"The Gods of Irony"
By December21st
Fandom: Castle
Rating: PG
Pairing: Vague Lanio/Esposito
Warnings: Spoilers for "Knockout"
Summary: Lanie prays to the gods of irony. Obligatory post-"Knockout" fic.
Everyone's taken cover; a sea of funeral black and NYPD formals huddling behind flimsy folding chairs. Lanie watches as officers make angry calls for backup and fan out in the direction of the shooter. They're doing their jobs. She's terrified she might have to do hers.
"Kate? Castle? You okay over there?" Mother Nature gave Lanie Parrish a good set of lungs and she knows how to use them. There's no response for just a moment too long.
"Beckett's hit," Castle finally responds, and his voice is despair incarnate. "She's bleeding ..." Even now, he doesn't ask for help. Everyone's aware that moving could draw the sniper's fire.
There's a flurry of stifled movement out of the corner of Lanie's eye. Castle's mother has her hand on Jim Beckett's shoulder and she's talking to him emphatically in hushed undertones.
Lanie looks Esposito straight in the eyes. "I need to go help Kate now." Resolve is in her voice and in her spine. He doesn't say anything, just nods and makes an "after you" gesture, respect in his eyes. They start moving towards the podium, huddled down as low as they can without crawling. She notices that Javier's placing himself between her and the source of the gunfire. She'll thank him later.
But right now Lanie is too busy praying to the gods of irony. She'll get Castle to tell her how to use irony correctly and teach it as gospel; she'll write hate mail to Alanis Morisette; she'll let ironic things happen just so she can point out how ironic they are; she'll do whatever it takes, as long as her next patient as a medical doctor does not ironically become her next patient as a county coroner.
Five years later, when they finally reach Beckett's side, Lanie starts working on saving her best friend's life.