After a call to Captain Gates to explain the situation, Johanna and Kate headed to the Beckett house. Johanna left Kate in the living room while she changed. When someone knocked at the door, Kate was surprised to find Rick on the other side.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" she asked, letting him in.

"I don't know. Your mother called me and old me to come. She said she had important things to explain."

"Where is Emily?"

"I left her at my mother's. I think they were going shopping." Rick laughed.

"Oh, you're here. Good. Let's move to the living room. Would you like something to drink?" Johanna asked when she reappeared.

Once they were all settled, she began to explain.

"Did you hear about the arrest of Senator Richardson?" she asked, waiting for them to nod before continuing. "He was arrested for human trafficking, involvement with the mafia, and several murders. Of course he didn't do anything himself but it was proven to be the head of the organization that killed five people in 1996. I was working for the family of one of the victims. The more I went on with the case, the more complex it became. At first, when I got the case, it was just another murder case so to speak. But little by little I uncovered kidnappings, prostitution, drugs … that's when we linked the different cases of the five victims. They were all members of the same gym club. It was just a cover to their trafficking. They lured people in to do their dirty work. And when they refused, they killed them in a way that looked like an accident. But they were getting bolder and left prints on the victims. That's how we linked the five victims of 1996. From then on, we found similarities between them and discovered the organization. We didn't know who was at the head of course, but the higher we got in the hierarchy, the more we became targets. It started with small incidents like threatening letters or lashed tires. When Allison Gray, the woman working for the human rights association, was murdered, we learned the FBI had been investigating the case for a while in secret. They were the one who forced me to go."

"Were you the only one to go into witness protection?" Kate asked.

"No, there was also Kelly White and Thomas Johnson. The three of us worked on the case. I don't know what happened to them or if they came back. I suppose I'll see them on Friday."

"Why on Friday?" Rick asked.

"It's the day of the trial. All the intermediaries have already been tried but this is the big one. Senator Richardson will not be able to use his diplomatic immunity."

"Why?" Kate asked, confused.

"They didn't really explain but they said they found one aspect that will enable them to convict him no matter what. But I still find it weird that he did not resist arrest when they went to get him." Johanna explained.

"Will you have to testify?" Kate asked.

"Yes. And that's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. I have to leave town tonight?" Johanna said.

"What? Why?How?" Kate asked, starting to panic at the idea of her mother leaving again. The last time she left, she didn't coma back for thirteen years.

"Kate, honey, calm down. It's just a safety measure until the beginning of the trial and for as long as it will last. But I will not be alone, your father is coming with me. And I will be able to call you. I'm even negotiating for you to be able to come and visit on the weekends." Johanna reassured her.

"Ok." Kate simply answered, trying to breathe normally while Rick was caressing her back, both of the feeling the start of a panic attack.

"I also talked with Vicky and she agreed to give you some time off for the duration of the trial. You don't have to come to the courthouse if you don't want to, or if you feel it's too much, but you'll have the time off anyway? We both thought it would be best for you."

"Yeah. I think I couldn't focus on anything else." Kate said, surprising both Rick and Johanna. She was not known for giving up work without a fight.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O

The nights before the beginning of the trial, Kate did not sleep well and had trouble hiding her anxiety during the day. She was scared that because her mother will have to testify, she would be targeted or would leave again. To help her relax, Rick had planned a surprise romantic evening for the both of them, Martha being delighted to have Emily for the night.

Kate came back from the precinct on Thursday night, ready to start her time off – which she had already planned to spend at the courthouse.. When she entered the loft, Rick was dressing the table.

"Rick, what's going on?" she asked, walking tentatively to him. "Are you waiting for your mistress?" she smiled.

"You're all the mistress I need and you know it." Rick said, kissing her lovingly. "That being said, you have horrible timing. You're never this early to come home and you choose today! I'm not ready." he almost whined.

"Ready for what?"

"For our relaxy romantic night."

"Uh, I like the sound of that." Kate sighed, hugging her husband and closing her eyes.

"Well, go change while I finish here. Put your pajamas on." Rick said, pushing her to their bedroom.

"My pajamas? It's not really romantic ..." she remarked.

"I said it was a relaxy romantic night. You can't be more relaxed than when you're in your pajamas." Rick told her before closing the door of their bedroom.

When she came back to the living room, her make up gone and her hair in a messy bun, she found Rick waiting for her on the couch, a glass of wine in each hand, dressed in his pajamas. How did he get them without going in the bedroom?

"I took them out of the dryer." Rick said, answering her silent question.

"Why did you do all of that?" Kate asked quietly, taking everything in before going to sit by his side and taking the glass he was handing her.

"Well, you had a stressful month with your mother coming back, and I suppose the next few weeks will not be very relaxing so I thought tonight was perfect for relaxing and taking care of you." he explained.

"It sounds perfect." Kate said, kissing him on the cheek. "So, what did you plan, except for spending the evening in our pajamas?"

"Well, first there is cuddling on the couch with a good glass of wine, then a romantic diner I spent all afternoon cooking, then bubble bath, massage and sleeping."

"Sleeping? Really Rick?" Kate asked, smiling suggestively.

"I'll have you know, Mrs Castle, that I give the most relaxing massages in the whole … family. And I bet you anything you want that you'll fall asleep."

"Well, we could always play in the tub." she laughed.

The whole evening went exactly how Richard had planned. He disappeared several times to go and prepare the next stage of the evening: drawing the bath and adding the bubbles, leaving the tub before Kate so that he could go and light the scented candles he had put around their bed and prepare the massage oil.

Just as he had planned, Kate fell asleep during the massage but he didn't stop when he noticed. She was really tensed. She had knots between her shoulder blades and all along her spine. When he thought she was relaxed enough, he moved back from her and started to blow the candles. He stopped in his tracks to look at her. She was just gorgeous. She was lying naked on their bed, her hair spilling beside her. He just couldn't get enough of her.

So ... What do you think?

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