Chapter 3
A/N: Of course, just as I'm getting right into writing this story, inspiration strikes for another multi-chaptered story. I'm going to try and finish this story before I start writing another.
Anyway, sorry for the delays with this chapter. I had hoped to upload it sooner, but didn't have internet on my computer and uploading on my ipad last time was exceedingly tedious.
I put some comic book references (not too specific) in here, so I've made clarifications on these at the end.
Kate was dreading this class. It was the class she shared with Henry and he was the last person she wanted to see. In the end, she hadn't gone to watch the show with him, but stayed in her room, chatting to her parents for an hour. It was exactly what she needed. Plus, what was the point in going to watch a show that she didn't know and hadn't seen before with a bunch of fanatics? She was just going to be miserable anyway.
As she walked into the hall, she hoped that she would be able to get a seat before Henry arrived and could corner her about not visiting the other night. She kept her eyes trained at the front of the room as she walked down the steps and shuffled into the end of a row in the middle of the room. Just as she was placing her bag on the floor and was about to sit she heard her name.
"Kate, over here!" It was undoubtedly Henry. Great.
Kate grit her teeth, again hoisting her bag over her shoulders and standing straight. She turned and saw her friend waving madly from a few rows behind. "Henry!" She said, trying to mask her annoyance with faux enthusiasm. She suspected that it would be obvious to all. She had never been the best at disguising her true feelings, especially when they were negative. She begrudgingly made her way to the seat that was empty next to the young man. Taking a seat, she avoided his eyes, "hi".
"I've tried calling you," he said plainly, but slightly dejected.
"I've been busy," she said, looking down at her feet.
"Kate, if you didn't want to hang out, it's fine. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." Kate's heart sank. Henry was such a genuine person and he didn't sound mad or annoyed at all, but rather completely honest. That just made her feel worse.
"Henry -"
"Kate, I'm serious. I know this show probably isn't your thing anyw-"
"Henry, it's not that. I just needed to talk to my parents. I'll be there next week."
Kate could see the enthusiasm in Henry's eyes, but he stood his ground. "I don't want to force you. You're not into this sort of thing and I don't want you to feel bad for not being interested in it"
Kate met his eyes, realising she would have to tell him. "Henry, how familiar are you with Elektra?"
"Greek mythology, right?"
She sighed, realising she would have to explain herself. Kate quickly glanced around, hoping that too many people wouldn't overhear what she was about to say. "Yes, but no. I meant Elektra with a K, the comic book character. I've read pretty much everything in her canon, as well as anything in Batman's recent history. I have a favourite Batgirl, Barbara Gordon by the way. I cried over 'The Killing Joke'." She paused, taking a deep breath, "Henry, I'm a comic book fiend, so I'm sure I can handle a bit of sci-fi."
Kate watched as Henry's jaw dropped. "Uh, okay," he paused, unsure of what to say, "We're, uh, having a marathon on Sunday, if you wanted to watch from the start?"
"I'll be there," she said confidently, feeling her mouth creeping into a smile.
(~Always~)
"I'll have this right over to Black Pawn. Thanks Mr Castle!"
"No problem Tony," Rick said as he watched the bike messenger run down the stairs with the latest chapters of his book in hand. His deadline wasn't until tomorrow, but he had managed to finish writing sooner than he had expected. This wouldn't have been possible, of course, without his mothers babysitting assistance and, with Alexis off at the zoo for the day, he was able to finish writing by 1pm.
He practically skipped to his makeshift office, hastily shutting the front door behind him. He loved being a parent, but doing it on his own made is quite difficult to get time to himself. He had never been overly responsible and had always had many hobbies and interests, but between playing with Alexis during the day and writing at night, he didn't have time to indulge in them. Alexis wasn't due back with his mother for at least three hours and, had it been longer, he would have hurried off to the zoo to meet them. He decided against it, figuring that by the time he made it there and found the pair, it would be time to return home. He felt guilty for not spending the time with his daughter, but he couldn't help but feel a little glad of the fact that he had some time to himself that wasn't set aside for writing.
Rick grinned as he rolled on his office chair from the desk to his shelf, barely stopping in enough time to avoid a crash. His latest short box was on the bottom shelf, waiting for him consume the stories held within. He pulled off the lid, placing it on the ground and pulled out the large stack of comics he still had to read. Although he hadn't had the time to read his usual selections since Meredith's disappearing act, he made a point to stop by Comicadia for new comics each Wednesday, usually taking Alexis with him. There was a video store near the comic shop, so each Wednesday the pair would pick up his comics before heading two doors down, where Alexis would choose a movie for them to watch. Once at home, they'd watch the movie together as Rick bagged and boarded his new purchases to protect them. Occasionally, Alexis would look over his shoulder at the colourful pages, and Rick was always thankful that the less appropriate of his comics, like Batman, were filled with darker colours.
With Alexis out of the house for the reasonably foreseeable future, Rick could get a good start on his stack. He guessed that he had at least 50 books piled up, so he knew he wouldn't get through them all that day, but if he made a good start he might be done by Christmas, although he doubted it. First, of course, would be Batman, his favourite. Rick pulled the comic out of the sleeve and opened to the first page.
"Bruce Wayne, how I have missed you!" he whispered, before beginning to read.
I hope you like this addition to the story. All the comic references are accurate. I had to make Kate a fan of Batgirl because I see many similarities, especially between Barbara Gordon and Beckett, especially in the New 52. For those who aren't as familiar with Batgirl as I am, The Killing Joke was a Oneshot Batman published in 1988 and basically, the Joker shot Barbara Gordon, who was secretly Batgirl, and she became paralysed.
Also, writing this really made me miss comic books.
