A/N: As Kate said that she feels magic "when she hears Coltrane", and this album, "John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman", being one of the few Coltrane albums that have vocals, this series of one-shots came to mind. I can almost hear Rick singing these to Kate, if he had as good a voice as Johnny Hartman.
This one is based on the Billy Strayhorn original, "Lush Life". You can hear the version on You Tube.
youtube watch?v=0izjSUqCcSQ
Disclaimer: The characters are the property of their respective owners. The lyrics are Billy Strayhorn's.
I used to visit all the very gay places
Those come what may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life from jazz and cocktails
Richard Castle looked himself in the mirror. "Time to put on your playboy face," he thought.
He had just killed off Derick Storm. His cash cow, his means for fame, maybe even his reason for writing.
He had grown tired of it all, the parties, the fans. "Where do you get your ideas?" "I am your number one fan." "Can you sign this for my cousin, sister, mother, …" "What are your plans for Derrick?"
"Whatever, Whatever, Whatever, Whatever."
Maybe Patterson would come and give him an idea for a new line. He has enough characters to last several lifetimes. Putting out books almost weekly it seems.
"At least the music is good from time to time at these parties. Gina and Paula know how to put on a party," he thought. "OK, once more into the breach!"
The girls I knew had sad and sullen grey faces
With distingue traces
That used to be there you could see where they'd been washed away
By too many through the day twelve o'clock tales
Castle had seen it all before, the girls wearing as little as legally possible with makeup that is put on slightly less than cake icing. "Hmm," he thought, "there is a reason they call it war paint. This is the way they do battle for some man's attention."
Occasionally there is one maybe two that are actually clothed. They are somewhat demure in comparison, but each is still craving attention, his or some other rich author that comes to these soirees.
At least he gets to sign the more than the occasional chest. Some artificially augmented, but still nice none the less.
But every time he looked at one now, his writer's imagination would always come up with some sad story for these young ladies, really girls if he thought about it. Barely older than his daughter, Alexis.
Then you came along with your siren song
To tempt me to madness
"You know why I killed Derrick?" Rick asked his daughter. "There were no more surprises. I knew exactly what was going to happen every moment of every scene."
Rick continued. "It's just like these parties. They become so predictable. "I'm your biggest fan." "Where do you get your ideas?""
"And the ever popular, "will you sign my chest?"" Alexis adding finger quotation marks.
"That one I don't mind so much." Rick said with a straight face. He thought that was about the only thing worth coming to these parties for.
"Well, FYI, I do."
"Just once, I would like someone to come up to me and say something new," Rick responded.
Someone behind Rick said, "Mr. Castle."
"Where would you like it," Rick responded, turning around and pulling out a pen.
"Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. We need to ask you a few questions about a murder that took place earlier tonight."
Alexis reached over her dad to grab the pen and said, "That's new."
I thought for a while that your poignant smile
Was tinged with the sadness of a great love for me
Ah yes I was wrong, again I was wrong
"She is kissing Demming! Right here in the precinct!" Rick thought. "You are an idiot, thinking Kate had any feelings for you."
He had to get away from there without her seeing him. Thinking quickly, he moved to the break room. He got out a new cup and was starting to make some coffee.
"Castle? What are you still doing here," Kate asked.
"Hey, I was just about to leave myself," Rick lied, smiling at her, hoping she didn't pay attention to his obviously contradicting words with his actions of making coffee. "Good job closing the case."
"Yeah. Well, we make a good team."
"Yeah. Goodnight," said Rick. "Damn, I hope she doesn't notice this isn't a to-go cup," he thought. "Then she'll think I was spying on her, or something worse."
"Thanks. Night," Kate said as she turned and walked away.
His smile left as she turned and he thought. "Going home alone again, wishing Kate was mine."
Life is lonely again
And only last year everything seemed so sure
"It's been three weeks since I saw her," Rick thought. "I know I miss her. I can almost hear myself being Henry Higgins, although my singing is much worse than that "My Fair Lady" revival I took Mother to."
"Yeah," he pondered, "I am more than "Accustomed to Her Face. Hell, I can't go to a fruit stand this summer because all I smell are the cherries. And I can't have sundaes either."
At least helping Ryan and Esposito have given me something to focus on as opposed to my loneliness.
Now life is awful again
A trough full of hearts could only be a bore
A week in Paris could ease the bite of it
All I care is to smile in spite of it
"She is probably with Josh. He is breaking away from work any time he can to care for her. To help her heal from the shooting," Rick mused. "I can and can't hate him, all at the same time."
Josh is an honorable man. He didn't go to Haiti during that dirty bomb case. He stayed for her. An arrogant jackass wouldn't volunteer to go to Haiti or Africa with Doctors Without Borders. No, he is a gentleman.
"He isn't a jackass like me," Rick thought sadly. "She has chosen wisely. He will be good for her. It just breaks my heart."
"Well, I will smile for her and be happy for her when I see her next. If I can't have her, at least Nikki and Rook can have a happy ending," he thought. "At least I can continue to send her love letters in the form of Nikki Heat books."
I'll forget you, I will
While yet you are still burning inside my brain
"It is just as well that Captain Gates kicked me out of the precinct. By now, Kate is engaged to Josh and they are planning their wedding. That's why she hasn't called me. Just like she said with Demming, she doesn't want it to get weird between us."
"I wonder if a CIA buddy has some drug that will erase my memory of Kate. Yeah, like that is going to happen. Forget? No, my psyche is branded with the image of Kate Beckett."
Romance is mush, stifling those who strive
So I'll live a lush life in some small dive
And there I'll be
While I rot
With the rest of those whose lives are lonely too
"Yeah, I told her she was in these nowhere relationships with men she doesn't love. That was more for me than for her."
"After that outburst, she'll go to Montgomery and I'll be gone. Damn!" Rick supposed.
"Of course, I am a fine one to talk. 2 divorces, countless one night stands, yeah, I really know about relationships … love," he sarcastically thought.
"This new bottle of single malt will probably work. Let me forget. Let me let her go."
