This is a longer chapter and its laying down the foundations of what happens in the future. Reminder, rule to myself is I have to work this secret life within the original story. Apologies if any errors but been really busy and wanted to finish this bit so I can join it with what I have already written ahead.
Chapter 47
Kate threw a few pillows to the armchair then gave her pillow a decent thumping to fluff it up, while repeatedly glancing to Rick who undressed rather spectacularly before he fell into bed wearing only boxer shorts. She took a moment to admire his impressive chest, to recollect how he'd unbuttoned his shirt, pushed down his jeans, gradually revealing his body.
He looked at her, released a satisfied grunt. "The lady likes what she's sees," he commented.
Kate immediately felt her cheeks burn, but she held her stare and replied, "Maybe."
He scoffed. "Maybe, my ass."
Kate maintained her composure and stare,
"C'mere." He summoned, his eyes flicking between her face and legs. "My long legged girl."
"Mm," she responded and threw her robe where the pillow had landed earlier.
"Honey, that woman, was she crazy?"
"Goldberg?" She knelt on the mattress watching him settle into his own pillow. "Crazy about plastic surgery," she commented then added, "That was funny when you said she it was like she escaped from the Island of Dr Moreau."
"Yeah, I know, but... you quoting the elephant man-"
Beckett smiled, which caused him to do the same.
"That topped it," he laughed.
"So, she wanted to sue Dr Leeds, for refusing to perform elective cosmetic surgery, specifically a face-lift, facial implants and liposuction."
Castle hummed, "And crazy lady, said that arrogant bastard thought he could play God."
"When I told Montgomery that she was in the hospital getting more surgery when Leeds was murdered, he had to ask me what was left to operate on."
Rick laughed as he reached for Kate's hand. "Did you tell him?"
"Implied. He understood."
Once she accepted his held out hand, he gently tugged at her beckoning her to him. She got up on her knees to close the gap.
"Hopefully CSU will find something." She said as she swung her right leg over his body. She sat on him, widening her eyes with a smile. "Excited to see me, Ricky?"
He smiled, "Always."
She laughed momentarily looking at their hands joined then was back at his eyes.
"How did you go finding Alexis a dress?"
Rick rolled his eyes, "You girls, women, don't realise how gorgeous you are. She tried dress after dress on until my mother found one for her. I got the lecture from Martha about body-image issues."
"Oh. All women have them, Castle."
"You don't –." His brow furrowed, when he saw her expression, "Oh, yes you do. You do, right?"
She sat right down upon him, "Of course I do, I just don't have hang ups about them."
"Should I ask?"
She laughed, "My hair, it can be unmanageable sometimes. So, I tie it up or cut it short."
"Okay." He cautiously replied. "Anything else?"
"You know what Castle, I know what my flaws are, my little hang ups."
"I don't see them," he replied quite seriously. "You're perfect the way you are."
For a couple of seconds, Kate waited for Rick to be a smart ass, but he remained sincere, "Thank you," she whispered then softly pressed her lips to his. She paused, pulled back a little to look into his eyes, "Castle, I-" She tailed off, bit her bottom lip, but stilled.
Her words ceased all Rick's thoughts and he stared into her eyes, waiting for her to finish, but she was stuck, stalled by her own timidness. There was an urge to encourage her to finish. Her heart rate had increased equal to his. He touched her shoulder, breathed in then to get them past the moment, he calmly said. "It used to be that all Alexis needed to feel beautiful was a pink tutu and a plastic tiara. What makes Kate feel beautiful?"
"What makes me feel beautiful is a bath, a pretty dress, hot jeans, a good hair day, and-" she touched his cheek, "The things you buy me because you know I will look pretty, especially the way you look at me, makes me feel beautiful."
"You are beautiful, from here," he touched her chest, then reached to her forehead, "and here."
"Umm, lacy lingerie, especially you," she continued with a smile.
"Especially me," he echoed aware that was the extent of what he'd get from her now. She was feeling what he felt but she wasn't ready, like he was to verbally express it.
"What colour dress did Alexis get?" She asked stroking his hair.
"Teal," he answered distracted by something else Kate had said.
"That would fit her complexion."
"Lingerie?" He inquired which caused Kate to smile.
"I knew that would get your attention."
Rick pulled her down, closer to him and she ended up laying upon his chest. "You have my full attention.' He swept hair from her face.
She sighed, stroked his chest, "Rick?"
"Mm?"
"Promise me something." she quietly requested.
"Promise you what?"
"Please don't investigate my Mom's murder."
"Kate," he murmured.
"I'm just saying."
"I know."
"I know how you get." She pressed her lips to his chest, then rested her chin on him, looking into his eyes. "Don't," she whispered, "Please don't. If you've started, please stop."
"What is it that scares you more? Not knowing or knowing?"
Her eyes narrowed, "Being obsessed."
"I'll do it with you, Kate. Make sure-"
Kate sat up, lifted herself up and swung off his body. She flopped to the mattress on her side of the bed, folding up her legs against her body. Rick sat up and turned toward her.
"Hey, don't be scared." He said, when he saw her hug her legs to her chest.
"I'm not scared."
Rick sighed, "Don't close me out because of this."
"I let you in, Rick. I shared my Mother's murder with you."
"But you're guarded now."
She swallowed, then murmured, "Don't." She pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. "I share with you," she said, her eyes closed, "I share with you more than I do anyone."
Rick watched her behaviour, the mounting stress she exhibited. "I know you do," he replied and reached out to her knee, "You're safe, Kate."
She nodded, lowered her gaze then reached for the bedding she pulled up. She lengthened her body down the bed, resting her head to the pillow. "I'm tired, Castle."
Rick laid down to his back, his hands supporting his head on the pillow. He silently stared at the ceiling, thoughts crowding his mind about the file he'd given the medical examiner. There was a part of him that wished he hadn't done it, a part that hoped the ME wouldn't find any new evidence. If nothing was found he wouldn't need to raise it with Kate. He could forget about it and move on if the ME found nothing.
He reached out to place his hand on Kate's hip and gave her several caresses. He murmured, "Honey?"
"Mm?"
"Stay open with me." He said and waited for a response but nothing came. She was pissed at him for not promising to stay away from her mother's case. In that instance he decided he would phone the ME the next day and tell him not to review the file.
"On March 18, Dr Leeds was down at Mercy." Esposito said to his audience of four, "And according to the hospital, the procedure lasted nine hours. Neither the assisting nor the anaesthesiologist were with the hospital. Both were brought in by Dr Leeds. Neither were his regulars."
"A nine hour mystery operation he didn't want his own people to know about." Montgomery remarked leaning against a desk beside Castle.
Beckett said, "The hospital must've had some record of the patient."
Ryan said, "Get this. The hospital can't find the file. It's like it never happened."
Castle said, "Who did you talk to, Ryan?"
"Patient information."
"Well... that was your first mistake," Castle commented, "If you want to find someone at a hospital who had a treatment there, there's only one department to go to where nothing ever falls through the cracks." He paused, glancing at each member of the team, "Billing." He squawked watching their eyes widen, then asked, "Someone had to pay for it, right?"
Beckett immediately said, "Ryan."
"On it, Beckett."
"I'll go get coffee." Rick said to Kate, "And yes I will buy you something to eat."
Kate listened to the person on the other end of the landline, casting her eyes towards the elevator doors when she heard the ping. "Thank you. No, I appreciate it." She unconsciously nodded and jotted a note beneath a number. She directed her attention to Castle, who walked in with coffees and a brown paper bag. He passed her the coffee and placed the bag on the desk with his coffee. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He smiled, tapped the note paper, "What did you find out?"
"Well, it looks like our mystery patient's hospital bills were paid promptly and in full."
Castle leaned in, "By whom?
"Wire transfer." Her eyes left Rick as she tore the piece of paper from the pad. "Esposito?
Esposito stopped as he was passing her desk and turned to his superior, "Yeah?
Beckett reached to him with the sheet of paper and said, "See what you can find on this account number."
Esposito read the number then smiled at Beckett, "All right." He continued on.
Beckett asked, "Is Alexis ready for tonight?"
Castle said, "Yeah, yeah. I can't believe my little girl's going to prom. My only comfort now is the long-Standing tradition of torturing the boyfriend." He took a sip of his coffee, a smug smile creeping over his face.
"What do you mean?
Surprised by her question Castle sat up, "You know, the time-honoured hazing that goes on in those few moments we share where he and I are alone just before my daughter descends the stairs."
Ryan who was listening in said, "I remember the terror of meeting my date's old man."
Castle turned about to face Ryan who was seated in his office chair, "What did he do?"
"Checked my wallet for condoms, showed me his gun collection. My hands were shaking so bad, I could barely put on the corsage."
Castle turned back to Beckett, "What'd your dad do?"
Beckett's brow furrowed in thought, "I... I don't know. I was in my room with my Mom."
Interested in learning more Castle asked, "How was your date when you finally came out?"
Beckett sat back in her chair, recollecting the evening she had gone to her first prom with a senior, "You know, actually, now that you mention it, he looked terrified. And this whole time, I thought he was scared of me."
Castle, "Nope. And now it's my turn." He laughed devilishly.
"What are you planning?" Ryan asked.
"Something befitting the name of Castle." He replied as Esposito returned to the group holding the sheet of paper Beckett had given him a few minutes ago.
"Yo, you're never gonna believe this." He waved the paper.
Beckett lost interest in the conversation, "What'd you find?"
"That account the money was wired from, Beckett? It belongs to the U.S. Attorney's office. Whatever the procedure was, Uncle Sam paid for it."
Castle replied, "I guess we can rule out boob job."
Kate frowned at him.
Ryan asked, "Why would the D.O.J. pay for a cosmetic procedure?"
"There's only one reason," Beckett replied, "To change someone's identity."
"So you think the guy was in witness protection?" Espo asked Beckett.
"If Dr Leeds was tortured," Castle commented, "Then I think our killer is trying to find this guy, Beckett."
"Then we better find him first."
"How do you find someone who's in witness protection?
Beckett said, "We ask the people who are protecting him, Castle."
"Ask Hard Candy? Good luck with that, Beckett," Ryan stated.
"Hard-Hard candy?"
"Assistant US Attorney Candace Robinson, Castle," Espo replied, "She makes mobsters cry."
"But not me," Beckett stated, "Road trip, Castle."
"We are going to see Hard Candy Robinson?"
"We are."
"That worked out well." Rick stated, stopping outside the Department of Justice on the pavement in order to debrief on the past ten minutes, fruitless ten minutes, with his partner.
"Not how I wanted it to be," Beckett replied, as she faced him, "The Assistant US Attorney Robinson, won't risk the exposure of a witness during an ongoing federal investigation, no matter what. Its why she got where she has."
"She wasn't gonna give you a name." Castle glanced about them at the pedestrians, traffic, everyone going about their business, "So what now, Kate?"
"This witness of theirs is key, Castle. Without knowing who he is or who's after him, there's no way of getting to the next step."
Castle looked directly at Beckett, "There's another way we could figure out who that witness is."
"Yeah? How?" Beckett glared at him as though he'd just told her the sky was going to fall on them, then frustrated, she continued on towards her car the long determined strides. Rick hurried after her to fall in beside her,
"Hey, there's another way." He said trying to slow her down.
"Tell me."
"Candace Robinson's office deals almost exclusively with organized crime," he stated.
"Yeah, so?"
"So, what if we ask the other side?"
Kate stopped again and faced him, "You want to ask the mob who the witness is?"
He shrugged, "Clearly, they already know who he is, Kate, if they're trying to kill him. Like you said, he's got to be a significant witness in a pretty big case."
"Okay, so what do we do? Do we hop in the car, drive down to the bada bing?"
"Is that you being sarcastic?" He asked.
She couldn't help but smile, "Of course."
"Alright. Seriously, Honey, I know a guy. He owes me a favour."
Beckett shifted her weight from left foot to right, stepping in closer to Rick, "You know a guy? What is this, a Mamet play?"
"From the early days of Derrick Storm. He's a capo with one of the families. He's actually pretty nice.
"For a criminal."
Castle nodded, "I'm just saying, maybe he knows something. Maybe he can tell us something the feds won't." He encouraged her with a hand to her shoulder to continue walking to the car, "I keep forgetting you read plays."
"I'm well read, Castle." She confirmed as she hit the button on her keys to unlock to car.
"I know. I've…" he stopped, looked around them then quite said, "I've seen your bookshelves."
"Ditto."
He smiled, "I'll go see the guy I know. Call you when I'm done."
"Remember, you're a writer, not a cop." She called after him as he headed off in the same direction they had been working. He gave a wave but didn't look back.
An hour or so later, at the Precinct, Kate rushed to her desk when she heard the Police cell phone ring out. Before she accepted she checked the identity, saw it was Rick and picked up, "Hey. You got something?"
"Yeah, Baby, I got something good."
She smiled, enjoying the sensation his voice produced within her, "Seriously? What is it?"
"First of all, what are you wearing?"
"Castle."
He laughed. Kate smirked aware he was teasing her.
"I have a name, Kate."
She grabbed a pen. "Go."
"Jimmy, the Rat, Moran."
She wrote, she stared at what she wrote, "Jimmy, the Rat?"
"That's it. Did you write it down?"
"Mm. No wonder he's in protection with a name like that."
"It's actually his appearance, but yeah." Rick replied, "The guy I know said Moran worked for the head of the Spolano family. Jimmy was an underboss. He was a favourite of the old man's, but he got squeezed out by junior when the old man bit it."
"Okay."
"The guy said that rumour has it that Jimmy turned to State a few months ago, and the Spolanos are running scared. Apparently, Moran's got it all, Bills of lading, calendars, ledgers, the whole shooting match. Enough to take down all the top guys."
"Good job, Castle."
"Do I get a prize tonight?"
She scoffed, "In your dreams, buddy."
Rick chuckled, "The boys are close by huh?"
"Sure are."
"Make you dinner." She quietly offered.
Rick laughed, "You'll be make me more than dinner tonight."
"Ya think?" She scoffed.
"I know. You'll be begging me for it by supper time tonight." He teased, "I'll be back soon."
"Seeya." Kate disconnected the call then momentarily glared at the screen, thinking about how she did usually beg for it. She put the phone into a pocket on her way to Espo's desk, "Hey Espo," she called, "Castle got a name."
"Wa'zat Castle?" He asked in surprise, his eyes widening.
"He says he knows a guy."
"He knows heaps of guys, Beckett."
"Yeah, he's coming back." She passed him the post it note and gathered around the monitor with Ryan. "Let's find what this guy is about."
Moments later they had an image of Jimmy on the computer and were studying it with intensity and curiosity. Esposito read, "Jimmy the rat Moran, aka Jimmy Pretty. He's been linked to gambling, loan sharking and extortion schemes."
"You know, you want a guy to be loyal, you probably shouldn't nickname him 'The Rat'." Ryan pointed out with a smile.
"True," Beckett said, "Okay, let's start off by digging up all known associates of the Spolano family."
"Yeah, sure, and while we're at it, we'll just bang our heads against a brick wall, you know, just for fun," Kevin replied.
Esposito bobbed his head a couple of times, then looked at Kate, who hadn't done much time chasing crime with mobs during her police career, "Professional hits are the hardest to close. Because of the anonymous nature of the murders, the usual rules like motive and relationship to victim don't apply."
"So, we need to talk to Moran. Gotta see what he knows," Beckett insisted.
"Yeah," Esposito agreed with a nod then pointed as Rick approached them. "Your boy is back."
Kate looked up, liking what Espo had said and on this occasion, she chose not to bite back.
Rick didn't make any special attention towards Beckett, but focussed on the computer they were all handing about, "Hey, did you find him?" He leaned over Ryan's shoulder to check the monitor, smiled, "Oh yeah. Good stuff!"
"Can't talk to Moran," Espo objected.
"What makes you think your friend Hard Candy is going to cooperate with you now, Kate?" Rick inquired.
Beckett gave him a sneaky smile, "You have your sources. I have mine."
Castle inhaled slightly deeper, "Oh, it's not your ex-boyfriend, is it?" He asked and immediately saw her physical response, "Mr FBI. Tall, brooding and judgmental?" He couldn't help but say.
"Why, yes, in fact, it is. Is that a problem?"
He raised his eyebrow ever so slightly, thinking about the kiss he'd caught her doing, but decided not to act up in the presence of her co-workers. It wouldn't be a good move. "No. Not for me." He paused, and before he could shut his own mouth, he commented, "But then again, I'm not the one he's trying to get back together with." He looked straight at the brunette who shot him a fierce glance. He accepted it, satisfied she had received the message loud and clear.
Out front the Federal Government building where Will worked, Kate Beckett waited alone leaning on the hood of her car, holding onto a paper bag. She'd insisted with Rick that she was going alone to meet her ex-boyfriend because she knew he would ruin any chance she had of getting what they needed to help solve the case.
The two men were pissing on each other's turf a little too much. It amused her because Will had a chance in hell of getting back with her but Castle was still threatened.
It was a calculated guess that she was waiting in the right spot. Will Sorenson was a man of habit, and it would be his stomach that would have him on the search for lunch in a matter of minutes. When they had dated, she'd regularly met him for lunch in the exact place she was now, leaning against the fender of her car. Then she saw him strolling down the steps in his suit.
He smiled when he saw her, and Kate was reinforced in that moment she really was past him, "Well, this is a nice surprise," Will greeted.
Beckett smiled, "Yeah? Hopefully, this is a nice surprise as well." She held out the brown paper bag that he accepted.
He unrolled the top then peered inside. His smile altered when he saw what was in the bag, "Sprinkles. Am I really that predictable?"
She shrugged, "Well, maybe I just know you too well. I mean, we did date once."
"Yeah," he held out half the doughnut but she held up her hand.
"Oh, no, thanks. I don't eat sprinkles anymore."
"Right." He muttered just as he took another bite, "So, Kate, is this the part where you ask me to bend the rules to help you on your case?"
Beckett smiled, "Am I really that predictable?
"Maybe I just know you too well. What do you need?"
"I wanna talk to Jimmy Moran," she explained.
"Jimmy Moran the mobster?"
Beckett gave a nod, aware he was surprised by her request. "Yeah."
"What makes you think I can help with that?"
"The FBI and the US Attorney's office have him in witness protection."
"And you know this how?" He inquired taking another bite of the donut.
"Word on the street."
"Look, even if it's true, I don't work organized crime cases."
"Oh, come on, Will, you and I both know how this works. You reach out to the agent in charge, he talks to the AUSA running the case, and then I get to talk to Jimmy Moran." She wrapped up policies and processes in a nutshell.
Will thought about it while he enjoyed his donut, "And I do this for you why?"
"All right, let me put this another way. The Spolanos know that Jimmy is cooperating with the government. We know that they want him dead because they murdered the surgeon the you feds hired to change his face. You guys put that doctor in harm's way, so you're doing it for him, not for me."
Will thought about her reasoning, looked at her and gave a nod, "Alright. I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks, Will. "
"I'll call you if I can pull it off and you will need to be ready."
"Deal."
"You better get back to that writer boy of yours before he gets jealous." He joked and followed it up with a smartass smirk.
Kate's shoulders dropped and she gave him the death stare. "He doesn't know you know about us, Will," she stated.
"You told him we were together?"
She nodded. "I had to. Not necessarily good he knows. Worse if I kept it from him." She checked her phone for the time, "I gotta get back to the Precinct. I have a meet with Montgomery about this case."
"Okay. Well, I'll call you later if I can meet with Moran."
"Thanks, Will." She waited at the side of the car as Will walked away towards the café he usually grabbed a sandwich from. On her way to the driver's side she phoned Rick.
"Castle," he greeted.
"Hey. It's me."
"How did you go?"
Kate sat in the driver's seat, a smile creeping over her face. The sound of his voice caused taht internal buzz and an ache in her groin that drove her crazy at times.
"He's in. He'll call me if he can arrange the meet."
"Good girl," he quietly replied. "So now we wait."
"Yep."
"Come back. I have some lunch here for you."
"Thanks Rick. I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry."
"Not talking about food."
"Neither am I."
Kate laughed. "I'll see you soon, Babe."
"Hurry. I have to leave about three for Alexis' date tonight."
"Is she excited?"
"She busy getting ready. By the way, don't stop to look at those shoes you want."
"How do you know?"
"You will drive straight past the shoe store and if you see an available car park, you'll pull in."
"I won't." She hotly objected which only caused Rick to laugh more.
"I'll see you soon."
"Bye, Castle."
Kate indicated she was going to drive the car into a parking garage.
Castle's gaze anticipated the direction as he sat up, "Seriously, Beckett? A parking garage?"
Beckett glanced at him as she drove the car into the entrance. "What?" She opened the window to grab a ticket. She passed him the ticket.
"It's... pretty cliché." He commented, and placed the ticket on the middle console.
"Yeah, well, no one said that the feds were original." She pulled into the car spaced that Will had told her to be at and put the car in park. The engine fell silent, but not Rick. She looked up towards the entrance, aware she had arrived right on time and she knew Will would be on time.
"Yeah, next thing you'll tell me, they'll be pulling up in a black suburban with tinted windows." Castle rattled on,
Kate caught sight of a black suburban with tinted windows enter the parking garage which cause her to almost burst out with laughter. She touched Rick's shoulder disrupting his monolog.
He looked past her, "Oh, someone's been watching way too many Bruckheimer films." He glanced at Kate's eyes, as the vehicle came to a halt close by. Feds got out the car as Beckett summoned Rick to do the same. The group met up between the cars.
Assistant US Attorney Robinson approached Beckett, "Five minutes, detective. That's all you get.
Beckett sarcastically replied, "The NYPD thanks you for your cooperation." She approached Will Sorenson who pointed towards Castle.
"Want me to watch the monkey?"
Castle appeared offended.
"That's okay, Will. Monkey comes with me."
"Suit yourself."
As Castle Sorenson, he said, "Hey, I really like your car. It's very nondescript."
Beckett and Castle stepped into the rear of the suburban and turned around to face a man who was wearing a black mask.
Beckett said, "Mr. Moran, I'm detective Beckett. This is Richard Castle."
They saw the eyes moved between Beckett and Castle, "Richard Castle, like the novelist?" He asked.
Castle nodded, glanced at Kate then replied, "Exactly like."
"I thought you guys were cops."
"He's consulting on the case. I'm a cop."
"She's the cop," Rick echoed.
"Well, look, I already told the feds everything I know. You want info on the Spolanos, ask them."
Beckett said, "Actually, we're not here about the Spolanos. We're here about Dr Leeds, the man who operated on you."
"What about him?"
Castle said, "He was found murdered last week.
"Murdered?" Moran squawked, "The doc was murdered?"
Castle replied, "Asphyxiated. They duct taped a plastic bag over his head."
"We believe the Spolanos may have been involved," Beckett added.
"May have been"? "May have been"?!"
Beckett sensed the meet was spiralling out of control, "Given how Leeds was killed and given your knowledge of the organization, we were hoping that you would be able to help identify the-"
Moran started frantically knocking on the window. "Hey! Hey!"
Will opened the car door and stuck his head in the car,"What's wrong?"
"Get me out of here!"
Beckett said, "We can help, Mr. Moran. We can find the guys who did this, but you have to let me know if there was anyone in the Spolano family that kills this way."
"Yeah, yeah, there is. Me." He replied in a panicked state, "The duct tape, the bag- That was my M.O. Don't you get it? They're sending a message to me, and if they got to the doc." He directed his attention to Sorenson, "Take me back! Now!"
Castle and Beckett returned to the Precinct frustrated about how the meet had rolled out. A terrified mob member, pissed over Attorney. What else could have gone wrong. Beckett was pent up about it and had barely taken a breath she'd rambled so much during their trip home.
Ryan saw them entered and put down the work he was doing, "Hey, how'd it go?
Beckett stopped in her tracks and turned to Ryan, "Oh, do the words "unmitigated disaster" mean anything?"
"What happened?" Esposito asked.
Castle said, "We scared a key witness in a huge federal case so bad that now he won't testify."
Ryan said, "Oh, is that all?"
Captain Montgomery came from his office in hurry, "Beckett. Just got a call from D.O.J."
Beckett started to panic. Things could get worse as now she was in trouble with the Captain, "Sir, I can explain-"
"No, no. It's- It's Sorenson. On the way back to the FBI safe house with Moran, someone pulled up next to 'em and opened fire. He was in the back with the witness. They both were shot."
In the hospital the team gathered around at Captain Montgomery returned from a meet with FBI members.
"Car was a late-model Sedan with dealer plates." Montgomery informed his NYPD team, "The guy pulls up at a light with a mask on, blew the tires, starts shootin' at the back of the vehicle."
"I thought the glass would be bulletproof." Castle commented.
Esposito replied, "They used cop killers. Teflon rounds. Went right through the door."
Beckett told the group, "Will's still in surgery. Moran's gonna be okay, though." She walked away, the guilt almost too much for her to cope with. Rick followed.
"You want to talk?" He quietly asked.
"There's nothing to talk about, Castle. I'm the one who pushed for it, and I'm the one who got Will involved."
"Kate, there's no way you could have known this was gonna happen."
Beckett said, "Are you sure about that? Because their vehicle was attacked leaving our meet."
Castle shrugged his shoulders, confused, "So?"
"So we were followed. Someone who knew about the investigation found out about the meet. We led them to Moran. So yeah, I should've known. And if I were a better cop, I would've."
Castle closed the space between them and quietly began to speak, "You think this is your fault? Yeah, you pushed for it, not because it's your job, but because you care. Most people come up against a wall, they give up. Not you. You don't let go. You don't back down. That's what makes you extraordinary."
Ryan approached them as he said, "He's gonna make it. He's gonna be okay."
Beckett sighed in relief. She leaned into Rick, resting her head to his shoulder. He lifted his hands into her hair, cupped her head in his hand. This was unusual behaviour for Kate to exhibit in the presence of her colleagues, but he went with it, didn't make a fuss. With everyone out of their hearing range, Rick whispered, "C'mon. Let's get you home for some sleep." With that said, he felt her head slightly nod.
It was Rick who drove the unit back to his apartment and it was getting fairly late by the time he pulled the car into a spare parking space in the garage. Kate had been quiet all the way home, had constantly monitored her phone for any updates on Sorenson but they didn't come. He unclipped his seatbelt then Kate's and scanned her face. She was pale and tired.
"You need to get some sleep," he said. "Will is going to be okay." He quietly extracted the phone from her hand and for once she didn't object. "I'll charge it for you for tomorrow."
"Thanks, Rick."
He opened the car door, got out and walked around to the passenger side when he saw she hadn't extracted herself from the vehicle. He opened her door. "C'mon, Baby." He encouraged and held out a hand. She took it and stepped out carrying a bag, and she didn't let go of his hand which surprised him. He shut the door, locked the car and took the bag from her, putting it onto his shoulder. They walked to the elevator well and waited. Kate leaned into him, silently asked for a kiss.
"There's cameras." He mumbled.
"I don't care."
"Okay." He kissed her.
When they arrived inside the loft, his mother was still up reading a magazine and nursing a glass of wine. Kate entered ahead of Rick, immediately approached the armchair Martha was seated in.
"You two are out late." She greeted.
"Mother. Is the golden child home yet?"
"Not yet. She's having fun."
Kate leaned over to press her cheek to Martha's, "Good night, Martha. It's been a long day."
"Good night Darling."
Kate made a beeline to Rick's office and walked straight through to the bedroom. She was in and out of the bathroom in a short time and went straight to bed. By the time Rick followed her into the bedroom to use the bathroom, she was settled into bed so he left her alone.
"How come you're up so late?" He asked his mother as he plugged phones in to charge for the night.
"Waiting for Alexis to return, but now you're home, I will leave that task to you." She replied then finished her wine, "You're home late."
"We had an incident. FBI guy got shot so we were at the hospital. Just left there." He replied, going to the fridge. He rifled about in it and pulled out a container of leftovers. A few minutes in the microwave and he'd have a snack.
"Is she alright?"
Rick nodded, "She's tired. Been a big day."
"Well, I'm off to bed. I will see Alexis in the morning."
He glanced to the time, almost midnight. His daughter would be home soon. His attention turned to his mother, "Good night mother."
"Darling."
Once she was on her way to the stairs, Rick fetched a bottle of water from the fridge. He took it to the bedroom, unscrewed it and sat on the side of the bed where Kate was. He stroked the side of her head.
"Kate?"
"No." She mumbled, and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Water before you sleep."
"I'm asleep."
"You're talking."
"It's called sleep talking."
"Uh huh." He replied and smiled when she rolled to her back and opened her eyes to look at his. "Hey." He tilted the bottled towards her, "You haven't had a drink in hours."
Kate glanced between the bottle and Rick's eyes, a smile breaking, "Castle, you do take care of me."
"Because I care about you."
She took the bottle and a couple of sips of water. She then downed half of it, to satisfy a sudden thirst. She put the bottle to the side table.
"I hope he's okay." She said settling back into the bed.
"He'll be okay. He's out of the danger zone." Rick placed is hand to the left side of her head, stroked his thumb over her temple, "We'll figure this out and arrest the person but you need to rest first."
"Are you coming to bed?"
"Once Alexis is home, I will."
"Okay." She reached to his hand, brought it to her lips and kissed his palm. Her eyes closed.
Rick waited a minute or so, watched her fade off to sleep.
The door opened slowly to Castle's loft, that was enough to bring him from doze he was in. A hardback novel was face down on his stomach having fallen from his hand. He closed the book watching the doorway where his daughter gradually backed up.
A young man's voice said, "I, uh, I had a good time, Alexis."
Alexis timidly replied, "Me, too."
They kissed, at which time Castle momentarily looked away so he didn't see.
"Uh... good night."
"Night." Alexis leaned against the edge of the door until Owen was out of sight. She closed and locked the door in a sweet state of euphoria. She sauntered over to her father who smiled, taking a moment to admire his daughter in her formal dress.
Castle asked, "Did you have fun?"
Alexis pondered for a moment, "As a matter of fact, I did. This dating thing is kind of nice."
"How was Owen? Don't worry. I closed my eyes for the kissing part."
"Yeah, me, too. You know you didn't have to wait up."
"That's my job. I wait up. I make sure you're all right. But tonight I realized I'm not going to be doing it for much longer."
Alexis furrowed her brow, "Dad."
Castle said, "A couple years, you're gonna go off to college, you're gonna get married, you're gonna have kids, and I'm only gonna see you on holidays. Until some gold digger steals all my money, but then I get to move in with you."
Alexis said, "Wow. I feel like I just lost 30 years of my life."
Castle said, "That's how it happens. One day you're in tutus, and the next day you're... Too old for severed heads."
Alexis said, "Dad, don't worry. No matter how old I get, I'll always be your little girl."
Castle said, "Promise?
Alexis said, "Promise.
Castle said, "Thank you."
"Now go to bed. Is Kate with you? It's Friday night. I thought you would be with her."
"She's asleep in my bedroom. She was tired."
"So are you. Good night, Dad."
"Good night, Daughter." He got out of the arm chair, waited for Alexis to ascend the stairs then turned off the lights in the living area. His mind was full of thoughts about his daughter, that a young man had taken good care of her, she had enjoyed herself. As he closed the door to the bedroom, using the light of the lamp on his side of the bed, he cast his eyes on the bundle beneath the blankets, brunette hair poking out near the pillow. She was in the middle of the bed, her head more on his pillow than hers. He heard his daughter run along the hall above the bedroom and smiled. She was excited about her night out. His attention returned to the lump in the bed and he pulled off his shirt. He stepped out of his jeans as he leaned onto the mattress. A small crawl over the bed and he lifted away the blankets to peer down upon Kate's face. She sleepily blinked, looking to his eyes.
"Hey." He murmured with a smile.
"Hey." She closed her eyes, "Is she home?"
"She is. Gone to bed."
"She have fun?"
"She did." He swept back her hair, pressed his lips to her temple. He heard her make a sound, stroked his thumb over her, "You okay?"
"Mmm." She nodded. "Something was off about that meet, Rick."
"Shh. Get off the job, Kate." He slipped beneath the blankets and laid down beside her. She rolled until her back was to him and moulded to his form. He wrapped his arm about her and drew her in closer.
"Rick?"
"Mmm?"
"Can we go away a few days when this case is over?"
"Sure." He drew in a deep breath, pleasantly drowning in the scent of Kate, "Don't be worried about Will, okay? It wasn't your fault."
She took hold of Rick's hand and gave it a squeeze, "I put him in the firing line."
"Someone knew, Kate. Sleep on it."
He held her snuggly, hoping she would fall back to sleep, closed his eyes and pressed his face into the back of her head.
When he woke up at about 6.00 am, reaching for her, the bed was cold and she was gone.