Shout out to Claire63 for picking up on the slight Dr Quinn reference. I always have trouble coming up with last names of insignificant characters, so I always look around the room I am in. Dr Quinn was on tv, yeah for reruns!
Thanks Lewis in NC for being my Beta on this project
Bachelor Auction
By
Natalie Elizabeth
Beckett got out of the cab and hastily made her way over to the entrance of the school. She was late. The auction was set to start at 6:30 and it was already 6:45. She had done as Lanie asked; she had gone home and slept. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to set her alarm. Waking up late, she quickly showered and changed before heading to an ATM. There was a withdrawal limit, so she had to call Lanie. Thankfully, Lanie was hooking up with Espo, so Beckett was able to transfer money to both of them. They were then able to withdrawal the money for her. All of this running around led to her being even later. Beckett followed the directions down the hall of the school until she came across two girls sitting at a table in front of an open doorway.
"Hi, is it too late for the auction?" She hoped not. Otherwise she might have a fight on her hands. The way she was feeling she was not above hair pulling.
The girls looked at her. "Well, we've already started. But there are still a few men left."
Beckett bit her lip. "Has Richard Castle been auctioned off yet?"
The girl on the left frowned. "Who?"
The girl on the right patted her friends arm. "Oh, he's the guy who saw us doing stunts the other day when we were trying to raise money. You know, the old guy."
Beckett tried to hold her laughter in. She wondered what Castle would think if he realized these school girls thought he was old.
"Oh yeah, that guy."
"So, has he been auctioned off yet?" Beckett asked, worried the girls' banter could be delaying her from her future.
"Nope. He's supposed to go on last because he was a last minute addition."
Beckett smiled. He was still up for grabs and she had made her decision that she wanted to grab him—all over!
"So how much is it to get in, and how does it work?"
"$15. There are refreshments out, and more will come out afterwards so people can mingle with the bachelors they didn't win. We give you a ping pong paddle and you raise it when you want to bid on your man. We just need you to sign in—some sort of legal thing apparently."
Beckett looked at the ping pong paddle that was covered with shiny paper. It had a number in the center and had the words 'I want you' around the outer edge. Beckett gritted her teeth. Well it was true. Opening up her purse, she took out the required money and handed it to the girls. She wrote her name on the sheet and took her paddle.
"Good luck."
Beckett walked into the room where the auction was being held. A small stage had been erected with a big black curtain where she assumed the other bachelors were waiting. One piece of meat was being auctioned off to the hungry wolves at the moment. There were a large amount of filled seats along with many people standing at the back, some eating, others bidding. Beckett looked over the crowd and was glad when she didn't see anyone from the precinct. She had been vigilant about collecting all the flyers Castle had handed out.
"Detective Beckett, what are you doing here?"
Beckett froze when she heard a familiar voice. She turned to see Martha.
"Martha, hello."
Martha engulfed her in a hug and Beckett relaxed into it. She really needed that hug.
"Did Richard ask you to come?"
Beckett reluctantly extracted herself from the hug.
"No, in fact he avoided me. Martha what is going on?"
Martha simply shrugged at her. "What do you mean, Detective?"
The anger Beckett had felt earlier was returning. "Oh come on, Martha. Normally you have to drag Castle kicking and screaming to one of these events. Now he's volunteering. Something is going on with him."
"You noticed?"
Beckett sighed. "Of course I noticed. He has gone back to his old ways. He's barely at the precinct, and when he is there, he's acting like an ass."
A curious smile broke out on Martha's face. "Why do you even care, Detective?"
Beckett gulped. "Why would I care? Martha, he's my friend, and I'm worried he's going to do something stupid."
"And that's all it is."
Beckett opened her mouth but was caught off guard. "Umm . . . well, yes. He said he was here to look for love. I don't want some woman to take advantage of him when he's not thinking straight."
Martha shook her head. "Don't worry. Alexis and I are here to bid on him in case some blood sucker goes after him."
Beckett nodded her head. Okay, so Martha and Alexis had this. They wouldn't let Castle go home with a blood sucker. She looked around the room and saw quite a few nice normal looking people.
"But if the woman isn't a blood sucker?" she tentatively asked.
Martha shrugged. "Well, I want my son to be happy. You can go, Detective. We have this."
Martha tried to walk off but Beckett grabbed her hand. "No, Martha, wait!"
Beckett released Martha's hand when she realized she had almost man-handled Castle's mother.
"Yes?" Martha asked, rather amused.
Beckett took a deep breath. What did she do? What did she say? She had just had this conversation with Lanie only hours before.
"Kate, dear, why are you here?"
Licking her lips, Beckett took another deep breath. "Castle is here to look for love. I came to tell him he can stop looking."
Beckett held her breath waiting for any reaction from Martha. Eventually the woman smiled and pulled her back into a hug. Beckett smiled and hugged Martha back. It was a good sign. She had Castle's mother's support. It felt so good to be hugged by this woman, but what she really wanted to do now was hug her son.
"Next up on the auctioneer's block . . . Mr Sully. He's the English teacher at the school. He's in his late 50's, but still has a lot of good miles on him."
"Oh, that's the one I was interested in."
Beckett stood there shocked as Martha turned away from her and held up her paddle.
"$50," the older, red-haired woman yelled ou..
"Gram, what are you doing? You're supposed to bid on Dad. He's worried because he saw that officer from robbery who keeps trying to touch his butt."
Martha waved Alexis off. "Oh, don't worry, dear. Detective Beckett is here."
Beckett watched as Alexis looked around until she spotted her.
"Hello, Alexis."
"Why are you here, Detective?" Alexis sneered at her.
Beckett cleared her throat. She had dealt with one member of Castle's family. Now it was time to deal with the other.
"I'm here to bid on your father."
Alexis rolled her eyes. "Why? You don't want him. Oh I get it; you don't want anyone else to have him either. Are you worried he won't be chasing after you like a little puppy?"
"No."
"Then what?" she practically yelled.
Beckett looked around nervously as a few people turned to look at them. She took a few steps back and moved over to an empty area in the corner, ushering Alexis to follow her.
"Alexis, I don't know what your problem is with me but—"
"My problem is the way you treat my dad. He loves you so much and you use that against him."
Beckett was shocked by this. "What? No, Alexis, you've got it wrong."
"Have I?" the young woman asked. "Well, what do you call stringing him along then?"
Beckett shook her head. "I haven't been stringing him along."
"You have," Alexis ground out. "You led him to believe that he had a chance to be with you. You lied."
"No, I didn't," Beckett insisted.
"Yes, you did. You heard my dad say he loved you and you lied about it."
Beckett gasped and her eyes narrowed. "How do you know about that?"
"Dad told me. I wanted to know why he was so miserable and he eventually told me. You told him you didn't remember anything from the shooting but you remember every single second. You remember Dad holding you, desperately pleading with you to stay with him. You remember him saying he loved you and you lied about it. You told a suspect, but you lied to my father."
Tears started to appear in Beckett's eyes at the emotion Alexis was showing for her father. Castle knew. Castle knew she had heard him. Castle had heard her interrogation. Oh no. Beckett felt as if her world was crumbling.
"I didn't mean for him to find out that way, Alexis."
"You mean you didn't mean for him to find out at all."
Beckett shook her head. "No, Alexis. I wanted to tell him. I was waiting until I was ready."
"Ready for what?"
"Ready to be the person your father needs."
Alexis frowned at her. "What do you mean?"
"I've been going to therapy."
"Therapy?" Alexis asked.
Beckett nodded. "I wasn't as strong as I thought I was."
Alexis scoffed. "Yeah, like I'm really supposed to believe that."
Beckett sighed. "I'll prove to it you." Beckett reached into her bag. She pulled out her purse and it snagged on the straps, falling from her grasp. The purse dropped to the groud and burst open. Beckett shook her head; she wasn't normally that clumsy. She bent down to pick it up and gather up a few of her cards and cash that had spilled out.
"That's a lot of cash to be carrying around."
Beckett looked up at Alexis as she shoved the items back in her purse.
"Well, I needed it to bid on your father."
Beckett stood up and pulled out her appointment card and showed it to Alexis. Alexis looked at the card, turned it over and then handed it back, an unamused expression on her face.
"How much did you get out?"
Beckett tidied her purse before putting it back in her bag.
"2000. I had to get Lanie and Esposito to withdraw some for me to get that much out in one hit."
Alexis raised her brows. "That's a lot of money to bid on my dad."
Beckett shrugged. "Well, I needed to win."
"It's not like the person who wins is going to marry him."
Beckett shrugged. "Well, this is my grand gesture."
"Grand gesture?" Alexis asked.
"The grand, romantic gesture. You know, like in the movies. The woman chases all over the city looking for her man, when she really could have waited for him at his home or just texted him. Well, this is my grand gesture."
"Do you think dad is going to be impressed with you spending $2000 on him?"
Beckett shrugged. "It's a start."
"So what made you decide to go to therapy? The Beckett I know would never admit she was weak."
Beckett grimaced. She hated being referred to as weak but Alexis was right. The old Beckett wouldn't have.
"Your father is what made me go to therapy. Before I got shot, we got into a fight. He told me I kept dating men I didn't love, and he was right. When he told me he loved me, it scared me. I know I come across as bad-ass Beckett, but I cry and bleed just like everyone else. Everyone who has loved me has ended up hurting or leaving me, and I couldn't go through that pain again."
"But Dad wouldn't hurt you. He wouldn't leave you. You're the one who left him."
Beckett nodded. "I know I did. I run before they can hurt me. The truth is I got hurt by others and I was partly to blame. I was so scared to get hurt that I closed my heart off to love. I ended up pushing people away because of it. Getting shot made me realize that I couldn't do it anymore. Life was too short. I broke up with Josh and went to my father's cabin to recover—to heal. I thought I could fix myself, but I was wrong.
Beckett raked her hand through her hair as the memories flooded back. She took a few deep breaths trying to calm her self.
"The First suspect I chase after and I freeze when he pulls a gun on me. The second time it happened, your father coaxed me through it. He was right there beside me like he always is. I knew then that I needed help to become the woman your father deserves. He needs someone who can be open and honest with him—someone who is willing to share herself. I didn't think it would take me this long, but I know I'm a different person than I was six months ago. I still feel like I need time but it's obvious I can't expect your father to wait forever. He said he was starting to feel unloved. I hope me coming here tonight changes that."
"So you love my father."
Beckett smiled at Alexis. "I think he should hear that confession before anyone else does."
"Do you think he wants to hear it?"
"I have to try."
"Even if it means wasting $2000."
Beckett shrugged. "The money doesn't matter. Castle does."
Alexis looked her over before walking off. Beckett hung her head down in defeat. She knew it was going to be tough facing Castle; she just didn't think it would be this one. Beckett watched as Alexis walked over to Martha who was currently bidding on a much younger man. Obviously, during her talk with Alexis, the previous bachelor had been auctioned off. It wasn't deterring Martha however, as she kept raising her paddle. Alexis unwound the scarf from Martha's neck. She then turned and walked towards her.
"Here."
Alexis placed the scarf over her hair and then wound it around her neck.
"What are you doing?" Beckett questioned.
"Do you have sunglasses?"
Beckett shook her head. "No."
Alexis opened her bag and retrieved a pair.
"Put these on."
Beckett did what she was told but was confused.
"Why?"
Alexis sighed. "Because Dad is still really upset about everything. If he sees you bidding on him he's likely to walk out. We need to disguise you and find a seat where he can't see you properly. Come on."
Alexis walked back over to the seated area and Beckett hurried after to her. Finding a seat off in a corner, Beckett sat and then checked out her view. She could barely see the stage from the angle but she was sure the auctioneer would be able to see her paddle.
"Stay low and disguise your voice if you need to yell out. The trick is to wait until the last minute to bid, okay?"
Beckett nodded. She had done undercover work before, but she listened to everything Alexis had to offer her.
"Thank you."
Alexis turned to look at her. The girl seemed a little angry still. "Detective Beckett, you've made my father sadder than I've ever seen him. You've also made him happier than any other woman he's been with. If you make him happy, then I am happy. If you make him sad, then we have a problem."
Beckett nodded.
"I'll go over to the other side to try to distract Dad, okay?"
Beckett nodded; it was a good plan. No doubt Castle would look for his daughter or mother in the crowd. The farther away Alexis was from her, the better.
"Woohoooo!"
Beckett turned to see Martha striding towards the stage, waving her paddle in the air.
Beckett bit her lip and looked over to Alexis and watched as the poor girl covered her face. Martha was making a bit of a scene, although everyone seemed to be enjoying it. Especially the 45-year-old man Martha had quickly claimed after she had thrown money on the table. The kiss was something that even had Beckett turning her head in embarrassment.
"Okay, ladies. There has been a change in our schedule. Our next bachelor was running late and has just gotten here, so we're going to give him a few minutes to freshen up before we offer him to you ladies or gentlemen . Not to worry, we have one more bachelor left. He's a mystery writer who has kindly donated his time for this cause. Please welcome Richard Castle."
Beckett's breath caught at the sound of his name. She watched as he walked out on the stage and threw the crowd a smile. She ducked behind the person in front of her just as he turned his gaze towards her. After a few seconds she sat back up again and watched Castle strut around on the small stage. He was being his usual, jovial self, but she could tell there was something different about him. Even from the distance, and with Alexis's sunglasses on, she could see his smile was restricted to his mouth. Normally when he was happy she could see it in his eyes too. They really were the windows to the soul, and from the look of it, his soul was bleeding.
"Okay, we will start the bidding at $20."
"$50!"
Beckett turned to see who had placed a bid. Damn it. It was that officer from robbery. On more than one occasion Beckett had to create a distraction in order to get her away from Castle. Well, Beckett wasn't about to let her steal her man. She went to raise her paddle but caught a look from Alexis. No, that wasn't the plan.
"$60"
"$80"
"$100"
Beckett's head whipped around as the price for Castle skyrocketed in a matter of seconds. She gripped her paddle tight and pressed her arm hard against her hip in an attempt not to raise it. The price increased rather quickly, and he was creating quite a bit of interest. He was already beating all of the other bachelors, and the action wasn't over yet. The price was still within reach, and Beckett was glad this wasn't a celebrity auction. Otherwise, she would have no hope.
"The highest bid is $400," The auctioneer announced. "Do I hear $420?"
Beckett bit her lip and looked around. No one else was raising their paddle and the robbery officer was looking very pleased with herself.
"That's $400 going once."
Beckett looked at Alexis who nodded at her.
"$400 going twice."
"500," Beckett yelled out in a high-pitched voice, thrusting her paddle into the air.
Her bid had everyone in the room turning to look at her. Beckett suddenly felt insecure, which was unusual for her. She stared down killers for a living; this was just a bunch of desperate women. Although thinking about it, she would rather stare down killers.
"Okay, we have a bid for $500. Do I hear $520"
Beckett almost raised her paddle again until she realized it was her bid that was the highest at the moment
"550."
Oh no. If that's the way she was going to play it, Beckett was ready.
"$700," Beckett yelled out this time, standing.
"$725," Officer 'Robbery' said meekly, but standing up too, as if her height would give more weight than her measly $25 raise.
Beckett turned to look at the officer, glad for the disguise. She held her paddle proudly in the air as if she were Lady Liberty, and honestly it did feel liberating.
"$1000."
The crowd collectively gasped. Beckett raised her brows at her opponent willing her to beat that price. The officer looked pained before she sat down in defeat. Beckett smiled in triumph.
"That's $1000 going once."
Beckett looked over the room daring anyone else to challenge her.
"$1000 going twice."
Beckett bit her lip. She was so close.
"Sold to the lucky, mysterious lady. Come up and claim your prize."
Authors Note: Thank you to all those who reviewed, Fav'ed, Alerted. Wow was not expecting that response. Simply fantastic
Now get me through Easter with my insane family by reviewing again
Next on the third and final chapter for Bachelor Auction
"Castle you are interpreting me wrong. I didn't lie because I don't feel the same. I lied because I do."
Castle stared at her for a few seconds before closing his eyes and shaking his head.
"I' m sorry. What?"
Come on review , you know you want to.
