Post by cal54382 on Feb 12, 2015 2:40:08 GMT
Esposito made sure Gates wasn't looking and made his way to Castle, handing him a gun. "It's my extra. Don't tell Gates."
"Thank you." Castle took the gun and hid it in his pants.
"Just in case." 3xK tended to target Castle, and through him Kate. He wanted his partner to be able to defend himself.
They started checking nearby buildings, alley ways, trying not to think of Kate's story of her mom being dead in an alley. Castle was holding his breath when they checked the eighth building and found a body. It was too dark to see at first, so he didn't get scared immediately. Ryan and Esposito had stayed close to Castle and saw the body as well, moving with him. There was no doubt in Esposito's mind that it wasn't Beckett, even as they got closer.
Castle dropped to his knees as they got close enough to see the face. Though he knew it couldn't be her, he started to shake, trying to not cry. "Kate?"
The woman had obviously been treated like all of 3xk's victims; the only difference was that he had left her appearance alone, hadn't even dyed her hair blonde. She was also obviously dead.
Gates came up behind Castle, her hand on his shoulder. "It isn't Detective Beckett," she tried to say to him, but he wasn't listening.
Castle continued to shake and whisper that someone would wake him from this nightmare.
Ryan had tears in his eyes. "C'mon, man. Let's get out of here." He was worried that Castle would completely shut down. Esposito wasn't talking, wasn't crying, was every inch a cop, a Marine, as he called the coroner's office and requested that Lanie not be sent out.
Castle didn't move at first. He heard Esposito on the phone, heard Ryan talking to him, even felt Gates' trying to lift him up and lead him out. But he couldn't leave, not yet, even if the woman wasn't his wife.
Ryan saw something that he hoped Castle hadn't picked up on. Not only was she wearing Kate's engagement and wedding rings, but she was wearing the watch and necklace with wedding ring she'd worn as long as he'd known her.
Finally, Castle stood. He let Ryan lead him outside into the darkness that had settled since they entered the building and stopped. "I have to tell Alexis and mother."
"I know. We're going home, okay?" His voice shook slightly, but he wouldn't let himself cry in front of Castle. He couldn't imagine losing Jenny and wanted to call her as soon as he felt Castle could manage without him for a few minutes.
"Home. It's not home without her."
"Let's go see your mom and Alexis." He almost said your girls, but there would always be one missing now, just like her absence would always be felt at work, even more than Castle's was at the office now.
He nodded automatically, even though he still didn't really want to leave. Ryan led him to the vehicle and drove him to his apartment.
Alexis opened the door when they knocked. "Hey dad, hi Ryan."
"Hey." Ryan walked in after Castle who looked like his world was ending, but then again, it was. "Is your grandmother home?"
"She's in the kitchen. We just finished dinner. Are you hungry?"
Ryan shook his head, feeling like he might throw up, even without food. "No, but we need to talk."
Alexis heard the undertone of his voice and called Martha. She sat with her dad on the couch, closer than usual, suspecting that something was very wrong.
"Where's Kate?" she asked.
Martha came in, full of news about her rehearshal, but she saw the look on her son's face and instantly flashed a few years earlier, when Katherine had been shot. "What happened?" She asked, sitting on the other side of her son, holding his hand.
"It's Kate.... she's, she's dead...." He actually started crying then, not caring who saw. "The triple killer... he's alive and he took her."
Alexis shook her head. "No. She can't be. It's...It's wrong. No." She remembered kissing Kate's cheek as she left before the case began. She was her mother, her real mother, nothing 'step' about it, but now they were saying she was gone.
"I saw her Alexis, it's her." He looked at Ryan. "Right? Please tell me I'm wrong."
Ryan had no words, shaking his head. He wanted to more than anything else, but he didn't have the faith Gates had. Martha spoke up, her voice shaking. "We need to call Jim."
"We can't.... he'll be devastated. She's all he has," said Alexis, tears streaming down her cheeks as she cuddled into Castle.
"I'll tell him." Like Kate had been when Castle had been missing, Martha was now being the strong one, a new role for her. "He still has family. He still has us."
Castle didn't know what to do. All he knew was that his life had been torn apart again, and he didn't think it would ever be whole again. She looked at Ryan and nodded, staying with them while she went to make the phone call. In the end, all she could tell him was that they wanted him to come over.
Half an hour later, Jim was sitting on the couch next to Ryan. He knew something had happened, he could see it in his son-in-law's face. "Where's Katie?"
Martha broke it to him as carefully as she could. Her son still wasn't talking much and all Alexis could do was cry.
Jim sat back in shock, his worst fears coming true. "No. Not my Katie. It has to be a mistake. I don't believe it. Show me proof. DNA evidence that it's my daughter."
"I'll call Espo," Ryan said, excusing himself.
"Rick, it's not her. She's alive, missing but alive," said Jim, confident that Kate wouldn't have died like that.
"She had Joanna's ring on. Kate never takes that off, except when she's home. And your watch. And Kate's...Kate's wedding, engagement rings." He was struggling not to cry again.
"Doesn't mean it's Katie."
Ryan was grateful when Esposito picked up. "Is the ME there yet?" He could hear Lanie yelling in the background and then a scream. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
"Couldn't stop her in the end. How's Castle?"
"Thank you." Castle took the gun and hid it in his pants.
"Just in case." 3xK tended to target Castle, and through him Kate. He wanted his partner to be able to defend himself.
They started checking nearby buildings, alley ways, trying not to think of Kate's story of her mom being dead in an alley. Castle was holding his breath when they checked the eighth building and found a body. It was too dark to see at first, so he didn't get scared immediately. Ryan and Esposito had stayed close to Castle and saw the body as well, moving with him. There was no doubt in Esposito's mind that it wasn't Beckett, even as they got closer.
Castle dropped to his knees as they got close enough to see the face. Though he knew it couldn't be her, he started to shake, trying to not cry. "Kate?"
The woman had obviously been treated like all of 3xk's victims; the only difference was that he had left her appearance alone, hadn't even dyed her hair blonde. She was also obviously dead.
Gates came up behind Castle, her hand on his shoulder. "It isn't Detective Beckett," she tried to say to him, but he wasn't listening.
Castle continued to shake and whisper that someone would wake him from this nightmare.
Ryan had tears in his eyes. "C'mon, man. Let's get out of here." He was worried that Castle would completely shut down. Esposito wasn't talking, wasn't crying, was every inch a cop, a Marine, as he called the coroner's office and requested that Lanie not be sent out.
Castle didn't move at first. He heard Esposito on the phone, heard Ryan talking to him, even felt Gates' trying to lift him up and lead him out. But he couldn't leave, not yet, even if the woman wasn't his wife.
Ryan saw something that he hoped Castle hadn't picked up on. Not only was she wearing Kate's engagement and wedding rings, but she was wearing the watch and necklace with wedding ring she'd worn as long as he'd known her.
Finally, Castle stood. He let Ryan lead him outside into the darkness that had settled since they entered the building and stopped. "I have to tell Alexis and mother."
"I know. We're going home, okay?" His voice shook slightly, but he wouldn't let himself cry in front of Castle. He couldn't imagine losing Jenny and wanted to call her as soon as he felt Castle could manage without him for a few minutes.
"Home. It's not home without her."
"Let's go see your mom and Alexis." He almost said your girls, but there would always be one missing now, just like her absence would always be felt at work, even more than Castle's was at the office now.
He nodded automatically, even though he still didn't really want to leave. Ryan led him to the vehicle and drove him to his apartment.
Alexis opened the door when they knocked. "Hey dad, hi Ryan."
"Hey." Ryan walked in after Castle who looked like his world was ending, but then again, it was. "Is your grandmother home?"
"She's in the kitchen. We just finished dinner. Are you hungry?"
Ryan shook his head, feeling like he might throw up, even without food. "No, but we need to talk."
Alexis heard the undertone of his voice and called Martha. She sat with her dad on the couch, closer than usual, suspecting that something was very wrong.
"Where's Kate?" she asked.
Martha came in, full of news about her rehearshal, but she saw the look on her son's face and instantly flashed a few years earlier, when Katherine had been shot. "What happened?" She asked, sitting on the other side of her son, holding his hand.
"It's Kate.... she's, she's dead...." He actually started crying then, not caring who saw. "The triple killer... he's alive and he took her."
Alexis shook her head. "No. She can't be. It's...It's wrong. No." She remembered kissing Kate's cheek as she left before the case began. She was her mother, her real mother, nothing 'step' about it, but now they were saying she was gone.
"I saw her Alexis, it's her." He looked at Ryan. "Right? Please tell me I'm wrong."
Ryan had no words, shaking his head. He wanted to more than anything else, but he didn't have the faith Gates had. Martha spoke up, her voice shaking. "We need to call Jim."
"We can't.... he'll be devastated. She's all he has," said Alexis, tears streaming down her cheeks as she cuddled into Castle.
"I'll tell him." Like Kate had been when Castle had been missing, Martha was now being the strong one, a new role for her. "He still has family. He still has us."
Castle didn't know what to do. All he knew was that his life had been torn apart again, and he didn't think it would ever be whole again. She looked at Ryan and nodded, staying with them while she went to make the phone call. In the end, all she could tell him was that they wanted him to come over.
Half an hour later, Jim was sitting on the couch next to Ryan. He knew something had happened, he could see it in his son-in-law's face. "Where's Katie?"
Martha broke it to him as carefully as she could. Her son still wasn't talking much and all Alexis could do was cry.
Jim sat back in shock, his worst fears coming true. "No. Not my Katie. It has to be a mistake. I don't believe it. Show me proof. DNA evidence that it's my daughter."
"I'll call Espo," Ryan said, excusing himself.
"Rick, it's not her. She's alive, missing but alive," said Jim, confident that Kate wouldn't have died like that.
"She had Joanna's ring on. Kate never takes that off, except when she's home. And your watch. And Kate's...Kate's wedding, engagement rings." He was struggling not to cry again.
"Doesn't mean it's Katie."
Ryan was grateful when Esposito picked up. "Is the ME there yet?" He could hear Lanie yelling in the background and then a scream. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
"Couldn't stop her in the end. How's Castle?"