Rick had decided to take everyone to Le Cirque. There was a reason to celebrate and he would worry about paying for it later. It seems that Black Pawn owes him a lot of money. He called for his car service to pick them up and in no time they were headed toward Le Cirque. When they were seated Rick could tell that Kate was not her usual self. Many times during the ride in the car service to the restaurant Kate had been hyper-aware of her surroundings. It's like she was waiting for something bad to happen even though neither of them could see what she was looking for.
"Kate, what's wrong?"
She turned to look back at him and he could see that something was wrong. It was almost as if she was on the verge of tears but she quickly recovered and said,
"There's nothing wrong Rick, everything's fine. So tell me what's good to eat here?" She asked.
Rick could tell when someone was deflecting his questions and this was a common example of it. He should know he is the master at it. Rick looked at his daughter and could tell that she thought something was wrong as well. The look on her face told him everything.
"Kate if you'll excuse me I need to go to the men's room." Rick gave his daughter a wink and then a nod towards the restrooms. She quickly got the message and excused herself as well.
"Dad, what's going on with Kate? She seems to be paranoid about something. Whatever she is worried about she looks like it will come after her. It's as if someone's chasing her or she did something wrong." Alexis said.
"I don't know baby bird. But whatever it is it's got her so worried about being with us that she is constantly looking over her shoulder."
Knowing that they won't get any more information without actually talking to Kate, Rick tells Alexis to move back to the table before he does. She gives him a quick kiss on his cheek and she sets off toward the table.
When Alexis returns to the table she retakes her seat. She looks over and sees Kate but Kate doesn't see her. Then thirty seconds later Rick returns and takes his seat. He is keeping a close eye on the two women that sit in front of him.
"I'm sorry, I took so long Kate. Have you had a chance to look at the menu?" Rick asked.
"I have. And I think I'm going to have the Branzino In Crosta Di Sale O Alla Griglia."
Rick and Alexis look at each other with their mouths wide open. Neither knew that she spoke another language when she ordered. So Rick wanted to know what other languages she spoke.
"Tell me, Kate, what other languages do you know how to speak?"
"Well, obviously I can speak English. I can also speak Serbian, French, Italian and Slovenian fluently. I can also understand and speak Irish, Greek, Spanish, and the best of all Russian."
"Irish is not a language. Most people from Ireland speak English with an accent that sounds Irish." Rick states.
"No wonder you're a writer," Kate tells him that Irish is a language. "But it's not to be confused with Gaelic which is spoken among the people who live in Ireland." She tells him.
"Oh. I didn't know that." Rick admits.
"So what are you going to have for dinner tonight Rick, Alexis?"
Both Rick and Alexis grab a menu and make a quick selection. Rick selected the ravioli and Alexis picked the salmon.
"So, Rick, I need to tell you what my idea is and I think I've narrowed it down to just one. I'm pretty sure that you will be able to get rid of your writer's block once you meet this person. I must explain to you what I think will happen because my time is rapidly growing short here."
Rick looks at Kate and doesn't know what she means by her time is becoming short here rapidly or otherwise. Maybe it's because she has someone else to help out. She is a muse after all.
"All right Kate let's hear about this great idea that you have," Rick asks.
"Yesterday I met a very special person. She has a great work ethic, she would give her life to save those who work with her, and she's easy on the eyes."
"OK, I'm intrigued. What's your idea?"
"I'm going to bring you to meet with her. Then there will be something of an agreement between the two of you where you can observe her. I believe that the writer's block you're suffering will be lifted after you follow her around on a couple of cases."
"Cases? What does she do for a living?" Rick asks nervously.
"She's a homicide detective Rick. I think that she will be the answer to your problem."
Rick seriously gave this idea some thought. It was then that Alexis chimed in about what she was thinking.
"Kate, I want to make sure that dad is safe. Will he be subjected to people shooting at him?" She asks.
"Alexis I'm not going to lie to you but there is that possibility. But I'm pretty sure that detective Beckett will do anything to prevent that from happening."
"Detective Beckett? That has a nice ring to it." Rick says out loud.
"I just want to make sure that he's safe." Alexis continues.
"Pumpkin, I promise that if a situation presents itself that will be detrimental to my health I will step back," Rick admits.
"Kate, now I have one question to ask about what you said before. You said that your time here is short. I'm just curious as to know why. According to Greek mythology, Muses are supposed to stay until their job is complete.
Kate knew once again that she had to explain why she could no longer stay here any longer than necessary. But before she could do that the server came to take their orders for their food. When she leaves Kate takes a breath she starts explaining.
"Rick, Alexis you're right. Muses are supposed to stay here until their job is complete. But they are exceptions to that rule. The exception is that my father is Zeus. He's not a very nice person. He only releases us when he sees it's worth doing. He cannot stand the people who live on this planet. He thinks he is above all the other people who live here and other gods who reside on Mount Olympus. In other words, he thinks he is the ultimate God. To give me the head start that I needed I released my eight other sisters for him to chase so I could complete my task for you."
"If that's true why didn't he go after you first why did he leave you for the last person to be caught?" Alexis asks.
"My father has a soft spot for me so to speak. I think I'm his favorite daughter but I could be wrong, Calliope might come in a close second. So I took that and ran with it knowing that he will come after me last. And by now I know he has recovered most of his daughters. This is why my time is so short."
"What about free will?" Rick asks.
"Rick free will is something we don't have. Before I came to you I was locked up for the past two centuries In a room no bigger than a ten by-ten-foot room. It was only by sheer luck that I could escape, set my sister's free, and come to help you. The last time I was on this planet there was a man named William Shakespeare who needed my help to get him over his own writer's block. Since then I have been on Mount Olympus."
"Wow!" Alexis says.
The server returns with their meals and places each one in front of them respectively. They eat without speaking anything else until their meals are finished.
He's close. He knows it and he can feel it. Never had he ever thought she would be so elusive for such a long time. It had been three months and he hadn't a clue as to where she was. But now that is all coming to an end. He has found her. He looks through the window of what seems to be a very expensive and upscale eatery. He can tell just by looking at her through the window that she is doing what she does best. She's helping someone. He stands there quietly watching the three of them. Knowing that he has her, fire and brimstone will be the order of the day. Lightning was understood as divine punishment by many of the subjects he reined over. He will make a big production of it by just making an example of her. He's tired of being here on this planet with these peons. He won't have to wear this disgusting costume any longer which he can't stand. This planet stinks! It will all be over very soon.
She keeps watch over his every move, she has been ever since he started this little charade three months ago. She also knows that what he's doing is very wrong. She will teach him a lesson by throwing his own words back at him when they are face to face again. For now, she will step in when he decides to act like an idiot. He thinks that he is the ultimate God when everyone on Olympus knows that he's just a big bag of hot air. She will control him, she just needs to wait for the right moment. She keeps an eye on him as he is staring at his daughter through the front window of the restaurant. She has a big surprise for him when he decides to act. Hera knows what his weaknesses are and she will exploit them. Can she save her daughter? She doesn't know but she'll try her best to make sure that her husband gets the point.
He watched as they rose from the table and started to gather their items to leave. His daughter was leading the way and if he planned it right he would snatch her before the redhead and the tall man could figure out what was happening. Just as they hit the door to leave the restaurant, a bolt of lightning strikes him and he is rendered immobile.
Hera watches as the lightning bolt hits its target. Never has any one God deserved the wrath she has unleashed upon him. She knows that her husband is now as solid as a statue. The only bad thing is that it only lasts for about thirty minutes before he comes out of it. But at least it will give her daughter time to get away. Just for the hell of it, she decides to throw another lightning bolt down at his sorry ass. It strikes him in the same fashion. He won't be moving for quite some time.
Kate was shocked at what she had just witnessed. She reached the door just before Rick and Alexis did. What she saw was her father standing there getting ready to grab her as she exited Le Cirque. Then there was a millisecond of bright blinding light knowing beforehand that might be coming only because she could feel the air around her charging up with electricity, she closed her eyes. Thankfully Rick and Alexis were nowhere near the flash when it hit. When the lightning bolt finally completed its task Kate could tell that her father was now solid bronze. He would be that way for quite some time and she knew that she had her mother to thank.
When Rick exited the restaurant he looked immediately to his left. He raised an eyebrow and then made the following comment to Kate.
"You know Kate I don't remember that statue reaching for the door when we went inside earlier."
Kate turned towards Rick and admired the statue and she said,
"You know Rick I'm not too sure that they should leave this statue here because it looks kind of gaudy. It takes away from the ambiance of the restaurant." She finished with a wicked grin.
The second Kate finished her comment her father's eyes which were the only thing he could move she could see that they were not completely bronzed over showed anger. But he couldn't do a damn thing about it. She took Rick's hand, put her arm around Alexis's shoulder, and walked away confident in the fact that her father was stuck here in this condition for a little bit anyway.
Just as they took their first step away from the statue Kate heard another crackle and strike towards her father's statue. She knew it was her mother giving her a head start and she also knew that Rick and Alexis would never hear the lightning bolt hit her father. It was something the gods could only do and no one ever heard anything.
Detective Beckett again felt something that she had trouble understanding. What she felt was a calming feeling or better yet, relief. Just as she was going to guess why she was feeling this way her desk phone rang.
"Beckett."
The dispatcher downstairs gave her the address for a new murder.
She hung up and looked over to see that Esposito and Ryan's desks were vacant. Then she remembered they were recanvassing a case that had been assigned to their team since it was slow. She reached into her lower desk drawer and retrieved her weapon. She wrote a quick note to Ryan leaving it on his desk telling her where she was going.
She arrived on the scene and noticed that her friend the medical examiner was already hard at work.
"Good evening Lanie. So what do we have?" Kate got right to business.
"Two small caliber gunshot wounds to the chest. But I'll know more about the time of death when I get her back on my table."
She circled the table that the woman was laying on she could have sworn she had seen this before. It wasn't until she made a complete revolution around the table that she remembered exactly where it was from. The scene was something out of a book that she read by her favorite author. Rose petals cover her body strategically and two sunflowers right where her eyes are. It's spot-on and now she needs to move forward.
Lanie who'd been watching everything her best friend did notice her friend turn very pale at what she is seeing in front of her.
'What's up Kate? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
"Not a ghost per se but I do have a lead that might bring me to who could have done this. I'll talk to you later after you get her back and do a complete autopsy. For now, I'm leaving to question someone." Kate turned and left the crime scene with a purpose.
Kate needed to move fast if she didn't this would be disastrous for everyone involved. She moved down towards where Rick and Alexis lived at the loft. She knew that her time here was going to be short but if she timed it right she would have everything wrapped up nice and neat.
"Kate, why are we walking back towards the loft?" Alexis asked.
Both Rick and Kate were watching her as she turned towards them to explain why they were heading back to the loft.
"Rick, do you trust me?"
"I do, yes." Alexis also nodded her answer.
"Then please just do as I say and this will all be over soon."
Rick hated when she spoke like that. It made it seem that whatever she was doing was going to be over before he had a chance to stop it.
They reached the loft and went into his office. Kate knew that detective Beckett was going to show up in a matter of minutes so she needed to act fast.
Kate had parked her cruiser and got out. Looking up at the address that was Richard Castle's she could see that the lights were on. That meant someone was home. Entering the lobby she showed her detective's shield and the doorman answered her questions.
"Which floor does Richard Castle live on?"
"He occupies the entire top floor."
"See that I am not announced. This is a police matter. Thank you." Kate turned away from the desk and headed for the elevator. Just as she was going to raise her hand to knock, the door opened up. She was stunned to see the woman that she had met the other day.
"Come in detective," Kate said.
Detective Beckett crosses the threshold and stands riveted to the floor taking in everything around her. Her apartment can fit in this place three times over.
Kate who was careful not to touch the detective shut the door and retreated into the living area.
"So detective what brings you here?" Kate asks.
"I'm here to speak to Richard Castle. He is a person of interest in a homicide that took place earlier today. Kate says as she shows her shield.
"I see. Let me get him for you." Kate turns toward where Rick is in his office.
As she walks to Rick's office she knows that her father is soon to be free. She knows that her mother could only use the lightning bolt diversion one time and one time only. After that, she is on her own.
After getting himself free of the bronze he followed the steps that she left behind. He had tracked her to a large building in an area that was known as Tri‐Becca. He was once again close. He can feel it. He looks up and sees her looking out the window and he knows that there is nowhere she can run to.
Rick sits at his desk and listened to what the detective says. She says he is possibly a suspect in the murder that happened earlier this evening. He knows this is not true because he was at Le Cirque and he has witnesses that can account for his whereabouts. Then there are also security cameras at the restaurant that will clear his name. He tells her this and knows that he will be cleared.
Kate who has been listening to everything going on in Rick's office at the door decides that the time has come. Knowing that they are coming out of his office she will make her move. She watches intensely as the detective escorts Rick out of his office. One thing she did hear was that they were going down to the 12th Precinct to make sure his alibi was solid.
Detective Beckett walks behind her suspect and keeps an eye on him. She trusts him that's why she didn't put him in handcuffs. And his story did make sense but just to be safe she'll keep close by just in case he decides to run. As they get to the door to his office Rick walks through into the great room. By the time she steps through the doorway, everything goes sideways.
It happens very quickly and without warning. There is a bright blinding light with heat to match and then everything goes black. Rick, Alexis, and the detective are rendered unconscious and are now lying on the floor...
Epilogue to follow.