AN: Another season two 'what if' story that I had laying around in search of a happy ending.
All recognizable characters belong to Marlowe and ABC.
One: Two Can Play
Jennifer Collins was sitting with Roz Karpowski finalizing the handoff of the cases that both detectives had started working for their respective precincts. In the end the perp responsible for both murders was the same person and Jennifer's team had arrested him thanks to the cooperation of Karpowski's team.
While the conversation was strictly professional, Roz couldn't help but notice Jennifer sneaking glances towards Ryan and Esposito's desks where Rick was seated, apparently fascinated by something on his phone. Roz had a first row seat to the soap opera playing out between Castle, Beckett and a robbery detective named Tom Demming. Like everyone else at the Twelfth, she was keenly aware of Demming's reputation as a 'player' and was surprised that someone like Beckett had fallen for his lines.
Both women looked towards Kate's desk where she and Tom were engaged in what certainly looked to be in anything but a work related conversation. Judging by the look on her face and the way she was giggling like a schoolgirl as he rises to his feet and kisses her before leaving, work was the last thing on her mind.
Jennifer gives Roz a puzzled look. "I thought that Beckett was working with Castle?" She inquires.
"She is, or should I say, was. To tell you the truth, I'm surprised that he's stuck around this long. I wish I had taken that case that brought him here in the first place. Maybe he'd look at me the way he does her..." Roz replies, blushing at the thought of Rick being with her.
"So, you think he might be interested in a new partner?" Jennifer asks with a sly smile that implies something more than just a working relationship. At 36, the leggy blonde was nearly as tall as Kate, but carried a few extra pounds on her frame, apparently all on her chest. Once divorced, she ran into the same problems that most cops did, their only contact being with other cops, or criminals. The thought of the handsome writer being available seemed too good to be true and wondered what Beckett had found lacking in him to settle for someone like Demming.
She points to where Castle is seated and then gestures towards Beckett. "So what's the story? Why is Beckett slumming with a cop like Demming when she's got Castle there? What's his defect?" She inquires, her interest piquing.
Roz can only laugh at the question and replies. "Honestly, I have no idea why she's decided to make a show with Tom like some high school kid. And to answer your second question, his only defect is that he's head over heels for her. Must be masochist though, because it seems all she does is threaten to shoot him or ridicule his theories as of late."
"Sad thing is, her team has the highest closure rate in the city and you can bet that Rick's stupid theories helped to close more than a few of them. I wish I could steal him away from her... I doubt if she would even notice." Roz remarks with a smile to let Jennifer know that she is only joking about trying to lure Castle away, sort of.
Jennifer had read the Cosmo article and was keenly aware of the unique arrangement Rick had with the NYPD. With her current partner about to retire next month, the thought of luring away Castle to her team sounded like something her Captain would agree to, saving the costs of another detective. If something more were to develop between them from their partnership, all the better.
Glancing at the large clock on the wall, an idea comes to her. "Hey Roz, it's about lunchtime. Let's grab a bite. I'm buying..."
Never one to turn down a free meal, Roz smiles and replies. "Sure thing. Seeing as you're paying, I'll let you pick where."
The two women rise to their feet and Roz slips on her jacket. They make their way through the bullpen as Jennifer stops beside Ryan's desk where Rick is seated. "Aren't you going to introduce me Roz?" Jennifer inquires with a sly smile as Rick looks up to see the two women standing before him.
"Jennifer Collins, this is Richard Castle, all around hunk and the bard of the twelfth precinct. Jennifer is a homicide detective at the one seven."
Rick pushes himself up from his substitute seat smiling and extends his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Jennifer." He gives her hand a gentle squeeze as he speaks and she gives him a shy smile in return.
"The pleasure's all mine." She replies as he releases her hand and she misses the contact. "Roz and I were just heading out for lunch... would you care to come along? I'm buying."
Rick first looks towards Beckett's desk and sees that Demming has returned, sitting in what he had considered his chair and sighs. Looking back at the two women he replies. "I will on one condition. You let me buy."
"It's a deal. Jennifer quickly replies before he can change his mind. She had seen the way he had looked towards Beckett's desk and loops her arm through his. "Lead on, kind sir." She remarks in a very bad British accent that results in all three of them laughing as they make their way past Kate's desk and towards the elevator.
Tom is talking about their planned getaway for the Memorial Day weekend, explaining how he needed to get the deposit in before the end of the day. She is trying hard to listen to what he is saying, not sure if she was ready to spend a long weekend away with him, when she catches a glimpse of Castle being escorted by the two women. While she knew that Roz was no competition to her, the leggy blonde with the big chest certainly was. Judging by the way she was hanging onto him and flirting, the woman had taken quite an interest in her partner.
She was so focused on Castle and the mystery woman that Tom had to ask her the same question three times before she realized that he was speaking to her. She can't help but stare at them as the three wait for the elevator. Both women were giggling in response to something Rick had said, which only seems to make what she would swear wasn't jealousy grow even further.
The three get on the elevator still laughing about something and she knew just how charming Rick could be. Tom's phone interrupts whatever he was talking about that she wasn't paying attention to anyway. He has a case and is unable to go to lunch, but wants to meet her later at her place and offers to provide take out. Kate simply nods in agreement as he rises from the seat and places a kiss on her cheek before heading towards the stairs.
Sitting there alone, she looks back to where Ryan and Espo are seated. The two appear to be in a rather heated debate about something and decides not to intrude. A few minutes pass and she can't help but feel that everyone there is watching her. If the not so surreptitious looks that Kevin and Javi kept throwing in her direction were any indication, she was correct.
Hungry and a little angry, at who, she wasn't sure, she walks back to where the two are seated and asks them if they were going out for lunch.
"Thought you and Demming were going out?" Espo inquires, a little more sarcastically than he intended.
She flinches unconsciously at his tone, but realizes that since she and Tom had started dating, she had no social contact with any of the members of her team.
"Is that a no then?" Kate responds, deciding to ignore his barb and prepares to walk away.
"I didn't say that, did I?" Javi quickly responds. "Kev and I were talking about going to Remy's. Wanna come?"
"Let's go. You drive."
X-X-X-X
The three arrived just as the lunchtime rush was beginning to diminish. They managed to find a booth almost directly across from the one where Rick, Roz and the blonde were seated. Judging by the smiles and laughter coming from the booth, they were having a very good time. Kate can see from the blonde's body language and the way she is looking at Castle, that she has more than a friendly interest in him.
Javi is seeing the same thing that she is and can't help but get a dig in. "Looks like the blonde has taken a shine to your partner... or should I say former partner."
"What are you talking about? Did Castle say something?" Kate asks, now worried that Javi knew something she didn't.
"Look, I don't really know why he's stuck around for as long as he has, but it's a safe bet that it wasn't to be ridiculed by you and your boyfriend." Espo replies matter of factly.
Kate bristles at his use of the word boyfriend to describe Tom, but couldn't come up with a better descriptor. It made it all seem so juvenile. Yes, they had been intimate together, but she certainly didn't consider him her lover, as she didn't love him. Originally, Tom was a way of making Castle feel the same jealousy that she felt seeing him with that skank starlet Ellie Monroe. But when Castle began to withdraw rather than admit his feelings, she let things with Tom progress much farther than she intended.
Granted, his reaction to her behavior only seemed to fuel her own doubts about Castle wanting anything more than a working relationship. In spite of the mountain of evidence that this wasn't the case, she saw his withdrawal as proof that he really didn't care, which only seemed to add to her own doubts.
Tom, who was unaware that he was being used, pushed Kate to advance what he thought was a serious relationship between them. It wasn't a deliberate act on her part as she had never intended on things between her and Tom progressing past harmless flirting. But somehow the combination of Tom's desire and Castle's apparent indifference led her into something she never intended on.
Kate knew just how charming Rick could be when he tried and the fact that in spite of being twice divorced, he was still considered the eighth most eligible bachelor in the city. It wasn't as if he hadn't tried using those charms with her. No, she had somehow managed to reject his every advance, yet had allowed herself to be taken in by Tom.
The waitress takes their orders while she tries to surreptitiously keep an eye on the booth across from her. Ryan has to pose the same question twice to her as she stares at the three. It's obvious that the blonde is openly flirting with Rick and he seems to be returning the interest.
X-X-X-X
Rick and his two companions were enjoying their burgers while swapping funny stories when he sees Ryan, Espo, and Beckett take the booth directly across from them. Roz and Jennifer can both see the change in expression on his face and look to see the same thing. Both women can sense that they are being watched and decide to increase their flirting with him just to see her reaction. The laughs became just a little louder and the innocent touches a little more frequent.
If the expression on Beckett's face was any indication, they had succeeded in pissing her off which pleased Roz. She had watched Kate flaunt Demming in front of everyone on the floor for nearly a month now and truly felt sorry for Rick.
Jennifer, on the other hand, cared little about the goings on at the twelfth and was only interested in the handsome and very eligible man sitting beside her at the moment. Judging by his reaction, her flirting was not only appreciated, it was returned. Deciding that this may be her only chance, she drops the hint that she has the weekend off and hasn't been on a date in so long that she might have forgotten how.
While flattered by the not so subtle hint from her, Rick isn't sure how to respond. A poke in the ribs by Roz who was seated on the other side of him, along with a look that said 'ask her dummy' was just enough motivation to get him to make the request. Jennifer accepts his offer before he finishes and they both have to laugh. Roz gives him another poke and a thumbs up to let him know he is doing the right thing, while giving Jennifer a knowing smile.
The two exchange phone numbers while the waitress brings out their bill. Rick tosses out enough to cover the check and a more than generous tip as they slide out of the booth. Knowing that there is no way that he can pretend that he didn't see her, Rick walks over to their booth where they were in the middle of eating their meals.
"Where's Demming? I figured you two were going out, or I would have asked." Rick offers, secretly pleased to not have to deal with Tom any more than necessary.
"Picked up a case at the last minute." Kate quickly replies, confirming his assumption that she would have been with Demming otherwise.
Rick can see the way that Kate is eyeing the woman that has looped her arm through his, that she is not pleased. He wondered if he looked at her the same way the first time she and Tom strolled into the precinct together. He looks directly at Beckett and smiles. "Detective Beckett, I'd like to introduce Detective Jennifer Collins... Jennifer works out of the One Seven in homicide. She and Roz just finished up a case they worked together."
Jennifer extends her hand towards Kate and remarks. "It's a pleasure to meet you detective. I've heard nothing but good things about you and your team."
Kate takes the proffered hand and gives it a firm squeeze. "Nice to meet you detective." Releasing her hand, she appears to be very interested in the burger on her plate.
Sensing her supposed lack of interest, Jennifer decides to up the ante. "Rick was just telling us about how much he enjoys helping to work cases with you and your team. It must be a thrill to have a world famous writer like him working with you. I'm surprised that someone hasn't tried to steal him away. I know I'd love it if he were my partner."
The urge to say something equally catty in response tugs at Kate, but rejects the idea, knowing that the smiling blonde would win if she revealed her true feelings. Instead, she shrugs her shoulders as if the comment regarding losing her partner meant nothing to her and returns her attention to the burger on her plate.
Castle seems to visibly deflate seeing Beckett's apparent lack of concern at the idea of him working with someone else. While the thought had never occurred to him, her reaction to the idea seemed to be the last straw. Roz gives Kate an angry glare and loops her arm through Castle's other one while leading the three of them out of the restaurant.
Both Ryan and Espo exchange astonished looks at each other after witnessing what could only be considered a train wreck. They had hoped that Demming was nothing more than a tool Beckett was using to get even with Castle for his dalliance with Ellie Monroe. After seeing her apparent lack of concern regarding the possibility of him leaving, they knew that things were bad. Possibly beyond repair.
Seeing her partners exchanging surprised looks, she simply responds with an angry "what?", and continues to eat her meal.
"I thought that you were only trying to get even with Castle for him dating the hot starlet, but I was wrong. You really want to get rid of him, don't you?" Espo nearly growls, trying to keep his voice from being heard by the others there. "Kev and I went along with it at first, but when he didn't go all green eyed like you wanted, you and your boyfriend decided to attack him personally."
Kate sits down her burger and gives him an angry glare, which causes Javi to chuckle. "That shit might work on Castle, but I've known you since the academy and it won't work on me. You ridiculed his theories and Demming kept reminding him that he wasn't a cop. I'm amazed that he stuck around for as long as he did. Judging by the way that blondie was looking at him, I'd say she's well on her way to taking him as her new partner. So I guess you got what you wanted."
Appetite now gone, she shoves her half eaten plate away and gestures for the waitress to bring the bill. She had nothing to say to Espo that wouldn't make things even worse than they were at the the moment.
The ride back to the precinct was spent with everyone sitting in their respective spots in silence. Kate replayed Espo's harsh assessment moments earlier and grudgingly had to agree. While Rick may have not been jealous of Tom, the robbery detective certainly was of Castle and tried to demean him every chance he could. She knew she should have stopped Tom, but secretly wanted Rick to defend himself. She never asked Rick to give up his chair to Tom, but looking back, she certainly didn't say anything about it when he retreated to sit with Ryan and Espo.
Back at the precinct, she looks first at her desk, then towards the empty chair between Ryan and Esposito's desk and frowns. A glance over at Roz's desk confirms that Castle wasn't there. At that moment, she can't help but wonder if she will ever see him again. Kate quickly dismisses the thought as nonsense and returns her attention to the pile of paperwork from their last case.