274. Chapter 274

After the Way of the Ninja

By

USCBdad

Disclaimer: Not even my magic-like ninja powers would allow me own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

Rick Castle closed the door behind him and leaned against it. "Okay, we don't want to be boring, but do we really have to be that exciting?"

Kate smiled. "You're not trying to tell me that meeting a real life ninja was too much for you, are you? The man who salivates over the possibility of an undead murder suspect? The man who sees time travelling killers, cyborgs and extraterrestrials in the tiniest bit of evidence? Who are you and what have you done with Richard Castle?"

Castle pulled her to him and kissed her. "Does that convince you that I'm Richard Castle?"

Kate frowned. "No. Not at all. You're going to have to do better than that, mysterious stranger."

"Oh, I plan to do much better than that. But first, would you like a glass of wine?"

Kate nodded. "I would like nothing better than to sit down, take my shoes off, drink some wine and forget all about this case and forget that I have any old friends at all." Kate sat down on the couch while Rick got some wine.

"Was it that bad, talking to your friend and the goddess in her hoo-ha?" He said, handing her the wine and sitting next to her.

Kate took a sip and leaned her head on his shoulder. "No. But then I deal with murders every day. On the scale of one to the St. Valentine's Day massacre, the dinner was about a three. But finding out that my fiancé was too busy making out in a private room with a sexy…"

"Whoa! I was undercover. She was kissing me! I wouldn't have let her do that if she hadn't had vital evidence. I was thinking of you the whole time." Castle stopped when he noticed that Kate was shaking. He looked at her closely. She was shaking with laughter.

"I'm sorry, Castle." She finally said when she managed to get her laughter under control. "But you deserved that. Remember Eric Vaughn and how you reacted? You were massively jealous. But tonight I wasn't. Do you know why?"

Castle frowned. "No, but I have the feeling that I'm not going to come out so well in this."

Kate turned around and put the tip of her nose right against his. "I'm not jealous because I know, I absolutely know, that you are just as madly, wildly, passionately, and crazily in love with me as I am with you. And I know you will never cheat on me. And that you will love me…"She kissed him "…always."

He kissed her back. "I guess I came out pretty good in that."

"You are my favorite fiancé. No doubt about it." She teased.

Castle pulled her close and they snuggled together, occasionally sipping their wine.

"You gave Saya some pretty good advice. About letting Bedford live and all. And not letting her past get in the way of her present and future."

Kate shrugged. "She was a cop. I could hardly let her kill Bedford in front of us." She hugged Castle. "I wish I could take my own advice. But I can't let my mom's murder go. Bracken is still out there and one day he'll come after me, or I'll have to go after him."

"Us." Castle said softly. "He'll come after us, or we'll have to go after him."

"Babe, this isn't …" Kate began.

"Bracken isn't stupid. He knows I'm rich and that I have contacts in a lot of places. I know dangerous people. Killers. He may even know about my dad. I'm as much a target as you are, Kate."

"I know. I wish it wasn't so, but you're right."

Rick and Kate held each other tightly. Rick kissed her forehead. "Are you ever sorry…You know, that I looked into your mom's case and started all of this?"

"You didn't start all of this. Bracken did."

"But are you ever sorry?"

She shook her head. "I quit trying to find my mom's killer. I had done all I could. I had gone through all the evidence there was and there was nothing. So I quit. I think I felt like a quitter, too. And that was why I was so mad at you. I was really mad at myself for giving up."

"Hey! You are not a quitter. You are the most determined, non-quitter person I know."

Kate laughed. "What about my excuse for not looking anymore? That I couldn't stand the thought that my mom's killer would make some kind of a deal and be out in ten years? And all the time Coonan was walking around free, making millions off of his heroin smuggling, and living the good life. What kind of crazy rationalization was that?"

"Kate…"

"Castle, you asked and I'm going to tell you."

Castle gently brushed her lips with his. "Okay."

"You were one hundred per cent right to go to Dr. Murray. And I was one hundred per cent wrong to be mad at you. Even if it wasn't my mom's case, it was an open murder case. I had no right to refuse to look into it."

"Kate, it was your mom."

"And I'm a cop, damn it. If it was too close to me I should have asked Montgomery to have another detective or another precinct handle it. I shouldn't have acted like you did something terrible by acting like a cop should when I didn't."

"There is no one who is more of a cop than you are."

"Thanks, babe. But I wasn't acting much like a cop back then. But look what happened. Coonan, the man who actually killed my mom, is dead and burning in hell for eternity. Or at least I hope he is."

"And you got shot and Roy Montgomery is dead."

"Roy died doing his job and I was shot doing mine."

"Maybe, Kate, but I still have nightmares where I'm in the ambulance with you and you flat line. And I will always miss Roy."

"Me, too." She squeezed his hand. "But we know who was behind it and we will, somehow, stop him. It's not like my mom was killed by some random gangster. Bracken is running for the presidency. Do you have any idea how disastrous that would be for this country? For the world? Do you think Bracken will start working within the system once he's elected? No. His political enemies will get killed, or get bought or get scared and pretty soon he'll be President for Life, like some third world dictatorship. He'll pack the Supreme Court with his cronies. He'll turn the all of the federal police and intelligence agencies into his own private secret police. It isn't about my mom anymore, Castle. I know I sound egotistical, but I'm trying to save this country."

"Kate, you're just telling the truth. I know. And I'm proud to be able to help you."

She smiled up at him. "Then how about you help me to the bedroom? And get back to proving that you're really Rick Castle?"

"How long do you think that'll take?"

"I don't know? How long were you with that Japanese hostess?"

"Mere seconds."

"Liar."

"Well, let me know when I convince you I'm Rick Castle! Scream my name out or something."

"I'll see what I can do."