I think now would be a good time for a nice, enthusiastic "Bam, said the lady!"
(:
Disclaimer: Sadly, I still have yet to own Castle. Or even A castle. Quite sad, really.
This one's a bit longer to make up for the shortness of the last chapter.
Enjoy!
Beckett walked through the halls of the high school, her boots making authoritative clicks on the linoleum floors. Her gaze was focused on the man next to her, who was quite round and quite flustered.
"No." He was saying. "No!"
"Sir, I understand that it's a bit of an inconvenience but-"
"Bit of an inconvenience?" He echoed. "It's more than that! This is one of New York City's finest academies. The students who go here – their parents, rather – value their privacy!"
Beckett suppressed a grand eye roll. "I understand that. However, we're one of New York City's finest police departments, and our evidence points us to here."
The man looked shocked, as if he hadn't heard her the first three times she had said that. "What? No. No, no. There simply must be a mistake." He chuckled nervously.
Beckett tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. "With all due respect, sir, if you continue to deny us access and you keep looking as guilty as you do right now I'll have no choice but to take you in for questioning, and look at you as a suspect. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
He opened his mouth to say something when a shrill scream resounded from the girl's bathroom directly ahead of them.
Beckett's eyes widened and she took off at a run, pulling out her gun and entering the large bathroom. "Hello?" She called. "NYPD."
"O-over here." A trembling voice came from the back of the bathroom.
Beckett ran in that direction gun still up. In the farthest corner, she found the source of the voice.
A pale, redheaded teen stood in front of a bathroom stall, bright blue eyes welling with tears, her hands covering her mouth.
"Alexis?" Beckett asked. "Alexis, what is it?"
Alexis simply pointed, incapable of speech.
Beckett looked in the direction of Alexis's trembling finger into the stall.
A body lay there, slumped up against the toilet, bloody and bruised.
Beckett surveyed it for a moment, then turned back to Alexis, putting an arm around her and guiding her gently out of the bathroom. "It's okay." She said soothingly. "We'll take care of it.
In that moment, Alexis had forgotten all her anger at Beckett. She turned to look at her. "S-she was dead." She said in a whisper.
Beckett nodded. "I know. Come on, let's get you some air."
Alexis's mouth stayed agape as Beckett sat her down outside the bathroom.
"Just stay here, okay? You're going to be fine." Beckett ordered.
Alexis nodded almost imperceptibly.
Beckett pulled out her phone and made a call to Lanie, to dispatch, and to Ryan and Esposito, and then looked up to see the plump principal from before gaping in the direction of the bathroom, looking pallid, with 30 or so students clustered around him.
She waved her hand. "Go to class!" She said, emphasizing each word. "Go!"
The mob grumbled, then slowly broke apart.
Leaving the principal.
"Sir, maybe you should sit down too." Beckett suggested.
He nodded, and sat down on the opposing side of the hallway.
As crime scene personnel began arriving, Beckett crouched down next to Alexis. "You okay?" She asked softly.
Alexis shook her head "no".
Beckett frowned. "I'm sorry you had to see that." She said sincerely.
"She was my friend." Alexis whispered. "I can't believe it."
"Were you close?" Beckett asked.
Alexis shrugged. "I guess. I mean, we didn't hang out or anything because she was into some stuff but…I liked her, you know?" She said with a small smile. "She was a good person."
"What was she into?" Beckett probed gently. "Do you know?"
"Drugs." Alexis answered. "She got mixed up in it at a party. She said some guy got her hooked on it on accident."
Beckett nodded, not surprised.
"It's not the same, you know?" Alexis asked.
"What isn't the same?"
"Seeing it. A body." Alexis clarified. "I mean, you see it in shows and movies and pictures but…the real deal is…"
"Yeah." Beckett said, glancing at the floor. "I know." She stayed silent for a beat and then said. "Why don't you let me get you a cup of coffee and then I'll take you home, alright?" She stood and held out her hand.
Alexis nodded and accepted the help up.
"Esposito!" Beckett called.
"Yo?" He asked, coming out of the bathroom.
"I'm going to take Alexis home." Beckett said. "You guys can handle this, right?"
"Yeah, sure thing." He said, looking serious.
"I want everything you find in a report with photos, okay?"
Esposito nodded. "Will do." He looked at Alexis. "Take care." He added.
10 minutes later, Beckett and Alexis were seated at the very same coffee bar they were at a few days ago, sipping their drinks in silence.
"Can I ask you something?" Alexis asked.
"Shoot." Beckett said.
"Why were you at my school?'
Beckett looked at her hands briefly before looking at Alexis again. "That's a long story."
"I have time." Alexis said simply, sounding more and more like herself. "Dad's not expecting me home until 2. And its only…" she checked her watch. "12:36. I have time."
Beckett sighed. "I was following a lead on a case."
"Gee, that's descriptive." Alexis said sarcastically.
Beckett smiled slightly. "That's all I can tell you. It's an ongoing investigation."
"So?" Alexis asked like it was no big deal. "My dad tells me stuff all the time."
"Does he now?" Beckett sat back in her chair.
"No?" Alexis smiled sheepishly.
"Fine." Beckett shook her head. "I got involved in a case a few weeks ago. A few homicides had been connected to this particular drug ring, and since they were all my cases, they decided to involve me. Two of the members of this particular ring were from your school."
Alexis nodded slowly. "Okay…one more question…why do you hate my dad?"
"I don't hate your dad, Alexis." Beckett said earnestly. "I could never hate your dad."
"Then why did you say all that? You said you meant it." Alexis said, a touch of anger back on her delicate features.
Beckett sighed heavily. "Listen. This case was mine only. Which meant it was only a matter of time before Cas-" She stopped herself. "Your dad wanted in on it. I was doing my best to keep it from him when, low and behold, your school pops up. I couldn't risk him finding out." She shrugged. "If I know anything about him, it's that he would do anything to protect you. I didn't want him going into a frenzy trying to do that and getting himself or someone else hurt, and blowing the case wide open."
Alexis's face had softened. "You did it to protect him."
Beckett nodded. "Not the best solution, but it had to be done." She leaned forward on the table with her elbows. "Alexis…I'm going to need you to do me a favor."
"Sure." She said, nodding quickly. "Anything."
"I'm going to need you to not tell your dad about this. He cannot know. He could ruin everything." Beckett told her.
Alexis looked away. "I don't like keeping secrets from him."
"I know." Beckett said. "But trust me when I say I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't absolutely necessary. He could get seriously hurt on this one. He finds a way to get into trouble on normal cases; groups of dealers and users don't play around. They don't care that he's an author or a father or someone that someone loves. If he pokes his nose around in this case, and goes rogue like I know he will, they will kill him."
Alexis nodded once somberly. "Okay." She agreed quietly.
"Okay." Beckett said. She waited a moment before saying. "I would love to stay here with you, but I have to get back. I have a job to do. Let's get you home."
The pair didn't speak again until they reached the floor of the Castle loft.
"Detective?" Alexis asked as they reached her door and she knocked.
Beckett looked at her as the door swung open.
"Kate?" Castle asked.
"Thanks for taking care of me today. And, you know, for telling me all that." Alexis smiled at the older woman.
Beckett smiled a bit too. "It's not a problem." She said.
"Kate?" Castle repeated, certain he was invisible.
"I'll see you later. Call if you need anything at all, alright?" Beckett said, beginning to walk away.
"Yeah, I will, thanks." Alexis said. "Hey, Dad." She chirped ducking inside.
Castle stood there with the door still open. "Was that…?"
"Yepp!" Alexis said brightly, bounding up the stairs to her room. "Gonna work on homework!"
Castle remained where he was standing, hearing Alexis's bedroom door shut loudly. "Great." He said to himself. "Now I am completely in the dark." He said before closing the door.
Soooo? Whaddya think? Huh? Tell me in a review! (:
Btw, thanks to ALL who are reading this story. I'm loving that you guys are loving it.
