A/N: I wrote this short little piece on Monday before Lucky Stiff, so it's AU for the nightclub scene. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.
What was going on? Castle was in a bit of a state of shock at the moment, as he ran to the bar of the nightclub to get the drinks Beckett had asked for. As he weaved through the crowd of people, his eyes never left his partner, who was dancing wildly in the center. To be honest, he couldn't tell if she was just undercover or if she was actually having fun. He tugged on his collar. It was uncomfortably warm in here. Or was that just him...
He yanked his gaze away for a moment to talk to the bartender.
The guy appraised him as he mixed drinks, chuckling and shifting his gaze between Castle and Beckett. "That your girl?"
"Sort of," Castle muttered, breathless for no apparent reason. He felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach.
The man shook his head. "Trust me, man, there's no sort of. It's either a yes or no question."
Castle shrugged. "Trust me. There is definitely a sort of."
"Here." The bartender handed him the martini glasses. "Good luck, man!" he called after him.
Castle reached Beckett and handed her the ivory colored drink. "Oh, thanks," she grinned. "I needed this." Either she was a really good actress or she was seriously enjoying herself, he thought for the second time. "Come on." She pulled him by the wrist out to a table so they could talk.
"He hasn't arrived yet, but all of the people here are regulars. They're waiting for him," she told him.
"Great, we're with a bunch of druggies in withdrawal," he muttered. "By the way, where did you get that dress?"
She narrowed her eyes at him exasperatedly. "Focus, Castle. Dangerous drug dealer. Just because we're undercover and I'm not wearing my typical work clothes doesn't mean you can let your guard down."
"Well, you're not wearing anything close to your typical work clothes."
"Did you think I was going to wear a trenchcoat and pants to a nightclub?"
"But seriously, like, did you already have it? Or did you, like, borrow it from Lanie, or-"
"No, it was mine," she teased, her face smug. "Now can you please focus?"
A smirk filtered onto his face. "Maybe you should focus. Because I spy a dangerous drug dealer."
He spun her around. Her gaze landed on the slimeball who'd just made an entrance. People immediately started clamoring up to him, and to the untrained eye it wouldn't look like he was passing them little packets of white powder. But Beckett spotted the bags passing hands immediately.
"I win," he whispered in her ear. She rolled her eyes. "Go get him, Tiger."
"Don't call me Tiger. If you keep that up I'll go back to Kitten," she snapped. She downed the drink and Castle's jaw dropped. Before he could recover—that was vodka, after all—she pulled him back onto the dance floor by the lapels of his jacket, playing the part perfectly. She spoke through her fake grin, "Come on, you're helping. You're here for a reason."
"What?" he exclaimed. Of all the times to include him in a plan. She didn't respond, instead starting to dance, her hand on his shoulder, as if leaning on him for support. "By the way, I'm designated driver, because I haven't had anything to drink. Though your buddies might mistake you for drunk with or without the alcohol, the way you were driving on the way here."
"You suck so much," she informed him, still smiling falsely.
She pushed him away and spun to where Oz was partying it up behind them, still passing drugs to clients and passing it off as dancing. "Hey there," she said smoothly. "Care to dance?"
Castle was swept away in the crowd and didn't hear the rest of the conversation, but the dealer seemed to have agreed with a smug smile. Castle backed into the counter and sat down on a stool. "No luck, huh?" the bartender asked, cleaning a glass.
"Nope, Castle said, sullen. He tried to tell himself his mood was an act, but reality was always the best thing to act on.
"Well, here, you wanna drink?"
He sighed. "Can't. I'm driving, and there is no way I'm leaving my Ferrari here. Besides, she'd murder me if she found out I was DUI."
"I don't know how she'd find out," he said, raising his eyebrows. "Drunk as she seems right now, she won't remember a thing tomorrow, and she can't possibly be that mad."
"Oh, trust me," Castle snorted. "She'll kill me and have impunity."
"Oh yeah? How's that?"
Castle grinned at the man. "She knows all about murder. She's a homicide detective."
The bartender whistled, eyeing her across the room. "That's pretty hot."
Castle leaned back. "Tell me about it. Isn't it?"
"She good at her job?"
"Oh yeah," Castle nodded, now serious. He watched as Beckett pulled Oz over to a sofa, completely into the act. "Extraordinarily."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Review please!
Also, if anyone likes the character of Alexis, I'm shamelessly plugging my other new story, Family Ties, since I have a feeling a LOT less people read fanfiction for her (myself included). I mean, I can see why (Caskett is just so dang AWESOME), but Alexis needs some love too! :)
