Katherine Beckett is sitting in the family room looking out in the back yard of her suburban home. The sun afternoon sun is spreading over the trees with the colors beginning to change and grass no longer as green as summer with the beginnings of fall being felt in the air
She looks back down to her lap and the notepad where she has been writing her continuing musings for today. Over the last few years she has actually gone from retired NYPD cop to a almost famous writer in her own right. She has written several books loosely based on her twenty plus years experience as a New York police officer.
The main character she created, Karl Morgan, is a special operations unit officer. He was roughly based on Esposito and Ryan, mixed with Slaughter with just a hint of Roy Montgomery. Her player is an unapologetic street smart cop with a history of getting the confessions and taking the bad guys off the street while at the same time striving for the goal of getting closure for the victims and never having to look back.
Today she is having him involved in a case of drugs being smuggled into the city. These cases would normally not involve his unit except the crack is laced with another drug causing violent behavior resulting in several murders of innocent bystanders for no reason. The added drug cannot be identified as it is just one of the many new designer drugs being created in home grown labs all around the city and state and appearing on the street faster than the police can classify them as illegal.
She is having him in foot pursuit with a suspect who just turned the corner bringing Morgan into the home turf of the "Step" boys. They are a violent group that makes everyone 'step aside' whenever they come down the street. She is having trouble deciding how to get him out of trouble.
She smiles to herself thinking he should have brought his tag along reporter, Donna, and tell them she would show them her boobs.
Thinking about this story from her rookie days with Mike Royce makes her let out a laugh out loud
Her eyes drift back to the open glass door and the yard filled with shrubs, flower garden, pool, and ornamental landscape features.
Her mind moves forward to later in her career then the writer showed up and all the problems he created. Then the cases he helped solve. Then the love he gave her unconditionally.
The love she shoved aside to pursue a ghost that the writer found anyway and she tried to get him back
When she finally completely swallowed her pride and literally begged Castle to take her back, tears were flowing down her face and all she wanted to do was be his wife again
She thinks how her body betrayed her. How she wanted to have a baby with him. She craved a child fathered by him.
But it was not to be. He told her due to his age and not wanting any children late in life he had taken care of the possibility and if she wanted him, it came with no chance of children
It would be a price she had to pay for her actions years before.
This is when the front door of the home flies open and a tall young man with short sandy hair flies through like his clothes are on fire. The is carrying a sports bag that he drags up the stirs behind him
"I'm home" he yells as he passes at the landing on his way to his room
A short time later he comes back down. He has showered and changed from his jersey and basketball shorts, into t-shirt and long pants.
As he lands on the floor at the bottom of the stairs he yells out "Hey MOM, are you here?"
"I'm in the den" Kate answers the lanky teenager
The young man walks into the room and moves directly towards his mom and leans down and kisses her on the temple. She leans her head into the kiss and smiles in response to the affection
"How was practice?"
"Great. We will have a really good team this year"
He goes to the kitchen and grabs a bottled sports drink and then returns to the room
The young man sits down on the couch beside Kate "Can I ask you something?"
Kate closes her notebook and looks to the boy showing him that he has her full attention
"Of course"
"One of the guys on the team was saying that you were Nikki Heat"
That name, from the past, that she had not even thought about in years, brings back a flood of memories. The first time she had heard it made her angry. The thought that the writer was going to call the character by a hooker name. Then when the second book reached the shelves it only brought out more kidding from other police officers.
But that was not the end. Several more titles came out later and she became known as Nikki by so many that she finally just gave up trying to be embarrassed and learned to accept and ignore the comments. That finally slowed down the reactions.
"Yes. Why are you asking?"
She can see the boy tuning red
"What's wrong son? You are blushing"
"The guys are all into reading the books and the stories of Nikki and Rook and…well they…uh…get…they are very…"
Kate reaches over to the boy and touches his arm "Even thought I was the inspiration for Nikki Heat, I was NOT Nikki Heat. The things written in those books are all fiction"
The teenager is looking down at his lap "Mom, the thing is, that my teammates think you are Hot!"
Kate has to smile at the statement "Well" she responds proudly "That is quite a compliment"
The boy is not sure what to ask next "So you and this reporter did not…were not…I mean…"
"No son. There was no reporter"
"So you and dad…you and him…"
She takes his hand "There were others before your dad and he had other women before me but he and I have been together a long time now and with him I have never been happier"
That's good. Yeah thanks mom" the boys stands and heads to the door "I'm going to the Gill's Burgers to meet the guys." He stops then turns back "I love you mom" and the door slams as he heads out to be with his friends
She looks in the direction the young man exited and is thinking how she wuches to have had a child that was her own.
Moments later the door opens again and her husband enters. He places his case on the table. She look up as he enters the room "Hey babe"
"Hey" he responds. He walks to the couch and sits down beside her. "We need to talk"
She feels her chest immediately tighten. Placing her notes on the table beside her she tries to not show her fear for what he is about to say
Trying to calm her fears, a little, he reaches over to takes both her hands in his.
"When you asked if I could ever forgive you, I told you I needed some time"
This conversation is not starting well
"I think I have taken all the time I need to take. It is time to put closure to all of this"
Getting worse. Her throat is now closing up
"We have been good together. Early on it was amazing and even with that rough spot we are still amazing together. It's just not as intense as it once was. But…"
Tears form in her eyes HERE IT COMES
"We can be better. I want us to be better. A lot better. I want that ghost that has been around for so long, out of our home"
He smiles to her
"I told you years ago that you would always be in second place to Rickey and you accepted that"
He pulls her hands to his lips and gives each finger a kiss
"Kate you are the most important person in my life now along WITH Ricky"
In a flash Kate is on top of Rick sitting in his lap "Castle I love you" and the attack on the mouth begins
Pushing her back a little "Hold on there girl, where is our son?"
"Out with friends that embarrassed him by claiming that he has a hot mom"
Castle looks into her eyes where she can see his love pouring out for her "Well he does have a hot mom and I plan to experience all that hotness for myself right now"
This should give decent closure to this angst.
I am trying to get my head out of the deep dark pit beside my television. Then I can go finish the love stories