"Mr. Castle."
He swiftly turns around in his spot, plasters on his million dollar smile ready to greet the next fan. He doesn't mind the fame most of the time. It comes with the territory of being a handsome, talented author. Yes, he is slightly vain.
"Where would you like it?" he asks. His pen already poised, ready to sign whatever surface that's presented to him this time.
"Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. We need to ask you a few questions about a murder that took place earlier tonight." She holds up her badge for him to see, but he's already struck by the woman before him. She hits him like a ton of bricks.
He's completely enamored by her.
His mind doesn't comprehend a word she has said; her voice is not what resonates with him, but her presence does. A familiar presence that his entire being was drawn to many years ago and just like that, he gets a flicker of the long forgotten feeling, a blurry memory he can't place.
There's just something about her.
He quickly studies her; her rigid frame which just screams "I dare you to try and mess with me". The soft lines of her features - ghosts of maybe a happier time. Then there's the confidence that reverberates off of her; or maybe a better word to describe it would be strength. It surrounds her. It can be seen in her movements, the steadiness of her stance, the grip she has on her badge, how her lips fall together after she is finished speaking.
His sight reaches her eyes, but they're closed off. She's focused, determined. But there's also a sadness there that probably never leaves, the feeling she latches onto, to get through each day; perhaps what she draws strength from.
His mind is spinning, he knows her from somewhere. A subconscious recognition of a young woman he laid eyes on for only a few seconds. He just can't pinpoint how, or from when.
She's standing before him waiting for him to comply, and he feels the familiar fascination of a story that needs to be uncovered, the intrigue that she quite possibly sparked in him many years ago, something that was just ignited again.
Maybe it's his mind playing tricks on him, or maybe…just maybe this is the second push he needed to stick around long enough to understand why the universe has brought them together (again).
There's always a story.
A/N: Thanks for your patience, this week has been pretty hectic at work. I know this one is short, but it's always been my headcanon that Castle subconsciously recognized Beckett from long ago when they first met in the Pilot.
Again, thank you all for your feedback and coming back to read!