30. Chapter 30

AN: This chapter uses some pieces of dialogue from an episode, "Rise". Some of the lines have been assigned to different characters' voices, but the credit for them still goes only to the show's writers. I only play with the characters they created.

Chapter 30

"I'm listening. What about Detective Beckett?" Castle asked Smith stiffly.

"Her safety."

"Does her safety exist anymore?" he demanded. "Are you aware of what happened to her recently? Are you responsible for that?" While he spoke, he went to the door and motioned for Kate to join him; and when she came into the study, he closed the door behind her and signaled her to be quiet.

"Is everything okay?" Kate whispered softly. Her husband was obviously upset.

"Calm down and let me explain." Smith answered matter-of-factly. "I had nothing to do with the shooting. I'm a friend of Roy Montgomery's. He saved my life when we were younger, and I owed him. Roy finally called in his marker; so, for him, I'm picking up where he left off. He sent me some records…some files to be used as leverage against the man who is responsible. But this is a dangerous game."

"I've seen my wife's injuries. She nearly died. This is no game. Roy told me she'd be safe, but she wasn't. So why should we believe you?"

"When Roy sent the files, I was out of the country. By the time I got back and found them, it was too late; but I've made contact with the man responsible, and I have the same understanding with him that Roy had."

"What kind of understanding did Roy have with this man? Kate asked, letting her presence be known.

"Mr. Castle, Roy's instructions were to keep this information away from Detective Beckett."

"I don't lie to my wife or hide things from her. Roy has already kept too much from Detective Beckett. It's time we give her the information she needs to be able to make reasonable choices."

"Detective, the files I have… If they ever got out, they could hurt some very powerful people. You've seen firsthand the lengths they're willing to go to in order to keep that from happening. Roy Montgomery struck a deal with the man who set the ball rolling. It protected your captain's family as long as he kept quiet, and it protected you…on the condition that you refrained from working on your mother's case."

With no small amount of anger in her voice, Kate stated, "So you're telling me that, in order to protect myself, I have to start protecting a man who is responsible for the murder of seven people that we know of…including my mother…and tried to kill me? I have to accept this deal that I never knew about or he'll have me shot again, or attacked some other way?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. Negotiating the terms of the arrangement is out of my control. I can only continue it in Roy's place. Working on your mother's case, or your own, could affect your family's safety the way his involvement affected Roy's. You have to decide if you're willing to continue…to take that chance with the people you care about. Right now you're in no condition to protect even yourself, let alone your family. I'd agree to it if I were in your position."

"Who is this man?" Castle asked, calmly but firmly.

"He's to remain anonymous. Roy's instructions." There was a pause. "I really wish you hadn't chosen to include your wife in this, Mr. Castle."

"Keeping secrets is not something we do in our marriage. This SOB has already nearly killed my wife. He doesn't get the chance to ruin the trust between us, too. And my wife doesn't deserve to spend another minute thinking she has a target on her back if this deal removes it. You'll have to deal with both of us."

"Then the agreement is up to the two of you now. I only need to know that the arrangement is accepted. This man seems paranoid, and he knows you had a visit from an FBI agent today. He called me about it. It's why I called you tonight."

"It was a social visit, wishing Kate a quick recovery. Someone we collaborated with on an unrelated case last year. She isn't even assigned here, just happened to be in town. You can tell him that."

"And he's watching us?" Kate asked. "How? Security already checked the loft for bugs or cameras and found nothing."

"Money or intimidation. He apparently has eyes and ears everywhere. Don't think you can investigate without his knowing. And if there's anything else you particularly don't want him to know, be careful about mentioning it other than at home."

"I'll stop," Kate agreed. "I have to, Castle." To Smith, she added. "He has to understand that I'm on medical leave for at least a couple of months. I'm not working the case now. Whatever is going on at the precinct is out of my hands for the moment; and when I do go back, it will be to a new captain who knows nothing about all this. I wasn't even aware of the files, so I don't know what's there. Whatever investigation might show up on this man's radar, it won't be mine, and it won't be at my request."

"That's all I need to know. I'll pass the message along." Then Smith hung up before any questions could be asked.

Castle held his phone out and looked at it. "Dammit! He hung up. I had more questions."

Kate growled in anger and frustration. "How long has Roy had that deal? He never… This is so unfair. All those people murdered, all those families grieving, lives ruined while this guy enjoys being wherever he is in his ivory tower. And we have to protect him, or he'll kill me, too…maybe both of us…maybe all of us. And he just gets away with it," she ranted.

"We'll find him, Kate, but Smith made a good point. Right now, you can't even protect yourself. I promise you we will figure this out. We're gonna find him, and we're gonna make him pay. Just not today."

"Castle, if I don't do this, I don't know who I am."

"You're who you always were. You're the one who honors the victims. You're the one who can bring their families peace."

"Except for mine." She curled into Castle as much as her injuries allowed, and he held her gently.

"You need to get better," he soothed. "Let this guy back away from you so you're safe while we figure out how to be smarter about finding some answers." She nodded against his chest. "Now we have to decide what to tell Mother and Alexis and your dad. I'm sure they could see that something is going on."

"We tell Dad and Martha the whole story. They know a lot of it anyway, right? You'll have to decide how much to tell Alexis."

"The whole truth, I think. She's terrified someone will come after you again, and losing you would devastate her. I think we need to take that worry away from all of us. Alexis grew up with two family members who tend to attract reporters, and she learned early not to say anything about family if you don't want to see in print or on video. We'll have to trust her…and I think we can."

"I think so, too." She lifted her head from his shoulder and asked, "Would you talk to them? I'd like to lie down and take some time to process the last few minutes."

"Yeah. Want me to help you with your pajamas?"

"Yes, please. And you can tuck me in, too, if you want to." Looking at the expression on his face, she smiled and said, "Yeah, I know that's what you've been doing. It's kind of sweet, and right now it's comforting…but don't expect that to last too much longer."

He smiled back. "Then I'll enjoy getting away with it for a little while longer. Let's get you ready for bed." When Kate's clothes were changed, she was tucked in with some mutual teasing about it. Castle then kissed her, closed the bedroom door, and went to talk to the rest of the family.

"Forgive me, Meagan, but I need a few minutes to speak to my family privately." He motioned them toward his office.

"No problem, Mr. Castle. Is there anything else you need me to do tonight?"

"No, thank you. Kate is in bed for the night. I took care of what she needed."

"Then I'll get some rest, too and give you some privacy."

"See you in the morning," Castle answered.

He closed the door of the study and indicated that the three others should sit down. Pulling a chair a little closer to them, he said, "I'm sure you're wondering what that was all about."

They nodded, leaving Castle to explain.

"A man just called us, said his name was Smith." Castle told them about Smith's connection to Montgomery…and the files and the agreement, ending with, "Beckett's safety was also part of the deal."

Jim's pained voice broke into the explanation. "But they went after her anyway."

"He didn't get the files until after she was shot."

Martha huffed in frustration. "And she knows?"

"Yes." Castle paused. "He says she's safe now…on one condition. She can't go near her mother's case…or her own. If she does, he can't guarantee her safety. If she digs, they will kill her."

"Alexis asked timidly, "And this man…you believe him?"

"I do."

"Then it's good you told her," Martha answered.

"I was so afraid she'd put on blinders and run right out into the line of fire, and I couldn't let that happen." He paused a moment before saying with obvious relief, "She's angry, but she agreed to the terms."

"Thank God." Jim answered, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees…his head in his hands. "Do you think she can actually do that? Give up Johanna's case?"

"Not if I stop her. She'll listen to me. I can steer her away. Besides, she's worried about all of us. She doesn't want to take chances with our safety. That was a big factor in her agreeing so quickly."

"You're not going to change her, Son," Jim answered, sitting up. "Sooner or later, she's going to keep digging."

"There's something else you aren't telling us, isn't there?" Martha asked.

Castle sighed and reluctantly admitted, "I promised her that we'll use the time she's getting better to figure out how we can do that safely."

"Richard!" Dad!" "Rick!" he heard simultaneously.

"I don't want to lose her. I'll put it off as long as I can, call in help if we find someone we can trust. I'll be careful. But I know her, and Jim's right. This isn't something she can give up indefinitely."

"Dad, you're a writer, not a cop. Stop pretending!" She got up and left the room, and they could hear her running up the stairs.

"Let me talk to her," Martha offered. "I'll calm her down before you have your own talk with her," she told her son.

Castle just nodded, worrying about his child. He knew she was envisioning both people she now viewed as her dependable parents being in the hospital with gunshot wounds, or worse. This whole situation had been hard on her, and she was breaking. He knew she understood his need to be with Kate for the past week. He also knew Alexis would have done the same for Kate herself if anyone had allowed it, but it didn't change the fact that he had left her to her grandmother's care for an entire week after a traumatic event. While he knew she had been in good hands, it was time for the dad in him to surface strong and visible now that he and Kate were back home. And he knew Kate would agree to that, too.

"Does the worry and guilt about how you take care of them ever go away?" he asked Jim.

"No. But you're asking the wrong man. I have so much more to feel guilty about than you do."

"I didn't mean…"

"It's okay," Jim answered. "I know that. Just reminding you that your perceived sins are still small enough to be easily forgiven. She's just afraid. Martha and I took good care of her." After a small pause, Jim smiled. "She called me Granddad the other day."

"Yeah?" Castle smiled in return.

"It felt good." Jim paused. "Is that okay with you? I'd like to be able to introduce her as my granddaughter. I had almost mentioned it to her before, but I didn't want to push…wanted her to decide for herself."

"That's fine with me. Jim. And I think she'd love that." They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, then Castle stood and said, "I'm going to get a ginger ale and wait in the living room for Mother. You want one?"

Jim nodded and stood to follow him.

Martha came down the stairs a few minutes later, saying, "I've softened her up for you, Richard. You're on your own now."

Castle stood and took a deep breath, then he went upstairs to face his daughter. He knocked and waited until he heard an answer.

"Hey," he said, peeking around the door. "Am I still a welcome guest in here?"

"I guess."

"Honey, I know this week has been rough on you. You didn't need to hear about anything else that would upset you, and I'm sorry. I was trying to be honest with you. Kate and I won't do anything stupid with her mom's case. I promise you that." He sat down on the bed beside her. "She used to go off the rails every time that case crossed her path, but when Smith mentioned her family…and she takes that to mean all of us…she agreed immediately. I honestly think all I'll need to say to keep this under control is that we have to worry about you. And I honestly don't think she could love you any more if she had given birth to you."

"I honestly think she loves me more than the one who gave birth to me. That's why it was so hard. I finally know what it's like to have somebody I can depend on like a real mom, and I almost lost her. And I feel so guilty for thinking that way. Kate is hurting and looking at weeks and weeks of physical therapy to get better, and all I can think about is me."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with a teenager thinking like that," he assured her, pulling her into his arms. "Kate's feeling guilty that she's the reason everybody is so scared. I'm feeling guilty that I wasn't here with you this week. Jim is feeling guilty because he couldn't convince Kate to put her own safety ahead of finding justice for her mother. Your grandmother is holding herself together by a thin thread so she can mother all the rest of us. I doubt anybody knows how to do this the right way. We're all playing it by ear…figuring it out as we go."

Alexis was crying at that point and sniffled out, "I'm so scared, Dad. I don't want Kate to die…and I'm even more afraid of losing you. The two of you have had too many close calls, even without her mother's case figuring in. You've just been lucky to have lived through it so far."

"Well, you can relax for a while. Except for a trip to see the doctor in a couple of weeks, Kate will be confined to the loft for about a month. If our security team hasn't seen a reason to worry by the end of that time, I think we can all relax."

"Until whoever this guy is decides he doesn't need to let her live anymore."

"When did you become the pessimist in the family? We're all going to be fine."

"If you say so."

"I say so, and I'm the dad…so you should believe me."

"I'll try."

"Are we okay now, Baby Bird?"

"We were okay before, Dad. I was just scared."

"Me, too."

Kate won't be going out any time soon, I won't be going out too far or too often for a while, and we have security people on duty. We'll be okay. After she's feeling enough better to travel, we can go to the Hamptons for the rest of the summer. She can do her PT anywhere. Things are going to get better."

"Do you think this deal is going to work?"

"As long as those files are where he can't get to them, I think so. Somebody who's gained a lot of power doesn't usually want to lose it."

"It's still scary."

Castle nodded and kissed her forehead. "Do you want to come downstairs and play a video game with me…or something else?"

"No. I think I'll read a little while. See if it helps me get to sleep."

"Okay." He stood and said, "I'll make happy face pancakes for breakfast. I think we could all use them, Don't you?" Alexis smiled and nodded, and he kissed her forehead again. "See you in the morning."

The Castle clan started the following morning with chocolate chip smiles greeting them from the pancakes on their plates. Even Meagan was caught up in the spirit of the family treats.

At the end of the meal, Meagan asked, "Is everything all right? Anything I need to know about?"

"I'm sure you're aware that the family meeting had something to do with last night's phone call. It's a complicated situation, but it shouldn't affect you; and it should provide the rest of us some peace of mind."

"As long as it doesn't affect the care of my patient, I won't pry any further."

"If anything affects that, I won't hesitate to tell you."

"Good enough. Thanks for the pancakes," she smiled. "They were fun. And, speaking of fun," she added, looking at Kate, "We'll let your pancakes settle, and then it's time for PT." Noticing Kate's expression, she added. "I'm treating you like one of my Marines because you act like them. They never think we're progressing fast enough, either, but there are things you can't rush. We can do what we're doing several times a day, but we can't progress to more difficult things too fast or you'll set yourself back…and I know you don't want that. Once you're back in shape, maybe we can spar sometime. I need to stay in shape, and I'm guessing you'd be a tough opponent."

"You're on," Kate promised. "You hear that, Castle? I get to beat Meagan's butt."

"No time real soon, though." Meagan paused as she picked up her plate to take it to the kitchen and leaned in Kate's direction with a little show of mock intimidation. "And even then…don't count on it."

Everybody at the table laughed at the trash talk between the two women before they started gathering their own dishes.

"Dad," Alexis asked quietly," Paige's older sister and her boyfriend are going to Coney Island this afternoon, and I told her I'd ask if she and I could go with them."

"How much would you hate me if I asked you to find something to do closer to home? Your father's nerves are still on edge, and I think I'd like to keep you a little closer to the nest for a while."

"It would be nice if you just ordered me to do that. I'm not sure I'm ready for that much open space and that many people yet, either."

"So you were hoping I'd say no, and then you could roll your eyes and tell Paige how I'm being overprotective…and save face?"

Alexis grinned sheepishly and answered, "Something like that."

"You just keep being sensible, and I'll keep being your scapegoat."

"I would like to get out for a little while, though. Maybe I could talk her into a movie. There's one we both want to see, and it's playing at the theater around the corner from Paige's place…and she's only a block away. Is that close enough? I could be home for dinner."

"I think your aging father's heart could take that."

"I think my teenage heart could, too. Thanks, Dad," she said appreciatively and kissed him on the cheek before going up to her room.

"You're going to let her go on her own?" Martha asked, surprised.

"You're sending security, aren't you?" Kate didn't really seem to be asking.

Castle calmly took another sip of his coffee. "Damn straight. Donnie knows how to blend in. If it turns out to be an ultra girly movie, he'll just have to say he's meeting his girlfriend there. He looks young enough."

"Poor Donnie," Jim sympathized with a smile.

"He's being paid well," Castle answered unapologetically. "We'll all have to ease back into living normally again. Baby steps."