This is actually story #2 but we'll move it when 01 is done.

Hell Hath No Fury

"Yeah!"

Jane shouted at her small TV as Kessel slapped the puck passed the Ranger's goalie in her small, cozy condo. She did a little victory dance and plopped down on the couch. Laughing, she reached for her cell phone and keyed up her rival in New York.

The phone rang and rang until she answered.

"Beckett."

"Hey girl." Jane gloated, "Did you just see that play?"

A deep sigh at the end of the phone followed by, "Nope. I missed it."

Jane Rizzoli went wide eyed at her friend's somber mood.

"Girl, you're missing the Rangers versus the Bruins game and you sound bummed out." She said in a tender tone, "You wanna tell me about it?"

Another sigh, "I caught a strange case, A city councilman wrapped in a rug and stuffed into a dumpster. Worse yet Castle is driving me crazy."

"Castle?" She asked. "New partner?"

"Oh Crap, I forgot to tell you." She sighed heavily, "I've been working with Richard Castle."

Jane scowled as she tried to recall the name. It took her a second until her eyes landed on the hard covered book her friend had lent her, Storm Front by Richard Castle.

Jane grinned, "You got to meet your favorite author. What happened?" She picked the book up and looked at the author's posed picture, He's kinda cute.

"I arrested him." She said nonchalantly.

Jane set her beer down and the book, her attention was focused on Kate now. "You arrested Castle, for what? Did he grab your ass or something?"

"I worked a case with him a couple of weeks ago. The killer posed the vic like in his book Flowers for Your Grave. So I had to interview him and work with him to solve it after another body turned up the same was as another book. It was fun for a while but since he's chummy with the mayor, he follows me around now doing research."

Jane groaned, "You got a civilian shadow now? Ugh. I'm sorry, hon. What kind of research is he doing?"

"He's researching my ass mostly but I got to admit, he knows his stuff. Just as I was ready to shut the door on that case he comes back with this wild idea about the story not making sense."

"What story?" Jane pinched her eyebrows together.

"He looks at the murder like it's a story that he's writing and he had a really good point so I looked it over again and it made sense so we got the guy and closed the case."

"Okay, go back to how one minute you're arresting him and the next he's stalking you and you haven't tazed him."

"He's not stalking me, Jane." She said. "When I leave the precinct for the day, he goes home to his daughter and his mother."

Jane's eyebrows shot to her hair line, "He lives with his mother."

"I guess she lives with him along with his sixteen year old daughter from a divorce."

"And the booking?"

"He asked for copies of the crime scene photos to show his writer pals he has a poker night with. Guys like Patterson and a few other mystery writers. Naturally I told him hell no and he came up with this big song and dance about apologizing for sticking his nose in and how he's been acting. Meanwhile he lifted the friggin pics right out of the file, right in front of me and I didn't see it until after he left. So I took a couple cops to his place and booked him. That's when he started telling me all about how we had the wrong guy."

"Ah! Ha Ha HA!" She laughed, "I can just see you kicking in your favorite author's front door, storming in like Gang Busters. 'Richard Castle, you are under arrest for stealing evidence."

"That's not what I charged him with but I ended up dropping the charges."

Her voice cracking as she hollered in her high voice, "Why'd you do that?! Interfering with a homicide investigation is a serious charge, Kate!"

"I know but he was right so I let him go." She started chuckling, "After his Mother and daughter bailed him out."

Jane laughed with her friend, "Oh, very nice work, Beckett."

"The thing is now he's following me around on all my cases and Montgomery is telling me that I have to call him when dispatch calls me."

"I thought you liked him." Jane said challengingly.

"As an author, but he's too good, Jane. He had me figured out in like ten minutes. He figured out why I became a cop. About my Mom's murder and how the killer was never caught."

Jane shook her head. Richard castle must be perceptive indeed if he could read her like that. It hand taken her and Kate, a year of friendship and two cases of beer before they told each other about why they became detectives. For an outsider to pick up on that, Jane sympathized with her friend.

"Plus he's actually kind of charming, in a childish antics way."

"Ooooohhhhh!" Jane stretched the words out. "So that's it. He's cute and you like him."

A snort from the other end, "There's the crazy bitch I know and love." Kate said sarcastically, "Glad to know your nut is still cracked."

"You love me and you know it." Jane said confidently, "So what are you going to do about the writer."

"To be honest there's not much I can do. I've been told to cooperate so I'm cooperating."

Jane nodded, "Yeah. Well you can always transfer to Boston. I'd love to have you here."

"Castle or no, I'm a New Yorker, Jane." She said sharply, "Just like I'll never convince you to come up here."

"Hey I was there two weeks ago." Jane barked.

"That was a good game wasn't it?"

"I never been to the Garden before, it was awesome." She started laughing again, "Especially when that guy got an attitude about my Bruins jersey."

She laughed as she sat back in her chair, "That was fun, especially when you stuck that Bruins #1 Foam finger in his chest. I thought I was going to die laughing." She sighed heavily and picked up her empty coffee cup from her desk. "Ugh."

"What's up?"

"I need Coffee and all I have is that swill that's been in the pot since 10 AM." She looked over towards the break room where the espresso machine Castle had bought sat, all shiny and inviting. "Okay, Remind me again why it's wrong to accept a gift from a civilian?"

"Tell me the circumstances."

"Castle hated the coffee here…"

"I hated the coffee there." Jane barked.

Kate rolled her eyes and continued, "So he went out and bought the unit one of those expensive coffee house espresso machines and gave it to us as a gratuity for letting him participate in our cases."

"Oh Man!" Jane shouted, "That's not Gratuity, it's a damn bribe from Satan himself."

"Yeah, well everyone from my unit and a hand full of guys from the precinct have already tried it and I refused to be swayed by the promise of sweet caffeinated heaven."

"You are a woman of principles and that's why I love you, hon."

"I know." She stifled a yawn, "I guess I'm going to have to brew a fresh pot of mud."

"Well," Jane said coyly, "It's after Nine, I doubt there's any one around, sneak in and make yourself a cup and don't tell anyone."

"Jane!" Kate barked in utter disbelief, "Did you just miss the whole conversation we just had?"

"Honey, I know you," Jane said with a smile that Kate could hear, "I know that voice, you're going to be at this case all night. You need coffee and that turpentine in your break room barely qualifies. I've had it remember? Knowing you you've already made a show of refusing it so you kinda can't back down. So either head down to Morning Joe or make sure no one sees you using the machine."

"I'm not going to do it, Jane." She said defensively. "It's not right and I'm not going to cave on this."

She could here Jane snickering, "You'll be over there by 9:30." Kate heard a knock on Jane's end of the line. "Hold on." Kate heard some shuffling from the phone and then, "Here's twenty five, keep the change."

Kate smiled, she knew her friend, too. "Meat lovers thick crust?"

"Chicago style," Jane said with a satisfied groan, "I'm gonna be eating this all weekend."

She shook her head, "No you'll eat three quarters of it tonight and the rest for breakfast."

"Probably," She cursed, "Ranger's scored."

"What's the count?"

"3-2, Rangers in the first with six to go."

"Well because I don't want you pressed to my ear while you're chewing, I'll give you a call tonight."

"Hey now." Jane whined, "Your gonna call me from the tub, aren't you?"

"Probably," Kate laughed at Jane's awkwardness. "First, it's not like you haven't seen me naked. Second, you won't be able to see me 'cause you're on the phone. Third, I like hanging out with you when I'm relaxed."

"Ugh, okay. Fine." She said with her mouth full, "But I'm not going to hang with you while you're in my tub next month when you come visit, it's just… awkward."

"That's okay," Kate said and turned her smile into a wry grin, "I wouldn't want you to see me soapy and wet and naked. I'd ruin you for every man in the world."

"That's so not even funny." Jane said.

Kate laughed, "I'll call you from home. Bye."

"Later." The phone clicked and Beckett sat her phone down on her desk and looked at the computer screen again. She tried to focus on the case and reached for her coffee cup. She sighed as she remembered it was empty and withdrew her hand.

She ran her hand through her hair at the thought of that crap in the breakroom when Jane's words began to spin around in her mind.

"I doubt there's any one around, sneak in and make yourself a cup and don't tell anyone."

She subtly looked around and seeing no one around, she smiled inwardly to herself at the thought of rich, steamy velvet running down her throat. She stood up and grabbed her cup, she'd need two of those small ones in the break room to fill her favorite mug.

She quickly set up the machine and pressed the button. It made a satisfying hiss as it poured coffe into the small cup. The scent of pure Columbian coffee rose up to her face, and she savored the warm sensation and inhaled deeply.

She took the cup in hand to dump it in her mug.

"Hi."

She jumped at the sound of Castle's voice suddenly beside her. Her hand jerked, dumping the brew all down the front of the machine.

"Hi." She said, startled beyond description.

He never said a word about the coffee, just looked at her with that serious expression that she had learned meant he was on to something. "I've got something you should see."

"Okay." She said, still shaken by his sudden appearance.

He nodded and left as quickly as he came.

She sighed heavily as she looked at the mess she had made and cursed herself for getting busted.

Screw it, she thought as she reset the machine and wiped it down with paper towel. She had already been caught so she might as well enjoy the damn coffee while she suffered the indignity of facing him. Once her cup was full she headed off to find Castle, angry at herself for this and determined to take it out on him.