It feels so long since I last did a disclaimer I almost forgot but here we go... I do not own Castle or its characters blah blah blah.
It's just like any other crime scene, except it's not. Because this is Kate's apartment, the place so familiar to him now, Castle can almost still smell the Chinese they had shared a couple of nights ago right on this couch, now covered in shards of glass.
The room is silent; no one dares speak a word, unsure of what to say. They each look around the wrecked apartment then back to him, their faces full of pity. They're acting like she's dead, but there's no body, no signs of forced entry, just this trashed apartment and a few specs of blood in random places, leading towards the door.
That gives him hope; if they wanted to kill her they would have just done it and left them the body, right? So she's been what? Kidnapped?
Kidnapped. Maybe for information? Somewhere being tortured. The sick things they could be doing to her right now. He feels an intense wave of nausea take over, about the fifth since he found her apartment like this a couple of hours ago.
Sometimes he hates being a writer, the fact he can vividly map out the scene in front of him; her tied to a chair while they do despicable things to both her body, and her mind. He almost wishes they'd found a body if it means sparing her from the agonising suffering he sees happening in his mind.
But of course he could never wish that for her. He's selfish like that, could never life without her, whatever her it is he'll get back, because he will get her back. He promises that, always.
When she hadn't answered his calls this morning and he'd headed to the precinct to find she hadn't shown up for work he thought maybe she had overslept, however strange the idea was for Kate Beckett to do such a thing. But no matter what he had thought he would find when he entered her apartment, using the freshly cut key he had specifically neglected to tell her he had copied for such occasions, he hadn't expected this.
His thoughts are interrupted by a quiet sobbing; he turns to see Lanie cradled in Esposito's arms while he tells her that she shouldn't be here.
He's right though. There's no body and he's determined to keep it that way. Plus Lanie is way too close to work this, though then again so is he. But he doesn't care about that, Gates can do whatever she likes to try to get him off this case but he'll be there working it 24/7 until he finds her.
"Castle! Espo! Over here!"
Ryan's voice practically roars through the silent apartment and he doesn't think he's ever moved so quickly in his life.
They gather around the overturned television Ryan is pulling up to face them, he points to a stray disk laid out on the floor beside the DVD player, the word 'remember' spelt out in capital letters upon it. The TV doesn't seem to be too damaged so Ryan moves to insert the disk only to be halted by Rick's hand. This is something he feels he has to do.
The screen lights up with an image of a living room and suddenly there she is.
Kate.
She looks a lot younger, around ten years younger he would guess. Her eyes are bright and glowing as she speaks to whoever is behind the camera.
"Do you always have to carry that thing around, pointing it at me like that?" She half-heartedly pushes it away, covering the screen with her hand for half a second before her glorious smiling face is back.
"What can I say? The camera loves you." A male voice chuckles his reply and Rick feels his calm already slipping, the look she gives this man, this stranger to him. He counts himself lucky if he gets that look out of her once in a full moon.
"Yeah well the camera can love me another time. I'd like to speak with the cameraman alone." She gives the man a pointed look that must mean something to them and then there is slight clatter as the camera is being put down. "I said alone David, turn the camera off."
Her authoritative tone reminds him more of his modern Kate, scolding him for stealing some of her food when he has some perfectly good food he had ordered right in front of him, or touching and playing with the many things he would find on her desk at work.
"Okay, okay." The so called David replies.
The camera then switches off and he feels his breath catch. This can't be it? This can't be all he has to go on? But then it switches back on less than a second later as Kate's back is turned. Sneaky bastard.
"Okay so we need to go over some stuff about when we go back to the city." She begins firmly only to be interrupted the sound of a distant radio as David enters the image at long last.
He's tall, but he supposes that's always been her type. Longish but groomed brown hair bouncing slightly with every step he takes towards her, he's covered by a few layers but you can clearly see the definitions of a toned chest. It grinds at him, like he was hoping somehow he was going to be small and drippy or something. But of course how could she not end up with someone so good looking? She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met.
"Or we could not?" David suggests, his voice full of mirth. He pulls Kate towards him, wraps his arms around her and begins to sway in time with the music.
"David-" She doesn't get to finish scolding him as he quickly twirls her outwards then back towards him in a flash. Her reprimanding tone replaced with a full laugh that turns to quiet giggles as they continue to dance slowly on the spot, time only succeeding in bringing them closer and closer until their faces are only a breath apart.
"I love you so much Kate." A whisper the camera just stretches to hear.
He thinks he's never seen a more intimate, romantic scene before in his life. Nothing he, nor any other author, could write would rival the simplicity of this moment. Two people just holding each other, in the middle of their living room, moving to the rhythm of a humble radio.
"I love you too you silly man." And if he thinks the smile she gave this man earlier was something, he doesn't know what to make of this one.
He begins to turn away, doesn't think he can stomach the sight anymore. She speaks the words so easily when she hasn't been able to speak them once to him. He hasn't blamed her, been happy to give her time, but that doesn't stop the crushing sensation in his heart.
"See I knew you married me for a reason."
And in a moment his eyes have snapped back to the screen, shock covering his features.
So I'm back! Sorry for being away for so long and not finishing a single one of my stories! I've been having a hell of a year and going through a lot, I know that sounds excuse-y and all and I'm not trying to make them or anything I just want to explain and apologize I tried countless times to write more chapters for my other stories but other things kept coming along and messing with those plans but I had a wave of inspiration the other day and just wrote this and I feel in a better place now to write more and I hope I don't let you guys down again, I'm going to try to get back to my other stories too since they are all things I had such a plan for that I never got to pursue.
Let me know what you think of this story and whether I should continue it or focus on the other stories (for those who may have read them a while ago). It would be lovely if you could leave a review, positive and negative responses are both welcome.