Continuing on with the News on Castle and Beckett. Spoilers for 8x22 Crossfire and earlier seasons episodes are contained within.

Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters are the property of Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC television. All others are the product of my imagination. Any resemblance with any person, living or dead is purely coincidental.

Transcriptions from seriesmonitor dot com slash castle slash transcripts slash index dot html. Other information comes from wiki dot castletv dot net.

All mistakes are mine. I have no beta for my story.

December 2018

Kristina Coterra: "Hi, I'm Kristina Coterra. Tonight on Entertainment New York, I profile and interview the newest power couple in New York City, newly elected Senator for the State of New York, Kate Beckett and her husband, best-selling author, Richard Castle."

KC: "First, a little background on Kate Beckett."

KC: "Senator-elect Kate Beckett was an only child born to James and Johanna Beckett, November 17, 1979 in New York City. Both her parents were high powered attorneys working in Manhattan for one of the biggest law firms at the time."

KC: "Senator Beckett was a good student who worked hard in school and eventually ended at Stuyvesant High School where as she put it, went a little wild and was known as 'rebel Becks.'"

KC: "One summer, while she was in high school, Senator Beckett was a model for a short time. She was an up-and-coming model according to Matilda King, a legend in the fashion industry and editor in chief of 'Modern Fashion' magazine. Senator Beckett retains her model-like, svelte figure and Ms. King has said that the Senator would still be welcome to model for her at any time."

KC: "Senator Beckett left New York for college at Stanford to study pre-law. She planned on becoming the first female Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. She was there for just one semester. She came back to New York City after the tragic murder of her mother in January of 1999. She was told at the time that Johanna was a victim of random gang violence. Beckett came home and enrolled at Columbia in criminal justice to become a New York Policewoman."

KC: "In the academy she was known for her passion and drive to become the best cadet ever seen there. Her drive led her to excel to such an extent that some of her records as a cadet still stand more than twenty years later."

KC: "Senator Beckett was the youngest woman to make Detective in NYPD history. She went on to have a 98% case closure record over her career at the 12th precinct. She then became the youngest woman to make NYPD Captain. She served as Captain of the 12th precinct until her campaign for the US Senate."

KC: "Senator Beckett is famous for arresting Senator William Bracken on live TV for conspiracy and the murder of Johanna Beckett."

KC: "Senator Beckett is a lifelong Yankees fan it being handed down from her father and grandfather. She doesn't remember her first game at Yankee Stadium because, according to her father, she was only 3 at the time."

KC: "Senator Beckett's husband, Richard Castle is a best-selling author, most recently writing the exploits of Nikki Heat, Senator Beckett being the inspiration. He has been a fixture on the entertainment pages for the past 20 years, although his playboy days have long since passed. For the past several years, the only time he is on page 6 is when accompanied by his lovely wife."

KC: "Richard Castle is the son of stage, TV, and film star, Martha Rogers. Senator Beckett is his third wife. His first wife, actress Meredith Harper is the mother of his daughter Alexis, now in her twenties. His second wife, Gina Cowell is still his editor and publisher."

KC: "Richard Castle's first book, 'In a Hail of Bullets' was rejected on numerous occasions before his current publishing house, 'Black Pawn' took a chance on him. It became a best-seller and earned him the Nom DePlume Society's Tom Straw award for mystery literature. On the wall framed in his office is his first rejection letter for 'In a Hail of Bullets'. He says that that motivates him to make work harder as a writer."

KC: "Richard Castle is a 'method' writer, immersing himself in the milieu of the subject of his book. In this way, he believes he gives authenticity to his writing. He claims that he followed around a covert CIA agent and went to the CIA training facility cryptically known as 'the Farm'. These experiences were the inspiration for his 'Derrick Storm' novels. For almost 10 years he has been following Senator Beckett in her role as homicide detective and later, 12th precinct captain. These experiences have been informing and inspiring his latest series of 'Nikki Heat' best sellers."

KC: "I start one-on-one with Senator Beckett."

KC: "First of all, congratulations on your successful campaign."

Senator Kate Beckett: "Thank you. A lot of hard work by a number of people led to this. My campaign staff has worked their tails off to get me to this point."

KC: "Speaking of your campaign staff, Alexis Castle is significant on your staff. She is your adult step-daughter."

KB: "Yes, she is Rick's daughter from a previous marriage. She has been wonderful in helping me and in allowing me her father. For most of her life it was only her and her father, so sharing Castle with me is such a wonderful blessing."

KC: "Senator Beckett, continuing on your staff, you have a number of volunteers on your campaign staff that have an earlier connection to you. Paisley Shimansky, Joanne Delgado, Jeremy & Emma Preswick, Dean Donegal, Paul & Miranda Vail all have a connection to you."

KB: "Yes, well, the people you mentioned volunteered their time to help in the campaign. Joanne being my communications director. I cannot thank enough all the people who volunteered for my campaign."

KC: "But those people are special, aren't they? They have a special reason for joining your campaign."

KB: "Yes, well, I helped them previously."

KC: "You're being too modest. Each of these people came before you because of the murder of a loved one. You solved each and every one of their relatives' deaths and brought the killer to justice."

KB: "But I didn't do it alone. Detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan were part of my team that solved those cases. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Castle was following me at that time, too. He also aided in solving those murders."

KC: "You call your husband, 'Castle', why is that?"

KB: "It's a cop thing. Calling them by their last name. 'Espo' or 'Esposito' for Detective Javier Esposito and 'Ryan' for Detective Kevin Ryan, I call my husband, 'Castle'. He calls me 'Beckett' most of the time, too."

KC: "But Richard Castle never was a cop."

KB: Chuckling. "No, he wasn't, thank goodness. I don't think the NYPD would survive with him as a cop. But he is one of the bravest men I have ever known. He has followed me into dangerous situations unarmed without hesitation. In some cases without a bullet proof vest either."

KC: "Has he gone after a killer himself?"

KB: "On our first case together, he chased after an armed killer down an alley. When I got to them the suspect had a gun at his throat. The suspect pointed the gun at me and Castle elbowed him in the face, knocking him out. After that, I was able to cuff the unconscious suspect."

KC: "Wasn't Castle scared?"

KB: "No. He told me after that the safety was on the whole time. He wasn't worried at all."

KC: "I'll now ask your husband to join us. Richard, would you join us please."

Richard Castle: "Yes, thank you, Kristina for having us."

KC: "My pleasure. Tell me, how did you meet?"

KB: "Officially or unofficially?"

KC: "Are they different?"

RC: "Beckett, why don't you answer that."

KB: "Okay. Yes they are different. Unofficially, we met when I was about 24 or 25 fresh from the academy."

KC: "Academy?"

KB: "Oh, sorry. Police academy. Castle had just released his latest 'Derrick Storm' novel. Castle was doing a book signing at a local bookstore. I waited in line for over an hour to get his autograph on my mother's copy of 'In a Hail of Bullets', his first book."

KC: "Your mother was a fan?"

KB: "My mother was a big fan of his books. She had all of them. Every time a new one came out, she was at the bookstore, in line waiting to buy it. She went to one book signing. Came home with Castle's signature and was on cloud 9 for about a week. Dad joked that he'd been replaced by a new man, Castle. Anyway, that's what got me started. Reading his books was my connection to my mother."

KC: "Later you met officially."

KB: "Yes. I read all of his books. His sense of justice, his good guys winning, evil being vanquished. I needed that. I didn't have much of that after my mother's murder and the case was considered 'cold' and dropped. So I come to a crime scene that is exactly the same as described in one of his novels, 'Flowers for Your Grave' so it is natural I think of Castle. I found out that he was in town for a book launch party so I went."

RC: "Yeah, she crashes my party and then arrests me."

KC: "She arrested you?"

RC: "Actually, she arrested me twice."

KC: "Twice?"

KB: "Not exactly. The first time he wasn't really a suspect but a 'person of interest'. At that time there were two murders that were almost exactly as he described in a couple of his books. What are the odds that there wasn't some connection? After ruling him out for the two murders, we asked him for his fan mail and he asked to consult. After we caught a suspect, he stole …"

RC: "Borrowed."

KB: "Stole. He stole evidence from my desk. I found him in the library researching the three murders with all the evidence spread out in front of him. I could have killed him right then. But then he got me to look beyond the obvious setup of a mentally challenged man to find the real murderer."

KC: "So he was a help on your first case."

KB: "Yes. I was loathe to admit it at the time but he has been a help on many cases. He was the impetus to solve my mother's murder."

KC: "How was that?"

KB: "Against my wishes, he consulted with one of his expert sources. A forensic pathologist that he used as a consultant on his Derrick Storm novels. The pathologist found similarities between my mother's murder and other murders, then a murder lands on the 12th. A stabbing almost exactly the same as the others. A hitman who's MO is stabbing. Castle pays $100,000 to draw him out, which I have never paid you back, by the way."

RC: "No need, you being my wife is more than enough."

KC: "You two are so cute."

RC: Chuckling. "Thanks."

KC: "So you solve your mother's murder and arrest a sitting Senator."

KB: "Yeah. I went from being charged for murder to arresting Senator Bracken in a matter of days."

KC: "How's that?"

KB: "Senator Bracken's organization framed me for murder and then tried to make it look like I killed myself in a drunken, drugged stupor. I managed to get the drop on the underlings holding me and escaped. Rick wanted to flee but I convinced him to come back. We eventually found an old tape with Bracken's confession to ordering my mother's murder. That led to other evidence to clear me and implicate Bracken's organization for the murder. That's how I found myself arresting Senator Bracken on live television."

KC: "Where was Rick then?"

KB: "With me, as supportive as ever."

KC: "You were a couple then?"

KB: "We were engaged at the time getting ready to be married."

RC: "Much to the chagrin of the then 12th precinct Captain, Victoria Gates."

KB: "She never really warmed to you did she?"

RC: "No. The 'Castle' charm never worked on her."

KC: "On a happier note, what was your first kiss like?"

KB: "Castle, you want to take that one? It was your idea anyhow."

KC: "His idea?"

RC: "This was another case related to Kate's mother's murder. Long story short, Ryan and Esposito are taken hostage."

KC: "Detectives Ryan and Esposito."

RC: "Sorry, yeah, Detectives Ryan and Esposito, part of Kate's original team when I joined them."

KC: "Okay, continue."

RC: "Ryan and Esposito were held in a building where we saw a guard outside. We needed to get in. Kate was said she was open to stupid ideas so I came up with a stupid idea. We acted like a drunken couple approaching the building but the guard wasn't buying the ruse. Beckett was about to grab her gun when I impulsively kissed her. She went along with the kiss then coldcocked the guard when he turned away. We saved Ryan and Esposito after that."

KC: "So the kiss was a knockout, just not for either one of you."

RC: Chuckling. "I suppose so."

KB: "Oh come on. You were almost as stunned as that guard."

RC: "Well … you were too."

KB: "And what if I was?"

RC: "You finally admit it?"

KB: "Well yeah. It was an amazing kiss even with it being an undercover kiss. It was a great first kiss."

RC: "Yeah. And I seem to remember you went in for seconds."

KB: Giggling. "Yeah, I suppose I did."

KC: "Seconds?"

RC: "I kissed her and then as we pulled away we just looked at each other for a moment then Beckett came back for another toe curling kiss."

KC: "So you became a couple after that case?"

RC and KB simultaneously: "No."

KC: "No?"

RC: "I had just broken up with my ex-wife for the second time."

KB: "And publisher. I was dating a cardiologist at the time."

RC: "We sorta ignored the feeling and didn't talk about it for months."

KB: "We, well mostly me, finally got my act together and admitted my love for Rick. Rick had already declared himself to me almost a year prior, I just needed a push."

RC: "We can joke about it now but at the time it wasn't fun. She almost fell to her death."

KB: "Yeah. Hanging from the ledge of a tall building was the proverbial 'kick in the derriere' to talk to Castle. I showed up at his door soaking wet. A drowned rat really. This wonderful, forgiving man took me in and the rest is history."

KC: "So how long between the undercover kiss and you two finally getting together?"

RC: "About a year and a half."

KC: "You didn't rush into it did you?"

RC: Chuckling. "No."

KC: "You've been married for about three years now and have one child."

RC: "Yeah. Our anniversary is in November and Lily is about 1 and a half now. Just getting into trouble."

KB: "Like her father."

KC: "Well on that note, thank you for letting me interview you both.

KB: "Thank you."

RC: "Thank you."

ABC 20/20 type interview? Suggested by ds1255

Thanks for reading! Sorry for the long time in posting. Without the show on regularly, even in reruns (I was spoiled by TNT reruns every weeknight), it is hard for inspiration.