CH26
Kate was slowly waking up and started blinking her eyes open and started stretching her sleepy muscles and moved an arm to the other side of the bed and found it warm and empty. Telling her that it hadn't been that way for long.
Kate wasn't in the least bit worried about where he was. There was a time long ago when not finding the guy having stayed the night with her both a good thing and a lonely thing. It's just that she buried the lonely part deep inside herself and was usually happy that the bed was empty. However those times were gone now.
Now knowing that he was still around here somewhere brought a smile to her face. Something else that she hadn't done in a long, long time. SMILE! Kate didn't have much to smile about before.
It was only moments and she could hear people talking, and that got her smiling even wider, since it was obvious from the tone of the happy voices just who was doing the talking. It also brought to her mind what happened last night, that got her smiling even wider.
(Why did I wait so long? What we have is so special. Why couldn't I just have opened up earlier? I could have saved myself so much heartache. However I'm there now and I'm not giving it up. Not for any reason. Any reason at all.)
Kate started playing back what happened in her mind, while she swung her legs over the side of the bed throwing the thin bed sheet off of her. It was warm so they didn't need the comforter that was at the foot of the bed.
Hell it was always warm here, and it was almost always sunny too, unless one of the rain storms came through that they really needed to fill the fresh water cistern that was under the house.
Kate made her way to the bathroom buck naked and looked at herself in the mirror. The trip had shown that she was sore in places that she hadn't been sore in for a long time. This knowledge also brought a smile to her face. Because it was a good kind of sore, a kind of sore that with some more practice wouldn't ever be sore again. And there was going to be lots of practice in her future, lots and lots of practice.
Kate didn't even recognize the woman in the mirror. Her long hair was a mess, but there was a reason for that. However she also had a really deep tan. Actually everyone had a deep tan now. Her tan however was because of a different reason. Her breasts weren't as tanned as the rest of her, however they were tanned. Now under her bikini bottom was another question. That area was clearly white.
That reason had Kate smiling even wider and at this rate if she kept it up her face was going to break.
(If only Lanie could see me now!)
Lanie would likely break her ear drums with her scream and then break countless ribs as she hugged Kate.
Kate had stepped out of the shower and dried her hair and applied a minimal amount of make-up. Very minimal since neither of them had very much left, with not much chance of getting any more anytime soon.
Kate slipped into one of her bikinis and put on a wrap around her waist and slipped her feet into her flip flops. Flip flops and her bikini was one more thing that had changed in her life. It was the primary reason she had such a deep tan. Kate didn't even miss her high heel boots anymore, even if they were still around here somewhere.
Kate left her service weapon lying on the night stand. In different circumstances it would be locked up somewhere, but these were not normal circumstances. In fact they had weapons stored all over the place and all of them knew how to shoot, Kate had even helped all of them learn how to shoot better. Mildly surprised that the two of them already knew how to shoot, even Alexis. Alexis just wasn't as good at it as her father or herself.
Kate headed for the door to join the others, not caring anymore what it looked like with her coming out of his bedroom into the family room with the open kitchen just off to one side, with another kitchen out off the back patio. Kate's heart was flying and she was fairly certain her feet weren't touching the ground.
Kate knew today she was going to use the phone and get an update on everyone she had left behind and prayed that she would see all of them again, Kate just didn't know when that day would be. That phone was her one lifeline to her old life and all the friends she had been forced to leave behind.
It also took her back in time as she opened the bedroom door to the questions and looks that were going to come her way, not that she cared anymore, she was happy, so very damn happy and everyone in this room was responsible for that.
Kate stepped out into the living room and all of the talking stopped, which was a little unnerving, still Kate expected some kind of reaction.
Alexis ran across the room and slammed into Kate and wrapped her arms around Kate. "I love you mom. … Thank you for loving dad too." Alexis whispered into Kate's ear.
Kate and Rick were sitting on the sofa with Kate leaning her head on Rick's shoulder when Alexis finally came back inside and made a beeline for the refrigerator to get some water.
Alexis was soon standing in front of both of them with her water. "Have you finished dad's book?" Alexis asks looking at Kate.
That got Kate to lift her head off of Rick's shoulder. "I have actually. … I'm having trouble deciding what is fiction and what is based on fact." Kate knew some of it had to be fiction, just what parts.
"O-kay." Alexis sat down on the coffee table and looked at both of them. "Let's take some of the key points and go over them one by one.
Your mom was working on a case to get someone out of prison that was wrongly accused." Alexis starts off with.
"A mobster who is obviously guilty." Kate starts off.
"All mobsters are guilty, but don't most high level mobsters hire someone to do their killing for them. Makes it harder to pin them for the murder." Alexis counters.
"There are dirty cops and a dirty commissioner and a dirty prosecutor." Kate moves on.
"It helps explain how Montgomery can afford to buy dad's beach house." Alexis points out.
"He's my boss, my mentor. He helped me for my captain's exam, helped me how to run a precinct. You're asking me to believe a man I trust that he is dirty, let alone involved in my mother's murder." Kate points out.
"Your mother's notes pegged three NYPD people were involved. She just didn't name them. One cop, the police commissioner and a prosecutor would fill that bill." Rick points out.
"The commissioner and the mayor hired me to replace Montgomery when he retired. Why would they give me even more power if they were guilty?" Kate didn't see the connection.
"You keep your friends close and your enemies, ..." Rick offers.
"And they in turn take orders from someone or in this case a group of someones." Kate passes that topic by for now.
"A group of business men who are generating money for one or more political candidates." Kate moves on to the next topic.
"And which political positions are the most influential? President, Secretary of State and Chief of Staff." Alexis ticks off the list in Rick's book.
"With a military man that is selected as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs." Kate lists off the last of the top bad guys.
"Who supplies the highly skilled and extensively trained killers." Alexis points out.
"And since voters are a fickle group there is no guarantee that one of them makes President. Which is where one of these hired killers comes into play because one of them IS the vice president." Kate points out a part of Rick's book.
"And as President he fires and hires who he pleases, presto they are in charge of the United States and everything it does." Alexis points out the plot.
"Except for one precinct captain who smells a rat and with the help of her tag along journalist is threatening all of their hard work and plans.
And what kind of name is Nikki Heat?" Kate punches Rick's arm.
Rick rubs his hurt upper arm area. "It's a cop name." Rick counters.
"It's a stripper's name Castle, and you're changing it before you publish it." Kate admonishes him.
"Kate is right dad. Cop by day and practically escort prostitute by night." Alexis didn't know her dad could write stuff like that.
Rick jerked his head to look at Alexis. "How do you know about that? I wrote two different versions and gave Kate the more graphic version and yours was more tame." Rick hadn't meant for his daughter to read that. She was 16 years old for Christ's sake.
Alexis shook her head. "That was really, … I didn't know you wrote that kind of stuff dad. That was pornographic." Alexis had even skipped over parts of it.
"CASTLE!?" Kate turned to glare at him.
"Honest I didn't mean to, I actually did write two different versions. That's part of why it took so long. …. I'm sorry pumpkin I never meant for you to read all that." Rick was ready to shoot himself.
"It's ok dad, I did skip over most of that. … Most of it anyway." Alexis tilts her head left and right a little.
"You made her breaking the corrupt cop the key to everything Castle." Kate points out.
"He was the weak link. His killing off the military trained hired killers with help from Nikki and Rook was the turning point. After that it just kind of all fell apart." Rick points out.
They were all quite for a time. "I don't know Castle. It means Montgomery is dirty, and that's just so hard to believe." Kate couldn't get past it.
"It explains the money to buy my beach house. He decides to retire and has you take his place, making you too busy to investigate your mother's murder. You have to divide your time over an entire precinct. You're so busy you don't have time to investigate them, him or her." Rick points out. "The money to buy the house is keep quiet money." Rick points out. Or at least it is in his book.
"So why are they generating money for the politicians? The Senate has control over what bills are passed not the President. Granted he has veto power." Kate questions.
"True, except in this case they are interested in what comes into the US and what goes out." Alexis points out.
"And gain control over the FBI and CIA by placing the directors that will do as they're told in charge." Rick points out.
"It's complex Castle, really complex." Kate points out.
"And when Nikki gets the first domino to fall all of the others fall with it." Rick points out.
"It's a good book Castle, one of your best." Kate points out.
"Any ideas what we are going to do in about 3 months? Our pantry is likely only going to last about a month past that time.
Plus the gas will lose enough octanes that it'll be useless not long after." Rick offers looking into the future.
"O-kay, so we can only stay here for a few more months. We have water, pigs, fruit and nut trees and a greenhouse with at least a few vegetables. Plus we have power so we won't die. At least not right away.
We know only islands are completely clean. Japan is likely too far. … How about England, it's clean?" Kate asks trying to work out where they could go.
Alexis started shaking her head. "Too far, it's like 3,400 miles just from New York. And even at 600 miles per hour it takes hours and we can travel at half that speed, and only have a range of about 2,200 miles." Alexis shoots England down.
"2,200 miles. … That leaves out Alaska naturally. Maybe someplace cold in Canada?" Kate brightens up, thinking Canada was mostly clean since it was cold.
"Except even Montreal has a summer period." Rick points out.
"We're going to have to think of something Castle. Even if it's just a land somewhere grab and flee back here with whatever food we can find." Kate offers. "So what is in reach of here that isn't more than 2,200 miles?"
They soon found themselves sitting in the plane with one of the tables folded out and Alexis's flight maps laid out on top.
"We could make Churchill Airport as the furthest place north, … and anyplace along this arc." Alexis draws an erasable arc on her chart. "I'll take us hours to get that far."
"We need to stay away from talking to the military." Kate adds.
"Because they are looking to flex their muscles and take food from where they can find it." Alexis adds.
"Something is going on you two. Why are we all having these Déjà vu moments?" Rick asks.
"All of this is driving me crazy." Kate comments as she leans back into the chair away from the flight maps on the table.
"All of this reminds me of that Bill Murray movie 'Groundhog Day' or that Star Trek episode where the Enterprise was caught in that time loop and they kept re-living the same moment over and over again." Rick points out.
"But dad Groundhog Day was about living the same day over and over again. It was estimated that he re-lived that one single day 100,000 times before he broke it. Even that Star Trek episode was all the same day. This has been months!" Alexis points out.
"Plus Bill Murray KNEW he was repeating the same day time after time. The Star Trek crew only figured it out when they sent a message to themselves using Data." Rick adds.
"Too bad we don't have a Data." Alexis mimics Kate and sits back in her chair.
"Somehow we need to figure this out. Something is the cause of it. Some event." Rick tells them.
"This isn't some Sci-fi TV episode Castle, this is real life." Kate counters. "There has to be some concrete explanation, something that doesn't involve little green men."
"They're gray actually with big black eyes." Rick corrects Kate only to have Kate glare at him. "Think about it Kate. One or two episodes of Déjà vu I can understand, but entire months worth? Something is going on, a catalyst that caused all of this." Rick pleads his case, only to have Kate remain silent, which Rick took as a good sign.
"Maybe we should sleep on it?" Alexis offered.
It got them back inside the house and spend the rest of the day spending time with each other.
Kate stepped out into the living room the next morning and found Alexis at the stove making an omelet for herself. "Morning honey." Kate hugged Alexis from behind and kissed her head.
"Morning Kate, is dad up yet?" Alexis was wondering if she should start one or two more omelet's.
"No he's still sleeping." Kate answers her question.
"Wore him out last night I take it." Alexis teased Kate.
"ALEXIS CASTLE! …. Well maybe just a little." Kate grinned wide while starting to blush. Kate was still getting used to just how far these two were into her heart.
It had Alexis chuckling. "Want one? With 11 chickens laying eggs now, we have a lot each day. More than we need really." Alexis offers.
"Yes please, do we actually have enough items to keep making these?" Kate was wondering if they should just switch to scrambled eggs in the morning, along with bacon.
"We have enough to last the next 2 or maybe 3 months still. After that it will depend on what is still in the greenhouse." Alexis started another omelet for Kate. "And you like dad now?" Alexis asks with her back still turned to Kate.
It had Kate smiling wide. "Yes I like your father now." Liked him a lot actually and was learning to like him even more.
"Do you love dad? …. Because I think he loves you too." Alexis still doesn't turn around. Alexis did however soon find herself in Kate's arms from behind.
"Yes I love you father now, almost as much as I love you honey. … I still can't believe that I ran into you in that hotel parking lot. I didn't have a plan and nowhere to go except back into Manhattan. Just that Espo told me that the military had already blown all of the bridges.
Maybe I could have found a boat, even if it was just a row boat. Something, anything." It was the only thought Kate had at the time.
Alexis twisted in Kate's arms. "I'm happy we found you too, and I love you too." Alexis melts into Kate and let Kate wrap her arms around her tighter.
Kate was content to just stand there holding her, wishing, … "I think you need to turn my omelet." Kate releases Alexis who quickly spins and gets back to cooking breakfast.
It is now one month later: (February)
"Hi Espo, it's been a week, how are things?" Kate asks using speaker phone as usual.
"Beckett, it's about time you called. You can come home." Espo tells them.
That got all three of them to look shocked, so shocked that none of them had a voice.
"Beckett, you still there Beckett?" Espo asks after too much silence.
"We can, … we can come home?" Kate finds her voice first.
"Not today of course but soon. Likely a month or so maybe." Espo put the brakes on their celebration.
"They found a cure?" Kate asks, not believing it, but praying that it was the truth.
"Not a cure exactly. Seems they worked out that the infected need an un-infected body to bite and infest with their disease. If you are already infected with another disease they seem to know this and not bite you.
They're calling it invisibility, since they don't even know you're there. So they are working on making shots to give everyone a disease. One that can be cured and isn't fatal. It's just that they need time to make that many shots." Espo explains.
The phone call lasted a little longer discussing various things, but the main thing was that they could fly home soon!
It is now one month later:
The three of them were running around all over trying to accomplish any number of things. Alexis was overseeing the loading of the plane, knowing just how much cargo it could hold and where to store it. While Kate and Rick were loading the golf cart and trailer with what was left of their food out of the pantry.
They also filled 3 coolers, all the coolers they had, with all the pork and some of the shark that was in their freezers.
In addition they were taking all of their weapons along with all of the ammunition.
Everything was locked up tight and shut down for hibernation until if or when they return.
"Here we go." Alexis states and pushes a pair of levers on the middle console far forward. However they didn't go anywhere and just as Kate started to question Alexis, Alexis let go of the brakes and they shot down the runway and were airborne in no time.
Kate was silent as she just watched Alexis work the controls and watched the three color screens.
About half way into their flight Kate could see Alexis talking. "Who are you talking to?" Kate asks finally, only to have Alexis point.
Kate looked and found that just off their port side was an F/A-18E Super Hornet.
"They wanted to know who we were and where we are going and if we had shots waiting for us when we land." Alexis informs Kate.
Kate remained quiet and let Alexis handle it all, still very impressed with her. Kate had learned a lot in the last few months, and was looking forward to learning still more about both of them.