A/N: Hi all! So sorry for the super long wait. You have no idea how bad I feel knowing this fic has taken a year now and still isn't finished... especially when I myself enjoy reading fics so much and know how hard it is to wait for the next chapter... I hope you enjoy this chapter and I promise I'm trying my best to come to an ending soon, can't promise when though... (which also sucks). Anyway, hope you're all good and STAY SAFE! Wear masks, don't go out, and please think about your fellow human beings. We're all in this pandemic together, so let's make the best of it and think about each other. Love you guys, until next time xxxx


Kate had almost lost her temper in there, almost. Castle had been the one to bring her back. Then he had snapped and broken the nose of the other wolf. That's why they found themselves outside the cabin, where they had brought the wolf, taking deep breaths in order for him to calm down.

"Kate, why does it feel like my back wants to bend?"

She gestured for him to take another deep breath. "Because your body wants to change, but I don't think that's a great idea right now." Honestly she wasn't sure he was ready just yet, at least she wasn't ready.

"Change? Don't I need a full moon for the first time?" he questioned with some fear in his tone which strongly showed exactly how not-ready he was. His wide eyes turned even wider as he looked at her with a shake in his head. "Don't answer that. I've already gotten the answer to that earlier."

She would've chuckled if it wasn't so obviously not the right time, plus she was too worried about him to be able to relax enough to let go.

"Just try to think about anything else, when I was a kid my parents told me to think about something that made me feel safe and calm," she told him and when she saw he couldn't concentrate she tried thinking of a way to help him further. "Close your eyes." He looked at her with question at first but then just complied. "Take deep breaths and picture yourself somewhere cozy."

She could tell he was concentrating as hard as he could, his eyes clenching shut and she could also tell he was trying too hard. An idea popped into her mind and so she stepped closer to him, gently put her hand on his cheek before she slowly kissed him. The beating of his heart changed within seconds and it took no time for him to kiss her back just as sensuous as was possible and she couldn't stop the moan from leaving her lips. It wasn't her intention but she couldn't stop herself from asking entrance to his mouth and as soon as he granted her permission she also felt his hands land around her to close the distance between them. The kiss felt much more electric than it did before his bite and it was so addicting it took a lot of her mental strength to slow down the kiss and push away from him.

"Oh god," she sighed as she tried to calm herself.

"Yeah," Rick agreed as he was once again taking deep breaths, but this time because of something completely else.

"How are you feeling?" she asked while taking a couple deep breaths of her own.

He looked at her with a smile coming onto his lips. "Yeah, I definitely feel better."

She chuckled, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth in order to bite it. They stared at each other for a couple minutes before Earl came out from the cabin to interrupt them.

"Hey, Kate, your boyfriend okay?" Uncle Earl asked and Kate immediately cleared her throat to clear her thoughts from her partner.

"Yeah, much better. How's the nose?"

"Hmpf, it's already healing unfortunately. I would love to crack it again if I could," Earl growled.

The older man was about the same age as her father and had been a good friend to the family for as long as Kate could remember.

"Do you know a guy named William Bracken?" Earl questioned and Kate almost choked on her own saliva.

"So the senator really is behind this?!" she exclaimed.

Castle growled beside her and she once again changed her focus to him, grabbing his hand in hers in order to hug it gently.

"Seems like it, but from what we got out of him after a bit more convincing the senator doesn't know anything about us. And the hunters will come the day after tomorrow," Earl told them.

"Did he say how many?" Kate questioned as she felt worry invade her body. Castle wasn't ready.

"Not before he passed out," Earl sounded disappointed and Kate felt the stress-level inside her rise higher.

"Damnit," she muttered and she felt Castle tug on her hand to get her attention.

"We should get back to the boys before they start looking for us again."

Kate nodded, that would probably be for the best.

"We should go to my loft and text the boys that's where we are and start looking into those files," he suggested and Kate thought about it. She didn't exactly like his idea of being at his loft but then again if the senator somehow found out about them having the files then he would most likely send guys to her apartment first.

"Okay," she agreed after some more thinking before turning back to Earl. "Thanks for everything, call my dad if you find out anything else."

"No problem kid," the older man said as he opened his arms for her to step into them. "Be careful," he told her during the hug. "You too, good luck with the first change," he said to her partner and she bit her lip.

Hopefully they would be able to take time and go through the first change soon, before it became a problem.


They arrived at the loft just a few minutes before Ryan and Esposito were knocking on the door wanting to come in. Castle quickly, faster than human possible and Kate could tell he was shocked by the speed, laid out all the papers from the files across his desk and floor in order to make it look like they'd been there all along.

Kate let the two detectives in and then the four of them went to immediate work with the files. It all led to the same conclusion. Senator William H. Bracken was the one behind the murder of Johanna Beckett. They already knew who had done the actual killing but now they knew for sure who was behind ordering it.

Now they just had to think out their next move. Who did they tell? Gates? Someone higher? Did they just release it all to the press? If only Montgomery had still been alive, he would've known what to do.

"How about we send copies to a lot of people?" Castle suggested and the three detectives looked at him for him to continue with an explanation. "Let's make copies and send to like three papers, some of the higher judges, 1PP and then lastly walk into Gates' office and show her the original while knowing she can't stop anything if she's involved because there will soon be news about it all over the place."

"That's…" Esposito started and Kate could tell he had been about to say ridiculous when he stopped and thought about it. "...not bad. But perhaps we shouldn't show her the originals in case she gets it into her head to destroy it, let's show her a copy as well."

"Yeah, but where should we put the original? If we go there all four of us and she somehow manages to keep us there or something similar then who will make sure it's safe?" Ryan asked and Kate bit her lip.

"Me and Castle will do it. You two just stay away with the originals."

"We're not taking it to my place," Ryan quickly stated and when they gave him a questioning gaze he just had to say one name. "Jenny."

"We'll take it to my place then and stay there until you give the all clear," Esposito agreed.

"Let's get on with it. Castle, do you own a copy machine?" Kate asked and the writer snorted.

"Why would I?"

She gave him a look. "You're a writer. Plus you got everything looking like a toy."

"Touché, but no. We can go to Black Pawns tho," he suggested and Kate thought about it.

"You sure they will let you in long enough to print enough copies?" Ryan questioned.

"Well, I have a keycard so who says they have to find out?" He shrugged his shoulders and Kate rolled her eyes.

"Then why are we still standing here, let's go," Esposito said as he started gathering all papers back into the file.

The four were just about to go out the door when Alexis came through the front door. The redhead got a confused and questionable look on her face as she studied them.

"What's going on?" the teenager looked first to the detective her father was in love with but then looked at the man who gave her half of her genes.

Castle couldn't seem to get his eyes off his daughter, he was stunned by how easily he could suddenly see the resemblances there were between himself and Meredith in her. How had he not noticed them before? He'd always thought she didn't look that much alike them even though she had some resemblances but now it's like every pour is either him or Meredith. Also, that inexplicable love he'd told Kate about a couple years ago just deepened by a hundred.

"We're deep into a case," Kate said and Castle suddenly remembered the danger they were in.

"Yeah, and it would be perfect if you could sleep over with your friends, I'll also call your gram to have her do one of her spa resort-things."

Alexis got a horrified look on her face. "Dad, are you in danger?"

"No, I'm not…" Castle started saying but didn't know how to continue the sentence. That's when his partner jumped in to help him.

"What he means is that there is a risk and while I can keep an eye on him it's better for you to stay at a friend's home."

A few silent seconds passed before the girl nodded. "Okay, I'll call Paige."

The teenager ran up the stairs with her phone already pressed to her ear. With only a look passed around the four adults they all knew Castle wouldn't want to go before his daughter was out of the loft as well, and so they waited for her to leave before they too left for Black Pawn.

Once they were there they didn't waste any time. Castle showed the way to the copy machines and made sure to remind them to try and stay unseen. Which all three detectives just snorted at, if anyone was to give them away it would be the writer himself. At a few moments they did have to hide around a corner but fortunately they didn't have to hide as they made the copies. The second they were done with all copies they decided to divide into their two groups and go out place all the copies to various news stations, both paper and television. They'd decided to meet up back at Esposito's after they were done and to tell Gates the first thing in the morning the next day. While placing the copies of the files Kate and Rick got to talking. After a while Rick silenced and Kate didn't know why but kept quiet as well in order to give him space to think.

"Kate?"

She looks at the man beside her. "Yeah?"

"When the hunters come, what do we do?" he asked and she could both see and sense the fear filling his body.

"Well, they only know about me, so you stay out of it," she said with a determined tone and his eyes widened.

"Bu-what if they catch you? Are they sure you're a wolf? How can they make sure, do they have to make sure?" he started babbling and she couldn't even get to answer the first question before he was asking the next.

And so she just stayed quiet until his questions died out and he craved the answers more than giving out more questions.

"Earl is on it, hopefully they can make a trail leading them away from me. In the meantime I just have to stay alert and not change for a while," she told him. "Usually they make sure by observing and then if they are somewhat positive they walk past you and pretend to bump into you while also giving you a small cut. Then they observe to see if the cut heals quickly or not."

"How do you keep it from healing?"

She smiled at the devious way they'd managed to stay hidden for five years now. "We've discovered a lotion we can put on the wound to keep it open."

"Oh."

She immediately saw the relaxation entering his body, sensing the fear leaving him, not completely but almost. For a couple minutes he's quiet again before voicing his next thought.

"What do you mean when you want me to stay out of it?"

She bit her lip. That would be the hard part.

"I don't want you anywhere near me apart from work. They cannot know we spend time together outside of work, they can't know we're more than a detective and a shadow," she told him with her teeth clenching shut afterwards. She didn't want him to stay away, not now, not when they've finally admitted to their feelings. Not when he just found out they're soulmates.

His shoulders slumped and she nudged her shoulder with his. "We can do it, it's just a week or two."

"A week?!" he exclaimed and she could practically hear his inner screams. I won't last that long.