A/N: This chapter is dedicated to everyone who RT'd that tweet so I had to write 4000 words. Thanks guys! By the way, it isn't actually 4000. But it's over 3000. And I'm really tired, and I found a line to end on so... Deal with it. Enjoy!
9
Kate had been worried that she would be invading their personal life when she stayed for dinner, but she found that within moments she had fallen in with the easy conversation between Alexis and Richard. They were both animated and entertaining, throwing little quips across the room. Martha joined in too; Kate loved the way Richard coped so easily with being surrounded by women. She often said that she preferred the company of men. Women could be so demanding. She laughed to herself. Richard noticed.
"What's funny, Sara?"
There was an edge to the way he said her name now. It was light hearted, and almost imperceptible, but she caught it and it snagged at her heart.
"Just... me. Being here."
"And why is that?" he asked, a wicked gleam in his eye.
"It's strange being part of it, that's all."
"Strange? Lex, I think she just called us strange!"
Alexis giggled. "Well that won't do. We'll have to get her back somehow."
"How would you suggest we punish her?"
"We could..." Alexis leaned over to whisper something in her father's ear. He laughed loudly.
"I think that's perfect," he told his daughter. Alexis smiled gleefully.
"You have to come to my.. I don't even know what it is. Tea party. Every week. With all the suitable young ladies."
Kate raised her eyebrows. "But I am not a suitable young lady."
"You can be our chaperone."
Kate laughed. "Fine. I'll come, but only to protect you."
Richard grinned. "I'll be watching through the keyhole."
"You shouldn't confess to things like that in front of your daughter," Martha cut in. Kate almost choked on her slice of cake. Martha winked at her.
"I'm going to have to take my leave soon, my dears. I'm meeting some friends to play bridge."
Kate smiled at her. "It was lovely to see you again, Lady Castle."
"Call me Martha, Sara, especially because I'm not entirely confident I could pronounce your surname."
Kate laughed. "Alright, Martha. Have a wonderful evening."
"I always do," Martha said, getting up with a swish of her dress. Alexis made a face.
"I don't know how you can stand these London people, almost every night!"
"Oh, I find them extremely entertaining. It all depends on how you look at it, my dear."
Alexis nodded. "I'll try," she said with a frown. Martha smiled.
"Don't try too hard. And you'll have plenty of time to frown when you're old and have something to frown about."
The young redhead giggled.
"Goodbye, Mother," Richard said dramatically.
"Goodbye darling. Don't keep them up too late."
And with that she swanned out of the room. Richard pretended to sigh with relief.
"So," Alexis said. "What are we going to do now?"
They ended up in the living room clustered around the piano. Kate hoped the servants didn't mind their raucous singing. Richard knew a worrying amount of sailor's songs, several of them rather inappropriate for Alexis to hear. Alexis didn't seem to notice, though. Kate had a feeling she'd been exposed to Richard long enough to ignore a lot of what came out of his mouth. When she said as much both Castles chuckled.
"That's exactly right," Alexis said. Richard pretended to be affronted.
"I don't appreciate you making fun of me like this. Don't you like my singing?"
"I love it," Kate said, more honestly than her tone betrayed.
"You tease me most cruelly," he said, turning away to flick through some sheet music. Kate sat down beside Alexis at the piano and began teaching her a simple duet that they could play together in minutes. Kate was far better than she would admit. Playing the piano had been something from the old days... She didn't know why she was doing it now. It felt right, though.
Richard watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was so good with his daughter... she was so good at everything. So beautiful, so kind... Yet she lived a lie. He could understand it. He even respected it. His only issue with the situation was how difficult it must be for her. She had to pretend, to hide, every single day. And he knew there was so much about her that he didn't know. She was completely closed off; there was pain in her past but she didn't let it touch her. She kept it away with a wall around her heart.
They began to sing again and he joined in. He couldn't dwell on his worries about Kate while Alexis was here. He understood Kate not wanting to reveal herself. More than that, he didn't want her to. It was almost a burden, a burden he didn't want his daughter to carry.
Kate felt Richard's eyes boring into her and knew he would want to talk again. She wanted to talk to him, too. She wished she could. For the first time, she actually wanted to tell him things about herself, she wanted his comforting words and his comforting arms around her. But she knew that she would tell him very little. Her problems were not his, and he should not have to deal with them. She didn't want him to. She was sure it was selfish of her even to reveal her true identity. Just knowing who she was could put him in danger. In danger of others, perhaps – there were those that wanted to hurt her. But more likely, in danger of being hurt emotionally, by her. She could see that he cared about her. She couldn't let him get any closer. She couldn't tell him everything, but telling him even a tiny amount had made him hungry for more.
Richard was a writer and he was hungry for information, for the story. Kate was so complicated... He wanted the chain of events that would make it all make sense. He knew who she was, but not why. And the why was what mattered, what made the difference.
She was at risk, too. He knew it would be pointless to ask her to stop doing what she did, prowling the streets at night to catch criminals. But he wanted to at least find a way to protect her. Maybe she would let him go with her? He was a good fighter, a great hunter. Almost equal to her.
And then the idea hit him. It was getting late and they had stopped singing; they sat around a cosy fireplace, drinking tea and talking about books and scary stories. And Richard realised that the perfect story was sitting right in front of him. A new book, a new series of books! People would go crazy for them; he was sure of this because they were desperate even for rumours about 'Lady Beckett' – the reaction to a book about this character would be astronomical. He needed to write something new. He had money, but nothing was guaranteed. He bit his lip, forcing himself to reign in his ideas. He would have to ask her. She would almost certainly say no.
"What are you thinking about, Dad?" Alexis asked. Richard shook himself.
"Sorry, honey. Nothing.. Just an idea for a book."
"Well keep working on it. I know you're meant to be starting something new."
Richard laughed, Kate with him.
"Who looks after who?" she asked. Alexis smiled.
"I look after him. But I'm going to bed now, so you can take over."
After a round of goodnight hugs and kisses, Alexis left the room to go to bed. Kate braced herself. She knew Richard had questions, and he felt as though she owed him answers. The fact that she didn't plan to give him any only made it harder.
"So..." he began, knowing he was about to break his promise to forget what he knew.
"Go on," she said. "I know you promised, but I also know you can't control yourself. Just spit them out, get it over with."
He grinned nervously. "You really don't mind?"
Kate sighed. "No. I... I told you. I didn't have to. That was my choice."
"Why did you tell me?" he asked.
"I don't know. I suppose... It's hard, lying all the time. I lie to a lot of people. But... you were just one too many."
Richard wondered what had made him special. He hardly dared to hope that... He stopped himself. Thinking about it more wouldn't do anyone any good.
"Then... Is it hard?"
Kate was surprised. She'd thought he would ask about her past, about how she'd got into this life of crime fighting. She had been ready to tell him that there wasn't much to know, that sad things had happened but she had just ended up this way and there was no big story to tell. She had been ready to lie. But he wasn't going to let her. In a way he'd let her escape.
"Yes," she said. "If you mean lying. But it... I've made some enemies doing what I do. Telling people who I really am would put them at risk, as well as putting me in danger. Furthermore, I do a lot of detective work, I suppose you could call it, at balls and parties and so on, which would be impossible without having a cover identity."
Richard nodded. "It makes sense. I... I was thinking."
"I hope you didn't hurt yourself," Kate said, laughing a little. Richard laughed with her.
"I have to write another book. And much as I like to contradict her, my mother is right when she says I've been having difficulty... I just don't know where to start. Or didn't, until today. I need a character that my audience will sympathise with. I want her to be strong yet beautiful, brave yet complicated, fiercely intelligent yet with a hidden fragility... I want to write about you."
Kate listened to his description of her. She had not seen this coming.
"It wouldn't be about you exactly," he hurried to add. "It would be a fictional character. Called... Heat."
"Heat?"
"Detective Heat. She wouldn't be a lady, to make it easier..."
"How much of this have you already planned?" she asked.
"None! I just thought of it while we were talking, I... I promise it wouldn't affect you."
Kate looked at him. She didn't know if she believed him. She didn't know what to think of what he wanted to do. But at the same time, she almost didn't care. She wanted to agree to it anyway, because she wanted to make him happy.
"What would I have to do?" she asked.
"You would have to talk to me. A bit. Not about the past. Just about your work. And..."
"And what?" she asked suspiciously.
"I could come with you," he blurted out.
"You could what now?" she asked again.
"Come with you. You know, when you're out there. Catching bad guys," he finished weakly. He could see the huge NO written across her face.
"Castle, how am I supposed to do my job with you hanging around and constantly getting under my feet?"
"I wouldn't get under your feet. I could help. I'm a great fighter, and I know all about crime."
"You know about fictional crime. Not real life crime."
"I've done research before."
"You'd slow me down, Castle, and I can't afford to be slow."
"Beckett, I wouldn't, I swear. I'd help you."
"Oh, God, this isn't some masochistic attempt to be all manly and protect me, is it? Because that is not going to happen!"
"No! Well... only a tiny bit! And so what if I want to protect you? I... I like you, Beckett."
Kate sighed. "I like you too, Castle. But it wouldn't work."
"How do you know? Don't you want a partner? All the best heroes have one."
"I've managed fine without one this far."
"Have you? That look in your eyes, that wistful sigh you have when you think no one's looking, the way you look at Alexis as though you're longing to tell her... Is that managing fine, really?"
Kate glared at him. "Don't think you can just walk into my life and fix everything with your money and charm and good looks! That might work at court, but real life is more complicated!"
Richard wished he could reach out and touch her. "I don't want to- I mean, that isn't... I just want to be your friend."
"You can be. You don't have to put yourself in danger."
"I want to. I want to work with you."
"You... why? Why would you want to do that?"
"Look at my life, Beckett. Look at it all. And tell me – what does it mean? Who am I helping?"
"You have a fantastic daughter! You're a great father."
"But she's growing up. In a few years she won't need me at all. And then what will I have accomplished? I want to learn about you, Beckett, but I also want to do something to help people. You shouldn't have to work alone."
Kate smiled gently. "That was a sweet speech, Castle. And I appreciate it. I really do. But I can't put you at risk. I have no dependants. You have Alexis. You... I chose this path because I saw no other, because there was nothing else left for me. You have a great life, you do good. You don't need to do this."
"I do. You're hurt, you're troubled – but my life isn't as perfect as you think. I... I want to write this book. But even if I don't, I want to help you. Let me be your partner."
"No," she said, shaking her head. She wasn't cruel about it; she sounded almost sad.
"I'll fight you for it," he said.
"What?"
"I'll fight you. If I win, I get to be your partner."
"No."
"Yes. A fight would prove whether you need me or not, too. If you win, you don't need the extra strength. But if you lose, it's possible that you do need someone to protect you."
Kate groaned. "Fine. But just to shut you up. And when I win, you have to promise not to ask me about it again."
"And what about the book?"
"Write what you want, Castle. I can't stop you. But don't expect me to help you. And I want to read it before it's published."
He grinned. He loved that she cared so little. It was so... attractive. He was far too used to women throwing themselves at him. He loved a challenge – and Kate was exactly that.
"I look forward to working with you," he said as they walked towards the dining room and began to push the table and chairs out of the way.
"What kind of fight?" Kate asked.
"Anything goes, but no weapons. On the floor for 5 seconds. And no permanent damage," he added hastily as he saw a smile appear on her lips.
"Deal," she said, holding out her hand. "May the best man win."
Richard winked at her as they shook. "You know, I was gentle the first time."
Kate began to walk back from him, getting used to the room, the feel of her body... turning into an animal ready to attack.
"Good thing this isn't the first time," she said. "I like it rough."
"Oh, you do, do you?" he asked, moving his feet expertly as they circled around each other. "I'll bear that in mind."
"You should," she said, her voice getting quieter. He darted forward to grab her but she moved easily out of the way.
"You'll have to be quicker than that," she said with a smile.
"Oh, I don't know. I don't like it to be too quick," he said, smiling back. She had a feeling he was playing her, deliberately not showing her how good he was so she relaxed and he could win.
He went for her again and this time she caught him, throwing a punch to his torso after he missed her. He grunted but shook it off in a moment.
"Nice hands you have there, Beckett," he commented.
"And you have nice... feet," she said, her eyes twinkling.
He should have caught the hint. A moment later he was hit with a flying kick to his jaw. He stumbled back, blinking as he saw stars – but he didn't fall. She thought he was going to and he used this to his advantage, suddenly straightening up and grabbing her upper arms, pinning them to her sides. She was faster but he was bigger and stronger. He threw her to the ground and tried to hold her. She wriggled, managing to hook a leg around his so he lost his balance on top of her and ended up on the floor beside her. She scrambled up but he was up too before she could get a knee on his chest to pin him down. He caught her raised leg and she fell again. She was up in a moment but she still frowned.
"I'm not used to this," she commented. "It's been a while since I was with someone as good as you."
Richard winked. "Why thank you. And don't worry. You'll get back into it. It's like... riding a horse," he said as he once again lifted her off the ground. He had been getting cocky, though. She caught onto his back and attached herself to him. He sighed.
"I never did like clingy relationships," he muttered as he tried to unhook her hands from his shoulders. She ran a hand through his hair before yanking one of his arms around behind his back.
"Sorry," she said. "I'll try to be more independent." She forced him forward, getting off his back and kicking the back of his knee so he thumped onto the floor. He struggled, making her lose her grip a little. They were both getting tired and out of breath; it couldn't go on for too much longer. Richard knew he would have to fight dirty if he wanted to win – he'd have to use his only advantage. He didn't like to fight a lady like this, but she had agreed... and it was to help her.
Kate knew she could beat him. He was more tired than she was. But... something about him, the way he wanted to help her so badly, the assurance that it wasn't to do with the book, the interest in her, the look in his eyes when he talked about her and asked her things... He kicked her in the ribs and she fell backwards. Instead of recovering during the fall she let herself smack against the wooden floor. Her lungs emptied of air and then he was on top of her and she was panting for another reason. Her face coloured but he would put that down to the exercise. She was trapped between his legs. She knew the move that would free her. She still had seven seconds..six..five..four..three..two..one.. She'd managed to struggle quite convincingly.
"Do you yield?" he asked. She sighed.
"Don't come crying to me when someone kills you."
A/N: So, thanks for reading, I hope you liked it, and please review! Love you xxx
