't let anyone hurt you and I can go back to editing that last submission of yours to get ready to go to press in the fall." She smiled,

"Thanks, Gina, I've got two more books in the works, I can get done once I'm out of here so let's plan on discussing it in a few weeks when I'm home and feeling a little stronger," he said, with a weak smile,

"You got it, now take care of yourself, or at least let Franny take care of you, call me if you need me," she leaned in and kissed his cheek, knowing that he was going to be OK, she believed in him, and his inner strength.

Franny was standing outside the door, it wasn't lost on her that the kiss goodbye was on his cheek this time, not the kiss on the lips as when Gina first saw him. She knew they cared about each other but that wasn't enough, they had proved that. Now, what the hell was the story with the cop? Why did she have such a hold on him?

PRESENT TIME

Franny had slept on his couch in his office last night, she didn't want to be far away from him should he wake, and have a nightmare, or have pain from his ribs, or incisions. He had healed nicely so far, but she knew the outward appearance of his wounds, didn't portray the healing still going on under the skin.

She was up and had showered and dressed in a flattering sundress by the time he awoke. She prepared his breakfast, soft-cooked eggs, and lightly toasted bagels with his one cup of the real stuff, coffee, he was allowed for the day.

"Good morning sleepyhead, how are you feeling, any pain anywhere?" she asked as she sat the tray on the nightstand, and felt his head, looking for any fever. She didn't feel any rise in temps so she leaned in and kissed his forehead,

"I have your breakfast, and I know you're going to enjoy this, as she waved the coffee under his nose."

"Franny, you sure know how to tease a man, and I don't mean with just the coffee. I never knew what a gorgeous shape and beautiful legs you had, all hidden in those scrubs all these years." He smiled,

She blushed, but said quietly, "Really Rick, you think this looks nice on me?" she said,

"I think you're beautiful, not only on the outside but in here where it counts" as he pointed to his heart,

"Keep talking like that and you'll never get rid of me," she smiled, "Before you get all excited, I want you to eat your breakfast so I can help you with a shower. Your sutures came out yesterday, so you can have a lukewarm shower for a few minutes, not hot Rick, I mean it." She scolded,

He smelled the coffee almost like it was a fine wine, then sipped, and let out an "ahhhhhhhh, almost better than sex" then chuckled. Franny was beside him wiping his mouth, being more attentive than any nurse, and even some girlfriends would be. Between bites, he asked,

"What do you mean help me with my shower, I can take it by myself," he scoffed back,

Franny picked up a copy of his discharge paperwork and said, "read for yourself, I want in your pants but I won't use that for an excuse", she laughed as she handed him the paperwork with no individual showers for at least one week, he could have baths if someone was attending to assist underlined in yellow, "Rick, you really don't know how close you came, so no argument.

I have a bikini on under my clothes, if you're that modest, we'll leave your boxers on until I wash your hair, and help you get clean. You have to know I've seen it all before, you men all come with the same standard equipment, some larger than others but it's a shower, not foreplay Rick"

He started to laugh, as he looked her in her eyes, "You know Franny, I love how you just put it out there, not afraid to tell it like it is. I need that after all of the innuendoes and talking around subjects the last few years."

"Rick, if I ever get so horny that I can't control myself, I guess I'll have to tell you that it isn't medical, it's sex" she laughed along with him, there was a comfort between the two of them that he had never had with another female, hell another person period.

She had the shower water temperature just right when he walked into his bathroom, noticing that Franny had slept on his office couch.

"Did you sleep on my couch last night Franny? You have a guest room upstairs, and your own loft downstairs. Why did you hurt your back sleeping on the couch?" he asked

She glared at him as she pulled the sundress over her head, revealing a bikini, as brief as it was, it did cover the parts illegal to show in public but just barely. "Because I love you, you lunkhead, and you didn't sleep well the last few nights in the hospital." She said, standing erect, showing off all of the assets that God had given her which were enormous.

Rick gasped, "Eh, I, Franny, you're built like a pinup in a magazine, I mean if I looked at those magazines," as he fumbled on his words, and felt a bulge where he knew Franny was obvious to what the sight of her had accomplished.

She laughed, as she just pulled his shirt and pajama bottoms off of him, and asked, "boxers on or off Rick?" with a wink,

"Eh, I think you better leave them on, we'll see how the shower goes and I can take care of washing that area,

He noticed a deluxe shower chair that hadn't been there before, something that Franny had purchased, as he sat gingerly in the chair, Franny joined him from behind. She lovingly washed his hair, three times with shampoo, then the conditioner, and washed his top half so gently.

Rick was almost in heaven, as she turned the chair to match the water stream, then let her fingers massage first his scalp then gently all over his body. She smiled to herself, knowing he was enjoying the first real shower he had had since the operation, she was making sure he enjoyed every minute.

She knelt down to wash his legs and feet, giving him an opportunistic view down the skimpy top, he took full advantage of the opportunity. Just because he wasn't ordering didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the view of the menu, he thought, then dropped his arms to his lap to hide what became so obvious quickly.

"OK Rick, do you want to finish up, or do you want me to? I've already seen the salute so I promise no funny business, I can take it without acting if you can." She dared,

"Franny, I better finish up, I know I'm in no position for anything but that won't stop the signal from Sir Richard down there," he said, as she burst out in laughter,

"Sir Richard? Hell, I've known a lot of men, never anyone who admitted to naming the brains of the outfit, I'll be right outside, drying off and getting dressed again, don't do anything stupid, please" she said,

"OK Franny, Thank You, that was the best shower I ever had, I guess I really needed it by now" he laughed,

"No, not yet, but if we let it go another day or so, the fruit flies would be looking for a new home" laughing, as he roared with laughter. God, it was good to hear that laugh again, she knew he had gone through hell, but that was about it.

"When you're ready, we're going for a short walk, over to the ice cream stand just inside the park," that's the incentive for you to get your steps in, she smiled, as she caught sight of him and all of his glory in the mirror, God no wonder he had the nickname the white whale.

"You sure know how to incentivize a man Franny, that sounds wonderful,"

XxX

Time Square Church

New York

Same Time Frame

The head pastor, Reverend Lenoard Davis, of Times Square Church had finally accepted their invitation for a face-to-face apology. He had only threatened to sue the city when the arresting officers wouldn't allow him to tell his family what was going on, rather slapping on the cuffs and manhandling him down the stairs to the back of a squad car.

"Detective Beckett, as I told you on the phone that this visit wasn't necessary, I have accepted the apology from Commissioner Boyle and Mayor Weldon. I understand there were some extenuating circumstances going on." Pastor Davis said,

"Yes, Sir there was, but that doesn't excuse the behavior of the patrolman who treated you in such a bad manner, he has been severely disciplined and sent to classes on how to deal with the public. Since it was part of the investigation that my team was working on that initiated the search and arrest, we want to apologize. Detective Ryan was acting on old information and worried about a partner in surgery at the same time." She glanced at Kevin who stepped forward,

"Sir, I apologize, I should have taken more time to check out the lead, but as Detective Beckett said, our other partner was in a life and death surgery at the time. I sincerely apologize, and I hope you will accept it, I'll work hard to see that mistake is never duplicated again." Kevin stammered,

"Thank You, Detective, I appreciate you coming all the way out here to apologize, I accept. I checked with the building supervisor when I finally returned home, and he mentioned that the former tenant was named Larry Daves, so it's easy to see how the mistake was made.

"Mr. Daves moved to this address, as he handed Beckett a slip of paper, on it was written neatly 457 E 105th Street, Apt #5. I wish you luck in your search and will say a prayer for your team's safety and for your partner's health." He said softly,

"Thank you, pastor, and thank you for the lead and prayer," Kate said as they left. She radioed ahead to SWAT and wanted eyes on the apartment, Gates, and Weldon would fire the entire team for another miscue. Teams were sent to stake out the apartment and take every precaution that the man in the building was whom they were looking for.

A discarded cigarette butt assisted when the DNA was processed, it matched the DNA at the scene and was in the family of the Genetic Profile Lanie had helped build. Finally, when everyone was sure, they were able to take Mr. Daves in custody without incident on his way back from buying a bottle of booze and cigarettes, the same brand as the DNA was recovered from.

They ran his record, in addition to the five different aliases, he went by and discovered he had an extensive criminal history, not only in New York, but also in New Jersey, North Carolina, Florida, and South Carolina. There was an active warrant for his arrest in New York, making his arrest even easier.

When they compared his known associates, accomplices, and family members, one stuck out, very close to the victim, his cousin Jim Ciesla, and after checking discovered that he had been reported missing by his fiancé in Pennsylvania three weeks ago. He had been identified in a holdup of an armored truck outside a bank and had fled the state.

It all began to unravel the more they discovered, Jim was bringing the gang down, this wasn't the first time, and since he was Larry Daves's relative, it was his responsibility to make him go away, for good without a trace. They finally got Daves to break when Espo kept shoving murder scene pictures then autopsy pics in front of him until he caved and confessed.

He had murdered his cousin at a truck stop in upstate New York, where he had lured him with promises of his share of past burglaries, only to stab him 34 times, then attach a cord to his neck and choke him. He then took him to the construction site, he pulled his teeth out with channel lock pliers, and smashed his face with concrete from the site, then cut off his fingertips. He admitted he was high on drugs or he would never have been able to go through with such a gruesome murder,

As soon as he had signed his confession, Kate knocked on Captain Gates's office and handed her a copy of the signed statement. "The DA has approved the charges sir, so we have marked this case closed. I thought you might want to notify those at One PP who have been on you for closure sir." She said softly,

"Thank you, Detective, I certainly will," as Kate turned and left, barely hearing the words Gates used so infrequently, "Good Job".

XxX

Rick's Loft

After Walk and Ice Cream

Rick and Franny had enjoyed their walk in the park, he had to walk each day, to rebuild his lung capacity and clear them of any fluid. The doctors were afraid he would contract pneumonia with his now weakened resistance to infections. Franny enjoyed the walks because it was one of the few times she could hold his hand, and often place her head on his shoulder, just imagining what it would be like to have the love of this man, and what fool would destroy it.

They would often stroll through the park, and she could lose herself, just imagining the family she spotted across the field was her and Rick. She knew that he would never love her, at least not in the way he had loved Kate Beckett. Gina was the only one who came close to that, and God only knows why those two weren't still together.

When they returned to the Loft after their walk today, Rick noticed that Eduardo had dropped off the mail on the counter. It was quite a pile since no one had looked at it for almost two weeks, so he sat down, at the end of the bar as Franny made him a cup of good coffee.

She knew exactly what he wanted and when it was almost like she was his shadow, and Rick was beginning to worry that she was wasting the best part of her life with him, "I know that look, Mr. Castle, I'm exactly where I want to be, and who I want to be with, stop fretting" she scolded, as she sat down next to him, placing his coffee in front of him,

He had separated the mail into piles, one was junk, one was Martha and Alexis, and one was his to open, he was breezing through the stack until she heard him gasp, and knew something he wasn't expecting or something that meant pain to him had been delivered.

"You want to tell me what it is Rick, or do I have to guess? Only one person I know can cause that reaction from you, did Beckett send you something you weren't expecting Luv?" she asked as she placed her arm around his shoulder to encourage him. "Rick, she can't hurt you, not anymore, I'm right here," she said softly, kissing the top of his head,

"It's nothing Franny, just a letter, knowing Beckett it says the exact same thing I've heard for years, nothing new, I'm sure." He said,

"How do you know Rick? Remember when my sister and I were fighting and you shamed me into opening her letter, it was the best thing you could have done. We patched things up, Mom was so happy and she got to leave this world knowing her two girls were going to be OK.

"I remember how angry I was at you, I thought how dare you, how do you know how deeply she's hurt me, how many nights I've cried myself to sleep, then you hit me with that line that opened my eyes, do you remember what it was Rick?"

"I said to you, "Franny as much as I love you, "it's not all about you" there are others being hurt," he said quietly with a faraway look in his eyes,

"So, Rick, I'll say to you, 'it's not all about you now Luv, other people have gotten hurt and pulled into this mess. I do know that when she had to be strong for you, she was. I also know when a woman is fake crying, and the tears I saw Kate cry, were real, she loves you.

"You may not see it, I know, she's done a terrible job of showing you. But Luv, please don't keep putting her off like she's a virus of some sort. Every missed call, every voice mail you don't listen to, every text that you send directly to a folder, Rick, that's not you, it's not who you want your little girl to be.

"Is it going to hurt, I don't know, but based on the past, I would bet yes. Will it be worth it, again, I don't know, but I do know that you can't live your life pretending that she never existed, I tried, remember. I think I would have done something really stupid had you not been with me after that slimeball, but you wouldn't let me.

"You kept showing me the good, that not all men were pigs, you actually made me love you even more than I already did, even knowing that as long as Beckett is alive, it's a one-way street, and I'm headed down the wrong way.

"Rick, read her letter, hear her out, and please stop sending her calls to voice mail. No matter how much someone loves another, there is a breaking point for us all, don't push her to that Rick, please. I want you to be happy, regardless of with who, just like you told me.

"Now, read the damn letter, for me, Please? I'll be right here Luv, I promise you." She said as she kissed him gently on the cheek, and handed him an envelope he had tossed like it was on fire,

Rick looked at her, as she sat on the stool, within an arm's length from him, but not close enough to read what Kate had written.

He took the envelope, slid his finger under the flap gently, and allowed the yellow legal pad pages to float to the table. That was different, normally Kate would always transfer her letters to formal stationery, perhaps it was just as well, why waste expensive stationery.

TBC