So here's my first fanfic ever, and in English, even though I'm french, so I apologize if there are some mistakes, I'm doing my best.
Also, I never know how to start when I write, so this chapter is not extraordinary and I'll try to do better for the other ones, I promise.
Richard Castle woke up alone in his bed once again that morning. He was waking up alone every morning since 4 long months now. Once his eyes were open, he stared at his ceiling without moving. It was only some minutes later that he noticed the light coming from his cell, telling him that someone was calling him. He reaches for his phone, but before he could catch it, it was too late to answer the call. He saw a moment later that he had a voice mail. His heart skipped a beat, as he unconsciously hoped it was from her.
It's been more than 3 weeks since he last heard about her, but he couldn't blame her for that. He was the one not answering her calls or her texts, no matter how hard she tried. She has been calling him every day at the beginning, and because he was not answering, she started calling, or texting, less frequently. He had also been the one saying that they should make a break, and spend some time apart after she told him "not yet, not like this" when he asked her to marry him, at the swings.
The memory of that day was still fresh in his mind, even 4 months later. He perfectly remembers how long the few minutes waiting for her answer seemed to take forever, and how much she hurt him when she said no. He didn't even let her finish to talk or explain why she was saying no. He just got up of his knee, and before she could add anything else, he told her that he needed some time to think, and just like that he was gone.
Castle got up of his bed, putting that painful memory away from his thoughts, and finally listened to the voice mail. It wasn't from Kate, and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he wasn't her. It was from an unknown number, and it was a man voice that he didn't recognize talking. As this man keeps talking he felt the anxiety grew.
"Castle, you better watch your back... 'cause now that your daughter is back to college, that your mother is wherever she is and that your ex-girlfriend preferred a job in DC to you, you are alone Castle and sooner or later I'll come for you and nobody will be there to help you and you're going to die, alone in your so lovely loft. "
It could have been a bad joke, but he did not consider this idea for a long time. It seemed pretty serious for him. He stayed still for a little while. He listened to the voice mail once again, trying to figure out whose voice it was, but it was useless. He watched around him, and managed to get dressed even though he kept glancing at his apartment and waiting for noises that shouldn't be heard, like he expected someone to just jump out of the shadow. Once he was ready, he just took his phone and his keys, and he hurried out of the loft to catch a cab. He knew it was stupid, because whoever was this person that wanted to kill him, he wouldn't act right now, but he would wait until his guard was off.
As it was still early in the morning, it takes only a few minutes for him to go to the precinct. It was the first time, since 4 months that he was back here. He had gone on a books signing tour in the whole country, and had just came back to New York 3 days earlier.
As soon as he enters the bullpen, Castle avoided glancing towards Beckett's desk, and he went to the break room where he could see Esposito and Ryan talking.
"Hey Castle!" said Ryan, who was the first to notice him.
"Hi guys."
"So how was your tour ?"
"It was fine, but I'm glad I'm back in New York !"
"So, what's wrong?" asked Esposito who was watching him with attention. He didn't hear the enthusiasm that usually characterised his friend's voice and now that he was paying attention, he could easily see how tense Castle seemed to be.
"This." Castle simply answered him, before he took his phone and put the speaker phone on as he played one more time the voice mail he received earlier that day.
"What do you think guys? Could it be some kind of a joke or something like that ?" he asked nervously.
"I don't think so" Esposito said. "He seemed serious and determinate. Do you have any ideas who that could be?"
"No. I mean, I know some people hate me, I received letters that are not nice at all, just because I killed Derek for exemple, so I let you guess how many people might hate me. And I worked with you for five years, I helped you put killers in jail, so I'd say the list is pretty big !"
"Did you notice something different at your place?" asked Ryan
"Nothing... well, actually I didn't really took the time to check on everything guys. I don't think he would have tried this morning, but I didn't want to take any risk so I went here as quickly as possible."
They were silent for a few seconds, when Gates entered the room and startled them all.
"Well, Mr Castle, I'm glad to see you back here."
"And I'm glad I'm here too, Sir. " He smiled, it was always a surprise to him to hear Gates say something nice about him, even though she had been more 'friendly' with him during the last year.
"I have to tell you, detectives and Mr Castle, I heard a part of your conversation... Let's play the voice mail again, before you start doing your jobs." She adds, as she turned to Ryan and Esposito who were watching the scene in silence.
Castle smiled once again. He was glad nobody has mentioned Beckett, because he didn't want to talk about her or them or about anything related to her. He focus on his phone as he started the voice mail again, chasing his thoughts of Beckett. The two detectives and the captain exchanged looks while they were listening, they all were concentrated on what was said and what other things could be heard on the background that could help them.
None of them realise that another person had entered the break room while they were paying attention to the message, until a voice that Castle could easily recognize among any other voice he had ever heard, make him startle.
« What is this? » The anxiety could easily been heard in this voice.
"When..." Castle started, before he stayed quiet, his eyes never leaving her. He eventually speak again, with a little tone of aggressiveness in his voice that he didn't want to use but did not seem to control either. "What are you doing here?"