AN: Hi, everyone! This is my first Castle fic so, I hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don not own Castle or any of it's characters.
It was another normal day of high school for Richard Castle. The humid hallways, the crowded classrooms had all become a rather comfortable part of his life, especially the media room, where he could sit for hours on end editing the schools newspaper. He had know from a young age that writing was more than a hobby for him, it was his future and he could confidentially say that he was damn good at it, although it didn't exactly make him the most popular guys at school. Not that he cared anyway, he had Alexis, his best friend who he practically saw as his sister.
Rick was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of his phone. "crap" he cursed to himself when he saw Alexis' name flash up on the screen, he was late to meet her for their study period and she wasn't the type of person you stood up. He quickly gathered his things, making sure he saved his work and made a beeline for the door, bracing himself to head into the sea of people he could hear getting there books for next period.
As soon as he entered the hallway, he was overwhelmed by the rush of people trying to get to the next destination but he was used to it, this was life. He had just about reached the library doors when he was pushed from behind, the force of which made him drop his books.
"Move, writer boy!" huffed an all too familiar voice which was confirmed when he turned around with a glare. It was Kate Beckett, one of the most popular girls in school. With her long flowing hair and legs that went on for miles, every girl wanted to either be her or be her friend. Along side her was her boyfriend, Tom Demming, who gave Rick a dark smirk amused by the actions of his girlfriend. Demming , was the schools top lacrosse player, earning him the label of 'popular'. Rick had never liked him however, he could never put his finger on an exact reason. Yeah, he was a giant ass but that wasn't it.
Deciding that he was too exhausted to get in a fight with them, he moved to the side and let them past, trailing behind them with heavy movements. He just needed this day to be over. As he pushed open the heavy library doors, he caught side of Alexis' bright read hair and headed directly for her table, placing himself down with a sigh.
"What's up with you?" Alexis asked him straight out. That's who she was, direct, ruthless and extremely protective over her best friend. She had an idea of who had got him down when she heard Kate giggle far too loudly on the other side of the room. She always had a way of getting to him, which got to her.
"Nothing, don't worry about it." he huffed but he could see the concern darkening her eyes but he knew she wouldn't push him for answers. "We have a history quiz tomorrow. Study." he said while taking out his textbook, his way of cementing the no questions vibe he'd already put out there. He heard Alexis sigh, taking out her textbook but he ignored it as he tried to concentrate on the chapter about World War 2 but he couldn't concentrate as his mind drifted to thoughts of what seemed like another life.
"Hey! Stop splashing me!" squealed an 8 year old Kate Beckett as she ran away from a same aged, Richard Castle who was chasing her round her garden with a water pistol. It was a very hot day in the middle of August and Johanna, Kate's mother, had allowed them to play outside to relieve them from the uncomfortable humidity.
"KATE! RICHARD! I brought you some lemonade" they both looked at one another with excitement, sprinting over to Kate's mom, nudging eachother as they made their way. When they reached their much needed hydration, Rick placed his water pistol on the ground next to them so he could hold his cup with both hands. He looked over to his house, silently thanking the fact he lived next door to his best friend. When he turned his attention back to Kate, he noticed Johanna watching them with a small smile which made him feel a little embarrassed.
After placing his empty cup back on the tray Johanna was holding, he bent down to pick up his water pistol but before he could he was knocked to the ground by a giggling Kate who was now triumphantly pointing the foam pistol at him "It's on Castle!" Kate smirked at him as he quickly tried to run away before she could hit him with the cold water. But as usual, he was too slow for her cat like movements as he felt a rush of cold water hit his back, turning around to see both Kate and her mom giggling at his state of shock. That made him blush causing them to giggle even more. Great.
However, he took their distraction as an opportunity to hide behind a tree but before Kate could run after him, she turned to talk to her mother. He watched them quietly, noticing how both their faces brightened up when with one another. He had always knew they had a close relationship, even at his young age. Kate was happier around her, more carefree and that made him happy. He considered Kate for a moment taking in her laugh which he'd thought was pretty but he DID NOT have a crush on her, no matter how much his own mother teased him for it. Kate was his best friend and having crushes was 'icky'.
Rick caught himself smiling at the memory, mentally kicking himself for missing her. She wasn't the same, she had grown up and left him behind gaining a new attitude and new friends. However, he still admired her relationship with his mother, he occasionally saw them together as their families were still friend which was equally uncomfortable for both Kate and himself but her face still lit up the same way it did when she was 8. Her mother brought out something nobody else could in her and he thought that was pretty great.
However, his daydream was interrupted by the sound of sprinting and the library doors slamming open and closed again. When he looked up he noticed everyone else had turned their attention to the door as well, sharing his look of confusing. "Who was that?" he asked Alexis turning to face her.
"Kate. She answered her phone and then made a break for it. Dunno why." she replied with a hint of concern. Rick felt a knot form in his stomach looking over to where she was sitting to see Demming, sitting there looking equally confused. Rick, himself wasn't sure why he felt concern towards her, they weren't friends, she was awful towards him whenever she got the chance but there was something about it that didn't feel right. Regardless, he tried to put the feeling to the back of his mind as he turned to look at his watch seeing that there was only 5 minutes of the day left.
"Lex, i'm going to head home now so i can help mother run some lines. See you tomorrow." he told her as he gathered his things and headed to the door. It was only a 10 minute walk home and he had some things to think about. He also wanted to check on Kate but he knew that she wouldn't appreciate his presence.
On his walk home, he saw a few police cars pass him by. Must have been a robbery in the city, he reassured himself but that anxious feeling was still with him. As he got closer to his house, he saw that the police vehicles were parked on Kate's drive. Something was't right so he jogged the rest of the distance to his house.
When he opened his door he found his mother, Martha, sitting anxiously on their staircase. Her fire red hair and eccentric clothing style made her your typical Broadway actress but there was something about her posture that made her look smaller, a ghost of her personality almost. As soon as she saw Rick in the door way she collided into him giving him an extremely tight embrace. "Oh, Richard! Thank god you're home. I can't believe it..."
"Mother, what are you talking about? Why is Kate's driveway filled with NYPD officers?" his mother's eyes darkened, filling up with sympathy as he said this which confused him even more.
"Oh my, you haven't heard" Rick shook his head, growing more and more impatient. "Darling, Johanna is dead. She was murdered." the older woman flung herself into him once again, quietly crying. Her best friend was dead. Rick's stomach dropped. Johanna was dead, she was gone. His thoughts instantly went to Kate. Her mother, the only person that could make her genuinely smile was gone. He knew that she wouldn't be able to handle it and that scared him. He felt a warm tear slip down his face as he comforted his mother.
One thought on loop in his mind. Kate was never going to be okay again.
Remember to leave your opinions and let me know if you want me to continue this story!