260. Chapter 260

After Time Will Tell

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Not even in the future will I own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above

The unmarked patrol car pulled up in front of her brownstone and Kate sighed happily. Another long, difficult day was over and she was back with her family. She turned to the driver. "Thanks, Ann. I appreciate the ride home."

Detective Ann Hastings smiled. "We muses have to stick together, Kate. In fact, now that Paul and I are thinking about starting a family, I'm planning on taking the same route you have."

"You're a fine detective, Ann. But the road to being a captain is long and hard. I know. At least you and Paul got together early. I spent years pushing Rick away and I regret every second I wasted doing that. I was lucky that the position of captain at the 12th opened up when it did. I was ready by then."

"I was surprised when you took the exam and even more surprised when you accepted the promotion. I always thought of you as the ultimate detective. I never saw you as the sit behind the desk type. Of course, I never saw myself as the desk type either. And I'm not waiting for a captain's job to open up. There are two openings in the Real Time Crime Unit and one in the TARU. I'd like to get into the Movie and TV Unit, but I hear the line to get into that is a mile long."

"I always thought I'd spend my career as a detective until I married Rick. Every time we came anywhere near anything dangerous, I'd freak out. I tried to never let Rick see it, but I think he figured it out. And I was sending other people into danger to keep Rick safe. I felt guilty as hell about that. Worse, Rick seemed to think he was indestructible and always tried to protect me. When I became pregnant with our first, I knew I had to do something. So, I became a desk cop and Rick became a stay at home parent. And I don't think I've ever been happier."

"Well, wish me luck with the transfer."

"Oh, I'll do better than wish you luck, Ann. I know some people and I know that you'll be an asset no matter where you go."

Kate got out of the car and walked up the steps to her home. She opened the door as quietly as she could, as she always did, and as always, she was caught.

"Mommy!" Her youngest yelled and ran to her at full speed.

Kate knelt and grabbed her daughter and picked her up. "Yes! It's Mommy! And how have you been, Pumpkin?" Martha Castle was the only one of the Castle children to get Martha Rodger's red hair and blue eyes. Naturally, she was called Pumpkin, just Alexis had once been called.

"Let me show you what I drew in school!" Martha wriggled out of Kate's arms and ran into the living room, racing back with a piece of paper. "Look!" Martha said, holding the paper out for Kate.

Kate looked at it. "Oh. I see a police car, with lights, and a bad man with a bag of loot and who's that lady who's stopping him?"

"That's you, Mommy! That's you!"

"Why, so it is. And such a good drawing, too."

Martha glowed with pride.

"Hi, Mom." Said their oldest child.

"How was school, Jo?"

Jo frowned and looked away from Kate. "I didn't do so well on my algebra exam today. I really stank."

Kate put her arms around Jo. "Oh, sweetie. How bad was it?"

"I missed a question." Jo said, suddenly smiling.

"One question? Out of how many?"

"One hundred." Jo said happily.

"Stinker." Kate said, hugging her daughter. "Where's Alex?"

"He's over at the Esposito's playing those stupid video games." Jo said with a superior air, the sort that older sisters love to adopt towards their younger brothers.

"Your dad has every video game ever made you know, and he still plays them."

Jo shrugged. "Dad's a brilliant author. Alex is…Alex." She said as if that were condemnation enough.

"Where is Daddy?" Kate asked.

"In his office." Jo pointed to the back of the house.

Kate walked back and peeked into Rick's office. Her husband was holding one of her least favorite books and smiling. "Hey. How was your day?" She walked in and hugged Rick.

Rick kissed her and smiled. "I'm just looking through the book that is number five on the New York Times best seller list." He said proudly.

Kate rolled her eyes. "That book is still in the top ten?"

"What's wrong with my book?"

"Inside Nikki Heat? It sounds like a porno title."

"You used to think that Nikki Heat was a stripper's name and not a cop name. I'm sure you'll learn to love this book."

"That'll be the day."

"What's wrong with the book? It's a factual account of the NYPD's finest detective and her real life cases that her ruggedly handsome partner turned into one of the best-selling book series in history. What's not to like?"

"The title. It sounds like porn."

Rick shrugged. "We'll agree to disagree, then. Anyway, I was looking back at some of the cases I covered in the book and was reading about the Simon Doyle case. You remember him, right?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course. It may be your all-time favorite case."

"I just can't figure out what things aren't happening as he told us they will. I mean we do have three children. I've written serious literature." He held up the copy of Inside Nikki Heat.

"Really? You're calling that serious literature?"

"The New York Review of Books called Inside Nikki Heat a triumph, a forceful and gritty…"

"I know. I know. But you do remember we haven't had any energy wars, no fascists appear anywhere on the political horizon, and I'm a police captain, not a senator."

Rick frowned. "I don't understand it. Doyle was so convincing, and so right about some things."

"We have three children because that's what happens when a ruggedly handsome author marries a gorgeous and passionate cop." Kate said in a sultry voice. "Maybe we could try for four?"

"You are remarkable." He said, holding her and kissing her. "But I can't figure out what went wrong."

Kate laughed. "Really, Rick? It's obvious. I'm amazed that you haven't seen it."

Rick frowned again. He thought, but finally gave up. "Okay, tell me."

"When Simon Doyle left us, he was again sent back in time to contact Garrett Ward six years earlier. He got all of the fascists' plans from Ward, the good guys stopped the fascists before they ever got started, and no energy wars, no deaths, just a nice, peaceful planet. Easy."

Castle thought about that. "You're brilliant. It's so obvious. How could I gave missed it?"

"Really? You actually accept that as what happened?" Kate laughed, but couldn't keep the shock out of her voice.

"Of course. How could my brilliant and extremely hot wife be wrong?"

Before Kate could say anything else, her phone rang. She checked the caller ID. It was Bob Weldon.

"Why would the governor call me?" She asked.

"Answer it and find out." Rick suggested.

She did. "Bob. Hi, it's Kate. How are you?"

She listened for a moment. "That's terrible." She turned to Rick. "Senator Bollinger was killed in a plane crash in Asia just a few hours ago. Yes, I was just telling Rick."

She listened some more. "Rick. Weldon wants to appoint me to fill out the rest of Senator Bollinger's term."

Rick smiled widely. "Yes!"