Follow the Orange Brick Road

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Even if we were in Kansas, Toto, I still don't own Castle. Rating: The occasional M. Time: Following I, Spy.

Katie began to cry. Rollo offered her a large handkerchief. She went on. "I broke up with Rick. He deserved better than me, much better than a woman who'd gotten her own parents killed. But something happened. I was assigned to a special project. We had gotten, somehow, I don't know exactly how, a wrist band that would take the wearer, and anyone touching the wearer, to alternate Earths. I was part of the team that raided you in the Alternate Singapore. I shot the hostage so that someone would kill me. Suicide by cop, they call it. Except I expected to be shot by a soldier. But another Rick Castle came through the door. I waited for you to kill me, feeling that I deserved to be killed by the man I loved, or rather by an alternate of the man I loved. But, you didn't kill me. You couldn't. That was an epiphany for me. I felt that I had been given my life back for some purpose, I just had to figure out what that purpose was. I followed you to the Great Library and saved your life." (Again, See I, Spy for details.)

"What were you doing there, anyway?" Rick asked.

"Keeping an eye on you. Rick Castles seem to be loved by Kate Becketts everywhere. And vice versa. I wanted to know why. I wanted to know if that could help me somehow."

"Did it?"

She nodded. "I deserted with one of the wristbands and an instruction book. I found an alternate Earth where there was no intelligent life and studied the book and experimented with the wristband. Then I saw a flash of blue light near me and had to run. I was afraid it was a team from IS sent to kill me."

"And then we met Katie." Declan said proudly. "Ah, she's a bonnie lassie."

"I went to this Earth. For some reason it's very hard to get to from other Earths, but I made it. I met Declan and Rollo and we became friends. But another IS team found me and attacked. Declan managed to turn them into field mice and I used their wristband to send the mice back to IS. But there was another team out there. Before Declan could do anything, I was wounded. I knew which Earth you and Kate and Simone were on, so I grabbed Declan and left, hoping I could get medical help on your Earth. Rollo led the IS team to the cave of a local dragon."

Rollo nodded. "Freddy Dragon, a lovely fellow. We like to have barbecues using his flames. He took care of the IS fellows. Then I waited for Declan and Katie to come back. However, it seems that the IS folks had gotten a banshee to follow you. You all know the rest."

"What are you going to do now?" The Queen asked.

"I don't know. I just don't know." Katie began silently weeping again.

"Do you still love your Rick Castle?" Kate asked.

"Of course. I'll never stop loving him."

"Then we should go find your Rick and get you two together."

Katie just shook her head. "How could a man like that love someone as broken as I am?"

"It's easy." Rick answered.

Katie's transfer device could not only return Rick, Kate and Simone to their own Earth, but she could put them anyplace on that Earth. The problem came when Declan, Rollo, Harvey, Roy and Ann all wanted to go with Katie to make sure nothing bad happened to her.

"Guys, I'm not sure that you'd fit in on our Earth. You'd stand out. And I mean really stand out." Rick explained as diplomatically as he could.

"There aren't any bears on your Earth? Or bunnies, excuse me, hares, or dogs, or even lovely steel ladies?" Rollo asked.

"Yeah, but they aren't intelligent. They're animals. People would call the cops. And we don't have any intelligent machines yet. At least none that look like Ann."

"Their loss entirely, I'm sure." Ann said, pushing out her steel boobs.

"We'll just stay out of sight, then." Rollo concluded. "We're not letting our friend Katie get herself in any more trouble."

"We could set her transfer device to take us to the house in the Hamptons." Kate said. "It's winter time, so not many people will be around. We can plan how to get Rick and Katie together there, then head for Katie's home Earth, take them back to the Hamptons and then get them both someplace safe."

Rick wasn't at all sure about that, but he was over ruled by the enthusiastic reception of Kate's idea by everyone else.

And so they all appeared in Rick's Hampton's home late one night. Rick immediately checked the house to make sure it was his place and didn't belong to some other Rick Castle. However, his summer clothes were there, along with Kate's as well as photos of their marriage.

"I'm going to call Alexis and see how everything is."

The phone rang twice before Alexis picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Pumpkin. How's everything?"

"Daddy!" She screamed. "Where are you? We've been worried sick."

"Worried?"

"Yes. When I got home our security door was smashed in and you and Kate and Simone were gone. What happened? Where are you? Are you all right?"

Rick thought fast. "Um, I was doing a little research for the next Nikki Heat on how to break in a door and it got a little out of hand. Then we got a call from a friend who needed out help and I guess I forget to leave a message for you and my mother."

Rick heard Martha's voice in the background. "Is that your father? Let me speak to him."

"Richard? Is that you? What do you mean running off with no word to us? And leaving a mess behind. Alexis and I had to stay at the Four Seasons until the door was fixed. Which you'll be paying for, by the way."

Kate took the phone from Rick. "Martha? How are you?"

"Katherine? I'm much better now that I know that the responsible member of the family is around. What has Richard gotten himself into this time?"

Kate hated lying to Martha, but really couldn't explain what was happening without it sounding like she'd gone further off the deep end than Rick ever had. "We really can't tell you what happened, but we just needed to help a friend out on something that had to be done low key. We'll be back in a couple of days."

"Oh, dear. It isn't Jackson Hunt again, is it? I've never trusted that man since I found out what he is."

"No, Martha. Please don't be worried about us. We're fine. I have to go now. We love you."

"Love you, Mother." Rick called.

Kate hung up and turned to the others. "Okay, now we really have to get going. I promised Martha we'd be done in a couple of days."

The next night, on a different Earth, a large truck pulled up in front of the building where author Richard Castle lived. Inside, everyone prepared to reunite another Rick and Kate.

Inside the building, Eduardo, the doorman sat behind his desk in the lobby. He decided that life was good. His job was easy and the wealthy residents of his building were generous with tips and gifts. He also got a small monthly stipend from the IS for keeping an eye out. Personally, he liked Mr. Castle, but he made too many jokes about President Bracken for Eduardo's taste. That could get a man, even a man like Rick Castle, in deep trouble. He had always liked that nice Agent Beckett and was surprised when she had gone rogue. He doubted she'd ever show up here again, but if she ever did, he'd be in line for a hefty chunk of the reward offered for her.

When he heard the door opening, he looked up and saw three Katie Becketts walking in, all dressed identically. All three had their long hair covering part of their faces so that Eduardo wouldn't notice that Simone only closely resembled the two Kates.

"Hi, Eduardo. I'm going up to see Rick." They said in perfect unison.

As Eduardo reached for his phone, a very large and very furry paw grabbed his hand.

"I wouldn't do that." A bear, dressed in a conservative business suit growled.

The phone was taken by a metal female robot of some sort, dressed in a pencil skirt, blouse and a trench coat. "Let me take that for you." She said, crushing the phone with one hand.

Completing the trio was a tall, white rabbit dressed like something out of Reservoir Dogs. Harvey had spent some time watching gangster movies back at Rick's to get in the mood. He giggled. "Big man. Big man. Look at me, ma. Top of the word. Top of the world. You can dish it out, but you can't take it. Mother of God! Is this the end of Eduardo? I'll make you an offer you can't refuse. I came into this world kicking and screaming, covered in someone else's blood. I have no trouble leaving the same way. It's not personal, it's strictly business. Say hello to my little friend. Leave the gun. Take the canoli. I love you, Pumpkin. I love you, Honey Bunny. The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men."

By that time, Eduardo was crying.