CH10
All of my stories are AU and only loosely based on Canon. The first few chapters of any story i do provide you with who and what the characters are in my stories. Since this is not canon Rick Castle, Kate Beckett, Alexis Castle or even Martha Rodgers, the reader needs to read this difference. What you call dragging, i call character development. How do you expect to understand what the characters react to or why if you don't understand these characters? Read and RELAX! It's all free here. I don't get paid to write and you didn't have to spend money to read it. If you're confused about what is happening go back and re-read it all, only this time don't skip paragraphs like last time.
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Rick settled into a pattern of sorts: Drive Alexis to school and drive home and work on his book. Use his new quad to drive out to the perimeter of his land and bury the sensors in the ground. Drive back to the school and pick up Alexis. Drive back home with a detour, turning left instead of right, and check on the empty house like he had promised. The sign out front still said "For Sale." He would drive home and play with his daughter, have fun and make her laugh. Cook dinner, put her to bed, and go back to working on his book.
Then there was a slight change. Instead of planting sensors, he was setting up relays towards the middle of his property. He had to drive galvanized rods deep into the ground, way past 4 feet. Next he had to mount the box that housed the electronics to the rods. After that was done he attached the solar power panel and plugged it into the slot indicated on his piece of paper and that was it. It took him just two days to complete the relay installations. When he was done, he and Alexis packed up and drove to Rapid City, never noticing the white Jeep Grand Cherokee or the dark green Jeep just behind it.
Once there, they flew to Los Angeles. He had a meeting with a publisher that was interested in taking over the Derek Storm series from Black Pawn. It only took one meeting for them to come to terms that Rick would accept, but, of course, he wouldn't sign anything until he had a lawyer look over every word of it. His New York lawyer was only too happy to look over the contract that night that Rick sent him in pdf format and said he would get back to Rick the next day. It gave Rick a chance to take Alexis down to a beach and soak up some sun and play in the surf.
His lawyer made a few changes that Rick presented to the publisher who accepted everything and promptly cut him a check that included what would have been a cash advance if he had come to them before he had finished. The publisher was more than happy to have a completed Derek Storm book in their hands. Rick would receive royalty checks based on the sales. The more books that sold the bigger the quarterly checks would be. He also had an advance for his next book and a contract for the next two Derek Storm books with a third as an option for both of them based on sales. That third book would have a separate contract based on sales of the other 2 books. It made Rick happy. He'd had a lot of money going out lately with no real money coming in save for the royalty checks from Black Pawn from the sales of his older books.
The new publisher had no problem with his request to be Rick Rodgers and write Derek Storm books under the Richard Castle name since that was the name his readers knew. Except now he was a ghost writer instead of writing as himself.
They flew back to Rapid City the next day and drove back home. Alexis had only missed one day of school but she was anxious about it. "You'll make it up pumpkin. It was only one day and I needed to get my book published," Rick said trying to console her about missing school. It was late in the day for Alexis so, after a quick snack, Rick sent her to bed then came to tuck her in and kiss her good night. It had been a long day for her and she was already asleep by the time he kissed her. "I love you pumpkin," he said softly not expecting an answer.
Come morning Rick had Alexis get in the tub. Soon she was clean and dry and getting dressed in the clothes he left for her on the bed. She came downstairs to the smell of pancakes which made her smile. Having eaten her one overly gooey pancake that was floating in maple syrup, a satisfied and happy Alexis was being dropped off at school. "Have a good day at school, I love you," Rick wished for her. "Love you too, Dad." And Alexis clambered down out of the truck, slammed the door closed, and ran into the school building.
He didn't ever remember being that enthusiastic about going to school. On the contrary, he thought up plans on how to play hooky and dreamed of places he would rather live. Anyplace that didn't have his father there. Thinking of his father had him drive home in a sour mood. When he got there, he went directly to his laptop to review the software for the sensors to see if any of them had tripped while he was gone. Seeing that none of them had been tripped and all of them appeared to be working, he left the laptop on and started working on an outline for his next book.
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Rick was engrossed in his new outline when he heard his laptop beeping at him. He immediately changed screens to see what was going on. One of his sensors had gone off indicating that he had a breach. Checking the map to see where the breach was got him to calm down a little. It was at the drive's entrance off of US85, telling him that it was a car. He immediately thought of Vicki or Veronica but wondered why they hadn't just called. He went back to his outline, saved it, then went outside and waited at the end of the pile of boxes that was Alexis's playset.
He saw a car he wasn't familiar with drive up. It was a very clean Land Rover which instantly had his ire up and he could hear the animal within him roaring as his blood burned. It made him wonder why he had silenced the animal within him for so long after feeling his blood burn as it pulsed in his veins. "It took me to have my own daughter to defend my honor for me to understand. I'm sorry." Rick told the bear within him. "But I'm listening now." He felt and almost heard the roar ring through his body. It was the bear within him that had gotten him to defy his father when he was old enough to make it on his own. New York and the money he earned had tamed him and he had forced the bear to be silent. Now he was listening again and his bear hated his father even more than he did.
He watched the car pull up and stop as his father turned off the car and began opening the door to get out. Rick rushed the car door and kicked it closed, putting a large dent in the door panel. His father's precious car that he likely had one of his slaves wash clean at least twice before driving out here was now damaged. His father looked out the window and showed his teeth and growled at him. "I'm sure Mother informed you what would happen to you if you set a foot on my property HUNT. Since you're still in your car you have done what I told you not to do. You step out of that car and I will have your skin on my bedroom floor," Rick growled back and moved back so that his father couldn't use the car door as a weapon but Rick still could if he was quick enough.
The window rolled down. "That's Lord Hunt or father to you, son," Hunt growled at him."You are no father to me. You never were and only your slaves call you Lord. Leave and don't come back before I add your car to the deal," Rick told him and bared his teeth. "So the cub thinks he can take me. I didn't come here to fight, son, we need to talk." Hunt started to open the door yet again, secure in his superiority over everyone including his son. Rick, however, roared and slammed his entire body into the car door, shattering the window and crushing the door so that it would never open again. Hunt roared at him and looked set to change form and end this now. "Leave now before I turn you into a rug that I'll wipe my feet clean on before going to bed." Rick started to strip off his clothes until all he had left were his pants and shoes.
Hunt knew changing now would ruin his clothes which meant nothing, but the car was too small for his animal form. He would be pinned inside it leaving his son with the first strike and possibly a second. "Last chance Hunt!" Rick growled at him and spat on the ground showing his disdain for the name. "This isn't over son," Hunt informed him. "You have no son and it is over unless your desire to be a rug is that strong. I remember your beatings. I suggest you remember this day and stay away! Send your slaves if you wish but I will adorn the walls and floor of my garage with their hides," Rick warned him fiercely.
"And that bastard of a child and her friends?" Hunt taunted.
Threatening Alexis was the final straw. Rick roared and unleashed his bear. His pants were shredded, his socks and shoes nothing but pieces as he furiously pounded Hunt's car to get at him. He began battering and literally ripping huge gashes in Hunt's car. The entire side was caved in along with the top pressing down on Hunt as Rick went wild and took out his anger on the car.
Hunt had no intention of just taking this, but all he saw were pieces of his car ripped into sharp points mostly pointed at him. He had vastly underestimated his son. Richard was fighting with power but he was in control. He was swiftly being trapped in his own car. True he could easily change shape busting out of his car when he did, wrecking it. However if he did that now he'd force pieces of his car into his body weakening him to the point where even the bitch that cleaned his house for him could defeat him. The next thing Hunt knew he was spinning as his car tumbled around him. He cried out in pain as some of those pieces did in fact pierce his body, a few pieces going in deep. Rick never stopped rolling the car until it was passed the sensor location.
Rick stared into what was left of the car and found his father trapped inside with a number of pieces of the car penetrating his body. He could finish him now easily, but he wasn't a murderer unlike his father. However he reached in a paw and raked his claws down the front of his father's human face leaving behind wide, deep gouges that bled badly. He snarled at Hunt then turned and bounded up his road towards home. He had given his father his message, it only remained to be seen if his father listened to it. Or had his father only learned to despise what his son had become even more?
A short while later found Rick in the shower with warm water running over him as he tried to calm down, feeling the bear inside him swelling with pride, still flushed with victory and the message they had sent his father. Shifting had made him very hungry, he felt as though he was starving in fact. So after he got out of the shower and dressed, he took a thick porterhouse steak out of the freezer, defrosted it and fired up the grill out back. He added a potato to the grill and placed a pan with corn on the left side burner and another pan with baked beans on the right side burner. He was glad that he'd bought a grill with 2 side burners.
It took him almost no time at all to eat his steak which was just a touch bloody, all of the corn and beans along with the potato swimming in butter. He used a slice of bread to wipe his plate clean and ate that too. Rick got out a bottle of Summer Honey Ale that he had found and chugged it down without stopping. It was brewed by Big Sky Brewing Company in Missoula. The honey flavor combined with a spicy taste had made it his new favorite and made him wonder why he had ever drunk the other stuff that he now thought tasted more like piss water.
He pulled out another bottle and went back to his laptop to check the sensors which only showed where Rick had ejected his father from his land, otherwise the place was clear. It did make him think about what would have happened if he hadn't been using his laptop at the time. He needed to fix that.
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Rick was waiting outside his truck as he watched a little head of long orangish-red hair come running his way and end up in his arms. He gave Alexis a hug that he meant to surpass all other hugs he had ever given her. For her part Alexis simply melted into her father and relished getting a hug from him. "How was school?" Rick asked her after leaning back a bit but still holding onto her. "It was great Dad!" Alexis told him. "Oh, what was the greatest part of school?" He was curious to hear this part.
"Paige and Jenny asked when we were going camping, and then Stephanie and Judy asked if they could come too." Alexis was so excited. She had girls in her school that were asking to spend time with her! "Stephanie and Judy?" Rick asked since he didn't think he had met them before. He was going to have to meet their parents long before he was going to let them come camping with them. "From my birthday party," she explained. "Ah!" Now he knew who they were. But he had only met their mothers when they dropped them off and picked them up. He was going to need more contact than that and probably their parents would want more too. An overnight stay was one thing, taking their children camping with him was another.
"Well, we'll see. We have to plan and coordinate with their parents first. Their parents have to agree to this, you know." He didn't want her to get her hopes up too high. "I know Dad. …Does that mean they can come?" Alexis asked excitedly skipping past getting the parents' approval part. "After we all decide on a date, where to go, and if their parents approve, sure. Even though there are enough beds, it's going to be snug with us, four more girls, and two dogs, unless you've forgotten that Midas and Maggie need to come too," Rick pointed out. Alexis, however, only heard "Yes" and launched herself at her father and hugged him. "Thanks Dad!" It was only after she let go of her father that she had to admit to herself she had forgotten about Midas and Maggie. Now she had something to worry about.
Rick did what he had been doing for weeks and turned left instead of right to check on the Sanders house since he hadn't been here the past three days. He drove past the sign that still said "For Sale". But when he got close to the house he found a white Jeep Cherokee and a dark green Jeep Wrangler parked in front of the garage. "Looks like we have company today," he remarked as he parked behind both vehicles blocking them in.
"You stay in the truck and keep the door locked. Do not get out unless I tell you to, understand?" Rick tried to sound serious. It must have worked since Alexis nodded and watched him go to the front door. He was hoping one car was a realtor and the other a prospective buyer, otherwise this could get ugly. He could feel the bear in him getting ready. Rick knocked on the door and waited. In a short time a vision of beauty opened the door. Just the sight of her had him turning into a puddle of goo and she hadn't even said a word yet.
Kate had been trying to get her mother to see her point of view when there was a knock on their front door. She wondered who it could be and was betting it was their realtor for some reason. She opened the door and found an extremely handsome, really big man standing there. He had to be at least 6' 5" tall and had a huge chest with massive arms. She instantly melted into a puddle. The new voice in the back of her head was telling her he was 'Perfect!'
She recovered first and ignored the voice. "Can I help you?" she asked, watching his bright blue eyes penetrate hers. He shook his head to clear his mind and pushed his bear down a little so he could at least talk to her. "I'm Richard Rodgers and I live across the road. I promised Celia and Lyle who used to live here that I would watch over the house after they were gone. I've been driving by and walking the perimeter for weeks," he managed to get out. "That's amazingly sweet of you," Kate replied, liking his actions already. "My mother and I bought the place about a week ago. It's perfect for us. It even came furnished with everything so we didn't have to move much. We're expecting everything else in about a week," she explained.
"Do you want to come in?" Kate offered and stepped aside a little to allow him to enter. "That would be nice." However he moved away from her and waved in a manner that suggested that someone was to join him. Soon enough Kate saw a little girl with an interesting hair color come running up and latch onto his leg. "This is my daughter Alexis. Alexis this is…" Rick stumbled since he didn't know her name. "Oh, I'm Kate Beckett and my mother is Johanna. Come on in." She stepped back even further to allow both of them inside. "MOM! We have company," she called which got Johanna to walk out of the bedroom that she was moving her things into.
Johanna walked into the living room and froze in place. There was a really big man in their house with a little girl. But it was the man that had her attention. She knew exactly who he was. "Mother this is Richard…" Her mother interrupted her. "Castle," she finished for Kate and walked right up to him. "I love your books. I think I've even got a signed copy around somewhere. Well, I will have when the rest of our things get here," Johanna told him. She only ever actually saw him sitting at a table signing books and had no idea he was this big. "I thought you said your name was Rodgers?" Kate said, confronting him as her detective skills kicked in.
"It's kind of a long story. I wanted to get out of New York and changed my name so that people couldn't follow me or harass my daughter," he tried to explain. "My daughter and I moved here from New York City too. It's a small world," Johanna said. "Please sit and please tell me you are still writing," she asked hopefully. Rick sat on the sofa facing the fireplace with Alexis next to him while Kate and Johanna took the chairs. "Actually I have another book coming out in a few months with a new publisher. That's one of the reasons why I moved." He wasn't ready to talk about Black Pawn in depth and they had no reason to know at the moment.
"Excellent! Maybe I can get it signed now that the author lives near here. You do live near here?" Johanna queried. "Alexis and I live directly across US85 from you. Just turn right coming from town instead of left and you can't miss us," Rick said. "Just you and Alexis? No wife?" Johanna asked which got Kate to raise her eyebrows and glare daggers at her mom. "I don't have a mommy." Alexis spoke for the first time, which had both Kate and Johanna's hearts breaking. "I'm divorced. I haven't seen or heard from my ex-wife since Alexis was a year old. She doesn't remember her," Rick explained.
Kate didn't know why she did it but she had her arms out and soon found Alexis in them allowing her to hug Alexis tightly. Something inside her told her to protect this child with all that she had. Johanna was shocked since she had never seen her daughter hold anyone's little girl.
"I'm sorry to hear that. It must be tough on both of you," Johanna said. "We do fine and she means more to me than anything or anyone. I was a little worried that she wouldn't like living here, but she's made a few new friends and we've had them over for sleepovers a couple of times," Rick remarked. "We're all going camping soon!" Alexis offered since she was still beyond excited about it especially since Paige, Jenny, and the other two girls had done the asking and not her. "That hasn't been decided yet pumpkin." He tried to tamp down her excitement since they were not likely going anywhere soon. "And not until school is over anyway," he reminded her.
"We have a motorhome," Johanna said and got a death glare from Kate who, Johanna noticed, was still holding onto Alexis. "You could come with us if you want. It'll be us and possibly 4 other girls and our 2 dogs. We still need to decide on when and where but you are more than welcome to come too." Rick could feel the bear inside him silently pleading for them to say yes. "You make the arrangements, tell us when and where, and we'll be right behind you. Right Katie?" Johanna smiled at Kate who was still glaring at her but hadn't let go of Alexis. "Perfect, now I have even more reason to talk to their parents. Maybe with two more adults going they'll feel better about letting their girls come with us," Rick surmised.
Alexis turned her head to look at Kate who still had her arms around her and she was liking it. It felt different than her father but it was a different kind of nice. "Do you make cookies?"
"Celia, the elderly woman who used to live here, made cookies that Alexis adored," Rick explained. "I don't make cookies sweetie, I'm sorry. But my mother is an expert cookie maker," Kate said, smiling at Alexis. "You'd know how to make cookies Katie if you had paid attention while I was teaching you," Johanna teased Kate who frowned at her mother. "I'm sure I can come up with some cookies for you to eat next time," Johanna offered, noticing that Kate was still holding onto Alexis.
"We should be getting home. I need to fix dinner and Alexis probably has homework. Would you two like to join us? We're just across the road; you could even walk it if you wanted to walk that far," Rick suggested. "Oh, we couldn't…" Kate began since she didn't want to impose, however her mother interrupted her. "We haven't gone grocery shopping yet Katie. All we have is what's in the panty that was left behind by the people who lived here previously," Johanna pointed out. "It's settled then. We have plenty of food and lots of room. You can either follow us or we'll expect you shortly." Rick stood up. "Come on pumpkin. We have to go home and start cooking." He held out his hand to her for come with him.
"We can bring her with us if you trust us enough," Johanna offered hesitantly, not wanting to overstep. Rick thought about it. It was his bear that had gotten him to ask in the first place. "Pumpkin?" He left it up to her to decide. Alexis turned her head to look at Kate who still had her arms around her. "Can I dad?"
"I'll expect you in about half an hour. Alexis knows how to get home." Rick had made his decision too.