Dropped Call
by Castlefan6
Authors Note: Castle missed his going away party because something unexpected came up and the Castle/Gina/Hamptons thing didn't happen etc. Castle assumes Beckett is with Demming and goes off the grid for several months. Would our favorite couple ever reconnect? From a prompt from Kato769. NOTE: AU not canon
I don't own Castle, I use the characters for amusement purposes only
Chapter 1
Previously (Courtesy of Dust Jackets . Com )
MONTGOMERY: So Roger was right about being followed that night.
BECKETT: Well, when the husband got on to the affair, he did a little spy game of his own. Tracked down and killed his wife's lover.
MONTGOMERY: Mmm. Two affairs, a loveless marriage. It's sad a man had to die because all the people involved were too scared to say what they really felt.
BECKETT: Yes, it is sad.
CASTLE (on cell)
And how many shows like that? Sure. Make it two, and you got a deal. All right. (hangs up) Hey, I gotta run. I gotta drive Alexis to Princeton. But I will be back in time for that little surprise party the boys are throwing for me... What? What?
BECKETT
Nothing.
CASTLE
Okay. I'll see you.
BECKETT
Mm-hmm.
Few Minutes later
DEMMING
It's not just this weekend we're talking about, is it?
BECKETT
No.
DEMMING
No. Was it something I said, Kate? Something I did?
BECKETT
No, you're great. You're really great, and I really like you. It's just, I don't think that this is what I'm looking for right now.
DEMMING
Well, what is it you're looking for, Kate?
Rick is relieved to be out of the station for a few hours, he won't have to witness the clingy, kissy face Becket and Demming, not even trying to be discrete anymore. Maybe it was for the best, she had fought every attempt, even when tempered with his family there to be anything more than work friends, well he was a friend to her, she was more a colleague.
This was the time he could really use a friend, someone who would listen to him, not just blow him off with the pretend to care attitude. He's taking his little girl to Princeton, yeah it was just a program for Seniors but God she had grown up too fast. Thinking back, she was really the only good consistent thing that had been in his life, hell she was his life, and everyone knew it.
He hated lies, but sometimes it was better to stretch the truth a bit, to allow those you love a bit of worry-free time to live their lives. As soon as the party was over, he was headed not to the Hamptons as he had told everyone, but to Toronto for the start of his treatment.
He had to be there by tomorrow or he would lose his spot in the Clinical Trial, and God knows he was willing to try anything for a cure from this cancer they just found in his routine physical last week. Mother was in England for the entire summer and this 6-week program for Alexis was timed perfectly for his need to be in treatment.
He really had hoped that he would be able to catch Kate in a friendly moment, to at least let her know that if bad did in fact turn to worse, would she honor the agreement to take care of Alexis as she had promised.
Sadly, that hadn't happened, so he would have to take her at her word, and just to be safe had is attorney modify his will to name Uncle Bob as Alexis knew him, his honor Mayor Robert Weldon as a backup in case Kate needed and out.
As they travelled to Princeton, Alexis was full of conversation, so it wasn't hard to keep a cheery outlook on his face and respond with his "not till you're thirty" comments about her and boys.
Deep inside he wondered, was this the last time he would be able to take a trip with his little girl? Cancer or not, she would be gone to college soon, and far too old to hang around with the "Cool Dad" as she used to refer to him as. All too soon they were pulling into the Princeton Parking lot following signs welcoming the Senior Program and directing traffic.
"Well pumpkin, guess this is it," he said a short time later once she had been registered and assigned a room, "You have a great time, and I'm not sure when I'll call, you know you can call me and I'll return it as soon as I can, OK?"
"Thanks Daddy, I appreciate you not keeping close tabs on me, I mean I know I'm still a kid, but I have to learn to stand up for myself sooner or later, I mean as much as I want it I know you won't live forever"
Ricks face flushes as he fights back the tears, "No Pumpkin, you're right, Old Dad won't be around forever and you do need to be independent, so yeah have fun and I'll talk to you when I can OK?"
"Dad, I know it's been awhile but could you, you know, check*"
"Oh, Of course," as he gets down on his knees, shines the flashlight app from his cell phone under the bed, and then looks up at his little girl with love in his eyes, "All Clear Baby, no Monsters,"
"Are you sure?" Alexis teases
"Yep Dad's sure, you have a good six weeks and don't worry about me, you know how I get when I get in the zone, just have fun and learn something, OK? If you need anything and you can't get me, Call Paula she'll track me down."
"You want me to call Paula, not Detective Beckett Dad?" What Happened?"
"Nothing happened Sweetie, Paula just has my calendar and Detective Beckett will just have to call her anyway, this way you get in touch with me faster."
"OK, yeah, that makes sense. I promise I'll only call in an emergency, so you try to have fun as well Dad." As she kisses him on the cheek, Rick mumbles see you soon as he makes a quick walk to the door holding back his tears, Alexis says OK Dad, as she is facing the window trying hard not to let her tears fall either.
Rick wipes the tears from his eyes trying not to think that this was the last time he would have a moment with his daughter, and finally makes it back to his car. He sits for a moment to compose himself, then marks the first item off of his list, next is the party he really didn't want to go to, but Espo and Ryan had worked so hard trying to keep it quiet.
Rick actually felt sorry for Javi as he battled everyday not to let details slip, it was just his nature to tell the world, any and all information he heard. How he became a cop was still a mystery, must have had laryngitis that week of interview Rick smiled. Traffic heading back to the city was growing heavier and finally came to a complete standstill. A motorcycle Cop was making his way slowly down the berm, as Rick called out, "What's the problem Officer, we haven't moved in over a half hour?
"I'm sorry sir, but we have a truck jackknifed across the road, and a multiple car accident that Fire and Rescue is in route, I just came from shutting off the on ramps, looks like you're going to be here at least 3-4 more hours." Great just great, now he would miss most if not all of the party,
Bringing out his cell phone, he tries Beckett's phone straight to voice mail, her office line was already transferred to Karpowski and he got her VM as well. His signal is weak, probably because everyone on the 5 miles of freeway shut down were trying to reach someone, so in desperation he called Paula's number.
"What's up Ricky" comes the nasal tone
"Paula, I'm stuck in traffic on my way back from taking Alexis to Princeton, you have to call the Precinct, and let them know."
"Ricky, you're breaking up, I got traffic jam, call precinct, Princeton"
Rick yells the message again, and just as he completes it, he hears Paula
"I'll call them to tell them you're in traffic, then the call drops"
Rick looking at his phone no bars, then the No Signal indicator lights up. He steps back into his car, and hooks the battery charger to the phone, when it's fully charged he has moved less than 1,000 yards, so he turns the phone off and decides, he'll head for Toronto tonight, this was a sign from the universe telling him to get there early. He'll send the boys tickets or let them use the Ferrari to make up for it, but this was more important.
12th Precinct
Same Time Frame,
Kate has just watched Demming walk away, after she had broken up with him, God she hoped she had done the right thing. Castle was due back here any minute, so she could ask for another chance to accept his invitation, like she should have done the first time.
She walked into the conference room where the party was being held except it looked more like a wake than a party.
"What's going on and where's Castle" she asked, "Trust him to be late for his own going away party" she laughs trying to lighten the mood,
Lanie just looks at her, then Ryan, and finally Espo speaks up, "Paula called, just said he's not coming, got something else more important."
"More important than saying Good Bye to his friends? That pompous ass, you worked hard on this, and that was just crap he did that."
"Well Kate, if you hadn't paraded the Boy Toy in front of him and made sure he saw you two making out in the stairwell like high school students we wouldn't be having this party to begin with." Espo spits out.
Her face burns with anger, "Espo, you're way out of line, and what and who I do it with is none of your business"
"Kate, it may not be his, but when you do it in my house, it makes it my business, and Espo's right, the last few weeks you've gone out of your way to put Castle down, and parade the badge bunny from downstairs in his face." Montgomery is pissed, more pissed than she's seen him in a while.
"I haven't done any such thing, I mean if I want to have a relationship with someone, what business of it is it of anyone here,"
Montgomery is steamed now and it shows, "You're damn lucky I didn't suspend you Beckett, I thought you'd come to your senses, but fraternizing with any fellow member of this precinct requires permission from your CO, in case you forgot, that's me and I sure as hell didn't give you permission to go acting like school kids on a God Damn Homicide floor for Christ Sakes."
The party is quickly over, and Kate feels like she has been attacked for no reason, especially from her boys, they didn't stick up for her, they always defend her. Lanie was too busy to take her call, so it looks like she pissed everyone off, and now Rick was too busy to come back for his own party? Did he know that when he left, why didn't he just say something instead of letting them think he would be back?
Castles Loft
7 hours later
Rick stumbles through the door completely exhausted from the stop and go traffic and the horrific scene all the drivers had to pass, someone had to be killed in that accident. He finally got his wireless signal back after rebooting his phone several times, it had shut down when his battery had been so low and required a hard start to turn back on. He reaches and dials,
"Paula, Rick, what did they say about me missing the party?"
"Rick, I couldn't get through to Beckett, or the two detectives, Captain Montgomery was in a meeting and couldn't be disturbed so I talked to LT, or LR or whatever he hell his name was, just told him you couldn't make it, that's all I could make out on your call."
"Paula, tell me exactly what you said, and his name is LT, "
"I told him you just called, and you were stuck, the call dropped you called back and said you couldn't make it, he asked if you had something else to do, and I said I guess, apparently he's not there."
"God Damn it Paula, I was stuck in traffic for 6 hours on the LIE where three were killed earlier, why the hell did you say that I had something else to do?"
"Well Rick you called 5 times and all 5 times I got one word before the calls dropped, what was I supposed to do? Beckett was already gone, so I figured you were coming back to see her so what was the point"
"Yeah, you're right Paula, what's the point. Listen I'm gonna be off grid for the next few weeks, it's a family thing I need to take care of so use the burner cell ONLY in case of emergencies, and Paula, Gina wanting a fucking update is not an emergency, Clear?"
"Crystal Rick, hope things work out, call me if you need me for anything"
"Well if Alexis needs something, she'll call you, then you call my burner OK? I'll see you when I get back"
"Hey Rick, just remember I love you, I know you will never love me, but I'm here."
"Thanks Paula, I do love you, just not the way you want, go live your life, it's way too short, talk soon," then the line goes dead.
A/N The prompt that got this started is below, thanks not sure how long or where this will go but we'll give it a go in between Love's Journey 4
kato769 chapter 17. Oct 23
I've always wondered, if there was a story to be told, if Castle missed his going away party because something unexpected came up and the Castle/Gina/Hamptons thing didn't happen etc. Castle assumes Beckett is with Demming and goes off the grid for several months. Would our favorite couple ever reconnect?
