Now with cover art, thanks to Angie!
Also, thank you so much to everyone who has read & reviewed so far. I always appreciate hearing your thoughts and feedback, so please keep sending them my way. I'm so glad there are so many of you out there still who are keeping this fandom alive!
Chapter 3
When Kate returned to the precinct the next afternoon following a morning of meetings, there was a small crowd gathered around the break room. At the center of the crowd stood Castle, two men she didn't recognize, and an oversized box.
Kate groaned. What was he up to now?
"Hey, Captain Beckett," Castle greeted eagerly as she appeared in the doorway. "I was just showing everyone the espresso machine I bought. Thought I'd give you guys something better than this stuff," he thumbed over his shoulder, "which tastes like monkey pee in battery acid."
She narrowed her eyes. She wasn't even going to ask how he knew what battery acid or monkey pee tasted like. No, the more pressing issue was the espresso machine.
"Alright, back to work," Kate announced to the crowd, flapping her hands toward the break room door and the people began to scatter. "And you," she whirled back around, "You're here for research, not as an interior designer."
"I wasn't…I just…consider it my way of saying thanks."
Right.
More like his way of saying your coffee sucks but mine is so much better so let's do it my way instead.
Castle turned to the two unfamiliar men, both of whom were donning delivery company shirts. One held a clipboard and the other a giant wheeled cart. "Set up is included, right, because I don't know how…" he motioned to the machine.
They nodded.
"Great," he enthused before turning back to Kate. "You're gonna love it. I promise."
Somehow she doubted that.
The bullpen was dark, deserted. The sun had long since set over Manhattan, the city now bathed in a dizzying kaleidoscope of moonlight, headlights, and neon. But from her office window, Kate could see none of it.
She sighed, dropped her head into her hands. It was late and she should really head out, but she wasn't particularly looking forward to going home to a cold, empty apartment.
With another sigh, Kate reached for her coffee mug, found it empty.
Crap.
She really should leave.
On the other hand…
Kate peered through the slats in the blinds, found the bullpen empty save for a couple of officers in the far corner filing paperwork. Making a snap decision, she grabbed her mug and made her way to the break room, careful to make sure that no one saw her.
The espresso machine was obscenely fancy and needlessly complex. Of course. She squinted her eyes, reading the labels for each of the buttons and trying to figure out where to start. Eventually she was able to make some sense of it, reached for a mug and set it beneath the spigot. She pressed the 'espresso' button and watched with a small smile as the hot liquid flowed into the cup, swirling against the porcelain as steam twirled into the air. Foamy and delicious.
The automatic flow turned off and Kate was just reaching for the cup when a voice spoke from behind her.
"Hi."
Her hand jerked in surprise, causing the coffee to spill into the overflow area. And all over her hand.
"Ow, ow, hot," she hissed, reaching for a napkin to wipe away the liquid and then crossing to the sink to grab a stack of paper towels.
"You okay?" Castle asked, hastening after her.
"Fine," Kate answered sharply. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving you from third degree burns, from the looks of it."
She bit back a terse reply, busied herself with wiping up the spilled coffee.
Stupid machine.
"Here, let me," Castle offered, stepping in and taking over without waiting for her acquiescence. He moved as though using the espresso machine was second nature. Then again, it probably was. He probably had one at his house. It certainly fit his apparent penchant for excess.
Kate finished wiping up the spill, threw away the paper towels, and turned around to find Castle extending a freshly brewed cup of espresso in her direction. "Here you are."
Reluctantly, she allowed him to pass it over. "Thanks."
He offered a small smile in return. "Always happy to assist the city's finest with their caffeine needs."
Kate suppressed a groan.
"This um, female detective of yours," she began, "exactly how much will she be based on me?"
"Well, she's not too bright and kinda slutty," the author answered without missing a beat.
"Castle."
"I had to."
She folded her free arm across her chest, tucking her hand beneath her other arm that still held her coffee. Annoying jackass.
"Honestly, you're not gonna have anything to be embarrassed about," Castle assured her, busying himself with retrieving a mug for himself, dispensing another shot of espresso. "She's gonna be really smart. Very savvy. Haunting good looks. Really good at her job."
Much to her disdain, Kate found herself suppressing a smile.
"And kinda slutty."
And there it went.
"Castle."
"Kidding."
At least he hadn't mentioned the fact that he'd caught her trying to use the espresso machine. Small favors, she supposed.
"Kidding." Castle repeated. "She's is a good, strong character. You're gonna love her. Kinda like the reporter that's following her around for research and ends up falling for her."
Her head snapped up. "What?"
He offered a pleased smile around a drink of coffee. "You know, the fictional version of me."
Oh no.
No no no no no.
He was not writing a book about both of them.
"Let me get this straight," she began deliberately. "This book you're writing is about the fictional version of you hanging around with the fictional version of me for research?"
He grinned around the rim of his NYPD coffee mug. "Isn't it great?"
"And fictional you falls in love with fictional me?"
"Smart, savvy, sexy detective? How can Rook not fall in love with her?"
Kate raised an eyebrow, disapproval growing as the conversation progressed. "Rook?"
"Jameson Rook," he confirmed. "The reporter."
"Rook. Like the chess piece? The one that's shaped like a castle?"
"You catch on quick."
"Because it's a terribly egotistical name."
"Some might call it creative."
"I cringe to know what the fictional version of me is named."
"Ah." Castle nodded but didn't offer more.
Oh no.
"What?"
He shrugged, indulged in a long sip of espresso. "Nothing."
"Castle."
"Her name's Nikki," he responded.
Kate took a step forward. "Nikki what?"
"I…haven't decided yet," Castle answered, far too timidly to be telling the truth.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Heat…?"
Her coffee mug hit the counter with a clunk, the top layer of the hot, dark liquid sloshing over the edge. "Nikki Heat? What the hell kind of a name is that?"
"A catchy one," Castle defended.
Kate crossed her other arm across her chest, linking them together in anger. "It's a stripper name."
"Well, I told you she was kinda slutty."
"Change it, Castle."
"Wait, wait, hold on," he held up a hand, "think about the titles. Summer Heat. Heat Wave. In Heat."
"Change the name."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Castle."
"I have artistic integrity to uphold."
"Artistic integrity?" she advanced and he took a step back, found himself backed into the counter. "Change the name, Castle."
"No." He held firm.
"Castle."
From over Kate's shoulder, a throat cleared, and she jerked in surprise, turned to find a rather amused L.T. watching them.
"Am I interrupting?" he asked.
"No."
"Yes."
She whirled around, leveled the author with a glare. "Castle."
God. He never ceased to irritate her.
Kate huffed a frustrated sigh, grabbed what remained of her espresso, and stalked out of the room.
Clearly, she wasn't going to win this one.
Thoughts?