Disclaimer: I do not own these characters-if I did I would have my own house in the Hamptons (you can find writing I do get paid for on Amazon, beginning with Wearing the Cape). Summer Heat continues the Castle/Beckett storyline begun in The Long Holiday, and is told around the events in Episode 3/1, A Deadly Affair (suitably altered by "personal stuff").
Castle cut the Black Pawn meeting short when it degenerated into publicity arguments. Normally he'd have ridden it out, playing with Nikki Heat scenes in his head to keep from going nuts while Gina talked mostly to the marketing guys, but he got a text from Kate. Alexis wants to see us at the Loft. No emergency, but come as soon as you can.
Boring meeting, or his daughter and partner? Not a hard call to make—he texted back On my way and gave Gina and her team of number-crunchers five timed minutes to tell him everything they thought was still important for him to know or consider.
Beckett stood waiting in the shade of the building's entrance when the cab pulled up to the curb, and he fumbled in his wallet for the cab fare, dropped his bills. Picking them up and wiping street-grime off a twenty, he stopped.
The cabbie leaned over to the window. "Clock's still running, mister."
"Oh! Right, here you go." He passed over the twenty, and the cab peeled away into traffic. He watched it go, heard the click click click of Beckett's heels behind him.
"Meet a new character, Castle?"
"Beckett!" Turning, he felt the grin splitting his face. "I know what they were doing!"
"Wait, what? You got that just now? In a cab?"
"No! Fishing for fair! Beckett! They were counterfeiters!"
She blinked, rocked back on her heels. "That's. Wait. Mmm." She pulled out her phone, hit speed-dial and set it on speaker.
"Ryan."
"Hey Ryan. Could you get Miss Whitman's evidence box? We need to look in her purse."
"Sure boss. Hold on."
They waited, Castle leaning in and Beckett tapping her foot.
"Got it. So, what am I looking for?"
"Pull her cash. What has she got?"
"Bunch of ones, couple fives and a ten, five twenties."
"Check the serial numbers on the twenties."
"Okay… Damn, Beckett. Fake bills."
"Castle just called it."
"So they were counterfeiting. Yeah. You call anything else, Castle?"
"Well," Castle fumbled. "This isn't something they've spread around—even the boyfriend didn't know. So if there's more of them…"
Kate nodded quickly. "They already have the sculptor for the plates, the vendor for the bills, the chemistry teacher for the washing, they need…"
"Ink! They need ink!" He looked up at Beckett and they both said it together.
"I know who the killer is!"
"Ryan, get Espo and meet us at the club."
"Got it, boss."
Beckett matched Castle's laugh as she hung up, stopped, looked up at the building. "Castle, I know what Alexis wants and it can wait. Text her?"
"Got it." He followed her to the Crown Vic, texting as he walked, and Beckett left rubber on the street as she peeled away from the curb. She threw the bubble and he laughed like a kid as evening traffic parted in front of them.
"Alexis says okay." He put away his phone, settled in to enjoy the ride and anticipation. He loved this.
"Castle!" Beckett projected beside him, yelling to be heard over the siren. "I'm sorry about the summer girls comment! I know you're not that kind of man!"
He twisted in his seat, but she stayed focused on the street as she wove around service trucks and yellow-cabs.
"I know you know! But thanks, Beckett!"
"Good!" She reached over and punched his shoulder.
"Ow!"
"And that's for not calling!"
"Jeez, woman! I will get out of this car!"
Beckett laughed and stroked his injured arm, turning long enough to flash him a smile before facing back to the street. With the gumball flashing, they reached Soho in minutes. Turning off the siren and pulling down the gumball a street away from the club, she found a yellow-line space to park and popped the trunk.
"Vest, Castle. These guys have already shot three people."
"Right." Castle pulled out his Writer vest and tossed Beckett her own. Ryan and Esposito arrive as he was still adjusting his.
"Beckett?" Ryan looked at them buttoning up, and grabbed his and Esposito's vests.
"It's Kitty and Earl," Beckett explained. "Our three needed ink, and who do they know?"
"A tattoo-artist," Esposito growled. "And they could launder the money through the club. Got it. Think Earl's the shooter? Kitty just the brains?"
"Probably, but assume both are dangerous. Castle? Behind us."
The club was dead, empty, waiting for dark as they entered and proceeded through to the work and storage spaces, guns up. Pushing through the doors, they found a maze of metal shelves filled with retro club decorations, modeling dummies, and junk. And Kitty Canary.
"Hands in the air! Now!" Kate kept her gun on Kitty and the club owner straightened up from the carry-bags she'd been stuffing. "Kick the bag over here and step back! Ryan?"
Ryan edged around Kate, gun out, as Kitty pushed the bag across the concrete with her foot. Squatting cautiously, eyes on Kitty, Ryan opened the bag and flipped through the top-most stack of bills.
"Fakes, Beckett." He closed the bag, stepped aside.
"What gave me away?" Kitty asked, hands at eye-level.
"The ink," Kate said. "That, and Evan Murphy. You pointed us at him, and framed him by planting the gun in his place. Turn aroun—"
A shadow broke the dusty sunbeam beside Castle and he looked left to see Earl through the shelves—gun pointed at—
"Beckett!" Castle tackled his partner as the gun boomed, slamming their ears as he took her to the ground. A volley of shots rang in the space as Ryan and Esposito spun and returned fire, the dim sound of racing footsteps in the echoes.
"Go! Go! Get him!" Beckett yelled from where she half-sprawled.
"Move move move! Let's go let's go, come on!" Esposito called to Ryan as they sprinted after Earl.
Castle and Beckett disentangled and straightened up, looked around.
"Where's Kitty?" Beckett gasped.
"The money's gone." Castle was breathing hard, his pulse pounding in his ringing ears.
"Ha… You stay here."
"But what if they come back?"
She stopped and nodded, pulled out her backup piece, handed it to him. "Stay behind me, Castle. Got it?"
Castle flipped the safety as they advanced into the maze.
Left, right, spooky mannequin silhouettes threatening in the dim light, the two of them clearing corners as they went, echoing sounds of running steps, impossible to pinpoint, and then someone started shooting, blasting through the stocked shelves to spray glass down on them.
"Door!" Beckett yelled with a yank on Castle's arm to turn him. He saw it and they raced through the spray to tumble through it to the alley outside. Beckett turned to face back into the club while Castle scanned the narrow alley, gasping for air.
Steps behind and Castle turned. "Beckett!"
She spun, gun up to point at Kitty who'd come around the corner with a gun of her own. "Drop it!"
A second alley door behind him slammed open, Earl stepping out as Castle spun to put himself back-to-back with his partner.
"Beckett!"
"Is that Earl?"
"It's Earl."
"Think you can shoot him?"
"Aim for the head again?"
"Body-shot's best, keep shooting till he falls. Both of you, drop your weapons! Now!"
"Earl's not dropping…"
"This is your last warning! Drop—"
"Drop your weapon!" Espo's snarl sang out as he stepped into sight behind Earl. A second "Drop it!" echoed down the alley, Ryan somewhere past Beckett.
Earl straightened, carefully lowered his gun, let it fall to the ground.
"Turn around!" Espo yelled. "On your knees! Hands on your head!" Behind Castle, Ryan was yelling the same. It was over.
And just like that, Castle realized his heart was racing way too fast.
"Beckett?"
"Yeah, Castle?"
"I think I'm going to drop your gun."
"Safety it first."
"Got it."
They watched the uniforms close up the van and drive away. More uniforms yellow-taped the club while Castle and Beckett put away their vests. Castle's shirt was sweat-soaked, his eyes stung, and he felt like the top of his head was floating away.
"Are you okay, Castle?" Ryan asked.
"Just fine. Now I'm going to go home and change my shorts."
Esposito shrugged. "I could tell you stories, bro. You did good." Ryan nodded.
"Thanks, guys." Castle fist-bumped the pair.
"Let's go, Castle," Beckett said beside him. "Guys? See you at the precinct? Can you book them?"
"We'll start the paperwork," Ryan agreed. "Bring us food?"
They got in the Crown Vic, pulled away.
"You know, Castle, if you're going to keep feeling up my gun we're going to have to really get you rated. Cold and hot range."
"With all the laser-tag I play with Alexis? Please, I'll nail it."
"Probably. Speaking of, the Loft first. We can talk to Alexis and you can change your shorts."
"I was really kidding about the—"
"I know, though if you weren't it would be nothing to be ashamed of—lots of cops have to freshen up after a shootout."
"Okay." They road in silence while Castle texted Alexis, Beckett tapping the wheel as she drove. She kept looking at him as they wove through traffic, but with the adrenaline wearing off he just couldn't care—and he was so making sure the way he'd felt in the alley and was feeling right now was going into the next book.
She found the same yellow-line space she'd parked in two hours and a lifetime ago. In the lobby, Edwardo didn't so much as blink at their sweat-soaked and wrung out appearance, just gave them a "Mister Castle, Ms. Beckett" as they headed for the elevator.
Beckett leaned over and sniffed his shoulder as they ascended. "Nope, you're clean. Good."
"Wouldn't want to scare Alexis?"
"That too." The doors opened and Castle got his keys out, Beckett right behind him. He unlocked the door, threw it open.
"Well detective, mi casa es su—"
The loft was buried in roses. Orange, yellow, and white, in cut bouquets, in sprays, in small potted bushes. He spun around as she pushed him through the door. "Beckett—"
"Castle." She kept pushing him, walking him backwards into the floral-covered lounge area, hand to his chest.
"What—"
"I paid Stacie—nice girl by the way and don't you even think of looking at her again—double the delivery rate to get them all here tonight."
"Why—"
"Because it's my turn, Rick."
She leaned up, and he was kissing her. No, wait, she'd started it. She ran her hands through his sweat-sticky hair, up against him so that he was pretty sure that when they separated they were going to make a sound effect. She tasted of sweat, like they'd just finished making love and didn't that thought just do things to him—
"Kate. Kate. Does this mean…" It could be the rush of being alive after being shot at. Which didn't explain the flowers.
"I'm sorry, Castle. I got scared, it was stupid—"
"This time will be different. Promise." He had to shut up until he could separate their lips again. "My track record sucks, and from what little I've learned about it, I'm guessing yours does too, but—"
"So how this is going to be any different?" Kate breathed. "God I want it to be different, but how do we know?" But she wouldn't leave his mouth alone.
"You don't get it, do you Kate? It's already different. I showed you."
"Showed me? When?"
"In the second heart. The colors. Yellow inside white inside orange. Passion and honesty, sure. But in the middle. At the center."
"Friendship."
"Yeah." She had to breathe and that gave him room for more than punctuated sentences. "We're already friends, Kate. I can guarantee that the passion won't always be there—as ruggedly handsome as I am, you're not going to want to jump me all the time—but then I'll be there for the foot rubs. We'll always be each other's best friend."
"Foot rubs? You promise?"
"I promise. Always."
"Shut up and kiss."
Minutes and another lifetime later, Beckett—Kate—was the one to pull them apart. Her green eyes sparkled over a full-faced smile that wouldn't quite, and then she closed them and leaned her forehead against his. Which was good, because those eyes were going to kill him.
"Hey," he breathed. "Where's Alexis?"
Kate giggled. "Alexis is upstairs. I warned her that there might be displays of adult affection." Still laughing, she straightened up. "You want to freshen up, Castle? We still have to go back to the precinct. Do the paperwork, explain to Captain Montgomery how you got my gun. And I need to talk to Ryan about something. Afterwards…my place?"
"Ooh, those are now my two favorite words."
"Yeah? Well I think you'll be finding more favorite words soon enough."
Just one comment here for those who are wondering why I rewrote the shootout that ended this episode? The truth is, I've always considered this shootout to be the most ridiculous in the entire series. Going in without vests on and guns drawn to arrest someone who's already shot three people? Becket leaving Castle behind to fend for himself? Castle and Beckett shooting past each other? Shooting Earl and Kitty in the leg and arm? Please. So I wrote it right. Author's privilege.
