A year and a half ago I kind of took a break from writing. Partly to recharge my batteries, partly because my work demands increased. I thought it would be a short break, but here we are, 22 months later and I still haven't published anything...that is until today!
In 2013 I spent a lovely US Thanksgiving weekend visiting my good friend SuperMandy77 and we decided we could use some time to write. We selected prompts from a book she has and started on our task: use the prompt to write a Castle story. As long or short as we wanted, just write.
Here's what became of mine. I hope you like it.
...
Prompt: Write about the scene at the Kasino Club, the only bar in Stanley, Idaho, on an ordinary Tuesday night. Stanley's population is just under five hundred and it's best known for being the coldest place in the lower forty-eight.
...
"Castle? Where the hell are we?" Kate had awoken to the sound of the oversized tour bus coming to a rumbling halt on the side of the mountain highway.
"Um...I'm not sure. Let me check with Lenny." Castle wandered up to the front of the bus to chat with the driver.
Kate rolled over in the queen sized bed occupying the rear room of the rock-star style tour bus that they had been residing in for the last few days. It wasn't quite as plush as the king sized bed and all the amenities that Castle's loft in the city had to offer, but it had been Castle's dream, he said, to travel the country on this latest book tour just like all his favourite rock musicians from back in the day.
He had surprised her in Seattle with the idea and arranged for it quickly. The tour would take them down to Boise, Salt Lake City, Denver, Las Vegas and finally Los Angeles, where they would catch a flight back to New York.
It wasn't exactly how she saw herself spending her vacation time when she first suggested she come with Rick on this part of his book tour, but he had been so excited about the idea that she just couldn't say no. Of course it really didn't hit them until somewhere in the tree covered mountains between Oregon and Idaho that winter hit early in this part of the country, and the narrow windy roads really weren't the safest way they could have travelled.
When Lenny, the bus driver, had turned off the highway about two hours earlier, Kate was worried. They had only left Boise an hour before that, and she knew that they should have stayed on the main road to get down to Salt Lake City. Despite being a city girl, all those summers at her dad's cabin in the woods had given her a great sense of direction, so she couldn't figure out why they turned to head north-east when they should have been heading south-east. She had tried pulling up a map on her phone, but with all the trees and being literally in the middle of nowhere, she wasn't picking up any cell signal.
When Kate questioned Castle about the detour, he had simply smiled, kissed her forehead, and told her not to worry. He told her to just sit back and enjoy the ride, try to take a nap, and soon enough they would arrive at their destination. Where that was exactly he just wouldn't tell her. And oh, how she had tried to get it out of him.
She had enticed him into the bedroom compartment and used all the tricks she had to get him to give up something about where they were going. But every time she tried to get him to talk, he had used one of his tricks to get her mind off of it. He was getting far too good at knowing just how to distract her. It was both a blessing and a curse.
Now, Kate roused herself out of bed and looked out the window to find that the sun had gone down and darkness had set in. It was impossible to tell where they were.
Pulling Castle's oversized Led Zepplen t-shirt over her otherwise naked body, Kate slowly made her way to the front of the bus to see what Castle had learned. She met him halfway as he was returning to her. The look on his face did not inspire her confidence.
"What?" she asked pointedly, knowing she wasn't going to like his answer.
"Well, um, the bus has..." he mumbled out knowing she was going to be completely pissed with him.
"Come on, Castle, spit it out."
"The bus has had some...technical difficulties," he explained without actually explaining.
"What do you mean, technical difficulties?" Kate's arms folded across her chest defensively, waiting for him to clarify.
"Well, basically it broke down and Lenny doesn't know why," Castle spoke quickly, trying to get it all out fast enough that she wouldn't actually register the words he was saying. Before she could respond, he pushed on, "But don't worry. Lenny's on it and he's the best. He's going to get the bus fixed and we'll be on our way shortly." Castle moved closer and tried to rub her arms, a gesture he was hoping would placate her steadily rising temper.
It didn't work.
"Castle, we're in the middle of nowhere. It's the middle of the night. How exactly is Lenny going to pull off this miraculous repair job?"
"Oh," Castle replied with a bit more confidence than he really felt. "Well, Lenny said that we passed through a town just a few minutes ago. He's going to walk back and get some help. And Kate, it's not the middle of the night. It's only nine o'clock."
Kate's shoulders relaxed slightly at his answer. "Oh. Okay." Maybe there was hope.
"Great. So, I'll just let Lenny know that we'll keep the home fires burning for him. Maybe we can find some way to...keep ourselves busy...until he returns." Castle cleared his throat suggestively, hoping for a repeat of the previous two hours.
"Seriously, Castle? You want to let Lenny walk all the way back by himself? In the dark, in the middle of nowhere? There could be wild animals out there. Or, he could fall and hurt himself and then what? He'd die in the cold, alone, just so you can get in one more romp in the sack?"
Castle stepped back, feeling guilty for suggesting it in the first place. "Well, I just thought..."
"I know what you thought Castle, and no dice. Plus, since you won't tell me where we're going or when we'll get there, and since we're pretty much out of food on this party bus, we better go with him and get some supplies. Maybe there will be a restaurant still open and we can get some food to go."
Castle lowered his head, admonished for his lack of consideration, and for still not telling her where they were going. He had arranged for the surprise and didn't want to ruin it for her. He was still convinced he could make it work, even with this slight hiccup in their plans.
"Okay, I'll go tell Lenny." Castle paused and looked her up and down before adding, "And you're going to need some pants."
...
They walked in silence for twenty minutes, their teeth-chattering the only noise in the peaceful calm of the snow-covered mountain. Every so often, Rick glanced at Kate out of the corner of his eye, trying to judge her mood. At first, she had walked with confidence, with purpose, but as the minutes had worn on, she was clearly becoming more and more frustrated by their situation. He knew this was not how she had wanted to spend her vacation, but it really had seemed like a good idea at the time.
Rick had always wanted to go on tour just like his favourite rock stars - in a big bus with all the amenities befitting a platinum-record rock star. And he had been quite pleased with the idea when he first thought of it. Maybe his first mistake was surprising Kate with the idea after she had already made her way to Seattle to meet him. He had arranged for everything and when they went to the airport, her thinking they were heading down to LA, him knowing they were flying to Boise, he sprung their new plans on her.
"A tour bus?"
"Yeah! A real rock-star style tour bus! It's gonna be so awesome!"
"Rick-"
Kate had not been too keen on the idea at first. She was only able to get eight days off from the precinct and had gotten the idea that meeting Rick in Seattle and then flying down to Los Angeles would be a great way to spend those days. He, as always, had other ideas.
"Shhh. Kate, don't worry. I have it all under control. Wait till you meet Lenny. You're gonna love him!"
"Lenny?"
"He's the bus driver. Drove for The Doors back in the day. This is going to be so cool!"
Kate relented. How could she not? Rick always managed to pull her into his wacky schemes with his sparkling eyes and his charming grin. Really she should be mad at herself for allowing him to pull her into this mess, but it made her feel a little better to be mad at him instead.
So, they flew, not to LA, but to Boise, Idaho, where Lenny had the bus ready and waiting for them. He seemed like a nice enough guy, Kate had thought, but this was not what she had signed up for.
Now, more than ever, Kate regretted giving in to Rick. Again.
Kate turned briefly and looked back at the broken down tour bus, now far down the mountain road. It glowed in the moonlight, like a beacon in the night, reminding her of how warm and relaxed she had been just twenty minutes ago.
After a quick glare at Rick out of the corner of her eye, she resumed trudging along the side of the snowy highway. Kate shivered for the hundredth time wishing she'd brought a warmer coat and hoping the nearest town wasn't too far away. Her eyes rested on Lenny up ahead and she followed his trail of footprints in the snow, picking up her pace in hopes to warm herself up.
Lenny had managed to distance himself from the couple, realizing the bitterness in the air wasn't just from the wind whipping through the trees. When Castle told Kate the bus had broken down, Lenny could hear the argument from outside, where he stood staring at the smoking engine. In all his years of driving tour busses for rock stars, he had heard some pretty knock-down-drag-out fights, but this one was different. Lenny decided at that moment that he never wanted to get arrested by Detective Kate Beckett. She was a force.
Up ahead, Castle watched Lenny crest the hill they had been climbing, only to see him turn quickly, a look of relief highlighted in the moonlight.
"Mr. Castle? Ms. Beckett? The town is just up ahead."
Rick and Kate looked at each other briefly before taking off at a bit of a run to see what Lenny had found. Reaching the top of the hill, they too breathed a sigh of relief at the small town that lay stretched ahead of them.
"Thank God," they both exclaimed together at the sight. Catching each other's surprised looks out of the corners of their eyes, they both laughed lightly, the tension breaking slightly between them. Castle reached down and grabbed Kate's gloved hand and they walked together into the town, thankful that their journey was almost over, the hint of hot coffee filling them before they even knew if any would be available.
The sleepy town of Stanley, Idaho, population five hundred, lay before them, awash in golden light from antique lamp posts. It was clear as they drew nearer that the majority of the shops along the main street were closed for the night, but the sound of music was floating through the air, suggesting that at least one establishment was still open.
...
Pushing open the heavy wood door, Castle walked into The Kasino Club, and then held it while Kate and Lenny walked in behind him.
"I'm just going to sit at the bar, see if I can talk to some locals about getting the bus fixed," Lenny suggested as he passed by. Quietly so Kate couldn't hear, he added, "Maybe you and the missus should find a booth and..."
Castle held up a hand and smiled, "That's okay Lenny, I think I know what I need to do. Let me know if you find anything out about the bus." Lenny winked at him and wandered away, while Castle joined Kate at the hostess desk where she was waiting for the waitress to seat them.
"Well, this is quaint, isn't it?" Castle asked as he slid his arm around her waist, like he had done a thousand times before.
She leaned back into him, confirming his hope that now that she was warm again, the argument from earlier was forgotten. If there was one thing he could count on with Kate, it was that she rarely held a grudge. Once she said her peace, she was usually able to let things go pretty quickly. Usually.
After they were seated and had given their orders to the waitress, Castle sat back and admired the interior of the local hot spot. He smiled lightly at how in each city he visited he managed to find the best watering hole the town had to offer. Or, in this case, the only watering hole.
Big or small, they all had the same key elements: bar, dart board, and some model of television on which to watch the big game. But they all had their local flair too, and it was these home grown additions that made each such a joy for Castle to visit. If nothing else, they were prime fodder for scenes in his upcoming novels.
The Kasino Club, in Stanley, Idaho, was definitely not shy about displaying it's local charms. Pennants from all the local high schools and colleges in the area adorned the walls along with pictures of the local beer-league softball teams the bar had sponsored over the years. Several posters of pro athletes hung in a row above the door with a sign promoting them as 'Home Grown Heroes'. As he scanned the photos, Castle found it to be quite an impressive list for such a small town, until he noticed the poster of Picabo Street, world class skier, whom he knew to be from Triumph, not Stanley, well over an hour away. He decided that the term 'home grown' was applied rather loosely in this context.
All along one wall of the large bar area stood a variety of video slot machines, their lights flashing and bells ringing as the locals tried their hands at winning the jackpots. He assumed this string of digital delights were what led to the Kasino Club getting its name.
As Castle's eyes continued to roam around the room, Kate watched him in wonder. She could see that despite the setback of the broken down bus, and even after the long hike through the cold mountain air, he was still completely enjoying everything about where they were. It didn't phase him. Not one bit.
Castle caught her watching him out of the corner of his eye, and without turning, he reached his hand over to take hold of hers, his grin widening ever so slightly from the touch. Kate marvelled at how much he had changed her since they had started working together, and especially now that they were dating.
There was a time not that long ago, that she would have been fuming for days if something like this had happened. But now, the years of dealing with Castle's 'go with the flow' attitude had mellowed her enough to allow her to move past the little challenges in life with more ease. Castle was helping Kate to find the silver linings in life, something her mother used to do for her. But her mother's death had turned Kate into more of a realist, a practical person who didn't give in to fantasy and whimsy. Castle had re-opened that door for her and she was now taking, somewhat tentative, steps through it.
After finishing their meals - the house special stick-to-your-ribs chili - the couple sat silently watching the crowd, which was fairly large for a small town on a Tuesday, with fresh pints of Fat Tire Amber Ale on the table in front of them. Kate watched as Lenny got up from the bar and walked over to their table.
"Mr. Castle, Ms. Beckett, I've found someone who is willing to come out and take a look at the bus."
"That's great Lenny. I knew you'd get us back on the road in no time," Castle beamed at Kate with a slight 'I told you so' smirk.
"Tomorrow." Lenny shifted his weight from side to side knowing this additional detail would not be the most well-received.
"Tomorrow?" Kate looked up with frustration.
"Lenny, can't the guy come out now? Tell him I'll pay him double, triple, whatever it takes," Castle begged.
"Sorry but I already tried that. Really, I think it's better to wait until morning though. The mechanic, he's well..." In that moment, a loud crash at the bar stole their attention and they watched as the aforementioned mechanic rolled onto his back after falling off his bar stool, his laughter filling the room. "Well, sir, he's drunk." Lenny looked back to Rick and Kate, whose jaws hung slightly agape at the sight, and shrugged his shoulders in resignation.
"Okay Lenny. I guess we'll have to wait then. Should we get walking back to the bus, before it gets too late?" Castle looked apologetically at Kate who looked more than a little perturbed.
"Actually Mr. Castle, I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of booking us accommodations here in town."
"Really?" Kate looked up appreciatively. "There's a hotel here? The welcome sign on the way into town said the population is only 500 people. I'm a little surprised they would have need for a hotel."
"Um, there's no hotel, but the bartender, Judy, looks after a hunting cabin for someone on the edge of town. The owner isn't around so Judy said you could stay in."
"That'll be fine Lenny. Thanks for taking care of the details." Kate smiled politely, then turned a more angered look on Castle as she added, "Castle owes you big time."
Castle winced before looking up to Lenny and agreeing with Kate. "I do, Lenny, I owe you. Are you about ready to head over?"
"Actually, I think I'll stay here awhile. They're about to break out the karaoke machine and I fancy impressing these folk with a little crooning of my own. But the bartender drew out this map for you. Seems pretty straightforward. And there's a spare room above the bar that I'm going to stay in for the night. So you two can have a little...alone time." Lenny smiled and winked at Castle.
...
Castle opened the door to the cabin and tentatively edged his way in. He fumbled around in the dark for a few moments before walking into a low table, upon which conveniently sat a lamp. Turning the switch, he looked up and smiled at their good fortune.
Kate walked into the now lit cabin and felt her jaw drop as she took in their surroundings. Never in a million years would she have expected the room that lay before them. From the outside, the cabin had looked like a typical log house, though in the dark it had been hard to judge the size of the building. But on the inside, the spacious open concept floorplan appeared almost grand in scale. The cabin was decorated in all the stereotypical woodsy cabin decor, complete with a moose head mounted above the fireplace, but it was done so tastefully, and clearly with no expense spared, that Kate just couldn't believe her eyes. It was like a spread from one of her dad's issues of Cabin Life Magazine.
As Castle slowly stretched up from turning on the light, he looked over at Kate and found her facial expression matched his surprise. "Who did Lenny say owned this cabin?" he asked hesitantly. Kate just shook her head in response, words not forthcoming.
As they moved into the room, each taking in various elements of the space, they searched for clues as to who might be the owner. It was in their natures to be inquisitive and to need to solve any mystery they encountered. Both of them began to catalog little bits of information they could use to solve the puzzle.
Finally, Kate arrived at the only piece of evidence she needed. Mystery solved. Holy crap! "Castle, look at this."
Castle walked towards her from across the room where he had been examining the numerous volumes in the bookcase. "Hey Kate, look," he held up one well worn hardcover novel, a look of excitement on his face. "It's Storm's Last Stand!" He flipped open the front cover and his jaw lost all tension. "Oh my god. Kate..."
Rick looked up to find that again, Kate's expression matched his. They slowly walked forward and exchanged the objects they each had discovered. Rick stared down at the image of the happy couple smiling back at him from an enormously large yacht, a sea of icebergs in the background, while Kate read the inscription in the book.
"To clear Alaskan skies on your road to the White House. Rick Castle"
"Beckett, this is-"
"It can't be-"
"But...the book, the picture. It's-"
"Sarah Palin's cabin?"
Rick nodded his head in shock. "Sarah Palin's cabin."
"But, how? I mean, why would...?" Beckett shook her head to clear the fog that was clouding her mind from putting all the pieces together. The evidence was clear, but why did Sarah Palin have a cabin in Stanley, Idaho, and how the hell did she and Rick end up there?
"Well, she did go to university in northern Idaho. I guess she really liked the area?" Rick shrugged his shoulders. Kate nodded noncommittally, accepting Rick's suggestion as at least a plausible reason.
Catching Rick's eye after surveying the cabin again, Kate suddenly broke out into a full belly laugh at the sheer ridiculousness that their evening had devolved into. Her laughter was contagious and soon the couple had to hold each other up from the gasps for air and the stitches in their sides.
"Rick! We're in Sarah-freakin-Palin's cabin! How the hell did this even happen?"
"I know, right?" The two continued to chuckle but managed to bring themselves to some measurable level of composure.
They finally collapsed onto the couch and stared out into the room. Every so often they would catch each other's eye and erupt into laughter all over again.
Eventually, Kate's mind returned to the book still in her hands and she read the inscription again. "Castle, when did you meet Sarah Palin?"
"Um, I guess it was shortly after she was announced as McCain's running mate. I was on a book tour and after the event was over one night, I was approached by a couple of Secret Service agents. I was packing up some of the promotional materials on the table, getting ready to leave when they announced that Governor Palin would be arriving shortly to see me. I thought they were kidding, but you know those guys, they never crack a smile."
Rick looked at Kate who was listening intently, no sign of the giddiness that had plagued them just a few minutes before.
"And she came in? She just walked into the book store?"
"Yeah. After about 15 minutes, preceded by her entourage, she finally showed up. I couldn't believe it. I was almost at a loss for words."
"You? At a loss for words? I don't believe it."
"I know, it was weird. I've met a lot of famous people in my day, but she was just so commanding. She walked in like she owned that bookstore, and aside from my mother, I had never really seen someone who carried so much power. Even Sophia Turner didn't have that kind of strength. It was..." Rick's voice trailed off as he glanced again at the picture he still held.
"It was what?" Kate asked.
"Well, I guess it was inspiring. Meeting Sarah Palin, despite all her weaknesses and inconsistencies, showed me what to look for."
Kate looked up confused. "What to look for? What do you mean?"
"It's hard to explain. Maybe we should just drop it."
"Hey, Rick, you can tell me. You know you can tell me anything. What do you mean?"
Castle took a deep breath and looked into Kate's eyes, resolved to share his thoughts before his better judgement took over.
"I just mean, she was so powerful. Her strength was intoxicating."
"Rick, do you have a crush on Sarah Palin? Seriously? Sarah Palin?" Beckett's eyes lit up like she had just found the prize inside the Cracker Jack box.
"No!" Castle almost jumped back from her. "No, it's not that at all. But I guess what it did was show me what kind of woman I needed - a woman with a strength that was all her own, a woman that commanded the room, a woman that wouldn't be affected by any attention I might receive or that didn't need my status to show her my value. She made me realize that I needed to start looking for you."
Kate's jaw lowered slightly as Castle's admission sunk in. She looked deeply into his eyes and before he could react, she lunged towards him and tackled him onto his back. Within a matter of minutes their clothes were flying in every direction and their hearts raced with passion.
...
"I'm going to call that move 'The Stanley' in honour of our time here." Castle boasted jovially as the pair lay in the massive bed, their legs still haphazardly intertwined.
"'The Stanley'? Really?" Kate arched an eyebrow at him, still warm from their night of almost frantic lovemaking. Castle had decided that if they were going to be 'stuck in Sarah Palin's cabin all night' as he had put it, that they might as well get their money's worth.
When Kate had reminded him that they didn't have to pay for their night in the famous politician's cabin, Castle had just thrown her over his shoulder and moved on to the next room.
"Well, I couldn't exactly call it 'The Sarah Palin'. That would be weird."
"And calling it 'The Stanley' isn't weird?"
"No, it's perfect. Every time you want me to satisfy you like that in the future, you can just say 'Stanley' and I'll know just what to do. And every time, it will be just as epic as that was."
"Epic? Really? A bit presumptive about my appreciation aren't you?"
"Kate," he looked at her sternly. "You forget I was here last night. You forget that I was a part of making you scream like that. You forget that I made that happen twice, scratch that, three times - wait, how many rooms are there in this cabin? I lost track after four. Anyways, I can make it happen again."
"And how do you know I wasn't faking?" She tried to gain the upper hand, knowing that he was totally right on all counts. It had been a spectacular night.
"Because of this..." Castle ran his fingers lightly up the inside of her thigh, tickling her leg and forcing her mind to remember the events of the previous evening. He continued until Kate's body reacted outside of her control. Her back arched, pushing her body towards him, she felt the heat building and her skin tingled as her legs spread just enough to allow him to gain entry if he just tried. His fingers circled their target until she was moaning from the sensation. He knew all the right places to touch her and applied just the right pressure to make her open farther in anticipation of him.
Abruptly, he pulled his hand back and watched as her eyes flew open to stare at him, the loss of his touch evident in her pout. His eyes twinkled back at her as he huskily added, "...that's how I know."
Unable to control herself any longer, she sprang towards him as she had the night before and pushed him back onto the pillows. Her long, supple legs quickly straddled him and pinned him in place. He laughed as she stared down at him, longing and passion filling her gaze.
"Yes, Detective Beckett? Is there something I can do for you?" he asked playfully, all smiles at being able to build her desire so quickly.
"Just one thing," she replied seductively. When he raised his eyebrows but didn't speak, she leaned down to his ear and growled more than whispered, "Stanley."
Castle laughed delightedly as he wrapped his arms tightly around her to pull her into a deep passion-filled kiss. Just as quickly, he flipped them over and pressed Kate's hands above her into the headboard, pinning her down. "Stanley. At your service."