Thank yo guys so much for your support while writing this. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it, it means so much to me that you went on this journey with me.
Sadly I don't own Castle expect in the sense that I obsess over them to the point sometimes that you'd think they were my real friends.
Chapter 20 – Final Pieces
Captain Victoria Gates had made her bones in Internal Affairs. She came from a cop family, went to college got a degree in criminal justice and psychology, and then she enrolled in the police academy. Just like every other member of her family, who were all serving in various capacities across the city. Despite knowing all this, and having meet her once before, I was unprepared for my meeting with the new captain of the 12th precinct.
I'm not sure I'd even said anything besides my name before she's gestured for me to take a seat and then she'd began what I suppose could be a tirade, but mostly it just felt like a strict outlining and understanding of the rule book. We'd been three minutes into it when I'd determined that I wasn't going to be able to just sweet talk my way back, or even convince her that I was helpful. So instead, I'd spent the last twenty-seven minutes cataloging the changes in the office from when Montgomery was here, she'd moved the desk. Every now and then, I would sneak a glance through the window out into the bullpen just to see what Kate was doing.
It was something different every time, her head was down as she worked on paper work pen to paper, she was gone to get more coffee, laughing talking with the boys who'd stopped to say hi, glaring at her computer, or at this moment checking her phone. Maybe I'd been watching a little too long though because Captain Gates was clearing her throat standing, "I'm sure you understand Mr. Castle but I can't just have you running amok in my precinct just because you want to spend time in with your girlfriend." She held out a hand, smiling, clearly confident that her reasoning was beyond reproach and there was no way I was going to get around her.
Standing as well I grasped her hand, "Thank you Sir, but I assure you the goal isn't to spend time with Kate. I have a story to be told and I need the information behind it to be as solid as possible so I'll be talking to your superiors." I gave her my smile reserved for when someone thought they'd beaten me but really had no idea of what I'm capable of.
Instead of the usual fear the people get when I say something like that though, she released my hand, "I wouldn't expect any less."
So I nodded, I was just going to have to get in and then impress her with my usefulness. I left her office making my way over to Kate that was still trying to do something with her phone. Clearly it was unimportant though as she set it aside as soon as I came into her line of sight. "How'd it go?" She asked.
"Wow. That Gates… she's…" I searched for the right words to cover the level of distain and simultaneous admiration I had for the woman that was now Kate's boss.
Kate fortunately laughed, "She's something, that's for sure."
"Lunch?" I asked hopeful that the fiddling around on her phone meant that she didn't have work to do.
She nodded standing, opening her top drawer to pull out her gun and badge, "Have I mention how hot that is?" I dropped my voice for her ears only as she holstered the weapon on her hip.
Grinning saucily, she righted herself, "This is one of the reasons your meeting didn't go well," she told me matching my tone before calling over the boys, "I'll be back in an hour, I've got my cell."
"I didn't say it didn't go well."
"Did it?" She raised her eyebrows seriously questioning my statement.
"Well, isn't the right adjective."
She chortled pushing the elevator button, "So what is the right adjective to describe your meeting with Iron Gates?"
I thought for a moment, "Informative," was what I settled on as the elevator doors open.
"Informative?"
"Well I think she knows that if this is where I want to be then I'll be here."
"You're powers of persuasion are legendary," she teased looping her arm through mine as we made our way out into sidewalk, using it to steer me towards whatever restaurant she was feeling.
"I think she knows that I'm going to go above her head to get it done, and she's looking forward to playing that game with me, prove that she lays down the law."
"So what are you going to do call the commissioner ask him to allow you in?"
"Naw the commissioner lost two hundred bucks to me last week at our poker game, besides that's where she's expecting me to go, she's probably already contacted him, made her case."
"Ok, so now who?"
"The same person I went to last time when I wanted to shadow you." She frowned, Montgomery had let me into the precinct easily last time but he's not actually who I'd contacted in the first place. Rather than leaving her to stew in her own turmoil, "I'll give the mayor a call after lunch."
She laughed, the tension leaving her body just as quickly as it came, "And he'll get you into the precinct, just because you want to?"
I nodded opening the restaurant door, "Yeah, because we're friends, I donate to his campaign and we play poker together. That and he loves Nikki Heat," I winked at her, "so he'll beside himself that I'm bringing her back."
"That's all it'll take?" She asked skeptically.
Hand over my heart I mimicked being hit, garnering a laugh. "You wound me detective, I'm calling the mayor to be able to come in and work with you every day, to tell you stories, and now you doubt my abilities."
Her eyes glittered with mirth, "You goofy man." She pressed a kiss to my cheek to sitting down at the table, "So the Mayor will take care of it?"
"Yeah, he'll call her tell her an multitude of reasons why it's good for the precinct, the city and himself, tell her there isn't a way out of it and she'll just have to deal."
"That is not going to make her your fan."
"Not the goal," I shrugged. "I'll work on that after I get in but I have to get in first and she's not going to just let that happen, so I'll short circuit the game." I smiled, the waiter appearing at just the right moment to take our drink orders.
"Thank you." She smiled at me before ducking behind her menu, deciding on her lunch.
It was my turn to ask question, "For what?"
"Taking care of the details for coming back."
"Hey," I stroked my fingers down her hand getting her eyes to come up and meet mine, "You want me there I'm there, but I get something out of this too."
"You do?"
"A renewed friendship with Ryan and Esposito, my life has been sorely lacking knucklehead detectives," I told her with a straight face.
"Rick…" She groaned.
"And of course research time on my favorite character to date with the muse that inspired it all."
She bit her lip and looked at me just so sweetly, "You're too good to me."
"Only as good as you warrant."
"Castle…" Exasperated.
"Fine I'm too good for you, let me just tweet that so that the world knows," I teased, going for my phone.
She laid a hand over my wrist stilling my movements, "I'm serious."
I winked and laid my free hand over hers, "I know you are." Until the waiter cleared his throat standing just far enough away to not interrupt the eye contact with his tray of drinks.
Sunset at the beginning of August in New York is generally still hot, and as an added bonus, the bugs have come out from where ever they were hiding during the heat of the day. But once the sun actually sets, the air takes on the feeling of a warm blanket, in soothing kind of way. Which was why when I let myself into her apartment I wasn't surprised to find her nowhere inside. Climbing the book lined stairs I opened the door onto her rooftop patio, it wasn't huge but there was a room for a table for two and lounge chair and a few plants, and a smattering of lanterns, candles, and fairy lights. It was definitely the selling point for her little apartment.
She was leaning against the railing in jeans that she'd warn to work, judging that they were meant to go with heels and she'd cuffed them to accommodate the flip-flops now on her feet, and a floaty summer tank top, hair cascading down her back. It was little moments like this when she looked so soft and inviting that hit me hardest. I loved that she was tough as nails, demanding, and powerful, but when she was everyone of those things and you couldn't see any of it because in the moment she was just Kate. I felt like my heart might actually fall out.
She'd heard me open the door, I'm sure, but she'd made no move to acknowledge my presence so I crossed the small space to her. Pressing my front to her back wrapping my arms around her waist, I pressed a kiss to her neck. "Hello gorgeous."
She hummed, turning her head to catch me with a kiss, "Hey there handsome."
"Whatcha doing out here?"
"Just watching, thinking…" She trailed off settling against me, "How was your day?"
I squeezed her a little bit tighter, "Horrible."
"Horrible?"
"We went dorm room shopping this afternoon." I groaned remembering the pro-con list for three different bed sets. She chuckled softly, "Hey I'm distraught here!"
"Sorry," she whispered, "it's just you'd think that someone had forced you to get a colonascopy from your tone. Besides shopping to supply a dorm room should be completely up your alley."
"Oh don't get me wrong I bought her everything she could possibly need, probably too much, but you've obviously never been shopping with Alexis for the home and two…"
"… it means she's really moving out." She finished for me.
"Yeah." I sighed, just clinging to her, using her as my lifeline out of despair at being and empty nester.
There were a few minutes of silence before she spoke again. "Have you heard from the mayor?"
I smiled now glad for the change of subject and because I'd had a rather amusing conversation with Bob before the shopping trip, where he had called Iron Gates a variety of interesting versions of 'stick in the mud.' "Apparently Gates has requested that my presence in the 12th not be allowed until she has had the chance to meet with him face to face."
"She didn't." I could hear the shock and amusement in her voice even though it was quiet and full of contentment.
"She did, Bob can't figure out why. She knows that he's going to make her do it anyway."
"She's covering her own ass, that way when you get shot she can say that she did everything in her power to keep you out of the precinct."
"They're still going to make me sign all that paperwork that says the same thing."
"Paperwork doesn't mean anything when the top story on the news is best selling mystery novelist Richard Castle was shot today while following NYDP detectives." She was teasing me.
"That's why I have my vest, or rather you still have my vest." I smiled smugly.
"Umm." She hummed with a deep breath, "So when do you think you'll be back filling out the paper work?"
"Next week?"
"Do you want to start after that or wait until you've got Alexis moved into school?"
"She moves in Saturday after next," I thought about it.
"So you should spend your last week with her at home hanging out with her," Kate decided for me.
"That sounds reasonable and horribly depressing all at once."
"But then you can come with me."
"That sounds wonderful." I turned my nose into her hair inhaling the scent that always clung there, closing my eyes, just holding her.
The sky was darker and the sounds off evening had faded away into the late night traffic noises of the city that never sleeps before either of us made a move. Turning in my arms, she looped her own around my neck, combing her fingers through my hair, "I'm going to miss this."
"Miss what?"
"This roof top deck."
"Why?"
She looked amused, stretching up on her toes to press a kiss my jaw, "Because I won't be here next year."
And that's when I caught on, deciding to follow her lead, "Why is that?"
"Well my lease is up in September, and I was thinking about moving."
"Really, where were you thinking about moving to? Because I'll be happy to help with packing and moving furniture."
She smiled moving to run a hand down the front of my shirt stopping to toy with a button, "Well there's this place I really like in SoHo…" she trailed off lifting her eyes to meet mine biting her lip nervously, "if it's still available."
Relief, joy, happiness, amusement, love all rushed through my veins as I crushed, my lips down onto hers, snaking my hands down over her waist to settle on her hips, boosting her up onto the edge so that I could step between her legs as they wound around my own waist.
It was several minutes before I was able to get myself together enough to pull back and look at her, "It' is most definitely still available."
"And Alexis is ok with it?" she asked struggling to regulate her breathing
"I don't see why she wouldn't be." Asking Alexis hadn't actually occurred to me, I'd been so wrapped up in her leaving. "We'll ask"
"And your mother?"
"And my mother…" I paused, "do you think we can get her to move out?"
"Why? So we can have sex all over the place without worrying about her?"
"Your mind is in the gutter"
She kissed me again, softer, "Says the man that has me boosted up on the edge of a nine story building."
"Hey! I'm holding on."
"I know you are but maybe we should at least aim for the lounge chair. I'd hate for anything to fall over the edge." She was grinning but she did have a point, given that her shirt was shoved up and mine was already unbuttoned, added to the fact that she was rotating her pelvis against mine ever so slightly.
"Right. Moving." I wasn't going to set her down, so I just carried her over to lounge settling down with her in my lap, "Where were we?" I asked latching on to the plus point of her neck.
"Your mother… me moving in?"
"I would say mood killer but then you added that last piece." I told her pulling off her shirt.
"If Martha wants' to stay I want her to feel welcome to Rick, I don't want her to feel like she has to leave."
Her genuine concern over my mother's living arrangements tipped the scale, I couldn't focus on that anymore, "Oh god you have no idea how much I love you," I kissed her, "We'll talk about my mother later." I told her skating my hands down her body to toy with the button on her jeans.
"Later," she gasped in agreement when my hand slipped over the waistband.
Well what are your thoughts on the final chapter?
Also I know many of you expressed interest in seeing them go through all the steps so if I were to write a squeal touching/dealing with those things would you be interested?
Thank you for reading and welcoming me so nicely to the Castle fan fic world, it means so much to me.
Your humble author,
Babyrose