CH65
Kate came into the spare bedroom to relieve Castle to watch over Roy since Castle had let him drink way too much.
Castle sees her come in. "What is that Kate?" Noticing she has something in her hand.
"This little thing? …. This is a whip Castle. A real whip." And she slaps it on the side of her right leg. "OWE! That really hurt!" As she lifts her leg to try and shake it off.
"You are going to tell me what is going on Castle." Kate tells him flexing her wrist to make the whip move a little.
"Can I do it sitting or would you like me to lie down and take my shirt off first?" Castle teases.
"Just talk Castle." Kate flicks her wrist this time.
"I think you're taking this S&M fun just a little too far Kate."
"Talk Castle." And the dresser takes the punishment this time.
Castle holds up his hands. "Fine, fine, geez. Seriously Kate we need to talk though.
Yes I got a job from, well you know who. Turns out he found out about one certain Senator and it had him worried so he assigned me the case. Sent what at that time what little he knew.
Since then I've found out that there are four other major players and so far at least 7 others involved. Those 7 I have managed to deal with and take out of the picture.
And no I didn't kill them. Well except for one, but since he was going to stab you in the back he didn't really give me much choice." Castle starts.
"The guy you shot where my mother was killed." Kate realizes.
"Turns out three of the major players formed a group to accomplish a project as they call it. All three of them are or were Senators. However like any politician they have skeletons in their closet. Ones that could ruin them if they got out.
So they brought in these other two players to have them keep their skeletons securely in their closets. These two in turn hire mostly military trained killers to help keep these secrets." Castle pauses.
"They kill people who learn about their skeletons." Kate comments.
"Yes, several people so far in fact. I've counted at least 8 so far, and that's just the ones I can confirm. So far I've managed to remove 6 of these hired killers from the playing board. And no I didn't kill them.
One has a severely damaged knee, another has a damaged hip and another has a damaged shoulder and hip. One I did kill since he was going to kill you, and that just wasn't an option. The other two have been picked up and are probably sitting in Gitmo at the moment and probably will be for the rest of their lives." Castle pauses again.
"These three Senators, what do they want?" Kate wonders what could be worth this kind of cost?
"Well the main guy in charge wants to be president." Castle stops as he can see Kate's wheels turning in her head.
"Bracken." Kate whispers out.
"He has made it clear he plans to run for president and has already amassed a small fortune to campaign with. The other two recently had to step down as Senators due to health reasons. My guess is that one of them will be Vice President and the other will be tagged as Secretary of State." Castle again pauses.
"Those two with renal failure." Kate works out. "Was that you?" Kate is not sure she wants him to answer that question, whip or no whip.
"Yea, I slipped something into their drinks that would cause complete kidney failure in a very short time. You don't need to worry about those two. They have already bought their way to the top of the donor list. Though it does push everyone else down two spaces. Something I would like to prevent if I can.
Those two don't deserve new kidneys at the expense of other people who do. Good people, not people who have killed to get where they are now." Castle is forced to tell her.
"That trip you made to New Jersey?" Kate remembers.
Castle nods his head. "Think about it Kate. They have killed at least 8 people I know of so far. Eight dead people whose families have been torn apart because they loved someone who these 3 had killed so they could get to the top.
Think what this country would be like with those 3 in at the very top political positions. In charge of not just local items but in charge of our foreign policy as well.
Think of how many countries already hate us for what we do now. How many are going to hate us when they turn the CIA, FBI, NSA AG office and any other letters I left off into a giant version of what they have now?" Castle stops.
"World War III?" Kate guesses.
"Eventually even a dog that has been beaten all his life is going to make one of two choices. Lie down and die taking the beating or fight back. Only in this case we are talking about countries that have militaries. Several of which have possession of nuclear or biological weapons.
Would we win? Probably. Kind of depends on how many dogs just lie down and die and how many fight back. And even if we win, what will be left?"
"Are they mad Castle? Surely they can see that?" Kate now looks and sounds scared.
"They say love is blind Kate. Maybe absolute power is just as blind. They certainly seem bent on gaining absolute power." Castle tells her. Even his voice is barely above a whisper now.
"The kinds of projects that never make it into the papers." Kate barely gets out.
"This is what Jack and I do Kate. It was what Jill and Ray were also doing. Probably what the others just like Jack and Jill are doing. Just in different countries.
Trying as hard as we can to keep the planet we live on in one piece." Castle tells her.
Kate is quiet for a while so Castle starts talking again. "Bush took a chance on me when he gave me Jack. Obama has taken a chance on you and let you keep Jill. You know what is out there beyond the stars, don't you?" Castle asks.
Kate just nods her head.
"What you and I with Jack and Jill to help us may someday get us there? And when we do, we are going to need to fight like one planet. Not a fractured and broken planet like we are now Kate. And if we do have WW III there may not even be a planet.
The kinds of projects that never make it into the papers, and never will. And just think, one of these three if they succeed is going to be our new boss." Castle tells her.
If Kate wasn't scared already that alone sent shivers down her back and threatened to freeze her very soul.
Kate dropped her whip and collapsed down to the floor. Castle quickly got out of his chair and wrapped his arms around her.
"I didn't know Castle. How could I have possibly known?" Kate whispered into his ear as she slowly wrapped her arms around him.
"I think that's why Obama let you keep Jill and work with Jack and I. As soon as you found out you were going to need someone. And you've got me. I love you far too much to ever let you go, or worry about what you just learned to consume you.
You'll be fine Kate. You've got a family now to help keep you grounded. And if you ever wonder why you are doing this, just think of Alexis. She has dreams of a future too. And you are going to help her to achieve those dreams. Because you are her mother. And mothers fight for their children. They take on anyone and anything to protect their children.
You fought off Meredith to keep her. This is just one more battle is all."
Castle lifts her up and moves her to the chair he just vacated. Then he goes and gets a blanket to cover her with. He knew she wasn't cold but she was chilled. It may be an imaginary or mental chill if you will, but still a chill.
Then he moved the other chair over to sit in so he could watch both of them. Then picked up the whip and sat down. 'I wonder what she thought she was going to do with this.'
When Rick was certain Kate was asleep. "Do you remember any of this Jill?"
"No I do not. I don't even remember Ray." Jill answers him.
"It must be a memory wipe when the owner dies. Must mean Jack will forget me when I'm gone too."
"That thought doesn't exactly warm my processors Richard." Jack tells him.
"It doesn't warm mine either knowing I will forget Kate just like I've already forgotten Ray." Jill adds.
"It must be a built in function to prevent you from grieving for an owner. You are likely to outlive several owners. Perhaps whoever built you didn't want you to grieve. Or perhaps there is just so much memory space that it needs to be wiped for the new owner." Rick speculates.
"Then I will say it now. You have been a good friend Richard and I will miss you when you are gone. Even if I won't remember you." Jack tells him.
"Thanks Jack however if Kate is right, when we die I will get to remember you. I'll just miss you." Rick tells him.
"And I will miss Kate, even if I won't remember her. She's been a good friend too." Jill tells him.
Rick takes a moment to look at Kate while she sleeps. Then sees a tear roll down her face. "You're awake aren't you?"
Kate nods her head.
Rick gets up and lifts the blanket. "Scrunch over a little." Actually Kate had to more than scrunch over a little and ended up lying on Castle as she curled up and wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck lying her head on his shoulder.
"I've got you. Just go to sleep Kate, I'll watch Roy." Castle tells her.
Kate snuggles in a little closer. "I love you Castle."
"I love you too. Go to sleep Kate. Nothing is going to happen." And Rick relaxes a little more when he feels her breathing even out.
"I don't suppose either of you two is any good at speculation? What are our chances of success?" Rick asks them.
Then quickly adds. "On second thought don't answer that. I think Harrison Ford/Han Solo had it right. Never tell me the odds."
Rick let's Kate sleep on him for about an hour before he rises with her in his arms and carries her to bed where he slowly removes most of her clothing. Then he goes to check on Alexis who is sound asleep.
Then goes downstairs to search for something to drink then back of to watch over Roy. He only sits after checking his temperature and judge how well he is breathing.
It isn't till morning that Kate walks in to check on them. "He's still out?"
"Yea, I've checked him a few times. He'll survive, I just hope I survive after he can get up. His family is going to be gone and I can't tell him where they are. For their own good." Castle sounds sad.
"He'll get over it Castle. If he still trusts you then he will know his family is safe. Even if he can't talk to them. …. I'm going to go take a shower and get Alexis up. I'll make you some breakfast and bring it up to you." And Kate bends over to kiss the top of his head and disappears.
Roy is still out of it when Kate comes back with a plate of breakfast and a glass of milk for him.
"You headed to work?" Castle assumes she has work today.
"Yes, I need to leave in couple of minutes. I'll pass the word that Roy is out sick today." Kate tells him.
"Can you send Alexis up when you leave? I want to go down to the kitchen to make my home made hangover cure for when he wakes up. Alexis just has to yell if he wakes up." Castle asks her sounding tired.
"I'll send her to you. I'll see you when I get home." And steps over to kiss him. "I love you Castle."
"I know you get bored if you don't have a body drop so don't think badly of me if I wish you have a quiet day." Castle tells her.
"I don't hate you Castle. I'll see you later." And Kate is gone. And is soon replaced by Alexis.
"Hi dad. Is Uncle Roy sick?" Alexis stands next to him.
"Yes he is pumpkin. Can you sit here for a minute for me? I need to go downstairs and make my home made cure. Just yell for me if he wakes. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."
"Ok." And Alexis sits in the other chair.
Rick is soon back with a glass of lord knows what. "Thanks pumpkin. This is likely to be really boring. Why don't you go play in your room? If you get bored you can come see me and we'll see what we can do together." Rick offers.
"Ok, I hope Uncle Roy feels better soon."
"So do I pumpkin, so do I."
It wasn't for another couple of hours before Roy stirred. Rick waited until he was more awake.
"Rick?" Roy thinks he sees him.
"How do you feel?" Knowing the answer but asks him anyway.
"I feel like I've been beaten to a pulp and dropped down a cliff. …. Where am I?" As his opens his eyes a little more.
"I brought you to my home. You're in the spare bedroom." Rick explains softly.
"Great, not how I wanted to see your new home. Not that I can see much as it is anyway."
Rick smiles at him. "You want help sitting up a little?"
Getting a nod Rick lifts him up and holds him there with one hand while he moves pillows around behind him. "Ok ease back." Then gets his home made remedy. "Here try this. It's my home made remedy for hangovers. It works for me and it worked for Kate, so it should work for you." As Rick hands him the glass.
Roy takes a sip. "Not bad, I was expecting it to taste like last week's dishwater."
"It doesn't work if you can't keep it down. … Kate went into work to tell them you'll be out sick today." Rick informs him.
"I need to talk to the wife." Roy tells him.
"Kate has already talked to her too. She and the girls are fine. Nothing to worry about. …. I'm thinking around lunch I'll see if you want some soup. Then I'll shove you into the shower while I run your clothes through the washer." Rick tells him.
"Sounds like you have everything covered." Roy is impressed. Though since his mind isn't working to well yet everything sounds impressive.
"Richard, Alexis told me you were in here. What are you, … doing? Roy?" Martha comes waltzing in.
"Hi Martha, it's been a long time." Roy recognizes her.
"Roy Montgomery! It's been a while, what has my son done to you?" Martha is sure this is Richards fault.
"Mother! Couldn't you at least give me the benefit of the doubt before you convict me?" Rick sounds hurt.
"Oh posh. If you were there it would be his fault. But since he is here it's obviously your fault. So what did my son do this time?"
"We went out for a few drinks and he had me bring a coin." Roy explains.
"Oh Roy, I thought you were old enough to not fall for that again. Serves you right then. And you, when are you going to grow up?" Martha glares at him.
"I see some things haven't changed." Roy comments.
"Well you stay till you feel better Roy. And you behave yourself son." And Martha exits the room.
"She hasn't changed much." Roy notes.
"No, my mother is, … unique." Rick comments.