Katherine Beckett was lying on her couch after a long day. It had been a tough case and she was glad it was over. Usually she would have gone to the Old Haunt with the boys for a drink, but not tonight. She kept seeing the dead bodies of the women in front of her. Those weren't the kind of bodies she usually saw. No gunshot, no stabbing, not even poison. It seemed like the work of a wild animal. After hours of interrogation they still had no clue. Lanie had been able to tell them, the animal wounds were probably caused post-mortem but because of the wounds Lanie couldn't find the actual cause of death. Any possible trace of evidence had become useless, thanks to the animals. It had all seemed hopeless. It had been even worse to tell the families of the victims. One of the victims was a mother of an eighteen-year-old girl. Kate could hardly hold it together in front of the daughter and her father. It reminded her too much of her own mother and the dark period that followed after her murder.
She had been grateful for Castle's presence. He might be a pain in the ass sometimes but he was always there when she needed him. No questions asked. It was one of the things she loved so much about him. Another thing she loved about him was his humour and his jokes. They could make her smile even in the grimmest moments. God, she wished he was here with her. Not that she would ever admit that to him, of course. But still, if he were here, she would feel better. He would wipe away the tears that were glistening on her cheeks and he would have known how to take her mind of this case. He would have probably brought some silly movie with him they would pretend to watch while really she would snuggle up to him and try to get some well deserved sleep. Another thing she really appreciated about Castle: he didn't push her and, more importantly, he made her feel safe. Something she hadn't felt in a really long time. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Kate toyed with the idea of not answering but finally decided against it. After all, it could be Castle or her father.
With a sigh, she got up from the couch and wiped the traces of mascara from her face, trying to hide the proof of her tears. She put a fake smile on her face and opened the door. When she saw who was standing at her doorstep she couldn't believe it. She tried to hide her surprise and kept her smile plastered on her face but her blood was racing through her veins. What was he doing here? He had made it perfectly clear in the past that he didn't want anything to do with her or her father. Now, after all these years, he finally decided to show? Her anger boiled up inside of her. If he was here to make peace with her he was in for a nasty surprise. No way in hell would she just forgive him for bailing out on them. She was about to tell him all of that and then some but recollected herself in time. She couldn't forget who she was talking to. He had always had something dangerous about him and pissing him off was probably not the best idea. So instead she smiled:
'Hey, Damon.'
When she looked at him she saw his trademark smile. He hadn't changed at all.
'Hello, Katherine.' He smirked.
She knew immediately he was up to no good. She could feel it. Much to her annoyance, Damon just entered her house without waiting for an invitation. Kate sighed and followed him inside. He was already walking around her apartment, rummaging through her stuff and being his annoying self. Kate leaned against the counter, waiting for him to say something.
'Your hair is different.' She heard him say. When she looked up she saw him leaning against one of her bookshelves. He smiled: 'I like it!'
Despite herself Kate couldn't help but smile. It was the effect Damon had on people. Even in his most annoying moments, you couldn't resist his charm. Still, she was curious to know what he was up to now. He wouldn't just come by to say hello, would he? He had to know he wasn't welcome here anymore. But Kate had to admit she was happy to see him, despite everything she still missed him so much. The rational part inside of her told her this was just another evil trick he played on her, but a tiny little part of her kept hoping that maybe he had changed. Maybe he wanted to apologize and maybe things could go back the things they were before? That was impossible, of course. Nothing could ever bring her mother back, but maybe they could be a family again. They could try, right? She tried to stay rational but she couldn't help the hopeful voice when she asked him:
'What do you want?'
Damon looked and her and stayed silent for a moment. Finally he said: 'That's for me a know and for you to…dot dot dot.'
Just like that. All her hope was gone. If he didn't want to tell her his plan, it was definitely a bad one. Either it was illegal, which meant she had to arrest him if she knew, or it was immoral and she would have to try to talk him out of it. Kate's face fell as she struggled to so much as look at him. Why couldn't he just be normal for once?
'I'm surprised you're still alive. With all the bad guys around the city, you should have been long dead by now.'
'Yeah well, I guess I've been lucky. ' She told him dryly.
'Speaking of getting lucky, what about Richard Castle?''
Stunned, Kate shook her head. The guy had just arrived and already he couldn't stay out of her personal life.
'There's nothing going on between Castle and me. He's just shadowing me for his books.'
'Sure, whatever you say Katherine.' He winked. 'Isn't it, like, dangerous or something to let someone shadow you out there in the big bad world?'
She rolled her eyes at his fake concern. 'He can handle himself in the field. Nothing bad has ever happened to him.'
'Yet…' Damon added happily.
Kate eyed him suspiciously. She knew that voice. Was he seriously threatening Castle? Damon kept on staring at her waiting for a response but she decided to let it go and not give him the satisfaction of getting her all freaked out. When she didn't answer, Damon sighed.
'Well, I've got to go. I need to do some things, meet some new people. You know same old, same old.' He smirked and began walking backwards to the door.
Kate rolled his eyes at him. It probably meant he was going to get drunk and hook up with some girl. Maybe even two girls. Not that it bothered her, of course. Or so she told herself. It was his life and he made it perfectly clear he didn't want anything to do with her or her father anymore. Why should she even bother to care? Yet, despite all her best efforts not to, she did.
She knew he was hurting. He was trying so hard to hide it but she saw it. It had always been like that with Damon. Even when they were little he was always trying to be the tough guy, not showing his emotions, but deep down he was just a little boy. When she was younger, she didn't mind. She knew he did it to shield her from his pain but she could always see right through this façade. Only now it was beginning to piss her off. Though she could still see the truth behind his nonchalance, the understanding they had when they were young was gone. They both had walls that couldn't be torn apart by the other. She knew her barriers were beginning to come down, thanks to Castle, and she could only hope Damon would find someone to do the same thing for him. He deserved to be happy again after all these years. Damon's voice brought her back from her thoughts.
'It was great seeing you again, little sister.' With a smile, he disappeared.
