165. Chapter 165

After Famous Last Words

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: If I claimed to own Castle, Marlowe would insure that would be my last words. Rating: K Time: See above.

"Are you okay?"

Kate looked up at her writer/shadow/partner. "Yes." Then after a second. "No." Another second. "Yes."

Castle nodded. "Okay. As long as we have that straight."

Kate put down the notes she had taken for the report she was writing. "It's the same thing. I deal in murders. Every day, it's murder, murder, murder."

"It gets to you?" He said softly. "Good. If it didn't get to you, I'd be worried. It gets to me, too."

Kate leaned back and stretched. She'd been sitting for too long. Then she noticed Castle was staring at her boobs. She relaxed and leaned forward. She was silent for a moment. "Just like with Hayley Blue, you're most likely going to be killed by someone you know. An alarming number of those killers are family. Okay, Ian wasn't family, but he was a father figure to Hayley. And he destroyed his relationship with Bree, who was family. How could someone do something like that?"

"I don't know. We should know, doing what we do, but we don't." Castle smiled softly at her.

"I suppose." Kate said rubbing her eyes. She was getting tired.

"You look like a woman who could use a burger and a beer at Remy's."

She shook her head. "No thanks." She could see he was disappointed. Crap. He's just trying to be nice to me. I haven't been all that nice to him. He's done a lot for me, being on my team and…other things.

Castle was standing up. "Okay, then. I'll see…"

She cut him off. "On second thought, that does sound like a good idea. Let me put this away and get my stuff and I'll be right with you."

Castle smiled at her. "Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

Kate quickly and efficiently put her case notes away and grabbed her sidearm and purse. She was ready to go. "Shall we?" She said.

"My pleasure and my treat, Detective Beckett."

Kate started to argue, but decided not to. I can let him pay. Everything we do doesn't have to be a contest. There's no reason he can't pay. Sure, normally, if I were out with a group of cops, I'd insist that I pay my own way. I don't want to be treated differently from other cops. Not like I was treated when I was the Hot Rookie. But Castle is different. By that time they were in the elevator, going downstairs. Why do I think Castle is different? Sure, he's not a cop, although he works with me. It's not like this is a date or anything. I mean me and Castle dating? He'll never be what I want and I know it. Although when I see him with Alexis…No! This is absurd.

Castle and Beckett walked quietly to Remy's. It wasn't too busy. It was late, but the day shift had long gone home, except for people like Rick and Kate, she swing shift had come and gone to work, and the midnight shift was hours away from coming in. The waitress seated them and took their order.

"It bothers you, but you still do it. You are remarkable, Detective Beckett."

She shrugged. "You do it, too. You show up at the grisliest crime scenes, help me gather evidence, we interrogate killers and we see what the killers leave behind."

"And all that's happened to you." Rick suddenly frowned. "Oops. My bad. I shouldn't talk about that."

Kate grinned at him. "No problem, Castle. You know the story. And I'm willing to accept that you were trying to help on some level. I don't understand him. I told him not to look into my mom's case and he did. But he found evidence that no one else did. Maybe it'll help. Maybe not. But he's still the same Castle he's been since the day I met him. Part horny teenager, part father of the year. I wish he'd be one or the other. It would make things easier. I could either kick him to the curb or…Or? What the hell am I thinking? There is no "or".

"A penny for your thoughts." Castle said, interrupting her thoughts.

"A penny? From a millionaire? Pretty cheap, Castle."

He shrugged. "That's how we millionaires stay millionaires."

"Well, I wasn't thinking about much. Just thinking about how families are hurt by murder. Hayley's gone, Sky is now without her sister, Bree without her husband."

"I think Bree comes out ahead on that one." Castle said.

"She married him, loved him for years. He must have had some good qualities."

Castle shrugged. "I suppose even the sleazy manager and the violent guitarist have good qualities. I just wouldn't want any of them dating Alexis."

Kate laughed. "I'll go along with you there. But if they did date her and something happened to them, I'd know who to go to first. Someone they knew. You."

Castle nodded. "You know me well. But I haven't killed Martha. Yet. So I must have a low interest in committing murder. But if something happens to me, do look at Alexis. She has all the tools to be a criminal mastermind. If only she took more after me."

"I'd probably help her get rid of the body." Kate joked.

Their food arrived. Beckett lifted her beer. "Cheers, Castle. And thank you for the meal."

They clinked glasses. "Cheers, Beckett. My pleasure."

They ate for a while, then Kate spoke. "You know about my mom, and I know about Martha, but you're quite reticent about your dad. Or is that none of my business?"

Castle shook his head. "Considering what I did, you have a perfect right to know all about my family. I never met my dad. We don't have a picture of him, or know anything about him."

"He left before you were born?" Kate said seriously, but remembering Castle's phony story about the drowned boy.

"Mom said they packed a lifetime of love into one night. She only ever saw him that one time."

"Do you miss not having a father?"

"Hard to miss something you've never had. Do you miss not having brothers or sisters?"

Kate nodded. "Point taken."

"I think about my dad, every now and then. I wonder, is he a good guy or a bad guy? When I was younger I imagined he was a pilot, or a scientist, or maybe even a cop. When I got older, and started writing, my imagination changed. Maybe he's a con man who just wanted to see if he could get Martha into bed. Maybe he's out there robbing banks, or maybe he a lifer in prison. Maybe he's dead."

Castle looked around him. "I'll tell you something. Since I've been with you, every time I see a murder suspect of the right age, and whatever, I wonder: Is that my dad?"

"Not that much fun for you."

"It's better than you have it. I don't have to live with the pain of the parent I lost."

Kate nodded and they both went back to their meal. When they were done, Beckett thanked Castle again and walked to her car.

I have no mother and he has no father. We both have good, if sometimes troubled, relationships with our other parent. We're more alike…No! Damn it! No. We have virtually nothing in common! Why do those thoughts keep popping into my head?