The Eight Deaths of Richard Castle
A/N: So... Thank you for the awesome reviews and for giving me the benefit of the doubt by coming back and reading some more. If you are new to this story then welcome! This is the second to last chapter, but have no fear the next in the series The Seven Sins of Two Women will be up soon... and by soon, I mean after my 3 research papers, two test, & two presentations are done and I get my sanity back. yay. Anyway, I make no promises until then, but who knows, I may decide writing is more important than sleep.
Anyway, here is chapter 4, I wasn't too sure about this chapter, but I couldn't think of another way to make it go. So, please let me know what you think! Remember, reviews are love. :)
Chapter 4
"Not that I am complaining, Kate, because I told you when we broke up that if you ever needed anything that I would be here for you. I meant that. But we haven't even spoken in almost a year and you just showed up on my doorstep in the middle of the night. So, what's going on?"
Kate looked up from her place on the couch as Josh walked back into the living room, now dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. His bare feet padded over to sit in a black leather chair that sat perpendicular to the couch. The chair reminded her of the one in Castle's office, the one where she would curl up and read while he typed furiously on his laptop, the one where she had sat while she had been staring at the murder board…
Her eyes snapped up as her brain popped back into the present. Why was she here, again? Kate let out a sigh and rubbed her forehead.
"I just needed someone to talk to, someone not involved, and I'm pretty sure my therapist doesn't hold office hours this late."
Se offered up a small, self-deprecating smile as Josh leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hands through his hair.
"What about Lanie or…" Josh paused. "Or Castle? Wouldn't they be better to talk to? They would probably understand more."
Kate felt herself flinch at the mention of Castle's name and Josh let out a small laugh. "Oh, this has to do with Castle."
Kate looked at the man sitting in front of her. She was about to talk to her ex-boyfriend about her current boyfriend who also happened to be the reason why they broke up in the first place. She might actually be insane.
"Yeah, it has to do with Castle."
Josh sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Okay, lay it on me."
"Seriously? You want to hear about this?" Kate felt her eyebrows rise up to her hairline.
"Well, no, not really. But you need someone to listen, so here I am. I can see if I remember anything from my psych rotation. Please, madam, tell me your troubles."
Kate grinned as Josh attempted a Freudian accent and settled back into the couch as he grinned back, relieved that he had at least made her smile.
"We've been seeing each other for about three months now," she started and looked down at her hands. She couldn't look at him while she told him; the guilt was still there gnawing at her gut. She had dated him while she was in love with someone else.
"Good."
Kate looked up startled at the response. "What?"
Josh opened his mouth to speak but the turning of the deadbolt on the door caught both of their attention and Kate turned her head to look at the door behind her.
"Josh, hi, sorry I'm late…"
Kate watched as a blonde woman in blue scrubs made her way through the doorway and pause as their eyes locked.
"Janelle." Josh pushed himself out of his seat and made his way over to the woman. "Janelle, this is Kate, an old friend."
Josh paused and cleared his throat as the awkwardness began to fill the air. "Kate, this is Janelle, my fiancé."
Fiancé: the word his Kate's gut like a fist. She had no right to be jealous. She had broken up with him; she was in love with another man. An incredibly stupid man at the moment, but another man nonetheless. But, fiancé? It hadn't even been year. She could feel herself staring at the blonde and forced her hand up into a wave.
"Hi," she forced out before turning back around on the couch, giving the couple a little bit of privacy. Her eyes moved around the apartment, taking in the small changes. She hadn't noticed them before but they were there. Pictures, trinkets, a throw blanket. All signed that someone else lived here now.
She looked up as Josh, once again, sat down in the black leather chair, his clasped hands resting on his knees.
"Congratulations," she heard herself say. "Where did you meet?"
Josh looked up at her, "Haiti. Right after we broke up I went back for a month. Janelle was there and we got to talking, found out we were both from The City. I guess you could say that we just had this connection."
Kate smiled. She could definitely understand "the connection"— the electric shock, the jolt of electricity making your body tingle from your fingers to your toes.
"I can definitely understand the connection."
Josh looked at her and laughed. He understood her. They understood each other.
The bedroom door creaked open softly and Kate watched as Janelle walked into the kitchen, now changed out of her scrubs and mirroring Josh in jeans and a shirt.
"Are you happy Josh?"
"Very."
Kate nodded and let out a sigh as she leaned back into the couch again. "I should go."
"No," Josh shook his head and reached out to place his hand on her knee. "You need to talk so talk. Maybe I can actually help. We may have never been in love with each other, Kate, but I really did care about you. I still do."
Kate sighed again and looked up startled as a cup of tea appeared in front of her face. She took the cup, cradling it in her hands as Janelle gave her a small smile and moved to sit in the second leather chair.
Kate's eyes bounced between the couple. She couldn't blame the woman. If one of Rick's ex's showed up in the middle of the night, she wouldn't want to leave them alone together either.
Oh, what the hell.
"Do you remember what I told you about my mother's murder?" Josh tilted his head into an exasperated look causing Kate to let a small laugh. "Of course you remember."
She paused, put a hand to her scar and let her eyes drift over the Janelle for a moment before focusing back on Josh. "After I recovered from getting shot and went back to the precinct I learned that the investigation had been closed because there was no more evidence. The new captain wouldn't let us investigate my mother's murder anymore and she told the boys to move on from investigating my shooting."
Kate snorted softly like it was a cruel joke and brought the cup of hot tea to her lips. "I kept on investigating behind Gates' back and I started to spiral again. Castle came to me and told me to walk away. He told me to let it go, and move on with my life. I was so angry with him, but I listened. I backed away but I knew once I got my bearing again we would go back to it together. Like we always did…
"He told me he loved me, Josh. When I was shot, he told me as I was dying in the grass. When I got back, I told him that I wasn't ready for a relationship. You and I had just broken up and I had just returned to the precinct and I was still spiraling. I wasn't ready for a relationship with anyone let alone with him.
"Then, three months ago there was a bank robbery and Castle almost died, not because he was shadowing me or for any reason other than he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I realized that maybe we didn't have all the time in the world. I wouldn't always be there to protect him. We started seeing each other."
Kate's voice drifted off. This was a bad idea, sitting telling her ex and his new fiancé about her relationship drama.
"Kate, stop thinking and just talk. I'm not mad at you. I knew."
"What?"
"Katie, for such a closed off person you wear your emotions on your sleeve. A blind person could see that you were in love with Richard Castle. Why do you think I hated him so much?"
Kate laughed softly. So this cruel universe had a sense of humor now. Who knew?
She studied the man in front of her. He was a good man. Janelle was a lucky woman.
"Anyway, long story somewhat shorter. I found out tonight that he has been investigating the murder behind my back. I exploded. He told me to walk away, to give it up and then he kept on investigating. And to make matters worse he had the audacity to say he couldn't tell me what was going. He was investigating my mom's murder, my shooting and he wouldn't tell me? So, I screamed at him and I took off. I walked and ended up here."
Josh looked at her for a long moment as she pulled the hair tie out of her hair and let it tumble down over her shoulders. She picked at the hem of her shirt, Castle's shirt. She could feel his eyes studying her. She could here Janelle breathing, probably wondering who the crazy woman was sitting on the couch.
"Are you happy, Kate?" Kate's eyes shot up at Josh's question. "Are you happy with him?"
She thought back to that night crying on the couch, his arms wrapped around her. Waking up next to him in bed. Making dinner, doing the dishes. Arguing over whether orange and grape soda could be considered a fruit. Debating which one was better: peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. In Kate's mind fluff would win hands down any day. She and Alexis sacked out on the couch watching sappy romantic movies as Rick made gagging noises and reenacted the zombie apocalypse behind them. The feel of his hand running up her naked leg as he kissed her neck. Running around the loft barefoot playing top of the line laser tag.
She let out a soft smile. "Yeah, I am. I am very happy."
"Then go home, Kate. Talk to him. I may hate the man, but I know he loves you. Whatever his reasoning is for not telling you, I can guarantee he wasn't trying to hurt you."
Go home, Kate.
She smiled and pulled her hair back up into the messy bun. He was right, it was time for her to go home.
A/N: So what did you think? Did DMB do right?
