Twenty-one:

Kate Beckett stared at the laptop screen as she re-read her report of her encounter with 'Special Agent Cochran' feeling more than a little embarrassed at all of the things she either ignored or overlooked about their encounter. Writing things down caused her to remember details. Details that upon further review should have raised flags. These were the mistakes of a rookie, not a seasoned veteran like herself. Kate knew why. She had been so single-mindedly focused on Bracken that she ignored all of the glaring holes in his story.

Cochran's mere presence in 1PP gave him credibility that he wouldn't have had if he would have met her anywhere else. The NDA he gave her to sign was a standard form that she had signed several times before when working with the Feds on other cases. The information that he provided on her mother's case she already knew. He gave her just enough truth so that she would believe the lies.

She chastised herself for not seeing how Gates could be involved. So many things made sense now. Her forcing Castle away from the NYPD while she was off healing alone. Her willingness to punish Esposito and her as harshly as she did after nearly being killed by Cole Maddox. Her reluctance to take Kate back when she decided to return to the 12th. Gates was the one that ordered her to provide 'security' for Erik Vaughn and she was more than pleased when Kate took the job with the AG, effectively ending her career with the NYPD.

She thought about how hard the captain had pushed her to go after mayor Weldon when his was suspected of being involved in an aide's murder. Getting rid of the mayor would allow Gates to get rid of Castle. Bracken may be pulling her strings, but she was smart enough to know that Castle had ties to the mayor and the police commissioner.

Castle. She couldn't help but wonder just where he fit in this whole mess. Kate knew that he had struck a deal with Smith in exchange for her protection. Had he struck another deal with someone else? Meeting Hunter only reenforced her theory that the man was Castle's father. Too many similar mannerisms to ignore and the striking resemblance to the eyewitness drawing from Alexis' kidnapping. No, Hunter was Castle's father. She wished that she could talk to Rick to find out what he knew. She wished a lot of things..

Beckett understood why Hunter was adamant about her staying away from her mother's case, but couldn't help but feel resentment anyway. She promised any information she may gather on Erik Vaughn she would send it to him. Kate couldn't believe that Vaughn was as corrupt as Hunter had painted him. He explained how the whole murder was a setup to kill off a partner that had been in contact with the Feds about his illegal technology sales. By making it look like they were trying to kill him, he removed any suspicions about himself. Vaughn knew which plate was poisoned from the beginning and had the waiter switch them. Kate almost admired how clever the plan was.

Vaughn had played her like a cheap violin using her fears and doubts about Castle to create a moment of weakness where she gave in to his advances. That lapse in judgement nearly cost Kate her life. Regardless, the damage was done. Vaughn had created a sliver of doubt with Kate and Castle finding out about it only made an awkward situation worse. Kate knew that both of Rick's marriages had ended because of infidelity and how much it would hurt him to find out.

It was time for Kate to play him.

X-X-X

Castle sat in his seat in first-class and sipped on his drink as he re-read the outline for his new story. It involved an IA cop and her quest to discover a group of dirty cops who had framed an innocent man for murder. It was close enough to what he needed for his cover story. He'd present this to Gina next week when he returned to New York to buy him the time he needs for his cover. Who knows, maybe a real novel would come from this? He laughed to himself as he closed his laptop. He had another six hours in the air before the plane landed in Sydney, the first stop of his Australian tour. Stops in Melbourne and Wellington, New Zealand would follow. He wished that he had more time to spend there, but was on a very tight schedule.

He closes his eyes trying to capture a couple of hours of sleep before he lands. Every time he does, his mind flashes back to the picture Smith showed him. His imagination was running wild with various scenarios where Kate and Vaughn are together. He couldn't shake the idea that Kate was only with him until the bigger, better thing came along. That's what happened with Meredith and Gina. Seeing her with Vaughn appearing to be happy only reenforced this thought. 'Kate has moved on, it's time for you to do the same.'

The plan called for Rick to stop in Honolulu for a promotional stop and Mindy would meet him there. Together, they would fly back to New York where Gina and Paula would have the media 'catch' them returning together from a romantic getaway to the Aloha state. They would make several public appearances together and then Rick would take off for his movie promotional duties leaving her to stay in his loft. To the rest of the world it will appear that the writer has moved on from his muse.

X-X-X

Thanksgiving was an awkward affair to say the least. Unable to tell either Martha or Alexis what was really going on, Rick and Mindy had to play the loving couple. Luckily, Castle had picked up some of his mother's acting ability from all the time he spent watching her work as a child. It had served him well in the past. Mindy played the part of the caring girlfriend very well. So well that there were brief moments where he almost thought it was real. Little touches, and shy glances from her made him want to believe they were real. Alexis brought Pi and Martha brought one of her 'students' to dinner.

Things started to go badly from the very start with Pi bringing some tofu based imitation turkey mess. Then came the critical comments for how Americans were actually celebrating the genocide of the native american race. Mindy could see how difficult it was for Rick to remain silent and gently squeezed his hand, giving him a look that said 'he's an idiot'. Rick would smile at her and relax until Pi made his next idiotic statement. He saw the embarrassed look on Alexis' face and decided to save his daughter further shame by remaining silent. He chuckled when he thought of the old saying, 'It's better to stay silent and let everyone think that you're stupid rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt'. Alexis saw his actions and mouthed a silent 'I'm sorry' to Rick and Mindy. He could tell by look on his daughter's face that whatever fascination she had with Pi was waning. He wondered if Pi would be there by Christmas.

Both Martha and Alexis were more than a little surprised when they discovered that Mindy had moved in with Rick. Even though she was staying in one of the guest bedrooms, it seemed a little odd to both of them. Mindy appeared to be a very nice young woman from their brief encounters, but something seemed off about it, especially to Martha. She knew how much Rick had cared for Kate. She couldn't believe that he had moved on that quickly. After watching him for the last five years follow Beckett like a lost puppy, it didn't feel right.

Alexis, on the other hand was pleased that her father had moved on. While she liked Kate and respected her professional persona, she carried a deep resentment within her for the way Beckett had seemed to continuously hurt her father. Mindy certainly seemed to fill the bill for the type of woman that Rick would date. Her father appeared to be happy with Mindy and that was enough for her.

The discussion finally returned to lighter topics. Martha discussed how her new class of students were progressing and Alexis talking about her current classes. Mindy stayed silent, listening intently to the topics discussed offering a smile, frown, or laugh where it was appropriate. Rick tried to make her part of the conversation by telling everyone about how they met with her as his tour guide in China. He wondered what her story really was. How she became involved with the CIA. Rick had to admit that he was intrigued by her.

Rick discussed the current plan for the Nikki Heat movie promotional tour. He and Mindy would fly to Los Angeles in two weeks for the main premiere. There would be a European premiere in London the following week and a New York premiere on Christmas eve. Mindy would be with him for all of the premieres, but Rick would spend the time in between doing interviews and promotional work as promised.

Rick looked forward to the New York premiere the most. He had already invited Lanie, Espo, Kevin and Jenny as his special guests. He truly missed all of them and would try to make up for lost time as soon as all of his movie responsibilities were fulfilled. The best part of it would be the after party. The Old Haunt would serve as the location. Its connection to Rick and the NYPD made it a perfect tie-in. And the producers loved it. He wanted to invite Kate to the New York premiere and after party even though he knew she wouldn't attend. It was the courteous thing to do. He'd contact Paula and let her do it. Rick had no idea how to contact her anyway.

The best part of the plan was with the New York premiere occurring on Christmas eve, he'd be home with his family for Christmas. Family. It seems that it's always been just Martha, Alexis and him at Christmas and that's ok with Rick. Except last year. Kate was with his family and he got a fleeting glimpse of what life could have been like with her. If he was honest with himself, her showing up at his door was the best present he could have asked for. It made him believe that there was a chance for them to be something more.

X-X-X

It was nearly two weeks later when Kate received a letter from her father. This wasn't surprising as he had been forwarding her mail to her on the rare occasion that something was sent to Jim in an attempt to reach her. She had gotten a baby shower notice from Kevin and Jenny that way. There had been nothing sent from Lanie, Kevin, Javi, or Rick. She wondered why she would be disappointed by that. After all, she was the one that left without giving any of them as much as an address to reach her. Knowing now that her attempt to 'protect' her friends had actually made all of them more vulnerable was something that her ego was having a hard time accepting. She did feel some modicum of comfort knowing that Hunter had assured her that they would be safe as long as she stayed away from Bracken.

Opening the envelope she finds another envelope inside. Kate looks at the return address and sees that it's from Ricks publicist. Not knowing why she would be sending her anything, Kate tears open the envelope to find a short letter and two pair of tickets. The letter goes on to explain that they are for the New York premiere of the new Nikki Heat movie and after party for her and her date. Date? Was Paula playing some type of cruel joke on her? Was Rick behind this? She nearly ripped the papers to shreds without thinking, but changed her mind and sat them on her coffee table as she took another sip from her glass.

While Castle had no way of keeping tabs on her, Beckett had kept an eye on him since she left. Between his web site, which Paula kept up for him, and the entertainment sections of the various news sources, she had been able to know where he was at all times. And whom he was with. Kate had to admit she was more than a little surprised when she read how he was with a new blonde mystery woman. The New York papers had several pictures of the two of them at a few clubs looking very much like a couple. The papers also insinuated that the two had moved in together.

She couldn't shake a pang of betrayal seeing Rick with another woman. If Kate was honest with herself, she was more than a little jealous. She couldn't believe that Rick could have replaced her so quickly. Beckett remembered how Rick had taken off with Gina for the summer when she rejected his offer for a weekend at his home in the Hamptons. 'Maybe this was the same?'

Since her meeting with Hunter, she'd tried to avoid any contact with Erik Vaughn despite his request for her to keep an eye on him and report back. He had called on a couple of occasions asking her out to dinner which she had begged off on using her work as an excuse. She wondered how many more times he would call before he gave up and moved on.

Beckett was watching the local news broadcast when they began their entertainment segment. The main story tonight was the Hollywood premiere of the new Nikki Heat movie. They showed the stars on the red carpet as they entered the premiere with several interviews. She watched as the celebrities gave their obligatory interviews to the reporter and was stunned when Rick was approached. Not as much by Rick, he looked even better than she remembered. It was the beautiful blonde standing at his side that got her attention. She clung to Castle's arm as he answered the interviewers questions with his usual charm.

When the question was asked who is beautiful companion was, Rick smiled and introduced her as Mindy King, the best thing to come from Australia since AC/DC. Kate watched as Mindy gave him a shy smile and a small kiss on the cheek fighting the urge to throw her glass at the television. Beckett turned off the tv and sat there staring at the blank screen. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye she didn't know was there as she wondered how things had gotten tot this point.

'Did you honestly think that he'd wait for you forever? You've had absolutely no contact with him since that day on the swings. What was he supposed to do?' "He was supposed to wait." Kate muttered out loud in response to her subconscious thoughts. 'Why? You did nothing but lie to him and keep secrets. I'm surprised he waited as long as he did. You took away all hope when you left.' Her subconscious replied. Kate sighed in defeat and poured herself another glass of wine.

It was two days later when she received the call from Vaughn. Sitting at her desk she was working on a report for McCord when the call came. Still reeling from her perceived betrayal by Castle, she was feeling a little more vulnerable than what she should. After all she knew that Vaughn was dirty. He had betrayed his country, selling secrets to enemies of the US. Or at least that was what Hunter told her. She tries to put on her best happy voice as she answers. "Hello Erik. How are you?"

Vaughn was a little surprised by the cheerful tone in Kate's voice. He was hoping that she would be a little depressed about being alone for the holidays. It would make it easier for him to try and seduce her. "I'm fine Kate. How are things going over at the AG's office? Any interesting cases that you can't discuss?"

Beckett actually laughs out loud at Erik's question. "No, nothing interesting. Just the same old, same old."

There was an extended pause before Vaughn begins to speak. "I know that you're all alone her in DC and Christmas is next week... I was wondering if you had any plans for the holiday? I was thinking that Christmas in Paris may just be what you need.."

Kate was more than a little surprised that Vaughn would be asking to take her to Paris for Christmas, but saw this as an opportunity to get even with Castle and find out more about Vaughn. "I'd love to Erik, but I've already made a commitment to be in New York Christmas eve for the Nikki Heat movie premiere. Sorry." There was an extended pause and then Kate commented. "I do have two tickets.."

"Do you have an escort?" Vaughn hurriedly inquires. "If you don't, I'd be honored to take you. We could fly up there for the premiere on my jet and then make it to Paris for Christmas.."

Kate smiled as she heard how eager Vaughn was. "I, I don't know about Paris Erik."

"How about Bermuda, the Bahamas, someplace sunny instead?" Vaughn countered.

"It would give me a chance to work on my tan.." Kate coyly replies.

Erik finds it hard not to smirk as he's convinced that Kate has played right into his hands. The thought of seeing Beckett in a skimpy bikini didn't hurt either. "It's settled then. I'll send a driver for you and we'll fly up to New York for the premiere, then fly down to Hamilton. I have a little place near St. George Island on the ocean. You'll love it."

"How could I refuse such a generous offer.." Kate replies with a self-satisfied smile.

"Great! Text me the details and times and I'll take care of everything else."

"I will. I guess I'll see you in a couple of days then."

"I can't wait." Vaughn replies.

"Talk to you later Erik." Kate comments as she ends the call.

Vaughn smiles to himself as he quickly composes a text message and sends it to the senator. 'New York city. Christmas eve. Movie premiere.'

Bracken smiled as he read the text message and quickly forwarded it to one of his contacts in New York that would relay it to Vulcan Simmons. The senator had heard rumors that a special investigation was going on with Vaughn and he needed to distance himself from the billionaire before he makes his push for the White House. He could literally kill two birds with one stone. A single act of random gang violence could take out both Vaughn and Beckett. At least that would be what the press would publish. He'd have to keep an eye on Castle afterwards, but it appears that he had moved on from the former detective. At least that was what his informants and the media was saying.

"Merry Christmas to me." Bracken muttered.