A Future Caskett
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: You know this by now, right? Rating: K Time: See below.
"My arm hurts and…damn! My new coat is torn."
"Castle, take off your coat and roll up your sleeve."
"Why, Detective Beckett, we hardly know each other."
"No jokes. Do it. If you're hurt, Montgomery will have me pulling long dead bodies out of the river from now on."
Castle took off his coat and rolled up his shirt sleeve. "There, nothing but a nasty bruise."
"You could have a hairline fracture. I have to call the paramedics." Kate reached for her phone, but Castle stopped her.
"There's no need for you three to get into trouble on my account. I can call my doctor and ask her to drop by tonight."
This seemed to be the first time that Lockwood and Marks realized they might be in trouble as well as Kate. Then two one-hundred sovereign bills appeared as if by magic on a damaged table. Just as quickly they vanished.
"I didn't see Mr. Castle get hurt." Lockwood said.
"Me either." Added Marks.
"And we seem to have recovered Tina Donaldson alive." Castle said.
There in the hidden room Tyson had built was the beaten and bruised, but still alive young blonde.
"It looks like Tyson liked to keep souvenirs." Kate said, once Tina had been hauled out. "Photographs, underwear, bloody clothing, and what looks like a diary." She flipped through the pages. "He's been at this a long time. There's enough here to send you for the short drop, Tyson."
The killer tried to lunge at her and got a broken nose for his trouble.
When they finally got back to Castle's that evening, Alexis was waiting at the door. "Dad! Dr. Baldwin called. She'll be here in ten minutes. What happened? Did you get shot? How badly are you hurt? Is there anything I can do until the doctor arrives? Do you need me to boil water?"
Castle put his arms around his daughter. "I'm fine, Alexis. I just got a little bruise on my arm. I only called Dr. Baldwin so Kate wouldn't worry."
"Well, I am worried, Castle. I'm responsible for you, remember?"
"No, I'm responsible for me. Always have and always will be."
"Dad, you are not responsible at all!" Alexis wailed.
Luckily for everyone, Dr. Baldwin showed up. She was a tall, slender, sixtyish woman who arrived pulling a large suitcase behind her.
"What have you done now, Rick?"
"I have a little bruise on my arm and everyone is getting all worked up over nothing."
"Hmph!" The doctor barked. "Remember the last time I had to come see you?"
"No need to bring that up." He said quickly.
"Dad jumped into a lake to save Nancy Jenkins' dog. He said it was nothing and he ended up with pneumonia."
"And some deep scratches." Castle added.
"Because the dog could swim and he had no idea what you were trying to do. Neither did you, of course." Said the doctor. "Now let me see your arm."
Castle took off his coat and rolled up his shirt sleeve. The doctor used something Kate suspected was a very small X-ray machine to examine it.
"No fracture, not even a hairline fracture. But it is a nasty bruise. I'm going to put something on it to lessen the pain. Try not to use the arm for a few days."
"A few days?" Castle groaned. "I have to write."
"I'd suggest that your girlfriend knock some sense into that thick head of yours, if I thought it would do any good."
Kate blushed at being called Castle's girlfriend.
While Castle insisted he was fine, Dr. Baldwin put a painkiller in his arm and then put a bandage over it. "The bandage is to keep you from washing the painkiller off. You two ladies keep an eye on him."
Alexis and Kate thanked Dr. Baldwin who left.
"I guess I should have told Dr. Baldwin that I'm not your girlfriend." Kate said.
"Why not? You're a girl and you are my friend. Therefore, girlfriend."
Kate blushed again and changed the subject. "Did you really jump into a lake to try to save a dog?"
"In my defense, Alexis and Nancy were standing there screaming. I had to do something."
"Daddy! We were screaming to Cosmo to swim to shore."
"Cosmo. What a dumb name for a dog." Castle muttered.
"I think you were very brave, Castle." Kate said with a smile.
"And very dumb." Alexis added.
"I didn't say that." But Kate did giggle.
"Okay ladies. I'm going to make us all dinner and then I need to start writing. Alexis, after dinner Kate can help you with your homework and then you two can watch a movie or play a game until it's time for Kate to go home."
Kate quickly discovered that she was no help with Alexis' homework, but she did learn a lot.
Later that night at home, Kate wondered about her relationship with Castle. He had called her his girlfriend, but not in a serious manner. She found that she very much enjoyed being with both Castles and being their friend was a good thing. She knew it couldn't last.
Four days later she arrived at Castle's home in midmorning, happy that she had three days off and could spend them with the Castle's. But when the door opened, Alexis was standing there in her winter coat.
"Good, you're just in time. Your appointment is in forty five minutes."
"My appointment for what?" Kate asked, confused.
"We're going to a party." Castle said, coming into the living room. "You need to get the full spa treatment today. Oh, Alexis, how about the red dress for Kate tonight."
Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Really? The red dress? It shows way too much of Kate. She'll wear the black one. The long black one."
"What party?" Kate asked, still confused.
Castle handed her a beautifully hand written invitation on parchment. She read it. "William James requests the presence of Mr. Richard Castle and Miss Katherine Beckett at his home at…"She stopped. "Who is this William James?"
"He's the Minister of Finance."
Kate was stunned. "The Minister of Finance! I can't go there. Everyone will know that I'm some CrimPo from Junktown."
"Everyone will know that you're Miss Katherine Beckett and that you're with Richard Castle. Now hurry along with Alexis."
Kate rarely did anything with her hair and wore little makeup since she felt it would only attract men who just wanted to get in her pants. Hours later she returned to the Castles' with her hair done up and with more makeup on than she had ever worn. She'd had a manicure and a pedicure as well as having had her legs waxed. Her fingernails were a shade of bright red she'd never used before and her toenails were a hot pink.
"Come on into the bathroom, Kate." Alexis said. "We need to get you dressed."
Kate had never used the bathroom but wasn't surprised that it was huge, with a gigantic shower and two sinks. Beside one sink were towels that said "Hers".
"Hers?" Kate said, pointing.
Alexis looked disgusted. "I don't know what Dad keeps those. They belonged to my mother. She left us years ago." Then the redhead smiled. "We need to get you dressed. Strip."
Kate was a bit uncomfortable with Alexis seeing her cheap cotton bra and panties, especially when the girl took out a set of very sheer silk undergarments. "Your legs are so good you won't need to wear stockings, but I bought you a few dozen pairs for later."
"Later?"
"You'll be going to more parties with Dad."
Once dressed, she looked at herself in a full- length mirror.
"You are totally gorgeous." Alexis said with a big smile.
"I kind of am." Kate conceded.
"The car's here." Castle called. "Are you ladies ready?"
"Not quite." Alexis called. "I have some jewelry for you to wear. There's a pearl choker necklace, a pearl bracelet and pearl earrings. They used to belong to my grandma. They'll look perfect with your black dress."
When Kate came out Castle gave a long low whistle. "You're spectacular, Kate."
However, once in the town car, Kate had second thoughts. "Castle do we have to do this? I feel like a compete phony."
"Just pretend you're going undercover."
That didn't make Kate feel any better, but she decided to try it.
When they arrived at the Minister of Finances' enormous mansion, Kate could hardly believe that just one family lived here. They were dropped off at the front door, which Kate figured was wide enough to fit Castle's home through, if not quite tall enough. They were met by a well dressed, and distinguished man: Tall, slim and with just a touch of grey in his hair.
"Richard, so good to see you again. Thank God you could come. At least there will be one intelligent person to talk to tonight." Then his eyes lit on Kate. "And this must be Miss Katherine Beckett. She's beautiful, as I would expect, but I imagine she has quite a brain as well. Welcome to my home, Miss Beckett."
"Please call me Kate." She found herself saying.
"Then you must call me Bill."
"Are you really cashing out and going back to the Commonwealth Capitol?" Castle asked.
"Yes, I am. Oh, I know everyone says that seventy five million isn't much for a Finance Minister, but I don't want to be like old Ed Thorpe, chasing just one more million until he was too old to enjoy it. Besides, since my older brother has died, I inherited the family estates and businesses. I'm quite well off even without the seventy five million."
"Everyone will miss you." Castle said.
He laughed. "Everyone will be kissing up to the new Minister before I'm even out the door. Everyone except you and a few others." He suddenly looked past Rick and Kate. "Here comes Charles and his new wife. She'll be pestering him to ask me for a low interest loan of some sort. You two should flee."
"Seventy five million?" Kate whispered as they walked away.
"He's the Finance Minister. Billions pass through his hands every day. Some of it sticks. Sort of like the police tolls. Are you surprised that there's corruption at this level?"
She nodded. "I just always assumed the Elites always had money."
"That's what they want you to think."
It wasn't until later that Kate realized that Castle had referred to the Elites as them and not us.
The party was held in a massive ballroom, with a live orchestra at either end. There were hundreds of people there and every one of them seemed to Kate to be looking at her. She expected at any moment that someone would point at her and say, "She's from Junktown. She doesn't belong here." But after a while, Kate found the party quite boring. The talk was almost always about possessions. One man bragged about his new boat, another about his hunting lodge. A woman described in great detail her new jewelry, another spoke of her new sports car. All of the men looked at her with the predatory gleam in their eyes she remembered from other Elite men she'd met. She found herself standing as close to Castle as she could and putting her arm around him.
Castle was the exception. He told jokes, quipped with men about their golf games and flirted harmlessly with the women. Everyone seemed to like Castle.
Suddenly, Castle stared across the room. "Kate, there's someone over there I just have to talk to. Will you be alright here for just a few moments?"
Before she could beg him to take her with him, he spoke again to someone behind her.
"Ethan, there you are. Could you watch out for Miss Beckett for me for a few minutes?"
Kate turned around to see who Ethan was and got a shock. Ethan was not only several inches taller than Castle, he was fifty pounds heavier, the extra weight being all muscle. His black uniform had the scarlet shoulder boards and the scarlet skull and crossbones collar patches of the dreaded Internal Security Activity. The ISA reported directly to Lord Protector Bracken and were completely ruthless. There was no appeal from the ISA.
"I'd be happy to, Rick. I'm Captain Ethan Slaughter. Miss Beckett, they're playing a waltz. Would you care to dance?"
Kate was terrified but danced with the massive ISA man. Expecting to get groped, Kate was surprised when he held her lightly by the hand and shoulder. She was even more surprised when he made unflattering comments about the people who danced around them.
When the dance was over, he took her to get a glass of champagne. As she gratefully sipped the drink, she looked around for Castle. She saw him in a small alcove chatting with an elderly couple.
Suddenly, they were approached by an Air Force officer who seemed to be quite drunk. "I think I'll show this young thing around the place. Especially upstairs. "He slurred.
"The young lady is busy." Slaughter said coldly.
"See here. D'you know who I am?"
Slaughter leaned over so his scarlet insignia was fully visible. The officer turned white and backed away, apologizing profusely.
"Useless Air Force pilots." Slaughter said. Kate had never heard anyone criticize the military before and the shock must have shown on her face. Slaughter laughed. "If you can't get the truth from the ISA, who can you get it from, Miss Beckett? The pilots treat the Air Force like a private flying club. They show up in the late morning, have some food at the Officers' Club, then do a bit of flying. Nothing difficult or that requires a high G loading, just a nice lazy flight around the sky. If they ever have to fight anyone, they'll all be dead."
Just then, Castle came back and another man joined them.
"What were you and Count James and Countess Marie laughing about, Rick?"
Castle laughed. "If I told you, Paul, we'd have an international incident on our hands. Best I not say a word."
Paul laughed as well. "You always keep us laughing, Rick. God, but most times you're the only one here worth talking to." And off Paul went.
"Any problems, Ethan?"
Slaughter just grinned and walked off.
"A Count and a Countess?" Kate asked.
"James is a retired diplomat from the Empire. He was based here for many years and retired to the Imperial Province of New South Hibernia, just across the River Tee from us. They're a lovely old couple. I always try to chat with them."
"How did you meet Slaughter?"
Castle shrugged. "I pulled a thorn out of his paw once."