Senior Prom
When they broke the kiss, Kate leaned her head back on Castle's shoulder, and he whispered next to her ear. "Wear your ring, Kate. I'm taking you to the prom, and I want to claim you."
"Want to pretend it's your class ring?"
He turned his head to look down at her, and seeing her mischievous expression, he grinned. "Yeah. Let's do that."
"I've been wearing it on a chain so I won't lose it. It's way too big for my finger."
"Right. 'Cause I've got that whole, big hands thing going for me," he said suggestively.
"And I like that," she answered, trying hard to look less lascivious than she was making every effort to sound.
"Ooooo, Detective. Are you trying to make me take you home now…before we've had time to enjoy the dance?"
"Just making sure that when you do, you're in the right frame of mind." She shot him a big smile as she stopped and moved away slightly to take the chain from around her neck. That ring shouldn't have to wait another second to be on her finger. After removing it and slipping the chain which still held her mother's ring into Castle's coat pocket, she handed it to Castle to put on her finger. It was a habit they had developed because it made wearing the ring on the chain easier for both of them to accept. It was like a renewal of their intentions each time he put it on her finger again.
Castle unobtrusively slid the ring on her finger and pulled her back into his arms to finish the dance as the mirror ball washed flashes of light around the room and across the dancers. The addition of the ring on her finger brought on another kiss as they danced…this one interrupted by the voice of Principal Duncan.
"Mr. Rodgers," he said sternly. "The adults in the room should not be setting an example for in appropriate behavior. Come with me."
"Busted again?" Kate asked good-humoredly, her mouth near Castle's ear.
"Well, we are two rebels at the high school dance," he answered in a like manner. "Let's go see how much trouble we're in."
They separated and followed the principal to a table at the outer corner of the dance floor.
"Welcome to my carefully chosen table. It offers a clear view of the entire dance area; and I've found over the years that it's the only place in the room where I can hear myself think. He motioned them to sit with him, and they did, Castle pulling out a chair and seating Beckett before sitting down at her left.
"We weren't being that bad an example," Castle insisted with a smirk "Very innocent…no tongue or wandering hands or anything like that."
"Not that I don't appreciate what you've accomplished, but why are you still here?" Mr. Duncan asked with a resigned sigh. In spite of the way he sounded, though, he was wearing a small, amused smile.
"Well, it seems Detective Beckett and I both missed our senior proms, so I invited her to go to this one with me."
"Of course," the older man answered, shaking his head. "Obviously, the two of you work together. Do you behave this way at work?"
"No, we keep it at home most of the time; but the case is solved, it's over, and we're now on our own time," Castle answered. "Paperwork tomorrow."
Kate seemed to find the whole situation entertaining, and she reached to hold Castle's hand where he had it on the table top. He looked over at her, and they smiled at one another; and then a look of understanding crossed the principal's face.
"I don't remember seeing that ring earlier, Detective Beckett."
"I wear it on a chain when I'm working. Our clientele often can't be trusted around this sort of jewelry, and they can become very distracted when it's visible...which hinders progress, especially in close limited spaces like interrogation rooms. And I don't want to lose it if things get out of hand."
"I see. So the two of you are engaged? You live together and work together and you're still this happy to be together after hours."
"Yes," they answered together, and saw another amused smile from across the table.
"Do you do that at work, too?"
They both chuckled and nodded. Then Castle's phone rang.
"I'll be right back," he said to Kate. "It's Mother. I'll take it out in the hallway...easier to hear."
"Okay. Say hello for me."
As he watched Castle walk toward the hallway, Principal Duncan looked at Beckett. "You seem to be a sensible, intelligent, confident woman. How in the world did you end up engaged to the class clown?" he asked curiously.
Kate chortled. "We had a case where someone was committing murders made to look like cases from his books, and he helped us with it. He was a real disappointment at first. I had enjoyed his books for years, and it was hard to believe that the man whose words I had enjoyed over and over could behave like such a…well...jackass."
"Not unlike my impression shortly after he arrived here with the excellent grades and test scores it took to earn that scholarship."
"He had just killed off his Derrick Storm character and had writer's block…until working that case with us. Then he got his friend, the mayor, to clear it for him to shadow me because he had decided he was going to write a book based on a female detective. I was furious, but it only took a few cases for all of us to realize we were working with an absolutely brilliant, and occasionally fun and generous, jackass."
"Seems he affects a lot of people that way. Your opinion has obviously changed. How long did that take?"
"Long enough for me to see him as a devoted single dad. Well, that at least opened the door for him." She stopped and smiled softly. "I have no doubt he earned some of the reputation built around page six, but not all of it. He's a family man at heart. He's a good man, Mr. Duncan. He has an eclectic array of friends and acquaintances, and they all seem to care about him because he shows everybody the same respect...treats them as equals. His daughter is a great kid…a sophomore at Columbia this year. High school valedictorian. He…"
Mr. Duncan looked up, and Beckett turned to see Castle walking toward them.
"Is Martha all right?" Kate asked.
"She's fine," he answered, sitting down and taking her hand. "Her friend, Kristin, has been working at the school with her this week…teaching a master class in set design. Kristin finished the class today, and they're going out on the town. She said not to wait up." He looked back and forth between Kate and Mr. Duncan. "So what went on while I was gone?"
"We discussed how you work your way up from 'jackass' to 'brilliant jackass" to ' You know, he's not so bad..."
"So you do talk about me when I'm not around," Castle grinned, undaunted.
"I discovered how thoroughly you've won over your fiancé, Mr. Castle," the principal answered. "It seems you've turned out well in spite of yourself."
Rick smiled at the sideways compliment and the feeling of approval; and he enjoyed the conversation among the three of them that wandered from subject to subject for a while.
"I need to go and make my presence known for a few minutes, and the two of you need to get back to your senior prom," Mr. Duncan told them as he stood. "Keep it clean, Mr. Rodgers."
"I was the one who told him to shut up and kiss me. It wasn't all his fault, this time," Kate admitted.
"Well, then, Miss Beckett, you keep it clean, too," their elder admonished before walking out among the students in the room.
"Yes, sir," she answered with a grin. She sat with Castle a few minutes before following as he led her to the dance floor. They spent another half an hour dancing, and stealing short kisses once in a while, before they decided to go home. Seeing Mr. Duncan return to his table, they went to speak to him before they left.
"You know," Castle mentioned, "it occurred to me that the friend Mother is with tonight had a daughter here when I was still a daily thorn in your side. Another scholarship student, "Jessica…"
"Your sensible, friend. I remember. I believe she tried to rein you in now and then."
"I don't think I've heard about Jessica," Kate said, as if she were waiting for an answer.
"She wasn't that kind of friend," Castle told her. "Backstage buddies from a young age. We spent a lot of time together when we were children…while our mothers were establishing their stage careers. She tried to keep me out of trouble, but it kept finding me, anyway."
"Sounds familiar," she answered.
Castle smiled and moved his chair close enough to wrap an arm around Kate's shoulders, and she leaned toward him.
"Jessica is part of the reason you have a high school diploma, you know."
"She had something to do with…"
"I was already having an attack of conscience while the situation was still fresh. I knew the other boys who were involved with you would get away with it…just as well as I knew that their parents' friends on the board would blame you. I was younger then…much newer to the school…didn't have as much clout with the board, but I advocated for you anyway. I had intended to, but after Jessica came to talk to me, I needed to. The board was adamant. The heavy hitters on the panel couldn't allow two of their own to have to accept consequences for their actions, but somebody had to be the scapegoat. You had already cost us money for the scholarship, and then you were costing us more to rent the crane and labor to remove the…bovine; so you were elected. There were a few more members who knew the other boys had been equally guilty, if not more; and they seemed to grow consciences at the last minute…voted for my suggestion." Looking thoughtful, and seeming to hesitate for a moment, Mr. Duncan plunged ahead with his question. "As a matter of curiosity, Mr. Castle, was there a reason you felt the need to periodically wreak havoc?"
Looking thoughtful himself, Castle pulled Kate closer, appearing to need her support. "I suppose, considering the number of times I made your job harder, I owe you that. It isn't easy…" He looked to Kate questioningly.
"Just say it, Rick. I might already know, anyway, and it might help another student one day."
He nodded and launched into his brief explanation. "I'd never had a man in my life to show me how to relate to other men. I had to figure it out from watching other people – neighbors, people Mother worked with, customers in restaurants, the few men in the schools I attended...movies, television. It was important to me. When I reached high school, Mother was gaining some success and had to devote time to her career, so I no longer had as much of her attention, either. I was alone a lot…no other family to turn to, so friends were important. Coming here, I was on the outskirts. There was no way I could meet the other boys' standards for money or social status; but I could keep up with them academically, tutor them when they needed help, keep up with them physically, attract girls, make them laugh, go along with their crazy schemes, even invent some improvements on them at times." He paused for a moment, looking at his hand where it rested on the table. Without looking up again, he added quietly, "It made it worth it to them to keep me around. I knew I was pushing the limits; but right then, it was worth it. It gave me a place to belong."
"I suspected as much, and Jessica said something similar."
The admission had clearly taken its toll on Rick, prompting Kate to take his hand in both of hers, offering him her "You never have to worry about that again" look.
The principal observed, "Jessica had similar problems, but she handled them…shall we say more prudently and less conspicuously. She understood and was willing to fight for you. She knew as well as I did that you would be the only one to pay for that stunt."
"I'll have to call her and thank her for standing up for me."
"When you do, let me meet her. I'd like to thank her, too," Kate said quietly and closed her eyes as Castle quickly brushed a kiss against her temple. "Wait...how did you graduate if you were expelled before graduation?" she asked when he moved his lips away.
"After reading me the riot act and threatening me with everything short of death and dismemberment, Mother got a call from the school saying they had decided on suspension for me, that she would have to hire me a tutor until the end of the school year. We would receive a short-term syllabus for each of my classes, and I would be allowed to take exams and graduate with my class if I passed them."
"Which he did," Mr. Duncan elaborated, "With flying colors."
When one of the teachers came to ask the principal a question, Kate turned to face her fiancé and whispered, "After all that, you still thought it was a good idea to be naked under your graduation robe?"
"Shhh! I didn't know most of what he just told us, and I didn't get caught. I wore dress shoes and over the calf socks, but I had the satisfaction of knowing I got away with nothing else under the robe. No need to tell him now."
Kate nodded, smirked, and moved back beside him.
When the teacher left, Mr. Duncan turned back toward the couple sharing his table. "If it makes you feel any better, the cow has become school legend….word of mouth only, though." Looking amused again, the older man offered, "They were banned from any future display, but I believe I still have pictures of the removal process somewhere. If they turn up again, I'll send them to Detective Beckett for you…on the condition that they never see the light of day beyond your home."
Castle laughed. "You trust me not to have them published somewhere in triumph?"
"I think I can now. Don't disappoint me."
"No, sir," he promised. Standing and offering Kate his hand, he stated, "My almost wife and I are going to have one more dance and then go home."
"When is the wedding?"
"Late spring. We still have a lot to do," Kate answered.
"My congratulations…to both of you," Principal Duncan said as he stood and offered Castle his hand.
Rather than taking his hand, Castle reached into the inner pocket of his coat and withdrew a check he had written while he and Kate sat at the table alone for a few minutes. He placed that in the principal's hand. "Use this to replace that heating/cooling system you were complaining about." Seeing that Mr. Duncan looked a little uncomfortable, he quickly assured him, "And no, I didn't think you were hinting for a donation; but this gives you the leeway to take care of it when it's convenient, not when it becomes an emergency and there's no choice. I did some quick research on my phone. I know another guy and texted him for advice, so this should more than cover it. Take whatever is left and put it in a separate fund. When another version of me turns up, pay the board for the scholarship, take care of the other financial damage, and insist on equal treatment for all parties. You can call it the 'Brilliant Jackass Fund.'"
Both Kate and the principal laughed out loud.
"As creative as ever," Mr. Duncan said with a smile. "On behalf of the board, the entire faculty and student body, the parents of our students, and the future...'brilliant jackasses,' I thank you for your generosity."
This time Castle extended his hand to the principal. "It was good to see you again, sir. Thank you for the behind the scenes efforts toward seeing me graduate."
"It was well worth it to see you now." Principal Duncan slipped the check into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and took the younger man's hand. "It's been good to see you, too, Mr. Rodgers. It looks like you've grown into a good man. And if what I've seen tonight is any indication, it looks like the you and Detective Beckett will grow old and content together."
"We're planning on that," Castle answered, slipping his arm around Kate's waist. "I like this song. You ready for that last dance?" he asked her. When she nodded, he turned back to the principal. "Sorry about the bovine reference yesterday. If you want one more chance to kick me out…just for old time's sake…I'm not opposed to letting my hands wander as Kate and I dance."
"I no longer have any desire to kick you out. Thank you...both of you, for everything you've done. Go and dance with your fiancé…and keep it clean…you, too Miss Beckett."
They parted with smiles, and the engaged couple enjoyed one more dance before they waved at Principal Duncan from across the room and walked out into the hallway.
As they left the building, Kate suggested, "I've got your class ring, and it's prom night. Want to make out in the car for a few minutes before we leave?"
"Yeah," he answered, "and tongues will be involved." Pulling her closer to his side, he added, sounding like a teen-aged boy, "My mother won't be home until the wee hours of the morning. We can have my house to ourselves…and there will be wandering hands.
"Promise, Ricky?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.
"Oh, yeah," he answered, sounding like the grown man Kate had no doubt he was.
She hit the remote to unlock the car doors, and he opened her door for her. "Get in the car," he told her as he hurried to his door. "We have some serious kissing to do."