Hi everyone! This is my first publication here, and I'm a little bit nervous ^_^ Actually I am French and although I love English, I don't think I can write perfectly in the Shakespeare language. But I really wanted to translate a French Castle fic from my dear friend Hell-and-bliss, so that we spread the Esplanie love all over the world ^_^ I hope my rendition is not awful and I didn't make too many mistakes...and I hope you'll enjoy your reading. Reviews and comments are welcome ;)
The story was inspired by the 04x06 episode. There will be 4 chapters.
ONCE LOST
Kate Beckett casually pushed the morgue door.
« Castle, just because our vic died of suffocation in a Xmas tree bag, doesn't mean that he was killed by maleficent goblins hired by Santa Claus », she sighed, annoyed by another far-fetched theory of her partner, who was always full of imagination.
« What? Maybe he was a naugty boy this year », Rick said, as he was trying to defend his theory. Kate rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling softly. When she turned to Lanie, her smile slightly faded. The man who was lying on the table in front of her had been murdered, and she had to be professional.
« Hey Lanie. So, anything new? »
Lanie pulled the sheet away and revealed the pale arm of the cold body.
« He wasn't choked. I mean, he didn't die of suffocation. Here are needle marks on his arm. And tox results turned up cyanide. Small doses, but just enough to kill him », Lanie explained.
« Cyanide... » Kate repeated, pensively.
« What about DNA? » Rick asked. Lanie shooked her head.
« Nothing relevant. »
Kate sighed.
« Allright. I guess we didn't make any progress. »
« And what if Santa Claus used some cyanide in his factory, you know, for toy manufacturing?
« Sure, because he wanted to poison the children under the Xmas tree. Very clever, Castle! Anyway, Santa Claus doesn't exist! » Kate reminded, as if Castle was 7. He frowned.
« Oh, come on Kate. Don't take my hope away », he moaned. Kate rolled her eyes again and shared an amused look with Lanie.
« Ok Castle, go and think about Santa Claus's evil plans in the car, I'll join you in 5 minutes », Kate said.
Castle understood immediately what she meant. « Oh I see...ladies... » he said as he walked away. Kate waited for him to walk through the heavy metallic door before turning to Lanie, who was already covering the corpse with the sheet.
« Lanie, can I talk to you for a sec ? »
« Sure, what's up? »
« It may sound too direct to you, but...did you and Esposito break up? » Kate asked. Lanie's eyes widened.
« Are you seriously asking me this? »
Kate nodded. Lanie sighed and rolled her eyes.
« Well, let me tell you this : we're not having this conversation », Lanie replied with a cold tone. Kate stared at her friend.
« You don't want to talk about it? » she asked, softly. Lanie shaked her hand and took off her gloves.
« Nope. »
« Lanie! Seriously, I don't get it », Kate insisted.
« You don't have to understand! Have I ever asked you anything about you and your writer boy? »
« He's not MY writer boy...and yes, you're always asking », Kate answered. Lanie sighed.
« Ok, wrong example. But I don't know, there's nothing to say. We split up, that's all. We didn't have feelings for each other, so there was no point in staying together », Lanie said as she walked towards the table where all her surgical instruments were displayed.
« Oh come on, give me a break! » Kate objected. « Lanie, I've known you for years now...you're my friend. The least you can do is being honest with me, can't you? »
Lanie turned to Kate, crossing her arms.
« What do you want to know, detective? »
« I know you care about him and I saw the way he used to look at you. So I don't get it, » Kate admitted, confused.
Lanie shook her shoulders.
« There's nothing to understand. We're just cooling things off, that's all. I guess feelings aren't enough. »
« So what was the missing part? » Kate asked.
« Nothing, to be honest. He was great with me », Lanie replied. « It's just that, with Kevin and Jenny, we ended up talking about marriage, that other night, and... »
« And? »
« And we had a fight. We didn't have the same point of view, that's all », Lanie said.
« And that's why you split up? Because you disagreed? » Kate tried to understand. « Don't you think it's a little bit too easy? »
« Not when it's about marriage. Because it's a subject that everybody has to discuss one day or another, and we were just not ready to talk about it. We need some time...well, I need time. You know him, Javier is impulsive, he's latin, passionate... »
« But he's against marriage? » Kate interrupted, surprised.
« No, actually it's the opposite... » Lanie sighed. Kate's eyes widened.
« What...You? You are against marriage? »
« I'm just not ready to talk about it with him! And he didn't appreciate. He overreacted », Lanie explained, with bitterness in her voice.
« Why won't you talk to him about it? »
« We've been dating for only one year, Kate! », Lanie retorted, upset.
« So what? It was working! » Kate insisted.
Lanie gave her a mischievous smile.
« Hey, it's been working for three years, between you and Castle, you never talked about marriage though, did you? »
Kate rolled her eyes.
« Lanie, come on...between us, it's professional. Only professional. »
Lanie let out a laugh.
« Give me a break. »
« And now that you mentioned it, » Kate said, looking at the ceiling, « he proposed me once. »
Lanie raised her eyes and gazed at Kate, stunned.
« What? »
« Yeah, sort of...actually he just took Ryan's wedding ring on the floor when they were rehearsing his proposal to Jenny...it was cute...nevermind... » Kate chuckled, shaking her head. By the way she was smiling, she wasn't fooling anyone, especially Lanie.
« Kate, you're so in love with him », Lanie said with a soft smile. Kate's smile faded lightly.
« Hmm...nope. And don't change the subject, please! » Kate scolded, suddenly nervous.
« Whatever you say...I'm not blind, » Lanie added with a smile.
« I'm not either...regarding your situation. I can see how great you and Esposito were together. So whatever you say, I don't think there's a good reason why you two guys broke up ! » Kate replied.
Lanie glanced at her and ran her hand through her long hair, tired of the conversation.
« Well, there's something I never told you », she admitted, clearing her throat.
« Tell me », Kate said, crossing her arms.
« It's not easy to say...When I was 20, I got married », Lanie confided, with a hesitant voice. Kate widened her eyes.
« You what? »
« With a guy I met in med's school. »
« You gotta be kidding... » Kate whispered. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. « You've been married at 20, you, Lanie Parish? » she said, almost amused.
« Well, yes! The sweet little doctor got married on the impulse at the age of 20. »
« Las Vegas? » Kate tried to guess.
« No...not far though. His name's Michael. We had been dating for months. I was desperately in love with him...I would have said yes to him anytime for anything! » Lanie remembered.
« But? »
« But it ended bad. Very bad. It's a painful memory and I hardly can talk about it. » Lanie added, getting more and more uncomfortable. She was entertwining her fingers, trying to keep an air of composure.
« What did he do to you? » Kate tried to ask, concerned for her friend. Lanie didn't answer completely.
« He hurt me. Anyway...whatever. I know it's just the past. But it's a very bad memory. And since then, it's been hard for me to commit myself in a relationship. It never really was a problem for me until...until I dated you know who. » Lanie whispered. Kate smiled softly.
« So, you do like him, right? »
« What do you think... » Lanie mumbled, as she didn't really like to pour her heart like this.
« Anyway, it's over now, » she added as she shook her shoulders, with a resolute tone.
« Wait, you're not going to let that thing pull you apart, are you? Lanie, you should talk to him about it », Kate tried to say as an advice.
Lanie shook her head.
« I barely can talk to you about it, I just can't tell him », she said as she looked at the instruments she was putting back in order.
« If you don't tell him, I will », Kate threatened. Lanie suddenly raised her eyes at her and grabbed a scalpel.
« You'd better not... » Lanie said, raising her scalpel with a threatening tone. Kate laughed.
« Okay, okay, I won't tell him. But you should think about it...and woa, you definitely know how to scare people, you know! »
« I know », Lanie said proudly with a smile as she put the scalpel down.
« Please, tell me you'll talk to him », Kate insisted.
Lanie was about to reply something when Kate's phone rang. Beckett checked the caller's ID and glanced at Lanie, her eyes widened.
« Crap. Castle! »
Lanie smirked.
« Forgotten in a car...poor thing! » Lanie chuckled.
« Okay, I'm off. But this conversation is not over! » Kate said as she pointed a finger at Lanie, before heading to the metallic door.
Lanie rolled her eyes.
« Yes it is. This conversation's over! » she said with a smile.
… To be continued...
thanks for reading! ;)