AN: Thanks for the reviews and pointing out a slip up on a minor plot point.

Six:

Kate was exhausted as she flopped down in her seat for the flight to Washington DC. She had been a whirling dervish of activity, but had little progress. She was able to sort through her things that she would need to take with her immediately and the other things that could be moved with her furniture. She was surprised that the process of sorting out the things that belonged to Rick was harder to do than she thought. Knowing that Rick had told her to throw everything away or donate it, she felt compelled to hang on to the majority of it. She wouldn't allow herself to second-guess her decisions. 'And besides, Rick ended it with you.' She told herself to salve her guilt.

The flight was uneventful and she managed to get a few minutes of sleep. Arriving at Reagan International just before sundown, she grabbed her bag and made her way to the rental car desk. Kate rented the least expensive car they offered and boarded the shuttle to where the agency kept the cars. She punched in the address for the hotel into the GPS on her phone and was soon on her way. It took nearly an hour to arrive at her destination and it was already dark. After checking into her room Beckett decided to grab something to eat at the hotel's restaurant. It was nearly 10:00 pm by the time she returned to her room, exhausted from the busy day. Slipping out her clothes, she put on one of Rick's tee-shirts without thinking and crawled into bed.

X-X-X

Rick was working his way through the Casino. He had spent enough time gambling to know that the house has the odds in their favor on everything. He spent his time playing Blackjack and poker. After an hour, he managed to break even at Blackjack and then decided to play a little poker at one of the lower limit tables. He loved playing poker. Not for the winning, which he usually did, but more for being able to read his opponents. The writer in him couldn't resist making up back stories for each one as he looked for their 'tells'. It only took about a half-dozen hands before he had the other players figured out and had given them backstories. Within an hour, he had won a couple of thousand and was checking his watch.

Excusing himself and giving the dealer a healthy tip, Castle walked to the main lounge. Castle sat at a small table near the stage and ordered a scotch and soda from the waitress. It wasn't long before the lights lowered and the show began. There was the typical lounge singer, an American Idol finalist, the MC said that performed a couple of songs. It was followed by a group of showgirls dancing to a routine that was probably older than Rick in typical Vegas-style feather laden costumes. Rick couldn't help but notice the tall showgirl near the center of the group. In spite of the costume, her face looked very familiar. He wracked his brain for a while trying to place the face and then broke into a huge grin.

At the end of their routine, Rick stood and applauded with the others. She looked in his direction and recognized him also. She smiled and pointed at him as they exited the stage. The comedian who was the headliner for the evening came out on stage and performed. About twenty minutes into his act. Rick feels a gentle caress on his shoulder and a voice that he'd nearly forgotten. She leans close to him and whispers into his ear. "Hey, big boy, buy a girl a drink?"

Rick can barely contain his grin as he turns his head to reply. "Sure thing little lady. Care to take a load off those dainty little feet?"

Sandra Watson was nearly six feet tall without heels. And there was nothing little about her. It had been a running joke between the two of them. Rick always called her petite, tiny, and short-stuff to tease her. Sandra was nearly Rick's age but looked like she was in her early thirties. Judging from the skimpy showgirl outfit he had just seen her in, she had taken very good care of herself. Her long blonde hair was tied in a pony tail and she was wearing a pair or well-worn jeans and denim jacket, making her look more like a college student than a woman in her early forties.

Taking a seat at the table facing him, she gestures for a waitress to take her order. She looks at Rick and cannot help but grin. "How long has it been? Ten years at least. You got old!" Sandra is still grinning hoping that Rick knows she is teasing.

"Twelve. I can't lie short-stuff, but you look fantastic. Did you leave Barry and the agency to become a showgirl?" Castle inquires.

"No I didn't and Barry's back in Alexandria with the twins." Sandra replies.

"So you're on the job?"

Sandra can only smile and gives him a wink. "So what have you been up to since I saw you last?"

Rick wonders how to respond. "You know me, I stayed busy for awhile but decided it was time to move on for my daughter's sake.. For the last five years, I've been working with the NYPD as a consultant working with a group of homicide detectives."

Sandra can only offer a sly smile knowing that he wasn't giving her the whole story. "So is that where Nikki Heat came from? Is she your new muse?"

His smile quickly fades at the thought of his 'muse'. "Yes and no. Nikki is really my imagination running wild. The detective that I worked with was nothing like Nikki. Her physical appearance was similar, but that was all."

"So what are you doing hanging out in Atlantic City, alone? Researching a new book?"

"No. The lead detective decided to take a job with the Attorney General, effectively ending our partnership." Rick replies, never looking up from his drink. Wanting to change the subject, he inquires. "I assume that you're on the job?"

Sandra smiles at how Rick is still able to change the subject rather than answer the tough questions. They had been partners for a year or so. She had hoped for more but Castle was still reeling from Meredith's infidelity and subsequent divorce. Rick even introduced her to her husband. She just gives Rick a knowing wink.

Castle had been with agents long enough to not ask questions. He simply grinned and returned his attention to the stage for a minute or so. He had always liked Sandra, but the timing was never right. They met just as his marriage to Meredith was falling apart and the last thing that he wanted to do was enter another relationship at the time. That was why he introduced her to Barry Anderson, the man she later married. "So I did good huh?" He asks still grinning.

"What are you talking about?" She asks feigning annoyance.

"I mean you and Barry, I gather that you're still together?"

"Yes we are. In fact we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary last month." Sandra replies.

"That's great. I'm happy for you two."

"Rick, have you ever considered coming back to the agency? Barry has a little pull now and I'm sure something could be arranged if you were interested."

Castle sat there and pondered her question for a considerable amount of time. He'd left the agency for one very good reason, Alexis. She needed a full time father as her mother couldn't seem to spare the time. It didn't hurt that his writing 'cover' was extremely successful. Only Martha knew about his real job back then. He had always wondered if Meredith really knew what he did if it would have changed anything. Rick was pretty sure it wouldn't. Part of him missed the life that he gave up for Alexis, but he would never regret doing so.

Sandra sat there and watched as Rick appeared lost in his thoughts. "Give me your pen." She demands as he pulls one from his jacket. She scribbles a number on a napkin and hands it to him. "Give him a call if you're interested." She rises up from her seat and places a gentle kiss on his cheek. "It was good to see you again. Take care." Sandra turned and walked away and into the crowd.

Rick stared at the number Sandra had scratched on the napkin and smiled. Her penmanship was horrible and he remembered how he used to tease her about it. Clara Stryke in the Derrick Storm novels was really based upon Sandra and not Sophia Turner. Sophia had always assumed that it was her and Rick didn't have the heart to tell her any different at the time.

Sophia had been nothing more than a job. The agency had suspected that she was a deep cover plant just as the Soviet Union started to fall. It was Ricks job to get close to her and see if these suspicions had any merit. Using his 'writer' cover he was able to get close to her in more ways than one. Her subsequent betrayal of her adopted country had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with money. She wasn't the first intelligence operative to finally tire of cleaning up the messes of others and want some imagined reward. Sophia just happened to be one that tried to use him.

He had left the agency for his daughter. Rick had to admit that he missed the thrill of the job. Leaving the CIA left him empty and unable to want to continue with the Derrick Storm series. Fortune then smiled on him when Kate Beckett approached him at the book launch party. He could find his excitement through a new means. One that was far less dangerous and would allow him to be home at nights with his daughter. The bonus came in the form of inspiration for a new character and a new series of books.

His entire time as an 'operative' was spent hiding in plain sight. His fame as a writer and wealth gave him access to people and places that few would have. Even his brushes with the law and page 6 'liaisons' were carefully orchestrated to support his image to the public. "People see what they want to see." His training instructor at the farm told him early on. Rick has to smile at the truth in that. He'd worked side by side with three detectives for the last five years and everyone just assumed that he was nothing more than his public persona.

He always wondered if Kate knew about the real Richard Rodgers if it would have changed how she felt about him. Several times he nearly told her about his past life, but thought better of it. She never seemed to question his abilities with a hand gun, his knowledge of weapons and procedures. Only Rick spotted the glint of light from the snipers rifle's scope in a crowd full of policemen and alerted Beckett in time to prevent a fatal shot. Rick was sure that she'd figure something out when Alexis was abducted. His ability to 'extract' information from the driver was something he had learned early in his training. She just assumed that his flying off to Paris alone was simply the act of a desperate parent. Beckett, like Ryan and Esposito wanted everything to fit into nice, neat little boxes. That was the way they were trained as cops.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by the waitress asking him if he'd like another drink. Suddenly feeling very tired, he declined the offer and asked for his bill. A couple of minutes later, she returned and he signed for it to be charged to his room along with a generous tip. Minutes later he was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling of his suite. He needed a distraction from his never ending thoughts about Kate. 'You have to move on. She rejected you – again. You'll never be enough.' His mind mocked him over and over again until sleep finally took over.

X-X-X

Kate was woken by the alarm on her phone at 6:00 am. All things considered, she slept pretty well as she was exhausted from her activities the day before. For the briefest of moments, she wondered what Rick was doing right now. 'Don't even go there girl. Rick's part of the past that you don't want.' Her mind mocked her in a voice that sounded a lot like Lanie's. Lanie. Her best friend and confidant. Beckett still couldn't understand why she had reacted the way she did to the news about the job. Sure she was leaving everyone for her career, but shouldn't her best friend be supportive of her? Kate convinced herself that given time, the M E would see things her way and support her decision.

It was a beautiful late May morning and Kate had considered going for a run around the hotel, but decided to use the exercise facility instead. Thirty minutes later, she returns to her room and heads for the bathroom and a much needed shower. After a quick breakfast in the hotel's restaurant and a much needed large cup of coffee, she checked her appointment calendar on her phone. She had made appointments yesterday to tour several apartment complexes in the area. She was due at the first one in a little over an hour.

Finishing up her light breakfast, she signed for her meal and walked to the parking garage and her rental. Kate entered the address of the first apartment that she would visit into her phone's GPS and started out into the city traffic. In spite of it being Sunday and a holiday weekend, traffic was fairly heavy. Beckett arrived at the apartment complex a few minutes earlier than expected and used the time to drive around the area. From the outside the complex looked very nice, peaking her interest.

Exiting her rental car, Beckett walked to the manager's office and knocked. She was greeted by a slightly overweight matronly looking woman with streaks of grey in her auburn hair. Making their introductions, she walked with Kate to a building about 500 feet from her office. Keying in her passcode, the main entrance unlocked as she gave her spiel about security features of the complex to Beckett. Each building had two apartments per floor and three floors. The lower level contained the laundry facility and storage areas.

The first thing Kate noticed was how small the apartment was in comparison to her place in New York. It seemed very nice, but was seriously lacking in character. She was shocked when the manager told her what the rent was. It was about the same as what she was paying for her place in New York. Granted, she was subletting her apartment from a businessman that was living in Hong Kong and got a very good deal. What Kate didn't know was the 'businessman' that she was leasing her apartment from was Richard Castle. He had bought the apartment for Martha, but when Kate's place was destroyed, decided to let her know about it through Lanie. Rick knew that Beckett would never take it if she knew it was his place. Kate's ego would not allow her to feel 'obligated' to someone like Rick.

The apartment manager droned on and on about amenities and the proximity to mass transit trying to peak Kate's interest in the apartment. Beckett listened politely to her sales pitch and then told her the truth that she had to look at a couple of other places before she made a decision. She thanked the manager for her time and promised that she would call her with a decision by tomorrow at the latest. Of course the manager then alluded to the fact that there were others coming to see the apartment later today and that it might be wise to place a small deposit to hold it while she made her decision. Kate could only smile as she thought that this woman would have been a great used car salesman. She politely declined the offer and walked out of the building and back to her car.

X-X-X

Rick was woken by the chirping of his cell phone. He pulled it from the nightstand and tried to get his eyes to focus on the screen. Seeing the caller ID he smiles and answers "Hello Pumpkin. How's Sao Palo?"

"Crowded. I thought that New York city was full of people. I promised that I'd call as soon as I got settled in my room. Are you ok? Where are you dad?"

Rick couldn't help but smile. She has always been the one woman that he could always count on. "I'm glad that you arrived ok pumpkin. How long are you staying in Sao Palo?"

"A couple of days dad. There are some other students coming in from Europe and we have a chartered plane that will take us to the Amazon."

"That's great baby girl. Did you open the gift I snuck in your luggage?"

"Yes, I did dad. Thanks for the satellite phone." Alexis replies.

"Now you'll have no excuse for not calling me daily as long as you can see the sky." Rick remarks.

"Dad, I'll talk to you later we're meeting for lunch. Love you."

"Love you too pumpkin." Rick replies as the call ends. Glancing at his watch, he sees that it's nearly 11:00 am. He was surprised that he had somehow slept this late until he remembered that he'd nearly cleaned out his mini-bar in an attempt to go to sleep. The throbbing headache Rick was feeling was all the proof he needed. He took a quick shower and packed his travel bag.

Deciding that another day in Atlantic City was a waste, he checked out of the hotel deciding to return to New York. For a brief moment he considered Sandra's offer to return to the CIA. Knowing that his father was an operative too made him wonder about his recruitment to the agency. Was it coincidence, or did his father have something to do with it? It didn't matter as he decided that it wasn't what he wanted to do.

The drive back to the city was uneventful and it was nearly 6:00 pm when he arrived at the loft. Once inside, he kicked off his shoes and walked into his office, turning on his laptop. He checked his emails and found two new ones from Paula. The first one detailed how she had negotiated a deal with Gina to keep her off of his back about the way he ended the Nikki Heat book. Rick had six months to come up with a new character and story outline that Gina had to approve, or he would submit another Nikki Heat novel within a year. While Rick didn't like the terms, he understood Gina.

The second email was a confirmation that the producer of the new Nikki Heat movie would love for Rick to come out and serve as a consultant in exchange for an executive producer credit and a small percentage of the box office. Paula was rather proud of the deal she negotiated for him and said so. Rick had to smile as he read her note. She would always look out for his best interest, even when he didn't. He quickly typed a reply and then started checking for flights out to Los Angeles.

Satisfied with his effort, he opened the bottom drawer in his desk and extracted his bottle of the good scotch. Pouring a healthy three fingers in his glass, he caps the bottle and returns it to the drawer. He had it nearly closed before the blue velvet box caught his eye. Rick can't help but pick it up and snaps the lid open to look at what represented his dreams. He stared at the ring as if it contained the answers to all of life's questions. Castle takes a healthy gulp of the amber liquid and waits for the slow burn as he swallows it down. He knew that Katherine Beckett would forever hold a place in his heart. The question was did he have any left to move on with?

Deciding that it was time to put an end to this self-torment, Rick begins to type what will be his last letter to her. He'll be brutally honest about everything and force some type of closure for himself. Rick doesn't care if she reads it or not. It's not like it can change anything..