Mystery of the Silent Writer
By
Senseiman
A Castle Fanfiction
Summary, Looking back on it later, Kate Beckett, Detective, realized that the most curious thing about it was how long it took her to realize there was a mystery at all.
Disclaimer: Most of the characters belong to ABC, but KitKat and Rikki-O are mine, I hope you like them.
Prelude-Right now
Looking back on it later, Kate Beckett, Detective, realized that the most curious thing about the incident was how long it took her to realize there was a mystery at all. For her this was really unusual, usually she was acutely aware of what was going on around her. Back in the city, when she was Detective Beckett, NYPD, and she was walking down a hallway searching for a suspect she was conscious of every sound and smell. The odor of last night's take out, the settling of the building, the excited breathing of her "Shadow'/Partner behind her. However, right now in the car heading down the beach road she wasn't Detective Beckett, NYPD, she was Kate Beckett, girlfriend, lover, mistress [and hopefully one day so much more] of Mystery Writer, Richard Castle.
She was so absorbed in the unbelievable events of the last day and a half that it took almost 10 minutes to realize what was going on; and what was going on was the total lack of sound coming from the adored object sitting next to her in the car. Over the last three years he had given her many things: annoyance [yes], humor [yes], trust [yes], love [yes], support [yes], and since last night a soul satisfying consummated relationship (Oh God! Rick) [yes]. But silence [no]! But that was exactly what he was giving her now, complete, total, deafening Silence. Why? What could have happened to still that eternal fount of words? She turned her eyes from the road to look at him briefly. There he sat staring out the passenger window at the coastline sailing by, a quizzical expression on his face. What was wrong? She had been so caught up in the joy of this whole new world, that Kate could not even recall when he had stopped talking. What had happened what had she done? Where did this silence come from?
Chapter 1: This year
As she drove, Kate's mind went back over this whole crazy year. When had it happened when did the feelings she had for him change from amused tolerance to what it was now, complete and total LOVE?
She knew it had begun just before Memorial Day the year before when a chance remark from one of her team, made her realize that Castle might be leaving her life forever. It didn't take her long to realize that THAT COULD NOT HAPPEN. So she had quickly broken things off with Tom Demming and planned on the best way to tell Richard Castle she had deep feelings for him, feelings she wanted to explore, encourage, nourish. And then it happened, even as she was beginning to open up her heart to him, SHE had walked up. The blonde publisher ex-wife. She barely heard his explanation that he was taking Gina to the Hamptons, that they were going to give it another shot, that he would see her in the fall. She wasn't sure who had said "Oh have a good summer" She was told later that it was her, but all she remembered was the sound of her heart shattering into thousands of irreparable pieces.
It had taken many weeks and five GNOs with Lainie before she realized that it wasn't his fault that her life had shattered. He didn't know she had left Demming; that she wanted to be with him. He thought she was taken, and had decided to move on.
Then in the Fall, she had found him again; standing over a dead body, gun in hand. In the course of that investigation she learned he had been back for weeks and had not called her. Her heart gave a lurch again. But slowly he had begun to worm his way back in. She was never sure when exactly she began to love him again. Was it during the Case of Murdered Psychic, when she had overheard him tell the boys that Vivian Merchant had predicted that a beautiful woman would move into his loft and stay with him forever. Or was it when the psychic's daughter Penny told her dream about an Alexander who would become extremely important to her. Who knew that Richard Edgar Castle was simply the alter ego of Richard ALEXANDER Rodgers?
She knew that something important had happened during the Case of the Corpse in the Casket [Holy Cow who was she Perry Mason?] As they read the love letters of their prime suspects he had turned to her and read [no he wasn't reading at the time] said "I love you. For one delirious second she almost said, "I love you too". Then they had turned back to the case. When Esposito had told him that he would not help Castle break out of prison if they were arrested, she had joked that she would get him out. Joked [yeah] but she knew that if it came to it she really would.
Although she couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when the felling of love returned, she knew for a fact the moment she realized she was "In love" with him. They had staked out [against orders of course] the warehouse where Ryan and Esposito were being held captive. They had looked down the alley, seen the lone gunman on the steps, and had tried to come up with a plan. When none of the smart ideas resulted in anything other than the vision of a quartet of caskets, she had asked him for a dumb one. And of course he had one, which was why three minutes later she had found herself, giggling, and staggering down the alley wrapped in his arms [God, it had felt so right] until she realized that the goon wasn't buying it. She had reached for her gun, but he had pushed her hand away and did the one thing he could think of, he had kissed her. It had been so startling that for a moment she couldn't react. When they had broken apart she knew [she was in love]. At that instant everything was forgotten, she was in an alley with the man she loved, the man who had just kissed her, and she did the only thing she could, she kissed him back. This kiss was much more passionate than the first one, she had completely forgotten everything; if the goon had not smiled and shook his head they would probably still be making out in that alley. But he had, and suddenly she had remembered why they were there, and they had taken him down, saved Ryan and Esposito, and even captured the assassin Lockwood. These were all great things, but the greatest was that from then on she was "in love" with Castle. Of course [since this was real life, and not a movie] it wasn't that simple. For one thing there was Josh, and also a small problem with a bomb. However those things sorted themselves out, as did the rest of the cases they worked on this year. Everything had gone along as usual until yesterday.
Chapter 2: Yesterday Part 1
She didn't know if it was irony or serendipity that had caused it, but yesterday turned out to be the same day that her heart had shattered last year. It was the Friday before Memorial Day.
The morning had started the way mornings at the 12th usually started, she had arrived around 8:00, and HE had arrived a 9:00, two cups of coffee and bear claw in hand.
They had sat together in their usual [relative] silence, that is she was silently doing paperwork; he was playing with his iPhone; occasionally letting out a chuckle as another alien bit the dust. As she worked, she imagined various scenarios that would get her what she wanted, and what she wanted was a second chance at a weekend with him in the Hamptons; the weekend they would have had last year if she had only spoken up sooner. Everything she had thought of, however, had seemed really silly or pitiful. She glanced over at him, and saw that he stopped playing games, and was texting furiously, probably telling Alexis what time he would be home to pick her up. Kate knew this trip to the Hamptons was an annual Castle thing. The thought of Rick's [yes in her mind he was now Rick, not Castle] beautiful red hired daughter gave her an idea.
"So. I guess you and Alexis and Martha are excited about the Hamptons, this weekend?" she had said.
"No", he had replied sadly, "they can't go".
"Why not"?
Rick had cleared his throat, "Ashley's parents invited Alexis to go with them on their family camping, trip, and Mother is finishing up the last details, before she opens the 'Martha Rodgers School of Dramatic Arts', so she is staying in town" he had said sighing, "and I guess so am I".
For one minute the thought of a holiday weekend with him the city crossed her mind, but [no!] she wanted the Hamptons.
"So what about Josh, any plans with him this weekend"? he had asked.
For a minute she was startled, why was he bringing up Dr. Motor-Cycle Boy? Then a voice in the back of her head screamed, "YOU FORGOT TO TELL HIM!"
It was last year all over again, for the second time she had broken up with someone to be with Castle, and she had forgotten to tell him. She quickly looked around the bull pen half expecting to see Gina or Meredith, or the actress playing Nikki Heat come walking out of the elevator overnight bag in hand. Thank God no one was coming.
"Oh", she said, "Did I forget to tell you? Josh and I broke up weeks ago".
"You did", he sounded sincerely sorry, "are you okay?"
"Yes", she said, 'remember when were in quarantine and I told I wanted someone who would be there for me, and who I could be there for?"
"Yes".
" I realized that, I had found him and it wasn't Josh".
" Really who is it"? He asked in frightened voice.
She hadn't answered him; she just gave one long look and a slow sincere smile.
He had blinked a couple of minutes, and had looked away.
"Uh, Beckett".
'Yes, Rick".
The use of his first name seemed to momentarily paralyze his vocal cords. He had swallowed a couple of times, and then without looking at her, he had said. "Would you be interested in going to the Hamptons with …"?
"YES, I'd love to", she had shouted even before he had finished the invitation.
She had taken a quick look around the squad room, half expecting to see everyone behind their desks weapons drawn, the Yes had seemed so loud, but everything looked normal. Then she had turned back to look at him, and she saw it. It was one of his expressions, one that she loved, the look of a 12 year old who has just realized that Santa's put every present he has ever wanted under the tree.
Chapter 3: Yesterday Part 2
The rest of the morning had gone on as usual. Paperwork for her, iPhone for him. It is true that they stopped and smiled at each other every few minutes, and that when their hands brushed reaching for the M'nM's they lingered a few seconds longer, and when he had brushed his knee up against hers she let it stay there, but other than that everything was normal.
It had been a slow week for murder and rapine in the Big Apple, no bodies had dropped in three days, and so it really didn't surprise anyone when the captain announced that they could start their long weekend early.
"Hey, Rick", Kate had said, "this paperwork will be here when I get back on Tuesday. How about we leave now? We could beat the traffic."
"Your wish is my command, Detective."
She had laughed at that, turned off her desk lamp, and let him help her into her jacket.
As they walked to the elevator, she was proud of their calm and poise; no one would ever suspect that they were off for [what she hoped was] a romantic weekend.
It was probably a good thing, therefore, that she didn't hear Ryan's voice behind her.
"Hey Esposito, since when do "Mom" and "Dad" hold hands on their way to the elevator?"
The two detectives looked at each other, in the same instant blurted out, "Lainie", and raced for the morgue.
When Castle and Beckett had reached the police garage, she half expected to see his Jaguar sitting in the space next to her car [how had he swung a spot in the garage, and more to the point how had he snagged the one next to hers?] but in the place of the little red sports car was a black SUV.
"Hey, where's the Jag?" she asked.
"Oh we don't use that one in the Hamptons, this" he said pointing to the SUV, "Is more practical for the beach".
They had gotten into the car and had almost exited the garage when what he said struck her.
"Wait a minute! You said you were staying in town, why would you have your beach car here if…"
She turned around and looked in the back, there was luggage back there. Suddenly it dawned on her, he had been playing with her, he had planned to ask her all along.
"Castle", and the tone in her voice told him to have "apples" ready on the tip of his tongue, "You were planning this all along weren't you?"
"Well…"
"But if you didn't know about Josh and I, what made you think I would go?" she asked looking at him.
Then she saw his face break out in a small sheepish grin, and the veil was lifted.
"Lainie", she shrieked, "I'm going to kill her when we get back".
She heard a tentative little voice beside her, "When we get back? Does that mean we're still going?"
"Of course we're still going", she said, and gave him a blazing smile. "I might as well confess, Castle, I mean Rick, I was going get you to take me to the Hamptons this weekend even if I had to handcuff you and drive you there stuffed in my trunk. Now drive Writer Boy"
"Man", he replied absently.
"Drive".
A few minutes to her apartment to pick up her luggage [already packed and waiting by the door] a quick stop at Remy's for their usual [they had a usual? Oh God, they really were a couple weren't they]to eat on the way, and off they went.
It was right after Kate had finished her burger and shake that KitKat woke up. KitKat was the pony tailed miniskirted teenybopper who lived in Kate's libido. KitKat was cute, sexy, and mischievous, She was the sexually playful part of Kate's mind, and she had not woken up in years. Not for Josh, not for Tom, only once or twice for Will. But here she was in all her giggly, gum chewing glory. "Oh God", Kate thought, "I must really be nuts about him, if KitKat's awake".
In her mind she heard KitKat's say, "Let me see him".
Kate turned and looked at Rick.
"He's so cute", whispered KitKat in her mind, "Oh Katie, he's going to be our best boyfriend ever! Hey Ricky, I'm KitKat and I love you."
For some reason, at that exact moment he turned and looked at her, and by the expression on his face, she had a feeling that KitKat's opposite number in his mind was awake too.
And so they drove on, Rick chattering happily about all the fun they were going to have in the Hamptons, KitKat whispering happily of all the fun they were going to have in the beach house. Almost all of the things, Kate's mischievous alter ego came up with sounded like great fun, true, a few were physically impossible, and one or two life threatening, but as she settled back in her seat, she began to look forward to trying most of them. As the hour and a half drive continued, KitKat had gotten Kate to put her hand on Rick's knee, Ricky-O[this was Rick's KitKat] had gotten Rick, to put his hand on hers, and they had driven on contentedly.
By the time they finally reached the beach house, both KitKat and Ricky-O had taken control.
"Hurry, Ricky", KitKat screamed in Kate's mind, "get us in the house or I'm going to take you right here in the front seat!"
Ricky-O [in Rick's subconscious] must have heard her, because he jerked the SUV to a stop, grabbed the keys out of the ignition, luggage out of the back [Kate helped here] and rushed into the house.
They had barely shut the door and dropped the luggage in the hall, when Kate, with the full and joyous approval of KitKat, grabbed Rick by the lapels of his jacket and kissed him. Over the years there would be literally thousands of kisses between them, some sweet and tender, some wild and reckless, some broken and hurting, but this one was a combination of all of them. At moments it was tender and hesitant, at others it was as if there tongues were dueling in an old Errol Flynn movie. Everything they had felt for one another over the last three years came pouring out into that kiss. Finally that pesky need to breathe asserted itself and their lips broke apart, but their eyes were still locked in the kiss.
For a moment neither of them could speak, then very softly she said, "Richard Alexander Rodgers [not Richard Edgar Castle] "Richard Alexander Rodgers I love you".
"Katherine Beckett I love you too".
In the hours to come there would be the usual confessions of love [when they first knew, how much they loved one another, that it would last forever] but for now there was nothing else to do but kiss again. As they did; Kate felt him do something she had dreamed about, he lifted her up off the floor, and carried her into a bedroom.
Later that night as they lay together in the master bedroom, Kate thought that it was lucky that there had been a guestroom off the entry way or they might have consummated their relationship right there by the front door. As it turned out that was one of the few places in the house where they had not consummated it, that and the bathrooms "Well there's always tomorrow", KitKat giggled in her mind.
Interlude: Right Now [Again]
So far, as Kate recalled all the events that led up to the MOST WONDERFUL NIGHT OF HER LIFE [ really? Yes really! ]she could not find anything that could possibly cause this deafening silence from him. So if the problem didn't stem from last year or yesterday, it must have been something that happened today. But what? What had happened today that had caused Richard Castle to turn into the Sphinx?
Chapter 4: Today
This morning she had woken up happy and excited. Happy because after yesterday, all doubts and fears about them were gone; excited because of the news she had for him. She knew he would be absolutely delighted. As she turned to tell him, she saw that he was still sleeping. Well it could wait.
She found herself staring at him with a smile on her face; he looked so cute. Never in her life had she thought that she would one of those people who stare lovingly at their one and only as they slept, but apparently she was [and she liked it.]
"Hey Katie, let's wake him up", giggled KitKat in her mind, "We could be having so much fun"
Kate had been half tempted to follow her libido's suggestion, but instead she told KitKat "Wait! Let him sleep. We have all the time in the world"; and in that moment she knew it was true. She had found her "one and done". This would last forever; they would never spilt up. They would be a couple until they day they left this life, and if God was kind they would leave it together.
As she snuggled down and turned a little so she could see him better, she thought about last night. She loved this place, their bedroom, their kitchen, their stretch of beach, their hot tub, their beach house [Whoa, hold everything since did his and hers become theirs?]Kate thought about it, but it was KitKat who gave her the answer.
"Somewhere between the second time in the hot tub", her alter ego giggled, "and the first time in here. We're home Katie, we're finally home".
At that thought Kate couldn't hold out any longer, she leaned over and kissed him softly.
"Hey, Castle", she said, "I love you"
"Love you back, Detective", he murmured sleepily; and reached for her.
What followed next made her completely forget about the surprise she had for him.
Afterwards they took a shower [yes, Two people one shower]and made plans for the day.
Rick had suggested they go into town, and Kate had agreed.
They had a wonderful time; buying groceries, window shopping, holding hands, necking in the park [To the great delight of KitKat and Ricky-O]checking out the little art galleries.
At noon they realized they were starving and so they made their way to a little seafood shack Rick knew about. Their lunch was wonderful. The food was superb and the company even better. They sat there looking out to sea and feeding each other bits of their fried seafood.
It was just as Kate had finished giving him a bite of her shrimp and he had sauced up a piece of his fried clam to giver her, that her phone rang. She quickly grabbed the morsel with her teeth, and still chewing answered, "Hello".
"Hey Girlfriend", Lainie said, "how is it going?"
"It's going fine".
"You and Writer-Boy, held hands yet?"
"Yes, and a lot more, and by the way from now lets call him Writer-Man, shall we".
"Does that mean that you and he…?"
"I thought you had a good imagination", Kate had laughed wickedly, "Listen Lainie we're right in the middle of lunch, I'll talk to you later, okay?'
"Wait a minute, girl, you can't leave me hanging like this!"
"Lainie, I am not going to go over specifics on the phone. I'll tell you all about it when I get back. Bye."
She had hung up and resumed her lunch. When they were finished they had walked back to the car, holding hands.
Chapter 5: Right Now, Right Now
And that was all the evidence, and still she could not see why he was being silent.
"Well Beckett", she said to herself, "if evidence does crack the case, maybe interrogation will."
She looked ahead, and she saw a little bait shop off to the right. Pulling into a parking spot, she stopped the car and turned to him.
"Alright, Castle. What is going on?"
"Huh? What do you mean?'
'You haven't said anything all the way home. Are you having second thoughts?', she asked fearfully.
'What!", he said, "no, no of course not. I have never been more certain of anything in my life. We are "one and done" forever. That's the problem"
"Why?"
"When you talked to Lainie, you reminded me that you'll be going back to the city on Monday, and I'll be stuck here". He moaned, "Alexis and Mother are coming down Tuesday, and we'll be here for the summer. I suppose I can get away once in a while, but after last night and today that won't be enough. I want to be with you all the time."
And then it hit her, SHE HADN'T TOLD HIM AGAIN!
"Oh my God, Kate what is wrong with you?", she screamed at herself. "At this rate you'll forget to tell him you're pregnant until after your baby's born [Baby?, maybe, hopefully, Please God, someday] say something!"
"Oh, no Oh Rick, Honey, I'm so sorry. I forgot to tell you something. Last night while you were in the shower, I called Montgomery and asked him to see if he could get me some of my vacation time. And then later, while you building the fire for our s'mores roast, he called back and said it was all set."
"You, Mean…?"
"Yes, baby, I'm all yours for the next two months, that is if you want a roommate?"
"Are you kidding?" Rick cried, giving her a quick kiss, "I couldn't be happier if you gave me a complete set of Firefly action figures".
Kate made a mental note of the last part; after all Christmas was only six months away. She put her hand on the keys, planning on starting the car, when the thought struck her.
"Rick, what about Alexis, how is she going to feel about me moving into your lives?"
"Don't worry, Sweetheart, I bet within 20 minutes of her finding out, she's going to adopt you and start calling you Katie".
With that Kate smiled, started the car and drove home.
And so it was that Kate Beckett, Detective, solved the Mystery of the Silent Writer!
Epilogue: Afterwards
It turned out that Rick was wrong about Alexis, she didn't adopt Kate in 20 minutes and she never called her Katie, it took her 15 minutes and she went straight to Mom.
Thus began a lifetime of summers in the Hamptons, first with the four of them, then when Johanna and Alex Caste were bon, the six of them. As time went on, what with all the honorary aunts, uncles, cousins, not to mention grandkids [Alexis, who became a cop like her step mom, and Ashley had two boys and a girl ] they ended up having to build extra bungalows.
The End
This is my first Fanfiction, please be kind, and REVIEW. Oh and KitKat says Hi!