Much love to all my reviewers -- y'all are amazing! Castle belongs to ABC.
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Chapter 7 -- Between the Lines
It was on the elevator ride down to the squad room that she lost her cool.
Just as the massive metal doors were beginning to slide open, Kate lunged forward and savagely pressed the button with the two inverted arrows, watching with wide eyes as the sliver displaying the hallway beyond rapidly disappeared.
Whipping around to face the bewildered, intrigued author in her midst, she ground her teeth before forcing the words from her lips. "I'm scared as hell." She was straightforward and blunt, her tone brutishly honest. It was not a phrase she often uttered, so naturally it sounded a bit strained. "I don't know if I can do this, Rick." Her mouth transformed into a hard line, as she stared fixedly at the tiled floor.
The tightness in her voice made even he, the free and easy rich boy, stand up a little straighter. "What are you so afraid of, huh?" Compassion and concern flooding his blue eyes, Rick closed the gap between them in a solid two steps forward. As he caressed her cheek lovingly, she was compelled to look him full-on in the face, fear and vulnerability plain to see. "That they'll crack a few jokes at our expense? Beckett and Castle, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." He chuckled softly, having little trouble with visualizing such a spectacle occurring -- just because cops had guns didn't mean they were all mature.
Kate let out a hollow and choked sort of laugh, fidgeting with the zipper of her fur-lined coat. "Oh, I don't doubt that." She chewed her lip indecisively, a habit that seemed to have been getting worse as of late. "It's just, I... I'm a private person, you know that. I don't like people poking around in my business, especially co-workers. The whole 'don't ask, don't tell' policy they have in the military is something I really wish applied to everyday life." Shaking her head as though unable to say more, she looked to the wall, fighting back stronger emotion.
Gently rotating her head to face him once again, Rick arched an expectant brow, clearly waiting for her to let it all out. With a shuddering sigh, she continued, unwittingly tapping her foot out of anxiety. "I've spent the past nine years making a name for myself in these parts. A woman on the police force... she has to deal with a lot of shit to get anywhere worth being." Her emerald eyes visibly darkened as she thought back to some of her blackest days in law enforcement, many of them involving being scorned and ridiculed for her obsession with her mother's case. "I'm so afraid that if we're open about us, about... what we have," she smiled faintly, "then I'll be labeled as weak, and lose all the respect I've earned here."
In all honesty, he had to admit that Kate's reasoning, while heart-rending, was something of a relief for him to hear. In the back of his mind, he'd always wondered if she was embarrassed or ashamed to be with him, and that was why she was so secretive. But now he understood that it had little to do with him, and more to do with her own self-image. She was so strong, so tough and withstanding, sometimes he forgot that she too had her insecurities.
"Aw, love," Rick murmured, tracing the outline of her lips with his thumb. "Those people out there," he gestured at the elevator doors, "they don't respect you because you can look at guts on the ground without batting an eye, or lock and load a gun. Don't you see?" He cupped her face in both hands, light eyes sparkling with admiration as he gazed at her. "They respect you because you get the job done, and better than anyone else. You're a force to be reckoned with, and no matter what they say or do, they'll never change that about you." His lips lightly brushed her forehead as he added, "And I can tell you for certain that falling in love does not make you weak. It makes you a stronger, fuller person, and only people who've never given nor received it'll look down on you for embracing it."
Releasing all her pent-up tension and anxiety in one collective exhalation, Kate rested her forehead against his, eyes fluttering shut for a moment. "You're a lifesaver, you know that?" She laughed softly, wrapping her free arm around his middle. Her other appendage was still occupied with holding down the 'closed doors' button, as she reveled in the last peaceful moment she was likely to have before beginning work.
"Never thought you'd see the day, eh?" Rick said in amusement, as she pulled back and gave him a questioning look. "That I start making sense and you're the one having a moment of lunacy." A wide smile dawned on his features, mirroring the one she'd just cracked. "Maybe I missed my calling, and should've been a therapist or motivational speaker." He tapped a finger on his chin, considering a new career path.
Giving him a final squeeze around the waist, the brunette shook her head, spirits risen by his zany humor. "Alright then, Dr. Phil." She pulled away and lifted her finger from the elevator panel, allowing the doors to slide open. "Let's git-r-done, shall we?"
As they strode down the hall toward the desk area, Rick angled his head toward her and muttered, "That's Larry the Cable Guy, not Dr. Phil -- better brush up on your famous TV personalities, hon." He flashed her a cheeky smile as they turned the corner.
Shooting him a playful glare and narrowing her eyes, the detective was just about to make a retort when her two subordinates sprang into their midst, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
"You're gonna love this one, Castle." Kevin Ryan piped up, his boyish features all alight. He was holding a stack of papers in one hand, and a small cell phone in the other. "Looks like our vic was involved in some pretty risqué stuff." A lewd, mischievous smile played on his lips.
Rolling her eyes lightly, Kate tossed her coat onto her chair and swiped the papers from his hand. "G'morning to you too, guys." She stated dryly, then set to flipping through the documents as she leaned against her desk. The fact that neither Esposito nor Ryan had commented on she and Castle arriving together both relieved and, oddly enough, irritated her. Had she endured all that stress and emotional turmoil only for them to overlook the source of it?
"Just because you're behind the times doesn't mean that everyone else has to be, Ry-ry. These days, cell phones are an everyday occurrence." Rick addressed the young detective in a comically condescending manner, gesturing at the little device he clutched in his hand.
Giving a light snort, Esposito nabbed the cell from his partner and beckoned for both Rick and Kate to come closer. "It's what's on the thing that's good, man." Pressing a few buttons and bringing up a video, he waited until they'd all crowded around before pressing 'play.' "Check it out, yo."
Kate's expression instantly transitioned from skeptical to awed, and into her eyes sprang that diehard detective gleam. It was a recording of the vic, Linda Presley, gyrating around a pole in nothing but a lacy push-up and g-string -- but to her, that wasn't the good part. Half-way through her little stripper routine, a dark-skinned man stormed into view and yanked her away from the pole, and the two of them began heatedly arguing. The hand of the person making the video began to tremble, and then the screen went black.
"Can you get sound on this?" Kate questioned eagerly, and one could almost see her nose twitching like a scent hound on a trail.
Esposito shook his head, grimacing. "Volume control's busted."
"Damn," she cursed under her breath, then brushed it off. It had looked as though the video had been shot in someone's basement -- a TV, couch, and pool table had been in the background. "How'd you get this, anyway?" She had visited the crime scene day before yesterday, and hadn't seen a cell phone on the vic or lying anywhere near her.
Rubbing his hands together, Esposito grinned. "This is where it gets even better. When I called the number listed on there," he gestured at the papers in Kate's hand, "a dude with a voice like Barry White answered. He showed up here lickety-split, all riled up and waving around that phone." Walking a few feet to stand in front of one of the interview rooms, he pointed through the glass toward a tall, pacing African-American man.
"That's the guy from the video," Rick exclaimed, his tone utterly fascinated.
"You bet it is," Ryan confirmed, nodding vigorously. "Says he's her fiancé."
Determination in her emerald orbs, Kate set her hands on her hips, eyeing the man beyond the window like a hawk would its prey. "I'll have a chat with him, then -- from where I stand, he's both the family and a suspect." She turned to Rick, arching a brow. "You comin'?"
Without hesitation, he replied, "Anywhere you go."
Her expression softened, as she gripped the doorknob and twisted it. "Let's do it."
Thirty minutes and one very long, very tedious interview later found the two star-crossed individuals emerging with little more information than they'd had before. Needless to mention, the man had proved to be a tough egg to break. Once they'd surpassed the sadness of breaking the news about Ms. Presley, and had gotten down to business, the guy had retreated into a shell harder than a tortoises'.
Putting on an optimistic face, Rick plopped into the seat next to his girlfriend's desk. "I think that went well." He said cheerfully, meeting the deadpan stares of Esposito and Ryan.
"Really?" Kate began to move restlessly back and forth before him, her tone laced with frustration. "Who were you interviewing?"
Hands clasped in his lap, the mystery writer shot her a look. "I just mean, we have a little more than we did before. You said yourself that this is a process, and not a sudden burst of inspiration like one of my novels." He shrugged, taking a bite of the donut he'd pilfered from another detective.
Kate halted in her jittery stride and regarded him with gratitude in her eyes. He seemed to be coming to her rescue a lot today, didn't he? She was on the verge of walking over and throwing her arms around him when, out of nowhere, 'Don't Rain on My Parade' by Barbra Streisand started blaring.
A sheepish grin stretching across his features, Rick got to his feet and fished in his pocket for his cell phone. "That would be the Grand Damn herself," he stated aloud, mostly for the benefit of the two men who were slack-jawed at the profound gayness of such a ringtone. "Hello, mother, what a pleasant surprise -- your granddaughter was beginning to worry..."
There was a small smile that played on Kate's lips, as she watched him retreat down the corridor and turn the corner. It was then that she felt an odd sort of prickling on the back of her neck, as though she was being watched. Looking back at her team, she raised a speculative eyebrow as they both directed their gaze at the floor in unison. They definitely know something is going on, she mused, glancing around the squad room to see who all was there. The bulk of the other detectives and employees were either out in the field or on lunch break, leaving the three of them in relative solitude. It was rare that they had a moment where they weren't bustling about, or in the company of numerous people, so she knew that she had to seize the opportunity to come clean now or do it with more judgmental ears listening.
Drawing in a deep breath, she decided to ease her way into it, but more for her own benefit than theirs. Perched atop her desk and trying a little too hard to be casual, Kate asked in a suspiciously nonchalant manner, "What've you two got planned for the holidays?" Fingering some paperwork, she tried to appear uninterested, as though only making friendly conversation.
The two men traded looks of sheer incredulity -- since when had she taken such an interest in their personal lives? It wasn't as if she was cold or indifferent toward them -- in some ways they were rather like siblings -- but when a case was in the middle of being solved, she was strictly one-track minded. They knew her well enough by now to be able to sniff out when she had ulterior motives, and weren't buying the careful insouciance she was oozing from her every pore.
Leaning back in his chair, Ryan was the first to bite. "Gonna do Christmas eve at my folks' place, and then Christmas day at Jenny's." He had to work hard to refrain from laughing at his pragmatic superior's short nod, thoroughly amused by her uncharacteristic awkwardness. "Where there's nog, there's me too." He added, an insolent smile flashing across features. "How 'bout you, Espo? Got a hot date with one of Santa's helpers?" A cackle escaped from his lips, as a wad of paper hit him square in the forehead.
"Least I still go on dates," Esposito jibed, proceeding to imitate his partner's gooey, lovey-dovey phone conversations with his girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancée. All the tan-skinned detective had heard about for the past two months were Ryan's plans to propose to her beneath the mistletoe, and while he was happy for them, he was also sick of the sentimentality. "I'm goin' to my sister's place in Brooklyn -- she always has a big shebang right around Christmastime."
Nervously running a hand through her hair, Kate forced a smile -- she could tell that they weren't falling for her little act. "Sounds exciting," she stated, comically uncomfortable and keyed up. Her facade was quickly fading, and her anxiety was growing just as quick. It seemed her conversation with Rick in the elevator, while reassuring and uplifting at the time, had still left her with a certain amount of uneasiness.
After a brief pause, Esposito took the hint and inquired in a voice full of laughter, "How will you be spendin' your holidays, chief?" He was able to get her to crack a genuine smile at the usage of her old nickname. "Got another wild bash at the frat house?" A smirk tugged at his lips, as he gave her foot a gentle nudge with his own.
"Oh, aren't you just the epitome of good humor?" Kate retorted dryly, narrowing her eyes in a playful fashion as Ryan let out a loud, appreciative laugh. "Actually, I've got something better planned than the both of you combined." She stated impressively, and for a moment was able to revel in the lightheartedness of their brotherly-sisterly banter.
"Like what?" Ryan scoffed, baby blue eyes twinkling with mirth. "You, Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey Ice Cream, and Beaches?" He grinned, knowing that she would probably crucify him for saying such a thing. Esposito was howling, and held up a hand for a celebratory high-five.
Kate clapped a hand to her chest, plagued with mock personal affront. "You swore you would never tell! There's gonna be payback for that one, big time." She shook her head, wagging a threatening finger in his direction.
However, once the hilarity had passed, she knew that it was time to 'fess up. She allowed a moment of silence to come and go, then somehow worked up the courage to take the plunge. "I'm going to ask Montgomery for a two weeks' vacation." Kate blurted, watching their faces closely for a reaction. The only response she detected thus far was a big, fat 'why?', paired with matching curious expressions. "So that I can go to Hawaii over Christmas and New Year's." She flashed a tight, close-lipped smile, her heart thudding in her chest. God, why was she so nervous? It really shouldn't have mattered, whether those two bimbos approved or not...
Silence. The two young detectives traded looks, seeming to have a non-verbal conversation all on their own. After what felt like a century, Esposito gazed up at her, some unreadable emotion in the depths of his grey eyes. "Lemme get this straight," he quipped, holding up a hand. "You, the supreme mistress of all things work-related, are going to spend the holidays at late-night luaus and tiki bars?" A grin crept onto his features as she gave a slow, 'thank you, Captain Obvious' type of nod. "Does that mean you'll be wearing a bikini... and bringing back pictures?"
Groaning with exasperation as he and Ryan once again dissolved into juvenile laughter, Kate clapped a palm to her forehead. "God, what is it with men and bikinis? If you like 'em so well, why don't you put one of the damn things on yourself!" She rolled her eyes in the trademark Beckett fashion, wondering if and when the two doofuses in her midst would surpass puberty. But really, should it have come as that much of a surprise, when Rick had mentioned the very same thing earlier that morning?
Still guffawing, Ryan placed his hands on his hips, feigning self-consciousness. "I just don't think I have the figure," he trilled in a high, girlish tone. After he and Esposito had had another good cackle, the blue-eyed detective inquired, "But seriously," he was a bit out of breath from all the merriment, and had to pause for a gulp of air. "Who are you goin' to Hawaii with? I mean, that's gotta cost some big bucks, and I really can't see you blowing a year's salary for a grass skirt and some palm trees." He arched a brow, thoroughly intrigued. If he knew Beckett at all -- which he did -- then it certainly wasn't in her nature to splurge, much less on herself.
Like a fish out of water, Kate's mouth opened and closed a few times as she searched for words but found none. Glancing off down the hall, her expression softened as she saw Rick on the phone with his eccentric mother, very clearly trying to reason with her about this, that and the other. How could she be so spineless? He was a great man, and she loved him with all her heart -- she should be shouting it to the mountaintops, not cowering in a shadowy corner.
"Aw, you were right, man!" Kate was jerked from her reverie by the sound of a smug, widely grinning Esposito. "We know all about whatcha been tryin' to hide, uh-huh." He wagged a teasing finger in her direction, shaking his head lightheartedly.
It felt as though an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "You do?" She breathed, her tense posture slipping.
"You betcha ass we do!" The tan-skinned policeman was sporting a smile that could easily rival the Chesire cat. "Thought you were bein' pretty sneaky, eh? Nothing gets past us!" He fist-bumped his partner, cackling.
"Secret's out, Becks!" Ryan nudged her shoulder playfully, apparently very satisfied with himself. "Why didn't you just tell us you won one of those radio contests? We wouldn't have been jealous, we're way too mature for that." He grinned, once again giving Esposito a jovial high-five.
For a good half-minute, Kate simply stared at the pair of them, her face completely blank. She pinched the bridge of her nose, then emphatically exclaimed, "How pea-brained are you two?" The urge to repeatedly smack her head against the wall was stronger than ever.
Their celebration cut short, Esposito and Ryan regarded her with equally dumbfounded expressions. "So... You didn't win an all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii?" The latter of the two inquired sheepishly, after a moment of inopportune silence.
The brunette briefly buried her face in her hands. She heaved a great sigh, then dropped her arms to her sides. "Castle and I are dating." For such simple words, they had certainly been difficult to spit out.
There was yet another soundless pause. Esposito arched a single brow, before stating flatly, "That's what you been tryin' to tell us?" He snorted, waving an indifferent hand. "Old news."
It was Kate's turn to be astonished. "You knew?" She dropped into her desk chair, thoroughly taken aback. "All this time, both of you knew and didn't say a word?" Loosely crossing her arms over her chest, she scrutinized them for a moment, then shook her head in disbelief. "I'm not buying it." It was just too good to be true. Since when did either of them pass up an opportunity to needle her? The fact that she'd finally gotten together with the man she'd sworn to have no feelings for certainly qualified.
Popping a stick of gum into his mouth with all the nonchalance in the world, Ryan shrugged. "You're right about that -- we didn't say a word," he paused, chewing, "to you."
Kate froze. "What?" She threatened, her voice dangerously low. If they'd gone spreading rumors behind her back, heads were about to roll.
Grinning, Esposito appeased, "Cool down now, mamacita. Your steamy love affair is all up in this cone of silence, right here." He outlined with his hands a perfect triangle, giving her a mischievous wink. "We just roughed writer monkey up a lil' bit yesterday, nothin' to get all bent out of shape about."
Nodding in agreement, Ryan smirked. "I wouldn't go so far as to say we put the fear of God in him, but..." He glanced sidelong at his partner, then broke out in a boyish grin. "Pretty boy was definitely quaking in his ten-grand Calvin Klein loafers!" The two of them snickered, congratulating each other with yet another fist-bump.
Rolling her eyes, Kate shuffled a few papers on her desk and shot them each looks of vaguely amused chagrin. "What, you guys afraid he'll rob me of my innocence in the backseat of the cruiser?" She held up a hand, halting both of their responses. "Please, please don't answer that." Shaking her head as the two fully-grown men giggled like schoolgirls, she questioned curiously, "How much does Montgomery know about all this?"
"How much do I know about what?"
Kate stopped dead, and both the members of her team grew motionless from their clowning around.
Hands shoved casually into the pockets of his dress pants, Captain Roy Montgomery glanced from face to face of each of his detectives. "You got a breakthrough on your murder?" He eyed them with interest, holding out a hand for the case file.
"Not just yet, sir," Kate replied, her tone vaguely ill-at-ease. She watched through anxious eyes as Ryan gave him all the paperwork, and couldn't suppress the feeling that they'd been doing something naughty, like teenagers caught slacking from their schoolwork by their stern father.
Flipping through the file, Montgomery gave a curt nod. "Keep working on it -- that video is too crucial not to help in some way." Looking up from the papers, he glanced about the area. "Where's Castle?"
"At your service." Rick suddenly appeared behind Kate's chair, seemingly out of thin air. "Family feud," he explained, offering a pleasant smile as he gestured to his iPhone.
Clearing her throat, Kate got to her feet and tugged at the hem of her blouse. "Sir, would you mind if we step into your office?" She tossed a sidelong glance at Rick. "If you've got a moment, that is. It's important."
Raising a brow, Montgomery replied in a slightly perplexed tone, "Of course. I have an appointment at one, but I assume we'll be finished before then?" At her affirmative nod, he gestured for them to lead the way.
With mystery writer and boss trailing close behind, Kate entered the modest office, nausea and anxiety wreaking havoc upon her insides. She felt Rick's hand touch her arm for a moment, reassuring and comforting her. She flashed him a grateful smile, then instantly sobered as Montgomery appeared before them, looking even more authoritative behind his stately desk.
The police-force veteran considered the pair of them, his dark eyes curious and perceptive. "What's up, Detective?"
Oh, God. Kate's stomach lurched. This is it.
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We're getting closer every day to a new Castle episode -- are you all as excited as me? Review for the next chapter, and the insanity shall continue!
