SheLearnedtheTruthat17 by Oldest Man
Sorry for the length but I'll be gone for a while.
Chapter 20
It had been a long and emotional day and between his gentle caresses and the hypnotic flickering of the flames, she fell asleep just as he'd hoped.
Her first thought of the morning was simple. 'The fire's almost out.' The few small flames from the remains of the logs Rick had put onto the fire flickered but the embers and bed of hot coals seemed to pulse with heat. She wished she could wake up this way every morning for the rest of her life.
Kate Beckett was nobody's fool. She knew she had 'issues' every January 19th and for a few days afterwards. At least this year she wouldn't have to make an appointment with her OB/GYN for an exam. Thanks to Castle there had been no 'tearing' that might require treatment.
She knew he was awake and she wondered if he'd slept at all. His arm was around her and his hand was flat on her lower abdomen and his fingertips were skimming a path between her navel and the very top of her pubic hair. He wasn't trying to arouse her. He probably wasn't even aware of what he was doing.
She turned her head into the arm he'd been pillowing her head with and kissed it and whispered 'Good morning, my love', hoping that he still felt that way.
"Oh, you're awake? Good. It snowed another 6" last night and Ferraris aren't known for snow. I think we need to pack it in and head back to the city. I thought, maybe if you didn't mind, we could hang out at your place for a while and then grab something to eat and just – y'know, talk?"
"Is this about last night, Rick?"
"Last night? You had a long and stressful day, babe. You fell asleep almost the minute you hit the couch. Maybe you had bad dreams?"
"We need to talk about it. It happened and you know it. I don't think it'll happen again – as long as we're together like yesterday. I feel better, Rick, freer. Just being able to tell someone how I felt about her made a big difference."
"Good. You go up and shower and change and I'll make breakfast. I'm going to call the State Police and check on the roads. With the wind blowing like it is…"
Another quick kiss and she was gone but he heard her voice call his name and so he pulled on the clothes he'd tossed off the night before.
Kate was standing at the large kitchen window pointing to the Ferrari – it was almost covered with snow and the snow had drifted over the track in the wind.
"I think we'd better reconsider our plans, Rick." She pulled the blanket tighter around her and shivered. He wrapped his arms around her and stared out the window.
"I'll add wood to the fire while you shower or take a bath. I'll have coffee and breakfast ready by the time you're through."
Castle called his mother while Kate was in the shower and told her where they were and that they'd try to make Sunday brunch but not to worry about them.
"And how's Kate doing, Richard? I suppose she's still upset? Are you being careful with her?" Sometimes he thought his mother liked Kate more than she did him.
"Yesterday was very emotional for her and we drove out to her father's to have dinner with him. That went really well and the two of them seemed to give each other a lot of emotional support. It was late so we came back here and now it looks like we're snowed in."
"Well, stay warm and play nice, darling. I'll see you when you get back."
He looked up the number for the state police and they advised against driving until later in the day. Secondary roads along the ocean and Sound were wind-drifted over and some drifts were 5 feet deep. Predictions were for another 3-4 inches with winds of 15-20mph continuing through the night.
Kate walked into the kitchen wearing her wool socks and a bathrobe she'd found hanging on the back of the door. She figured it wasn't Alexis' and was curious. It carried a scent of perfume that Kate couldn't place.
Rick looked over his shoulder and smiled. "You look a lot better in it that than Mother does. I'm glad you found it. She always uses the Master Bath and leaves her stuff everywhere."
"Can I help? I can handle breakfast, Castle." He smirked and waved towards the stove and muttered, 'be my guest' and sat down at the small table to watch.
She scrambled eggs, added chopped onions and cheese, made toast, laughed when he had to show her how his hi-tech coffee maker worked and then they took their plates and coffee to the couch in front of the fireplace.
"Rick, can we do this every year? I mean come up here, eat with Dad and then come out here and just enjoy the fire and each other?"
"Sounds like a great idea. Listen, the main roads are closed between here and the LIE and the drifts are too deep to risk driving on the secondaries. Call your dad and let him know where we are and that we're not heading back into the city until tomorrow morning if the roads are clear."
They spent almost the entire day just talking while enjoying each other and the fire. They fulfilled Kate's desire to make out like horny teenagers in front of the fire at least twice.
They spent the night on the couch in front of the fire, thoroughly involved in each other. Beckett woke first and decided to surprise him with breakfast but her father called and told her that he had her mother's notes, journals and diaries all boxed up for her and suggested they stop by on their way back into the city and pick them up. The roads would be fairly clear by then.
She sighed deeply. Her brief time in paradise was over and it was back to reality for her. She made coffee and woke her future husband with a few wet kisses and caresses and then scooted out of his reach, laughing at the look on his face and feeling very much in love with him at that moment.
Kate quickly showered while Rick secured the glass doors on the fireplace and closed up the house. She loved this beach house and was planning weekend getaways in her mind. Slowly but surely, Kate was becoming Detective Beckett again in her mindset. She recognized the subtle changes and wondered if Rick would notice.
He did. From the moment her father called and mentioned that the roads were clearing, Castle had watched as the relaxed young woman who'd made his weekend so complete changed. Her tone of voice became harder as did the planes of her face. When she came down from her shower wearing what Rick considered her 'detective outfit' the transformation was complete.
"Castle, why don't you drive? I'll run into Dad's and pick up my mother's journals and we can head into the city and meet up with Alexis and Martha for brunch. Afterwards, drop me at my apartment?"
It was a question but a statement as well. She wanted some distance and didn't want to ask for it and disappoint him so she couched her choice in terms he might easily misunderstand.
12th Precinct
Things were totally back to 'Kate World' over the next few weeks. There was still the 'Model' case to solve, still more unsolved cases to review and re-file, and new cases to handle and through it all she maintained a sense of detachment. She moved in her Kate World orbit until the gravity of Rick's World pulled her away, out of her orbit of murder cases and nights at her apartment, and into his of family and fiancée.
Sometimes she resented it when the larger body dragged her from her orbit but other times she hastened it along by calling Rick or Alexis or Martha and just talking and those times invariably ended with her eating dinner with them and waking up the next morning wrapped in his arms. Those times were less frequent as time went by.
The couple had their first real knock-down-drag-out in late February when Rick brought up the expiration of her lease and wanted to discuss the logistics of her move.
"I thought we'd agreed when you said you were going to move in here when your lease was up?"
"Rick, I want to keep my apartment. It's easier some nights for me to just crash there and…"
"And what, Kate? I'm not pressing you to get married. We settled that issue weeks ago. When you're ready and when things calm down, right?"
"Yeah, when things calm down, Rick. I just need my own space right now, honey. It's a big adjustment. It's only a 6-month lease extension. I'll have everything settled by then and then I'll formally change my address."
Both of them believed the lie because not believing was unthinkable.
Natalie Rhodes provided the catalyst for the second dust up and it was totally Kate's fault but, of course, she never saw it that way until Lanie Parrish explained the facts of life to her. By then it was too late to do anything about what she'd done in the heat of anger.
It was a cold March afternoon when Natalie Rhodes appeared at the 12th Precinct. She was in her Nikki Heat persona and was accompanied by a small entourage of hangers-on.
When the elevator door opened and she strolled out, Roy Montgomery had been on the phone but catching sight of her, he'd hung up mid sentence and hurried out to meet her. There were forms to be signed, waivers to be attested to, and introductions to be made. He wished he'd worn his better suit.
"Miss Rhodes, welcome to the 12th Precinct…" He escorted her and the Mayor's representative from the City's Film Board into this office and closed the door in the face of her entourage. Most of the men had either seen Natalie arrive or heard it through the grapevine and so there was quite a crowd gathered when Montgomery escorted her out and over to the Homicide Unit and Kate Beckett.
"Natalie Rhodes, meet Detective Kate Beckett. You'll be shadowing her and her team for the next 10 days or so. Beckett, I'll let you two get to know each other. Play nice, Beckett."
Kate had spent the weekend alone at her apartment going over her mother's diaries, notes and journals. She'd gotten really involved and then excited by some notes written by her mom weeks and even days before here murder. She felt she had a solid lead into why her mother had been in that alley that night.
Montgomery hadn't told Beckett that Rhodes was coming, figuring that Castle had taken care of it.
Kate felt angry about having a 'shadow' dumped on her without warning. She had spoken to Castle about her research and they were meeting for lunch to talk about it but he hadn't said a word about Rhodes coming on Monday.
Castle hadn't said anything because he didn't know. The studio told Rhodes to 'go meet Nikki Heat' and she had assumed Rick had given his approval. He hadn't.
Kate took in the gaggle of men and some women who were standing around trying to get a look at the celebrity famous for her boobs and shot a glare at the crowd that sent the smarter ones running. Finally she stood, hands on hips, and said very distinctly that 'you all have something important to do so, do it!' and even the stupid ones got the message.
Natalie had seen how commanding Kate could be and was impressed both with her style and her poise. She thought back to her transparent ploy to bed Richard Castle and smiled. She understood his comments so much better now.
"Look, Natalie, I wasn't told that you were coming. I'm not really ready for you and I don't have much of anything on the books except lunch with my boyfriend but you're welcome to walk around, meet some of the people starting with my team."
She introduced Natalie to Esposito and Ryan and asked them to show her around. She had a lunch date with Rick and Natalie shocked her by inviting herself along.
"I want to thank him again and this is the perfect time to watch Nikki and Rook interface on a personal level. You won't even know I'm there."
Kate stammered and finally agreed. She excused herself and walked into the conference room and dialed Castle. 'How could he do this to me? How could he just dump the 'slut actress' on her without warning?'
"Hey, babe. I hope you're not calling to cancel out on lunch." Rick hadn't spoken to her since Thursday. They'd both been busy. Saturday was Martha's birthday and he and Alexis had taken her to a play and dinner. No one mentioned Kate's absence but it was obvious that a 4th seat was vacant next to Rick.
"You son of a bitch! Why didn't you tell me that Rhodes was coming today? Damn it, Castle, you said she wasn't coming until you felt I was ready – well I'm not ready."
"I didn't know about it. She's there? I told the execs that I'd let them know when the workload was easier on you. Shit! Okay, so I guess you're going to be too busy for lunch?"
"Oh, no, you're not getting off so easily, Richard Castle. Be at Castiglia's at 11:30. Natalie wants to 'watch Nikki and Rook interface on a personal level'."
"I said I didn't know, Beckett. No one has called me – including you – since Thursday. By the way, we missed you at the play and at dinner afterwards. I told Martha a 'body had dropped' so don't worry about it. I'll see you at Castiglia's."
He hung up and Kate stared at the wall for a few seconds before hanging up on her end. Saturday! She'd forgotten all about the play and dinner for Martha's birthday because she'd found a few journal entries in one of the diaries her dad had given her and spent her Saturday and Sunday working on her murder board. She had her phone on the charger but hadn't bothered to check it.
She had two voicemails and 3 text messages from Rick.
Castiglia's
Kate parked a block from the restaurant and she and Nikki walked down the crowded sidewalk and Kate wished she'd worn something special instead of her standard black slacks and white turtleneck and boots. She pulled her coat around her and ignored the people who were stopping Rhodes to get autographs or pictures.
She glared at Rhodes and pointed to her watch and turned and hurried down the sidewalk, dodging fellow pedestrians. She was going to be late and hated it.
"Sorry about that but I guess you're used to it being with Rick and all. I should have worn my wig but I didn't think ahead. Sorry, Beckett."
"I'm not used to it. We don't go out much in public. There were pictures taken and…and I don't want to talk about it. We're late and I'm already in the doghouse with him."
"I wouldn't worry too much about that, Detective. He's so gone on you that I think it would take something like you being caught in bed with someone to make him even think about leaving you."
"And what makes you an expert on Richard Castle, Rhodes?" She didn't like the inference.
"Because I blatantly propositioned him and he told me 'no' although not in so few words. He's simply a one-woman guy and you're the lucky woman. I told him that you'd never know and he said 'but I would'."
Kate wanted to be mad at Rhodes but somehow couldn't muster the energy. Her 'a one-woman guy' comment had taken all the anger from her and left her feeling defenseless and guilty and she wished she could roll back the clock to Friday and spend the weekend with Rick and the family.
Rick was all smiles and kissed her chastely and then allowed Rhodes her one 'air kiss' before sitting back down. Kate held his hand on top of the table and said that she needed to talk with him and could he come back to the precinct for little while?
Lunch was not the stilted affair Kate had been afraid of. There was lively conversation although they'd been interrupted twice by people wanting autographs and Rick had just smiled and thanked the women for reading his books and resumed the conversation.
"Castle, don't you ever get tired of living in a fishbowl?", Kate asked him when Rhodes had gone to the ladies' room.
"It comes with the paycheck, Kate. Don't you get tired of dealing with the dregs of humanity? No, you don't and that's because you live for the job. I meant what I said to your dad, honey. Always remember that."
She started to apologize for skipping out on the weekend but Rhodes came back and she wasn't about to share her apology with her.
The three were leaving the restaurant and walking out onto the sidewalk when a big man in a Burberry coat and fedora plowed into them, almost knocking Kate off her feet. He looked at her in recognition and mumbled a quick apology but Kate just stared at him as he walked away into the crowd but then cried out, "NYPD! Stop!" and pulled her weapon telling Castle "That's the man who threw acid in my face!"
The man turned and pulled out a silenced pistol and shot twice but hit the wrong target. A woman screamed and fell down, blood spurting from a wound in her neck. Kate grabbed Natalie's hand and pushed it against the wound saying, "Keep pressure on it. Don't take your hand away or she'll die. I'm calling this in."
All this occurred in the space of three or four seconds. Castle was paralyzed for a brief few seconds and then took off after the man who'd tried to shoot Beckett. He was 15 yards behind him by this time but the crowd slowed them both down considerably.
Kate phoned in her report and a request for backup and an ambulance and then took off after Rick. She was terrified that Castle would catch up with the man and be killed. Her fear energized her and she was soon only 5 yards behind Castle but was unable to see the man they were chasing through the crowd.
Their suspect was heading for a subway station but stopped and turned, rested his pistol on his forearm and fired three more times at Castle but hit another innocent pedestrian in the chest. He turned around and sprinted across the street and onto a side street.
Castle was so intent on catching the man who threw acid in Beckett's face that he ignored the newest gunshot victim, crossing the street and weaving through the slowly moving traffic in hot pursuit. He'd felt a sting in his left arm, almost like a bee sting, but ignored it. He was gaining on the shooter and planned on beating him to death for what he'd done.
Beckett stopped to check on the second gunshot victim and was helped by a woman who said she was a nurse. Kate told her that an ambulance was en route and took off after Castle. She saw him cross the street only because of the patterned back of his WW2 Doolittle Bomber jacket. It was distinctive.
Kate weaved through the slow traffic and followed Rick up the side street. It was a one-way connector between the two major avenues in this part of the city and was lined with boutiques, shops and the obligatory bodega or two. She could see the shooter stop ahead and take aim at Castle and she saw the flash but didn't hear the sound of a gunshot and realized he was using a silencer.
Castle had counted the rounds fired after he first spotted the man's gun. It was a .22 caliber revolver with a silencer screwed onto the barrel. A part of his mind registered that the mob used hit men and they favored the .22 for 'close work'. It was small and lightweight but could still kill a man in the hands of a trained assassin. This guy had a lot of training.
The man in the dark Burberry coat smiled and stopped to catch his breath and end this chase. He had an appointment to keep and a man to kill. He took aim at his pursuer's head but then his cold smile turned to surprise when he pulled the trigger and the hammer fell on an empty chamber. He had lost count of his shots.
Castle plowed into the man and knocked him to the ground. They rolled off each other and got to their feet and began a deadly ballet of kicks and punches and blocks. Rick was tired and in the back of his mind he wished he'd spent more time running and less time at the heavy bag.
Kate was only five yards away and closing in fast when the shooter spun and jumped into a spin kick aimed at Castle's head. Time slowed and she felt she was watching a martial arts film as the man's coat flared around him like wings and Castle seemed to leap up and block the kick with a forearm and send a kick of his own into the chest of his opponent. Unlike a martial arts film, his opponent didn't bounce off a car and jump up and resume the fight. He stayed face down where he'd landed.
Castle dropped to his knees, clearly out of breath. Beckett saw he was just winded and took out her cuffs and slapped them on the unconscious man and then searched him for weapons and ID. She heard sirens approaching and then patrol cars and cops seemed to materialize and fill the street.
She stood and held up her shield and identified herself and Castle. She heard Natalie Rhodes calling her name in the distance behind her but her eyes were firmly fixed on the man who'd thrown acid in her face a dozen years before. He looked a little older but she'd dreamed of his face for years and she knew it like she knew her own.
Esposito and Ryan emerged from the crowd of officers and gawkers and approached their boss. "You okay, Beckett? We heard the 'shots fired' broadcast and knew you were having lunch with the boyfriend and your doppelganger and figured you two were in trouble again."
Ryan walked over to where Castle was still kneeling and reached down and grabbed his upper arm to help him up.
"You kicked ass today, old man. Let me give you a hand up."
Rick yelped in surprise and pain and shook off Ryan's hand. The adrenalin rush was gone and his arm felt like someone had hit him with a hammer. He didn't remember taking a hit during the fight but figured it must be badly bruised.
Kate's fear for Castle turned into anger at how reckless he'd been. He had chased after an armed gunman with nothing but his fighting skills and she let him know just how stupid he was and how he could have been killed and how she couldn't live without him, ending it all with a crushing hug that made Castle wince and groan.
"You're hurt! Let's get you to a paramedic and then you and I are going to discuss why you shouldn't go running after an armed man. Yes, you kicked his ass but if he'd had one more bullet in that pistol…"
"I just took a whack to the arm during the fight. Probably just a deep muscle bruise."
He didn't want to argue. He was just too damned tired.
"Look, I couldn't let him get away. He's the one who hurt you, Kate, and I knew you had to take care of the shooting vic so I just chased him down. Can we talk about this later in private? I'm not twenty anymore, baby, and I'm still out of breath and a little dizzy. Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine when I get you alone. Stay with me tonight, Rick. I've got something to show you. And I want to just hold onto you. I was so scared and…" She wanted to just hug him and drag him back to her apartment but she had a job to do and an image to maintain.
Castle leaned back against a parked car and Kate said 'to hell with the image' to herself and slipped her arms around him and hugged him. She could feel the rapid beating of his heart and it was a comfort to her.
Natalie Rhodes made her way through the crowd and the line of officers pointing to Beckett and saying, "I'm with Beckett and Castle." She waved one bloody hand at the officer and pushed past him.