Unending thanks for all of your positive feedback, it has really touched my heart to know you guys are enjoying the story/sequel. I sincerely hope that this chapter will meet your expectations and keep you interested, and whether it does or not, please feel free to share your thoughts! Castle belongs to ABC.
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Chapter 2 -- The Dynamo of Volition
Tap, tap, tap.
Silence.
Tap, tap, tap, tap...
Abruptly slapping the file in his hands down on the wooden surface of the desk, an equally irritated and amused Detective Javier Esposito gave the evil eye to a certain inane mystery author, the corners of his mouth pulled downward into a scowl. "Yo, Castle, my man," He barked, instantly capturing the other man's undivided attention. "You gotta chill out, aight? The pen thing's drivin' me up a wall." Leaning over and plucking the writing utensil from Rick's hand, he gestured at it pointedly, then proceeded to chuck it blindly behind him. "If that hits someone -- like, say, the captain -- I'm blamin' it on you." Hastily he returned to leafing through the missing persons info stacked before him, appearing to be entirely engrossed.
At this little spectacle, Esposito's non-blood-related brother and virtual personality twin, the bright blue-eyed and Irish-oriented Detective Kevin Ryan, snickered. "What's got your tighty-whities in a knot anyway, eh, writer boy?" He asked, reclining in his black leather chair. Mischief reflected in the smile that dawned upon his boyish features, he added slyly, "Beckett's been AWOL for quite a while now... Ten bucks says she's snagged herself a hot new beau." Haughtily crossing his arms over his chest, he arched an expectant brow, waiting for someone to raise the stakes. "She has been dressing a little... slinky, lately. Wouldn't you say, Esposito?"
Nodding vigorously in agreement, the tan-skinned detective grinned, an appreciative gleam in his eye. "You know it, homeboy. Never seen her wear one o' them sexy pencil skirts before," he sniggered, rubbing his hands together lewdly, "or leave quite that many buttons undone, if you catch my drift." The expression on Castle's face got both the young cops roaring. "But hey, I sure as hell ain't complainin'." He mimed the outline of an hourglass in the air, winking at the frozen and incredulous writer.
In between bouts of laughter, Ryan added sportively, "The hair is what's got me wondering. She grows that mane out any longer and Prince Charming'll be at her window, callin' 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel'!" The two howled once more, all too aware of the affect their antics were having on Castle. Yanking his chain was half the fun, though there was some truth to their words. Over the past few months, they'd noticed a change in their hard-nosed superior, and weren't about to let it slide. Keeping their suspicions on the DL for a little while, they'd been sitting back and simmering, waiting for the just the right time to act. And, given author's obviously strained nerves, they had picked the perfect moment to enact their plan.
As he feigned swiping perspiration away from his forehead, a jovial Esposito remarked approvingly, "But it don't look bad on her, man -- nope, not at all." Suddenly turning on Castle, he questioned in a mockingly innocent tone, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about Beckett's swerve toward the feminine, would you, pal?" Shoving the man in what was supposed to be a playful manner, he added impishly, "I mean, all of us here that've got eyes can see she's been carrying a torch for the ultra-successful, debonair Mr. Richard Castle from day one." With appraising eyes, he and Ryan surveyed a rather flustered, confounded Rick. They were backing him into a corner, and he sure knew it.
"Why, don't look so shocked, Ricky," Ryan jibed, as he and his partner swiveled in their chairs closer to their prey. "All that relentless wooing had to pay off sometime, right? And who better for the job than you, Manhattan's resident heartthrob with a pen and a pad -- he's got a way with the ladies, ya know?" Wagging a finger at the trapped author, he shook his head, chuckling in a rather intimidating fashion. "How do you do it, huh? Drawing our little ice queen out of Antarctica and into the Caribbean."
Smoothly entering back into the one-sided conversation -- or, more accurately, interrogation -- Esposito drawled, "But guess what? While a climate change is all well and good, there are a few minor drawbacks to such a risky alteration." Tilting his head slightly, with grey eyes harder than steel, he queried in a lethal tone, "Ya with me?" The detectives, in unison, crossed their arms over their chests, ever-so-slightly raising their chins.
Holding his hands up as though in surrender, Rick scooted back a bit, scrounging for some room to breathe. "Cool down now, fellas. Where is all this coming from?" His voice was expertly clueless, giving the impression that he hadn't the foggiest notion of what they were talking about. However, in the back of his mind, he prayed for Beckett's speedy return. They were sailing on dangerous waters, entering a sea that was wholly forbidden. He could feel a storm coming on, and set course for shore quickly as possible. "I'm really at a loss for words... which we all know is pretty staggering." There was no question he was treading on thin ice.
Palms facing skyward, Esposito smiled in a way that made his pearly whites seem like the chompers of a shark. "That's no problem at all," he replied pleasantly, "'cause we weren't done." The grin dropped from his features, falling to the floor and shattering. His tone had regained that edge that raised that hair on the back of Rick's neck, making him glance around the squad room for witnesses. If a murder too place right then and there, would anyone be around to testify to its occurrence?
"Look, man," Ryan said lowly, a threat hovering in his words, "All you need to know," he jabbed Castle in the chest, nearly knocking the wind out of him, "is that should you break her heart--"
"--we'll break, no, smash your million dollar, pretty boy face." Esposito finished cheerfully, roughly patting Rick's cheek. "Can ya dig?"
However, before the unnerved writer could respond, the rhythmic cadence of a pair of stiletto boots announced the arrival of the no-nonsense female cop they had been conversing about. As she breezed into the room, bringing with her the chill of the outside air, Esposito and Ryan discreetly slid back over to their area of the desk. They each buried their faces in a file, one of them whistling in an offhanded manner.
"I trust you men have been hard at work all this time?" Kate Beckett inquired fluently as she shrugged out of her winter coat, revealing a white v-neck sweater that drew their hungry eyes to her curvaceous figure. After tossing it onto a hook, she spun on her heel to face them, and noted with suspicion and amusement the way they each looked to the floor. "Ri-ight..." She answered herself slowly, dully. As she strode over to her desk she shook her hair from its loose ponytail, auburn waves cascading inches below her shoulders. The scent of lavender and jade wafted throughout the room, filling their nostrils with a sweet intoxication. This could not be the same woman who swore like a sailor and thrust the end of her glock into perps' backs on a daily basis.
Smacking her hand down on the surface of her desk, Kate smirked as Rick was startled out of his reverie, and gazed up at her with wide hazel eyes. Leaning against the wooden structure, she arched a dark brow, waiting in vain for him to stand up from her chair. "Who rattled your cage, Castle?" She questioned sardonically, adding in her most smart-alecky tone, "You look like a crook who just got the zoo lock-up line." Placing her hands on her hips, she allowed herself a close-lipped smile, putting on the hard-assed facade that she always slipped into at the workplace.
Locking eyes with Esposito and Ryan, Rick forced his usual charming expression, folding his hands in his lap. "As always, I was just caught off-guard by your loveliness, Detective. MIght I add that white looks exquisite on you?" He narrowed his eyes at the other two male detectives, as they shoved their fingers down their throats and mimed gagging. When Beckett glanced at them, however, they squashed their noses into paperwork and hummed in what they took to be a nondescript manner.
Shaking her head at their strange behavior, Kate replied with a derisive snort, "I advise you to remember that I'm the one with the cuffs, Castle." Jabbing her thumb in the opposite direction, she gestured for him to get out of her chair. He did so in a pouty fashion, though as they brushed past one another, he couldn't help but gently grasp her wrist and whisper something into her ear.
"Fear not, my sweet, I very clearly recall those handcuffs from earlier." A magnificent, cheeky grin stretched across his features, as he released his light grip on her and plopped down in the chair adjacent to her desk.
Outrage and menace flashed across her features, though her green eyes sparkled at the memory. Kate pursed her lips, attempting to look threatening despite the fact that she was dangerously close to smiling. Clearing her throat, she asked the room at large, "What've we got, anything?" Picking up a pen to slide behind her ear, she added more for her own benefit than anyone else's, "I mean, how many missing persons can there be with a birthmark like our vic's?"
Speaking for the first time since Beckett had arrived, Esposito responded grimly, "More than you'd think. We've been at it since you left." He lied through his teeth, knowing that their little impromptu interrogation wouldn't have gone over big. It was better just to tell the woman what she wanted to hear, and make sure that all loose ends were tied up.
Clapping a hand to her chest with an expression of feigned sympathy, Kate simpered, "Oh, you poor babies." Getting to her feet with a mound of paper in her arms, she added brusquely, "Keep at it. We need to identify this Jane Doe so we can get moving with the investigation." Purposefully stepping out of her desk area, the brunette stated lastly, "Let me know if you come across what we need -- I'll be in the back getting a few things in order." After each of their affirmative nods, she pivoted and began trudging toward her destination.
Kate was only in the filing room a mere five minutes, before she sensed another presence in her personal space. Turning slowly, her gaze fell upon the ruggedly handsome, best-selling author Rick Castle, who also happened to claim the title of her boyfriend. "You gonna stand there and gawp, or actually do something useful?" She demanded, her expression softening as he smiled at her. Her heart did that familiar flip-flop, and in order to resist temptation, she went back to the task at hand. Every time she looked at him now, all she could see were palm trees swaying in the breeze, and the ocean tide lapping at white sand. It certainly wasn't helping her resolve in any way, shape, or form. Castle in swim trunks... Now that might be worth seeing.
"You look stunningly beautiful today." Snaking his arms around her waist, he murmured in that low, seductive tone against her ear. A delicious chill traversed the length of her spine, and she wanted nothing more than to dissolve into the warmth of his body.
The detective set down the files she held in her hand. "I will pummel you if anyone comes in here and sees you melting all over me like cheese on a burger." She threatened. Yet in spite of the warning in her words, Kate did not budge, instead nestling nearer to him. She felt his lips on the nape of her neck, and his hands resting atop her taut stomach. There was something about his caress that rendered her unable to resist, no matter how mortified she would be if they were caught. Plus, the risk that was involved with canoodling in the case file room was somehow alluring, like one of those 'do not touch' signs in stores that made it seem all the more appealing.
"Mmm..." Rick sighed in satisfaction, peppering kisses up and down the expanse her neck. "I'd say it's like hot gravy fanning out over steaming mashed potatoes... Yeah, that sounds so much more refined." He smiled against her skin, almost able to feel her rolling her eyes. "Don't you agree?"
Twisting around to face him, Kate couldn't help but smile at his proximity, his breath tickling her cheek. "I agree that you need to quit making our pillow talk and other intimate conversations into literary endeavors. Save it for the page, Shakespeare." His mock indignation elicited a light laugh from her lips, one that quickly cracked his facade of personal affront.
"Hey, all I did was make your dry, clichéd food simile into something more original, more... spicy." He grinned, growling and nipping at her neck as she playfully swatted him away. "Speaking of which, it's my night to arrange dinner, so I was thinking... how does Indian sound? I'm craving some good ol' chicken tikka." Rick chuckled, but was thoroughly puzzled when he felt her stiffen in his arms. Pulling back to gaze at her stony face in concern, he added hastily, "That was just a suggestion, I honestly don't care what we eat." His brows knitted together with worry and confusion, for he'd never seen her react in such a way to the simple matter of supper. "Kate?" She wasn't responding, her eyes glued to the wall behind him.
"I, uh... I was thinking of going back to my place for tonight." Kate was shocked by how awkward she felt saying these words -- since when had she needed to ask permission to stay in her own apartment? She just needed a night to herself was all... to think about things. Namely, what she wanted to do for Christmas and the holidays in general.
However, Rick misunderstood her words, replying uncertainly, "Well, I wouldn't have any problem with that if I hadn't already promised Alexis and my mother that we'd handle dinner... I guess I could tell them to fend for themselves?" He grinned at his willingness to leave them in the dust, all for the woman before him. "I mean, we are in New York City -- there's a take-out place on every corner."
Oh, God. Those familiar chains wound themselves around Kate's heart yet again, as she realized that he had misinterpreted her meaning. On the other hand, something within her squirmed, as she felt her independence and freedom being encroached upon. It was this sensation that supplemented her with the courage to say, "What I meant was..." She paused, trying to think of a way to phrase the words inside her head with making them sound so cruel. "I was thinking of going back to my place... alone."
Immediately after she had spoken, the blow that her statement delivered was painstakingly obvious on his face. Kate was saddled with an oppressive guilt even after he composed himself, and replied with a strained smile, "Oh, right, of course. If that's what you want..." He faltered, clearly attempting to keep the hurt at bay, "Yeah, sure." Arms dropping limply to his sides, he made a show of checking his watch. "Look, it's getting late, and I want to be home when Alexis gets out of school. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Without prelude, he turned and went to leave.
A pang of regret reverberating in her chest, Kate reached out to seize his wrist, her emerald eyes brimming with repressed emotion. "Rick, please," she implored, unsure of what exactly she was begging for. All she knew was that she couldn't let him go. "Don't--"
Rick cut her off, holding up his hand. "Really, it's okay. It's not like we're living together or anything." She had to admit, those words hit her hard, square in the chest. "Until tomorrow." He used his signature phrase, but this time, there was no affection or anticipation behind it -- only lifelessness. In a flash, he had placed a quick, meaningless kiss upon her cheek, and then dashed out of there quicker than Tom Cruise fleeing alien capture in War of the Worlds.
Rubbing her temples, Kate glanced at the clock mounted on the wall, only to find that it was just past two o'clock. Alexis wouldn't be getting home for another hour, and he had still gone anyway. "Shit," she swore under her breath, "Genius move, Kate. Why don't you just drive a wooden stake through his chest, do the job right?" Still internally berating herself, she stalked out into the area where her two subordinate detectives remained leafing through files, a dull sheen glazing over their eyes.
As Ryan noted her presence in the room, he shut the manila folder before him, grateful for a distraction. "What's with Castle? He ran out of here like a man fleeing the apocalypse." Curiosity was in his voice, as he saw the unmistakable expression of pain flicker across her features. Esposito was now all ears as well, wondering what had driven writer boy to make such a hasty exit.
Completely disregarding the inquiry, Beckett straightened a few things on her desk, then grabbed her coat and pulled it on over her sweater. "I've got some business to take care of, 'kay? You guys... you just keep looking for another half-hour or so, then call it a day. Buzz me with any news, alright?" She didn't appear to be in the mood to indulge their questions, so they simply nodded, mumbling brief good-byes. "Enjoy your evening, gentlemen." The brunette bustled past them, and then out the exit.
As she stepped out into the frigid air, Kate extracted her cell from her pocket, pushing a single speed-dialed number. It rang two and a half times, before a familiar voice sounded over the other line, tired but feisty. "Lanie," she sighed in relief, taking comfort in hearing her friend, "thank God."
"Hey, girl," the speaker's tone instantly brightened, bringing a smile to her face. "What's happenin' up there in the land of the living? I need a refresher."
The happiness draining from her features, Kate ran a hand through her hair, leaning back against the brick surface of the twelfth precinct for the second time that day. "Nothing that would make you want to rejoin us, trust me," she replied regrettably. "Listen, you wanna grab a drink tonight? I need some good, old-fashioned girl talk." She prayed that the medical examiner didn't have previous obligations -- sure, Kate had other friends she could confide in, but none of them were as honest and frank as Lanie. She would always put it to her straight, and the detective could appreciate this.
"Of course, anything for my number one girl." There was a smile in Lanie's voice that made her feel she could carry on, and somehow make it over another hurtle in the track and field competition of her life. "Usual place?"
Nodding though the other woman could not see her, Kate replied warmly, "You know it. Same time?" She pushed herself away from the wall and began walking, the weight on her shoulders a little less harrowing.
"Whataya think, hon?" Lanie laughed in that infectious way of hers, a deep and reassuring sound. "Look, I gotta get back to my important meeting with Mr. Cold, Unmoving, and Lifeless, but I'll seeya soon. Hang in there until then, ya hear?" Though neither had stated nor asked, the intuitive medical worker had simply sensed that something wasn't right with her friend.
"'Bye," Kate replied succinctly, in better spirits than she had been previously. She was just about to press 'end', when she thought twice about it. "And Lanie?"
Distraction was in the other woman's voice. "Uh-huh?"
"Thanks."
"Anytime, girl." There was a definite softening to Lanie's tone.
Hanging up the phone, Kate slid it back into her pocket, and entered her apartment building. She smiled briefly at someone exiting the elevator, before deciding to take the stairs. With a couple of hours to kill before her evening plans, she was going to soak in a hot bath and try not to torment herself too much. I wonder what Rick is doing right now...
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A/N: Let me know what you guys think, please. Don't forget to watch Castle on ABC this coming week, it's gonna be an epic episode! I'm super-psyched for it.
