Tracks in the Sand

Author's Note: I know that some people are going to be upset with me for starting another story with so many of mine unfinished but as I've said before I'm not a professional writer and have to write as the inspiration strikes me. This idea has been sitting in my head for several weeks now and I can't ignore it anymore. It's another AU, my take on the season finale of season two and the season three opener. I have always thought that it was pathetic on Castle's part to turn to Gina and then come back to Beckett like a whipped puppy. The show's Castle was mostly pussy-whipped. My version of Castle is a much stronger man. Both he and Roy Montgomery have quite a different background than canon. This story is not a true crossover but will have characters from both Bluebloods and Forever. I am usually a Caskett shipper but I am not sure that this one will end up Caskett. Reader's opinion's will have an influence on that.

My special thanks to Pen to Paper Writer for encouragement and input on this story. Of course, if I get too many rocks thrown at me, I'll deflect a few his way.

Swordwriter

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters from any TV series are the intellectual property of their writers, producers and networks.

Prologue

Richard Castle had a decision to make. Or rather Richard Rodgers did. It was not an easy one to make as it would have a profound effect on his life. At least he had a little time to reflect on it. It was late May and he wouldn't have to be in position until July fifteenth. He was still thinking about it as he entered the 12th Precinct with two coffees and a bag containing a cherry-iced bear claw. Stepping off the elevator he entered the bull pen and stopped dead in his tracks.

Detective Tom Demming was sitting in Castle's chair next to Detective Kate Beckett's desk. Beckett was laughing and flirting with Demming in a way she never had with Castle. Giving the lie to what she'd told Castle about romantic relationships with colleagues. They were both sipping coffee and munching on doughnuts in between flirting. Nobody had noticed Castle walk in so he turned around and left. He took the elevator down and reentered the lobby. Detective Rosalind Karpowski was just entering from the street.

"Hey Castle, are you leaving already?"

"Yeah, for a little while I have an errand to run. Oh, would you like a bear claw and a latte? It seems that detective Beckett has already been taken care of and I'd hate to see these go to waste."

Karpowski frowned. She knew that the daily treats were a ritual with Castle. If Beckett suddenly decided to ignore them, she was a fool. The frown disappeared, replaced by a dazzling smile.

"I'd sure hate to see them go to waste also, Castle. I'll be glad to take them off your hands. If you'd like to switch the object of your generosity, I'd be happy to volunteer for the position. There's room for a chair beside my desk." The tone of her voice had become sultry by the last statement. Why not? Maybe it will jar Beckett enough to get her head out of her ass.

"Well, I've got this errand to run, I should be gone about an hour. But if you can procure a chair by the time you get back, we'll try it out. By the way, how do you really like your coffee?"

Beckett and Demming were still sitting at her desk, although now they seemed to be concentrating on the case. Castle looked over to Karpowski's desk and sure enough, a chair was placed right by it. A nicer chair than his old one. Castle walked over and placed a large coffee on the desk.

"Here you go, detective one large coffee, cream, two sugars and a touch of cinnamon."

Karpowski's smile beat anything Kate had ever given him.

"Thank you, Castle and won't you please call me Roz?"

Rick sat down with Roz and her partner and went over the murder case they were working on. For once, no one called Castle's stupid. In fact, they made more progress in three hours than Karpowski and Evans had in three days.

"Would you ladies care to break for a late lunch, my treat?" Castle said.

"Sure, I would" Karpowski said. "Me too. "Evans agreed.

"Donovan's Irish Deli okay with you?"

The three enjoyed a lunch of corned beef sandwiches on soda bread with potatoes O'Brian.

At five o'clock the three, backed by two uniformed officers went to arrest the suspect. Castle wasn't told to stay in the car. Once in the interrogation room, the suspect confessed within ten minutes. After he was booked Karpowski said;

"Why don't we head out and celebrate with a few drinks?"

"Good idea, Castle said. Let's head to the Old Haunt. I own the place." *

Castle, Karpowski and Evans entered the bar and went to Castle's reserved booth, the bartender immediately came over to see what they wanted, hiding his surprise at who Castle was with. "What can I get you?" Karpowski ordered a vodka martini and Evans ordered a black Russian. Castle ordered a double scotch on the rocks.

"Put it all on my account Jerry." Castle said.

"Sure thing boss." Karpowski sat back after the drinks came, took a sip of hers and said;

"Thank you Rick, you saved us a lot of time and effort on that case. Carol and I really appreciate it." Evans grinned. "What she said."

Both Karpowski and Evans were very attractive women. Karpowski, a slim, blue-eyed blond, her angular yet pretty face hinting at her eastern European ancestry. Evans was shorter and more voluptuous a gray-eyed dark brunette. The two detectives both wondered what was wrong with supposedly the smartest detective in the NYPD. She'd kept pushing away a man who obviously loved her. She insulted him and belittled him every chance she got and now was acting like the proverbial badge bunny, spreading her legs for a handsome cop.

The writer was handsome, wealthy, intelligent and fun to be with. They'd been in the bar for a little over two hours and had several drinks under their belts and stuffed with good food. Castle had recently remodeled part of the bar into a small grill that posted a limited menu of Angus beef burgers, all beef hot dogs, fries and onion rings.

Castle was sitting between the two women, regaling them with stories of some of his wilder escapades. Karpowski had a stitch in her side from laughing so hard. She was on her way to a nice buzz and the smaller Evans even more so, enough to feel adventurous. She was pressed up against Castle's right side, her left hand on his thigh, inching a little closer to dangerous territory. She wanted to see if the stories about the White whale were true. Over the last few minutes she'd unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt.

Karpowski noticed what was going on. She saw that Castle was trying hard to hold on to his control but was slipping fast. Oh hell no Carol, you're not getting away with that, not unless I get to play too. She ordered another round of drinks and then began copying her partner's tactics.

There was no way that any normal unmarried man could resist that for long and the latest round of drinks lowered his inhibitions. He had enough alcohol in his system to let them have their way. Karpowski whispered; "Don't you have a private office in this place?"

"Of course I do, in the basement."

"Then let's continue this downstairs."

Jerry rose one eyebrow and laughed as his boss and the two cops disappeared down the stairs.

Rick awoke rather slowly and was surprised that he was in his own bed, not sure how he got there. His last clear memory was of drinking with Karpowski and Evans at the Old Haunt. He was also surprised that he was stark naked. He usually slept in a t-shirt and boxers. He got up, stumbled to the bathroom and took four Advil tablets out of the bottle and downed them with a full glass of water. He shuffled back to his bed and sat down. As the medicine began to take effect his memory began coming back.

He remembered going to his office with the two detectives. Deciding that his office couch was too small for the activities they wanted to indulge in, they'd snagged a bottle of Famous Grouse

Scots whiskey and headed for Rick's loft, as Martha and Alexis had left for the Hamptons early for the holiday week-end. After that it was a jumble of feminine lips, breasts and buttocks, more than one pair of each. Rick groaned. Even in his wildest playboy exploits he'd never been with two women at once. In this case, both of them cops.

Oh God, I'm in so much trouble. I might just shoot myself before either one of them gets the chance to.

He lifted his head from his hands and saw two pair of panties on one of the night stands with a note on top of them. He picked it up.

Dear Rick, Carol and I left these as a souvenir of last night's activities. Don't worry about anything. Carol and I had a wonderful time proving that the legend of the White Whale was in fact true. I can hardly believe three rounds in one night but I can feel the evidence! It was a lot of fun but there are no strings attached. It was a one night stand to beat all one night stands but that was all it was. Please don't feel guilty about anything. Neither of us will say anything to anyone but it sure is hard to stop grinning.

Roz.

Rick shook his head and grinned. Hell, if the women didn't feel guilty about anything, he didn't need to. It was not as if anyone cared enough about him or his actions to matter. He got into the shower to prepare for the day.

Kate Beckett sat at her desk, fuming. It was 10:00 and no sign of Castle with her morning offering. She was hungry and caffeine deprived. To top it off, Demming was running late and had called to tell her that he wouldn't be there for another hour. Her mood hadn't been improved by an incident that occurred an hour earlier. Karpowski and Evans had entered the bull pen, both walking a little funny with an obvious I just got laid look on both their faces They both looked at Kate and smirked. That stung as last night, Tom got drunk with his old buddies at the 54th and couldn't do anything but snore and fart.

It was 11:15 before Demming walked through the door, obviously fighting the effects of a hangover. Castle finally arrives about ten minutes later and walks right past Kate without even a greeting, He walks over to Karpowski's desk and hands her the coffee Kate was so desperately craving. She poured herself a cup from the old precinct machine but it tasted vile.

Castle handed a second cup to Evans and sat down beside Karpowski's desk. Tom sat down beside Kate and said something about their case. He was positive that he had identified the murderer. Kate nodded but her eyes were fixed on Castle. As he lifted his cup to his mouth, Kate's temper exploded.

"Damn you Castle, about the only thing you're good for around here is to bring us coffee and you can't even do that right." The whole bull pen, except Demming looked up in shock. Demming smirked.

"She's right Castle, you're not a real cop, you don't have a badge or a gun. You can't protect Beckett. She's got a real partner now, not some pussy writer. The only reason Beckett tolerated you at all is the mayor. She doesn't need you or want you here."

As mad as she was, Demming's outburst shocked Beckett. She really didn't want Castle gone. But as she looked at Castle, she didn't see the hurt, angry expression on his face she expected. Nothing but a cool mask of indifference. He said nothing to either Beckett or Demming, just continued his conversation with Karpowski. Captain Montgomery stepped out of his office.

"That's enough out of both of you, detectives. I expect professional behavior and respect for all the members of this precinct. Sworn or civilian. Detective Beckett, take Demming and arrest your suspect. Esposito, Ryan, back them up. Castle, will you please assist Karpowski and Evans."

Blushing at the reprimand Kate growled at her team and left the precinct.

Castle went out to buy lunch for Karpowski, Evans and himself. After lunch Castle knocked at the captain's door.

"Come on in Castle and close the door. Castle sat down. What can I do for you Rick?"

"Several things Roy. First, I am leaving the precinct and I'm not coming back It's obvious that Beckett doesn't want me here and never really has. I thought that she and I were getting close to having something but I was dead wrong. She lied to me about something very important, so I don't want to be around her either. Now she has her new boy toy replacing me on all the cases.

More important than my feelings or the NYPD is an offer I received. I hadn't really made my decision until yesterday. Today has set that decision in stone. As you know, I'm a lieutenant Colonel in the New York National Guard. I'm being reviewed for promotion to Colonel. I've been offered the chance to take my squadron to Fort Bliss for dessert training. At the completion of that I'll go on active duty for a year, working with an Armored Cavalry brigade as it's XO.

It will mean brigade command when I get back. I've accepted the offer. A t least I'll be making a positive contribution to my country. I may not be a real cop but I am a real soldier."

"Dammit Rick, I wish that you had talked to me first. Despite what Beckett and the idiot said, you have made a very real and positive contribution to this precinct and the NYPD. It's my duty to try and change your mind."

"It's too late Roy. I've already signed the papers. Besides, you know it hasn't really been about the books. As I said in the dedication in Heat Wave, I thought that Beckett was extraordinary but she's not. She's just another damn badge bunny. Just like last year, I'll start my annual month long vacation June 1st. I report to Fort Irwin on July 15th. I'll be leaving for the Hamptons tonight."

Castle paused. "We served together in the Gulf War, Roy. As a brother officer I'm asking you not to tell anyone I'm gone until after the 4th of July. Beckett probably won't even notice I'm gone, too wrapped up in Demming. And even when you announce it, don't tell them about the army. They don't have the need to know. Only my family and friends need to know that.

Montgomery was shocked by Castle's last statement. Obviously Castle didn't believe that, outside of him, anyone here was his friend.

"Goodbye Roy, watch your six." Just before he turned and walked out he handed Roy a calling card. On each side of the card was the insignia of the Armored Cavalry. It read: Richard Alexander Rodgers. Lieutenant Colonel, Armor. 9th Armored Cavalry Regiment, New York Army National Guard. Roy Montgomery sadly watched his friend walk away, whistling She wore a yellow ribbon.

About an hour later, Beckett's team walked into the precinct, Esposito and Ryan escorting a handcuffed suspect between them. Demming crowed;

"We solved the crime. I knew from the first who the murderer was." Beckett shook her head. Demming's cockiness and braggadocio was eroding her infatuation quickly. His elation lasted until the suspect's lawyer showed up with a time stamped video of the suspect in an Atlantic city casino, playing poker at the time of the murder. There were also affidavits from a judge and a Coast Guard captain who were in the same game.

Beckett was furious with Demming and humiliated when Karpowski handed the captain a note in Castle's handwriting naming who he thought the suspect was. Montgomery ordered Karpowski and Evans to go arrest the suspect with two uniformed officers as back up. Karpowski broke the suspect after half an hour of interrogation.

Beckett got up and shrugged into her coat, missing Castle's gentle touch. Demming wasn't enough of a gentleman to help her. Demming spoke up.

"Okay, we screwed up but the case is solved so let's go down to O'Rourke's Tavern and celebrate." Esposito snorted.

"We didn't screw up Dumbing, you did. You ignored and belittled Castle. HE solved the case. And Beckett, you went along for the ride. Right now I'm disgusted with you. As for you Dumbing I wouldn't be caught dead in the same bar with you. Hijo de puta.

Demming flared up. "Why you…" He backed off in a hurry at the feral grin that flashed across Esposito's face. Kate was looking at Demming in dismay and in fact, disgust. How in God's name could she ever have pushed Castle away for this arrogant braggart.

Tom looked at Kate. "Kate?"

"You know Tom, I think that I just want to go home, take a good hot bath and drink enough wine to forget that the past two weeks ever existed. That past two weeks includes you."

With that last shot to his battered ego, Tom lost it. He grabbed Kate's arm. "You can't treat me like that you bitch." That was the worst mistake he could have made. Kate's own anger and frustration pushed her over the limit. She pulled her arm out of his grasp, spun around and rammed her knee into his groin. He really didn't have much time to experience the excruciating pain as Esposito's fist smashed into his jaw, rendering him unconscious.

"Are you okay Kate?" Esposito asked.

"Yeah I am. I just want to do what I told Dumbing. You guys go on down to the old Haunt."

Kate Beckett sat in her tub, up to her neck in bubbles, her third glass of wine sitting on the edge of the tub. Even her favorite wine and the hot water failed to relax her or stop her tears.

She prayed that when Castle got back from vacation he would talk to her. She had to make things right.

*In this story Castle has owned the bar for several years.

Author's note: This is only the prologue. Readers reactions will tell me if I should continue it and who Castle should choose. There will be more than one strong, beautiful woman fighting for his heart. Caskett is not a foregone conclusion in this story.