Close Encounters 27
Kate woke just before dawn with her back aching from sleeping on the floor and sweat damp between her shoulder blades. She slipped out from under the covers and tried not to disturb Castle, then crept towards the wide drawer they'd converted into a makeshift crib for James. The boy was asleep on his belly, curled up around his corduroy elephant. She brushed the hair back from his forehead and kissed his sleep-warm skin, and then she got to her feet.
She didn't want Castle to wake, so she headed out into the hallway to find the guest half-bath off the kitchen. She used the bathroom and washed her hands without turning on the light, her eyes gritty and lids heavy. She moved back towards their bedroom but stopped in the wide foyer where the stairs ascended.
She opened the closet under the stairs and found a man's old plaid shirt, drew it on over her t-shirt. Her toes were bare on the wood floor, but it was warm, and she would be walking through the soft grass anyway.
Kate slipped outside and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with a strange freedom. The sun had just begun to make tentative forays into the night, giving the horizon a grey streak towards the east over the water. Kate followed the curve of the path from the front door around the side of the house, sticking to the grass.
The cottage was a smaller version of the main house, appearing at a dip in the rolling lawn before the hill dropped down to the beach again. Their home was on a thin finger reaching into the ocean, so the bay was to the left and back behind the guest house, tranquil in the starlight, while the whole rest of the island stretched out from her vantage point.
The woods were sandy, the trees thin but numerous. She saw a flash of light and movement and caught her breath, but suddenly Sasha was bounding out from the woods towards her, tongue hanging out in that doggy grin.
Kate huffed, dropping to a knee to stroke Sasha's back, rub her ears. "How'd you get out, puppy? Huh? I didn't see you sneak out with me."
"It was me."
Kate startled up, turned around to see Reese shadowing her. "Damn it, Reese. Scared the shit out of me."
"It's my watch. Didn't want you to worry," Reese answered, stepping out across the grass. He was wearing the same clothes he'd arrived in - must be his uniform, because these were pretty clean, all things considered. "Everything okay, Agent Beckett?"
She let out a breath. "It's Kate. Just - Kate. And yes. Fine. Couldn't sleep. Is Colin-?"
"He's in there," Reese nodded, eyes narrowing.
Great. Judgment from the driver. "That's where I'm headed," she said clearly. "I'll take Sasha with me for protection, Reese, so don't let me distract you."
He gave her a bland look. "I'm not judging. Kate. I'm supposed to make sure you rest."
Kate groaned, tilting her head back. Her husband was insufferable sometimes. "Reese."
"Yeah, I know. Orders. But how about this? I'll give you fifteen minutes. Then I'll come in after you."
Kate slanted him a look. "Twenty."
He hesitated, rubbing his jaw, but he relented. "Twenty minutes."
She tucked her fingers into the dog's collar and tugged, giving Reese a little wave of her hand as she headed down the path. Sasha trotted easily beside her, all dog tonight, none of that wild wolf in her. Kate was proud of how she'd behaved under pressure, gunfire, explosions, and even scared and running in the forest, she'd come back to them.
"We'll have to get you an extra special treat. Daddy keeps trying to convince me that we should feed you steak. You want steak, Sasha? We can do that. You deserve it."
The house rose out of the faint mist cloaking the dell, the humidity clinging to the grass and obscuring the lines of the cottage. Tudor style here too, single story, and roses blooming in wild disarray around the walls.
Sasha bounded ahead of her and wagged her tail at the door, which told Kate someone was awake inside. She opened the latch and pushed inside to find Colin Hunt sitting up at the kitchen table, drinking tea and eating a sandwich, no one else around.
She smelled peanut butter and her stomach growled.
"Kate," he husked, looking stunned, sandwich halfway to his open mouth.
"Colin," she said, relieved to see him up. "You couldn't sleep?"
"Unconsciousness aside, I don't sleep much," he shrugged.
Neither did Castle. "How are you feeling otherwise?"
"Pretty lousy, thanks."
She grimaced and moved into the homey little kitchen, sank down in the unoccuppied chair. Sasha came with her, settled down at her feet. "How are the stitches?"
"New ones," he said, a little nod. "I'm alive. Which is better than I expected twenty-four hours ago."
"It's only been about twelve hours," she remarked lightly. She didn't know how to tell him about Jolin.
He gave her a sour look and eased back in the chair. "Want one?"
"No, thanks," she answered. "I only came to check on you." And now she was tired again, the walk and the humid air and the reality of Colin at the kitchen table, all of his attitude and brittleness.
"Well, consider me checked. Move on to the next item on your list, Kate."
"It's not like that," she said quietly.
"What is it like?"
"You're - family."
"Family," he muttered. "Right. Well, apologies if I'm not interested in family. Just interested you. But you've got all this, don't you? A whole bloody island. Can't compete."
He was interested in her? No, that was insane. Actually thought he-? No. "You're just - a little confused and probably exhausted, Colin. In the morning it will-"
"No," he cut her off sharply. "Don't do that. Let me feel what I bloody well feel-"
But he stopped, something crawling over his face like shock. She held her breath lest he start up again, his misplaced mooning, but Colin shook his head and groaned.
"Are you okay?" she said, shooting to her feet.
He waved her off, a kind of strangled laugh in his throat. "No, no. It's - nothing. It's very stupid of me, really. I should've realized with the kid here."
"Colin?"
"They're not my damn feelings, are they?" he snarked. She didn't understand; he looked fever bright in the kitchen lamplight. Colin withdrew from the touch of her hand, pushed her back to the table. "Not my feelings. They're his, his, loud and echoing in my bloody head. Always had that - but with him it's like a damn open channel."
"What are you talking about?"
"And to make it worse, the little leach is always there, draining it into himself and amplifying it around as well. Bloody hell, no wonder I can't keep damn hands off you."
She stood up slowly and regarded him. "Colin. I think you have a fever."
"No fucking kidding."
"Where is Len? He's supposed to be taking care of you."
"He made me this sandwich. He's really very refreshing. Blank. Inside and out. You should try it."
"Colin? I think you need to go back to bed. All right? Let's get you up and back to bed."
She hoped his room was close. Surely it was. She leaned in and wrapped her arm around his shoulders; he smelled like antiseptic and fever-sweat. He tried to knock her away from him, but she caught the peanut butter sandwich and put it on the table, moved to lift him.
"I'm not a bloody invalid," he muttered. "And don't touch me. Makes it worse. Why it makes it worse, I have no idea, because John Black-Jackson Hunt never thought I was worth any of this, none of it for me, no."
John Black? What did Black have to do with this? "Colin? Just stand up for me, would you? Everything will be fine after you've had some sleep."
"And keep your kid away from me too," he muttered.
Stung, she jerked back reflexively and Hunt swayed, grabbed for her as his knees gave way. He crashed into the table with a moan and slid to the floor right as she tried to catch him, sending Sasha yelping and dancing away and Kate to the ground with Hunt.
The door opened to Reese. "Time's up," he called.
Shit. No kidding. She was suddenly grateful that Castle was a domineering bully. "Reese. Thank God for you."
"You're the only one to ever say so," the man said dryly, moving in to swiftly draw Hunt to his feet.
Kate grunted and got to her knees, used the edge of the table and Reese's proffered hand to get up again.
"You," Reese said, pointing at her. "Sit. Don't move."
"I'm fine," she gritted out.
She ignored his command and instead moved with him down the hall to the bedroom, helped him get Hunt back in bed. The man was still muttering about Black not ever bothering to explain, Jolin thinking he was worthless, James making it worse, and none of it actually coherent.
Reese went down the hall to grab Len to sit watch, and Kate moved back out into the kitchen, suddenly so tired.
She could sleep now. Hunt was mostly fine, if a little scrambled by the events of their crazy night. Her son and husband were asleep in a nice warm room in their island home, and she wanted very badly to be with them. Right this instant.
Reese gripped her arm and tried to propel her forward, but she shook him off.
Only Castle was allowed to do that.
She walked back to the house under her own power, the dog right at her side. Reese left her at the back door, disappearing to go resume his duties. Kate went inside and when she got back to their room in the cool relief of darkness, she couldn't help going first to James.
He was asleep in the same position she had left him in, curled around elephant. She stroked her fingers at his ear and he didn't move, mouth open against the sheet folded under him.
She crawled back into her own bed and laid herself over Castle's warm body.
A leech, draining all that into him and amplifying it back...
It was nonsense. He was a little bit obsessed with her and he was fevered and he'd offered to be left behind to save their lives.
It had been just a really terrible long day, but it was over now.
She needed to sleep.
Castle hushed the boy as he reached for his still-sleeping mother, carried James outside into the hall. The whole place was filled with sunlight, really quite beautiful, and it actually dazzled James enough to make him quit fussing and turn around in Castle's arms.
"Dada?"
"Yeah, sunlight. It's morning. It's pretty."
James laid his head back down on Castle's shoulder, scrunching up against his chest, squishy - as Kate called it. His eyes stayed open though, lashes golden in the light.
Castle walked him down to the kitchen to see what they could do about breakfast. Rice cereal had been in the bag that had gotten blown up in the Land Rover, but the kid could eat scrambled eggs, pieces of toast even.
Jim was in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and a newspaper, though Castle had no idea where the man had found it. He glanced at the date as Jim lifted his head in greeting, had to laugh to himself: March 23, 1989.
"Catching up on the Cold War?" Castle chuckled. "And morning."
"Morning. Yeah, found it in the room last night. Thought I'd save it for this morning. How'd you all sleep?"
"Kate must have woken a few times last night," Castle shrugged. "But I was out. And James just woke-"
"Early for him," Jim remarked, glancing at James over the top of his paper. "James, hey there. You couldn't possibly have gotten enough sleep."
Castle should probably hand him off to his grandfather, let him cuddle in peace, but he didn't want to. He wanted his son with him even though it meant making breakfast one-handed.
"Hopefully a good long nap," Castle answered. "You see Reese this morning?"
"Reese is the driver, right? Yeah, he's in the living room on the couch."
Castle carried James into the living room, but Reese had already stood to approach and deliver his report. He even saluted, which James found funny, apparently, because the boy chuckled. Reese gave him a look back that Castle might actually label fond.
"Reese, what's the situation?"
"Normal," Reese nodded. He actually offered a finger to James and got the boy to latch on to it, squeezing hard. "Wow, good grip, kid. Everything's fine, sir. You were right - Agent Beckett got up and left the house at 3:49-"
"You don't have to-" Castle winced and waved him off. "My wife isn't being - shit. I guess I am being a little overbearing. Okay. She got up, I know. She's fine. It's fine."
"Hunt had an incident. We - I got him back in bed."
We. An incident with Kate. He would have to figure out a way to deal with Colin Hunt before this - this - whatever it was - took him over. "All right. Thank you. How's the team?"
"Fine, sir. Very fine. The control room is right through there - first door past the stairs - monitors are up, everything running smoothly. We have the motion sensors offline because of those damn foxes. After you get rid of them, it'll be-"
"No," Castle said grimly. "Rethink the motion sensors. Find me a new way."
"But, sir-"
"A new way, Reese. The foxes stay."
Reese set his jaw but didn't argue.
Castle shifted James higher in his grip, his shoulder giving him that dull ache. "Go upstairs, find an empty room. Sleep. You deserve to stand down. I'll do the following of my wife."
"Yes, sir," Reese said, though the combativeness had drained right out of him.
"Thank you, Reese."
Reese nodded and then winked and gave a salute to James, making him chuckle all over again. James actually watched him leave, and Castle stood in the living room holding his son while he mulled it over.
He should leave James here to get breakfast, but it was early yet. The kid wasn't quite awake, still droopy and - squishy - and Castle needed to have a talk with Colin Hunt.
"Hey, James Beckett. I really should go talk to your uncle. How hungry are you?"
James cracked a yawn so wide that Castle could see the new little white tooth coming up at the back of his gums.
Damn, and the kid hadn't even cried about that one.
"You're a pretty special kid, you know that?" he said softly. He kissed James's forehead and hugged him tight, wondering rather suddenly when had been the last time he'd done it. Yesterday? In the middle of everything had he done anything that had made an impression other than yelling at the boy to not drum against the glass?
He didn't want his son to wonder, ever, didn't want to let so much time go by between some kind of physical understanding of how much his father loved him. Words weren't enough.
James was going to know. James was always going to know.
"All right, then you're with me, little wolf. Fall in."
When Castle entered the guest house, it looked to be in crisis mode. Four agents were in the kitchen, including the paramedic Len, and when he saw Castle with James, he came over and tried to head him off.
"What's going on?" Castle said sharply. "Why do you need a control center in here?"
Len rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "It's Hunt. He's got an infection; it's bad. I'm trying to coordinate getting him meds here."
"Fuck," Castle croaked, swaying where he stood.
"Uck!"
Len gave James a startled laugh and slapped a hand over his mouth when it came. "Sorry. Oops. Bad word, kid."
"Bad words really aren't what we're concerned with here," Castle said. "Why didn't you tell me he was this bad?"
"He wasn't. He wasn't at all when he went to bed. And then sometime before dawn, he wakes me up, says he needs peanut butter. So I made him a damn sandwich and went back upstairs. And then-"
"And then Kate came in," Castle said, letting the man know he already had heard. "And now he's got an infection?"
Len nodded. "I've been in touch with Nantucket. They've got what we need. It's just a matter of getting it-"
"Take the houseboat," Castle said quickly. "Fucking hell, get a helicopter. There's one on Nantucket; I checked that ages ago. Get it over here with the meds he needs."
Len stopped, stared a moment, and then snapped back to it. "Yes, sir. Will do." He moved to make it happen, but Castle caught his sleeve, shifting James again in his grip.
"Is he awake, lucid?"
"Awake at times. Mostly lucid. His fever is pretty high. He's having a damn strong reaction."
Peanut butter in the middle of the night. Kate waking and going to him. The infection.
Boyd had told him once - lipoproteins. Eat eggs, he'd said. Even Castle's own father had made insinuations about it to Beckett too. That Castle should be eating eggs.
"You've got food in the fridge, right?" Castle asked, shifting James again. His arm ached where the joint had been bruised by the bullet's lodging into soft tissue, and from the healing process itself - sped up.
"We've got food, sir, yes."
"Good. You get the helicopter here - whatever it costs, whatever it is you have to say. Well, shit, if you can at all, don't invoke the CIA. Otherwise-"
"I understand. We all understand."
He nodded and moved towards the fridge, a few guys having to make way for him as he did. He opened it up and pulled out a carton of eggs, shifting James again. "Looks like you get breakfast first after all."
James pulled back and glanced around the room, watching all the busy men with their guns and dark uniforms and their take-charge attitudes. And then he put his hands together and clapped, beaming at Castle.
"You hear that, guys?" Castle said to the room, turning away from the stove with an egg in one hand and James in the other. "My son thinks you deserve a round of applause. I agree. You haven't had much rest, and I know this isn't what you signed up for. Keep doing what you're doing - we all appreciate it."
"James." Castle winced and caught the boy's hand. "Yeah, I know it's super fun to throw our food around the room, but seriously, Beckett, let's leave some for Colin when he wakes up."
James gave him a crazy look and wriggled out of Castle's lap, back to the floor, though he kept the piece of egg in his fist. How dirty was the floor?
"Oh, fuck it. Crawl around. The cleaning crew has been in and you're super."
Kate would smack him for that. But it was true. James had yet to spike a fever, let alone get all the regular colds and bugs. They had even taken James to a toddler gym thing in the city, let him crawl around with all the other babies, swapping fluids like crazy, and not a thing. Not even a hint of sickness.
Boyd and Logan had been all over that one. Logan had said his own son had gone to a kid's birthday party at that place when he'd been two or three and had come back with vomiting and explosive diarrhea, out from preschool for two weeks. But not James. James had been fine.
Speaking of, James had dropped his egg onto the rug and he leaned down, ate his breakfast right off the floor.
"Oh, hell. You might as well lick the floor, James Beckett," he muttered. James turned and beamed back at him, and Castle winced, got down to pluck a stray carpet fuzz from his lips. "Your mom would kill me. Your Papa would kill me. Don't actually lick the floor."
"Can't hurt him."
Castle froze, and then he managed to control his face and he turned around, stood up to go back to his chair beside Colin Hunt's bed. The man was awake, head at an awkward angle to watch James.
"Can't hurt him," Castle repeated, sitting again. "You, though. Looking pretty hurt there, little brother."
"Your concern for my well-being is overwhelming."
Castle dropped his elbows on his knees and leaned in, studied the man before him in the bed. Face flushed, eyes glassy, hair limp and greasy. "It's actually pretty high up there, Colin. Like it or not, you're blood. You risked your own life to save my - to save Kate's. And for purely selfish reasons, I'd like to know what you know. So call me heavily invested."
Colin closed his eyes.
Castle studied him a moment longer and then left him alone, turned instead to pick his son up off the floor. He had to pry open James's fists, swipe the dirt and dust from his palms, pluck the stray crumb out of his fingers.
"No, we don't eat that," Castle muttered. "Can't hurt you, but let's not make a habit of testing our limits. Mommy gets upset when we do that."
"I bet she does."
Castle went still, thumbs in the centers of his son's palms, little hands in his, and he tucked his cheek down next to James's, reminded himself of the need for control.
"These little cryptic remarks you're making about my son," Castle said slowly, lifting his head. "That's one of those things I want you alive to explain."
Colin groaned. "She told you about that, I suppose. Of course she did. Afraid of what she-"
"She didn't tell me anything," Castle interrupted, completely unwilling to hear the rest of that. "She's still asleep. She needs it; she came and visited you during the middle of the night."
"Despite my best efforts, her visit to me is not why she needs her sleep."
Damn straight. "I don't need your assurances, Colin." James struggled in his arms and he released his son straight to Hunt's mattress, just for the hell of it.
James crawled to the foot of the bed, Hunt wincing with every bounce, and then Castle sighed and reached for his son, dragged him off again. That had been low, mean of him.
James whined something and tried to wriggle down. "No," Castle said. "Sit with me."
"Dada!"
"Yeah, I was being mean. But we're gonna be nice now, wolf. Understand? Sit with me and chew on this." Castle grabbed a piece of toast from the stack he'd brought in with the plate of eggs, handed it to James. The boy babbled happily and grabbed it, sank back in Castle's arms.
When Castle glanced up at Hunt, the man was quickly averting his eyes. He looked all right despite Castle's petty act of revenge, despite the infection that had him a sweaty mess. Castle shifted in the chair and laid a hand over James's stomach to catch the toast when he dropped it - which he would - and he studied Hunt for a moment longer.
"So let's get to it," Castle said finally. "Colin. Look at me."
Hunt closed his eyes.
"All right. Enough." Castle leaned forward, punched Hunt in the shoulder - only a little hard. Colin grunted and opened his eyes, wounded indignation. Castle shrugged, pointed to himself. "Big brother. So that means I get to beat up on you when you're being a little bitch."
"Shut the hell up."
"No sympathy from me when you're acting like this. We both know you have it bad. For my - for Kate. You want her. I get it - that's probably hereditary or some shit, considering how obsessed Black is over her. So-"
"Don't you dare make this about that bastard's-"
"Yeah," Castle said softly. "Yeah. I like that response. You passed."
"What?" Hunt growled, eyes snapping to his. "I passed. You're a fucking-"
"Uck!"
Hunt's jaw dropped.
Castle cracked, laughing as he sat back in the chair again. James was giving them his shy smile around a gnawed on corner of his toast, and Castle rubbed a hand over the boy's head. His son. Good boy. Just the reason he'd brought the kid in here.
A little more restraint, a little comic relief. He cupped the side of James's face and kissed his cheek, fast, because he knew Hunt was watching and he wasn't trying to rub it in.
Look, I made a baby with the woman you think you're in love with.
Damn. Hunt was fucked.
Castle lifted his head, put his elbow on the arm of the chair, fist under his chin. "Okay, so we got that out of the way. You're in love with her. I get it. Don't like it, but that's probably the one place where you and I are completely sympatico."
"Fucking hell," Hunt breathed.
"Yeah. No kidding. The point is that we're on the same side. Her side. So you need to spill it."
Hunt's jaw worked but he didn't say anything against it.
"You want to start talking, Colin? Or you want me to keep making blind stabs at it in the dark?"
"At what."
Castle sighed, brushed crumbs of toast off his hand and James's front. He was still in his footed pajamas - the only pajamas that had been in the go-bag - little frogs leaping knee to knee.
"Fine," Hunt growled. "The damn kid is-"
"Don't curse him," Castle said quietly, trying not to tense. "Don't damn my son."
"Bloody hell," Hunt muttered. "Forget it. I'm not saying another word."
"You said something to Kate last night," Castle probed. Hunt had admitted it himself, thinking Castle already knew. Whatever it was. "You said..."
"It was fever-talk."
"It was the most honest you've been with us."
"I've been honest!" Hunt croaked, struggling in bed. Castle leaned forward, one arm gripping James, and he pushed Hunt back down, eyebrow raised.
"You know something. John Black - Jackson Hunt, whatever you want to call him - he has fucking played us all. Off each other, for his own purposes, to meet his own ends. Aren't you so damn tired of being played?"
"Yeah," Colin rasped. "So bloody tired."
"He tried to kill her. Kate. He wants her put down - like a dog, Colin. He has that little respect for her, that little care. He regards her as something rabid, an animal he can't contain. I am doing everything in my power to keep that fucking bastard away from her."
"Bloody Christ," Hunt moaned.
"You were doing his dirty work because you didn't know any better, but even then, Colin, even then, you were helping us. You've saved her life a few times now, you know. You don't have to be in his damn pocket."
"Stop," Hunt croaked. "Stop. Just. Stop."
Castle knew when he had the advantage and he pressed it now. "You ought to live your life on your own terms, Colin. Don't let him win. Don't let him touch her. Don't let him orchestrate this whole damn thing, setting the Collective on Kate's trail, hoping Jolin could do what he couldn't get done."
"It's not about that," Colin said tonelessly. He lifted a hand and rubbed his eyes. "It's not even that at all."
"So tell me what it is."
"It's the - it's the side effects."
"Side effects. Of the regimen? Of the-"
"Look, I didn't bloody well have a father to explain this shit to me. Jolin thought I was worthless with it. So give me a minute."
Castle sighed, glanced down at James. The boy was gnawing on his toast, shoving it to the back of his gums where his tooth was coming in. He'd started drooling all down the front of his pajama top, over Castle's own hand.
"Look, this is going to sound bloody nutters," Colin muttered. "And I don't know how to start."
"Just start. You'd be surprised."
"Whatever the program does for you, however it's affected you - well you know I got his DNA in me too. And... it wasn't enough. I didn't have what it took. Jolin tricked him, you know, with me. Tried to fucking blackmail him, but he didn't care one way or another."
Castle was ready to wring Hunt's neck. What did he care about Colin's childhood? He needed to get on with it already. "So you're not super. Fine. And?"
"Kate said it shaped your blood cells differently. That - the mitochondria - they do extra things you don't even know yet."
Castle was mildly pissed Kate had told Hunt so much, but the revelation of Hunt's blood had necessitated a few calculated revelations. "It's one of the reasons I haven't killed John Black outright. You do realize that. Kate will never - if she thinks I might need the medical knowledge in his head, that James might need him, then she won't let anyone touch him."
Colin opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. "That... explains it," he murmured. "Hell."
"So yes, we don't know everything that my - our - altered DNA can do. What it's already done. That's how - how Kate got so sick in Paris. We didn't know enough. And I got her fucking pregnant and we fucked around with all the individual elements, thinking we had it covered, and I nearly killed her. God damn it."
"Thought you said not to damn your kid."
Castle grunted, pressed his hand over his eyes. "I need information. All I can get. We were hoping to have Jolin on our side. So anything you know, Colin, anything - might be the thing that convinces her we don't need Black anymore."
"Thing is, Castle. Thing is - you might."
"Why. Why?"
"Because he knows all the pieces; he's got it all in his head. What he did, how he made us different."
"But that doesn't-"
"It does. I never told either of them, I was older when I figured it out, but - but it's done something to me. And maybe the boy. I'm sorry. I think the boy has it too. I don't-"
Castle lowered his hand to the top of James's head, heart pounding. "What. What has it done."
"I don't - know," Hunt croaked. "He never wanted me. I just - it can't be real. This isn't a thing people can do."
And suddenly everything was made clear.
Castle remembered a decade ago when the media had started flapping about some book that claimed to be a true story, and then a movie had been made about it: The Men Who Stare At Goats. The link between covert ops training and the paranormal. His father had made more than a few comments and that had stuck in Castle's head because when did his father ever care about pop culture?
"Colin Hunt, are you telling me you have - fucking mind powers?"
"Bloody hell, Castle."
He waited.
"No." Hunt lifted a hand and gave Castle a weak punch back. "No. You're the one with all the damn powers. I just get a fucking headache."