Sorry I haven't posted earlier today, but I had work. Here is another chapter. I'll post a few more after this as well. Hope you enjoy:)
Coffee and Shadows
Kate was sitting at her desk the next day doing paperwork when her phone rang. Without looking at the screen, she answered, "Beckett."
"So hot when you do that."
"Castle? What do you want? And how did you get this number?"
"You called the loft to find me the other day, I just looked back through my caller ID log. I was calling to ask if you'd like to have a coffee with me."
"Coffee? I'm kinda busy Castle, maybe some other time."
"Come on Detective, everybody could use a break now and then. I'll pay and everything."
"Fine. I can meet you in half an hour. Where were you thinking?"
"There's a little place I know of that's not too far from the precinct. I'll text you the address."
"Fine, bye Castle."
"Goodbye Kate," Castle replied disconnecting the call. Kate couldn't help but notice the shiver that ran down her spine when he used her first name. It was so confusing. What could it mean? She couldn't actually be falling for him, could she?
She thought back on how Castle had acted throughout the case. Mostly he maintained the devil-may-care attitude the media portrayed him to have. But there were times, especially when he was with his mother and daughter, something else seemed to shine through. Could that be the real him? The kind, caring man she had glimpsed, or was that an act?
She remembered the way he had studied her, trying to figure out her story. The serious look in his eye as she told him about her mom. Maybe, just maybe he wasn't the guy the media showed him to be. She thought of his books; a guy that could write something that had moved her that much had to be more like the kind and caring man she had glimpsed than the playboy the media showed. She finished the file she was working on and glanced at her phone. She saw the text from Castle. The Old Haunt? She'd never heard of it.
She grabbed her purse and jacket and headed to the elevator. She flagged down a cab once she made it out to the street. She gave the driver the address and settled in for the ride.
Kate entered the old speakeasy, looking around. This was a bar. Castle had said they were going to have coffee, why would he have her come to a bar? Technically, she was still on duty, even if she was on her lunch break. There was no way she was drinking. She rarely dark as it was, maybe a glass of wine after a difficult case accompanied by a good book and bubble bath. Even when she went out with Lanie for girls' night she would limit herself to a drink or 2. Kate refused to end up like her father. She would not do that to Kaylie, that little girl deserved far more than Kate could give her, the least she could do would be to stay sober.
Kate glanced around the bar once again, looking for the writer. She spotted him easily, hunched over in a booth. There weren't many people in the bar, so she easily made her way over to him and slid into the booth across from him. He didn't notice her, so Kate asked, "I thought you said we were getting coffee."
"Detective!" Castle jumped, startled by her sudden presence. "Nice of you to join me. We are here for coffee. This place has great coffee, some of the best I've ever had. It also has some pretty good food and a great atmosphere. I like to come here to write. The place just exudes a certain charm that helps the words just flow onto the page."
"Castle, why did you invite me here?"
"Well, I just thought that if I am going to be shadowing you on a more permanent basis in the near future, it might be advisable that we get to know each other. I know I feel more comfortable working with someone I know, and I reckon that you feel the same way."
"That would actually be a decent idea if you were to shadow me, which I doubt will ever happen."
"Why do you say that?" Castle asked, confused as to why she didn't believe he would soon be following her full time.
"You have a family. Very few people that have a family become cops or shadow them for more than a few weeks. Sure, cops have families," Kate said before Castle could interject,"but, it is very rare for someone that already has a child to become a cop, or even shadow a detective for too long. It's too much, the fear for your life. At the beginning, it just overwhelms you. When you don't have a family you can overcome that fear. When you add a spouse or kid, that fear is too much, all you can think about is the possibility of not making it home to them. If you have a family after you've been a cop for a while, it's already in your blood. You can't stop and you know that you have the resources to make it home every night. You still feel the fear, but you also know that you're stronger than that fear."
"Wow, you sound like you speak from experience. But trust me, I've done far worse than shadowing a detective, while I've had Alexis. I'm not known for doing what everyone else does. I tend to the opposite."
"I do speak from experience. I've seen it happen to plenty of detectives and cops around me. But you're determined to shadow me, aren't you?"
"Of course!" Castle replied simply with a smile on his face, flagging down a waitress. They ordered their coffees and turned back to each other.
"Why?" Kate questioned.
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to follow me?"
"I want to know the full story. You've told me a lot, but I want to know everything. You're just this mysterious, interesting woman that I feel I could write a book on already. Well, maybe after a little more research."
"You want to write a book... about me?!" Kate gasped.
Thanks for reading. Please leave me a review letting me know what you thought of this story so far, any mistakes you find, and any questions/suggestions/requests. Thanks and love you all:)
