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Chapter 19

"I'm not ready"

"What?", Beckett looked at her husband confused. They were currently in the kitchen eating breakfast and drinking their morning coffee.

"I'm not ready to let her go", Rick replied, a look of seriousness plastered on his face.

"Castle...it's school. It's not like you're letting her wander the New York alone", Kate tried to reason.

"Doesn't matter. I want her here. I want her to stay within these walls where I can watch her."

"Babe...she's going to be ok, I promise", she had walked around the counter to his side, "we can't keep her inside forever. Remember? We have to let her live her life, Rick, and she can't get her normal life back until we let her go"

Rick took a long, slow, deep breath, "Doesn't mean I'm ready. Or that I like it"

Kate cracked a smile, "Ya. Me either"

"Mom!", they heard the voice from the top of the stair case.

Without looking away from her husband she yelled back, "Yes?"

"Where's my uniform polo at? I can't find it anywhere!"

Kate sighed and laid her forehead on Castle's chest, "It's in your closet Zoey!"

"No it isn't I looked!"

"Errrr", she murmured in his chest before pushing off and heading for the stairs. "I'll be up in a minute", she paused before going up the stairs and looked back at Castle, "My mother is laughing at me right now I know it", Kate then went up the stair to join Zoey in her room.

Castle laughed and went back to his coffee. It had been two weeks since Short's had taken Zoey and still he couldn't help but constantly look over his shoulder. Today was going to be her first day back to school since it that day. The psychologist had said the sooner Zoey got back in her routine the better. Soccer was over now and it was the last week before Winter Break so this would be the best time. If he could though, he would wait outside the school and hire a team of body guards to follow her around. He wondered how the hell Kate was keeping it together so well. In the past few days, Zoey had really kept to herself, not really talking to either of her parents much. She had held up in her room for the most part but he figured she just needed some space.

"I swear I looked there Mom!", he looked up to see Zoey and Kate coming down the stairs

"Obviously not hard enough, maybe next time I tell you to put your clothes away you'll do it. That way your clothes are where you think they should be, not me"

"Whatever", Zoey said under her breath with the same eye roll that Kate would give, only she was smart enough to hide that from Beckett.

"Excuse me?", Kate's tone sounded dangerous, "You wanna try that again?"

"No ma'am", Zoey quickly responded.

"Get your coat", Kate ordered. Zoey hadn't been around long but she had been around long enough to know when she pissed Kate Beckett off that it was better to lay low and do as told than fight it. Actually, Rick thought, this was the first time he'd ever heard Zoey talk back to Kate. 'What caused that?', he thought.

Zoey grabbed her coat and bag and started towards the door before Kate grabbed the collar of her jacket, pulling her to a stop. "Tell your Dad goodbye"

The girl hurried over to Rick and quickly hugged him, "Bye Dad, love you", and then turned back to walk out the door.

"Bye! I'll pick you up after school", Rick yelled after her.