Chapter 21, Alexis's in Wonderland
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: What do you think? Rating: K Time: The future, after my story, Four of a Kind.
Chapter twenty One: Through the Looking Glass
The five turned and stared at Metford. "What?" Asked Castle.
"There is one more Alexis. However, it isn't necessary for you to retrieve her. We have the Alexis we need."
Rodgers shook his head. "Metford, fuck you and your whole fucking planet. We're going after the last Alexis." The others nodded.
"That's not necessary, you know. The last Alexis…."
Kate cut him off. "We're going to get the last remaining Alexis. End of discussion."
Metford shrugged. "If you so desire. However, it'll take a bit to set up. Ms. Beckett and Mr. Rodgers may as well get their medical needs taken care of."
The five exchanged glances. Rodgers and Becks nodded. "Okay." They said together.
Becks and Rodgers disappeared into the local hospital while Rick, Kate and Simone went back to the Lunar home they had occupied. Rick and Kate tried to involve Simone as much as possible in their activities, but after a few days Simone asked to not be included in anything they did.
"I like you, Kate. More than like, I love you like a sister. But I'm in love with your husband, but I won't do anything to try to break you two up. The easiest way to keep from doing that is to just stay away."
After Kate told Rick about the conversation, Rick went to Metford to see if they could find Simone an Earth with a Rick Castle and no Kate Beckett. "The Universe wants the Ricks and the Kates to be together."
"Mr. Castle, "Metford said tiredly, "we are not a dating service. I assure you that there is nothing magical about your relationship with Kate Beckett. Not that we've bothered to check, but I'm sure there are plenty of Earths where you two are happily married to other people, where your friend Detective Ryan is married to someone you've never heard of. I'm sure that somewhere you're madly in love with your wife Meredith."
"Meredith? That's disgusting." Castle said as he walked out of Metford's office.
After four days, Rick and Kate came back to find Becks staring in a mirror. She whirled around when she heard them come in. "Look! My eye! The bone, the skin, the…the everything! I'm fixed. I never thought I'd be anything but ugly and now…I'm me!"
"You've never been ugly. "Rodgers said, walking through the door. "Never."
Becks ran to him, threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Rodgers picked her up and carried her off to their bedroom.
After a few minutes of passionate lovemaking sounds, Simone walked out of her room and went right out the front door.
"I think we might give them some privacy, Mrs. Castle." Rick suggested, "Dinner?"
She nodded. "Then we can come back and give them some competition, Mr. Castle."
They did try to give them some competition when they returned, but Rick and Kate had to admit that the quantity of the lovemaking next door was spectacular, even if they couldn't check on the quality.
In the early hours of the morning Kate was woken by a crash in the living room and a muffled curse. She wake Rick when she got out of bed and both went to investigate. Turning on the light, they found Simone putting a lamp back on a table. She had been crying and her blouse was unbuttoned showing she had no bra on. When they got closer, they could smell the alcohol on her.
"What's wrong?" Kate asked softly.
Simone shook her head and headed very unsteadily to her room, but fell to her knees after two steps.
Rick and Kate knelt beside her. "What's wrong?" Kate asked again.
Simone looked back and forth at each one. "I went to a bar and had a drink." She slurred.
"Just one?" Kate asked.
"I had as many as I wanted. Then I picked up some guy and we went to his place and fucked. When we'd worn each other out, he started telling me how beautiful, and sexy and hot I was. And I told him he wasn't Rick Castle and he told me to get the fuck out. And here I am." She managed to stagger to her feet and Kate took the sobbing woman to her bedroom.
When Kate came back to bed, she snuggled up against Rick. "What are we going to do about her?"
Rick shook his head. "I have no idea. I can't build her a Rick, and Metford won't help. I refuse to believe that the Universe wants all Kate Beckett's except her to find their Rick."
The next morning, Becks cornered Kate. "What happened to Simone? We heard her come in last night, but couldn't hear most of the conversation."
"She's the only one of the Kate Becketts now that hasn't found a Rick. She's in love with my Rick and probably yours as well, but she's too honorable to make a play for either one. Rick asked Metford to try to find a Rick for her, but he refused."
"So..?"
Kate shrugged. "We'll take her back to our Earth. Maybe she can find someone there."
Becks shook her head sadly. "There's a spare Rick on my Earth, but I wouldn't wish that prick on my worst enemy. He stirred me up to go after Bracken and then he abandoned me."
Both women parted with no idea how to solve their problem.
The next day, they were told by Metford that Alexis was well enough to go home. "Our medical science, just like everything about our society, is far in advance of yours." He said smugly.
Alexis was a little stiff, but more than happy to go home. The five walked her to the red square and, in a flash of blue light, they found themselves in another Rick's home.
"Pumpkin!"
"Daddy!" They cried out at the same time and ran forward to hug each other and even cry a little.
After the tearful reunion, they took this Rick aside and explained that the Earth where Bracken was President couldn't threaten Alexis any more. "I have no idea how they did it, but apparently they can keep anyone from another Earth from coming to this Earth. They also mounted some kind of a commando raid that damaged Bracken's research center and killed his top people. A fairly grim way to do things, but probably it kills fewer people in the long run.
Rick Castle, the scientist, shook each of their hands. "How can I ever thank you?"
They looked at each other. "We did some thinking about that." Kate said. "At first we thought that it would be best if you stopped your research on alternate Earths. But that would leave Metford and his Earth in control of that particular secret. We have no evidence that they're a bunch of psychopaths or fascists, but that's an awful of power for one world out of thousands to have, so maybe it would be better if lots of Earths could trade and learn from each other. Or maybe not. So we finally decided that you're just going to have to ask you to follow your own conscience. It's the best we can do."
The other Rick nodded. "I have a lot of thinking to do. But at least Alexis is here with me."
After a final round of handshakes, they were gone in a flash of blue light.
Metford was waiting for them. "Ready to go look for the final Alexis? You can leave tomorrow morning. You won't need any special information from the viruses. This Earth is quite close to the Earths you're from."
The next morning they found themselves in an alley in New York City. A quick check of the neighborhood showed they were a block or two away from where Castle's loft should be. To be sure that no one would see multiple Ricks and Kates, if a Castle lived here on this Earth, Simone walked up to the doorman by herself.
"Hello. I'm looking for a Mr. Castle?" She held out a photo of Rick on her phone. "I know him only slightly and I think he lives around here. Can you help me?"
The doorman, a heavily built African-American who looked nothing like the doorman Simone knew, looked carefully at the picture, then slowly shook his head. "No. Not familiar at all. I know everyone in this building and most of the people on this block. Never seen him before."
Simone thanked him and went back to her friends. She told them what she had learned.
"What now?" Becks asked.
"Luckily you have a card carrying member of the New York Public Library with you. We're off to do research."
Once at the library, Kate found an entry for Richard Castle almost at once. "Richard Castle Productions with an office in Santa Monica, CA." She tapped the computer screen. "They even have a picture of him. It's him."
Leaving the library, they noticed something. "Look! It's the World Trade Center. It's still standing." Rodgers said, drawing an odd look from a passerby.
"I hope that makes flying to LA easier." Rick said. "If there was no 9/11, there may be no TSA or Homeland Security."
Their flight to LA was undisturbed by any security searches and after finding suites at an airport hotel, they headed for Santa Monic in a rental car.
The offices of Richard Castle Productions was located on the ground floor of a Spanish Colonial style two story office building. Kate, Becks and Simone stood in front when they knocked on the door. No telling how one Rick Castle would react to having two more of him show up on his doorstep.
To their surprise, another Kate Beckett opened the door. She stepped back at first, shock clear on her face. Then she smiled. "Lover, we have company. It's us. "She called over her shoulder. Then she stood back and waved the five in. "Come in. We wondered if someone like you would show up."
Inside, they found a Rick Castle and an Alexis as well. Luckily, there appeared to be no one else in the office.
After some not very necessary introductions, Rick asked the new Rick what had happened.
New Rick took his Kate's hand. "I lost Meredith and Alexis just after Flowers for her Grave was published. Meredith picked Alexis up from her baby sitters when she had been drinking all afternoon with some other talentless actors. To make a long story short, they were both killed when Meredith ran the car off of the road. I was pretty shattered and I didn't take it very well. I blew my money on…" He blushed. "On things and people that I shouldn't have and finally hit rock bottom. Broke and friendless in LA. But a guy I knew asked me to polish a script for him. I found that working kept my mind occupied so that I didn't need drugs, or booze or hookers. When I was done, I got ten grand and my friend asked me to do some work on another script. After that, he asked me to collaborate with another guy, then he asked if I'd write a script and finally, I was a successful screen writer and then I decided to produce a direct to DVD film of my own. I wasn't happy exactly, but as long as I kept busy, I was okay." He smiled at Kate and Alexis. "Then these two showed up in my life."
The new Kate took over. "I lost Rick when he was killed by two of Bracken's goons when they tried to kill me with a fake suicide. But I got Bracken. I was crushed by the loss of Rick. Martha insisted I remain at the loft. She said both Alexis and she needed me."
"We did." Alexis said quietly. "I still do."
Kate nodded and smiled at Alexis. "I was pretty lost, too. I threw myself into my work, but it just wasn't the same without Rick. Then two guys showed up at the loft to kidnap Alexis. I was there, so they took me, too. We ended up in another New York. Our two kidnappers, both armed, walked past some cops who were investigating a robbery. The cops stopped them and asked about the guns, which started a gun battle. Our kidnappers were killed and Alexis and I ran."
Alexis took up the story. "We ran to the loft, but Dad didn't live there. He never had. We did some searching on line and found out that he lived in LA."
Kate smiled and shook her head. "We just had enough money to afford a bus to LA. I think Rick thought we were both crazy when we showed up here."
"Actually, I thought they were a pair of con women. "He shook his head. "But I just wanted it to be my Alexis so badly, I asked her to take a DNA test. I was shocked, let me tell you. She's my daughter, and I found I had a wonderful woman who loved me." He took his Kate's left hand and held it up for them to see. "We're engaged."
"And there's something else." Kate went to his desk and pulled out a thick manila folder. "The final draft of Heat Wave is ready for the publisher. It should be out in six months or so. I remembered the plot and the characters and Rick did the rest."
She walked over and sat on her lover's lap.
"You don't want to go back to your original Earth then?" Simone asked.
They all shook their heads. "Not chance."
Simone looked around. "I guess our work here is done."
LA Rick shot to his feet. "No, wait. You have to tell me all about your lives. I need to know." He pulled out his phone. "I'll order. Chinese okay?"
They stayed and talked until late at night and then in a flash of blue light, the five returned to the Moon.
"You didn't get her?" Metford asked sourly. "After all the trouble I went to?"
Rick smiled at him. "They lived happily ever after. What can I say?"
The next morning the five gathered at the red square one last time. Metford, as always, was there. "I have a present for you. Or at least for the two Ricks." He handed each of them a computer disc. "We've collected Nikki Heat stories and Derrick Storm stories from all of the Earths where Rick Castle is a writer. Mr. Rodgers, you can go back to writing for a living."
Rodgers took the disc. "I need to make a living, now that we're engaged." He pulled Becks close to him and kissed her.
Metford handed a similar disc to Rick. "You cover story is that you, Kate and Simone have been holed up on an island in the Caribbean while waiting for Bracken's plot to be disrupted by your father. While you were there, you did some writing. I hope you approve of the books that other yous have written. We had yet another Rick and Kate there so there'd be plenty of evidence that you were there. They were well compensated for their part in our little charade."
Metford stepped back and smiled at them. "You five have brought a bit of excitement into my life, but I honestly hope we never see each other again. Now, Rodgers and Becks, if you'll stand on the red square?"
After one final set of hugs, Rodgers and Becks were gone.
And then, Rick, Kate and Simone found themselves standing on the veranda of a house overlooking a sparkling blue sea.
"Do you two ladies want to stay here for a while?" Rick asked.
"I want to go home." Kate said.
"Home."