Life is Gourd - Chapter 4
Haunted
A Castle AU Ficlet
Her hesitance is met with a smug, sly smile.
"You know, if you're scared…"
Kate Beckett rolls her eyes. "Oh, shut up. I'm not scared."
Her companion makes a show of looking her up and down, the cocky smile never fading from his lips even as his eyes sparkle in appreciation. Kate rolls her eyes, squaring her shoulders under his scrutiny. He thinks he's so suave here, doesn't he? Playing the unbothered role.
Yeah, they'll see who's unaffected after spending a couple of hours in the historic house everyone on the planet says is haunted.
(It's not. That much she's sure of. That doesn't mean the place isn't disgusting and terrible inside – it most certainly is that – it's just not haunted.)
"Come on, Beckett," he murmurs, tearing his eyes from hers to look at their destination. "Let's do this."
She hums, marching up to the steps, not waiting for him to suggest she's afraid because she's letting him go first.
Rick strolls behind her with the same bounce he's had in his step all afternoon long. God, he really is loving this.
"Wait," he says as her fingers close around the doorknob. "Wait, wait. Let's take a minute to savor all of this. The glow of the setting sun, the chill in the air, the rustle of leaves. The smell of –"
"Dust and mildew?" she supplies dryly.
"I was going to say history," he says. "But if you want to be glass half-empty about it, sure."
She grins, shaking her head. "You're stalling, Castle. Maybe you're the one who's scared."
He shuts up then, but not before giving a haughty laugh and motioning for her to open the door.
She's not surprised that it's dim inside; there's power and heat paid for by some anonymous benefactor to make sure that the pipes don't burst – again – and ruin more of the house's Queen Anne charm, but there aren't that many light fixtures, and the walls are painted a deep, rich brown, which absorbs what little light there is.
"This place is so cool," he murmurs from behind her. "Okay, where should we start? Upstairs? Downstairs in the basement? Oh, should we split up?"
Kate tosses a look over her shoulder. "You know, you won't be able to hear anything if you keep talking like this."
He makes a zipping motion she knows won't stick, following on her heels as she moves deeper into the house.
For her part, she keeps her head on a swivel to be sure there's nothing potentially harmful in their way. No holes in the floor they can fall through, nothing hanging from the ceiling they'll run into.
Castle, on the other hand, is definitely prepared for a close encounter of the spirit kind.
Still, the hair on her arms stands up at the first creak, the first groan, the first thump they hear as they're moving through the ancient kitchen.
"Don't," she warns when his mouth drops open. "Don't say it, Castle."
Wisely, he lets the house do the speaking for him.