Author's Ramble (One of my teachers told me once - If it doesn't fit on a post-it, it isn't a note)
OK, so obviously I need to change my profile to reluctant writer...
I watched Pandora and spent 4 days trying to get this idea out of my head. When it wouldn't leave voluntarily, I gave in and wrote it out.
If you haven't seen Pandora turn back now... I also want to state that while I have seen the promos, I haven't seen sneak peeks or episode stills for Linchpin. This is purely my version of what I would like to see happen.
Thanks always to my Partner In Crime, who spent an entire evening discussing the logistics of seatbelts and sinking cars. You will note they still don't have a knife, sorry!
Thanks also to my Old Haunt buddies, you are all strangely special and you know why...
This one is for Jim, for putting up with the pestering. It is only the beginning, my friend.
Bubbles
Champagne bubbles. She had never really thought too much about them, but the more she did the more she realised they were determined little beggars. They work their way to the surface, no matter what. Of course, champagne bubbles have the advantage really. They are always in champagne, not stuck in a car which is rapidly sinking to the bottom of the Hudson.
Her first thought, when the SUV had hit them from behind and they moved toward the water, was for him. Him, his family and how she could be so selfish as to take him away from them.
Her second thought was for the impact. As soon as they hit the water, her neck snapped like an overstretched rubber band, and she was sure she felt her brain hit the back of her skull. The water started rushing in immediately, louder than she expected, and fast. The outside of the car was white, and all she could see were the bubbles, determinedly racing for the surface, trying to get free.
Kate turned her head to look at her Partner. He was being unusually quiet, and as she turned, she realised he was looking at her, his face frozen with complete shock and astonishment.
"Castle… Castle! Are you OK?" he was starting to scare her. In all the situations they had found themselves, he had never looked at her like this.
"Yeah, I'm OK. Are you?" he asked, shaking his head slightly and getting himself together. Finally! She couldn't do this without him…
"I'm fine. We need to get out of here. Now" and with that, she tried to undo her seatbelt.
When her gloved finger pressed the release, and nothing happened, that was the moment. The moment where she wished she was a champagne bubble. Able to float freely towards the surface with no obstacles blocking her way, however life seemed to have other plans for her. She pressed the latch and tugged again, to no avail, realising this was not going to be as easy as she thought.
"Castle, my seatbelt is stuck" and with that, her bubble burst.
"What?" he asked incredulously. Surely not. It just wasn't possible. Maybe it is just the impact, the force of the water. He had undone his seatbelt in an instant, so he reached over to undo hers and it was apparent that it was not going to release. Not easily, anyway.
He looked at her, and saw the panic that had heightened her features when she realised he couldn't release her belt either. He reached out and gently tucked her hair behind her ear, his thumb brushing her cheek on the way past.
"We will get out of this Kate, trust me." He looked into her eyes, and the sincerity, along with his touch, helped her gain her focus back.
"So what do we do?" She was asking him, letting him lead. He blinked and then his steely blue eyes met her hesitant hazel ones.
"We get you out." He stated matter-of-factly. "Your latch is stuck, so we need to release the belt to get you free." He paused, drew a calming breath and continued. "You push the latch, I'll pull the belt. Are you ready? One, two, three."
Kate pushed harder than she thought possible. Her scar, scars actually, were reminding her of their existence, with the belt jostling her around, as Castle pulled with all his might. None of it made the slightest bit of difference, and as she felt the tugging stop, her shoulders fell.
"It won't give, Castle."
The light was dimming as the drifted downward. Water was rushing in, the cold seeping into her bones. It was lapping her knees already, and she could feel the shivers starting to run through her small frame. At this rate, the car would fill in no time at all, pulling it down to the dark depths of the river, where the sunlight couldn't penetrate.
"You need to leave." As she uttered the words, she wondered how saying something so right could feel so wrong.
"Now, Castle. You need to go now and get out before we get too deep, and you can't make it back to the surface".
He looked at her like she had just ripped his heart out, and she tried desperately to swallow the tears that were sitting at the back of her throat, screaming to be released.
"If you don't go now, by the time you get out of the car, it will be too dark, and you could get turned around and swim down instead of up."
"I am not leaving you, Kate" he interrupted, staring straight into her eyes and not letting go.
She swallowed and continued around the lump in her throat. "If you don't go, you mightn't have enough air to get to the surface, even if you do swim the right way. The more water we take on, the faster we go down".
"I am not leaving you, Kate" he interrupted again, more firmly this time.
"Castle, you have a daughter who adores you; I can't take you away from her, please don't ask me to. You have to go." Kate was pleading with him now, tears shining in her eyes.
"Not without you, we are going together, do you hear me" his conviction was so strong, and she wanted to believe him so much. "What if we slide the seat back, and you slip out?"
Kate couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that herself. She reached down to grasp the mechanism, but it would move. The impact must have jammed it when they hit the water.
"It won't budge, Castle" she stated firmly. As she once again started to insist he leave, she felt his chest lean into her, as he reached down to grab it himself. Kate exhaled suddenly at the feel of him pressed against her. Now is not the time, Kate.
"It's stuck alright" he stated, finality in his tone. She could practically see his mind buzzing, trying to think of a way out.
The water was rising faster, now in her lap, and the light was fading fast. Kate was shivering, and she could see he was starting to feel the cold as well.
"Castle," she whispered, "please"
"NO! Just give me a minute, I can figure this out"
Rick shivered, trying to internalise it so as not to worry her. She was scaring him, and he didn't remember her ever being this defeated. If they could survive bombs, a freezer and even a tiger together, a jammed seat belt would not separate them. He wouldn't let it.
"The seat reclines, doesn't it?" he wondered out loud.
"Yes" Kate answered.
"And the belt is stuck, won't loosen, so we can't slide you out, right?"
"Yes" Kate answered again, and he saw the realisation dawn through her features.
"So, if we recline the seat and hold the belt steady, that would give us enough leeway for you to slide out, wouldn't it?" He stated more confidently, and felt a clench in his gut when she smiled back at him, the twinkle in his eyes reflecting in hers.
"Yes!"
"I'll climb into the back seat, and recline the seat, you hold the belt steady, and don't let it retract, OK" already on his way to the back of the car, climbing over the seats. He sat behind her, grasping the seat recline lever in one hand, and placed his hand on the top of the seat, ready to pull backwards.
"Ready. One, two, three."
The lever moved readily, and the seat slid backward, exactly as the specifications designed. Kate was holding the belt out, her arm at a 90 degree angle, so it couldn't retract. He reached above her to take the belt from her and hold it.
"Time to move, Kate. Let's go"
As she shimmied up towards him, Castle felt relief wash over him. She had to press into him to wiggle her way into the back seat, and he didn't mind a bit. Sure, they were still in a car which had them in water up to their waists, sinking quickly to the bottom of the Hudson, but they were both free now. They could get out together.
Kate turned to him, a smile on her face and pride in her voice. "OK Batman, what's next?"
"We get out of the car"
He expected the eye roll, what he didn't expect was for her to reach over and grasp his hand. She smiled into his eyes.
"Let's do this"
He turned to his window, his smile slipping as he tried the electronic lever. The water had shorted out the electrical system, and it wasn't moving.
"Uh, Kate" he said hesitantly, turning to face her again.
"Yeah" she was looking at him with those eyes.
"The window won't roll down" he said, wanting to hold her, instead settling for gently grasping her shoulders. "We'll have to break the glass"
He had noted the light fading, and knew that while they felt they had been in the water forever, it could have been no longer than a minute or two. The water had soaked them through, with only their shoulders still dry. Kate's lips were blue, her face pale and he could feel her body shaking. Rick knew that if they didn't get out soon, they likely never would. He turned her to face the back window, repositioning himself at the same time.
"Time to put those heels of yours to good use" he tried to joke, as he glanced at her, then the water level in the car. "We need to kick out the rear window together, but when we do the water is going to come in fast. You need to be ready, OK?"
Kate nodded, and grabbed his hand again. Her faith in him bolstered his reserve. They could do this, they would do it together.
"One, two, three."
They kicked once, twice and on the third time he could see the cracks in the glass. By the fourth kick, water started trickling in, and on the fifth, the window gave.
The force of the water was brutal. It came rushing in with such force she actually lost her breath, and choked when she inhaled and got a mouthful of water. Turning her head to the side, she coughed and dragged air into her lungs. Then she heard him, yelling over the rush of the water which was now at her shoulders.
"…OUT KATE! WE HAVE TO GET OUT!"
Kate felt him pull her up by the clasped hands, and she took a last breath before throwing herself through the rushing water, swimming into the body of the river.
Darkness everywhere, how can there be no light? Cold, like being in the freezer all over again, this time with no air. Kate didn't think it was possible to be more scared than when she had been caught in the car, but she'd been wrong. She could feel the pressure surrounding her, crushing her and making her feel so heavy. Her lungs felt tight, and she was so cold. The only warmth was her hand, the one holding onto Castle. She could feel him, dragging her upwards - she hoped it was up - and she started to kick.
As they broke the surface, Kate choked and sputtered, forcing air into her lungs, and trying to stay afloat while her coat tried to drag her back under. She looked over and saw Castle inhaling deeply, treading water and watching her. She saw his mouth moving, but her teeth were chattering so hard she was having trouble hearing him.
"W-w-what?" she managed to stutter out.
"Behind you, the pier is behind you. We need to get out of the water"
Kate turned and saw the wooden structure they had been pushed off only minutes before. Her cop instincts kicking in, she immediately checked the structure and surrounds, looking for any sign of a threat. The SUV was gone and the pier deserted.
Kate felt him come up behind her, and heard him a little easier now he was closer.
"We need to get out of the water, Kate. Can you swim?"
"I-I think s-s-so" she stammered as she started to move.
They reached the ladder together, and he helped her up, staying close behind her and keeping her steady. Lying on the pier, she could feel the cold everywhere. The warmth was gone from her hand, and all she could think about was that she wanted it back.
Rolling to her side, she saw him lying beside her, shivering with his eyes closed, lips slightly blue. She tried to call his name, but all she could manage was a whispered "Castle". When there was no response, she crawled over and wrapped an arm around his chest and cuddled into him. She rested her head on his shoulder, nose in his neck, and breathed his name.
"Rick"
He was cold, and tired, the adrenalin wearing off now they were on dry land again. Rick knew he should move, that they needed to move, but he just wanted to lie down for a minute. Just to breathe.
As he was lying there, the craziest thought ran through his waterlogged brain. Soap bubbles, from bubble blowers. Alexis had loved them and they had spent hours blowing bubbles in the park. So very, very many of them, floating up into the sky, light and free, floating away. And the few that drifted down onto the grass, their rainbow hues beautifully translucent in the sunlight, their fragility ensuring they only last a moment, once they reach the bottom with nowhere else to go. He was suddenly glad they had floated upward, rather than down to the bottom where their fragility would have meant they lasted only a moment, once there was nowhere else to go.
He heard her call his name, but couldn't answer. He tried, honestly he did, but he just needed a few more seconds. His felt her arm first, reaching across his chest. Then he felt her against his side, and he moved his arm to wrap around her, trapping her other arm between them. When she laid her head on his shoulder and breathed his name against his neck, he decided they didn't have to move just yet.
Placing his other arm over hers on his chest, and holding her to him, he knew they would be fine. He would make them move, find some warmth, a phone and get them dry and safe again. For now though, he managed to make his mouth work again, mumbling against her hair.
"So, Batman huh"