That was Yesterday 2

by djinni14

It is not necessary to read the original story. This is a stand alone story. Kate finally comes to terms with her love for Castle. But there's a problem. He's dead. In fact the entire Castle clan is dead. Then she gets a lifeline. there is no major character death.

10. Chapter 10

That was Yesterday 2

Chapter 10

It was now one month later.

They had settled down to a new normal for all of them. Victoria found her car going into the shop on her days off. By the end of the month, she had an almost brand-new car. It still looked the same, but it started right up and ran much better.
Alexis and Vicki were still lovers and enjoying each other immensely. Alexis no longer questioned why she was so nervous about it. Sex with Vicki was fantastic.
They helped each other with homework. Vicki stood there and watched as Kate trained her in hand-to-hand combat. "Ouch!" Vicki would say softly every time Alexis hit the ground. But to her, it looked like Alexis was giving as often as she got. Kate was starting to hit the ground more often now.
Then, her mother joined her one day, and together, they watched. "What are they doing?" Victoria asked her daughter.
"Kate's training her in hand-to-hand combat. OUCH!" She watched as Alexis hit the ground yet again.
"Why?" Victoria asked her.
"Alexis is taking classes in Criminal Justice. She hopes to be hired by Homeland Security. So she's having Kate train her in hand-to-hand combat," Vicki explained.
"Why?" Victoria asked her yet again. She meant, why was Kate training her?
"Honestly, I don't know why. But Kate seems to be… OUCH," Vicki cringed, "pretty good at it."
"She's going to end up all bruised if this keeps up," Victoria commented.
"I'm going grocery shopping and maybe to the fresh fish market. If you care to join me," Rick asked either of them.
"Yes, thank you." Victoria was interested. Maybe she could spend some of her money since these people wouldn't seem to let her. Thirty dollars a month. Really? Let alone what they did to her car.
Vicki watched them bow to each other, and then they came inside. Kate headed for her bedroom to take a shower while Vicki intercepted Alexis. She had questions for her.

"What's the big pot for?" Victoria asked him since they had finished with the grocery store, and Rick wouldn't let her spend any of her money.
"You'll see. The fresh fish market is next," Rick said, driving a short distance to it. They lived on an island, after all. You could travel by car, going from east to west in about an hour.
Victoria was helping Rick to carry six fresh lobsters back to the car. They were even still alive and had their claws taped shut. Rick rubbed his hands together. "We're going to eat good tonight!"
Victoria finally understood what the big pot was for. But it alone wasn't big enough for six lobsters. Not when they were this big.
Kate intercepted them. "Ooh, fresh lobsters! I approve, Babe." She gave him a quick kiss and pulled out yet another big pot. Now Victoria knew what they had planned for tonight.
She left them searching for her daughter, betting they were in Alexis's bedroom. Since the door was wide open, she went right in. "Vicki, if you've got a moment?"
"Sure, Mom." Vicki marked her place in her book and went downstairs with her mother, and they ended up sitting on the orange sofa.
"I wanted to ask you how you and Alexis got along?" Victoria inquired.
"Pretty good. Why?" Vicki asked her.
"You're still having…sex with her?" Victoria was uncomfortable with this topic. She honestly didn't understand what her daughter saw in females.
"Yes, Mom, we're still making love to each other. You don't want me to stop, do you?" Vicki hoped not. She was beginning to love Alexis.
Victoria shook her head. "No, heavens no. I would never ask that of you. I just wanted to make sure you're happy. I don't understand the attraction you have to other women. But if you're happy, then I'm happy."
"I'm happy, Mom, truly I am. Don't tell Alexis, but I think I'm falling in love with her. She's pretty, so smart, has a sense of humor, and she has tits."
"Oh, sweetie." Victoria hugged her. "I don't know why you didn't develop. You must have gotten it from me. But don't worry about it. If Alexis doesn't care, then I say go for it. And as to your falling in love with her, be careful, sweetie. She may not love you back," Victoria warned her.
"I think she does," Vicki said. "We just haven't talked about that yet."
"I love you, sweetie." Victoria hugged her daughter.
Vicki hugged her in return. "I love you too, Mom."

They served mac and cheese with the lobster. Mac and cheese was something Victoria and Vicki were familiar with. But this mac and cheese was different somehow.
Victoria couldn't take it any longer and had to ask. "What did you do to this mac and cheese? We use a box of mac and cheese when we make it."
"This is homemade mac and cheese. Not from a box. Remember, you went shopping with me. I made it with spices, cheddar cheese, bread crumbs, and macaroni," Rick explained.
"Oh, well, it's good. We've never had lobster before," Victoria told them.
Kate smiled at her. "You just stick with us. We'll have lobster again someday."
Neither Victoria nor Vicki knew how to eat lobster, so they watched the others and did what they did.
Clean-up was easy. No leftover lobster remained, and what little else there was went into the trash. The leftover mac and cheese went into a plastic container and got put into the refrigerator.

Victoria was at work. The girls were at school. Martha was doing whatever Martha did. That left Rick and Kate all alone. Then Kate found herself being taken outside near the pool.
"What are we doing, Babe?" Kate didn't understand any of this. Then she watched as Rick pressed a button and threw the remote somewhere. Soon, she heard a song playing.

…Hah

…There's a time and place for everything, for everyone
We can push with all our might, but nothin's gonna come
Oh no, nothin's gonna change
And if I asked you not to try
Oh, could you let it be?

…I wanna hold you and say
We can't throw this all away
Tell me you won't go, you won't go
You have to hear me say

…I can't stop lovin' you
And no matter what I say or do
But you know my heart is true, oh-oh
I can't stop loving you

…You can change your friends, your place of life
You can change your mind
We can change the things we say and do anytime
Oh no, but I think you'll find
That when you look inside your heart
Oh baby, I'll be there

…Yeah, hold on
I'm holding on
Baby, just come on, come on, come on
I just wanna hear you say

…I can't stop lovin' you
And no matter what you say or do
You know my heart is true, oh-oh
I can't stop lovin' you

…Oh, I'm so twisted and tied
And all I remember
Was how hard we tried
Only to surrender

…And when it's over
I know how it's gonna be
And true love will never die
Oh, not fade away

…And I can't stop lovin' you
No matter what I say or do
You know my heart is true, oh-oh
I can't stop lovin' you
And I know what I got to do
And babe, what you said is true, oh-oh
I can't stop lovin' you, oh

…Oh, I can't stop lovin' you

Kate found herself dancing to this song. Rick spun her twice, and she loved it. Rick spun himself, and Kate laughed at him.
Then she went back to dancing with him, right up to the song's end, and she heard, "Oh, I can't stop lovin' you." And she found herself in his arms.
Kate was crying. "That's our song. It's the song Alexis sent me on that flash drive. I thought I had lost you until that flash drive showed up. "I love you so much." Kate pressed her face into his chest and wept. "I just wish we could get married."
"We can get married," Rick assured her.
She shook her head. "We need a copy of our birth certificates. Something none of us have. We have new names even if we don't use them."

"Oh, well, burst my bubble, will you," Rick grumbled.
"Sorry, I would love to marry you, but it's impossible. Damn Bracken!" Kate swore.
"And he's going to be our President come November. Well, January, really, but soon. November is just a month and a half away. We can't even vote for the other guy," Rick remarked.
"DAMN HIM!" Kate was mad all over again. "But I loved dancing to our song. Thank you." And she kissed him.

Flashback

"We made it, Bro!" Esposito exclaimed. "I thought those Motel 6s would be the death of me, but they weren't so bad. We start our new jobs in two weeks."
"Yeah, now we need to find a house to rent while we look at buying one," Ryan told him.
Jenny stood there holding Sarah Grace. "We need a car first. We aren't in New York City," she reminded Ryan.
"I just need an apartment, but I have to find it soon. I need to unload the U-Haul and I've only got two days to do just that," Esposito explained.
"We need another Motel 6. I'll stay with Sara Grace while you go out and find us a car, preferably a nice used one. Then, we can search for a rental house while we search for our home. You and Esposito can use the car to find him an apartment.
"After that, we move him in and us in. Then you two go to work, and we'll search for a house, and I'll find work during the weekends." Jenny finished giving them their marching orders.
Ryan nodded. "Yes, dear, we need to find a Motel 6 first, then we'll take a taxi to find us a car."
"We need to be close to each other if you're going to come and get me, or I'll need a car of my own," Esposito told him.
"Two cars coming right up," Ryan said.

The first thing they saw was a used 2007 Chrysler Pacifica Limited Edition. Esposito made a face. "It's a minivan, Bro." He didn't like it at all.
"Yes, but Jenny will love it, and it's only 11,998 dollars," Ryan explained.
"Fine, but it's still a minivan," Esposito told him.
"Did you find one you like?" Ryan asked him.
"I did. It's a used 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera S. The only problem is they want $66,000 for it." Esposito saw the look on Ryan's face. "Well, I like it, even if I can't afford it. I'm still looking.
"Hey, how about this one? It's a used 2008 Ford Mustang GT Deluxe. It's red, and they only want $18,498," Esposito said.
They each went for a test drive. They filled out forms and signed their name multiple times. It wasn't long before they got the keys and learned their tags would come to them since they didn't have an address yet. It would only take a minute for them to put them on.

It came with a full gas tank, and they both got two keys; they used their maps to find their way back to Motel 6.
Jenny came out carrying Sarah Grace and looked over the car her husband had gotten them. "It only has 26,520 miles on it and cost us just $11,998," Ryan announced.
She sat in the driver's seat after she handed over Sarah Grace. She started it and looked at all the gauges. "I love it. You did well." Jenny kissed her husband.
"And you got a Mustang. It looks like you, Esposito," Jenny told him.
"It's a GT. It only cost me $18,498. It has 17,933 miles on it and is red. Mostly." It had a black top, but it was primarily red. Esposito was thrilled with it.
"Alright, since you've got your car now, you can find an apartment while Ryan and I search for a house to rent. Then we can meet back here and go to dinner," Jenny decided.
"You're on your own, Esposito. Try not to get lost, man," Ryan told him.
"No promises," Esposito told him since he only had a city map.

Esposito found an apartment he could afford. It was a one bedroom, renting for $1,862 a month. The unit had an exercise room and a washer and dryer; it even had a bike storage room. It was on the third floor, and it was available now.

Muir

718 Rainier Ave S

Unit 313IQ

The Ryans found a house. It was a three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom, 1,950 square feet. It was a two-story home with lots of wood, a significant departure from their place in New York City. It had a wood-burning fireplace and a large kitchen. It came with washer and dryer hook-ups, meaning they had to buy a washer and dryer. But it had a nice large kitchen.
It was in the university district, but they didn't know what that meant. And it was only $4,500 a month rent.

6207 12th Ave NE

It was a pity that it was only for rent. They would buy it in an instant if they could afford it.

They met back at the Motel 6, compared notes, and went to dinner in their new minivan.
Ryan leaned back and relaxed a little. "Well, we made it."
"I'm on the third floor. Fortunately, I don't have that much to move since it's a walk-up," Esposito said. "And I need to move tomorrow and turn in my U-Haul."
"We've got all the time we need to move, but we need to turn in our U-Haul too," Ryan told him.
"We've got to report to our new jobs in two weeks. I need to look up where that is in comparison to my apartment. But I've got a car!" Esposito was happy about that. Plus, it was a Mustang GT, and it was red.
"We need to start searching for a house to buy. We must decide what to spend since I don't have a job yet. YET!" Jenny pointed out.

"I wonder what Lanie's doing?" Esposito mused.
Jenny shook her head. "I still don't believe she did that. I thought she would never leave New York City, let alone move to Puerto Rico."
"Kate's death hit her hard. She must have felt like she needed to get out of the city. That's the best reason I can think of," Esposito told her.

Lanie arrived at the airport and walked toward the baggage claim. She had two weeks to report to her new job. She would be the city's only ME, so she thought she would be busy. Busy was good. It would take her mind off of Kate being dead.
She took a shuttle to a hotel where she was staying while she searched for a place to live.
First, however, she needed to get around. She considered getting a scooter but decided she needed a car instead. So she started there.
She found a Ford EcoSport SE AWD that she liked, and it was a bright blue. It was only $16,995, and it even had low mileage. So, with the car in hand, she went looking for an apartment to live in.

Lanie found one late in the day. 151 San Justo #101, Old San Juan, PR, listed at just $2,300 US dollars a month. It came with everything except an oven, but it had a toaster, a microwave, and a full-size refrigerator. It had a mini stacked washer and dryer, but it was just her. It even had a small enclosed patio and didn't have any view at all. But she planned on getting out and getting to know her new home.
Plus, it came furnished, which was good since that meant she didn't have to go out and look for furniture.
Additionally, it was ready now. Lanie signed all the paperwork and would start moving in tomorrow.
Now, she went out to eat and thought about Kate. She snapped out of it. Kate was gone, and she would have to deal with it. But she was going to make new friends. Maybe even find a boyfriend—something she couldn't do in the city.
Still, losing Kate weighed heavily on her. She missed her friend. She didn't know if she was killed or abducted, or just plain missing. But it had been months, and no one knew where she was.

End Flashback

"How is the car?" Kate asked Victoria when she saw her come home and was headed for her bedroom to change clothes.
"It's fine. Thank you, Kate. You didn't have to do that," Victoria told her.
"You're welcome," Kate said. She continued on her way, and let Victoria go upstairs to her room.
Kate found her again. "You and Vicki need to bring down your dirty clothes so they can go into the washer."
"I'll do that immediately." Victoria returned upstairs and entered her daughter's room to gather her dirty laundry. She brought it downstairs, went to the washer, loaded it, and started it. It sure beat using a laundromat.
"Do either of you need to go to the dentist, the doctor, the eye specialist?" Kate asked her.
"No, no, and no. But I have some vacation time in a couple of months," Victoria said.
"The girls will have Christmas off. But it sounds like your vacation will be after that. We'll have to think of something to do." Kate turned it over in her mind. "I think I'll leave that to Rick. He likes planning things."
Just then, Rick walked into the room after taking a break from writing. "What do I like doing?"
"Victoria has vacation time coming up," Kate replied.
Rick rubbed his hands together. "Ooh, vacation planning."
Victoria tried to stop him. "Please, nothing special. Honestly, you don't have to do anything at all."
"Don't burst my bubble, please. But I'll think of something close by. Just leave it to me. I'll think of something," Rick told her, and he got something to drink and returned to his laptop. He had planning to do.