Title: Natalie Grey
Author: Katie Schmidt
Disclaimer: I do not own or have any rights to ABC's Castle, The Nikki Heat book series, XBOX, XBOX LIVE, the HALO series, and Maxim magazine. I'm not making a proft here, and I don't plan too, just a poor fan, giving the characters a vacation from their TV reality.
MAJOR SPOILER WARNING! This story contains spoiler about the identity of the actress playing 'Natalie Grey', who will play Nikki Heat in the 'movie' and who will appear on ABC's Castle for a guest appearance in early 2011. If you're wanting this actress to be a surprise… STOP now. If you don't get Nathan Fillion's Twitter (or the other one that is supposed to be Richard Castle)… you should its hilarious and interesting. If you don't care or recieve and read the Twitter, please proceed.
I haven't updated the story... but I was shocked to find the creators of this show changed the "Nikki Heat" character name to Natalie Rhodes from Natalie Grey at the last minute. Silly writers went and messed up my title. :( I'm not going to change things now, since this was my little outlet of fantasy during winter break. :)
Natalie Grey
"Natalie Grey?" Beckett shot off curtly. "The girlfriend from That 70's Show?"
"Yup." Castle stood grinning. "I signed off on it this morning."
"You didn't think to ask me?" She commanded more than asked.
"It's not really your decision, I'm the Assistant Director." Castle pointed out.
"You're the Assistant Advisor to the Assistant Director." Esposito chimed in, rolling his chair into the path between desks. Both Castle and Beckett sent him looks, though of opposite expression. The detective shrugged and rolled back to his paperwork.
"I still get a say." Castle pouted, "I wrote the book."
"I am the book!" Beckett taunted. "I should kick you out of here." She continued voice a little softer, hinting at a tease.
"You'd miss me." He added.
"I'd miss having a fresh cup of coffee." Beckett smiled, pointing to her nearly empty mug. Castle rose from his chair, grabbing her cup.
"You only keep me around for the coffee." He pointed out, calling back toward her over his shoulder as he headed towards the break room and the fancy coffee machine.
"And the off the wall comments." She called after him. A smile plastered on her face.
XxXxXxXxX
By 6:30, the precinct had begun to empty. A few bodies were scattered, most of their faces plastered with a scowl as they examined whatever details were haunting them on their cases. Even Castle had headed home, claiming if he didn't get food for Alexis, Martha may step in and they'd be facing a whole new kind of homicide.
Kate Beckett sat, hammering away at her keyboard, when the Captain called her from his doorway. As she sat down in his guest chair, she knew she was in trouble, when he sat down behind the desk. Casual conversations took place with Montgomery perched on the edge of his desk or cruising around the room.
"In the past Detective," her boss paused, "You haven't taken these announcements well."
"Regarding Castle?" She supplied, sitting straighter in her chair. Her boss nodded stiffly.
"I assumed it was his doing, but I just got off the phone with the Chief and it seems the idea wasn't originally his alone. Natalie Grey is determined to, and I quote, 'Do Nikki Heat right'."
"She's going to shadow me too." Beckett concluded, gritting her teeth.
"I've agreed to give them one case, but only because I wasn't given any other choice." The Captain sympathized. "I can only assume that you will rise to the occasion and survive this hurdle." Beckett nodded. She understood the politics of the force inside and out. They were the reason she'd been saddled with Castle originally.
"I'll do my best to accommodate them both."
"I know times with Castle haven't been easy. But you've kept him this long and your solve rate has actually gone up." Montgomery added. Kate Beckett wearily closed her eyes briefly.
"It has, but it hasn't been easy."
"Life and love never is." He spouted.
"Hell is rumored the same." She added, rising. Beckett gave her boss a reassuring smile.
"I'll be the perfect professional when she's here."
"Thank you." He told her, waving her out dismissively. "Try not to kill him."
XxXxXxXxX
Six Weeks Later
"No Castle."
"But…"
"No."
"I don't see the harm." Natalie Grey added.
"Neither of you are Officers. You can't have weapons, not even mine. Not even for research."
"I really do know how to shoot a gun." Natalie chimed again. "I took interest after I did some voice work for Bungie Studios. I just haven't bothered to purchase one." Castles face lit up and he nodded with understanding.
"We should meet up at the practice range and follow it up with a riveting round of Halo on Xbox Live." He leaned over, towards the blonde actress and added in a whisper, "You have to be careful though, some weapons get hot."
"Oh that's it!" Beckett snapped. "Castle, you can barely hit the targets." She sighed, exasperated. Her feet slapped the ground as she walked towards him, grabbing his arm and dragging him away from Natalie Grey.
"I hit the ones that count." He pointed out in his defense as he was dragged along into the break room.
"I'm sick of you acting like this around every woman who comes tramping through here." She raged behind the door.
"Natalie Grey is not a tramp. She may have taken some compromising photos for Maxim but…" Beckett cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"I don't care." She sighed, crossing her arms, "I'm sick of watching this. If you insist on chasing every woman you meet except me, then fine, get out."
"Are you jealous?" He asked in awe, as another detective breezed into the room and began fixing up a cup of coffee and proceeded to remove their lunch from the freezer. Surveying the fact they'd no longer be alone, Beckett looked at him with a cold glare.
"No." Before spinning on her heels and heading for the door.
"Wait." He called, following her out. She marched past the row of desks, and spotted Natalie Grey sitting in her desk chair, breathing deeply as if communing with her character.
"What is with everyone and my chair?" Beckett protested, pointing at the actress, she added, "Get out of my chair." before storming forward towards the bathrooms at the back of the bullpen.
Hands braced on the sink, Beckett breathed deeply. She'd done great this week; she'd swallowed all her comments when Natalie had flirted shamelessly with Castle. She'd swallowed even more when Castle had flirted back. Both had managed to offer insights that at the time had seemed productive, but had turned into dead ends. They still had very little leads on the current case, and those they did have had come from Ryan and Esposito. She felt like a floundering idiot in front of two prominent people in media.
The door softly snicked open and closed. She didn't have to look up to know it was Castle ignoring the 'wo' on the Women's Bathroom sign. She could smell his delicate aftershave and hear the impatient shift of his feet and the swish of his Armani suit pants. Her gaze lifted to his in the mirror. His concern was easily noticed.
"I asked her to go for now."
"You'll meet up later." She added a hint of accusation laced within.
"Probably."
"Why do you do this to me?"
"Beckett." He eased forward a step "I don't know what to say." He confessed with hurt. Taking a few more steps towards her and leaning his back against the other sink in the pair. "What do you want me to do? Give up women while I'm here? That's hardly fair, you date too."
"I've gone out with TWO men while you've been here! How many have you brought through, gone home with, loved!" She cried. "I left Tom for you." She spat in fury, before clasping her hand over her mouth.
Words were funny things. Once they were out, there was no taking them back.
Rick Castle stared at her. "You never told me that detail." He looked at her amazed.
"I didn't." She spat, angry at herself for letting the information slip.
"We never did have this talk when I came back."
"It wasn't important."
"Seems important enough now."
"It's not." She assured him. The instant she put up a fuss, he knew. This was Kate Beckett, his Nikki Heat. She was hiding something. Something he suddenly wanted to hear quite desperately.
"When?"
"I'm not answering that Castle."
"Please." He pleaded again.
"NO." She told him again, "Get out." She pointed at the door.
"Not until you tell me when."
"I will scream like a girl and then take you down." The threat hardened him. So it all came down to this.
"It was before Gina wasn't it?" He questioned. "Was it during the summer? Was it before I left?" He gasped, more and more intrigued as he studied her revealing reactions. Their last conversation before he left for the Hamptons suddenly coming back in a flood, as the current Kate Beckett hung her head in avoidance. "That's what you really wanted to tell me." He concluded. "Geez, Kate." He mumbled, ruffling his hair. "No wonder everyone wanted to kill me when I came back."
"Are you kidding?" She sucked a breath. "I am Detective Kate Beckett. I live with my choices, and I survive."
"You regret leaving Tom."
"Shouldn't I?" She spat. "Look at your life and then look at mine. There isn't a surprise that they're separate. Tom and I were good."
"No, you weren't." He told her, mere moments before he grabbed her and sealed his lips to hers. She struggled for just a second before she gasped in surprise and let him in. Desire coiled into her belly as he pressed her again the wall, teasing her lips with his teeth and his tongue. She met him kiss for kiss, meowing slightly as he rubbed his thigh between her parted legs. Smiling into the kiss as his hardness met her hip.
Their lips broke apart, gasping for air, staring into each other's hazed eyes, while their bodies remained tangled. "I'm sorry." Castle whispered reverently, brushing soft kisses along her hair line. "About this summer, but not about this." He confessed, pressing a soft kiss at the very corner of her mouth. She turned her head and met his mouth full on as he whispered it there a second time, sending them into another bout of kissing.
"We can't do this."
"You're right, here is not good." He pointed out.
"No, this." She protested. Castle crushed his lips down to hers once again. She struggled against him for just a instant before being swept up into the desire again.
"Let's go home early." He mumbled, tucking a few stray hairs back behind Beckett's ear.
"I don't think that's a good idea." She protested again. "This changes everything. I'm not sure I'm ready for that." She blushed.
"Everything changed when you left Tom." Castle whispered as he trailed his fingers up her side. "I just didn't know it." His words made sense; she almost hated it when he was right.
"Take me to dinner first." She told him, ducking under and away from his grasp, throwing him a smirk and added, "Then we'll talk dessert." as she left the bathroom.
XxXxXxXxX
Is that the end of it? I don't know.
Also I'm aware that the Natalie Grey is just a character on Castle played by Laura Prepon... the actress responsible for a voice from Halo 2, a photo shoot in Maxim magazine and a long running character on That 70's Show. Since I couldnt explain her into Castle as Laura Prepon the actress, playing an actress who will be playing Nikki Heat, I had to settle for Natalie Grey doing those things. Also, I am sure there will be a Halo series reference when this episode actually airs since her and Nathan both had voice roles in that series and we've seen the Firefly tie ins frequently. :)