393. Chapter 393

After At Close Range

Episode 7.18

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I'm shocked! Shocked, I say, to find gambling going on here. And you can bet I don't own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

As soon as they entered the loft, Kate put her arms around Rick and kissed him hard. "I should have told you about the captain's exam. I'm sorry."

Rick pulled her close and hugged her. "It's okay. A lot of things go on at the precinct that I don't need to know about."

"No, it's not okay. You're my husband. This could be a big step for us. Us. You and me. And I should never forget that."

"Okay, so you forgot something." He smiled at her. "It's still okay."

She shook her head and leaned her head against his chest. "From the time my mom died when I was nineteen, I made my own decisions. I decided to become a cop, and my dad was too drunk to know or care what I was doing. The rest of my family and friends thought I was crazy. "Go back to law school." They said. "It's what your mom would want. Don't waste your life as a cop." But I became a cop because my mom was murdered and the police did a slipshod, and as I later found out, a corrupt, investigation. I became a cop in spite of all the people at the academy who didn't think the little rich girl from Stanford belonged there. In spite of the people who didn't think any woman should be a cop. And when I became a cop, I wanted to be a detective because then I'd learn how to solve my mom's case. And no one but Mike Royce wanted to help me. And when I became a detective, I wanted to be a homicide cop, and in spite of all the people who said I'd never make it, I did become a homicide cop, so I could find my mom's killer. And in spite of all of that, I couldn't find her killer and it almost destroyed me. But every decision I made, I made on my own."

She reached up and stroked his face. "And then this annoying writer started to follow me around."

"Wait!" Castle interrupted. "You mean another writer followed you before me?"

"Very funny. Haven't I told you before that I'm a one writer girl?" She leaned back against his chest. "And I found the man who killed my mom and killed him. And I found that I needed something more than justice for my mom. I needed love. And I found that love, and I did get justice for my mom. And now, here I am. And I still have trouble remembering that I shouldn't be making decisions about us all by myself."

"Here we are." Castle said.

"Yes. Here we are. I have to keep thinking of us. Make sure I do, Rick. I need you to do that for me."

"Always."

"But for my mom's murder, I'm a lawyer. Maybe one of those politically active types, or maybe I'm all about the money, or I'm a public interest lawyer, or one of those people who advertises on late night TV. But I'm not a cop. Castle, I didn't become a cop because I wanted to make a difference in people's lives. I didn't become a cop to make New York a better place. I became a cop to do something very personal for me. Oh, I know. I did make a difference in many people's lives, but I did that to honor my mom's memory. And now I want to do something because it does make a difference in people's lives and not just because making a difference in their lives serves my own selfish purposes."

"You're remarkable, you know? And you are not at all selfish."

She blushed. "And there's another reason I didn't want to talk to you about the captain's exam. I'm afraid."

Castle frowned. "Afraid of what?"

"If I told you, we'd talk about it. We'd have to talk about it. And if we talked about it, I'd be that much closer to having to make a decision. I can become a captain. I can become a captain and a mom, other people have done that. But I can't become a captain, a mom and go to law school. Or climb Mount Fuji, or Kilimanjaro, or Everest, or help you write more Nikki Heat books, or do hundreds of things that I see people doing every day. I'm like Alexis in her blog a couple of years ago. I see all these wonderful things around me and I'm fascinated. I know I can be more, I can do more, but I can't do everything. And that scares me. Whatever I do means I can't do something else."

"Kate, whenever you get ready to climb your own Mount Everest, I'll be right there as your faithful Sherpa guide. Right by your side. Remember, Nikki became a captain and took over her precinct. "

"You know, things are just a little bit less scary now."

Detective Kevin Ryan was sitting at his desk, looking at nothing.

"You okay, bro?" Espo asked.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

Ryan shrugged. "Everybody says I did the right thing with Frank. Bringing him in, I mean. Even Frank thinks I did the right thing. But it sucks. I feel like shit even though I know I did the right thing."

"How's the plea deal going?"

"That's the one thing that surprised me. Frank's lawyer says that the only thing that Frank is guilty of is stealing a press pass. Some plastic and paper worth maybe fifty cents. Hardly even a misdemeanor."

"Yeah, but it led to a murder."

"Frank didn't kill anyone. And the lawyer says there's no conspiracy. The murder was committed by one person all by herself. The DA doesn't like it, but he may have to agree. According to Frank's attorney, the DA is being pressured."

"By who?"

"By people who like Lopez. If you're a high profile congressman who's got his eye on bigger things, you want the fact that your chief of staff killed your mistress kept as quiet as possible. A murder by a deranged staffer is a lot more palatable than a conspiracy."

"That's good for Frank, I guess."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, but it sucks. Frank may walk because his going to jail might be embarrassing to a congressman. And I should be happy if he doesn't go to jail, but…"

"So when Lopez runs for reelection, we'll go out and draw mustaches on his campaign posters."

Ryan laughed. "We'll get Castle to help."

Espo smiled at his partner. "And we won't tell Beckett."

"Really, Jim? Detective Kate Beckett?"

Jim Boyce, the party's state chairman, nodded. "I'm not suggesting that we start readying her for a run for the Oval Office, people. Just that we keep an eye on her and keep her in mind."

A very wealthy donor shook her head. "She's an unknown. No experience at all."

"Look at the opinion polls. The voters consider politicians to be slightly above serial killers and suicide bombers as role models. Being an unknown isn't that big an obstacle. Look at who's President."

A state senator, known for his folksy sense of humor nodded. "She's not that unknown. She took down a sitting US Senator who was that close to being President. And, with all the people that were involved with all of Bracken's dirty deals, it's staying in the news."

"A lot of people liked Bracken. Liked what he wanted to do, if not how he wanted to do it." Someone said.

"And they're all trying to distance themselves from Bracken. Every one of them is going to be happy to support the woman who kept us from having the worst politician in high office since Vice President Aaron Burr tried to take the Louisiana Purchase and make himself dictator of it." Boyce said. "They'll do it to cover their own asses, but they'll do it."

"She's an attractive candidate." Said the media consultant. "Not just physically, although she is beautiful. She's smart, went to Stanford…"

"And never graduated." The donor said.

"Because her mother was murdered and she became a cop." The media consultant added. "Great tagline for the campaign. "There's a new sheriff in town."

Boyce went on. "Her family is okay. Dad is a recovering alcoholic. Voters love stories about people who triumph against adversity. Her husband is a popular writer and a millionaire. Very active in charity events. Knows a lot of our donors. Raising campaign funds should be no problem. That's a consideration in this day and age, what with the costs of a campaign."

"Tell me about it." The media consultant said. "And she brings her own media exposure with her. There's a murder at 3 AM and who's out there keeping New Yorkers safe? Our candidate. And anyone who reads those books is reading about her. More free publicity. I like this. I really do."

Jim Boyce looked around the room. "So, we keep an eye on Detective Kate Beckett?"

Everyone agreed, some with more enthusiasm than others.