A/N: I don't have much to say here except enjoy! ^_^ oh and brownie points to all those who caught the Suits references. If not, don't worry, they're in this chapter too. ;)

Chapter 15

The taxi cab ride back to his loft was only a momentary relief: a quiet lull before the storm of reporters picked up again outside his building. When they assaulted his family outside the precinct, thrusting microphones and cameras in his face, at least there were some officers around who helped to hail him a cab and usher him in, along with his mother and daughter. But now, as his building loomed ever nearer, he could already see the reporters all lined up from the building all the way up to the curb.

Alex knew Richard Castle had quite a reputation in the murder mystery world, but never in his wildest dreams would he have expected this much attention. If he wasn't so concerned about getting his family back home safely, he would almost feel flattered that someone like him, just a novelist and by no means a "movie star," would get this much recognition. He wished his lawyer would've said something before hailing a separate cab back to his own office once they cleared the precinct steps.

Thank goodness that he had the foresight to call for a security detail to be at his place though, given all the difficulties he had leaving the precinct. Without them, he didn't know how else the sea of reporters would've been parted—he was no Moses and the words he wrote were anything but prophetic. But in all seriousness, those reporters were relentless. Not for a minute did they even stop to consider that his mother was in a wheelchair, or that his daughter was still just barely a teenager. They just kept coming, shouting out question after questions—"Mr. Rodgers, why all the secrecy?"; "Is this a publicity stunt?"; "Are you really the famed Richard Castle?" .

As intimidating as their security details were—all in dark shirts and jeans, with burly arms and formidable auras—the reporters were still fearless, pushing forward to try and get the best angle of him for an article that really, would better serve as a homeless person's fire kindling than reading material. It was brutal—that short trip from the cab to his building—but after an unnecessary amount of time, Alex was finally able to cross the threshold into his home sweet home. All he wanted to do from then on was to just shut out the world and retreat to the comfort and solitude of his bedroom. But unfortunately, it would seem his mother and daughter had other plans.

"Oh kiddo, how are you holding up?"

"How could Kate do that to you?!"

Alex had started walking towards his bedroom, but upon hearing the voices of his mother and daughter, he knew he couldn't leave things unsaid. Turning around, he noted the concerned looks of his mother and, unsurprisingly, the almost furious anger coming from his daughter. Figuring this would be a draining conversation, Alex gestured to the open living room with resignation.

"I can only guess that Kate was pretty mad. I mean, who can blame her? She was dating the very man she was looking for as the prime suspect in her case."

"But Dad, you are NOT a suspect—barely even a person of interest!"

"Alexis is right, Alexander. And I have to agree with her. What Katherine did was unnecessary."

Alex didn't know how to respond to his mother and daughter. A part of him wanted to be angry right there with them, but he knew that wouldn't get them anywhere. His mother was right—what Kate did was unnecessary—but it was her job. Sure, she could have gone about it with a little more tact, but put in her position, would he have done any differently?

Alex had spent the whole car ride home turning the events of the past few hours over and over in his head. And the conclusion he came up with was that this whole thing was simply a very unfortunate series of events. A part of him almost wished he had never run into Kate, never asked her out, never felt so very inclined towards her—no, he would not say he was falling in l-o-v-e with her. It was much too soon to think like that, but he did very much like her.

Well, that's over now. No, he wasn't destined for a great love—didn't his failed marriage prove that? At least he got Alexis out of his previous relationship. The only thing he got out of this one was probably a broken heart. And the worst part was, he couldn't even bring himself to fully hate Kate. In all honestly, he only felt more and more sorry for himself for letting it get this bad. The only thing he could be mad at now was how Kate put such a sad expression on his daughter's face through her actions. He could accept everything she did to him and the fact that their relationship was most likely over, but what she did to his daughter? That anger and hurt, how much his daughter was starting to admire her as a mature adult role model? Yeah, he couldn't let it go so easily when Kate went and disappointed his daughter like all the other women in their lives.

"I know, honey, I know," Alex soothed, as he pulled his daughter into a tight embrace. "I know."

Everyone was silent for a moment, just letting the weight of the day settle in around them. There was still so much to say and discuss—What does this mean, now that his secret is out? How will this affect them as a family? How will this affect Alex as a professor? There were just too many questions for this single moment and at present, Alex was happy to simply take a breather and enjoy the comfort of his daughter's arms wrapped around his own.

"Dad, what happens now?"

"I—"

Before Alex could even try to finish his sentence with some empty promise that it'll all be okay or that everything will work out in the end, the home phone rang out loud and clear, breaking the still air around them. Alex made a move to get up but his mother gave him a soft look, halting his attempt.

"It's okay, Alexander, I have this. You sit there with Alexis," stated Martha, as she wheeled herself into the kitchen where the phone sat against the counter.

"Really, Mother, you shouldn't have to push yourself. I can get it."

"No, it's alright really. You stay there. Let me do this, at least," insisted Martha, already reaching for the phone. "Hello? Rodgers residence."

At his mother's stipulation, Alex settled back into the cushions and pulled his daughter tighter against him. Alexis was just about to lay her head against his shoulder when he heard his mother wheel herself back over to their area and gave him an apologetic look before handing him the phone.

"It's Gina. She needs to speak with you."

The look his mother gave him let Alex know that this was a conversation he should probably take in his office. Glancing down at his daughter, he silently mouthed his apology before he took the phone and walked off to his office. Giving Alexis one last glance as he closed his door, he could see her eyes glazed over with pain—for him and his situation. A child should never have to feel pity or pain for his or her parent; Alex should never have given his daughter any cause to worry.

Dejectedly, he soundly closed his door, because really, at this point, can the day get any worse? Whatever Gina had to say to him, no matter how much she was going to yell at him for ruining his cover, it couldn't be any worse than the look in his daughter's eyes.

"Hello?"

"Alexander Rodgers, why haven't you picked up your phone?!" shrieked Gina Cowell into the mouthpiece of her office landline. "I have been calling your cell non-stop since I heard from the police this afternoon; that was hours ago!"

The minute her assistant told her there was some NYPD detective calling for her, Gina knew; it could not end well. And she hadn't left the office since, trying as she might to keep Alex's name safe. But even with the top lawyers they've hired from Pearson Specter though, she couldn't get them to work their magic around the case and warrant. So she did the next best thing—try to call and warn Alex ahead of time. But that damn infuriating man; he never picked up his phone! And the next thing she knew, the 6 o'clock news had clips of him exiting the 12th precinct with his mother and daughter in tow. At least Harvey, his lawyer, was there with him, so that meant Alex had some wits about him still, to call his attorney, but would it kill him to drop a message by her too?

"Dammit, Alex, I've been worried sick! What the hell happened?!"

"I—I don't know. I guess the detectives figured out I was Richard Castle and called me in for questioning."

"No shit, Sherlock. I've figured as much. I mean, how did that lead to the press getting wind that you are Richard Castle as well?"

It didn't escape her notice that Alex referred to his nom de plume in the past tense. She didn't know what would come from this, if Alex would give up writing because his identity is now exposed, but that would have to be a conversation for another day. Right now, she needed to focus on his well-being and possibly, their retaliation to this police fiasco.

"I don't know how the press got a hold of that information, Gina. Isn't that your job? To research the leak?" replied the despondent voice on the other end.

"No, Alex, my job is to protect your name—both of your names—and right now, those two are being scrutinized by the media. We need to work on containing this and if it turns out the leak came from the police, we need to get our lawyers to work on some sort of lawsuit. This was bad faith, what they did, and it will not be tolerated."

"Gina—"

"Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this. I'm gonna go call up Harvey right now and see if we can work something out. This will be over before you know it," Gina reassured as best as she could before softly adding, "I'm glad you're okay."

The other end was silent for a moment before she heard a quiet "thank you" in return. Before the conversation could take a turn for the awkward, Gina promptly ended the call and settled back in her seat, finally letting go some of the tension that's been building all afternoon.

She'd been on edge ever since she got the call from the NYPD, and until she was able to get in touch with Alex, that persistent worry did not go away. As troublesome as that man could be to work with, he was a stand-up guy and somewhere along the way, Gina found that she wouldn't deny it if someone asked might she wish for a little more than the agent-client relationship they have. But for the most part, Alex has always been her writer first, and whatever faint interest she may have in him for something more personal, she valued their working relationship a great deal more and cared for him deeply in a professional sense. So if that meant staying late tonight, and calling up their lawyers to get him out of this bind, Gina would not hesitate or think otherwise.

So without further ado, Gina promptly steeled herself in for a long night as she picked up her receiver and made another call.

"Hey, Donna? Patch me through to Harvey. We need to talk about Richard Castle."

Kate stood in the shadows of the precinct walls and watched as Alex pulled his daughter in for a tight hug before turning to his mother for a comforting smile. It was such a small family, but a strong one, each always there to support one another. And Kate? Well, she would just be a thorn in their side at this point.

After she secured Alex's alibi and he signed off on all the paperwork, she had Ryan go in and release him. She already got what she could from him-which was more than she expected, what with the new Tisdale angle. Though that could just be him trying to alleviate suspicion. But after an interrogation like that, and not to mention his seemingly solid alibi for the night of the murder, she doesn't feel like he's trying to be anything other than what he's always been. Whatever that is. But regardless, no matter how she felt about him now after that little questioning episode, she couldn't face him again.

So she let him go, and let his family come fetch him, all the while remaining in the background. Everything happened so fast in the last few hours, she didn't know what to think. Somehow, Alex went from being the man she was seeing, romantically, to the famous Richard Castle, to murder suspect/person of interest, and then back to just Alexander Rodgers but also Richard Castle? And all that happened in less than half a day. It was a lot to process, and Kate was still trying to work through what exactly happened in that interrogation room.

"Beckett. A word?" sounded the voice of her captain.

With some reluctance, Kate turned from her silent corner to the captain calling her from the door of his office. Considering how Captain Montgomery always respected her work, granting her the independence few others received, he must be calling to check in on her. He could be such a father figure sometimes.

"Sir?"

"Detective. Can you close the door?"

She acquiesced to his command but was now more wary of the situation. This must be serious. He normally wasn't this formal with her.

"Beckett, are you aware that there is a sea of reporters outside our precinct steps?"

"Sir?" she repeated. She didn't know what he was trying to get at-not why there would be a 'sea of reporters' outside, nor what that had to do with her.

"The press somehow got wind that that man you just had in your interrogation room is none other than the famed Richard Castle."

"I still don't—"

"Detective, you better be damn sure of what you're doing and whether it was worth it. Alexander Rodgers can very well charge us with a civil lawsuit for public disclosure of private facts if this Richard Castle leak came from our precinct!"

The minute Montgomery said that, all the dots immediately connected in Kate's head. What have I done? She was too wrapped up in her hurt to consider her actions. She was used to always walking into a scene and bluntly stating the facts. So far, that has always worked to her advantage, to catch the suspect off guard with the pressure of prying peers forcing them to comply. But was she wrong in doing what she did this time? She honestly would've have done the same thing if it was any other suspect, but did she just take it too far?

"Beckett, I need to get on the line with the higher ups to sort out this mess but if it all comes to a head, there's only so much I can do before it's your badge on the line. I just want to give you this heads up so you understand. Beckett, you're dismissed."

Dismissed. Kate walked out of that office feeling dismissed in more ways than one—her love life, her personal life, her professional life, and if everything goes according to this spectacular plan the universe seemed to have for her, her career as well.