281. Chapter 281

After Clear and Present Danger

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: You can clearly see that I do not own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

As they lay in bed together, Kate ran her finger over Castle's cheek. "Babe, would you really want to be invisible to see what my dad thinks of you? Why? He knows I'm deeply in love with you and that you make me happier than I've ever been. Of course he wants us to marry. He sees you as his son, not just a son-in-law."

Castle stared at the ceiling for a while. "I know. But…"

"But?" Kate prompted.

"He was at the wedding when I left you at the altar. He was with you for two months while I was gone and no one knew what happened. Hell, no one, except Jenkins the Fake, knows what happened. And he knows I dropped off the money to crush the Escalade. He knows from the memory card that I was involved somehow in what happened. How could he not be suspicious of me? Kate, I'd be suspicious of me. Actually, I am a little bit suspicious of me."

Kate briefly ran her lips over Castle's. "He knows that the Fake Henry Jenkins was a fake. He knows that you made those memory cards so that I'd find out that you loved me and that you hated running out on the wedding. And maybe you were involved in what ever happened. Have you ever thought that maybe your dad was involved? If he needed your help, you'd help him if the world needed saving by you, again, wouldn't you? And the whole induced amnesia thing sounds like something the CIA would do, and would have the capability of doing."

Castle nodded. "If it was my dad, I am absolutely not inviting him to the wedding. Even if I did have to disappear to save the world, he could have waited until you were Mrs. Castle."

"Not inviting him won't do us any good." Kate said with a grin. "If he wants to come, he'll just show up disguised as a champagne fountain or maybe as the flower girl."

Castle laughed. "If it was the CIA, we'll probably never know. But I can't shake the feeling that maybe I was involved in something heinous. That I really wanted to forget what I'd done."

Kate shook her head. "No way. You would never do anything like that. I know you. I've known you for over six years and I've loved you for that long. You are incapable of doing anything that heinous. End of discussion."

"You've been in love with me for that long? I thought you said I was an ass when we first met?"

"You were a lovable ass, Castle. A very lovable ass."

"And you were remarkable from the first day I ever met you. I was in love with you by the time we arrested Harrison Tisdale."

"Ahem. I arrested Harrison Tisdale." Kate said with mock severity.

"A minor detail. We cracked the case together."

Kate put her head on his chest and relaxed. "Is there anything else you'd do if you could be invisible?"

"Oh, the same thing, with other people."

"Other people? Who?"

"Espo for one."

"Espo? Castle, he thinks the world of you. He wanted to be the best man at the wedding."

"Sure, but he's always had this big brother, little sister thing with you. As much as I've hurt you in the past, I'm sure he remembers."

"Well, you're wrong. I'm the big sister in the arrangement and Espo is thrilled we're getting married. He's one of the people, along with Lanie, who's been telling me we should get together." She kissed his jaw and stroked his chest. "Anyone else?"

"Gina?"

Kate frowned. "Why?"

"We have a good business relationship, author and publisher. But I've not only divorced her, but I dumped her after the Hamptons. I'd like to know how she really feels about me. Does she hate me? Or has she gotten over me and really doesn't care."

"Or is she still in love with you? I know from experience that Richard Castle is very hard, if not impossible, to get over."

"For you, maybe, but perhaps not for Gina. However, I think I'll scratch her off my list. It's enough that we have a good business relationship. How about you? What would you do if you could be invisible?"

"Nothing." Kate said too quickly, and blushed.

"Nothing?" Rick said with a smile. "Are you absolutely sure? I did see you lie to Gates, so I recognize the signs."

Kate slapped him lightly on the chest. "All right. I'd do the same thing you'd do. But I'd want to see what Martha and Alexis really think of me."

"Oh, come on, Kate. They're both over the moon about our wedding."

Kate took a deep breath. "My mom once told me, semi-seriously, that no mother ever thinks her son's wife is really ever good enough for him. The same the other way around. Mom said she'd never think anyone was good enough for me. But then she laughed and said that her mother told her that a stubborn, opinionated, driven woman like my mom was lucky to get anyone to marry her, let alone a guy like my dad. So, she was just teasing."

"Kate, if there's one thing Martha and Alexis know, it's what an ass, your word, remember, I was when we first met. I'm a thousand percent better now and it's all because of you."

Kate shrugged. "They also know how much I hurt you. You waited around for a lonely, insecure, obsessed, completely messed up cop for years before I finally came to my senses. They can't have forgotten that. Especially Alexis. She's very protective of you, you know."

"And I'm very protective of you, as well." Castle stared at the ceiling again for a few seconds. "Maybe it's a good thing we can't be invisible. All of our friends are our friends and our families love both of us. Who'd want to find anything different?"

"You're a very wise man, Mr. Castle."

"Well, I asked you to marry me, didn't I?"

"One thing, though. I noticed that neither of us would have checked up on the other. We don't need to, do we?"

"Not at all." Castle relaxed, then. "But speaking of checking up, I'd like to be invisible and check out Ryan's new job at Men-Hattan."

"A male strip club?" Kate asked with a frown. "I may need a little more evidence of your feelings for me."

"Happy to oblige."