Title: Reading Rights and Writing Wrongs

Summary: People die every day. In New York City, odds are pretty good they were murdered. Only a select few can speak for those whose lives are taken by another. And one detective has partnered with a writer to answer this call. They are so opposite they complete each other. But at the end of the day, they solve the crime. It's the Castle and Beckett you know and love. With just one little difference.

Disclaimer: I don't own most of these characters. If you recognize a name, odds are it isn't mine. But seeing as this is a fanfic website, you probably knew that already.

Thank you to the extraordinary Sunshiny-Kate. Without her help, this would have done nothing but stay an idea in my head.


CHAPTER 2

The tour of book signing seemed to be never ending. With the release of the last book in the long-running series, the world famous author was making appearances nearly every day. Today though, was almost the last one. For this book anyway.

Gina Cowell was a great publisher. She could motivate any author to write, no matter what. Although, perhaps motivate wasn't the best word for the things she would do to get a book done on time. She wasn't above threats and she didn't accept excuses.

Her blond hair and fit physique turned heads of males everywhere she went. She always ignored the looks and whistles, but secretly she loved the attention her frame-hugging clothing brought her. That love for attention had led to a divorce, and kept her from ever being able to stay in a long-term relationship.

Her heels clacked across the lobby of the bookstore, setting her on a clear path towards the table where her most headstrong but lucrative author would soon be sitting. She gave the set-up a quick and efficient once-over. There was a whole stack of the new books ready to be signed and next to it lay a plethora of permanent markers. The chair looked fairly comfortable, and the backdrop showcasing the book and the author looked perfect. The queue was arranged well, and the line of people that filled it went all the way out the door. Even with her picky ways, Gina was satisfied.

She turned towards the back of the store and made her way to the employee break room that had been reserved for the writer of the day.

"Ok, it's almost time to start. Do you need anything else before you go out there?"

Katherine Beckett looked up at her.

"No. I didn't even need this room. It makes no sense to kick all the hard working people out of their break-room."

"Non-sense. You need your privacy and a quiet place to prepare yourself."

"Since when did you care about my privacy? Making my life public is your job, isn't it?"

"Don't get smart with me. You'd still be writing weekly serials for a no-name paper or something like that if it weren't for me."

Kate huffed out a sigh because it was true. Not a single thing she had penned had caught the eye of anyone outside of small papers and local magazines. If Gina hadn't read a short story in a garden magazine (a type of publication that wasn't widespread in New York), the whirlwind success story of 24 books in the last 10 years probably wouldn't have happened. The reason she became a writer was a closely guarded secret, known only to herself and her father. Her first book, From Dawn to Death was based on that secret reason.

Though every story she wrote was meant to honor that secret, the character that had been so popular for 11 books straight had began to bore Kate. So this new release, Blackout, was to be the final installment in the series. It was time for Lola Black to die.

Finding an idea for a new character was not proving to be as easy as the last, and both author and publisher knew that there was a great risk of the next book deadline not being met.

"Ok, you're on. Don't forget to smile." Gina's words interrupted Kate's thoughts. Gina led her most popular client out to the awaiting fans. The quiet murmur quickly grew louder, as the masses of people saw that Kate was finally making an appearance. After making sure the author was ready, Gina nodded to the guard at the front of the line. He removed the rope that was keeping the fans from stepping to the table.

One by one, each giddy fan stepped up to the table and handed Kate something to sign. Most of them had the new book, some had previous novels, and even fewer had posters or other random items. After four hours of asking "What's your name?" and "Who should I make this out too?" and saying "Thank you for coming" or "That's so sweet. Thank you", Kate was quite ready to stop. She'd only had one ten minute break during the signing, it was hard not to just get up and leave. Knowing there were so many fans was amazing, and the feeling of appreciation she had for them never faltered. The high-pitched squealing and gushing proclamations of love did get kind of old though. Those were just weird. Complete strangers would say almost anything when they walked up to her, and not much was surprising anymore.

Kate looked down at the watch that was one of her most precious possessions. It was after 6:00, and the last 40 people looked more like 400. A quiet sigh escaped her tired lips through a forced smile and she waved the next person up. As the signing continued, a few more people walked up. That was normal, every book signing had its stragglers. What was odd was the young girl at the back of the line who let the newcomers get in front of her. In the 30 minutes it took to shorten the line down to the last 5 people, the girl had let people in front of her several times as the stragglers kept coming in. Finally, the only person left was the blue-eyed, red-haired, patient young fan.

The author smiled as she walked up, timidly and with a bit of red tinting her cheeks.

"Hi. What's your name?"

"Alexis."

"It's nice to meet you. Did you have something for me to sign?"

"Yes. I have your new book. I know people tell you this all the time, but I am a huge fan. My dad is too."

"Oh, he is?" Kate said with a smile.

"Yes, and um, he couldn't come today. I actually have two copies of your book. Could you sign one for him too? Please. If you don't mind. It would mean so much to him."

"One autograph per person. Sorry." Gina interjected from off to the side. She had become tired of waiting about halfway through the afternoon, and she wasn't letting anyone break the rules, especially this girl.

"I'll sign as many books as I want to, thanks." The writer responded quickly and held out a hand for the books Alexis was holding. She noticed that the red on her cheeks had gotten brighter, and she was staring at Gina. Kate shrugged it off, figuring she was just intimidated by the gruff woman. She wouldn't be the first fan to freeze up after being snapped at by the publisher. Kate cleared her throat to get Alexis to return her attention to her.

"What is your dad's name, sweetie?"

"Richard. Richard Castle." Alexis said, with one last glance towards Gina.

The writer smiled and hunkered over the two books. When the signatures were done, Alexis took the books back happily.

"Thank you so much. This means a lot to me, and it will mean a lot to him too. We have all your books and we read them over and over."

"No, thank you. I hope you enjoy this one too."

"Oh, we will!" Alexis called out as she ran towards the exit.

"Great. Now she is going to tell all her friends that you signed two books for her and everyone at the next store will want two or three or more."

Kate didn't respond. "Are you listening to me?"

Kate looked up at Gina and then down at one of the books still on the table. It was bittersweet. There was only one more book signing left for Blackout. This chapter in her life really was coming to an end.

"Hello? I'm still talking to you."

Without turning to look at the publisher, the writer stood up and walked in the direction of the exit. "I said I would sign as many autographs as I wanted."

"Hey! Where do you think you are going? We have things to discuss!"

"I want to go for a walk and get some air. I'll call you tomorrow." Kate said over her shoulder as she left the store.