643. Chapter 643

After Lucky Stiff

Episode 3. 14

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I'm not lucky enough to own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

"Babe, you dropped something." Kate picked up a slip of paper that had fallen from Castle's coat. "A lottery ticket? Really? Do you think you need more money?"

"No, but the money goes to education, something I support, and if I win a few bucks, I can always do something nice for you."

Kate tucked the lottery ticket back in his pocket and gave him a quick kiss. "You've already done more nice things for me than I ever imagined. What more could you do?"

Castle frowned, apparently deep in thought. "How about a solid gold Glock? With your name in diamonds on both sides?"

"Do you have any idea how impractical a solid gold pistol would be?"

"No, but I'm sure you'd be able to tell me exactly how impractical it would be. Probably with charts and diagrams. Maybe Power Point slides. So, how about a solid gold badge, with your name in diamonds?"

"Castle, the odds against you winning anything are astronomical. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."

He nodded. "I'll just keep thinking of things I can get my wife."

She kissed him again. "I'm married to Rick Castle. How can that possibly be topped?"

"Good point."

Castle was tired when he came home from the offices of Black Pawn the next night. I can see why lawyers want to get paid by the hour, they can talk for hours about absolutely nothing. But at least it's done.

He opened the door to see his family sitting around the island in the kitchen. One look at Kate's face told him something had happened. "Kate? What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong. Not exactly."

"Then why are you looking at me like that."

"Dad, you left your lottery ticket on the dresser this morning."

"So we decided to watch the lottery drawing.'' Martha added.

"You won." Kate said.

"I won? Cool." He thought for a second. "I didn't win the big jackpot, did I? The three hundred million dollar plus prize?"

Kate shook her head.

"Okay, I'll take you all out to dinner on my winnings. Where do you want to go?"

"Babe, you didn't win the big prize, but you won eighteen million dollars."

Castle stopped, standing absolutely still for several seconds. "Eighteen million dollars?"

Kate nodded. "This is going to be one hell of a dinner, babe."

Castle laughed and threw his arms around Kate, lifting her off of her feet. "Eighteen million?"

"Whoa, Writer Boy. It's not like we were in the poorhouse before this. This time, the money doesn't really change anything."

"Well, it could change something." Alexis spoke up. "I've been wanting to go to Europe and there's a new masters degree program at Oxford. It wouldn't cost all that much."

"And my acting school could use some things. I can make a list if you want." Martha told him.

Rick turned to Kate. "And you?"

"I already told you. Nothing can top being married to you. Everything else pales by comparison."

Castle nodded. "I think Kate is right. We should be thinking of what we can do with this windfall to help other people. Let's just stop and think about that for a while, okay?"

The next morning, Rick and Kate arrived at the precinct at the usual time. Ryan and Esposito had their heads in the local newspaper. Espo's head came up when the two approached. "Ah, New York's latest lottery millionaires. You made the paper already."

"The Ledger?" Castle asked.

Espo shook his head. "The Journal. You won't like it." He handed Castle the paper.

He quickly started reading aloud. "Income inequality at its finest. Of all the people who could have won millions the least deserving is….Richard Castle?" He looked at his wife and his friends. "What did I do?"

"Keep reading." Ryan said.

"The millionaire playboy, renowned for his appearance of a rival paper's Page Six and inventor of the slutty fictional Detective Nikki Heat…." Castle tossed the paper away. "I'll sue them. They can't say that about Nikki. She is by no means slutty. And she's a captain, not a detective anymore."

Kate picked up the paper and read the remainder of the short article. "Apparently this columnist wants the lottery to insure that the money goes to the deserving poor and not "someone who already has more than he deserves."

"I'm assuming that the deserving poor consists entirely of the columnists at the Journal." Castle said angrily.

"If you're looking for some deserving poor to help out, bro, look no further." Both Espo and Ryan smiled at Castle.

"Nice try." He said over his shoulder as he and Kate went to her office.

Later, Kate visited Lanie.

"I hear you and Castle got lucky."

Kate smiled. "We get lucky every night when we go to bed."

Lanie laughed. "Oh, good recovery. But, seriously. Does this mean you're a millionaire, too?"

Kate blushed and said nothing.

"Sweetie, what does that blush mean? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Kate nodded. "You already know that when we got married, my dad offered to help Rick with a pre-nup. Rick refused to have one. He said we'd always be together, so we didn't need a pre-nup."

"That was sweet of the man, Kate."

"You know New York is not a community property state. We still have our own separate property and what not. Except that when we got married, Rick gave me half of everything he owns. We jointly own the loft, the place in the Hamptons, the cars, everything. He even gave me the income from the Nikki Heat books, films, anything Nikki Heat related. I've been a millionaire ever since."

"Girl, I'm going to have to be much nicer to you."

"Lanie!" Kate was shocked for a second until she realized her friend was just teasing her.

"Just teasing you. But what are you going to do with the money. Eighteen million is a lot, even for the Castle family."

Kate shook her head. "I really don't know."

That night there was a Castle family meeting. "To begin with, we won't be getting eighteen million. The IRS takes twenty five percent right off the top, leaving us with a bit over thirteen million. Or, rather leaving me with some thirteen million."

"Dad!" Alexis began. "You're keeping it all for yourself?"

"No, I'm donating part of it to the Johanne Beckett Scholarship Fund, part of it goes to the NYPD Families Fund in Kate's name. I'm donating some to the World Wildlife Fund in Alexis' name, and I'm making a sizeable donation to the Screen Actors' Guild Retirement Home, in Martha's name."

Alexis smiled at him. "Thank you, Dad. That's better than Europe."

"But, I'm taking you all out to dinner, just like I promised."

"Where are we going?" Martha asked.

"George's. It has great seafood."

Martha frowned. "George's? I've never heard of it. Where is it?"

"On the Kona Coast of the big island, Hawaii."

The next day Kate and Rick came to the precinct to be greeted by a glum Ryan and Esposito. "We heard, bro. It all goes to charity?"

"All to charity. Including the Ryan Family College Fund, so that Ryan's kids won't have to worry about college."

Ryan was speechless for a moment. "Castle…I mean….Wow. Thanks."

"Espo, I've made a donation in your name to the Wounded Warrior Project. I thought you'd want to help your brothers and sisters in arms. I also made a donation to a free clinic in New Orleans in Lanie's name."

Espo nodded and then smiled. "That's better than anything else you could have gotten me."

"So you don't want the floor seats to the Knicks games that I got you two?"

Espo stuck out his hand. "Give them here, bro."

Much later, Kate stood by the open window of their hotel, looking out over the island and the Pacific Ocean beyond. "You know you don't have to do these things for me, lover. You're all I've ever wanted or needed."

He put his arms around her and hugged her. "I told you once you deserved to have fun. More than anything else, I want you to enjoy life. You've had way too much pain in your life."

Kate turned and took his hand. "The least I can do then is say thank you." She walked towards the bed. "You coming, Castle?"