Title: The Browncoat Case
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or its characters. Other people do.
Summary: Castle and Beckett must infiltrate a convention in order to solve a murder.
Dedication: Happy Birthday to Heather :D
. . .
12th Precinct
"Really? You've never heard of the Browncoats?"
Kate turned to him, annoyance ever present. "Are they like Redcoats?"
"No…they're so much cooler!"
"Castle, would you like to inform us all what you're talking about?" Kate asked.
Esposito grinned. "He's practically bursting at the seems wanting to tell us what he knows."
They had a case and apparently Castle knew something about why the victim was dressed so oddly. They'd yet to plunge into the victim's life (mainly because they didn't know who the victim was), but she was willing to hear Castle out. Though, she desperately hoped that what he had to say was actually going to be helpful.
"Firefly…Serenity… It was a show and then later a movie was made… It was brilliant. Joss Whedon," Castle said. "That man is a genius."
"Castle…focus," Kate tried to prompt him. He was going off on a tangent now. Typical Castle. "I have yet to hear the word 'Browncoat' and the explanation of what a 'Browncoat' is."
"I'm getting there."
"Get there a little faster…"
"Browncoats are a faction in Firefly and Serenity. They were a faction. They were the Independent Faction that fought against the Alliance. They were the good guys of course, but in this story…the Alliance won. "
"What were they fighting for?" Ryan asked.
"They wanted the right to their own government," Castle said.
Kate frowned. "I don't understand… Is the kid part of some cult?" She honestly was lost. She knew how some movies got out of control, though. The kids would suddenly form a cult and be doing things that they thought were right. Fighting for things that the actors in the movie were fighting for as their character. She didn't see it often, but it did happen.
"No!" Castle said quickly. "Well…I mean, Joss Whedon… The man probably has a religion going somewhere…"
"Castle…"
"There's even a song and everything, that tells you all about the show," Castle said quickly. "It's one of those shows that shouldn't have been cancelled in the first place. You know what I mean?"
"Wow…" Esposito muttered.
"Take my love, take my land, take me where I cannot stand. I don't care, I'm still free. You can't stay the sky from me. Take me out to the black, tell'em I ain't coming back. Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me," Castle sang for them. "Have no place I can be since I found Serenity… You can't take the sky from me…"
"Umm…" Ryan started to mumble and then he and Esposito made a quick exit.
Kate tried to keep from laughing, but his enthusiasm in the song was a bit funny. Plus, there was the fact that there were people just looking at him like he was insane. She took him by the arm and led him over to get coffee. Perhaps he just needed coffee and it would bring him back to reality, or at least she could hope it would.
"Castle," she said gently as she pushed the coffee into his hands. "Maybe you should head home…get some sleep?"
"I like that you all think I'm crazy," he mumbled.
She smiled gently. "You sang a song… You didn't even mention the words 'Browncoat' or 'Firefly'."
"I said Serenity!"
"I have no idea what that means…"
Castle frowned deeply. People really needed a good solid education. He didn't even ask it; for he was afraid that Kate Beckett didn't even know whom the God known as Joss Whedon was. He couldn't bring himself to ask her that. No, it might burn his soul too much to know the sad truth. "Firefly was the name of the show. The meaning of the title, it was the type of the ship they were on. Like on Star Trek, the Enterprise…well it depends on which Enterprise we're talking about… Anyways… It's the class of starship. It's a firefly class."
"Ooookay…"
"The name of the ship is Serenity, which was what the movie was called," Castle tried to explain. "And Browncoats were what they called those who fought against the Alliance in the civil war."
"Okay…"
"You're still thinking this is a cult, aren't you?"
"Yes."
Castle frowned deeply at her.
. . .
New York Comic Con – Day One
"Wow…"
"Castle—"
"Wow…"
Kate frowned at him and thought about threatening using her gun on him. Of course he'd probably be amused as to where she'd hidden the gun…okay, guns…and how she was going to get them out. "Who am I supposed to be again?" She couldn't remember how she'd allowed him to talk her into this. He'd brought her the costume and everything, so how could she possibly say no? Plus, it hadn't helped that Alexis had seemed so excited as well. Kate swore that his daughter used a whole one gig digital card of memory in the camera she'd been using to snap pictures with.
"Inara."
"Right," she said. "Inara." Kate felt frustrated because she really didn't know what that meant. It was just a name. She thought it was a name anyways. Castle had given her a beautiful medium purple dress with metallic stitching through it. It had about an inch width straps, but it dipped pretty low. She'd secured things in place and made sure nothing was going anywhere with fashion tape…which Castle actually had. He'd given her costume jewelry that she assumed he borrowed from either his mother or Alexis. A belt made up of gold metal ovals completed the outfit. She didn't even know where the shoes had come from.
"And I'm Mal…Mal Reynolds, Captain of Serenity."
Castle was decked out in a dark crimson linen shirt and tan pants that come up past his waist and was held in place by brown leather suspenders. He wore boots and a belt that hung diagonally across his waist, which held a holster and a prop gun. To finish it all off, he had a brown leather jacket. He had explained earlier that that was where the term 'Browncoat' had come from. She still didn't understand any of it though.
"And who is Inara?" she asked.
"She goes with Mal and his crew… They do stuff…" he said.
Kate frowned. "Castle, why do I think there's something you're not telling me?"
"Inara is a companion."
"Companion?"
"Yeah…companion."
"Castle…"
He frowned and stopped. They'd infiltrated the convention easily with a flash of Kate's badge. "Inara is a companion. A companion…it's like a prostitute…but better."
"Castle!"
"What? It's better… It sounds dirty, but a companion's different."
"Explain."
"They choose to be companions. They're high society courtesan. They're licensed and have to do rituals and they have to pass health exams and such."
Kate shook her head.
"What? You ask anyone here… Everyone loves Inara."
"Well, yeah… She's the hooker."
"Hey, now… Mal would take offense to that," Castle said, his voice a little frustrated.
She grinned at him. "Oh would he? Would he come to her defense?"
"If he had to," Castle said. "I'm not saying Inara couldn't take care of herself…"
"Pretty sure she can…"
"Well, with what you're probably packing under that dress…I wouldn't be surprised," he said.
Kate caught him staring at her and she shook her head. "Come on, Castle. Lots of geeks to observe." She headed into the crowd, in order to blend in with the others. They were not the only ones dressed up. If she had to guess, she'd say that half of the convention goers were dawning some kind of costume in some degree as well. She didn't recognize most there, but some of them she did. It was kind of fun…
"Lots? Try thousands…"
"That's a lot."
"But…it's more than a lot."
"Castle!"
. . .
Browncoats of New York City Booth
They'd been stopped several times by costumed twenty-somethings with cameras. The first time they'd been stopped, she'd not understood why someone would want to take her picture. It seemed a little creepy. But it seemed to bring a lot of joy to those who got to be in the picture and that were taking the picture. They both received a lot of compliments and had to admit that it really wasn't all that bad. The shoes weren't the most comfortable to walk in while trying to navigate the busy convention building.
"Browncoat booth!" Castle said with excitement.
He'd been marking his convention floor booth map the whole way there. She swore that seventy-five percent of the booths were marked and she had a feeling that she was going to have to get used to the awkward maneuvering. At this convention, they had about four booths that were dedicated to Browncoat fans and from those, they hoped to be able to figure out who the murder victim was and possibly why they were killed.
Kate was amazed at all the items that it seemed the Browncoat booths had to offer. A big seller it seemed and what was most prominent were their t-shirts. Most of the shirts were either a dark brown or a tan color, she was sure that it was to go with the whole 'Browncoat' theme. Some had symbols, but most had phrases on them. She supposed it would only really make sense to those who were into the show and movie. She didn't really understand any of it.
"Are you Nathan Fillion?" one of the girls asked.
"No," Castle replied.
"You look like him."
"I'm Rick Castle, I'm a writer… You may have read one of my books, perhaps?"
"Probably not…unless you write Firefly comics?"
"Uh no. Murder mystery," he said with a slight frown.
Kate smirked at his disappointment. She pulled out her badge and the photo she'd brought along. "Do any of you recognize this person?" she asked.
"He looks kind of familiar…" one said.
"His costume is definitely made by someone who's dedicated. It's not cheap," another said.
"Oh my God! Is he dead?" another practically screeched.
Kate cringed at the tone. "I'm afraid so, we're trying to track down information on who he is and who may have done this."
"You're going to want to talk to Emery and Joel. They handle Browncoat cosplay. They can probably help you out a little better. If all else fails, they can probably tell you if the costume was tailored. There are only a couple of good Browncoat tailors in the area," an older woman spoke up. "I'll circle where they are," she said taking the map from Castle's hands. She quickly circled an area. "You're going to want to leave the main floor and you'll see signs."
"Thank you," Kate said with a smile.
"By the way, it's good to meet you Mr. Castle. I have to say you're more handsome in person. Your picture just doesn't do you justice," the woman said with a bright smile.
Castle grinned. "Well…thank you. Thank you so much."
Kate rolled her eyes and dragged him by the arm in the direction they needed to go. "Enough flirting, Castle," she mumbled.
"I wasn't flirting…I was being friendly."
"Same thing."
Castle frowned. "I didn't even get a t-shirt! I promised Ryan and Esposito I would bring them back something…and the captain! We have to get something for him! And Alexis! I always bring her something back!"
"Didn't you say you wanted me to come back tomorrow?" Kate asked. "Do you happen to know what this 'cosplay' is?" she asked a bit quiet, worried that she'd be the only one in the whole convention center who didn't know what it meant.
"Cosplay is short for costume play."
"Costume play?" she asked with raised eyebrows.
Castle shrugged. "People dress up in costume, like this," he said as she motioned to their attire. "And then they act out the scenes as characters. There are some role playing games that are completely based in cosplay."
"I'm a little worried that you may have some kind of weird costume fetish…"
"Come on, who doesn't love costumes?" he asked, enthusiasm laced his voice.
She shook her head a bit. "Speaking of costumes," she said. "Please tell me I don't have to wear this thing all day tomorrow too…"
"No…no…of course not! I have a different costume for you for tomorrow!" Castle told her.
Kate groaned. "Please tell me that it's not some kind of weird hooker costume that you call something else…"
"It's not…"
"Good."
"I'm still trying to figure out what we should wear for the last day…" Castle mused.
Kate stopped and turned to him. "How about letting me pick?" she suggested with a smile. She thought that later she was going to find out something that she was unaware of with Castle's costuming choices. Of course, if she'd been really smart she would have talked to Alexis before they'd gotten there. She was sure that Alexis, being Castle's daughter, would know all about the characters that they were costumed as and could give her all the information she needed. That was going to be her new plan. Talk to Alexis.
"Come on…you're going to pick something appropriate?"
She gawked at him. "Really? What I would pick would probably be more appropriate than what you picked."
"I highly doubt that," Castle said. "Though…while we're on the subject of appropriate costumes, how do you feel about metal bikinis?"
His question was completely serious. "Wow… You really want me to comment on that?" she asked as she started to walk again.
"It's a serious question!" he insisted. "Does this mean that you're open to the idea?"
Kate stopped again and faced him. "Do I even know what kind of sick messed up cult world you're channeling right now?"
"Star Wars?" he offered timidly.
"What?"
"Star Wars."
"When was there a metal bikini in Star Wars?" Kate asked.
"Princess Leia…when Jabba the Hut had her," Castle told her. "You'd be a princess…"
"…in a metal bikini?"
Castle nodded.
"I'm thinking no…"
"Private show?" he asked after a moment.
Beckett didn't have to even pause for a moment before her arm swiftly came out and smacked him in the stomach. She heard him groan, but kept walking. Kate just smiled as she headed for their destination.
. . .
New York Comic Con – Day Two
"I'm surprised," Kate voiced in amusement. She had to admit that Castle's newest costume choice had left her with less places to put her gun and badge, but she felt like she could move a lot easier. If she needed to run after a suspect, she could definitely handle it.
"What? Why are you surprised?" Castle asked, confusion obvious.
"That you didn't pick to be Kirk," she told him. Castle had decided that they'd be Spock and Uhura from Star Trek. He'd made a big deal about explaining that they were from Star Trek XI and the alternate universe created there. She wasn't sure how that was utterly important, but he felt it was. She was just excited to go to wear her own boots. Boots that were worn in and comfortable. Boots that she could definitely run in if needed.
"I wanted to be Spock…" he said slowly.
All she knew was that she was really going to be pushing to pick out costumes for tomorrow. She'd thought about finding something in their travels through the convention floor, but Kate thought that she may have to yield to Castle and his day three costume choice. Though…she was a little frightened that it may consist of a metal bikini and then…she'd have to kill him. Kate was pretty sure that she might have a good justification for it. Couldn't it be deemed self defense?
"I've already mapped out where we should go today," Castle said.
"I'm starting to think that this is just you playing fanboy instead of actually working the case," she told him.
"This is definitely working the case!" he said. "We're going to go to the Firefly/Serenity cast reunion panel later! It'll be like Browncoat central! You could probably call down the whole precinct and lock down the hall. We'd be interviewing Browncoats the whole week!"
"I'll keep that as a back-up plan," she said, thinking that it might be the only serious way to get the information they needed. They'd been unable to locate the seamstresses that they'd been given the information of. But they had been warned that they were likely on the convention floor and as they'd found out yesterday there's no way to get good cell service and there's definitely no way to hear a call on the convention floor.
. . .
Closet in the Convention Center
Kate had yanked Castle back into an open closet and pulled it closed when she'd spotted some 'Browncoats' on the move. She wanted to make her plan in private and where she hoped that Castle could possibly hear it.
"Umm…"
"What?" she asked.
"This is really hot!"
Kate rolled her eyes and smacked him in the darkness. It wasn't hard. The closet was small and their bodies were touching. She figured that their faces were probably only inches apart.
"Ow!"
Happy with the response that she got, she got back to business. "Did you see the Browncoats?"
"Yeah… They're all heading to that hall I was talking about…"
"Well, what do you think we should do?"
"I told you already."
"Not sure the captain will authorize that."
"Call him and find out if we can at least detain them and get some more people."
Beckett pulled out her phone and dialed the captain. He didn't seem thrilled with the idea. She understood why. There was no way of knowing exactly how many people would be present and the last thing they needed was to cause mass panic or a riot of some sort. Anything was possible. She got off the phone and tucked it skillfully back into her small bag that Castle had allowed her to bring.
"Someone's coming!" Castle whispered urgently.
She'd heard it too and even though she had a badge, she didn't think now was the time to alert any of those gathered at the event that the police was working undercover. That wasn't going to help her at all. The case would never get closed at the rate of texting and tweeting. Kate reached up and pulled Castle's face to hers. She allowed her lips to dance with his. Her arms roamed up under his shirt. She sensed his confusion at first, but then he didn't seem to mind. She really didn't mind. She wished it wasn't just for show…wished they actually had privacy…
The door opened.
Kate continued to kiss Castle and her hands roamed his bare skin, his blue shirt pushed up.
"What are you two doing in here? Aren't you too old to be making out in a closet?"
She pulled from Castle and looked mock surprisingly at the grouchy old man. "Sorry," she mumbled and pulled Castle with her out of the closet. She waited until they were a coffee cart and a bathroom away from the supply closet before turning back to Castle and noticing that he hadn't fixed his shirt. She giggled and then fixed it for him. He seemed dazed and a little embarrassed. It was good for him.
. . .
New York Comic Con – Day Three
The case was solved. Apparently one of the seamstresses had been responsible for the murder. They'd crafted a specific costume set and had it set to sell to someone that wasn't their victim, but he'd stolen it. She'd been slated to receive three hundred dollars for the costume set that she'd made and then put together. Instead, the client that was supposed to purchase it pulled all of their orders and had everyone else that he knew pull all of their orders as well. The seamstress was struggling to make it through college and lived paycheck to paycheck. Her rent was always late and sometimes it wasn't even the full payment. She'd meant to only take the costume back, but their victim had apparently pulled a knife on her.
It was all senseless, but then again what murder wasn't senseless? There was so much that they saw in the world that just made her sad and wondered if the world was really one that was worth living in happily. Nothing seemed to come easy. Everything seemed a struggle.
Not today.
Today was going to be fun.
Since she'd managed to get all of her paperwork done and they didn't have any cases waiting for them, the captain had allowed her and Castle the day off. She needed it. She was sure that Castle had just down right appreciated it. So, she'd given in and decided that they may as well go back for the third day of the con.
Alexis had somehow convinced them that it would be fun if she could come and that they really wouldn't have to dress up. She was allowed to wear normal civilian clothes, which was nice. Alexis just required that they both wear these beanie things that had bright eyes on them, a little nose with whiskers, a crescent moon, and cat ears. Apparently they were both supposed to be cats from Sailor Moon. She had been given the purple hat while Castle wore the white one. She didn't mind though. It was fun and Alexis seemed to be having more fun dressing up.
"Should I be concerned with the length of your hemline?" Castle asked his daughter.
Alexis had decided to go with them as Sailor Venus. She was the white leotard that formed a 'V' before flaring out into an orange short skirt. Her top had an orange collar and a big blue bow in front with an orange heart in it. The bow on the back of the skirt was yellow. She wore a choker that was made of orange ribbon with a yellow star on it. A 'V' shaped tiara was placed against her forehead and a big red bow adorned her hair. Alexis had gone back and forth about using a blonde wig, but had decided against it.
Kate wasn't sure what Castle was more afraid of, Alexis in the very sexy costume, complete with heels or the fact that she was getting attention from all ages. Alexis had already been asked to pose for pictures before they'd even made it to the convention center doors.
"Relax, Castle," Kate told him.
"Did you see that boy!" Castle said as he pointed at someone who had passed by.
"Haven't you noticed how your daughter has blossomed into being a teenager? This can't be new."
"But…"
Kate just smiled and shook her head. "Come on, we're going to enjoy the day remember?"
"Right… I may have to have you shoot some people though…"
Kate tried to keep from giggling, but the laughter escaped from her lips and she shook her head as she laced her arms through his as they walked along behind Alexis.
. . .
The End.