Okies, this is the wind up to the part we all know about and is pretty much canon with a few added bits and pieces. Its not long but if I join it to the next piece, its double the size and I'm not quite finished with the next part. Busy with work so trying to keep the chapter coming …. Enjoy and thanks for the reviews. More would be encouraging.

Chapter 42

Castle and Beckett returned to the residence of the Candela family once the FBI confirmed via text message to Beckett that a phone tap was set up on the house phone. Inside the apartment, they waited for the kidnapper's ransom call to come in.

While the FBI agents tried to act busy and interested, Castle mostly remained in the background, hovering by walls out of sight, out of mind. Beckett discreetly monitored the behaviour of the parents and family members also not interfering too much with the FBI work. He was content to watch the police work, hoping he would take something from the experience so one day he might write about a similar situation. He also observed the people around them, especially Agent Sorenson who, without a doubt, wanted a fresh taste of his ex-girlfriend. Overall, the FBI did a lot of sitting around but when the phone rang, everyone jumped into action.

The call was swift and short. Rick's heart rate increased with his excitement but he maintained a cool exterior aware. The kidnappers claimed wanted $750,000 in exchange for the little girl's return within 24 hours.

Post the phone call everyone was busy. The family worked to gather up the money, the FBI scrubbed the recording to see if they could hear anything to find its originating place or any information of value. It was evident the phone call had been redirected through IP addresses.

As things quietened, Castle leaned against the doorframe between the kitchen and living area to continue to observe the goings on. When Sorenson passed by to enter the kitchen, he uneasily acknowledged Castle's presence. A quick decision had Castle follow the FBI agent into the room aware they had a couple of minutes of privacy.

"You do this a lot? Kidnappings?" Rick asked naturally interested in retrieving a bit of a back story on this handsome agent. He hadn't missed that a few of the women on duty had checked out Sorenson. Even Beckett did. It was easy to see why women would be attracted to him. "You seem to know what to say," he further commented.

Sorenson paused from making a drink in thought. He replied, "It's not about what you say. It's about controlling the situation. Controlling the emotions."

Castle considered his reply then commented aware he was about to be skating on thin ice, "You requested your ex-girlfriend for the task force. That doesn't indicate, to me, a control over your emotions."

"I requested Beckett because she's the best in the city," Sorenson smoothly answered.

"Not because you wanted to see her again?"

Sorenson stepped closer, his jaw square and tight, "How about you, Castle? You've written, what, twenty best-sellers?"

"Well, twenty six, but who's counting?"

"So, why the sudden need to shadow a real detective?" Sorenson challenged looking directly back at Castle.

"Well, the ones on TV seem oddly fixated on their sunglasses." He answered with a smart ass tone.

"So, with all the fat, balding detectives in the NYPD, you just happened to end up shadowing her."

"Must be fate," Castle replied aware the conversation had rapidly declined into a pissing competition.

"Must be," Sorenson agreed, and stared him down. Rick noted he had blue eyes but they were a different shade to his, less brighter or something.

Rick saw Beckett enter the kitchen obviously suspicious what the boys were up to.

They dropped their conversation and Sorenson backed away, their attention on the woman who now seemed fully aware the boys had been up to something unfavourable but she chose to ignore it.

She said to no one in particular, "Candelas have pulled their financials. Her sister is on the way." She gazed at Rick momentarily like a suspicious mother, then diverted her attention to Sorenson as she asked, "Anything on the transcripts?"

"It's clear the ransom demand has significance. Kidnappers made an issue about knowing what the Candelas have."

Castle commented, "They said it's everything they have."

"Whoever made the demand knows them well enough to know exactly what they're worth." Sorenson confirmed.

"Doug Ellers has been picked up by the boys and he's waiting for us back at the Precinct."

"Alright. We'll head back there. See what he has to say." Sorenson replied.

Kate gave a nod, then looked at Castle, "Coming?"

"Yeah." Rick glanced at Sorenson then followed Kate from the kitchen.

Outside as they walked towards the car, Kate asked, "What is going on with you and Sorenson, Castle?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? That didn't seem like nothing to me, back there."

"Oh, we were discussing keeping emotional control of the situation."

Kate scoffed, "What, fodder for your books?"

"Yep, you could call it that, though not necessarily for my books." He replied and looked at her, holding an expression he hope she understood. His fodder was more about what was going on with Sorenson and Beckett.

As she started the car, Castle mentioned, "He still likes you, Kate.'

Immediately Kate looked at him and he watched her large hazel eyes scan his face, assess what he was saying. He could get lost in those eyes, caused him to instantly melt. She knew it. Knew already she had the upper hand with him and he allowed her to know. She was a person who needed another person to love her unconditionally. Her mind, body and soul had craved it and she devoured his affection. At the same time she was terrified to permit herself to drop her guard, to fully commit to a relationship. Its why she hadn't followed Sorenson. The bond hadn't been forged enough to make her want to leave her life.

She drew in a deeper breath. "He might still like me, but its over, Rick. I want to see how we go." She gave him that smile that caused him to crumble. Timid, not quite a full smile but her eyes shined just enough.

He smiled back, "He still wants in your pants."

"How do you know?"

"I'm a guy. You're gorgeous and he's been with you."

"Are you jealous?" She asked as she switched on the indicator and drove from the car park.

"Me?" He was a little taken aback. "Oh, no. He's completely different to me, too similar to you for you two to last."

"Are you saying you're the better choice?"

"For you, yes. Not saying he's a bad choice. I'm sure he'd make a great partner, but he's too much like you."

"Oh," she replied and she kind of glanced at him, acceptance of his statement, maybe. "He was a good boyfriend, but we both worked long hours so it was a slow development in our relationship. Then he left. Different to ours."

"Better different?"

"No. You're with me all the time. We catapulted ourselves into a serious relationship pretty much overnight, right?" She sounded a little hesitant, but he laughed.

"Oh yeah. I went out on date a single man and woke up the next morning the first thought being that I was in a committed relationship with the woman sleeping beside me."

"Didn't need to think about it?" She asked.

He shook his head, "Heart wants what the heart wants, Kate. It wants you."

She pinched her lip then smiled, glancing to him. "Trying to freak me out there, Castle."

"You know that already." He stroked the back of his fingers lightly down her cheek. "I adore having you in my life."

Doug Ellers. He happened to be a disgruntled co-worker of Mrs Candela. As part of their process the FBI and NYPD had to establish whether he was a person of interest, whether he was spiteful enough to have kidnapped the child name Angela Candela.

Having Ellers attend the Precinct to be questioned in relation to the kidnapping of Angela Candela had been a waste of time and man hours. But they knew that now.

During the interrogation, Rick had sensed that the man had been thrown to the wolves, was bait to distract the FBI agents for a little longer. There was something awfully fishy going on in his opinion that he chose to keep to himself for now. When one simply considered the way the child had been taken, it raised a flag. In addition, the ransom amount was the extent of the Candela's finances and the question needed to be asked, who outside the immediate family knew that.

Problem was, the FBI Agent and the NYPD Detective weren't figuring it out because they were too busy subconsciously resolving unfinished business from their ended relationship.

Apart from the ex-lovers having problems to resolve, Rick accepted to himself, only, that he was somewhat threatened by Sorenson. Kate still had emotions circling her system about the FBI agent. It worried Rick that she did but he thought she mainly harboured emotions about Sorenson leaving her. His return and his behaviour he wanted to pick up where they left off, had Kate revisiting those feelings. Rick just hoped it would bring her closure on an event that had once hurt her.

His pressure to keep her, and Sorenson's pressure to have another go with her caused Kate to break.

Kate's sudden decision to kick Rick out of the Precinct had severely pissed him off, but he didn't want her to know that. At the time he'd obeyed, his only sign of objection being his expression she'd seen and accepted. His level of insecurity spike, but he kept a lid on it. So, as she had requested, he stayed away. On his way home, he dropped by his agent's office to pick up a couple of documents she wanted him to sign and return. He had read and signed them at the office then had continued home.

When Castle walked through the front door he heard Martha, passionately confronting a client. He paused when he realized her voice was coming from his office. She was in his personal space, and he wasn't particularly comfortable with it.

He heard his mother's voice, "Todd, honey, I really, really need you to focus on calibrating your creative energy. What do I mean? I mean the source of your power. The source of your power, Todd, is you."

Castle entered his office to find Martha seated at his desk, her feet up like she owned the place. She faced one of her clients. A name plaque on the desk read Martha Rodgers, life coach. That amused Rick no end.

"Howdy, Mother."

Martha looked at her son like a bit deer in headlights, and Todd turned to Castle, slightly in awe of his presence.

"Hello. Well, you're here." She faked a chuckle. I'm just finishing up a session in my office."

"I'm so flattered you have my framed book covers in your office." He remarked, staring his mother down.

Martha flashed her son with a look then said, "Well, a coach can never be too proud."

Todd stood and grabbed his knapsack. Gets up the nerve. "Mr. Castle, I just want to thank you for being so honest about your struggle with persistent and chronic writer's block."

"Excuse me?" Rick glanced at his mother in disbelief she would share false and misleading information.

"Well, Todd is an aspiring novelist, Richard, so I shared with him your inspiring tale of triumph over adversity."

"Well, how courageous of me." Castle said, "Good luck, Todd."

"Thanks! I'll take the year-long package." Todd handed Martha a cheque.

Martha accepted the payment as she said, "Way to be decisive, kiddo. Good for you. I'll see you next week."

Todd looked at Castle, smiled, "Nice meeting you."

Martha walked Todd out of the office. Once they were on their way to the front door Rick grabbed his mother's name plaque off his desk and walked to the kitchen.

With Todd gone, Martha followed her son.

Castle said, "Well, nice to see all those years as an actress have really paid off. Focus on calibrating your creative energies?"

Martha said, "I'll have you know, Todd is a very bright spirit in need of direction."

"Mother, it's bad enough that you're slandering me, do you have to commandeer my office to do your new-age coddle session?"

"Richard, you can't expect me to pay Manhattan rates for office space."

Castle set Martha's name plaque down on the kitchen table as he silently counted to ten before he suggested, "Well, how about this? You cannot beat this location. Proximity to beverages and sharp utensils."

"Sweetheart, as your life coach, I urge you to say nay to your inner naysayer. I call that a Martha-ism."

Castle opened the fridge door, grabbed a beer and passed one to his mother.

"How is it that you don't know who my father is, you don't know how your ex-husband stole all your money, yet you are giving life-coaching advice?"

"Mistakes are the building blocks of wisdom. A Martha-ism. Besides, Freud was an addict. It didn't stop him from helping people."

Castle said, "Sadly, faced with his mother's twisted-yet-unimpeachable logic, Richard Castle's head exploded."

"Ah, well. So, why are you home so early?"

"Well, thought I'd take a little breather. Working on a, uh, kidnapping case. A little girl."

Martha said, "No wonder you're so surly. Those poor parents, having a child ripped away. I can't imagine how they must feel."

"Is Alexis home, Mom?

"She's upstairs, Honey."

Castle said, "Feeling a deep-seated need for a hug."

Martha said, "Perfectly understandable. After all, we are pod-mates. Another Martha-ism. I call it the pea pod bond. You know, the bond that exists between parent and child. You and me. You and Alexis. We're all peas in a pod and, whether we like it or not, everyone who's ever had a child is in the pod forever."

"The pea pod bond." Rick said smiling.

"Yeah."

Castle called out, "Alexis!" Then took a swig of his beer finishing it, "Thank you, Mother. I'll deduct my session fee from your rent."

Martha said, "What? Whoa, whoa. You might want to consider the yearlong package. It's a bargain."

Rick approached the stairs and looked up to see Alexis coming down the stairs. He ambushed her with a hug, a big hug.

Alexis drew back a little, "What was that for?"

Castle said, "Just a pea pod thing. Gram will explain. I gotta go." He kissed her head then let her go as he headed for the front door.