Castle and Beckett: Always

Chapter 37

Kate woke up and made her way into the kitchen. She didn't really care if Alexis' fiancé saw her in her pajamas. Kate started making some coffee and asked Alexis and Ashleigh if they wanted any. They were watching a movie on the couch with Tesa, but neither of them wanted any. Kate sat down on the couch opposite them. Alexis paused the movie, and Kate asked Ashleigh, "Do you see Tesa as your daughter?" "I may not be her biological father, but I am going to be there for her, and treat her as if she's mine, because that's what I think of her as; My daughter," replied Ashleigh. Kate nodded and said, "That's good. I think you guys will make a perfect family." She then went into the master bathroom. Kate sat of the floor with her back up against the bathtub and thought about Rick. She then did something that she hadn't done in over ten years. Kate took out a blade, and rolled up her right sleeve. She ran the blade across her forearm over and over, pressing harder each time. The blood dripped on the floor, and covered her forearm. The more blood she saw, the better she felt. She felt like all the pain from her husband's murder/abduction, was gone for the moment. Kate heard her children's cries from the baby monitor in the other room. She quickly put the blade away, bandaged her arm, and cleaned the floor. Kate went into the nursery, and fed the twins. While they sucked the milk out of her breasts, Kate felt guilty about what she had done. She knew that cutting wasn't the answer. Kate learned that about six months after her mother's murder. She knew what she needed, and that was justice along with the truth. Once Cosmo and Johanna finished eating, Kate called Martha and asked her to babysit. Then she got dressed and headed to the precinct.

"Hey Beckett," said Ryan. "What are you doing here?" "What do you think?" she snapped. Ryan and Espo looked at her with concerned eyes. "Are you two the ones investigating the event surrounding my husband," she asked. They nodded, so Kate asked them what they had found and began to look at traffic cams to try to see which way Castle was driving home from his publisher's office. A few hours later, Lanie called and confirmed the blood in the car was Rick's and that he probably didn't survive unless he got professional medical attention. Kate thanked Lanie for calling, and started walking to the bathroom. "Where are you going?" asked Esposito concerned. "To the bathroom," Kate said, trying to hold back tears. "Alright," he replied. In the bathroom, Kate sat on the floor with her back against a stall wall. She sat under the sink, and let the tears fall. She quietly sobbed and desperately wanted to see her husband again and to feel his lips on hers. Gates came out of her office, and walked into the bathroom. She saw Beckett sitting on the floor, crying and she quietly asked, "Are you alright Kate?" Kate was shocked that her Captain called her by her first name, but she quickly wiped the tears from her face and replied, "Yeah." "You know if you want, you can take some time off," said Gates. Kate opened her mouth to speak, but her Captain, spoke first, "I am not saying that you can't stay on this case, because if I kicked you off it, I know you would investigate anyway. I am saying that if you need time, even if it is just an hour, you can have it." After about twenty seconds, Kate replied, "Thank you sir." She then stood up, and left the bathroom. Kate decided she needed to talk to Lanie, so she told the boys where she was going incase something happened or someone asked where she went.

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Castle woke up in a fairly dark basement with pain in his calf. He pulled up his pant leg, and saw a bunch of stitches. Rick tried to remember what happened, and soon it came rushing back. He was on his way back from a meeting his publisher, when he was run off the road, and shot in the leg. He thought about Kate and how hard this must be on her especially after what had happened a few years ago at the wedding. Shortly after this thought appeared in his mind, Castle heard footsteps, and out stepped Josh. Castle thought, "He must have been the one who fixed my leg." "Why am I here?" Rick asked. "Did I say you could talk? No!" shouted Josh. He made his way over to Castle and slapped him on the face. Josh then stepped on his arm, breaking his wrist. Castle tried not to scream out in pain, but was unsuccessful. He screamed once, only to be slapped across the face again. Josh went back upstairs, and Castle observed his hand. Ten minutes later, the door opened again, and out stepped a woman with long blond hair. She said, "My boss told me to bring you this." She handed his a pack of peanut butter crackers and a bottle of water. "Why did he take me?" Rick asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I don't want to be involved in this, but he put a gun to my throat and said he'd kill me if I didn't." Castle nodded asked, "Can you ask him where I am supposed to go to the bathroom?" The woman nodded, and went upstairs. Castle opened the crackers, and began to eat them. Once he had eaten half of them, the woman returned and said, "He told me to tell you to figure it out." With that, the scared skinny woman disappeared again. Rick finished the crackers and drank the bottle of water. He then unzipped his pants, lined up his penis up with the top of the bottle, and quickly urinated into it. Once he was done, Castle laid down, and waited to see what would happen next.