"Why are we getting these again?" Ryan asked Esposito to his right. They were on their way to the court house to get their warrant.
"I don't know, but I'm not questioning it, as long as Beckett's back."
"I don't understand why she is back though, I mean, it doesn't make sense. She didn't want to come back. She left for a reason, a good reason. She knew she was too close to this. So why would she come back? Why would Gates let her come back?"
"Dude, do you really need an answer to that?" Espo looked to Ryan, who furrowing brow gave an answer. "She's Beckett. Do you remember we got that first lead on her mother's case? She said she couldn't handle it at first, but after a short talk with her dad, she got right back on the case."
"Right, I guess you're right, but it still. I thought this time it was different. You know, if I were you, I'd be worried about Beckett killing you for telling the press she was pregnant and not thrilled that she's back."
"You know, I'm ignoring that for as long as I can."
"Bro, she's going to kill you. When you see her, make sure to ask her to take off her gun." Kevin was only half joking. Javi laughed awkwardly and began to do the one thing that comforted him. He sent a text to Laynie.
"Hey baby girl."
"Javi, guess who heard bout ur little press release."
"u think she's gonna shoot me? :/"
"this is kate beckett we'r talkin bout. She wont kill u, she'l torment u first."
"I hav to admit, im a tiny bit worried. :/"
"u should b more worried bout when castle hears. He's got lik 1 thing that makes him mad, n u just did it."
"ugh. I hate myself"
"I'm sure they rn't ur fans either rn. ;)"
"I hav to go. Luv u!"
"luv u too, baby. Good luck w/ Kate." Javi stepped out of the car with Ryan and they both prepared to see the judge. Warrants. Why couldn't they be electrically received yet?
As Kate pulled into the parking lot of Castle's apartment, she opened the her door, followed by Alexis' passenger door. She eyes opened and she stretched, making a little noise like a kitten. The she spoke, "I thought we were going to the hospital."
"We are, in the morning. Visiting hours are over today, I'm sorry."
Martha rose as well, "It's six o'clock in the evening. I don't think visiting hours are
over."
"Only in the ICU where Rick is."
"Why?" Alexis asked.
"Because they have one day a week where they close the ICU early and give the severe cases a small break."
"That is the least inspired act I've ever seen Katherine." Martha said from the other side of the car.
"To be fair, you can't see my face and its not an act."
"Alright, well, I'm to tired to argue. You've won this round, because I don't think I could walk the way in the ICU. But we are heading over immediately in the morning."
Kate let a laugh, "Alright. Oh! But if you watch the news or press conference or someone calls to ask about it, its not true. I'm not pregnant and Rick and I are not engaged." Alexis and Martha shared a confused look.
"Alright... Should we be expecting back in the loft later tonight?" Martha wasn't really asking.
"Yes, I will be back in a few hours. I just have to go into work." Kate smiled a moment and turned to Alexis. "You be sure to call Max and tell him you're back though, alright?" Alexis raised her brow. "What? You two are still together, right?"
"Yeah, but its weird having someone tell me to call a boy. My dad wouldn't have reminded me, he'd have just asked if I had tomorrow."
"I'm sorry, should I not have said anything?"
"No, no. Its fine, I just, I'm not used to it. Its nice to hear." Alexis smiled.
"Alright, well, you two be good. Doors locked, alright?"
"Yeah, thanks Kate. And when you see dad, tell him we're thinking of him." Kate smiled, knowing she hadn't gotten away with her lies. Kate carried their bags up and went with them. Just to be sure she was alright, she pulled her gun when she opened the door and looked around. Nothing was wrong or out of place that she could see, so she let her future mother-in-law and daughter-in-law alone, giving them the instructions to call her later.
"Detective Beckett, nice to see you on time for a change," Gates said as she stood outside her door.
"Whatever you heard on the TV was a lie. Javi is an idiot."
"Well thank you for letting me know, but I already knew that. Ryan told me."
"Speaking of those two, do they have the warrant?" Kate set her phone on her desk and slid into her chair.
"They're on their way to the hospital as we speak."
"Great." Kate adjusted herself in and opened her left hand drawer, placing inside her phone and gun from her side."So where are we in the case?"
"We've decided it is 3XK. Also, we decoded the wall writing, but from here on their is nothing for us to use to find him."
"Do we have any idea why he changed his MO?"
"No, but we did get an idea on where he might be. We found a shoe track at the crime scene in the Hamptons that didn't match the dirt from outside the precinct up there. However, it did match one from where we found Rachel's body. It's from the forest area on the outskirts of New York. Also, we narrowed that down with a pine needle that stayed in his track. Its a four square mile area with both that kind of dirt and needles, don't ask how they got that, and now-," someone interrupted.
"And now this is no longer your case. Its mine." Agent Shaw stood in front of the posse, who were setting up the war room.
"Who are-?" Gates started, interrupted by Kate.
"Agent Shaw?"
'Yes, its nice to sew you as well, Detective. By the way, I heard on the news, congratulations."
"I'm not engaged, or pregnant. My partner is just an idiot."
"Oh. But you and Castle are..."
"Yes."
"Alright, so all and all not a bad day for news of you both. But I would like to ask how he's doing."
"Well actually. He could be doing worse anyway."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"As am I, but who are you?" Gate interjected.
"I am Agent Shaw, FBI, and I am here to take over the 3XK case."
"How do you two know each other?"
"I was on the Nikki Heat case."
"The what case?" Kate had forgotten Gates wasn't there for that case.
"You're Detective here was confused to be Nikki Heat in the case and targeted. I'm surprised you haven't heard this story."
Kate's phone rang in her desk and she looked at the screen, "Look, I'd love to catch up, but I have to go. When the boys get the tapes, tell them to look for someone who is avoiding the camera with their face or an unusual blur."
"Where are you going?"
"No where. I'll be back in a half hour or so."
"Where are you going?"
"The ME wants to talk to me."
"Fine, go."
"Thank you sir." She picked up her gun and holstered it.
When she went out the door, Shaw commented, "So, when did they finally get together?"
"Right after Beckett was thrown from a roof and nearly died during her mother's murder investigation," Shaw became speechless a moment. "Shall we, agent Shaw?"
Kate sat in her car, staring at the clock. It seemed like forever as she waited for the 6:31 mark. It was 6:28. Three minutes left before she had in her hand the way to save her boy friend, her best friend, her lover, her other half. As she waited, the whole world seemed to be resting itself on her chest as she was barely able to breath. Another minute passed.
All these seconds seemed more like hours. The minutes seemed like tiny eternities. Kate thought about what her future could hold. She thought of the good and the bad as she sat alone. She could get married, be with Richard forever, have two of his kids, watch them grow up and live her well deserved happily ever after. But if this didn't work, if this made him worse or Rick got sicker, there was a great change that she would follow up in her father's footsteps and become an alcoholic. One of the two things were her future and she hoped to God it was the second choice.
Another minute passed as Kate thought about what she wanted from the future. She'd always wanted two kids, no matter if they were two boys, two girls, or one boy one girl. She'd wanted to spend eternity with the man she loved and more than that, she wished it to be Rick. She would marry him, if he asked, she'd say yes, but he hadn't now she was sitting in her car waiting to get an antidote to save his life again.
Kate looked into the future and she saw coming toward her. Castle would get better, but need a while to recoup from all this. It would take him a few weeks just to be able to walk out his door. Then, after that, he'd have to deal with every car around him just to know it wasn't going to explode. He'd hear things, see things, say things that weren't him. This would change him forever and never again would he be the same Castle she knew and loved.
When he walked on the city's streets, he'd be overly cautious, really aware, paranoid at every turn. He would never again be able to just enjoy the noise of the places he loved. The subway would loss its magic in his eyes. The park the two had met at so often would never be the same to him. And odds were that he wouldn't continue following her on cases, it would be to hard.
The final minute passed and Kate jolted out of the car, making her way straight to the man who sat on the bench. If she had been under cover she would have been made and she defiantly would have been green. As she crossed, she barely escaped a taxi going a good fifteen, twenty miles an hour faster than the legal speed. Had she not had the goal of getting these meds into her future fiancé as fast as she could and saving his life asap, she'd have called it in.
As she approached the man on the bench, he didn't meet her eye. He covered his face with the jacket's hood and a black ball cap? The only thing Kate could tell was he was an African-American male dressed in jean short and the jacket and hat. The moment she sat in front of him, he motioned for her to sit next to him and she did as she was instructed. "Detective Beckett I assume."
"A Jerry Tyson fan I presume."
"More than a fan. A follower. However, I'm not here to give you the run down of the Tyson world or to let you interrogate me. So long as you're back on the case, I'm here to give you the antidote." his voice seemed you, almost as though he were still a child. It was soft and innocent. If she were guessing his age by the voice, she'd say he 10-12 years old.
"I am back on the case."
"Yes, we know Detective. We've had the lines tapped for quite some time now. So, as promised, the antidote is yours." He pulled a small syringe out of his pocket that was filled with a clear blue liquid and held it out to her. She received it cautiously and held it graciously in her hand.
"I can't say I'm thanking you because you all put him in this state, but I will leave you a message
for your boss. Tell him that when I find him, this will be the end. I will put a bullet in his skull and he will die. He has my word."
The young boy looked at Kate with bright blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. His boyish face and pale skin combined with his rosy cheek and teary eyes let Kate know that this kid, this probably 12 year old kid, wasn't here willingly. Tyson had crossed the line this time.
A small noise came from around the child, and he spoke, "Mr. Tyson wants to congratulate you on your engagement and pregnancy."
"I'm not-," she paused a moment and thought how she could use this well, "Tell him to bud out of my life."
Another small noise, "Well, I must be going now. It was nice to meet you detective."
She couldn't just let the kid leave. It was he job to protect people like him and he clearlydidn't want to be with Tyson. "Wait, I can't let you go."
"Please, I am begging you to let me go."
"I can't." a noise came again, only this time, Kate knew it was a voice coming through an earpiece.
"Please, if you don't let me go, he'll kill me." She looked into his eyes that were starting to tear up. He defiantly wasn't lying or acting. She checked the rooftops of the buildings around her. No sign of anyone, so he must have been inside, watching comfortably. Then, the boy unzipped his jacket slightly, revealing a vest decorated with wires and a brink of C4. Kate's mind stilled a moment as the young boy ran from her. The moment he hit the corner, he turned the block and disappeared.
When her mind could finally grasp it all, it was to late, and she heard a small explosion from the next block over. She didn't go and look. She couldn't look. Knowing that kid was so young, so scared, so upset, she grew irate. Fury filled her heart and as she got in her car, she picked up the phone call coming in.
"Beckett."
"Ah, Detective. Did you enjoy my messenger?"
"Tyson, when I find you, I-."
"I heard you the first time Detective. I just want you to know that David's parents and little brother over here did enjoy the show immensely. Too bad it had to end."
"You son of a bitch. I will find you, I will hunt you down, and when I do, you will die."
"I'm afraid you can't find me, detective. You never could. And that's why I've escaped you every time we've met. Now, Mr. Castle could, but that's why I've got him on my watch. Come on detective, we both know how this ends. You and Mr. Castle will try your hardest to find me, but will ultimately fail, and by tomorrow, I'll be back to my usual killing method in some other city and no one will ever find me."
"By tomorrow you'll be rotting in a jail cell."
"You wish." he hung up the phone as Kate did exactly what she knew she had to. She stepped on the gas and made her way to the hospital to get Rick back. To get back the one man she knew who could stop Tyson.
" Laynie, can I get a second alone with his?" Kate stood in Castle's doorway.
"Yeah, but he's not awake yet."
"That's fine. I just want a moment with him."
"Alright," Laynie stood and moved toward the door as Kate gracefully flew in. The moment Laynie was gone, Kate went over to her lover and held onto his hand.
"I love you Rick. Just know that. And this, this will make it better, I promise." she pulled the syringe out and pulled over the IV where she injected the fluid into the drip line (not the bag, the tube). As it began to drip, she puled a chair up and sat by him, holding his hand with a warming love. As it dripped, Kate halfway wondered if it wasn't just water. Nothing was happening, and it'd been a good ten minutes. Laynie walked in with one of Castle's other many friends.
"Hello."
"Hi. You must be Kate. Congratulations on everything." She was sick of saying it wasn't true and just went with this one. "Thank you." Laynie gave a puzzled look and Kate gave an I'll tell you later wave. "So, how did you know Rick?"
"He and I were friends as kids. All through college and even later we knew each other. I'd been his best friend until, ahh..," he hesitated and didn't finish the thought.
"Until what?"
"Until I married Madison. He'd liked her well enough, but she hated him and kind of made me stop talking to him. She doesn't know I'm even here right now."
"Why did she hate him?" Kate figured she already knew the answer. She'd hated him in the beginning as well.
"Because for my bachelor's party, he took me to a strip club, which she didn't mind. However, he took me to the only strip club in the world where my ex-fiancé worked and ordered me a lap dance from her. That was an accident of course and she could have forgiven that in time, but then she followed us to the wedding, tried to get me to go with her and Castle dragged her out, kicking and scream. Bad part was that he then gave her his phone number and told her to call him later."
"Hey, I still don't think that was unforgivable." Rick's voice lightened Kate's heart as she turned to look at him.
"Rick!" she smiled and kissed his cheek.
"Castle, thank God you're awake. You were minutes away from making me a complete liar." Laynie said.
"Kate, sweetie, what did the doctors give me? I feel like the pain and everything is just melting away."
"Nothing, but that's a great sign!"
"Ricky! What's chillin my man?!"
"Hey, JT! Still tied to that ball-n-chain?"
"Yeah. Goin on, what, ten years now. Fifteen maybe."
"Kate, this is Jarrod Tyler. JT this is my girlfriend, Kate."
"Girl friend? I heard fiancé." Castle gave a look to Kate, who smiled.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you that according to TV, we are engaged now and I'm pregnant."
"We're not, and you're not, right?"
"Right."
"Wait, what?"
"Yeah, sorry about the confusion. Explaining the news being wrong to everyone around me is really annoying." Laynie gave an Ooooh look.
"So, bro, you have to tell me where you got a babe like her."
"I arrested him and then he decided to stalk me for, what, six years now?" The man looked beyond confused, but really intrigued. When Castle nodded, he looked Kate up and down.
"You arrested him?"
"Yes she did. She just loved to see me in bondage."Castle laughed
"His safe word is apples." Jarrod informed.
"I know." Kate teased.
"Guys, isn't Castle supposed to not talk?" Laynie was right, but they all didn't want her to be.
"Actually, he can talk. In fact, he could do almost anything with his jaw. I don't know what the hell happened, but his jaw is almost completely healed, along with the burns and everything else. In fact, your the only one from the attack awake and well." A doctor spoke from the door. It was a new doctor, older and hopefully wiser.
"I'm sorry, you are?"
"Doctor Allen Erickson. I'm the lead orthopedic surgeon here."
"Alright, so what's up with my jaw, doc?"
"Its fully healed as of a few minutes ago. Look, you shouldn't be healing this fast. You shouldn't be this fine. You should still be like the others, dying. We want to draw blood, check and make sure this isn't just temporary. See if you have antibodies we could use to help the others."
"Alright, yeah. Anything to help." Kate held his hand, knowing that he had the antidote in him. Perhaps if they found that, they could recreate it. Everyone in the room looked less knowing than Kate, but there was no guarantee that they would even find it and they could just take his blood and find nothing.
"What if he just received the largest dose? Could it be that he'd show sudden signs later?" Laynie asked.
"As time passes, that seems less and less likely, but its still something we're watching for."
"Alright, thank you so much doctor," Kate said.
"My pleasure." The man exited, and a small thought popped into Castle's head.
"Alexis. Kate, where are Alexis and my mother?"
"They're at the apartment. But they'll be here in the morning."
"Alright. But make sure they are, please."
"I will," Kate promised, looking into Rick's eyes. His thumb slowly moved along the surface of her hand, and the feel of his warm embrace made things so much better. "But I do have to get to work. I think Gates would kill me if I didn't."
"Alright, sweet heart. I love you."
"I love you too." The two kissed for a short while. A comfortable kiss, a warm kiss, one that said they'd be doing this always. "Bye, Rick. Promise me you won't give these doctors any trouble."
"I promise. Bye."
"Bye." Kate walked out the door, waving as she exited.
When she was gone, Rick felt a little bit of emptiness and then turned to his friend, "Dude, am I lucky or what?"
"Bro, how in the hell did you get her?"
"One of the perks of being a best-selling author. Plus dude, look at me."
"I still don't see anything that get you that babe."
"Shut up. You're just jealous."
"Maybe. I'm sorry, who's this?" He turned to Laynie.
"Laynie Parish. Dr. Laynie Parish."
"Jarrod Tyler, architect," he turned to Castle, "Bro, how did you get to be surrounded by New York's finest women?"
"Watch it. I know you, and I know them. You can not win this, bro. Laynie's in a relationship with a cop, a buff cop who's armed. And you touch any of the other girls in my life, I'll kill you."
"Wow, wow. Back it up there. I'm married."
"I've been married, Jarrod. And according to both my ex-wives that means very little." Castle wasn't joking like Jarrod was. Although he'd never cheated on his wives, he'd been cheated on enough to know it happened all the time. Laynie would never sleep with him, and neither would Kate, but he didn't know about Alexis or his mother.
"Bro, how have you not put a ring on the girl's finger yet?" Rick smiled, as did Laynie, and he reached under the bed. There, he pulled out the bag that held his possessions and opened it, reaching inside his jacket pocket. The ring he pulled out silenced both Laynie and Jarrod.
"I'm planning on it as soon as I can move."
"Bro."
"Oh, Castle. That ring, it's- stunning."
"Yeah. My mother gave it to me for Kate. I was on my way to get it engraved when, you know, this happened."
"Wow, Castle. It's just- wow."
"Wait, your mother gave it to you? Why didn't she give you one for your first or second wife?"
"She said she knew they weren't the one. She told me Kate was." Castle smile a little wider. Jarrod laughed a small laugh, and Laynie's heart sank.
"Castle, that's beautiful. When are you going to propose?"
"I was planning on doing my plan this week, but the flight leaves tomorrow night, and we're never going to be able to make it."
" I don't know, you healed offal fast." Laynie pointed out.
"Come on, you think Kate would ever let me get on a plane the day I got out of the hospital? Especially to a foreign country?" Castle looked at Laynie, practically condescending her. He had an excellent point.
"No, but still. Maybe make other arrangements. Didn't Kate say she'd rather just have an intimate little proposal?" Laynie was right.
"So, what? A dinner to a nice restaurant with her dad and my mom and Alexis?" Castle didn't seem enthusiastic.
Luckily, Jarrod knew exactly what to say, "Or, even more realistic, do something big and intimate. Remember what I did with Madison?"
"Yeah, tour of your guy's relationship. Of course I remember, I'm the one who thought of it."
"Well, Kate's never heard about it. Do that." Laynie and Castle looked at each other.
"Most of their relationship centers around murder cases."
"Seriously? Where did you two meet?"
"One of my book signings when I killed off Derek. She brought me in for questioning."
"First kiss?"
"Under cover during an arrest to save Ryan and Esposito."
"First time you said you loved her?"
"She was shot in a cemetery during her captain's funeral."
"What? You guys have crazy stories. When did you two first get together?"
"When she nearly died being thrown from a building, after that, when she quit her job, she came to my house and we..."
"Castle! You took advantage of her when she was vulnerable?" Laynie called, "She just came to your house and... I thought you two were fighting then. Oh, wait, you're the guy she was having sex with over her suspension? Well fine, I guess that's fine, just don't tell that story again. Ever."
"Wow. That's, ahhh, yeah, I have no answer to that." Jarrod let out an awkward laugh.
"See, I can't really do the firsts tour with her."
"Guess not. Jeez. Your story is almost more intense than your books."
"It is."
"I guess."
"Well, you could always... Ummm..." Laynie had no idea.
"You could always just ask us, Dad."
"Alexis!" she smile and ran over to him.
"Oh, Richard. You look offal."
"Thanks for the boost in confidence, mother."
"That's what I'm here for. So kiddo, what are we talking about?"
"Kate," he wiggled the ring in his fingers.
"Ah. I see."
"Sorry, I'm back."
"Detective, tell me you were no where near that explosion. And please, dear God, don't lie to me." Gates said.
"What explosion?" Kate fibbed.
"This one," Shaw flipped on the TV. They were showing David's face."
"I don't remember it." She was unconvincing to everyone in the room, her brow furrowing and her eyes showing sadness. They ignored the obvious anyway.
"Alright, well, we've got teams out looking for 3XK, if he's out there, we'll find him."
"He's not out there." Kate said. The two other cops looked at her. "He wouldn't make it that easy, he planted the evidence. He's not out there."
"You lost me, Detective." Agent Shaw looked at Kate curiously.
"Well, think about it. Doesn't this feel exactly like what we found in that building when Tyson used us to disappear the first time. 3XK doesn't screw up like this, not this bad. He isn't out there, but he wanted us to think he was. Just like he wanted us to think he was dead and just like he wanted me to think one of those men that died were working for him. No, he'll leave a clue, but not one this obvious. Tell your crew to be on the look out for something more subtle that's out of places or something that could mean nothing but could mean something. It would be directed at me and Castle, not at the average person. That's how its gone the whole time and my guess is he won't change."
"Impressive Beckett, alright, tell them." The man who'd been with her before picked up his radio and told the men, while these three continued. "Alright, Detective, you've worked this case well. What would you have us do next?"
Beckett looked at the board filled with useless information. "One second." She walked over, creating three columns down the center board. She moved Rachel's case into column one, the explosion into column two and the Hamptons shooting into column three, sending all extra information to board one on her left.
"Alright. Tyson doesn't do this for murder, he does this for the fun of knowing what he's taking away from people. So we need to look into these people's lives. Assume the people he was watching were Rachel, Castle, and Jon. We need to look into their lives, see if they had someone watching them, someone knew. Talk to the families and ask about their lives.Rick didn't as far as I knew, but he's been targeted before, so its possible Tyson didn't bother watching him. I'll talk to Martha and Alexis anyway, can you both find these kids' families and interview them?"
"Give the machine five minutes and we'll have it."
"Good."
"Yep."
"They found something," said the man from behind. "They said they found a kid's shoe filled with sand and that there is no sand in that area."
"Sand? Like gravelly sand or like soft beach sand?"
"Play ground sand." Agent Shaw and Captain Gates looked at Kate. Her eyes brightened.
"One second," she made a phone call.
"Richard Castle speaking."
"Rick, that park that you said was a special place for us, is there sand there?" The other two looked at Kate.
"Yeah."
"Alright, thanks Rick."
"No problem. I lo-," Kate hung up before he could finish.
"Your troops can follow me there." Beckett pulled the keys out of her pocket and made her way out the door. Everyone followed her lead, back to the place where she first knew she loved him. Great.