Parenting

One morning after Johanna Martha and the twins were brought to school by their parents; Castle and Beckett were on their way back to their children's school. Before they left; they left James Royce in Martha's care. They had been called down by the school's headmaster. It didn't take Castle and Beckett to get to the kids' school.

When they had walked into the outer office of the headmaster's office they saw Johanna Martha and the twins sitting on the bench outside of the headmaster's office. All three of them were roughed up; their clothes were dirty and disheveled. They also were a bit beaten up. The headmaster had already talked to the other kid and the kid's parents prior to Castle and Beckett's arrival. That kid had a three day out of school suspension for what had unfolded just moments before during recess.

"Mr. and Mrs. Castle are here; sir." the headmaster's secretary said over the intercom.

"Thank you, they can come in."

With that Castle and Beckett walked into the headmaster's office. Once pleasantries had been exchanged and the duo had taken their seats before the headmaster; the headmaster had started to explain why they had been pulled down to the school.

Apparently the other kid that had been in the headmaster's office just moments ago had picked a fight with JJ during recess. Both boys had thrown a few punches before JM and Kat came over to aide their brother. A few more punches were thrown by the girls before some teachers came to break things up and came over to bring all four kids to the headmaster's office.

The school had a no violence policy.

"I hate to do this. But since we have a no violence policy in place here; I have to give Johanna Martha, Katherine Mae and Jackson James a three day out of school suspension for what happened earlier."

"Okay." Castle and Beckett said.

Neither of them were pleased to hear that their three kids were getting the same punishment as the other kid had. They didn't see that they their kids had any fault in it. To them it sounded like it should be on the other kid.

Instead of arguing with the headmaster; Castle and Beckett had left the headmaster's office and gathered their kids.

"I hope you two are planning on talking to them about this."

"Rick; take the kids out to the car. I'll be right there." Beckett said.

"Okay."

With that Castle took the kids to the car.

Castle knew what Beckett was doing she was in protective mom mode just as he had gone into protective dad mode a number of years earlier.

"The girls that you took. Where are they? Where's your partner Roger Henson? Who put the two of you up to this?"

"I got nothing to say."

"Well then you're going to go down for all of it. You were driving the van. That's murder, two counts of kidnapping. Do you know how many years you're going to be in jail for? It's in the triple digits. Tell us where the girls are. That's your only hope.

"Let me know when my ambulance gets here."

"I'd like a minute with him."

"I just said I don't want to talk. So you can't question me. I have rights. I'm not going to say anything without a lawyer."

"I'm not a cop."

"Then who are you?"

"You remember the girl with the red hair? I'm her father."

"Please know I will do whatever it takes to get her back. Those police outside are my friends. My daughter's friends, too. So it's just you and me."

"If you touch me I'll press charges."

"I don't care. Where are they?"

"I'm just a driver. I… I don't know anything."

Now Beckett hadn't gone to the extreme like Castle had but she came pretty close to it.

"Didn't know you had it in you." Castle said once Beckett joined them at the car.

Beckett remembered when she said that to Castle for the first time.

"When it comes to my kids; I'll do just about anything."

With that they left the kids' school.