Slam

Post Ep for 6x15 (I know, a little late!). A look at Rebel!Becks and a burgeoning Richard Castle who happens upon a poetry slam deep in the Bowery.

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This place was derelict and Rick was pretty sure something had died a few months ago and hadn't been pulled from the walls. An East Village fester hole, Slam, had been recommended to him as a "place of extreme interest" and he was in desperate need of something new after being stuck in divorce negotiations all week. He flashed his ID to the bouncer who barely gave it a second glance.

Great, it was going to be one of those places.

He took a few steps in and noticed the rickety planked stage in the far corner and small circular tables crammed with too many stools. He ordered a glass of cheap scotch from the bar and wriggled his way to a corner. At least the crowd seemed to be lively. It would be interesting to see how this night played out.

He was already four glasses in when they finally turned down the house lights and he noted the mike popping as it was turned on. Time to get this poetry flowing.

"Hey, are these taken?" He pulled his eyes from the lone mike-stand to flit them toward the voice asking him a question. His eyes landed on the harsh features of a young woman who was standing a little impatiently waiting for him to answer. Her long brunette hair was streaked with green and blonde while her outfit was a mix of denim and leather pieces. He quickly swallowed the scotch in his mouth and waved for her to take the chairs while he worked on getting back his voice. She gave him a quick eye-roll that made his heart stutter and grabbed the chairs from his dinky table with a quick thanks over her shoulder. He watched her on her trek back to her center table where she squeezed the chairs into impossibly little space so her and the guy (kid really with the way he failed to fill that leather jacket) she was with could sit dead center with the rest of her group. She was entrancing, and as he sipped his drink he continued to throw his gaze her way as their MC took the stage and the poetry slam started.

"Yet still, I rein in my tears

as people around me giggle and I fear

that I am indeed broken by

the cycle, and now I shy

away from life.

For I loved you,

and you left

And I have a shallow pit to close

and no more tears to use, or prose.

I am alone in my shallow grief

with no sought solace ever brief."

The audience erupted as the older man nodded and walked off the stage as the MC came back up to announce their second intermission of the night. Rick cracked his neck and placed his finished glass on the table, not completely sure if that was his ninth or tenth glass. He looked up again to see his fantasy girl getting up to probably grab another round of shots for her and her boyfriend. He watched her shoot a quick gulp of amber liquid at the bar before bringing two back to her seat only to find her boyfriend tongue deep with another girl at her table. The fight that eventually got almost her entire group kicked out was incredibly quick, and it took Rick a little too long to realize she was being escorted out by the bouncer.

"Fuck you, Jason! And fuck you too, Myranda! You can both go fuckin' die!" She was screaming as the bouncer easily picked up her measly hundred pounds and tossed her out. Rick quickly zig-zagged out of the dive to follow the string of swears leaving that adorably kissable mouth, tripping up on more than one chair in his inebriated state. He found her pacing near the mouth of the alley where the bar was situated, and cautiously made his way up to her to make sure she was okay.

"Hey," he tried as he approached. She turned to him, eyes raging and lip bleeding from where that other girl must have punched her. "I saw your—the fight. Are you okay?" Her chest was heaving and was very distracting to his addled brain.

"Yeah," she replied, her tongue tentatively peeking out to touch at the cut on her lip; a motion not lost on him. Rick wasn't sure how to continue the conversation without sounding like a creep so he put his hands in his pockets and wiggled on his heels waiting for some sort of epiphany to occur.

"Uhm, you don't happen to have a cell phone on you, do you?" She asked tentatively, now tenderly poking at her lip with her fingers.

"Sorry, not that cool. All I've got is my pager, but I can walk with you to find a payphone or we can get a cab. I don't think I can drive my car home tonight. Probably shouldn't leave it here though—" he trailed off, turning to look down the alley toward the parking lot behind the club where his car was parked. The girl let out a light laugh at his antics which caused him to look back at her and smile at her laughter. She was gorgeous when she smiled. She quickly cleared her throat and looked away from his piercing gaze with a light blush across her cheeks which he was proud to say he suffused.

"Yeah, payphone sounds good; you don't have to walk with me though. I'll be fine." Her statement had a ring of finality which he ignored and leapt forward to follow her out to the street in search for a working payphone.

"Now what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't make sure you got home okay," he elaborated, offering her his arm in jest. She smiled again, but a small one that just pulled at her lips as she took his arm, and they stumbled together down the street.

"Name's Kate," she slurred as they rounded the corner and spotted a small phone booth that looked to be in working order. She dropped his arm and trotted to the phone, sliding in the change to place her call.

"R—Alex. Name's Alex," he responded as he leaned against the parallel building behind the booth to watch her make her call but not crowd her in the enclosed space. He twiddled his fingers against the brick façade of the building trying not to eavesdrop on her quiet mumbles into the receiver. He felt more comfortable giving her a fake name. He didn't need her talking to the gossip columns about him the next day trying to get her fifteen minutes. Neither did he need to be associated with another woman when his final divorce papers weren't even back from his soon-to-be-ex-wife's attorney.

"Thanks, Maddie, I owe—I owe you one." Kate hung up the phone and turned back to him with a passive look on her face. "My friend is on her way, she had to leave an— event, but she'll be here soon." Rick rocked up on his heels to push off from the wall he was leaning on but over-compensated and started to fall. Kate rushed forward and helped him catch his balance before he totally biffed it, and he rose up to find her deliciously close. He watched her eyes flit from his eyes to his mouth and her teeth sink into her lip as she continues to eye him.

"Ow," she cringed as her teeth nicked her fresh cut. Before she could pull away, Rick cupped her face and gingerly slid his thumb against her lip letting the pad of his digit barely rest upon the bruised flesh. He took note of her body language and realized that her hands had found their way to his hips, slowly working his tucked-in button down out of his pants. He took that moment to lean forward and kiss her.

Her lips are feather soft against his own and he heard a light groan rumble from the back of her throat as she opened for his awaiting tongue. She tasted delicious, and it's in this moment that he realized that she was shooting some type of whiskey all night. The sharp tang bit at his taste buds and he pulled her onto his body trying to curb his need of her weight against him. Her hands had found purchase under his shirt and his hands were mussing up her hair, but they completely engrossed themselves in the moment and only broke apart when they were both left breathless.

"You said you have a car parked behind the club, right?" She's panting again in his arms and he can barely shake his head before she's pulling him along toward the parking lot, eager to advance their budding chemistry.

They had been making out in the backseat for what seemed like forever; the alcohol in their blood fueling their desires as they worked off each other's shirts and he pushed up her leather skirt to palm her ass. She was intoxicating against his body, and she writhed above him grinding on his growing erection and letting out melodious cries as he teased her through her bra and panties.

"You're so beautiful, Kate," he ended up choking out as she licked her way down his abdomen. A devilish smile taunting him from her crouched position near his zipper, and he threw his head back when he felt her palm him through his dark jeans.

"I bet you say that to all the girls you follow out of bars." Her playful tone radiated from her sparkling eyes as her fingers played with the fastener on his jeans. He took that moment to lean forward and pull her back up to his lips with a deeper ferocity. She was teasing him and he didn't take such actions lightly.

"Only the ones who get thrown out for starting fights with their now ex-boyfriends."

She grinned against his lips, her hands finally unclasping his jeans and sneaking under his clothes. "Oh, only the good ones then." His laugh turned into a sharp inhale as she started to pump his shaft, and she soon had him writhing beneath her ministrations.

"Fuck, Kate, if you want this to end before it gets good you need to—ah, you need to stop." She crawled back up to lay against his chest, the fabric of her bra playing against his nipples, and coyly ran her fingers through his hair.

"How good is this going to get, Alex?" Alex? Who was—oh, shit, yeah, that's him. He quickly maneuvered her beneath him and ground himself against her still-clothed apex. Moving his hand back into her panties he circled her clit before teasing her folds with his fingers and she wiggled impatiently beneath him.

"Oh so good, Kate."

He made quick work of her underwear and sat back in a kneeling position, grabbing her waist and pulling her up from the upholstery to taste her. She squealed with the sudden change of position but soon found purchase by propping herself up on her forearms and draping her legs around his shoulders to alleviate his arms of some of her weight. She was glistening with arousal, and he soon found himself buried in her trimmed mass of curls, licking her to ecstasy. His hands kneaded her backside as he held her to his mouth and he felt her come around his tongue; the ripple of pleasure squeezing the muscles in her calves that were pressed against his shoulder blades. The little high pitched groans she was making were addicting.

She finally looked back up at him and seemed to find her voice again. "That all you got, Alex?" Her voice was breathless and her chest was heaving from her orgasm, but the challenge had been issued. A grunt left his lips as he shifted her off his shoulders and positioned himself at her entrance. Before he entered her he cast his eyes quickly across her body and took in the scene. One breast had been freed from the confines of her bra that had slid down her shoulders and her skirt was bunched up to her waist. His pants were down by his ankles and both of their shirts were on the back of the passenger side seat, along with her panties. It was a hell of a sight.

Twisting around, he pulled out his wallet and within that, a condom; quickly sheathing himself in the protective latex. No matter how much he loved his little daughter he did not need any other children right now. He pushed into her slowly, both of their moans ringing throughout the vehicle. She was tight, extremely tight, and as he pushed into her completely he felt a shudder run through her body. He leaned over her to place his forehead between her breasts. Keeping his eyes closed, he started to pump into her slowly while playing with the nipple that had escaped her bra. Her cries mingled with his grunts and moans, and the fingers that she had splayed in his hair started to tug as he ground into her faster and faster.

She had started to chant, "Don't stop Alex, don't stop." And the more she used his fake name the more his blood burned with a need to come. His right hand dipped to where they were joined and pressed against her clit with a slight gyrating twist to his wrist. Her legs spasmed around him and he felt her inner walls clench as she came again. With her release came his own and he was soon murmuring her name into her neck as his cock ejaculated within her. They were panting for a few seconds, neither moving as they listened to the other breathe. His heartbeat was a thunderous noise in his own head, and when he finally pulled out of Kate he swore he heard her groan in dismay.

He slowly moved off of her and reached into the glove compartment to grab some napkins to clean himself off and get rid of the condom in case it broke all over the back of his car. As he pulled away from her, Kate fixed her bra and threw her shirt back over her head. Before he could say anything to her about how amazing this whole experience had been they both perked up to the sound of high heels clicking against the asphalt and a shrill voice piercing the night.

"KATIE! Katie, where are you?"

Kate cringed and wriggled into her panties before dropping a quick kiss to Rick's lips. "Thanks, Alex. Maybe I'll see you soon." Before he could say another word she had already hopped out of his car and was making her way toward the blonde in the—prom dress? Rick was only slightly taken aback by the bizarre scene before him, but this was New York City. There were weirder things he'd seen. He continued to gaze after her until they rounded the alleyway headed back toward the street, never even looking back for a final goodbye. What a woman.

"Goodbye, Kate. See you soon."

It was two years into their marriage before he finally got his hands on her senior yearbook and, under cloak of night, found the senior section. With a flush of triumph he paraded his prize into the living room where Kate was still sitting, reading her parenting books.

"Lookie what I found, Mrs. Castle. I do believe this is the 'Rebel!Becks' phase you were talking about the other night when you mentioned your reunion." His giddiness only increased when she realized what he was holding.

"Where did you find that, Castle? Stop going through my stuff!" She took this opportunity to throw a pillow at him which he took full in the face.

"Ah, ah! We are married now, so what's yours is mine! And I want to see little baby, angsty teenage Beckett!" He was jovial as he flipped through the senior pages skimming through to find his wife. When his fingers stopped on her picture, however, his mouth fell open in surprise as he looked down at the face of his poetry slam-hookup from nearly twenty years ago.

"What, Castle? Do I really look that bad? It's was the start of 90s rock, don't judge me. I'm sure Martha has a picture of you in bellbottoms." He finally looked up at her from the book and she saw the surprise in his eyes.

"I've—we've met before. I met you. I had sex with you!" Kate gave him an unbelieving look and he moved over to sit beside her, bringing the yearbook with him as if it was binding evidence. He tapped her picture repeatedly as Kate took the book from him and looked at her seventeen year old self. Uh, what had she been thinking with the colored streaks in her hair?

"We met at poetry slam night in some shitty bar in the East Village! Yes, oh my god." Castle stood up as if struck with an epiphany. "You told me about that when we were working that Carrie case a few years back. How could I have not put it together?!"

"You're Alex? Oh, god—you're Alex! You—and we—oh my god, Castle! We had sex in the back of your car!" It was so long ago, one of her first sexual encounters during her wild child phase and it kind of floored her that she was now married to the man who had given her her first proper sexual experience.

"I remember, you were—oh god, how old were you!?" Castle blurted through his euphoria, completely shattering his previous excitement about this revelation. Kate laughed and handed the yearbook back with a quick closing snap.

"I was seventeen, Rick." His face was priceless.

"Seven—seventeen. Oh god. I was—I was twenty-sev—no wait, twenty-eight. Oh, man." He groaned into his hands as he flopped onto the couch. Kate let out an erumpent laugh and tried her best to soothe him through his realization.

"I—I—oh, Kate. I'm so sorry." She rubbed at his back, but continued to laugh as he hammed it up for her.

"Castle, you didn't do anything illegal." He took this moment to look up from behind his palms. "The age of consent in New York is seventeen, so it was fine. Besides, you had seen me drinking all night courtesy of my fake ID. It was mostly my fault that I didn't inform you of hold old I was." He was still pouting.

"Stop looking at it like you had sex with a teenager," his groan fed her laughter, "and look at it as another chapter in your endless insistence that we were meant to be." He placed his chin on her shoulder and rubbed her nose against his own in an adorable eskimo kiss.

"So you're not going to hold it against me?" he asked, holding onto the pouty face.

"What is there to hold against you, Castle? That night was one of the best of my life! You were wonderful, even then," Kate answered, running her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, I was pretty great, wasn't I?" He teased and she swatted him in the chest and rolled her eyes. Yeah, he was pretty great, but she was not about to admit it. His ego did not need that type of inflation.

For Suzanne.

I hope it's everything you wanted.

Also, the poem was one I wrote a while back, well. . .part of the poem. Thought I'd use something of mine instead of something off the internet.