My Wife My Champion
by Minstrel164
This story was inspired partly inspired from a prompt at Castle Fanfic Prompts and partly from my own reaction to the final scene in the Bad Santa episode. I hope you enjoy it.
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"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
Kate had emerged from the bathroom ready for bed finishing rubbing the moisturiser along her arms when she paused in her progress to the bed on seeing her husband already in bed, propped up against the headboard and staring vacantly into space. A small frown clouding his face.
Now more than ever she was certain that something was bothering him. All evening he had been subdued. Hardly making conversation and when drawn into conversations responding in mono syllables. Castle had been subdued at the office Christmas party too, the more Kate thought about it. By her husband's standards Christmas was a time when he definitely was a nine year old on a sugar rush. There had been no sign of that nine year old.
"Castle?"
On hearing his name being called Castle slowly turned his head to look at Kate his eyebrows rising in a silent question.
"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" Kate asked as she resumed making her way to the bed.
"Nothing's wrong."
Kate let out a small huff and shot Castle a look that told him that she was not buying it. Castle had lost count the number of times he had repeated the phrase 'nothing's wrong', or variations of it to Kate, his mother and daughter.
Kate settled into bed and turned to face him.
"Something's been eating you all evening." She said. "And, you're going to tell me what it is…"
"Kate there's…"
"If you say 'nothing's wrong', Castle, I'm going to be seriously annoyed with you." Kate interjected.
Castle regarded his wife and saw the determined look on her face. It was the kind of look he had seen on her face countless times before. It was the look that suspects and criminals, waiting in the interrogation room were confronted with when she came strolling and sat across from them.
He had no intention of telling Kate about what Captain Gates had told him at the start of the office Christmas party. At least not tonight. Seeing her looking so happy as she mingled with her colleagues, even dancing with Lanie, he did not have the heart to spoil her fun with the bad news. On the way home from the precinct he did resolve to tell her in the morning. The look on Kate's face told him that plan could be thrown out the window.
"Castle." Kate prompted in a gentle tone.
Castle let out a long sigh.
"Earlier today, Detective McBride whilst being transferred to Central Booking, was shot and killed by unknown assailants."
"What?" Kate gasped in shock.
"Yeah." Castle sighed.
"But why didn't Gates mention it at the Christmas party?"
"I guess she didn't want to spoil the party." Castle shrugged.
"Yeah, it would have put a bit of a dampener on things." Kate agreed.
"Well, the DA learned that I was cooperating with the mob..."
"They were cooperating with you on your investigation." Kate pointed out quickly.
Castle smiled. It was the first genuine smile he had managed since before the party. He was both amused and touched at her rapid rise to his defence.
"Anyway..." Castle drew out as he resumed. "The DA went to the mayor and well, the bottom line is, I can no longer work with the NYPD."
Kate opened her mouth to say something but the shock was too great. Words failed her for several moments as she weighed up what Castle had just told her. The shock did not last too long. It was immediately swept away by a wave of anger.
"They can't do that!" She said vehemently, as she sat up in bed.
"Yeah they can and they have." Castle said in a low voice.
"Bob, can't do that to you. You're his friend. Have you called him?"
Castle shook his head.
"Why not?"
Castle shrugged his shoulders. He had not wanted to impose on their friendship yet again. Once or twice was probably the limit.
"After all you've done for him? This is how he repays you?" Kate continued.
"Kate..."
"No, Castle!" Kate retorted with even more anger. "They can't do this to you!"
Castle had seen his wife angry plenty of times before. More than a handful of those occasions it had been as a result of something he had done but for the life of him he could not recall ever seeing her looking this furious.
He found it rather adorable and was not able to stifle the chuckle that bubbled out of him.
"This isn't funny, Castle."
"I know but still, look at you..."
"Well, they can't do this to you." Kate repeated.
Castle reached over and gently drew his angry wife to him. He wrapped his arms around her as she settled against his chest. He kissed her on the temple.
"I'm not going to take this laying down, Rick." Kate said with a little less anger.
"It's going to be fine, Kate." Castle assured her. He had no idea what he was going to do now he was banned from working with the NYPD. He had not thought that far.
"I'm going to give them a piece of my mind, you see if I don't."
"Ah, my beloved. My wife. My champion" Castle chuckled as he hugged her a little tighter.
XXX
Kate slowly lifted her eyes to the clock sitting on the table on Castle's side of the bed. She saw that it was only three o'clock in the morning. Ten minutes had elapsed since the last time she looked at the clock. She was wrapped in Castle's arms and his chest was the pillow for her head.
Her body felt deliciously sated. Four rounds of sex would do that. No matter how tired and sated she felt, try as she might sleep was proving elusive. She had been laying in Castle's arms for the past couple of hours, listening to him sleep, riding the gentle rise and fall of his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
All the while she had been thinking, trying to come up with something that would reverse Castle's expulsion from the 12th Precinct. Even now she found it hard to believe that it had happened. Much to her dismay she had failed to come up with anything.
Realising that she was not going to get any sleep Kate slowly and very carefully disengaged herself from her husband's arms. She paused a moment when he stirred but he settled down again and his gentle snoring returned. She felt the loss of his warmth almost immediately.
The bedroom was warm as no one had bothered to turn down the central heating for the night. She was grateful for that oversight but she still shivered as goose bumps erupted over her naked body. Her bed clothes lay discarded on the floor tangled amongst Castle's clothes that had been carelessly tossed away. Kate left the clothes where they lay and picked up her bathrobe from off the chair and quickly put it on.
Before turning away from the bed Kate bent down and pulled up the blankets over Castle. She smiled gently as she watched him roll onto his side, his hands moving under the blanket to her side of the bed as if he was seeking her out. Finding her residual warmth he settled down once again, a contented smile appearing on his face.
Kate resisted the urge to lean down and plant a kiss on his cheek. The last thing she wanted was for Castle to wake up. He needed to rest after she almost wore him out earlier. Her efforts to distract him had the desired effect, stopping him from brooding about having been banished from the precinct.
Castle had tried not to let his feelings show, covering them with jokes and then assuring her that everything would turn out fine, like it always did but Kate had known him for long enough to see through the mask he had put up. She had seen it in his eyes. That look had made her even more determined to reverse the decision.
Walking into the office Kate switched on the lights making sure to mute them. The smile on her face deepened a little as she took in the Christmas decorations festooned all over the room. She had helped with the decorations and laughed at Martha's recollections of some her son's escapes from Christmases past. It was only a little later that she realised that she had been so drawn into the Castle family festive spirit that she had not even thought of that cold winter alley all those years ago, like she usually did around this time of the year.
Reaching the desk Kate slowly sat down on the chair. For a few minutes she just stared at Castle's dormant laptop. What other books lay waiting to come to life, she wondered to herself with a smile.
If there was an upside to all of this being banished from the precinct would mean Castle would have more time to devote to his writing. She had jokingly suggested to him that he could make a start on that book Simon Doyle, the alleged visitor from the future, had said he would write in the future. Her joke had only received a wan smile.
Pulling open the bottom drawer Kate reached down and pulled out the large wooden box that was kept in the drawer. She set the box down on the desk beside the laptop and just stared at it for a moment.
Slowly she opened the lid of the box and gazed at the medals that rested on the dark blue velvet lining. These medals represented in their own way the seven years of service Castle had given the New York Police Department and the City of New York. Only a handful of people were even aware that he had ever been given these medals. His family did not know about them. Some of these medals even he could not talk about, no one could, because the cases were classified above Top Secret.
Kate ran her finger over the Bronze Medallion. The medallion was two and three quarters inches in diameter and heavy. It was the highest honour the Mayor of New York could bestow on a civilian. The Bronze Medallion had been awarded to Castle for his part in the dirty bomb episode. Captain Montgomery might have joked about the mayor giving Castle a medal for having saved New York by merely yanking out the wires from the bomb seconds before it detonated but to his credit Montgomery pushed for it.
Kate smiled as she remembered the secret ceremony at Gracie Mansion where the medal had been presented. Though Castle could never talk about it, no one would have been able to wipe the smile from his face that day. She still remembered the citation. 'For exceptional citizenship and outstanding achievement, and bravery, for saving countless citizens of New York City.'
"How could you have forgotten about Castle saving the city, Bob?" Kate whispered angrily.
Kate moved her finger from the Bronze Medallion to the Secretary's Gold Medal that had been presented by the Department of Homeland Security at the same ceremony. Kate had been awarded the same medal.
There was a medal from the CIA in recognition of Castle's part in the unmasking of Sophia Turner as a sleeper agent and more importantly for uncovering the plot to start World War Three by murdering a young schoolgirl. There were several commendation medals from the NYPD for his assistance in solving some of their more difficult cases.
By the time Kate had closed the box and returned it to the drawer she knew what she had to do. No one did this to her husband and think they could get away with it. Rising from the desk Kate her way to the kitchen to fix herself a cup of coffee.
XXXX
Kate walked out of the elevator and made her way towards the bullpen. With each step she took the more she felt that something was missing. Not five minutes inside the precinct and already she was missing Castle. Missing her partner, she thought to herself.
Reaching her desk she dumped her purse on the desk but made no move to sit down. Her eyes went to the empty chair beside her desk. She could not help but remember what he had told her as she was walking out the front door of the loft this morning. He had told her that she had been solving cases long before he had parked his butt in that chair and she would continue to solve cases. Only it would take a little longer without his help. What she would miss most of all was him pulling her pigtails.
"Is it true?"
Kate shook off her reveries and looked up from staring at Castle's chair to find Esposito and Ryan standing in front of her desk. The two detectives wore mournful expressions on their faces.
"What's true Ryan?" Kate responded.
"Castle's been kicked out?" Esposito clarified.
Kate pursed her lips and slowly nodded her head.
"Because of what happened to McBride?" Ryan ventured.
"Yeah."
"Oh man." Ryan shook his head.
"They can't do that." Esposito stated firmly.
"Well, they have." Kate looked in the direction of the Captain's office. "Is the Captain in?"
"Yeah, came in about ten minutes ago." Ryan confirmed.
Kate nodded her thanks and moved from behind her desk.
"Hey, Beckett." Esposito called out.
"Hell be back."
"I don't know, Espo."
"This is Castle, we're talking about. He always comes back."
"Yeah. He'll be back, you'll see." Ryan added.
Kate gave her partners a nod and continued walking to Captain Gate's office. The boys were right. All the times she had thrown him out he always returned. Whether it was on his own volition or through the intercedence of friends in high places, he always returned.
Reaching the open door Kate paused and wrapped her knuckles on the door and slowly entered the Captain's office. Captain Gate's cast a quick look up from the file she had been reading to see who had walked in before looking down at the file again.
"From the look on your face, Detective, I gather Mr Castle has informed you?"
"Yes, sir."
Captain Gates closed the file in front of her and pulled off her reading glasses. She motioned Kate to a chair.
"Believe me when I tell you, Detective, that I am not happy about this either." Gates announced. "Despite my initial reservations, Mr Castle has been a remarkable and dare I say it, valued member of this precinct."
"Thank you, sir." Kate said. "I'm sure Castle will appreciate hearing that."
"And that is exactly what I told the mayor when he called." Gates added. "I tried very hard to keep him, even called in a few favours."
Kate could not hide the look of surprise. She knew that Captain Gates had grudgingly warmed to Castle's presence in the precinct over the past couple of years but that she would call in favours to keep Castle at the twelfth, that was a surprise.
"Despite my best efforts, Detective, the decision is final."
"I'm sure Castle appreciates the effort you went to, to help him, sir."
"How's he taking it?" Gates asked with some concern.
"He's a little down in the dumps as is expected, sir." Kate forced a smile to her face. "But Castle has a remarkable capacity to bounce back from disappointments and set backs."
Captain Gates smiled and nodded her head. "Indeed."
"Castle didn't give them McBride's name." Kate stated.
"I have no doubt he didn't." Gates replied. "Even Mr Castle wouldn't be that stupid."
"And his investigation helped to reveal the real murderer, as well as unmasking a corrupt cop." Kate added.
"All very good points, Detective." Gates said. "But you're preaching to the converted."
"Yes, sir." Kate sighed.
"I made those very same points to the mayor, as well as the commissioner."
Kate shook her head.
"And you were kept in the loop, sir." She pointed out.
"Only after Mr Castle's investigation had revealed that McBride as the murderer." Gates countered.
Kate frowned.
"What if we had come to you before hand, sir?" Kate ventured.
"You know very well I would have vetoed it."
"At the time it was need to know, sir."
"I understand." Gates nodded. "I'm truly sorry, Kate, but the matter is out of my hands."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
Kate rose from the chair. She gave the captain a nod of thanks and started for the door. Reaching the doorway she paused and looked back.
"Sir, I'm going to need a couple of hours personal time." Kate announced.
Captain Gates regarded Kate.
"I wouldn't advise going to the mayor, detective."
"No, sir." Kate responded quickly. "I'm going to see a friend of my husband, or at least who I thought was a friend of my husband."
Gates suppressed the smile that wanted to break across her face.
"Keep your phone on, Detective, in case a body drops."
"Yes, sir."
XXX
"I'm afraid his Honour the Mayor is rather busy this morning. He's got meetings all morning, Detective."
Kate looked at the woman sitting behind the desk. It had taken only one look for Kate to see that the woman was a very experienced gate guardian, a veteran of denying people access to the mayor. Yet Kate had not come all the way to City Hall just to be fobbed off. With Christmas just days away she was a little surprised to discover the mayor was in and not off on holidays leaving the running of the city to subordinates.
"I understand but I only need a couple of minutes." Kate replied, adding a small hopeful smile.
"I'm afraid it's not possible." The woman shook her head.
"Could you at least tell him that Detective Kate Beckett wishes to see him?"
"I'm sorry but..."
"Please?"
The secretary regarded Kate for several moments as if she was weighing up the request. Whether it was because of the holiday season or the hopeful smile or maybe because Kate had said 'please', the secretary made her decision and reached for the phone.
"Sir, I have a Detective Kate Beckett wishing to you see you."
The secretary listened for a moment before she put the phone down. She looked at Kate and waved a hand towards the door that led into the Mayor's office.
"Five minutes, Detective."
"Thank you."
Kate knocked on the door but did not wait to be called. She just opened it and walked into the mayor's office. Her immediate impression was that the office had changed little since the last time she had been here. It had been during the Laura Cambridge case when certain shadowy people had tried to implicate the mayor in her murder. The office was bedecked in decorations befitting the season.
What also had not changed since the last time Kate had been here was the mayor's chief of staff, Brian Shay. Shay was currently standing in front of the mayor's desk. He was holding open a black leather portfolio.
Mayor Robert Weldon was standing behind his desk reading over a sheet of paper that his chief of staff had given him.
"Detective Beckett, isn't it?" Shay said when he noticed Kate's approach.
"Mr Shay." Kate nodded.
"This is fine, Brian." Mayor Weldon announced as he passed the sheet of paper back. "Don't change a word."
"Yes, sir."
Mayor Weldon turned and his face broke into a welcoming smile when he saw Kate.
"Detective Beckett."
"Sir." Kate replied and offered the mayor a tight-lipped smile in return.
"Or should I call you, Mrs Castle?" Weldon asked chuckling. He came around from his desk.
"Detective Beckett, or Kate, will do, sir."
"Well, either way, please accept my heartiest congratulations on your wedding, Kate. Rick is a very lucky man." Weldon said as he held out his hand to Kate.
"Thank you, sir." Kate shook the mayor's hand. For a brief moment she had considered refusing to shake the man's hand but dismissed the idea quickly. She did not want to be churlish.
Weldon motioned Kate to the couch and followed her. He sat himself down on the armchair once Kate had sat down.
"Ah, sir, should I be in on this meeting?" Shay questioned.
"No, your presence isn't required, Brian." Weldon replied. "This is a private matter. Close the door on your way out."
Shay hesitated a moment looking from the mayor to Kate. It was his job to know about every meeting his boss had. He hated that he was not aware of this meeting or what it was about, or for that matter not being kept in the loop. Kate could not resist shooting the chief of staff a small smug smile. Reluctantly Shay turned and walked out of the office.
"Brian doesn't know." Weldon informed Kate, the moment the door closed. "And it's killing him."
Kate nodded her head.
"How's Rick?"
"How do you expect him to be?" Kate said sharply.
The smile Weldon had been wearing faded quickly as he looked at the detective sitting opposite him.
"You must understand, Kate..." Weldon began.
"I understand Castle's good friend shafted him. That's what I understand."
"I had no choice." Weldon protested. "The District Attorney put a hell of a lot of pressure on me. I had no choice."
"With all due respect, sir. You did have a choice." Kate retorted angrily. "You just chose to put politics ahead of friendship."
"A corrupt cop was gunned down in a possible mob hit." Weldon pointed out.
"And you think it was Castle who gave them the name?" Kate countered.
"The DA thinks so."
"I don't care what the DA thinks!" Kate shouted. She paused to control her angry. "Do you believe it, sir?"
Weldon did not respond to the question. Kate let out a sigh and shook her head slowly.
"You call Castle an old friend but you don't know him at all." She said. "Castle would never have given the mob McBride's name."
"Now, Kate..."
"Don't 'now Kate me', sir." Kate interjected. "If banning him from the Twelfth Precinct wasn't humiliating enough, he had to hear it from Captain Gates. You couldn't have given him the courtesy of calling him to let him know?"
Weldon had the decency to look embarrassed. Kate gave him some small credit for that. Yet she was not finished.
"Getting kicked out of the Twelfth is the thanks Castle gets for his loyalty and support he's given you all these years, Mr Mayor, huh?" Kate said, her anger returning. "The service he's given this city? Do I even have to spell out how he saved this city, Mr Mayor?"
Weldon looked at Kate. He knew exactly what she was alluding to. He shook his head slowly in answer to her question.
"Did Castle ask you to come and see me?" Weldon asked in the silence that had descended between them.
"No. Castle doesn't know I'm here. If he knew that I was coming he would have tried to stop me."
"Something tells me if he had tried he would have failed." Weldon grinned.
Kate shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm really sorry, Kate."
"You should be." Kate chided.
Realising that the meeting had come to its natural conclusion Kate rose to her feet. She had failed in her attempt to get the decision reversed and that hurt. What hurt even more was that she had failed her partner. Weldon got to his feet as well.
"Thank you for seeing me, Mr Mayor."
"Call me, Bob."
They shook hands and Kate started to make her way to the door.
"Kate." Weldon called out.
Kate paused and turned to look back to the Mayor.
"The ban isn't permanent." Weldon informed her. "When the heat dies down, I'll see what I can do to have Rick return to the Twelfth."
Kate looked at Weldon and slowly nodded her head. She was not sure if it was a promise from a politician or from a friend but it was the best she was going to get and she would take it.
"Happy holidays, Mr Mayor."
XXX
Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite was playing softly from the stereo speakers. The lights in the living room had been dimmed allowing the Christmas lights wrapped around the tree to sparkle and shine brightly. The loft had been turned into a Christmas themed wonderland that rivalled some of the department stores.
Kate was reclining on the couch gazing at the tree sitting in the middle of the room. Not for the first time did she wonder how her husband had managed to manoeuvre this massive tree into the loft. She did not dwell on that mystery for too long knowing that she would find out one of these days.
The tree was decorated in a variety of ornaments, baubles big and small. Old and new, plastic and glass, tin and wood. Ornaments recently purchased. Ornaments of deep sentimental value like Alexis' cookie angel. Angels in the form of stars from the golden age of Hollywood from Martha. Yuletide curiosities that Castle had collected over the years which had become permanent tree decorations.
Amongst all those Castle curios were some new additions to the tree. Ornaments from the Beckett family collection. Jim Beckett had brought them over in a box when he had last come to the loft for Sunday dinner. These new decorations now held pride of place on the tree at Castle's insistence, a decision which had been supported by Alexis and Martha despite Kate's protests. Kate smiled as she recalled recounting to her new family some of the stories behind the ornaments.
"Here we go." Castle announced as he reached the couch. "A glass of Chateau neuf de pape, for my darling bride."
Kate shook off her reveries and quickly sat up and accepted the offered glass of red wine giving her husband a smile of thanks. Castle sat down beside her with his own glass of wine. He took a sip of the wine before he set it down on the coffee table then stretched out on the couch. Kate took a big sip of her wine before placing the glass beside Castle's then stretched out settling against him. His big arms encircled her and came to rest on her stomach. Her gaze returned to the tree.
"I suppose you're working on Christmas Eve?" Castle murmured quietly a couple of minutes later.
"Yeah. I'm filling in for Karpowski." Kate explained. "Just returning the favour from last year."
"I understand." Castle said.
"But my tour doesn't start until eleven, so I'll be here for dinner and presents." Kate added quickly.
"Well I'm glad you'll be standing watch while Santa does his rounds."
Kate turned her head so that she could look up at Castle and saw him gazing at the Christmas tree a soft smile on his face. Sensing her eyes on him he looked down and his smile deepened.
"So how was your first day at the precinct go without me?" Castle asked.
"You would have loved it, Castle." Kate replied. "Lots and lots of paperwork."
"Ugh." Castle made a face.
"How was your day?" Kate asked.
"Did a bit of writing, prepared dinner for my wife."
"Played video games with Patel." Kate threw in.
On her return home at the end of the day whilst heading into the bedroom to change out of her work clothes she had spotted the video game console had not been packed away, it was still sitting there in his office. Patel was one of Castle's regular gamer opponents.
"Sorry." Castle muttered.
"Don't be sorry ." Kate replied. "It's good to see that you had a productive day."
"Speaking of having a productive day." Castle chuckled. "A little birdy tells me you paid Bob a visit."
Kate rose up and turned to look at her husband unable to hide the look of surprise on her face.
"H...h...how did you know?" She stammered.
"Bob told me, when he called."
"Oh?"
"Yeah." Castle nodded. "He called to apologise for what happened."
"Better late than never, I guess." Kate muttered, trying not to sound bitter.
Castle laughed as he drew her into his arms and hugged her.
"Okay, so I went to see the mayor to try and get you reinstated." Kate stated. "I hope you're not upset?"
"It's okay." Castle assured her. "I only wish I was there to see the look on Bob's face."
"Huh?"
"Apparently you scared the hell out of him." Castle laughed.
"What?"
"His exact words were; 'Ricky, your wife is one scary woman when she's angry."
"He didn't say that." Kate started to feel her face warm up.
"Hi did. Scout's honour."
"You were never a scout, remember?"
"All the same, he actually did say that you looked scary when you're angry." Castle said.
Kate felt a little better on hearing that. She allowed a small smile to spread across her face. The mayor had learned that she was a woman not to be trifled with.
"I did manage to get a promise out of him that your banishment is not permanent." Kate said quietly.
"I know."
Kate felt a deep rumble of laughter bubble up inside his chest.
"What's so funny?" Kate asked.
"I can't believe you actually went to see the mayor." He laughed.
"I couldn't stand by and do nothing."
"And you gave him a piece of your mind, like you said you would."
"Damn straight I did." Kate said firmly.
"My wife, my champion." Castle chuckled.
Kate turned her head to look at her husband and saw him smiling at her.
"Partners in crime and in life, remember?" Kate reminded him.
Castle smiled even more. "Partners in crime and in life." He repeated.
Kate smiled back.
"Love you, Mrs Castle."
"Love you more, Mr Beckett."
XXXXX
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Con