Chapter 4 With A Little Help From Your Friends – Kate & Lanie
One look at Kate Beckett through the peephole of her apartment door had Lanie instantly alarmed. She quickly opened the door, greeted her with a brief "Hey Kate, are you ok?" and sensing Kate was definitely not ok, pulled her inside. Her normally stoic friend looked to be in some sort of crisis, although from what she could see, she appeared physically unharmed.
Foregoing their typical, warm, greeting rituals, instead Kate frantically began pacing Lanie's living room floor and blurted out "Well, let's see, I broke things off with Josh two weeks ago, made a date with Castle for six o'clock tonight, where I plan to confess my growing feelings for him, potentially making the biggest fool out of myself, while risking one of the best friendships I've ever had, not to mention my heart. I don't know if I can do it Lanie! I thought I was sure, but now I'm not so sure! What if he only sees me as a friend and I have all these…feelings…"
Lanie tried to absorb all this, not saying a word, as she watched Kate take a very deep breath before continuing, "Other than that Lanie, everything's fine, just fine!" she exclaimed loudly appearing to be having a mild panic attack.
Kate plopped herself down on the couch and covered her face with her hands attempting to calm herself down. "I need your help Lanie." She said seriously, through the fingers covering her face.
Lanie didn't hesitate….
"Well, first of all, let me be the first to congratulate you for finally pulling your head out of your ass in regard to the completely obvious feelings you have been harboring for Writer Boy for the last couple of years. On behalf of everyone that knows both of you – We thank you!" she said smirking and ignoring the dirty look her friend was shooting her.
"Second" Lanie continued, still smirking, "Javier is in my bedroom, so you might want to keep your voice down!"
Kate's head shot up at that. Lanie watched as Kate's face went from ashen white straight to red with embarrassment.
"Lanie!, Kate exclaimed bringing her voice down to a horrified whisper, "You couldn't have told me Esposito was in the next room before letting me loudly spew out my inner most feelings! Oh, my God, I'm so embarrassed! And the teasing… they'll be relentless!"
"Sorry girl, but you didn't give me a chance! You burst in here all on fire." she defended. "Besides, don't worry about it" she added calmly, "If he heard anything at all, I'll swear him to secrecy and threaten to withhold sex if he teases you." she countered.
"Speaking of My Little Stud Muffin, give me a minute to kick his eavesdropping ass the hell out of here so you can finish your meltdown in peace. I'll be right back" she said going into her bedroom shutting the door, leaving Kate on her couch.
The minute he saw her he started lying. "I didn't hear a thing", he said, which she didn't believe for a minute and her look told him so. "What?" He said still looking unconvincingly innocent.
"Except maybe the part where Beckett broke up with Josh, has the hots for Castle and is going on a date with him tonight. Oh, and that she's unsure of his feelings for her, which is ridiculous, by the way. I mean, how stupid are these people? Nope, didn't hear a thing" he finishes, already getting dressed.
She didn't need to say anything as he continued, "I know, Javier- get out" he mimics her. "I'm going. But it's not like we all didn't see this coming a mile away anyway. And don't worry, I won't tease her about it. It'll be like I was never here. Although, you know we could make a killing right now on the office pool, he says sashaying over to her. "We could finally afford to take a nice long vacation together", he says grabbing her tightly and kissing her goodbye. "You might want to think about it."
She is clearly not amused. "Just kidding, Chica!" he says quickly. "Look, I think it's great!" he says then stops himself. "See what you've done? You've turned me into a sensitive, love sick, sap. What? Don't look so shocked. I have a sensitive side! I'm actually kind of disgusted with myself that I do want to stick around to hear more of your girl talk. But really, I promise, I won't breathe a word of it. I swear. He gives her another squeeze and hesitates before asking, "Would you really withhold sex from me?"
"Yes, yes I would" she says seriously, looking him straight in the eyes to confirm.
"Ok then. My lips are sealed. I'll see you later. Hey maybe we could double date?" He asks kidding around. He sees she's not laughing.
"Too soon?" He says taking in her disapproving glare. "Look. I'm glad they're finally going to work things out. They're good for each other" he says and she sees he's fully dressed now. "Bye babe, I'll call you later" he tells her as he walks out.
"Hey Beckett" he says walking into the living room with his hands up to protect himself, "Don't worry, my lips are sealed" he tells her hurrying out, to avoid the look of death he's sure she's shooting him.
Before leaving he turns to her and says, "For what it's worth, you two are good together. I'm happy for you." He adds, closing the door behind him.
She's pretty surprised by this and turns to Lanie and says "Javier Esposito is a hopeful romantic. Who would have known?"
"I did", Lanie says with a little smile.
"So" Lanie says sitting down on the couch next to Kate, taking her hands, "Don't worry about Javier, he promised he wouldn't tease you about it and I believe him. So should you. He's a good man and he knows how to keep his mouth shut. Plus, he really likes having sex with me." she smirks.
"Now, before we continue", she says getting back up and walking into her kitchen, "I'd offer you some coffee, but I really think wine is in order. Frankly, you look like you could use the wine more", she says going into the kitchen. She opens a bottle of wine, grabs a couple of glasses, and brings them out to Kate who is still on the couch. She pours and proposes a toast. "Cheers my friend. Here's to getting what you want." They both take a sip. Then Kate downs half of hers on her second gulp.
"Ok", Lanie starts, "Now tell me more about what's going on. You said you broke up with Josh weeks ago. Why didn't you tell me? I bet Castle was happier about that than an ol' Blue layin on the porch chewin on a big ol' caitfish head!" she says gleefully.
Kate looks at her not understanding. "What?" Lanie defends, "It's a Southern expression my grandmother used to use. So what did he say?"
"He doesn't know yet" Kate tells her. "I didn't tell him either. I needed to get some things straight in my head first. I was going to tell him, but I just couldn't ok. Don't look at me that way. And before you ask, the break-up had nothing to do with Rick. Josh and I broke up for our own reasons. It's true", she adds, sensing Lanie's disbelief.
"Well, that may be true" Lanie says, "But -Rick, since you're on a first name basis now and all" she teases, should hear it from you, his supposed best friend, before hearing it from someone else. So why did you and Josh break up then if it wasn't because of Castle?"
Kate took another sip of her wine and started opening up to Lanie... "We hardly ever saw each other and I was ok with that. Too ok, I guess. That should have been my first clue. Don't get me wrong. Josh is a great guy. Gorgeous, sweet, dedicated, and he cared about me. But I wasn't in it for the long run with him. He just wasn't the one. Our jobs came first for both of us and the timing wasn't right. He told me he loved me, but I couldn't return the sentiment. I loved him as a friend, but I wasn't in love with him. He deserves someone that's crazy in love with him. We all do. We talked about it and decided to just be friends."
"I've been thinking about it", she continued "And I can admit now that after some deep reflection, I may have been distracted by a certain writer. He's hard to ignore you know and I'm not completely immune to his charms. Don't look so shocked, I'm only human and he's sex on a stick for god sakes. Sometimes, he looks at me like he wants to throw me down and ravish me. You try dealing with that on a daily basis." She adds softly, seeing Lanie's knowing look.
"Maybe we just have to sleep together" she goes on. "Maybe this is all just about sex - or lack thereof. Maybe that's all this is -sexual tension..." She trails off.
Kate could see Lanie was letting her get it all out before saying anything, and it felt good to get it off her chest so she continued. "I was headed over there this morning. I was ready to throw caution to the wind. I called him, told him I was on my way over, that I had something important to talk to him about. He said he was busy and asked me to dinner at his place later instead, which is now a date, who's kidding whom. "Whom", she repeats aloud, letting out a tiny laugh. "I'm even starting to sound like him".
"I came over here because I'm afraid I'll lose my nerve by then. I started to second guess myself the minute I hung up with him. I'm not sure this is right thing to do. I mean, on one hand, he makes me crazy Lanie! He's always there, invading my safety circle. He's always trying to get a rise out of me or tossing innuendos around." She says rising to pace again. "Did I mention he drives me crazy? He can be a man-child, he's impulsive, doesn't always use his head, sometimes he doesn't take anything seriously. He has the reputation of a playboy, has been divorced twice and for all I know, he could be seeing someone or multiple women at this point. I have no idea." She concludes.
Lanie was about to enter the conversation, however, Kate cut her off.
"But then he does all these other little things…brings me coffee, makes sure I eat, makes me smile, makes me laugh. He's attentive, a gentleman. He's always in my head even when he's not around. He's constantly swinging his ax at the walls around my heart, which I've worked very hard to put up over the years, damnit. But he can be really sweet, and considerate, and sometimes when he looks at me I can't help but wonder…" she finishes, completely exhausted.
"Yeah, that sounds like hell! I don't know how you stand it!" Lanie says sarcastically.
"I mean, he's Castle", Kate continues, still pacing and ignoring her friend's obvious sarcasm. "He's my best friend. We've been through a lot together. He's been there for me through this stuff with my mom's murder. We're comfortable with the way things are now. We work great together. We're a team. He understands how important my job is to me. We have each other's backs. He's my partner. Romance gone wrong can kill a thing like that, you know. I don't know if it's worth the risk of losing that." She says sitting back down on the couch next to Lanie.
There's a moment of silence where Lanie can see it sinking in to her friend's thick head.
"Oh, my god, I'm in love with Richard Castle…"
"Yes, Kate, yes you are."
"I'm being silly, aren't I?"
"Uh, huh."
"I need to put my big girl panties on and tell him how I feel, don't I?"
"Uh, huh."
"Well then. Thanks for listening Lanie." Kate says soaking it all in.
"Glad I could help Kate." Lanie tells her sarcastically, adding, "You know I didn't actually say anything yet, right?"
"Yes, I know, but you're a good friend and a good listener. I know you're dying to say something now, so go ahead. I'm listening. What do you think?"
Well, first off. It's about damn time! You know there are no other women in his life right now and as for his reputation, that's a load of crap. I'm not saying he wasn't a playboy in his younger days, but not since he's known you. And even if there was someone else, he'd drop them like a hot potato if you gave him the sign you were interested. I don't know why he's divorced twice and neither do you, so you should ask him. Second, any fool can see he's crazy about you. We've all seen the way he looks at you. He's like a love sick puppy." She pauses before starting up again.
Thirdly, of course, he's a man-child. They all are. But I disagree that he doesn't listen to you. For god sakes, Kate, he hangs on your every word. Yes, he's impulsive, and a bit goofy, but that's what makes Castle, well, Castle. And it's not just about sex or sexual tension, although, I have thought you should just go get a room and be done with it about a dozen times. I mean damn, Kate! How you haven't jumped that boys bones by now, I do not know." She says shaking her head.
"You're happier when he's around. He's good for you and you know it. He may not be perfect, but he's perfect for you Kate. And lastly, love is always a risk. There's no getting around it. That's just the way it is. The alternative is a long, lonely life of what ifs… Now, get out of here and go get your man!" She concludes.
By the time Lanie was done with her speech, Kate was calm, smiling and back on track again. She knew she made the right decision coming here.
"You're pretty smart. You know that right?" Kate told her.
"Yes, yes, I do." Lanie replied full of confidence.
"Javier's pretty lucky." Kate added smiling.
"Damn straight he is girl!" Lanie added.
"Thanks Lanie, for everything. You're a great friend." she said downing the last of her wine before they both rose and moved to the door. "My mission is clear. I'm coming clean with him tonight. But first, I have to find something incredibly sexy, hot and red to wear, along with a decadent desert."
"Go get him Girlfriend!" Lanie said enthusiastically as they hugged goodbye. "I want details, by the way. Call me tomorrow. Good luck!" She said before letting Kate out and shutting the door.
She felt 100% better as she left Lanies than she did upon arriving. She flagged down a cab and headed off to do some shopping.
Authors Note: I wasn't planning on this story have another chapter, but it's where my typing fingers took me. I am aiming to post more tomorrow if anyone shows any interest! Thank you to those that have reviewed so far! I have an actual happy dance I do when reviews come in. More of a jig really…. :-)