Hi everyone,
Anybody who reads my story Love At First Explosion knows that I'm working on another story while writing new chapters for it. Well, this is the story I've been working on. I planned to make it longer than it is now, but it somehow ended at eleven chapters. But the story is complete and will be weekly updated.
This story is about Kate and her marriage in Las Vegas, even if I'm not fully believing that no one ever found out that Beckett was married. You'd think the FBI would make a full background check on anyone who's supposed to work for them.
Anyway like I said I picked up the storyline and made an AU story out of it. I could tell you more, but I'm pretty sure at the end of the first chapter, you know what's going on.
In addition I put some ideas in there I got from a movie I have watched, but only a few
That said, enjoy the chapter. Hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.
Chapter 1
Kate let out an annoyed sigh, glancing over the long line in front of her. She had no time for this, her team was one short while she was wasting her time here. They had a case, another victim she had to seek justice for. But her fiancé was a hard-working man, and he hadn't a lot of free time on his hands.
Doctor Joshua Davidson.
Josh was standing right next to, speaking in hushed tones into his phone. He had to perform two surgeries later today, having just enough time to come with her and get their marriage license. They still had two weeks until their wedding, but he had a tight schedule 'til then, and she too didn't know when she had time between cases. So they planned their lunch break to cross their last item on their list.
They had everything covered. The invitations went out, the location was already rented, the menu put together and she had her dress. They only needed the marriage license.
After another ten agonizing minutes, it was finally their time. Kate elbowed Josh to make him end his phone call. She knew that he was on the phone with one of his colleagues, but it wasn't something important, otherwise he'd have left her here a long time ago. She just wanted to get this over with so she can go back to the precinct and he could go back to the hospital, continuing his conversation.
"Hello." Kate greeted the woman friendly, handing her their papers.
"Alright." The woman said, looking through their papers before she glanced back at them, as if she waited for something else.
"Is there a problem?" Josh asked. Like her, he just wanted to get back to work.
"I need the divorce papers."
Josh chuckled while looking confused at the woman in front of them. "We've never been married before, Ma'am."
"Oh, my computer says something else."
"What?!" Kate exclaimed, a strange feeling spread out in her stomach. So much for returning quickly to the precinct.
"It's stating that you got married fifteen years ago, Ms. Beckett." The woman replied, pointing at her computer screen. "In fact you still are married?"
Josh stared shocked at Kate, not believing what he just heard. "You're married?!"
"No!" Kate shot back, shaking her head vehemently. Turning back to the woman, Kate just couldn't grasp what was going on. She had never married before! "I'm sorry, there has to be a mistake."
"Lady, my data states that you're married."
"But to whom?" To whom could she possibly be married to?
The woman looked back at her screen, scrolling further down her document on her screen. "The name of the man is Alexander Rodgers. You and Mr. Rodgers married fifteen years ago."
Fifteen years ago? Kate narrowed her eyes while trying to think back to that time of her life. It was the year her mother had died. But it too, was the year she went to Las Vegas, trying to forget everything. Her pain, her sorrows, and everything else that had been going on.
Kate didn't remember a lot of that night. Just that lots of alcohol had been involved. That was all she could remember. But there was something else, something she had never been able to put together. There were bits and pieces of her dancing with a stranger, a stranger with blue eyes. But that was all.
Had that been Alexander Rodgers? Did they marry that night? Well obviously they had.
Great. That was just her luck. She had just wanted a day without her worries, one day she could put aside her darkened past and be herself again. Now this single act came back biting her in the ass years later.
"Who's this Alexander guy?"
"No one." Kate sighed. She couldn't believe her dilemma. "Can we go, please? I'll explain everything."
Josh stared stone-faced at her before he turned back to the woman. "We'll sort this out and come back another time."
Kate and Josh left the city hall, their trip here a complete waste of time.
"So, who is this Alexander Rodgers and why did you never tell me anything about him?"
"Because there is nothing to be said about him!" Kate exploded. Her mood was on its lowest level. "It was one night in Las Vegas. I remember almost nothing of this night. Especially not marrying him!"
Josh rubbed annoyed the bridge of his nose. "Let's talk to Michael. Maybe he knows what to do. I'll call him and we meet up later, that okay?"
"Fine." Kate replied, stepping up to give him a quick kiss on the lips before they split their ways, making their way back to work.
They boys immediately looked up as the elevator binged, signaling the arrival of people coming to their level. Their boss, Detective Beckett, should've been back some time ago now, the chance that she'd waltz back into the bullpen any minute was rather high.
Not a second later Kate Beckett entered the room, her heels clicking with every step.
"Hey Beckett, we thought you wanted to be back an hour ago. If you want to play hooky, you can just say so."
Kate rolled her eyes, absolutely not in the mood for their teasing. "Tell me everything you can about an Alexander Rodgers."
The boys stared confused at her, not knowing what this Rodgers' guy had to do with everything. "Is this case-related?"
"No, it's wedding-related."
"Come on, Beckett. We're not here to search for a stripper for you. That's Lanie's part." Espo smirked, bumping his fist with Ryan's.
She sighed. "He's not a stripper. He's my husband."
This made them sit up straighter. "What do you mean he's your husband?" Ryan asked.
"Just that. I'm married to him."
"How?"
"Richard Alexander Rodgers. Born April 1st 1969 in New York City. His mother is Martha Rodgers, an actress." Ryan read the information they had on him.
"Martha Rodgers." Kate mused the name. "I've been to a play she starred in with my parents once. She's good." She exclaimed.
Ryan continued, "He has a daughter, Alexis Rodgers. She's sixteen."
So he already was a father when they had met in Las Vegas, concluded Kate.
"He's living here in the city, Manhattan actually."
Manhattan. At least he wasn't living in another state, making it harder to contact him. She waited for Ryan to go on, but he never continued.
"And?" She asked.
Ryan looked up to her. "And nothing. That's all I got. There's nothing else."
"So what? He's dead?"
The blond man shook his head. "There's nothing that states that he's dead."
"Could you give me his last known address, please?" She'd have to wait for her conversation with Josh and Michael, but she might not be able to avoid a visit to Rodgers' home.
Kate took a deep breath before knocking on the door of the little Manhattan apartment, last known address of Alexander Rodgers. Her husband, Kate thought sourly.
It only took a few seconds until the door opened and revealed a red-haired woman. "How may I help you?"
"Detective Kate Beckett. Is Alexander Rodgers here?"
"My son? Yes, he lives here. Why? Did something happen?"
Kate smiled softly. "No. I'm sorry, I'm just used to introduce myself as a Detective by now. I need to speak with your son about something private."
"Oh." Martha exclaimed surprised. "I'm afraid he's not here, Detective."
"When can I reach him again?"
"He just flew out to Africa the other day. He works for a travel agency, you know."
Kate groaned, not fully believing her luck. This was just not her day. Africa? Couldn't he just be on a road trip through the state? No, that man had to be on a complete different continent! "When's he coming back?"
"Two weeks from now."
Two weeks? She wanted to marry in two weeks! She and Josh already had enough problems finding a time for the wedding. Postponing it any further was out of question. Their honeymoon suit was already booked, their vacation days fully planned. The hospital in which Josh worked had all further surgeries planned for the days after their vacation!
Could this be a sign? Shouldn't they get married?
Nonsense, Kate thought. She didn't believe in such things. That was just her bad luck acting up, nothing more.
Gulping down her anger about her current situation, she looked directly into the eyes of Ms. Rodgers, sighing when she thought about how this woman was actually her mother-in-law. "Is there any way I can contact him? It's urgent."
"Of course. Why don't you step in while I search for his contact data."
Kate eagerly knocked back another shot. That was just what she needed.
"Wow! Didn't peg you as the marrying kind of type. Besides Josh of course." Lanie said. Kate had told her best friend the synopsis of her problem, needing someone that could help her venting out her frustration.
"I'm not." Kate scoffed. "It was a mistake." One of the worst kind.
Lanie took another sip of her drink before she replied. Her best friend being married to a stranger for the last ten years was just too good not to tease about. Sure, she understood Kate, after all she was happy that her friend wanted to get married. She just wished that it'd be a different man.
Josh was okay. He was kind, good-looking, and a successful doctor. But he just wasn't the right one for Kate in her mind. Kate had a demanding job, and he had a demanding job. The divorce would be just a matter of time. No, her friend needed someone else, but she'll be standing next to her at the altar smiling and keeping her mouth shut. She had already tried to reason with her friend. Everything else was not up to her.
"Well, there must have been something there for you to say I do." She smirked, teasing her friend a little.
"Yes! Dozens of drinks!"
That confused her. "What do you- Oh my god! It was a Vegas wedding?!" Lanie asked shocked. She had thought it was a mistake in the system. That somehow a person with the same name or at least almost the same name got married and some idiot put her friend on the certificate. What she wouldn't have thought was that her friend actually had married.
Kate sunk her head in embarrassment, hiding her face behind her hands. She, Kate Beckett, got married in a drive-through chapel.
Lanie laughed unbelievably, because well, there wasn't really anything else she could do. She never would've guessed that! "Katherine Beckett, you're bad."
"I know." Kate sighed. "My mom would turn around in her grave if she knew this!"
Lanie sobered up a little. As funny as this was, her friend needed her help, and she was ready to do anything she could to provide it. "What are the plans? Are you delaying the wedding?"
"We can't. If we postpone it now, it could take months to get a new date, probably even over a year! Josh is going to another Doctor's Border camp in two months."
"So what now?"
Kate shrugged dejectedly. "Josh and I talked to Michael, a friend of us who works as a lawyer. He said that since we were both over 18 at the time, our wedding is legal and binding. A mutual consent is the only way if Josh and I want to marry in two weeks."
"So you need that guy's signature?"
"Yeah."
"Well then, everything's fine. If that's all you need. I don't think he needs two weeks to sign it."
"The next problem - the cherry on the top if you want to put it like that - is that he's out of country for the next two weeks."
"Oh God!" Lanie grimaced. This really was the worst-case scenario. "And now? Do you have a plan?"
Kate glanced into Lanie's eyes, looking determined at her. "I need this signature, Lanie. I just need it. There's nothing else that could help."
"Are you saying…?"
"I have his contact information and a flight ticket with my name on it. Tomorrow, I will fly out to Africa and I will not leave until I have my papers signed!"
This chapter was kinda all over the place. Sorry for that, it was supposed to introduce the problem, a prologue if you want to put a name on it. I promise the next chapters won't be so chopped up – can I put it like that? I'm sure you'll understand what I mean :D
Anyway, please leave a review on your way out and tell me what you think about this idea.
Hope you all have a great week!
