247. Chapter 247

AU After Hunt

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I've hunted all over, but I can find no evidence that I own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

Author's note: If you read Chapter 142, you will see that it's AU also, in that Beckett goes to Paris with Castle to find Alexis. This chapter contains more vignettes of Kate and Rick in Paris.

Kate woke up as the plane began it's descent to Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris. She looked up and saw Castle staring down at her. "Staring at me while I sleep is creepy, Castle." When she saw him frown, she smiled at him. "But it's also kind of cute."

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "We need to get ready to de-plane." Castle checked his passport and his wallet for the thousandth time and they watched the city of Paris unfold below them until they landed.

As Castle walked slowly down the aisle of the plane, a stewardess whispered to him. "Mr. Castle? Are you and the lady newlyweds?"

"No. We're not. Why?" He was a bit puzzled.

The stewardess smiled at him. "We're pretty good at judging these things. From the looks that you two were giving each other, it's obvious you're both deeply in love."

Castle looked over to Beckett, who was looking at him with a slight smile on her face.

"You're right. We are deeply in love."

Kate's smile brightened.

Castle kissed her cheek. "I have no idea what I'd do without you."

"Me too. Let's just never find out what not being together is like, okay?"

"Deal."

…...

Once in their hotel, Castle began to try to locate his friend, Gaston.

While he worked the phone, Kate looked out the window at Paris.

"Did you ever want to come here?" He asked, putting his arms around her waist. "Or have you been here before?"

"When I studied in Kiev, I went through London, then to Berlin and on to Kiev. But what girl doesn't want to visit Paris with the man she loves?"

"This isn't what you imagined, is it?"

She shook her head.

"When this is over and we have time, I'm bringing you back here. But everything will be first class."

"You don't need to. Just being with you anywhere is enough."

Castle nodded and smiled at her. But he made a mental note to take her on a vacation in Paris that she'd never forget. Hell, he'd take her on a vacation that Paris would never forget.

…...

While Castle talked with his friend, Gaston, Tatiana, a Russian tourist, chatted with a waiter in poor French, with a thick Russian accent. The waiter thought that perhaps he'd get lucky, but Tatiana caught the eye of a well-dressed American and left with him, arm and arm.

"Rich bastard." The waiter muttered under his breath. "Just as well. She's a whore anyway."

….

Kate was surprised that Henri had made her there in the church. She tried to look on the bright side: Henri was, apparently, as good as his reputation. But Kate did not like not being in control.

She and Castle followed Henri to the underground lair of Le Taupe. As the mole went over and over the recording that Alexis had made, Henri suggested they get some sleep. The couch was narrow and Kate was snuggled up closely with Castle. Usually, she felt that lying in Castle's arms gave her a sense of safety and security. This time, she felt that she was the one providing that feeling. They drifted off to sleep.

….

The building was empty. All that Castle found of Alexis' was a single strand of long, red hair.

"It's still a good sign, Castle." She said, trying to sound more hopeful than she felt. "She's not here. That means they still have her. They realize she has value and want to keep her alive."

Castle was near tears. "All it means is that she's not here. She could be anyplace, including dead."

She put her arms around him. "Don't think that way. From the beginning the kidnappers have gone out of their way to keep both of the girls alive. Whatever we think of their cause, or their reasoning, they know Alexis is valuable to them. They'll want to make a deal. They just need to find us. They probably don't even know you're in Paris." Something occurred to Kate. "You should call Martha. See if anyone called making a ransom demand. I'll call Espo and see if they have anything."

"Don't you think Martha would have called if she'd heard?" Castle snapped at her.

She put her hand on his chest. "Of course she would have. But it's a trans-Atlantic call. Something could go wrong. In any case, you should let her know where we are."

Martha was angry at Castle for taking off for Paris, but relieved that Kate was with him. However, there had been no calls.

"What did you get from Espo?" he asked.

"They tracked down Roger Henson's girlfriend and found his place. It'd been tossed. The neighbors identified the same guy who tortured Henson as being there. Henson had a computer and the hard drive was wiped, but CSU thinks they might be able to recover some of it. Espo will call if he has anything."

….

Kate was shocked at Henri's betrayal and more shocked when their rescuer took them to his apartment. One wall was covered with pictures of Alexis going back to her baby pictures. There were also pictures of Martha, Castle and, to her surprise, a few of her.

After Volkov called and Jackson Hunt explained who and what he was, Kat was even more shocked. Once the plan to take down Volkov had been made, she sat down to talk to Jackson Hunt.

"You've been watching us? All of us?"

Hunt nodded. "Those worth watching. Even though she's Alexis' mother I never paid any attention to Meredith after they divorced. I have no idea why that boy married such an airhead. And even when they were married, I never paid any attention to Gina. Another mystery marriage. But I've paid very close attention to you, Detective Beckett, even if my dim witted son hasn't figured out he needs to marry you before you get away."

Kate smiled, both at Hunt's remarks, and Rick's furious blush. "In his defense, I haven't made it easy for him. Since I was nineteen, I've been obsessed with my mom's murder. After she died, I built up a wall to keep from getting hurt again. It took a very long time for the two of us to bring it down. But I couldn't have done it without your son."

Hunt nodded. "Yeah. Walls. We build them up so we won't get hurt when people die, or otherwise leave us. I suppose the protection from the pain is worth something, but the cost is very high."

"It could have cost me Castle." Kate nodded.

"Well, don't let it."

….

Things were a blur to Kate from the time the explosion killed Volkov to the time the three of them were in a plane headed for New York. Castle sat sleeping in the middle seat with Alexis sleeping on one shoulder and Kate snuggling on the other shoulder.

Kate noticed the same stewardess who had been with them on the flight over was now staring at the three. One woman snuggling with him on the way over and two on the way back? What must she think of Castle?

She gestured to the stewardess. "This is Mr. Castle's daughter, Alexis." She whispered.

"His daughter. Of course." She gave Kate a conspiratorial wink. Kate shook her head and tried to stifle a laugh.

….

That night Kate slipped into bed with Castle. In spite of his nap on the way back to New York, he had been wired for days and was exhausted. He was sound asleep.

Marriage? Yes, that's what I want with Castle. I hope that's what he wants. I wish I knew.