CHAPTER 5 – Peeling for the Future

Kate followed Jordan and Rick into the briefing room right on time. She and Jordan headed for their seats and Rick headed for the podium. Rick looked up and nodded to an agent that went back to secure the doors.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, as of now we are on a communications blackout except for official channels. Thank you for your willingness to work on this task force; let me tell you that we have a big fish on the line and we are going to need a methodical approach to get this in front of the Attorney General.

"You may all open your briefing packets at this time. Our target is Presidential candidate and current Senator William Bracken. He has been linked to three corrupt members of the NYPD back in the 1990s and to at least one murder and many more suspected. We have suspicions including extortion, vote tampering, murder and much more.

"As we discussed last night we will have three teams: Field Ops, Research and Tech Ops. SSA Shaw will direct Field Ops out of our New York office. Research will be headed by SSA Carver and will be here at Quantico. Tech Ops will be split between the two and will be headed by Agent McIntyre here in DC and Analyst Garcia in New York.

"We will begin with a complete review of what we have so far. That has been chiefly compiled by myself and Detective Beckett. We will then begin having Tech Ops dig into any financial transactions while Research will work on tracing the Senator's life back from now to his youth.

"Tomorrow at 0600 there is a chartered flight for those headed to New York. Shaw, Beckett and I will be leaving tonight while you are all briefed on what we have so far. We have a floor reserved at a local hotel for you to drop off your belongings and we will rendezvous at 0900 at the FO. Director Hunt will brief you now. Director?" Rick nodded at the man and led Kate and Jordan out to the car to start the drive back home.

TCOP

Rick had been driving for about an hour when he glanced over at Kate and noticed that she was deep in thought. He glanced up in the rearview and watched Jordan grinning and shook his head slightly. He signed and checked his driver mirror and decided to get the conversation started. "Something on your mind, Kate?"

"Nothing...everything...I don't know."

He looked over and winked at her before looking straight ahead again. "Ask."

She looked out her window and then at him. "I have some questions and I don't know how many you can answer."

"I can answer any question, Kate. I may not always know the correct answer but I can try, so go ahead."

Kate glanced over at a clearly intrigued Jordan. "JJ seemed nice,"

Rick raised an eyebrow. "She is."

Kate huffed, knowing what he was doing. "How does she know you?"

Rick grinned. "Jealous?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Avoiding?"

Jordan snorted and Rick gave her a glare. "Hush, you. As you already know I met JJ about a year before I left. I was told they were going to be letting me lead a BAU team and that they had a few folks placed and ready. Hotch was my second and there were two others...you've met Jacobs and there was a female agent named Greenway...I didn't see her so I don't know where she has transferred to." He looked up at Jordan.

"She left the service about eighteen months after you did...she had been shot and later she was involved in a shooting while on duty...well, we were never given details. She left and soon Prentiss came onto the team."

Rick frowned. "A shame...Elle was really good at identifying sexual predators." He looked back over to Kate. "Well, JJ had just completed the academy and we had an opening for a liaison...that's someone to handle press conferences and logistics. She was really good at it and caught on quick. I always thought she would make a good profiler so I mentored her for about a year before I left. I think at one time she may have had a crush on me, but I always thought of her as a kid sister."

Kate visibly relaxed. "Okay. Why is the CIA involved?"

Rick shrugged. "I was not given a direct reason. The Director just told me that he was going to be on the team. Jordan, you have any idea?"

Jordan shook her head. "No clue. It's not usual for a task force but it's not unheard of...especially for a high profile target."

They sat silently for another thirty minutes. Jordan looked up and started to say something but stopped. Rick noticed but kept driving. After the third time he looked up at her in the mirror. "Just spit it out, Jordan."

She chuckled when she realized she had been caught. "I was just curious..."

Rick looked at Kate. "About?"

"The two of you..."

Kate snorted and glared at Rick. "Castle! How did you know?"

Rick grinned unabashedly. "I am a profiler you know."

Jordan looked at them confusedly. "How about a clue for those of us less informed?"

Rick busted out laughing. "Sorry...we had a bet on if and when you would crack and ask for the gossip. Kate didn't think you would and I bet it would be when the three of us were alone for more than an hour. I won, by the way, dear. Be ready to pay up once this whole issue is resolved."

Kate glared at him. "Don't be such a sore winner Rick...gloating does not become you."

Rick shrugged. "I can't do a victory dance while driving...some officer might pull me over and...well, you know...my victory dances can be quite erotic."

Jordan busted out laughing. "Kate, how do you stand him?"

"Must be love I guess."

Rick shrugged. "Or my rugged handsomeness."

Kate snorted. "Yeah, or that."

Rick grinned. "Well, Jordan, to answer your question...you see, it was a few months ago. I mean, you even commented about it on the case you worked with us. You may not have recognized that I was former FBI but I had heard of you before I left the Bureau. Oh, and I heard the beagle comment, too." He grinned. "I had been pining away for Kate for quite a while and I finally wore her down...well, after I told her I loved her and gave her an ultimatum...me or her mom's case. Well, she didn't choose me and I left."

Jordan's eyes widened comically. "So, you tell her you love her...give her an ultimatum which she throws back in your face...I'm not getting how you got here."

"Stop interrupting then! So Kate runs off to confront a suspect on her mom's case without full backup. Just her and Esposito; first Esposito gets knocked out and Kate gets knocked off the side of a building, just barely holding on. The suspect leaves her to fall but she gets saved by Ryan. Later that day she shows up at the loft soaked to the bone. I almost didn't answer the door I was so mad but I loved her too much. We made up and now here we are."

"Wow. You two are way too dramatic for me."

Kate looked up at her boyfriend with shining eyes. "Yeah, but I finally followed my heart and it was so worth it."

Rick winked at her and turned off of the highway heading back into the city.

TCOP

Kate followed Rick into the loft as he dropped their bags just inside the door. He made his way towards the kitchen as she took off her shoes and sorted through the mail. She turned, locked the door and set the alarm before making her way to the coach just as Rick handed her a glass of wine. He sat and pulled her feet into his lap. She sighed and took a sip of her wine. She looked over at Rick with a grin on her face.

He looked over and winked. "Well, lookee at us all domesticated and everything." Kate snorted and sat her wine down before pulling Rick towards her. Relaxing in her arms, he looked over at her thoughtfully. "You know love, when I walked away from the Bureau I never imagined going back. Alexis and writing were all I wanted. About a week after I left I had a dream that I was still an agent but for the CIA. It was pretty vivid and it felt so real. I was named Derek and I was partnered with a martial arts specialist named Clara. I remember snickering because Aunt Clara from Bewitched popped into my thoughts but then she had a suspect on the ground with a fist strike...I think you can guess where that lead."

Kate grinned. "Aunt Clara? Really?"

"Yes, love. That was one of my favorite shows because I could see the magic in everyday life. Oh and Liz Montgomery was kinda pretty," he added, winking at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Look at you! Little Ricky perving on a TV actress."

"Hey! I did not perv on Aunt Liz!"

"Aunt Liz?!"

Rick shrugged. "She and Mother met in Hollywood. They were filming on sound stages next to each other and ended up in the cafeteria at the same time most days. I grew up around her. When she died in 1995 we were crushed."

Kate's eyes watered. "Rick, I'm sorry..."

"You didn't know, love."

"Still..."

He hushed her with a quick kiss. "Back to my story...After that dream I felt like I needed to write Derek's adventures. As you know I hung around the CIA for a bit and got some ideas and then met Sophia. When I created Clara, I used Sophia as a template...but Clara was NOT Sophia. Well, after the first book Black Pawn gave me a contract for three more books. I think you know the rest of my writing career."

She nodded. "Why did you really want to shadow me?"

He knew that question would come up and he had been thinking on how to answer it. "When you approached me at the book party I will admit I was instantly attracted to you. I turned around and there was this beautiful woman with these gorgeous eyes." He grinned when she blushed. "But after helping you guys on the first case, I realized how much I missed the investigating, theorizing and the feelings of accomplishment when a difficult case was closed. And to the bonus, I had a chance to work with you. I know you do not believe in fate, but you know I do. I was meant to be approached by you. I left the Bureau because my daughter needed me and I do not regret a single moment I have had with her. But she's in college and doesn't need her dad anymore. Just being an author doesn't cut it for me anymore, Kate. I'm not sure what happens after we finish this, but I know two things. I will still write...and I will be right beside you. Always."

Kate softly smiled. "Thanks, Rick. I love you."

He froze for a moment before replying. "And I love you, sweet girl. Now let's get some sleep. We have a task force to run." He took her hand and led her to bed. Tomorrow was going to be an early day.

TCOP

Kate Beckett was very intelligent. She could put the pieces of a case together quickly, even more so since her partner joined her. But she was having trouble wrapping her mind around the fact that the man going through the presentation in front of her was the same man that had been in the Batman boxers just a couple of hours before.

"He's like a force of nature, isn't he?" Kate whipped around to see their CIA liaison standing next to her with a cup of coffee. "He had a bright career when he was part of the FBI. I heard that they were fast tracking him to head of the BAU. Glad he left, though. He would have burnt out and been good for no one, including his daughter."

Kate glanced over at the man. "You seem to know an awful lot about him."

Hunt raised an eyebrow. "I made it my business to watch over him…he saved my life, not that he ever knew." At Kate's inquisitive look he grinned. "A story for another day, detective. Let's see what the latest is on our target."

"…so we'll continue to monitor his communications. Tech please let me know once we have ears on. The AG has signed off on the necessary paperwork, but let's keep it quiet. Jordan?"

"Yes?"

"Where are we on getting a man inserted into his protective detail?"

Kate watched Jordan looking at her tablet. "Looks like one of his newer folks had a bit too much to drink and wrecked his motorcycle. Has a cast and won't be able to return to duty until it heals. We have an asset in place ready to move once they start. He's an ex Delta and has some pretty impressive skills, so we feel safe he will be accepted with the cover background he had set up."

Rick nodded. "Kate, would you mind briefing Hunt on the details that you know?" At her nod, he looked back at the rest of the agents. "You know your assignments, folks. Good hunting."

Rick watched as Kate and Hunt headed into one of the briefing rooms and closed the door. As much as he wanted to be by her side, he knew she would be all right. He had to concentrate on spinning this team up quickly so that he could return to inactive duty and just be Kate's partner again. He had been entertaining asking her to marry him, but when this popped up he decided it was not the time. She'd had her world shaken enough finding out about his past...a past that he had meant to share with her eventually but no time had seemed right. He was just glad that she had not run like she used to when she was overwhelmed. He understood that it was her coping mechanism...his was to retreat into the world he created and work it out through his characters.

He sat at his desk and closed his eyes, listening to the buzz around him. It had only taken a day to get back into his Agent Rodgers mindset; thankfully he was still enough Rick Castle to not worry Kate. He listened to multiple conversations while processing the myriad of data that was being discussed. He began extrapolating items he would need to get into the mindset of the first folks that they were targeting to get information from. He began reviewing everything and nothing. Soon he would be sitting across from his first opponent and he was going to be ready for Kate's sake.

Jordan Shaw watched Rick closely as she saw him close his eyes. She had heard Jacobs talk about how Agent Rodgers methods were unlike anything taught at the Academy. She watched the movement of his eyes and the facial expressions as he listened and thought about things. It was fascinating to her that this is the man she had met when she first worked with Kate Beckett; he had been so nerdy and immature. But then she thought back to that case and how he seemed to be able to extract from a smattering of data viable leads. He was subtle and she grinned as she realized that the entire thing was a way to disarm people and not see that he was much more brilliant than he let on. It had excited her to watch him theorize with Kate and she had felt herself drawn to it.

She watched as Kate and Hunt exited the briefing room and how Kate searched until she found her partner. She found herself tearing up at the tenderness in the expression on Kate's face as she stood there. She didn't miss the storm on the brow of the CIA agent either. She watched as Hunt made a comment to Kate before heading out. Kate looked at her and slowly made her way over.

Kate sat at her desk which faced Jordan's. "Do you know what he is doing?"

Jordan shrugged. "I had heard about this but not witnessed it. Jacobs called it 'the zone' but I think he is just a football fan."

Kate grinned. "I've watched him stare at a murder board for hours...seen him lose himself typing his stories...but this? No."

Neither of them had noticed his smile when they started talking. He opened his eyes and watched the two as they spoke softly. "Not spooky…"

Kate snorted. "Come up with anything while you were daydreaming?"

"Possibly. Jordan, does Mark Willoughby still work for the Fed?"

"I think so…why?"

"We need some information about a bank…a bank that supposedly never got digitized."

"C'mon, Cas…er, Rodgers. Right before Y2K all banks came online, including those that were fully manual."

Kate's eyes widened. "Rick, do you mean…"

"Yes, Kate. Jordan, see if you can track Mark down. Let him know Ricky R needs a favor."

Jordan looked at Kate and picked up her phone. "Sara, find Mark Willoughby at the Fed and call me back. Thanks."

TCOP

Jordan's phone rang just as Kate and Rick got back from getting their coffee. Jordan looked at the caller ID and hit the speaker button. "FBI, Shaw speaking."

"Jordan! Lovely to hear those dulcet tones of yours!" Jordan blushed and Kate grinned.

"Hello, Mark. Charming as ever..."

An exasperated sigh came from the speaker. "Jordan...when are you going to leave your solitary life and realize your love muffin is right here?"

Kate choked as she took a sip of her coffee. "Oh, Jordan you naughty girl...who's there with you?"

Jordan winked at Kate. "I've got Kate here with me." Rick rolled his eyes.

"Kate? I don't know any agents named Kate...well, hello there beautiful Kate!"

"Hello, Mr. Willoughby."

"Oooohhh, sultry. And dear Kate, please call me Mark. All the beautiful ladies do."

Rick bit back a snort and waved for Kate to go on. "Well, Mark...how do you know I'm beautiful?"

"All ladies are beautiful, dear Kate."

Rick chose that moment to speak up. "Back off, Marky Mark...Kate's mine!"

Kate rolled her eyes as Mark replied. "Ricky? Well, man if she's yours...well, then! I'm all business...what can I do for you?"

Rick winked at Kate. "Mark, I have an account number, no bank name. I know the account was open in the mid-90s. Bank records were pre digital and were supposedly destroyed late January 1999 in an offsite fire at a Consolidated warehouse."

You could hear keys clicking. "What's the account number?"

"0862241."

"Okay Rick. Give me a couple hours...the digitized stuff is slower to search. We have a case or is this personal?"

"We have a case. Sec level 5. I'll send you the details when I can. Bill this to the usual account."

"Got it. Well, ladies, it was a pleasure. TTFN..." The connection was terminated.

"He seems to be an interesting individual."

Rick chuckled at Kate's comment. "I met Mark in college. He was a finance major and he had just broken up with his girlfriend about the time the Kyra left me. We met at a party. He had been a member of the Polo team and had an accident where his spine was damaged. He was trying to get used to being in a wheelchair and he and I sat and drank a bottle of rum. He had about a semester left and I had just finished my first novel. I told him I had been rejected over 20 times and I kept pushing. He said I was one stubborn guy...I had to agree. Well, Mark graduated and I finished my degree while writing another book.

"When I finished the Academy and got my first assignment, I was seconded to the AG's office for a task force. One of the others was a whiz at forensic accounting but I only heard of him and never saw him. We would find these leads and need the financials analyzed and this guy would find the most minute pieces of evidence that would help us move on something. Finally after two months of work we nailed the guy and had a celebration. When our financial guy came in I busted out laughing. Mark was still in a chair but he had found his confidence and flirted with every female agent in the room. He was one of the few people I knew from before that I kept in touch with. He'll come through for us, Kate. Mark's the best." Rick sat back down at his computer and sent the necessary information to Mark, then closed his eyes again and went back into the 'zone'.