696. Chapter 696

After Hunt

Episode 5.16

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or James Bond. Rating: K Time: See above

"What are you going to do about Beckett?"

Castle was confused by the question. "What…? She's in New York, isn't she? What does she have to do with this?"

The man called Jackson Hunt looked disgusted for just a moment. "Not now. Later. What are you going to do about her? I assume you love her. You were with her for years, while she was with two boyfriends, and now you're together. So what are your plans towards her?"

Castle grinned. "You sound like you're her dad, asking me what my intentions are."

Hunt glared at him. "First you married that redheaded…."Hunt stopped, remembering that, if nothing else, Meredith was Alexis' mother. "…airhead." He settled on. "Whatever did you see in her? Did you have to marry her?"

Castle shook his head. "No. I married her because she was…fun."

"Fun?" Hunt grumped. "Jesus wept. Is Beckett fun as well?"

"Fun and a lot more. Everything more."

"And then you married that blonde. The one who always looked like she had her broomstick jammed up her ass."

Castle smirked at the description of Gina. "We had a really good relationship with each other as writer and publisher, so I thought it would transfer to our private life. And, I was feeling guilty about Alexis growing up without a mother figure."

"And that's why you married her?" Hunt asked. "No wonder it didn't last."

"Hey, at least I tried." Castle shot back.

Hunt looked for a moment like he was going to get angry, then he looked away from Rick. "I deserved that. But, considering what I do, you, and your mom, might never have lived long enough for you to become a father. As you can see, this can be a rough business."

"You could have done something else with your life."

Hunt nodded slowly. "That I could. Believe it or not, I've thought about it from time to time. When I'm burning leeches off of myself in some African jungle, or trying to keep flies out of my food in the desert, I wonder why I don't get a nice, peaceful job shuffling papers somewhere."

"Then why don't you?" Castle was interested in the reply.

"It isn't me. I do this because I'm good at it, because I'm making a difference, and because it needs to be done. I can't say the same about sitting in an air conditioned office, shuffling a bunch of damned papers. But, you haven't answered my question. What are you going to do about Beckett? Why the hell haven't you married the girl yet? You should, you know."

Castle looked at the older man's face, trying to judge him. He found he couldn't. "You know about Beckett's mom's murder? Why she became a cop? She's being threatened by…."

"Senator Bracken." Hunt finished for him.

"You know?"

Hunt nodded sourly. "I tried to talk to…some people about …solving that. It seems that having intelligence agencies unilaterally decide who's going to be a US Senator is considered a bad idea. Leads to a dictatorship and things."

"So, Beckett once told me that she couldn't be the kind of person she wanted to be, that she couldn't have the kind of relationships she wanted to have until her mother's killer was caught. And he hasn't been caught. I'm afraid that if I ask her to marry me, she'll say no, because she has to put her mom's murder first and foremost in her life. You should understand that."

"Okay, so don't come right out and ask her to marry you then, just make damned well certain that she knows this is no damned fling for you. That you want to be with her forever."

"Always."

"What? Always what?"

"That's a word I used with her to tell her I loved her before…I could tell her that. She'd use it sometimes too."

"Well, use it a hell of a lot more than you do, Richard. You don't want to lose her."

"I won't."

"Always." Martha said. "That's what I always wanted. I never got that with Richard's father, of course. Just one magical night. But I have Richard and I have Alexis." Martha stopped. "Oh, God, Katherine. What would I do without them?"

Kate hugged the older woman. "Don't worry about that. Very soon, they're both going to come walking through that door and back to you."

"Back to us, you mean, dear. Richard loves you very much, you know."

Kate nodded slowly. "I don't know what I'd do without him. I remember what I was like before Castle and I can't do that, I can't be that person again. I just can't. And I'm…."Kate stopped. After assuring Martha that they'll be back, I can't tell her I'm terrified that I'll never see him again. I can barely force myself to imagine what I'll do if that happens. I just have to push all of that deep inside of me and concentrate on being a cop. She laughed to herself. My damned walls again. This time they just might be a help.

"Katherine, I know you care deeply for Richard. As much as he cares for you. I know that people say that no mother ever thinks a woman is good enough for her son, but I want you to know that you are absolutely perfect for Richard." Martha stopped, a bit unsure if she should say what was on her mind. She decided that she couldn't not say what was on her mind. "I know I could never dream of replacing your own mother, but you are a daughter to me."

Kate smiled and a single tear slipped down her cheek. "I would be so proud to be your daughter."

"Mother, I have something to tell you." He said, now back with his family.

"What?" Martha said, looking at her son and the copy of the book in his hand.

"I met my father in Paris."

"You met who?" Martha was shocked.

"Castle, how did you meet your father?" Kate was holding onto his arm, halfway afraid that if she let go of him, he'd disappear.

Rick explained who and what his dad was. Alexis nodded in agreement.

"A spy?" Martha said. "And that's why he couldn't contact us? I suppose I'm a little less upset now that I know he didn't just leave because he'd gotten sex and didn't need me anymore, but then again, you'd think he could have done something to let us know he was out there and alive. And thinking of us."

"He did what he thought was best." He nuzzled Kate, holding her tightly and remembering what his father had said. "I love you, Kate. Always."