AN: So this took way too long for me to post, and I apologize. Thank you all for your reviews and patience with me. Multi-chapters are quite the commitment and I am trying so hard to stick with this one. I know where I want it to go in my head, but communicating it properly and writing it down is proving difficult. Hope this latest chapter satisfies you, and answers some of your burning questions. Lastly, please review so I can ensure I improve the story and my storytelling!
One Month Ago
"CASTLE!" the hollered command came from the back yard. she sounded mighty upset.
"RICK! Get your keister out here right now!" oh no, she is upset at him.
He grabs James tiny little hand and hoists Emma up. Holding her like the baby football that she is. He makes sure he has the kids with him, for that will certainly lessen her wrath, right? She can't reem him out in front of the kids. Although, now that he thinks about it that certainly hasn't stopped her before.
"Alright James, let's go see why Mommy wants to yell at me," he tells the little boy, jostling his hand. James grins back at him, smug little guy. He's probably going to enjoy this.
"Le's go see Momma!" he shouts.
Rick grumbles a simple yeah and walks with him out onto the back porch to see what has Kate in a twist. When he steps out into the fresh air - or rather the malodorous fumes - he instantly sees and smells what is wrong.
"Holy shit!" he gasps.
"Exactly!" Kate glares, "what did you do?"
"ME?! How does any one man break a septic system?!" he implores.
She's storming at him now.
"Did you put the enzyme thing in it?"
"Of course! It was pristine!" he almost laughs at himself, because there is no way a septic tank can possibly be pristine, but he knows he took care of it.
Moments pass where she is sizing him up, but she must finally come to the conclusion that it is no one's fault. That these things happen, and they just have to deal with it. They're home owners now, they can no longer blame it on the landlord; they are the landlord. But then he notices it. The dug up hole, right above where he thinks their tank sits, right next to their apple tree. That's not supposed to be there.
"Oh, no!" the sickening chime comes from next door over the neighbor's kitschy white picket fence. He has never met a more fake stepford family in his life and he prays he never has to meet another. "Looks like you guys better call a plumber. Smells like it too," she looks too damn smug about this, "Might as well call tree removal for your precious Apple tree, I doubt it will survive the crud in your soil now."
Oh, hell no. Kate turns beat red, and the vein in her forehead is jumping like a fish. He has to leave James on the porch to catch her in time before she strangles Mrs. Tulane right here on the lawn.
The Tulanes and the Castles have been arguing all year about this apple tree.
Rick and Kate loved it, it was one of the reasons they bought this particular house. It was large and it always produced a good bushel of apples. They loved lifting James on their shoulders and watching him pick the fruit with delight. Of course, he always ended up throwing them or trying to eat them, but it was damn cute. They couldn't wait until Emma could join in on the festivities.
The Tulanes, despised it. They claimed it grew over their property and they fumed any time they had to run their precious riding lawn mower over an apple - which happened a lot. They even complained that it obstructed their view, which Rick was baffled by considering the view in question was of their neighbor's yard. They've threatened to call all kinds of authorities to try and bring that tree down. They even went so far as to call HOA to force them to remove the tree, but upon discovering the tree was on Castle property, were turned down. Mrs. Tulane was so upset she threatened to have them removed from the neighborhood. Ridiculous. Is that even possible?
It is all so clear now. She was so upset over the ruling that she and her husband dug into their septic tank. All to get rid of their tree. Who are these people?
Kate obviously came to the same conclusion if her reaction is anything to go by.
With Rick clutching onto her waist, she leaned forward in the direction of Gretchen Tulane, and with a menacing point of her finger growled, "You did this."
"Whatever do you mean?" came the delightful reply.
Kate stalked right up to their fence and got right in Gretchen's face, "You know exactly what I am referring to. You smell this shit? It's all yours. You can call the plumber, you can pay for it, and while you're at it, you can buy us a new fucking tree," she fumed.
"Language, Kate," Rick chided unsuccessfully as Kate scowled at him.
Rick sheepishly pulled back, keen to let Kate do all the fighting, but still close enough to jump in for her defense. He bounced Emma on his hip in efforts to keep her entertained.
"Daddy!" James cried from behind him, "Look what I made!"
He turned to find James playing the mud that now riddled the yard. James was obviously proud of himself as he gestured to whatever structure he was making with it. He clearly learned a lot from his time in the Hamptons making sandcastles - now he's making a mudcastle. At least he hoped it was mud. Crap.
"James, quit playing with that!" he jumped over to him carefully, grasping his hand and pulling him back towards the house. Maybe he will perch himself on the porch with the kids. Far enough away where the kids won't see their mother confrontational, yet close enough where he can observe and offer assistance. Yeah, good plan.
"Listen, I don't like what you are insinuating, Detective," uh-oh no one should ever use that tone with Kate Beckett unless they want to get shot. He should know, he's been threatened enough times.
"It's not an insinuation, if it is perfectly true. You're too damn happy about this not to be suspect."
"Well," Tulane huffs, "Of course I am not happy about your septic situation for the foul smell is encroaching upon my own home, however, I simply cannot resist the joy that comes from the fact that your tree will die. It has been a long time coming."
"Oh, fine, if that's the way you want to play it, how about I come over there and chop down your TV satellite that buzzes at all hours of the day, huh? How would you like that? I would take great pleasure out of knowing you have to rely on petty cable with the rest of us."
"That would be a felony, Ms. Beckett, you oughta know that. Such a shame," she scolds.
"That's Detective Beckett to you!" Rick contributes from the porch.
"Ugh, up yours, Ms. Tulane." Kate yelled.
"That is Mrs. Tulane to you!" Gretchen yelled back.
"You know what, I think I am just going to let my apple tree live its last days swimming in shit. Who knows? Maybe it will survive and live another 50 years."
"That would violate HOA code. Once a tree is dead, it must be removed. I read up on it!"
"Of course you did," Kate muttered, "That's just fine; let's wait until it dies then! In the meantime, I hope all of it's leaves combobulate in your yard!"
Kate left that as the last word and stormed back into the house. Rick gave Tulane one last menacing look and then had to scramble with the kids to follow after her like always.
He found Kate pacing in front of the kitchen island, so he carried Emma to her booster seat and gently sat her down before picking up his mud monster.
"James you need a bath," he told the boy quietly and turned his attention toward his distraught wife.
"Can you believe this? I don't even know what to do. This is insane. Who in their right mind would do such a thing? It's dirty, Castle. Literally and figuratively," she vented.
He let her vent, offering quiet assurances in between her diatribe.
"Listen, let's just call a plumber because you know they aren't going to. They will continue to insist they had nothing to do with it and that we have no proof of foul play. They will probably say a raccoon did it or some BS like that," he reasoned.
"No. No, they are not getting away with this," she was insistent.
"Okay, well if this was a case what would you do?" he prodded.
"Nope. Not gonna treat this like a case. They took this too fucking far. They had my son playing with fecal matter in my own backyard for Christ's sake!" she cursed.
James fidgeted in his arms. His mother's tirade making him uncomfortable.
"Hey, he's just a boy. We like playing in mud," he defended his son, "and yes our neighbors are the worst human beings on the planet but we cannot be foolish about this. What do you want to do? I say we call a sewer company and get the tank fixed and leave the damn tree until it absolutely has to go and in the meantime we can think of how to get them back for this if you are so inclined to exact revenge."
"Oh, I am so inclined."
"Okay. Great," he nodded, "And, I, being the great husband that I am, fully support your decision."
"Wonderful," she panned.
"Okay, I am going to call the sewage people and give our little boy a bath. Will you watch Peanut?" he wondered, making his way to his cell.
"Course," she grinned. The kids were always a sure way to get her out of a funk.
"By the way, you do realize we owe the kids like 10 bucks for all those swear words we just dropped?" he chuckled.
While Rick made his way upstairs to the bath, James in tow, he pondered just exactly how his wife wanted to get revenge. Nothing he could think of were anywhere near what she would actually suggest. Needless to say, Rick was thrilled at his wife's constantly reliable ability to surprise him.