CHAPTER THREE
Can anyone find the Dr. Horrible reference in here? Also, thank you so much for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! They motivate me to write more
"You got slugged by a girl?" Lainey's question was squeezed between bursts of laughter.
"Well it wasn't like I was gonna hit back! She cornered me! And she's just a kid! I was NOT going to…" Castle trailed off arguing with the M.E. bandaging up his nose when he saw Kate walk in, suppressing a grin.
"Aw, little Ricky get beat up on the playground?" The detective's voice echoed in the tiled room as she approached Castle, a smile plastered across her face.
"Afternoon, detective. Glad to see you're in a better mood. I suppose that macchiato had the desired effect?" The writer did his best to grin at her, but winced as the movement stretched his sore nose.
"Well, the coffee helped, but what's really perking me up is the sight of you finally getting what was coming to you," Beckett said, leaning in to get a closer look at his injuries. "That girl finally did what I've been wanting to for years."
Taking advantage of the detective's close proximity, Castle leaned even closer to her face and dropped his voice slightly, "You know what I've wanted to do for years?" He asked quietly, arching an eyebrow.
Beckett's eyes widened and she quickly popped straight up, far away from the writer's beckoning expression. The memory of their kiss was still very fresh, and often visited, in the detective's mind, but she was making a point never to directly address it. Or its potential implications.
Sensing the moment had passed, Castle cleared his throat and snuck a glance at a curious Lainey who was grinning with her arms folded across her chest, watching the little scene unfold. "Now, don't be so smug, detective, what if I actually had been seriously hurt? Then how would you feel about making fun of me?"
Beckett laughed, leaning back against a nearby table. "Well, I probably would make fun of you for getting beat up by a girl regardless of the extent of your injuries. But I called Ryan to see where you two were on your back and he told me what had happened. He said you were fine."
"Aw, detective, I didn't know you cared," Castle flirted, wincing once more as Lainey resumed dressing his injury. "Ooh, maybe a little gentler, Lainey?"
"Oh, yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" The M.E. said sarcastically, finishing up her taping and giving Castle's face a quick once-over as Beckett laughed and walked out of the room.
As soon as she was gone, Lainey leaned in close to Castle's face and dropped her voice to a whisper. "And don't you dare think, Richard Castle, that I don't know that something happened between you two. Because I know. I don't know what you did, or what she did, or when you did it, but I know something's changed."
Castle swallowed, eyes widened slightly out of intimidation. "But how-"
"And I am here to tell you that if you ever wanted to have a shot with her, this is it. I don't know how you did it, but she seems to have relaxed around you and I think she's actually considering it."
Right as Castle opened his mouth to inquire further, the door swung open and Esposito walked in. "Hey, babe…"
He cut himself short immediately, seeing Castle in the room. Lainey quickly stood up and backed away from the writer. "Babe?" She asked, laughing nervously, shooting a look at Castle. "Who are you callin' babe?"
Esposito's eyebrows shot up, nervously rubbing the back of his neck and looking from Castle to Lainey and back again. "No, I didn't say… I was just… Uh... Hey, Castle, I hear you were hit by a girl!"
"So what's the story here?" Beckett asked Castle when he joined her back at her desk, face covered in tape.
He turned to look at Ryan escorting Rebecca down the hall in handcuffs. "It was the strangest thi– ow! It hurts to talk! What did Lainey do?" Castle responded, grabbing his nose midsentence. "I can't talk without pulling the tape…" He started peeling it off, fidgeting and adjusting. "Ow! I… But… Ow!" He kept muttering, rifling around in her drawers for a mirror as he kept messing with his injury. He began peeling off all the bandages and tape the M.E. had secured on his face, leaving his nose red and swollen.
Beckett rolled her eyes, returning her attention to Ryan and the girl, who seemed to have caught a glimpse of Beckett as she made her way through the station and was now staring intently at the detective. "Wow… She certainly is creepy, huh?" Kate muttered under her breath to Castle, who turned his attention away from his reflection and back toward the girl.
"Yeah, creepy's right." He agreed, also speaking quietly. "She was staring at me like that just about the entire time we were down there. Just staring at me, neither one of us saying anything, when all of a sudden she up and slugged me." He shrugged, "Maybe you shouldn't look at her. Wouldn't want to get slugged, too." He rubbed his face where bright pink lines were forming where the tape had been. "Wouldn't want to give Lainey the chance to devise some weird torture for you, too."
"Hmm…" Beckett murmured, not looking away from the girl's stare.
Slowly, the detective rose and walked towards the girl, never breaking eye contact. Castle looked up, surprised Beckett was taking such an interest in the girl. He quickly followed her.
The girl's eyes widened as she saw Castle and Kate approach her together, but as soon as the pair was within hearing range, her face snapped into a huge smile. "Kate! Oh, Kate! It is so good to see you!" The girl cried, moving her shoulders as they she intended to hug Beckett, then struggling as she realized she was still in cuffs. "Oh, it's been too long! You look great! How are you?"
Castle and Ryan exchanged alarmed glances over the girl's head as Kate walked a bit closer. "I'm sorry, have we met?"
Rebecca's face turned at first to shock, then outrage, then back to joyful again. "Oh, Katie, you're such a kidder! We just saw each other last week!"
Beckett's face remained unchanged from its cynical expression. "Oh, that's right," she said. "Yeah, last week." She laughed, casually leaning against the wall with her hands in her pockets, acting completely at ease. "Man, that was a good time."
Rebecca nodded, laughing along with Beckett. "Katie and I do our laundry at the same place." She explained to Castle and Ryan. "We were both there Wednesday and Saturday, of last week. Except this week you skipped!" The girl said, turning back to Kate. "What's up with that?" She asked, half jesting and half accusatory.
"Aw, well, that's Castle's fault," the detective said, not missing a beat. She motioned over to the writer, "He surprised me with dinner." She glanced over at Castle, "And he had tried so hard, I couldn't turn him down… No matter how bad it tasted."
"Hey!" Castle protested, but Ryan put a hand on his arm, calming him. Clearly Beckett was working an angle on the girl and he wanted to see how it turned out.
"Oh!" Rebecca responded, eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, well I hadn't realized you two… Kate, I am so sorry! If I had known he was your boyfriend, I never would have hit him!"
Castle cleared his throat, waiting for his apology. The girl turned, eahring him. "Oh, where are my manners?" She asked, smiling in embarrassment. "I'm Rebecca Summers. And you are Castle, is that correct? What an unusual name?"
"Uh, it's my last name, actually." He said, looking at Kate over Rebecca's shoulder, who was currently in the midst of a silent argument with Ryan. "I'm Rick. Rick Castle."
The girl scrunched her face in concentration, "Rick… Castle…" She said quietly. "That just sounds so familiar!"
Castle, unable to let a chance to brag go by, jumped on the opportunity. "I'm a writer."
"Oh! Anything I may have heard of?" Rebecca asked brightly.
"Uhh…" Castle stalled, confused. He glanced at Beckett, who's face matched his. Surely this girl, who seemed to have convinced herself she and Beckett were best friends, would have known about the pair's connection. Kate nodded, indicating he should continue. "Well, the Derek Storm series, for one." He started, pausing for a reaction from the girl. Her face remained blank. "And I'm currently working on my Nikki Heat series – the latest one is called 'Naked Heat,' just about to come out in paperback."
Rebecca pursed her lips, "I'm sorry, I don't think I've heard of any of those. They sound very interesting though!"
Ryan, Castle, and Beckett looked at the girl, shocked. Beckett resumed her composure first, "Yes, well, it was great to see you again. But I'm afraid I have to get back to work."
"Oh of course," Rebecca replied, "I'm sorry to take you away – I was just so excited to see you!"
Beckett nodded and turned to return to her desk. Castle followed, shooting the creepy girl one final inquisitive look.
