Title: Secret StarKid
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. I do not own StarKid Productions. I do not own Google or YouTube. I do own a copy of 'Burlesque', thank you Best Buy!
A/N: This is not a crack-fic, but it's right on the edge. It is immensely silly. I make no apologies; the idea came to me and it stuck. I hope you have fun with it!
KB-RC
It was Friday, and for the first time in God knows how long, she was looking forward to leaving the precinct.
It was silly, and she knew it.
If anyone else knew about it, even Lanie, she'd be mortified.
It wasn't going to stop her, though, so she told the Captain only that she'd be out of touch until Sunday afternoon, made up a good cover story (visiting her Dad) for the boys, and waved goodbye. Even Castle bought it, only pausing on his way to his car long enough to shoot her a grin and tell her to have a great weekend.
Oh, she was totally going to.
Because she, Kate Beckett, was doing something completely juvenile; she was flying out to Chicago on Saturday, seeing a show that night, then flying back to New York on Sunday.
$250 for the plane, $150 for the hotel, $25 for the show. Factor in food and incidentals, and she was willingly dropping $500 for a 3-hour engagement.
Worth every penny, in her opinion, to see an original StarKid production.
She'd discovered the group thanks to one of Lanie's many nieces… it wasn't every day you heard a 14-year-old say something as odd as "When I rule the world, I'll plant flowers…".
A brief communion with her search engine brought enlightenment and about 3 hours of non-stop laughter. A group of students from the University of Michigan, known as Team StarKid, had put together a musical parody of the Harry Potter novels called 'A Very Potter Musical'. They also had an original production out called 'Me and My Dick'; she'd been leery about that one, but had found herself laughing just as hard when she got around to watching it.
The group became her guilty pleasure, and she was thrilled with 'A Very Potter Sequel' hit YouTube. Not long after, the rumors had started…
StarKid Productions was going to be putting together another original production, and had moved their base of operations to Chicago.
Buying the ticket had been impulsive, she knew that, but she also decided that it was high time she did something just for her.
And so here she was, boarding a plane by herself on Valentine's Day weekend…and already having the time of her life.
KB-RC
The hotel was a win. Two blocks off of Millennium Park, across the street from Macy's (the second largest department store in the world), and best of all, only a block away from the Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique. It was also pet-friendly, which meant she had been greeted a few times by some charming canines. Since she was traveling without her pet, the hotel staff had provided her with a goldfish for her room. She'd named it Pudge, and thanked it for the excellent weather Chicago was seeing that weekend.
She had a quiet dinner before the show at the Park Grill, enjoying both the sight of the ice-skaters outside and the fine cuisine, and then she was off.
KB-RC
She got there early enough that she was only #87 in the seating order, and was instantly swept up in the atmosphere of the theater lobby. Most of the people there were teenage girls; there were a few boys, some adults who were clearly parents, and a couple of people in their early-to-mid twenties. Even though Kate felt out of place, she couldn't bring herself to care.
One group of girls started singing 'Gotta Get Back To Hogwarts', and it was quickly picked up by the rest of the lobby (minus the bored-looking parents). Even Beckett found herself humming under her breath.
At one point, she saw a flash of red hair in the crowd that reminded her of Alexis. She shook her head when she caught herself scanning the crowd for Castle. Why the Hell would he be in Chicago? Seeing an opening at the merchandise table, she decided a t-shirt might be in order.
KB-RC
Castle did a double-take when he saw her. He'd come to Chicago with Alexis and two of her friends to see this show, Starship. Alexis swore he'd enjoy it, as it promised to be rife with sci-fi references and quick humor.
He fought back his first impulse to catch her attention, instead opting to draw back into the shadows and observe her. This was a side of Kate Beckett he'd never seen; she seemed brighter, happier somehow. He wondered absently if this was a reflection of the girl she'd been before her mother's murder.
He smiled wistfully. While he knew that the tragedy had shaped her into the amazing person she was today, he couldn't help but occasionally wish she'd had a happier, easier life.
"Dad!" Alexis called. "They've called our group!"
He responded to his daughter's summons, but something told him he'd be paying more attention to a certain homicide detective than he would be to the actual show.
KB-RC
Beckett was still humming bits and pieces of song lyrics under her breath on Monday. She'd just walked out of the break room with a cup of coffee (Castle had yet to make an appearance) when she heard someone calling her name.
"Yo Beckett!" Esposito flagged her down. "Delivery for you!"
Frowning, she walked over to where he stood next to a courier holding a medium-sized rectangular box.
"Kate Beckett?" the courier confirmed.
"That's me."
He handed her a clipboard. "Sign at the bottom, please."
She scribbled her name quickly and offered it back to him in exchange for the box. "I was told to tell you to make sure it stayed upright." He shrugged and walked over to the elevator.
Beckett eyed the box suspiciously as she placed it on her desk, examining it from all angles.
"Any idea what it is?" Esposito asked.
"None," she said. "Looks innocuous enough, I guess."
She pulled out her pocket knife and carefully cut through the twine holding the wrapping closed.
It fell away, leaving her looking at a peculiar black vase covered with stars and filled with…flowers.
Someone had sent her flowers.
And not just any flowers. The stems and leaves were made from braided green pipe cleaners. The red flowers, too, were fake, made of creatively twisted…
"I got the financials on Martinez," Ryan said, waving a folder as he walked over briskly. He then saw the arrangement on her desk. "Beckett… why do you have a bouquet of Twizzlers on your desk?"
She couldn't help it; she knew she was grinning like an idiot, but really, how could she not be?
"They're not Twizzlers," she corrected. "They're Red Vines."
Ryan looked baffled. "Is there a difference?"
"A very important one," she said as she opened the small card that came with the bouquet and instantly recognizing the writing.
'Tell me, my supermegafoxyawesomehot Detective… do you want to be a Starship Ranger?'
"Well?" Esposito prompted.
"Red Vines are totally awesome."
KB-RC
A/N #2 - Okay, if you're not groaning from the silly, I really hope it gave you a chuckle. This fic popped into my head after my friend and I (she lives in GA, I'm in MD) -DID- fly to Chicago for a $500 overnight stay to see Starship, Team StarKid's newest original production. Amazing didn't even begin to cover the trip. Between the hotel (we did not manage to acquire Pudge, alas), the Park Grill, the show, the photos with the actors, the Red Vines - Best. Valentine's Day. Ever. And I've been married forever, so don't tell my husband!
Reviews are love!