A/N: As many of you have noticed, there's a campaign called #ThankYouTerri raising money for Young Storytellers Foundation. The aim of the foundation is to offer kids a possibility to express themselves through writing and performance. You can check the their website for more information on their inspirational work.
Terri Miller has been supporting the YSF for a long time, so what better way to show our appreciation for her work on Castle – and especially for "Time Of Our Lives" – than to donate to her favorite charity. And if you can't donate, please help by spreading the word. Our team appreciates every single RT and reblog.
All the additional info can be found at the ThankYouTerri tumblr.
Thank you, Lou, for trusting me with this prompt. And Katherine, thank you for the beta.
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
"Remy's for lunch?" Kate asks Castle as they lean against her desk and stare at the murder board.
They caught a case earlier this morning and now it's the long wait for lab results, as well as financial and phone records. Talking with the victim's family didn't bring up anything suspicious, so they've been trying to come up with possible theories - hers a little more plausible than his - based on the information they have.
It's more about passing time than actually moving forward with the case, though, since they have nothing to back up those theories with. So, why not grab something to eat while they have time.
"Oh, is it lunch time already?" Castle asks and hurries over to his chair. "Remy's sounds great, but I can't today, sorry."
"Another meeting with Gina?" she asks, narrowing her eyes in suspicion, but he's too busy putting on his coat to notice.
"Uh… yeah," he says and lets out an awkward chuckle. "She wants to go over some things for the next book in person. Okay, got to run. Bye!"
"Bye," she says to his quickly retreating back.
For the last eight weeks, he's been disappearing off randomly around lunch time. Nothing wrong with that, except she knows he's not telling the truth about where he's going. He's a terrible liar.
Also, two days after Castle had disappeared saying he had a meeting with his publicist, Gina called Beckett and complained about how he had been avoiding her for several weeks.
That was only the second week, and since then Beckett's been trying to wrack her brain for a reason to why he's lying. All she can think of is that he's seeing someone.
It hurts.
It hurts that he's lying to her, not the fact that he's seeing someone else. No, he can date whomever he wants. Why would she care? She has no claim on him.
But it still hurts.
To make matters worse, when Castle returns from his mystery appointments a couple hours later, he always seems extremely happy. Normally, his wide smile would cause the corners of her mouth to automatically curl up, but not this time. It feels like he's flaunting his new relationship in her face - not that she's jealous - and she can't help being a little snide with him. Beckett knows Castle's noticed, but so far he hasn't commented on it. She needs to concentrate on being nicer towards him from now on.
When Castle returns to the precinct, she's just assigned Ryan to go over the victim's phone records, while she tackles the financials with Espo. She can't help but notice that Castle seems even more cheerful today, he practically skips to the conference room.
"Hey Beckett, you got a minute?" he asks from the doorway and she pushes back the sarcastic reply. She promised herself to try harder.
"Sure," she says instead, getting up, and follows him to her desk where he's taking off his coat.
"Do you have a few hours to spare this Saturday afternoon?" he asks as soon as she's by his side.
"Uh… I think so. Why?"
"I'd like you to meet someone," he says and her gut clenches.
"Who?" she asks, trying to sound nonchalant, although she really doesn't want to hear the answer.
"You'll see. I'll come pick you up at one," he just says cryptically.
She narrows her eyes at him, but he seems unfazed. He walks to the conference room, takes his share of the papers and starts reading.
She stays rooted to the sport for a moment, until Ryan calls her name. He found something and it's enough to draw Beckett's attention back to the case.
Three days later she's sitting in the backseat of a cab with Castle, on the way to a mystery location. Over the last few days, she considered telling him she couldn't make it, on several occasions. But he seemed so genuinely happy she'd agreed to come with him that Beckett didn't have the heart to cancel.
He's still being tight lipped about their destination and she didn't recognize the address he gave to the driver. She doesn't like surprises, especially ones that most likely involve meeting his girlfriend, but she's trying her hardest not to let her uneasiness show.
The cab comes to a stop and she's confused to see that they're in front of an elementary school. Is Castle dating a teacher? That's strange, because smart isn't usually his type. The snarky thought enters her mind before she has time to stop it, but she keeps her mouth shut as Castle leads her into the building. They're not the only people at the school and everyone seems to be heading in the same direction.
When they get to the gym, Beckett's even more surprised to see a stage and rows of chairs. The room is filled with students, parents and teachers. And is that Cynthia Nixon talking with Susan Sarandon? She has no idea what's going on and follows mutely as Castle finds them seats near the middle.
She sits down, but Castle remains standing, turning his head as if he's looking for someone. Suddenly his face breaks into a wide grin and he excuses himself, asking her to save his seat.
She follows him with her eyes and is surprised to see him approach a boy with sandy hair. They exchange a complicated-looking handshake and then talk animatedly for a while. Beckett can't figure out what they're saying, but it doesn't take long until Castle gives the boy a fist bump and makes his way back to her.
Beckett's about to question him, when a woman comes on stage and asks for everyone's attention. She introduces herself as Principal Michaels and then begins to talk about a foundation called 'The Young Storytellers' and how they're encouraging young students to express themselves by writing. She tells the audience that their school got the opportunity to act as a host for the pilot program in the East Coast.
Beckett is still confused about what any of this had to do with Castle. But then the principal thanks the group of writers who volunteered to mentor the students, devoting couple of hours every week to help the fifth graders write their stories.
People applaud and Beckett turns to look at Castle, who is already facing her and wearing a bashful expression. She opens her mouth to speak, but Mrs. Michaels continues her speech, explaining that they're now going to see the plays written by the students during the last eight weeks.
She introduces the first student and Beckett sees the sandy-haired boy, Castle was talking to, walk up. She glances at Castle and sees that his attention is riveted to the stage. It's really adorable and she smiles as she focuses on the principal, who is now introducing the actors. Beckett is impressed by the well-known names and she's sure the next few hours are going to be unforgettable.
In the end, it's not only the group of famous actors, which makes the day memorable. It's seeing the joy the students feel, as they watch their words come alive and seeing the proud look on Castle's face as they applaud after every play. And the stories are actually really good. The plots are a little rushed, due to the time limit, but the storylines are always logical and the clever dialogue has Beckett - along with everyone else - laughing several times.
Once the last play is over, the audience gives a standing ovation to the talented young writers, who are all beaming with happiness.
When the applause dies down, the kids rush down to their parents and Castle takes Beckett's hand and begins to weave through the crowd. She tries to control the erratic beating of her heart caused by the touch, and then has to suppress a disappointed sigh when he lets go.
She notices that his mentee is running towards them and sees Castle hold his hand out. The boy comes to a stop in front of him and gives him an energetic high five.
"That. Was. Epic!" Castle booms with a big grin and the boy nods enthusiastically.
"It really was. It was so awesome!"
Castle then turns to her and says, "Beckett, I'd like you to meet Matt Daniels, my writing buddy for the last eight weeks. Matt, this is Detective Kate Beckett."
"Nice to meet you, Matt. Your play was incredible," Beckett says smiling.
"Thanks. Did you really like it? When Rick heard I wanted to write a crime mystery, he told me he'd bring you to see it. I think it's cool that he's working with real detectives. I want to do that too when I grow up," Matt said, his eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, it was very believable. I'm glad I got to see it."
"Matt is going to be famous, I just know it," Castle says and the proud look on his face makes her fall a little bit harder for him.
"Agreed," Beckett hears a woman say and looks up to see a couple standing a few feet behind Matt.
The man holds out his hand to Castle. "I'm Rob Daniels and this is my wife Lydia. It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Castle. Matt has told us so much about you."
"Nice to meet you, too. Please call me Rick," Castle says, shaking hands with both of them, "and this is my partner Detective Beckett."
After the greetings are over, Matt's mother speaks again, "Mr. Castle… Rick, we wanted to thank you for all you've done for our Matt. He's always wanted to write, but he's been a bit shy to share his work. It has been amazing to hear him talk about this project and to see the end result."
"It was my pleasure. I was like Matt once and was lucky enough to have someone who believed in me and encouraged me to continue writing. Of course, there weren't programs like this back then, but I think that's what makes it all the more important for me to participate now. Your son is very talented and I'm glad I got to meet him," Castle says and Beckett remembers what he told her about Damian Westlake. It makes perfect sense that Castle would want to give back when presented with the opportunity.
After saying goodbye to Matt and his parents, Castle and Beckett make their way back outside in a leisurely pace. It's her day off and she's not in a hurry to end their time together.
They decide to take the subway back and start walking to the nearest station a couple blocks away. They're both quiet, just enjoying each other's company, but there's a question that's been nagging at Beckett ever since she learned about the program.
"Why did you keep it a secret?" she asks him.
"Well, couple of reasons, really. First, I thought that you guys would make fun of me. You know, because I'm not famous like Patterson or Connelly," he says.
"And second?" she prompts when he doesn't continue.
"I was actually going to tell you, because I knew you could keep it to yourself and you'd probably realize that this wasn't something I did just to boost my ego. But then I noticed how you were becoming more and more jealous every week, and it was so cute I decided to keep it a secret until the Big Show," he says and laughs at her scoff.
She can deny it all she wants, but they both know he's right. She was jealous.
"I wouldn't have made fun of you. I think it's great that you did this," she says and takes his hand, squeezing it lightly, to convey how much she means the words.
"I know," he says and squeezes her hand in return. Beckett expects him to let go after that, but instead he holds on as they keep walking. A kaleidoscope of butterflies takes flight in her stomach, making her feel like a teenager with her first crush.
"I had so much fun with Matt and the other kids and I really hope the foundation decides to make the program permanent in New York. I'll definitely volunteer again, if they do," he continues talking.
"I hope so too. And I hope I get to attend another Big Show," she says. Her cheeks are aching from all the smiling she has done today.
"There's no one else I'd rather take, Beckett," he says in a soft, deep voice and gives her hand another squeeze.
They arrive to the subway's entrance then, and Beckett's pretty sure that his hand is the only thing keeping her from dancing down the stairs.
End.
Prompt: Castle mentors a kid through the Young Storytellers Foundation. Kate's worried because he's disappearing off randomly and being all tight lipped about it.