God Said

Chapter 4

Kate stood there and looked it all over. "OH-MY-GOD!" She covered her mouth with both hands. There were body parts everywhere. She knew her friends were right next to her but she couldn't see any of them.

"We need help over here!" Kate yelled at the first officer she could see that was walking, just not walking toward her.

Body parts, blood, and bits of clothing seemed to be everywhere. Kate tried again. "We need help over here!" And then she began looking for her best friend. Her best friend was still her best friend even if she had called her out on how she had treated Castle. "LANIE!" She really needed to find her.

Suddenly what she did see was her crazy lady that kept hitting her. How could she be anyone's godmother if all she was going to do was beat her up?

All at once she slapped her and yes, it hurt this time too. Then she had hold of her ear yet again and was twisting it. "Do I have your attention?" She was still far too happy for her taste.

"Yes. We need help. There was an explosion," Kate told her and kept bending her head to get away from that hand.

"Good!" She let go of her ear and let Kate straighten up.

"Help me find my friends." Kate was the only one there. She didn't know why officers weren't showing up to help.

"Lanie's over there." She pointed at a brick wall.

But all Kate saw was blood, shrapnel, and maybe a body part pinned to the brick wall. "I said my friend." What was wrong with her?

Kate saw it coming but couldn't stop it. She slapped her very hard and that one really hurt. "They're dead, Katie. They're all dead. Lanie's over there. Espo's pretty much everywhere. Kevin's mostly way over there. You're against the far wall." Kate looked where she pointed.

Except all she saw was shrapnel, some body parts, and a little bit of cloth. "I'm not dead. I'm standing right here. You're still hitting me," Kate countered.

"Katie!" She was so disappointed in her. "You want to hit me? Now is your chance." Kate watched her actually stick her chin out, exposing both cheeks for her to hit her.

"You asked for it." Kate wound up so she could really hit this crazy lady that kept hitting her and somehow showing her things, as hard as she could.

Kate's hand went right through her. She hit nothing but she was also off balance and fell on her ass; she looked up at her in astonishment. She was standing right there. There was no way she could've missed her.

While she should have seen it coming she didn't. This crazy lady promptly slapped her and giggled at her. "Katie, the truth hurts."

Kate managed to stand up. "Yeah, yeah, the truth hurts. More like you beating me to a pulp is what hurts. So just who are you again?"

"Your Fairy Godmother." Suddenly she reached out, grabbed hold of her nose, and pinched it hard.

"All right, all right. My Fairy Godmother. So help me find my friends." She needed to find them. They might be hurt and need medical attention. "Don't hit me." Kate backed away as she watched her wind up to hit her again.

"You said I had your attention, Katie." She obviously didn't. "You're dead, Katie, as are all your friends."

"You're lying!" They had to be here. She just needed to find them.

"You're over there, Katie." She pointed at the far brick wall and while Kate did delay she walked over there and looked the place over.

Kate looked and looked. What she found were bits of a body and small pieces of cloth that matched the color of the shirt she was wearing.

Now she was searching using her hands and ran across something. It was a gold chain and when she picked it up she saw that it was broken. Then something fell off of it and landed on the concrete.

Kate picked it up to look at it. "My mother's ring!" It was impossible. She was wearing that ring around her neck. She even ran her fingers around her neck to prove it. Except she couldn't find the ring or the chain it should have been on.

Even her father's watch was missing from her wrist. "What's going on?" She turned to look for her screwy lady but didn't see her.

Kate straightened up still holding her mother's ring. "HEY!" She still had questions.

oO{}O{}Oo

Since her supposed Fairy Godmother had vanished and she needed to find her friends, Kate had walked out of the alley and came upon an officer who was directing EMTs to bodies that were all over the place. Or what was left of them.

Kate tried talking to him, "I need help, please," but he ignored her. "HEY! I'm Detective Beckett. I said I need help." She showed him her badge and then he literally walked through her.

"What the hell!" Now she knew that was impossible.

oO{}O{}Oo

Kate had finally given up trying to get people to notice her. Then she saw an unmarked car show up and much to her surprise, Captain Gates got out. "Sergeant!" She called him over and that had Kate jogging to join them.

"Report." Gates wanted an update on what they knew.

"The bomb squad has confirmed it was a bomb. It had bits of shrapnel embedded around it. Everyone in a several yard radius was shredded to bits. A different ME is here to gather up as many body parts as he can to try and do DNA tests to determine who exactly they were.

"Right now it appears that Detectives Beckett, Esposito, and Ryan, as well as ME Lanie Parish, were all shredded to pieces by the shrapnel. Another eight officers were also involved. Two were found alive and sent to the hospital. The EMTs on the scene were not hopeful.

"As you can see the surrounding buildings have all been affected by the shrapnel. We have evidence that windows for blocks have been blown out. The glass has injured several more but none severely." That was about all he knew.

"It may take days if at all to ID the dead based on the amount of body parts we're finding. Fingerprints will probably be impossible as well as dental ID. This is going to take time," he added and watched Gates walk toward the bomb site.

"I'M NOT DEAD!" Kate screamed at both of them as Gates passed through her right arm and didn't stop.

"Katie!" Kate knew that voice and turned to face her. She was flying toward her, kicking her legs and flapping her arms with a wand in one hand.

"Not again!" Kate moaned as she hit her right in the jaw and sent her flying.

oO{}O{}Oo

Kate blinked her eyes open and looked around. She was on the street and there was still a lot of cruisers with lights flashing all around her. "Damn it." Kate groaned and slowly got up.

"Katie!" That happy voice was back and before Kate could even do or say anything it felt like she was having her ear twisted off.

"OW! …Enough all ready." Kate didn't need to be beaten to a pulp.

"Do I have your attention?" the odd woman asked her.

"Yes." She had hold of her ear for Christ's sake.

"I need your attention." Thankfully she let go of her ear. However, she immediately slapped her.

"YES! You have my attention!" Kate yelled at her. "I'm dead and all my friends are dead."

Her Fairy Godmother stared at her. "It was your fault."

Stunned, Kate looked at her incredulously. "MY FAULT? How was this my fault?" She knew she wasn't at fault. She hadn't planted the bomb or made it blow up.

"Every choice you've made since your mother's death has led you to this point in time. Every lie you ever told has led you here. All of this is your fault, Katie. You are the key. If you had just made a few different choices or had not lied to so many people this would not have happened."

"I didn't cause this! …Did I?" Kate knew she'd been investigating her mother's death as often as she could. Then someone had put a bullet in her heart. Only by the grace of God had she survived it. Just a mere fraction of an inch and she would be dead.

"Oh, Katie." Her Fairy Godmother shook her head. "Did you really think whoever had ordered you shot would just let it go and not try again?" Now she was even more unhappy with her. She really thought Katie was smarter than this.

"No." She had a point even if she hadn't really thought about it.

"You told yourself that if they wanted a war you would give them a war." Her Fairy Godmother shook her head. "This is the result of war. You're dead, your friends are all dead, and eight officers are dead."

Kate corrected her. "Six, only six officers are dead."

"The other two will die in the hospital. And then there's Castle. He's the only man that has truly loved you; but now he hates you. So does his mother and daughter. All those lies have brought you to this."

Hearing that Kate leaned against one of the cruisers. She even noticed that everyone was ignoring them. Like they didn't exist. They all saw and heard nothing.

It was a lot to take in and begin to take responsibility for. Far too much. Kate hung her head. "Maybe I'm better off dead."

"Don't say that," her Fairy Godmother warned her. "You'll be trapped here in this alley forever. Forced to haunt this space till time itself comes to an end."

Kate amended her statement. "I meant never been born."

That had her Fairy Godmother looking at the sky. "What do you think? Maybe with a slight variation?" She listened to the response she received.

"All right, you get your wish with one small exception. You'll still be born but you will be eighteen years old." Suddenly she slapped Kate really hard.

"What the hell was that for?" Kate was really tired of being beaten to a pulp by this screwy lady.

"To get your attention." Abruptly she slapped Kate yet again.

"OW! Will you cut that out, please?" Kate had had enough. She was listening.

"You will be eighteen years old. You will not remember this life. If you repeat the same mistakes, make the same choices, and keep lying to everyone, you'll be right back here and forced to haunt this alley forever. Do you understand?"

"I think so. Exactly when at eighteen years old if this is even possible?" Kate wanted to know even if she wasn't going to remember.

"One month before you start your classes at Stanford."

"Before Mom is killed." Kate was thinking if she could just keep her mother from being killed everything would change.

"You agree?" she questioned Katie.

"My friends won't be dead. I won't be dead. Mom won't be dead and Dad won't be a drunk. Yes. Yes, I agree." Kate could deal with that. She could just make some changes to her life and save everyone including her.

Kate watched her giggle and fly away and turn around. "Wait, who are you?" Yes, she had said Fairy Godmother but just who was she? She had never seen her before in her life.

"Oh, Katie. I give birth to you and raised you. Why do you think I call you Katie?" She kicked her legs and flapped her arms with her wand in one hand and flew right at Kate.

"MOM!"Kate opened her eyes wide and let her mouth fall open. Then she got hit hard in her jaw and was sent flying.

oO{}O{}Oo

"Ow, ow, ow!" Kate had just stumbled on the stairs on her way up and hit her shins against the edge of a step. What she didn't understand was why her jaw hurt so damn much. You would think someone that wasn't there had just hit her in the jaw really hard.

She slowly got up and rubbed her shins, betting there was blood under her bluejeans. Then she rubbed her jaw which still hurt.

Still Kate gathered up her suitcase that thankfully hadn't tumbled down the stairs as well as her carry-on and very carefully climbed the last of the stairs. Why they had to live on the third floor without an elevator escaped her but it was free so she couldn't complain.

"Three A." Kate stopped at the door and knocked. She was all set to knock again when the door opened.

"KATE!" She was all smiles and happy to see her. She launched herself at her and hugged her tightly. Kate's smile was wide as she hugged her back.

"Come in, come in. Get out of the heat." It was sweltering outside today.

"Hi, cousin!" Kate was happy to see her.

"Mom and Dad are out shopping. They waited till today to go grocery shopping and to get new sheets and a pillow for your bed." She rolled her eyes at just how stupid her parents could be.

"Come on, I'll show you our room." She walked to her bedroom and made sure Kate with both her bags, was following. "Your bed and my bed. You can see why you need sheets and a pillow." Her twin bed was basically a bare mattress.

"I'll live, Sophie." It was fine. She was only going to be here for a month till her classes at Stanford started.

"Good! Because you don't have a choice. Just don't bring your boyfriends to this room," Sophie teased her.

"I have to have one first," Kate countered.

"So…you're going to Stanford to study pre-law." Sophie wasn't sure she believed it. Out of state tuition was ungodly expensive.

"And you're going to study nursing at UCLA. You realize Stanford is going to have to kick your butt," Kate teased her.

"HA! Stanford doesn't even know what athletics is," Sophie shot back. She began laughing and got Kate to laugh with her. Kate knew she was going to be so busy with classes and homework she wasn't going to have any time to attend any athletic games.

"Date the starting quarterback?" Sophie asked her.

"You mean the ugliest guy in school who has more air in his head than brains? He passes his courses because his parents or coach buys them? No, thanks. What about you? Doctor somebody?" Kate razzed her right back.

"Not a chance!" Sophie grinned. "You can send all the good-looking lawyers my way,"

"I'll see what I can do," Kate told her.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Sophie gushed. "I already have Disneyland tickets for both of us. We just have to get Dad to drive us there, drop us off, and then come back and get us later."

"You have tickets already?" Kate was shocked. She hadn't even dreamed of going there while she was here. However, she was looking forward to going to the beach and ogling all the barechested hunks on the beach. She even had two bottles of sunscreen just to make sure she didn't turn into a lobster.

Kate watched as Sophie dug through a drawer in the dresser in the room, pulled out two tickets, and handed one to Kate for her to keep.

"One day at Disneyland California. Adult, forty-two dollars. Walt Disney Magic Kingdom." Kate was smiling from ear to ear. "This is going to be a blast!" Kate was really happy she had agreed to this. Finally her mother had come up with a good idea.

Kate found herself being hugged again by a very happy Sophie. Kate smiled and returned the hug.

oO{}O{}Oo

"Katie!" Sophie's mother walked in through the front door and caught her in the kitchen poaching a Coke out of the refrigerator.

"Aunt Jamie!" Kate was happy to see her. She had wanted to thank her for letting her stay here.

"You better start calling me Jamie or I'm going to have to give you a time out," Jamie promised with a chuckle.

"Yes, ma'am. I mean Jamie. You're sure I won't be a problem?" She didn't want to be a burden.

"Nonsense. Sophie's been counting the days. Here are your bed sheets and pillow." Jamie handed the bundle over to Kate. "I have to go back downstairs and help my husband with the groceries. Johanna says she's been trying to teach you how to cook."

"She tried." Kate gave her her best Please don't ask me to cook face that she could.

"Good. You're cooking before you leave," Jamie told her and left.

"OH, GOD!" Kate groaned after she was gone and the door was closed. Her mother had tried but most of it went in one ear and out the other, she was sure.

oO{}O{}Oo

Thankfully her aunt hadn't asked her to cook tonight. The apartment was maybe a little tight. She was guessing around eight hundred square feet, more or less. Two bedrooms and one bathroom. A living room with TV and a kitchen that held the dining room table. The kitchen was a big L shape with the table on one wall. There was a balcony off the living room and they had the most perfect view of the parking lot and the apartment building across the way.

"How's your mother?" Jamie inquired.

"Mom's fine. She's so dedicated to helping people that can't afford a lawyer. She even left the office she was working in with Dad and opened her own office. She has two permanent office workers and one temporary.

"Dad's still with the same company," Kate told her. "He handles mostly business accounts. Only Mom works with individuals. Dad gets CEOs."

"And you're going to take pre-law at Stanford. Following in your parents' footprints, are you?" Jamie mentioned just to make sure.

"That's the plan. I consider myself lucky that I could get into Stanford," Kate admitted. "It's one of the best law schools in the U.S."

"I'm more interested in just how much hot water I'm going to have in the morning before going into work. Three women and one guy." Ray was shaking his head. He was doomed and he knew it.

"Ray! Be nice. Katie's our guest," his wife chided him.

"I promise to try and be careful with the water, Uncle Ray," Kate said.

"Don't listen to him. Use up all the hot water you need. But not you, Sophie. You have to be very careful," Jamie teased her daughter.

"Very funny, Mom!" Sophie wasn't impressed. Just for that she was going to make sure one of these days she used up every last drop of hot water. Until she herself got nothing but cold water.

"Well we're happy to have you, Kate. I want to hear everything about your mother. Every juicy bit I can squeeze out of you," Jamie said with a grin.

Kate laughed a little. "Mom warned me about that. She told me that if I told you too much she would disown me."

"That sounds like Johanna." Jamie was still going to grill Katie for all she could get out of her while she was here.

"I wanted to thank you for the Disneyland tickets." Kate blushed. "You really didn't have to do that but I truly do appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Just tell your uncle when you want to go and he'll drop you off and then come find you when you're ready to come home. Maybe if I can talk him into it we may go one day ourselves." She looked at her husband and smiled and batted her eyelashes at him.

"That means I say," Yes, dear, "or I'm the one in time out." Ray chuckled a little and got the girls to laugh. Then they both laughed even harder after Jamie poked him in the ribs.

Kate was really happy she was here. Her time before classes took over her life was going to be so much fun.