Solid
by LindaInDC
Hi all. This came about after a conversation with a friend on how a conversation with someone from Kate's past could possibly go now that she and Rick are engaged. This is my humble attempt to inject a little "what if" into their awesome love story. Thanks in advance for reading!
As we all know, I don't own these characters, and this is just meant for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!
The sun crept slowly into Kate Beckett's eyes, stirring her not so gently to wakefulness. Normally, she would have been awake for hours, but had a late night with a case, hence the late start today. It was actually a blessing in disguise, as her days had been out of sorts for the last week. Castle was out of town on a quick 4 city book tour, and would be home later this evening. Although she spent most days and nights in the comfort of Castle's loft, Kate ended up at her place, due to the late hour.
Kate's thoughts filled her mind as she began to stretch and bring herself fully awake.
I need to talk to Rick about either selling or subletting this place. I practically live at the loft, and since we're getting married, it makes no sense to keep the place…I don't even know why I haven't thought about it seriously before.
The detective quickly showered, dried her hair and dressed. She held her necklace reverently, letting her finger brush against her mother's ring, before her fingers grasped her engagement ring. Closing her eyes, she let herself go back to that memory. It had been months, but the memory associated with the ring still stole her breath. "I can't imagine my life without you," Rick vowed as he awaited her response. She could still feel her heart flutter as he lovingly slid the ring on her hand, and they sealed the promise with a kiss. What used to seem saccharine to her when seeing others in love, now seemed so very real, so right. She was 100%, head over heels in love with Richard Castle. Slowly, Kate opened her eyes and placed a reverent kiss on the ring, in lieu of being able to kiss her fiancé.
Sliding her necklace over her head, she slid it into place at her heart, and finished buttoning her blouse as she made her way to the kitchen area to make a quick cup of coffee before heading to the precinct. As the aroma of fresh ground coffee filled the space, Kate went back to her room, retrieving her phone, badge and gun. Grabbing the newly brewed cup of inspiration, she strode to the door and took a sip of the drink as she locked up behind her.
The doors to the elevator slid open, and immediately, Kate was thrust into the milling throng of activity known as the twelfth precinct. But this seemed a little too acute…something was up. Her phone paged with a text message, distracting her from the bustle. Looking down, it was from Ryan. "Get in ASAP. Something big's up - we got feds…Gates wants to see you." looking up, she was approaching Ryan's desk, as she responded, "Hey. We know what's happened yet?"
Quicker in response then Ryan, Esposito replied, "Morning, no details, yet. Gates wants to see you now."
Looking up, Kate spotted the Captain in the conference room, with a presumptive group of agents, noted by the tell-tale dark suits and short hair cuts. She maneuvered to the conference room. Gates made eye contact with her best lead detective, and motioned her into the room. She began speaking as soon as Kate had the door opened. "Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to our lead detective and her team." Gesturing to the agents around the table, she began, "Kate Beckett, this is agent Mark Campbell, agent Kevin Morales, and…" Gates was cut off by the man sitting with his back to the detective.
He turned as he spoke, making eye contact directly with Kate. "Special Agent in Charge Will Sorensen."
Kate was shocked at the sudden blast from the past, but employed every poker face trick in her arsenal not to show any emotion. To allow Gates the information she thought only fair, Kate referred to her Captain, "Sir, Agent Sorensen and I know each other…from a long time ago."
Gates noted Beckett's reply, and continued, "Very well. That may help this little exercise go off more smoothly. Kate and her team just wrapped their last active case last evening and will be available for the next few days to assist with this process."
The Captain and Sorensen then filled in Kate on the purpose of the visit - the establishment of a liaison procedure that would represent the federal interests in certain cases, such as high profile murders, kidnapping, and such. Both groups acknowledged the lack of a smooth relationship between the two organizations, and in order to make a more streamlined approach, the feds were looking to establish a more mature, standardized method of approach, rather than walking in and taking over every single time. The Twelfth was selected as a pilot precinct.
Suspecting that Will had a hand in the precinct selection, she also assumed that if Gates hadn't offered her up on a platter, Will would have insisted. They didn't have great closure the last time they were together. Will was recovering from being shot while caught in a crossfire between a mobster witness he was protecting and the killers contracted to kill him to ensure his silence. She recalled stopping by Will's hospital room, only to learn he had been discharged, and after a brief call, she learned that he was being assigned to Baltimore, Maryland.
Gates' voice brought Beckett out of her thoughts. "OK, then, I'll leave you to it. Beckett, please have Detectives Esposito and Ryan work with Agents Campbell and Morales, while you work with Agent Sorensen." At that, Gates rose and after shaking hands with the agents, left them room.
Kate jumped at the chance to get out of the room, even if for a moment. She rose and directed the two agents to her team. She left the team organizing a workspace, as she returned to the conference room. Will was waiting for her, a sly smile on his lips. Kate picked up on the look, "You arranged this, didn't you?"
Will grinned slightly, then motioned for her to sit, before answering. Kate slid into the chair next to the man, as he replied, "Well, I know the talent at the twelfth, and I knew that I could see some familiar faces while re-visiting the city, as well."
Kate furrowed her brow. There was much to say, she was just working on the best approach that didn't include shouting out "I'm off the market…step off now!"
Will's eyes burrowed into hers, his voice smooth and relaxed, "You look good, Kate."
Kate couldn't do this. This man broke her heart…twice. Even if she weren't with Castle, he didn't deserve another thought, let alone another chance at her heart. "Will," She breathed out, before he continued.
"I wanted to see you, I've been thinking about you a lot. I hoped that we could catch up and see if there was anything still there for us," He succinctly made his case.
"Wow, Will, that's gotta be a new record. No build up, first?" Kate asked, slightly amused.
Will turned and faced her more fully, "What? If I came bearing a bag of donuts with sprinkles, would it help? I'm older, more prone to look at filling some gaps in my life, making some course corrections. I want more from my life, so I don't see the benefit of playing games. So what do you say?"
Kate's thoughts caught up with her at that moment, "Will, I'm with someone now. I'm engaged, now, as a matter of fact."
Will glanced quickly to her fingers of her left hand. Kate intervened, pulling her necklace out to show him. "I don't wear it at work," she explained. Will leaned in, observing how the light glinted off the flawless stones, as she spoke.
"I'm..I'm speechless...do I know him? I didn't think you were the marrying type." Will enquired, his curiosity piqued as to who would have been so fortunate as to win Kate's heart.
Kate's face brightened with love and joy, she couldn't contain it...she practically glowed when she spoke of the love she shared with her favorite author and her fiancé.
Kate's smiled got impossibly larger as she responded, "I think that I was holding out for the right guy for me, my one and done. As a matter of fact, yes, you do. You used to give him a lot of grief."
Will covered his mouth in astonishment as he spoke, "You're marrying the Writer Monkey? Really?"
Kate could feel herself getting agitated in defense of her partner. "Although I don't care for the nickname, yes, I'm marrying Castle. I...um...I fought it for so long, keeping him at arms length. But then, I realized that by doing that, I was keeping us both from being happy. He was ready, and finally so was I, so we took that step."
Will couldn't help but be happy for his former girlfriend. She was happy, and that was something he never saw in her before, even when they were together. He spoke, "Kate, of course, I'm disappointed you're taken, but frankly, I am happy for you. Love looks good on you. Castle is one lucky guy."
Kate shook her head as she replied, "No, we're both lucky. I really love him, Will. As he told me, I can't imagine my life without him."
Will knew picking up where they left off would never happen. Cutting his losses at a romantic relationship, he tried to make lemons out of lemonade. "Although I can't have you back as a girlfriend, I would love to catch up as friends, if that's possible."
Kate smiled, and responded, "I'd like that. Let's jump in and get started, and then we can catch up over lunch."
Will smiled genuinely, "I'd like that. So, let's begin with the procedures."
The pair began to dive effectively into the work to be completed. Neither saw the pair of blue eyes observing them from Kate's desk, coffee in hand.
Rick saw Kate with Will Sorensen. Although he had complete faith in his fiancée, there was still a pang of emotion at seeing her so comfortably talking with a prominent romantic figure from her past. They were not doing anything inappropriate, but seeing the absolute glowing look of love on her face, he was frozen in place. Was there some unresolved feelings between them? His head began to spin, confusion beginning to rear up, much to his dismay. He could storm in and engage the man, but that would probably get him tossed from the precinct. No, he trusted Kate, and if he did that, it might make her think that he didn't. Sitting the cup of coffee down on Kate's desk, he turned and made his way silently to the elevator. He'd talk to her at home. There had to be a rational reason, and his mind was going to twist out many theories before she got home.
Will and Kate worked very well together, as expected from their work history together. At noon, they stopped and agreed to head over to Remy's for a quick lunch. While they ate, they brought each other up to speed, for the most part, on the happenings of their respective lives. For Kate, it was a surprising yet refreshing take on Will Sorensen. But nothing that was said up till then prepared her for the next words Will spoke. "I have to confess something, when we last saw each other at the kidnapping case, I assumed you and Castle were together. You looked at him in such a way, I knew you had to be dating. Imagined how surprised when I learned you weren't. I think you were fighting it a lot longer than you think you were. I'm just glad you are happy. I want to find someone that brings me just a fraction of the happiness I see in your face when you talk about him."
Kate's face lit up again, just thinking about Rick made her heart light. She was in love, and she didn't have to hide it anymore. It was so freeing, and she would never feel like this for anyone else.
Seeing her face, Will knew she was thinking about Rick, and said, "C'mon Beckett. Let's get back to work so you can see your fella."
Kate smiled at the use of the word "fella". "Thanks, Will."
Returning to the precinct, Kate's heart sped up when she saw the coffee cup on her desk, now cold from the passage of time. Rick was home early, and he was here. Why didn't he wait for me or at least call? She mused internally. Her gut gave her an odd feeling, something was not right. She needed to see him.
Motioning for Will to go ahead and she'd meet up with him in a minute, Kate made a call to her fiancé, hoping to get a chance to talk to him. The call rang until it went to voicemail. Her gut didn't like this info, either. Rick was just as dedicated to his phone as she was to hers. He never usually turned it off or ignored it, unless they were working or being intimate. At the tone, she began to speak, "Hey, babe. I saw you had stopped by, I just wished I could have seen you. I've missed you. I'll be home a little early tonight, oh, remind me that I have something to talk about with you...I love you."
Sighing as she hung up, she knew that she could do no more until she got home. Squaring her thoughts away, she returned to the work at hand.
4:30 pm rolled around and found Kate letting herself into the loft. The day had been quiet, and she relished the chance to spend time with her future husband. The loft was quiet, for the most part, but she could see the lights on in the office. She padded quietly to the doorway, hoping Rick would be there.
Rick was wearing headphones, intently focused on writing, as he was typing furiously at his laptop. His brow was furrowed in concentration, making that cute set of dimples form on either side of his lips, that indicated that he was really pulled into the story. He looked adorable. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the doorframe and watched him work. At one point in their relationship, she would be denying looking at this man with such a smitten look in his face, but no longer. Once they declared their love, and he proposed, they were no longer a pair. They were a single, cohesive unit. She no longer thought about only herself, but rather now thought about how things impacted both of them.
"Kate. You're here." Rick's statement jarred her from her thoughts. She continued to stare at him with devotion, as she answered. "You didn't get my message?"
"Sorry, No, I got in and jumped on the next book, there were so many thoughts in my head, I had to get them out."
Walking over to the desk, Kate leaned against the surface next to Rick, before she spoke. "You came to the precinct - why didn't you find me? You won't believe who was there."
Rick lowered his head in a small amount of shame, before looking Kate in the eyes. "Um, yeah. I saw. So, Will, huh?"
Kate was even more confused, by his admission that he saw Will. As he looked up, she saw a flash of something...insecurity perhaps?
"Rick, everything ok?" Kate asked, praying he was fine.
Rick hesitated a moment, phrasing the words in his head first. "I wanted to surprise you, by coming in early and spending some time with you. I missed you. But you were with Will. Kate...I know you love me and I know that we're ok, but I have to ask, are there unresolved feelings about Sorensen?"
"No!" Kate said adamantly, "There's nothing still there. I love you. Only you, Rick."
Relief washed over him, but he needed to say his mind. "I watched you two talking and you had this...glow about you. You were the most beautiful that I've possibly ever seen you. I knew that right then and there, your happiness was the only thing important to me...even if that meant losing you to Will."
Kate was flummoxed. She slid off the desk, tapped his leg so he turned to face her more, and slid into his lap, sitting across one of his legs. "Babe, we were talking about you and me. He knows that we are together, and that he never stood a chance. If there was a glow, it was because you were on my mind. I can't explain it, except to say that you make me...light, happy. So, put this to rest, because I'm yours, just as you are mine, and neither of us are good at sharing,"
"Except with each other," Rick added, his face looking lighter.
"Exactly, once we figured out we wanted to be together and did something about it. But to he point, you are it for me. End of story." Kate stated as she ran her fingers through his hair at the base of his neck.
Rick turned his face to Kate more fully, "We'll I don't agree. Its not end of story, I think its just getting to the good part."
Kate let her lips slowly caress Rick's, pulling his face closer, teasing with her tongue, as he opened to greet her kiss fully. They kissed for several moments, slowly, letting any worries fade away into nothingness. They were grounded, and as long as they communicated, nothing would come between them.
Kate broke the kiss, rising, as she took Castle's hand, pulling him to stand. She pulled him back into their kiss as she led him to the bedroom. Kate said, "Oh, I almost forgot, I want to lose my place and live with you forever. You got a problem with that?"
Rick's face lit up with both joy and happiness as he shook his head, indicating no problem, indeed. "We'll call a realtor tomorrow." He pulled her lips back to his, placing his hands on her hips to guide her to the bedroom door more quickly.
They loved each other, they were starting the rest of their lives together. They were solid.
Always.
The End.