I want to thank LadyAilith for her help editing this chapter. I hope you enjoy.
Again I own nothing.
Chapter 107
Kate bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. When she got herself under control she looked up at Alexis and softly spoke. "I don't have a boyfriend here, or anywhere for that matter. What I have is a writer that I am in love with, one who along with his brilliant daughter and eccentric mother put a smile on my face every day."
Alexis was out of her chair wrapping her arms around Kate, bringing her into the biggest hug Alexis could muster. "Does he know?" Kate's electric smile gave Alexis the answer she had longed to hear.
Xx
Rick was stirring, beginning to awake when he caught the hint of coffee in the air. As he opened his eyes in search of the source of the delicious smell what he saw melted his heart. In the guest chair across from his desk was a tangled mess of ginger and chestnut hair. As he blinked away the sleep he could see that Alexis had Kate pulled into a robust embrace.
"Now that's a sight a sight that I could get used to seeing," came from his lips as he slowly sat up grinning from ear to ear.
"Dad, you're awake!" With that Alexis abandoned Kate and rushed to embrace her dad.
"Pumpkin, it seems that you missed me."
With a swat to his chest Alexis replied, "Nope I was just worried that I would be stuck up here without your credit card. You know that I don't like being away from it for too long."
Kate snorted and the other two occupants of the office turned to her. "Sorry about that, but that caught me off guard. Oh, by the way I brought you coffee this morning." Rising to gather up the cup for him, she realized it had been a while since she made it. "Let me go and freshen it up. It's been sitting longer than I thought."
With that Kate headed to the kitchen to remake two cups of coffee. "Alexis, is there anything I can get you?"
"No, Kate. I still have my juice, but thank you."
As she left the room Alexis turned to her dad and raised her eyebrow. "Anything you want to tell me?"
"Alexis, you know I really don't want you to know what happens on nights like last night. I will never tell you about those things."
"Dad I'm talking about Kate's clothes in your room. And speaking of that, who else's clothes are in there?"
"Only mine. And before you ask, I changed in there while Kate was in the bath room changing into a pair of my boxers and one of my shirts to sleep in. I was way too tired to take my dirty clothes to the laundry." Castle couldn't help but notice the corners of Alexis's mouth were ghosting a slight smile. "We might have had a spirited discussion about where we were sleeping. In the end I convinced her that I would sleep in here and she would sleep in my room."
Alexis shyly spoke. "I thought it was her and her doctor boyfriend in there, and to tell you the truth I felt a little upset."
"Alexis, everything between Kate and I is changing. I'm not going to talk about it with you or anyone else until we clear the air about everything between us." With that Castle kissed the crown of her head.
Xx
As Beckett entered the kitchen she saw Esposito and Montgomery staring out the glass door that faced the deck at back of the house. When she reached the espresso machine she began to make another cup for Castle.
Esposito was the first to acknowledge that Kate had entered the kitchen. "Morning Beckett, sleep well?"
Beckett knew that there was a hidden meaning behind his words, but was not going to give him the satisfaction by answering an unasked question. "Um, I sure did. Did you and Dr. Parrish?"
Esposito's back straightened. "We are talking about you here, not me."
Montgomery never took his eyes from the ocean as he listened to the back and forth between his two detectives. As he turned to address his detectives, an older man entered the kitchen with a Glock holstered to his hip. "I never thought I would get use to this fancy coffee that Rick favors. I always took it black, but he has converted me."
Kate turned to the newcomer and leaned back against the sink. "Kate Beckett," while she reached out to shake his hand.
"Mike Porter," he replied as he reached for a coffee mug. "It's a pleasure to meet you Detective Beckett. Rick has told me a lot about you; actually you are one of his favorite topics to discuss next to Alexis, of course."
Kate could feel the blush creep up the back of her neck as she peeked over at her partner seeing his eyes dance as he bit back the need to make a comment. "Oh shut up Espo!"
"Mr. Porter…"
"Mike, please call me Mike, Detective."
"Only if you call me Kate."
Mike smiled and winked at her. "Sure thing Kate. As I was saying, we picked up your dad." Looking over at Montgomery he said, "And all of your family right after Rick put 'Zombie Apocalypse' into place as well."
Kate smiled at the thought of 'Zombie Apocalypse.' "Only Castle would come up with that name."
"Yeah, he has unique names for his plans. There is no way they will give away what the actual mission is, that's for sure. Anyway we were able to extract your families within thirty minutes of the order to go."
Montgomery spoke for the first time. "Well I want to thank you for what you have done for my family."
This time it was Javier who spoke up. "How well do you know Castle, Mike?"
"I've known him since the early nineties. We went through BUDS training together."
Still upset from the events in the basement last night and his general disbelief that Castle was capable of everything that took place in the hangar, Esposito continued, "So he went through BUDS with you, but were you ever assigned together?"
"No, on the day we were to graduate, he broke formation walked up and rang the bell."
A smile crept across Esposito's face for the second time in the past few minutes. "I knew he was full of it. He was never a SEAL." That remark got him one of Beckett's patented glares-the one she saved for people who have really pissed her off.
Porter was getting aggravated with the former Special Forces detective. "Well he had finished training, we were in formation receiving our Tridents when he walked up and rang the bell."
All that a shocked Beckett could say was "Why?"
"If you never accept your Trident you are never assigned to a team. If you aren't on a team you can easily move to covert ops and never really be missed, kind of fall through the cracks, get lost, never exist." Porter looked over at Esposito with disdain and continued. "So no, detective he was never a SEAL, but he might just be the best covert operator I have ever seen. I don't think there is anyone who would want to be in a room with an upset Richard Castle. Especially if only one was coming out alive."
With that Porter turned and went to check on his team, leaving a stunned Esposito and a surprisingly proud Beckett in his wake.
Xx
Beckett picked up Castle's coffee and headed back to his office. When she entered the room she found Castle sitting at his desk dressed in black sleep pants and a Green Lantern tee shirt. "A Hal Jordan fan I see. I always pegged you for Batman."
"Oh I am detective, I am. But you see Green Lantern had a cool ring. Something that can create anything you can dream up, how can I not like that!" The smile that he flashed her made her feel slightly weak in the knees.
She loved that with everything going on, and everything she had learned about him in the last twenty-four hours, he was still a nine year old at heart. "Anything that can stimulate your imagination must be a good thing," she purred into his ear as she placed his coffee on the desk.
As Kate stepped back she asked, "What are the plans for today?"
"Wilson is getting everything handled on his end. They have a lid on it right now. They will probably release it to the FBI tomorrow night. So we can expect the FBI to be at the precinct sometime in the afternoon on Monday."
Nodding, Kate spoke. "You're sure that this place is safe, that they can't find us here?"
Castle snickered. "You're going to love this! I bought this house using Alexander Pope Enterprises. It's one of the names that my businesses are run under. I use them to be able to keep prying eyes and crazy fans away from Alexis. The media knows who my mother is, so they have access to my birth name. This way no one could possibly figure out where my beach home is or anything else associated with my businesses."
The more Kate learned about Castle, the more she was surprised. She had always suspected that he was a good business man. After all, he was only writing one book a year and didn't seem to be worried about his financial security. She also knew that he was more concerned about Alexis's privacy and safety than anything else in the world. But she never expected that he could have this level of forethought or want this level of privacy.
"Why that name?"
He knew that her curiosity would get the best of her, after all that's what made her such a great detective. "As you know Alexander is the middle name mother gave me. And in school I had to write a report on an eighteenth century poet so I picked him. It was a bonus that he published a translation of the Iliad and the Odyssey. So I thought he was kind of cool."
Xx
The rest of the morning went as expected. Everyone was waking up and looking for breakfast, well brunch really. Martha had found bathing suits that would fit most of the guests and they made their way out to the pool.
"Katherine, don't fret," Martha said as she sat down in the chair next to her. Kate looked up with a deer in the headlights look as Martha continued, "Before you ask, none of these suits were ever worn by one of Richard's ex-wives. And he has never brought a girlfriend up here before. These are suits that we bought to keep for guests. I had a party last summer and some of the guests came without suits. I made Richard go the next day and buy enough suits in different sizes and styles to insure it would not happen again. I surely don't want our guests to be uncomfortable."
As Martha got up to leave Kate grabbed her hand and thanked her for her honesty and her understanding. She knew that she was insecure but was trying to hide it from everyone, especially Castle.
When they were alone Lanie looked over to Beckett and asked. "Okay what in the hell has gotten into you?"
Beckett just looked at her and raised her eyebrow. Lanie could see the eyebrow go up behind the frame of Kate's sunglasses. "Listen, last night you were sitting in Castle's lap. This in itself is a red flag but then you started whispering in his ear in front of everyone. To say this is out of character doesn't even begin to say what we all thought."
Kate looked over at Castle standing in front of the grill watching as he talked with Javi. She turned back to Lanie. "I can't explain it. I am not sure what is going on, but I am sure that I love that man. You heard some of what happened last night but not all of it."
With this revelation Lanie motioned for Kate to continue. "Well Josh was there as you know, he carried me out of the hangar. We hid behind my cruiser as the gunfire started. And somewhere in all of the commotion, Josh asked me if I loved Castle."
Lanie wanted to say something but she decided to wait. She had no desire to break Kate's train of thought. When Kate decided to speak again Lanie was at a loss for words. "After everything started to calm down Josh came to me and tried to 'stake his claim' in front of everyone. I could see the look of possession in his eyes and the look of loss in Rick's. Josh again asked me if I loved Rick, not only did I say I did, but I also said I was in love with him."
Lanie's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "Girl, it's about time that you realized that!"
"You know now that I have said it out loud. It sounds good, and I want to say it all the time. Lanie I feel free, you know. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. And that big, goofy, sexy man is the one who lifted it."
Lanie just sat back grabbed her drink and smiled. It's about damn time! was all she could think!
Xx
"Listen Castle, I'm sorry for punching you last night. Well, I'm not really sorry but I shouldn't have done it. You should have called me and Ryan."
Castle was done checking the temperature of the grill and turned to Esposito. "Let me ask you something-were you ready to die last night? Would you have walked into that hangar expecting to die and be okay with it?"
"Bro, we are a team. Of course I would have been ready."
"That's not what I asked. I went there last night expecting to die. I was willing to trade my life for Alexis' and Kate's lives. There was no way anyone was going to come out of there alive except me. I don't think that you or Kevin would be willing to do that."
"You might have been willing to arrest them; we saw how well that went last time. What did they serve, 3 months? The first time for a hearing they busted out? Wasn't going to happen again. So that's why I couldn't call you. You are still a cop. Me, I'm just a jackass writer who tags along."
Javi was quiet for a while before speaking up. "I owe you an apology. I questioned your background earlier today. I asked Mike about it and when he said you rang the bell I jumped at the chance to belittle you. I am sorry about that, bro. You deserve better, least of all from me." He stuck out his hand. When Castle responded, he was pulled into a man hug. Looking over his shoulder at Beckett Javi continued, "Bro, you are one of us, but if you hurt her, I will kill you. It may be harder than I thought last week, but I will. Now where is the beer in this place?" And with that Esposito apologized and gave his permission to Castle the only way he knew how.
Xx
The rest of the day seemed to fly by. The kids were playing in the pool, Lanie and Esposito were floating in the pool and the Ryans were snuggling in a lounge chair.
After a late dinner everyone seemed to go their own way. Castle went out on the back deck and took up residence in one of his Adirondack chairs.
Kate stood in the kitchen looking out over the deck. She saw Castle sitting in a chair facing the ocean. She decided that now was the perfect time to discuss their situation. Things had changed the past twenty four hours and she had a need to be near him. She looked around the kitchen and found his favorite bottle of wine. She knew it was his favorite because he always opened one when she was around. Kate poured two glasses and headed for the door.
Xx
Castle heard the door open and instantly knew it was Kate. There was a slight hint of cherries in the air which could only be her. As he stared out into the ocean he caught a glimpse of her sitting in the chair beside him, carefully handing him a glass of red wine.
Kate wrapped a small throw blanket around her legs and leaned back. "It's so beautiful here. I may never leave."
"That's why I bought this place. I wanted a place where I could get away with Alexis and see the stars. You can't see the stars in the city. As much as I love the city, I need the quiet of this place from time to time."
Kate, who had been listening intently, took a sip of her wine and decided to open up her heart. "My mom and dad loved each other intensely. They had a fairy-tale love. Sure they fought from time to time, and when they did it was epic." This brought a smile to her face and a chuckle from him. "They also loved as deeply as any two people could. They had the kind of love that I have always wanted."
Rick was mesmerized by the story that Kate was telling. He wanted to speak but was so fearful of breaking her concentration and having her crawl back into her shell. So he waited, letting her continue at her pace.
"When I was fourteen I went to a dance at school. David White was my date, a nice boy, and I had a great time. When he walked me home I let him give me a kiss. It was the first time I had let a boy kiss me, I went to bed on cloud nine. The next day Maddie called me to tell me he was telling everyone I let him go all the way. I was so humiliated, I sat in my room and cried."
Castle began to speak, to tell her it was alright but before he could, she continued, "My mom came and checked on me with two cups of hot coco. I told her what happened and she hugged me as tightly as she could. I asked her why he would do such a crappy thing to me and all she could say was 'Boys are stupid.'"
"After a few minutes I said, 'I don't want stupid.' That's when she asked what I did want, and I didn't have an answer. So she said 'Katie let's just figure out what you do want.' and so we made a list of what my perfect boy would be."
Now Castle couldn't help but speak up. "I would love to see that list."
Kate thought to herself 'Just look in the mirror,' and she continued. "I thought that Will had some of the qualities, but I was fooled. Tom had most of them." She could see the pain on Castle's face at the mention of Tom Demming. "But he didn't have the most important one, Love. I didn't nor did I think I could ever love him. Josh was just a place holder for the man I had loved ever since my mom died."
Her statement made Castle worry. He didn't know Beckett when her mom died. But again he waited for her to continue. "After she died I found one of your books in her stuff. When I read it I could see the character that you created had all of qualities that I required. Then when I read Derek I fell in love. I know it sounds crazy but I thought anyone who could write a character with that much conviction had to be writing it from the heart. So I knew that I loved you. I know I am sounding like a crazy stalker but you know I'm not. Anyway, your books got me through the dark times. Every time I picked up your book I loved you a little more."
Castle had never been known for being quiet so she was not surprised when he interrupted. "Then you met me and it all went to hell. I am so sorry for the person I was back then."
"Don't you dare be sorry! You did what you had to do to protect your heart. Don't forget I have met both your wives. I know that the persona that you projected was just that, a persona. Not you. You didn't know me or the boys, so sure, you had to keep it up. I am just glad that you trusted us enough to show us the real you. I. Love. You. Richard. Castle. And I always will."
"Kate, no one has ever said that to me. Sure mother and Alexis have, but never did either of my wives or Kyra for that matter. Sure they said it in passing, but they never said it with conviction."
Xx
Martha was standing in the kitchen watching the scene play out on the deck. She could not hear what was being said but she knew the young detective was pouring her heart out to her son. She was interrupted as Kate's father and Lanie settled in beside her.
Jim was the first one to speak. "I am so happy to see Katie smile again. Rick sure does seem to make her happy."
Lanie smiled and put her hand on Jim's shoulder. "If you only knew how much she smiles when he is around. He is good for her, and just in case you didn't know, he loves her."
Taking a sip of her wine the diva turned and said, "Well it sure looks like she loves my son, now how about we retire to the living room and give them some privacy."
Xx
"Well Rick, I will tell you every day for the rest of my life." Castle's eyes darkened instantly. "Every day?" he asked with a hopeful grin.
"Every day, now how about we go to bed."
That night they affirmed their love for each other many times over.
I know it's was a long chapter but I wanted to move this along.
Thoughts?
