Jurassic Island
Epilogue – Home
Days went by. The government was polite, and put them up in a nice hotel in San José. They were free to come and go, and to call whomever they wished. But they were not permitted to leave the country. Each day a young man from the American Embassy came to visit them, to ask if they needed anything, and to explain that the US State Department was doing everything it could to hasten their departure. But the plain fact was that many people had died in a territorial possession of Costa Rica. The Costa Rican government felt it had been misled and deceived by John Hammond. Under the circumstances, the government was not disposed to release survivors in a hurry.
Eventually the news broke, starting with a leaked report from a San José hospital that had treated a young American tourist for a broken leg. Todd DiLaurentis and his fiancé Sally told a fantastical tale of death and destruction by the genetically engineered dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Their interview with an Internet vlogger went viral, and the rest fell like dominoes.
The press descended like a swarm of locust upon San José once the involvement of Richard Castle and Kate Beckett, his wife and muse, in 'The Downfall of Jurassic Park' had been discovered. The Costa Rican authorities did their best to keep the horde of reporters at bay, but a handful manage to slip through, and accosted them, shouting questions about this and that.
Castle and Beckett tried their best to shield Zoe and Charlie from the overzealous journalists whenever that occurred, not wanting the children to be traumatized anymore than they already had. When Mrs. Hastings came to collect her children, she thanked Castle and Beckett profusely for looking after them. Kate found out that Robert Muldoon, Jurassic Park's deceased Game Warden, had a daughter attending university in London, and she personally called the young woman, offering her condolences and recounting how heroic and honorable the girl's father had been.
John Hammond's death, along with the massive failure of the park, sent InGen's stock value plummeting. By the time the Castles had been debriefed by both US and Costa Rican authorities, there were already talks of Congressional inquiries and hearings up on the Hill. InGen's board of directors were scrambling to save face, their public relations department working tirelessly to shift blame over to Dennis Nedry and the rival company that had hired him to sabotage the park. Many speculated InGen would collapse by the end of the year.
Finally, after a long two weeks, they were released to return home.
XXX
"Well, well, well… look what the cat dragged in," Esposito crowed the moment they stepped off the elevator and walked into the bullpen. He sauntered over to Beckett's desk, his jesting unable to conceal the true relief shining in his eyes at seeing his friends return safe and sound from their unexpected adventures.
"It's good to see you too, Espo," Kate said with a soft smile, leaning in to hug her friend and colleague.
Esposito and Castle exchanged a firm handshake and a slight nod, some tension still lingering between them from Castle's two month disappearance. Though, much to Beckett's relief, it seemed to have lessened as a result of recent events.
"You're back!" Ryan emerged from the break room, coffee mug in hand. His face lit up with joy, and he gave them one of his big Irish smiles.
"Yeah, we're back," Beckett affirmed with a grin. "Just making a quick stop before going home."
Ryan set his cup down, and hugged them both, happy to have his friends back. "Glad you guys made it out of there," he said, shaking his head. "Jenny's been reading all about it. And the cable news has been running the story 24-7."
"I know," Castle said, eyes flashing with memories. "It's been crazy."
Esposito tossed a copy of the Ledger on Beckett's desk as she slipped down into her chair, wanting to do a quick check on any paperwork that had piled up on her desk during their time away. "You made the front page."
Beckett picked up the newspaper and stared at the image printed under the big bold headline. Sure enough, there they were—Castle's arm draped over her shoulder—boarding a private jet provided by the US State Department. She pursed her lips, a slight frown creasing her brow as she started at the headline: DISASTER PARK—FAMOUS WRITER AND MUSE AMONG SURVIVORS. She didn't know how she felt about being referred to solely as Richard Castle's muse. She was his wife, after all. That should trump muse.
"Nice picture," Castle said, leaning over her shoulder. She hummed noncommittally, lifting her shoulders in a half-shrug. "Then you won't mind if I have it frame, then?" he added, snatching the paper out of her hands.
"Um… Castle, I don't think that's really necess—"
"KATE BECKETT! YOU GET YOUR SKINNY ASS OVER HERE THIS SECOND!"
Everyone jerked back in surprise, turning as one to the source of the shouted demand, seeing Lanie Parish barreling through the bullpen, shoving curious uniforms out of the way. Beckett stood up, and was immediately wrapped in a tight hug from her best friend. She relaxed into Lanie's embrace, squeezing her back in reassurances.
"What's with you two and danger?" Lanie questioned when she pulled back.
"Hey, why are you looking at me!?" Castle all but squeaked.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, writer boy, but wasn't it your brilliant idea to go there in the first place?"
"Um… yeah," Castle hedged, casting a pleading glance in Beckett's direction. She simply shrugged, pursing her lips as she smirked, having too much fun watching him squirm under her friend's glare. Besides, she'd make up for it later.
"Yeah, bro," Esposito added, smirking with delight at getting to tease the writer. "You best do better next time."
"Oh, trust me, I plan to," Castle bobbed his head with wide eyes. "Next time… it's the Maldives all the way, just like we originally planned."
Kate smiled, liking the idea. But for now, she was fine with just returning to the loft and reuniting with their family. She reached up, curving her hand along Castle's shoulder, squeezing slightly to gain his attention. "I'll just go speak with Gates, and then we can head home, okay?" she said, flashing him a quick wink, before side-stepping around him, and heading for the captain's office.
XXX
"Oh my god, Dad, that must have been terrifying!" Alexis exclaimed, slowly inching closer to him on the sofa.
He'd noticed that. She'd been especially clingy since they arrived back home. But he didn't mind it. In fact, he felt the same way. There had been a few times during those eventful three days when he'd been afraid he would never see his daughter again. He was glad it never came to that. Turning, he looked at his mother, sitting on the coffee table, then to his wife, who was curled up next to him, and then he shared a look with Jim, seated in the armchair closest to Kate, before shifting back to Alexis.
"Yeah, Pumpkin, it was," he confirmed. "But none of it was as terrifying as the prospect of never coming home and seeing your beautiful face again."
"Dad," Alexis blushed, ducking her head down bashfully, moving closer to him, and burying her head in his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her close.
Next to him, Kate watched the scene with tender eyes, before she turned and shared a long affectionate look with her own father, reaching out to hold his hand, making him part of the family moment. It warmed Castle's heart to witness the gesture. All five of them had truly become a family. It was a beautiful thing.
"And you, Katherine, it must have been just as awful," Martha interjected, "running around with those prehistoric creatures chasing you around."
Kate nodded. "Yeah, Martha, you got that right. It was no walk in the park," she replied with a straight face.
"Ooh," Castle grinned, delighted, as Kate gave him a flirty wink. "Good one."
"Couldn't resist."
"So you really punched a velociraptor in the face?" Jim asked, raising a dubious eyebrow at his daughter.
"Actually, it was more of a kick," Kate replied. "Well… two or three kicks, to be precise."
Castle bobbed his head excited. "It was so cool," he said. "I tell you, I married a superwoman."
"You weren't so bad yourself, Rick," Kate chimed in, smiling affectionately at him. "Before I kicked that raptor in the face, you stared it down, buying time for the rest of us to climb up to safety. And don't even get me started on everything you did to keep Zoe and Charlie safe."
"Yeah," Castle nodded, smirking cheekily. "I'm heroic like that."
All five of them laughed lightly, basking in the moment of having there little family reunited.
"Alright, darlings, enough talk," Martha waved a dramatic hand, smiling down at them, and lifting her flute of champagne. "I would like to propose a toast."
"Please do, mother," Castle leaned back, raising his own flute. Kate and Alexis followed suit. As did Jim, though his glass held Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider instead of champagne.
Martha looked at all four of them, lingering on Castle and Kate. "To safe returns."
"To happy endings," Alexis added.
"To family," Jim added.
Castle felt his heart swell with the love he felt in the room. He'd spent so much of his life wishing for a complete family. His own father may not be in the picture, but right here… right here he had all he ever really needed or wanted. These people—Kate, Martha, Alexis, and even Jim—were his family. "Yes, Jim. To family," he raised his glass. "To my mother, my daughter, my father-in-law," he looked at each one of them, letting them see his appreciation in his eyes, before shifting his gaze to his beloved wife, "and to the love of my life."
Kate paused, and stared at him for long moment, her eyes filling with nothing but love. She pursed her lips and smiled, that special smile she saved only for him, before she moved her glass forward and clinked it with his. "And to coming home."
THE END