Playing Hard to Get

Chapter 1

Kate, with Espo and Ryan right behind her, walked for her next case. From here it looked like it was going to be an interesting one. A dead body lying there covered in something red and some yellow on the head. Kate looked her over. "So who are you?"

Espo answered her question. "Allison Tisdale. Social worker, 24, grad student at NYU."

"Interesting place for a social worker." Kate looked around a bit. It screamed money.

"Daddy's money," Ryan suggested.

"No signs of a struggle. ...She knew him," Kate offered as a guess.

Lanie joined her. "He gave her flowers. Who says romance is dead?"

"I do, every Saturday night," Kate answered her.

"Lipstick wouldn't hurt," Lanie commented. "I'm just saying," Lanie added after Kate gave her a look.

"So what did he give her besides roses?" Kale inquired since flowers didn't kill her.

"Two shots to the chest, small caliber." Lanie showed her the holes.

"I've seen this before," Kate told everyone and got a shocked look from Lanie.

"You've seen this before?" Espo didn't see how.

Kate gave them a clue. "Roses on the body sunflowers on the eyes." None of them said a word. "Don't you guys read?" Kate asked them.

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Kate walked up behind him. "Mister Castle?"

"Where would you like it?" He would be more than happy to sign another chest with his signature. He had already done that at this party and she was still smiling.

"Detective Beckett, NYPD. I will be asking you a few questions about a murder that took place earlier tonight." Kate showed him her badge.

Next Kate watched a young teenager with an interesting hair color. "That's new." And she snatched the pen out of his hand and sat back down.

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"Mister Castle, you've got quite the rap sheet for a best selling author." And here Kate thought actually meeting him was going to be exciting. She had read every one of his books and a few more than once, a select few more than twice. However, reading this, she wasn't as nearly as excited.

"Disorderly conduct, resisting arrest." Kate wasn't even done yet.

"Boys will be boys." Rick tried to look cute.

Kate gave him a slight grin telling him she knew what he was doing. "Says here that you stole a police horse?"

"Borrowed," Rick countered.

"Ah, and you were nude at the time," Kate pointed out from her file.

"It was spring," Rick added.

"The charges were dropped." Kate liked him even less now.

"What can I say, the mayor is a fan. But if it makes you feel better I would be happy to let you spank me." Rick leaned forward and smiled at her.

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Kate was finally, thankfully, done with this case. It had been full of Castle, and she was more than happy to see him gone. Her opinion of him was down in the sewers at the moment.

Between the lies he told, stealing files from her desk, putting up with his childish behavior, and yet somehow, he hadn't gotten anyone killed. He was either blessed or just damn lucky. Either way, she was glad he was gone. She could go back to normal.

Kate knocked. "You wanted to see me, Sir?" Kate had gotten word that Captain Montgomery wanted to see her.

"Yeah, I just got a call from the mayor's office. Seems you have a fan," Roy informed her.

"A fan, Sir?" That didn't make any sense to her.

"Rick Castle. Seems he has found a new character for his next set of books. A tough but savvy female detective," Roy told her.

"I'm flattered?" It was all Kate could think of to say, even if she wasn't.

"Don't be." Roy gave her a clue. "Says he needs to do research."

"OH NO!" Kate could just see what was coming next.

"Oh, yes," Roy countered dryly.

"NO!" Kate yelled. "Sir, he's like a nine-year-old on a sugar rush, totally incapable of taking anything seriously." Kate wasn't going to put up with this shit.

"When the mayor is happy, the commissioner is happy, and when the commissioner is happy, I'm happy," Roy informed her. Kate huffed; they didn't know what they were talking about.

"OUT OF THE QUESTION!" Kate told him.

"Well, Castle here needs research." Roy nodded at the man, and Kate turned to find a grinning Castle standing there. He even looked more insufferable than ever.

"Still out of the question," Kate informed him. She pointed at Castle. "He is a nine-year-old child in an adult body. He lies constantly and proclaims his innocence. If he ignores his lie long enough, it will just go away. Or have you forgotten that he was arrested for a Federal crime and should be in jail right now, waiting for his trial, a trial that will put him away for the next ten years? But even that didn't stop him. Out of the question." Kate stopped looking or even pointing at Castle.

"Beckett, do you see that word on my desk and door?" Roy meant CAPTAIN, meaning he was in charge around here.

Kate pointed at Castle again. "HE is going to get someone killed. Himself, me, Ryan, Espo, an officer. It will happen. He doesn't take orders, and even if he says he will follow them, he's lying. He's already lied countless times.

"This isn't one of his books. This is real life, Sir. Don't force me to resign just to save my own life because Castle is going to get someone killed at some point." Kate turned to leave his office.

"Move it, Castle." Kate shoved him out of her way, walked to her desk, and sat down in a huff.

Rick's smirk of victory morphed into one of disbelief. He had it all worked out and had even finished five whole chapters last night. He was onto something with this character. She was perfect. He had gotten the mayor to see it his way. It was a lock.

Except it wasn't. Dumbfounded, he was staring at Roy in shock.

This situation left Roy with a problem. The mayor and the commissioner were expecting Beckett to comply. But he knew Beckett; she wasn't wrong if she was right about Castle. Worse, while he thought Beckett was bluffing about resigning, he couldn't take the chance that she wasn't.

He also knew her pretty well by now. Beckett was stubborn, and once she had made up her mind, nothing short of a life-ending disaster would change it.

Roy sighed; he was just going to have to explain this to the mayor and the commissioner. "You're out, Castle."

"WHAT!" He couldn't be out! He needed this to work. How was he going to write about her if he didn't get to follow her around? He needed this, or Gina really would take back his advance, which would devastate his finances. He had been spending it almost as fast as he earned it. Worse, his divorce from Gina had put him in financial trouble.

Rick walked up to his desk. "Roy, this has to work. She has to let me follow her around."

"Sorry, Castle. If she is right about you, and you get someone killed – perhaps even yourself – the press for the NYPD and the mayor will be devastating. The mayor is a politician, he needs votes, and he's not going to get votes if you get yourself killed.

"He might be a fan and a friend, but when it comes down to it, his career wins out over letting you follow Beckett around. Go home, Castle," Roy told him. "Let her calm down a little… Or maybe a lot."

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Kate was sitting at her desk, trying to forget what had just happened. As if she couldn't hate Castle more than she already did, suddenly the smug child jackass was sitting next to her desk.

"Beckett, you have to let me follow you around," Rick told her.

Kate wasn't changing her mind. "No, I don't. Once the mayor and the commissioner think it over, they won't be behind you for long."

"I promise to do what you tell me to do." Part of him knew he was lying and the look on her face told him that she believed he was lying. "I'll buy you a pony." Not that that worked with Alexis and didn't look to be working with Beckett either.

"Go home, Castle. You gave it your best shot, but it wasn't good enough, and it never will be. I'm not letting a child like you follow me around. This is real life, Castle, not one of your books. The pen is not mightier than that golden bullet that has your name on it.

"Go home, Castle," Kate told him again and finally saw him get up and leave. Kate sighed. He was such a waste. She shook her head. All that talent for writing. He was handsome enough, and yet his personality was... was... She couldn't think of the right word.

Kate put it behind her and began looking through her desk. Surely something needed filing. She had far too much stuff on her desk.

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Rick needed a new plan. Beckett would come around and succumb to his charm. Every other woman had so far, so why not her?

"You're home." Alexis noticed him as she walked down the stairs. She hadn't heard the door. She was coming downstairs for a different reason. "I thought you said you were going back to the Precinct?"

"I did." He wasn't going to tell her he got kicked out by a woman. Besides, he wasn't literally kicked out, and he didn't plan to stay out. He just needed a new plan was all.

This new character was far too good to pass up, and he wasn't going to let this setback stop him.

"Okay." Alexis walked over to the refrigerator to get a soda. She got her favorite and then started back to her room, but she stopped. Something was off. "I thought you said you had a brilliant new character for a new series of books?"

"I do, and she's perfect. I've even got the perfect name for her. And I've even got the title," Rick told her. He rummaged around in the refrigerator himself but not for a soda.

"Then what's the problem?" She knew her dad; he didn't look happy.

"I need Detective Beckett to let me follow her around." Rick didn't see anything else that would fill his need. Whatever that need was, which was part of the problem.

"She said no," Alexis guessed.

"I got the mayor to convince the commissioner, who convinced Roy. But I need to think of something to convince Beckett."

"Good luck, Dad. What you did is probably still front and center in her mind." Alexis knew what she was talking about and assumed so did her dad.

"I'm sure she's forgotten all about that," Rick insisted since it had left his mind.

"Dad, she arrested you and charged you. You had your picture taken and had ink all over your fingers. Roy was the only reason they dropped the charges," Alexis reminded him. "And that wasn't the first time you got arrested." With that, Alexis took her soda and went up the stairs and into her room.

Those were all just misunderstandings in his mind. He needed to figure out how to reach Beckett to get her to agree. First, he needed to look up something, so he hurried to his office and turned on his laptop.

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Okay, getting her a pony was out, so what could he get her? He needed to sway her to his side. Finally, after doing some surfing, it hit him. Of course, this would work. It always worked. Couldn't miss!

It was pricey, but any cost was worth it if it worked. He was going to make millions off these three books. He just needed to write them. And for that, he needed Beckett. So this couldn't miss. What woman could resist this?

One day air was only another $19, so what the hell. The sooner, the better.

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Kate came into work the next day. She headed for her desk and sat down, but she suddenly found Espo sitting next to her desk. "What?" Kate stared at him since he had a smug look on his face.

"Word is out that Castle tried to get himself attached to you so he could follow you around." Espo would have loved to see that. Watching Beckett trying to deal with Castle was way better than watching Shark Week on TV. Real life was so much better.

"He did, but he's gone. You should be thankful. Can you imagine what dragging a child like him around would cause? How much damage he would cause." Kate had all kinds of ideas. From contaminated sites filled with his fingerprints and DNA to bullets flying everywhere.

"Might have been fun," Espo mused.

"I'll let you call him and tell him that he can follow you around everywhere, Espo," Kate challenged him.

"I'm not a female detective," Espo argued right back at her and smiled.

"Some estrogen shots and an operation can fix all that. Or I can find you a dress to wear. You might have to get your own wig. I'm pretty sure most women have a lot more hair than you do on their heads. But you're going to have to..." Kate demonstrated using paste or tape to rip off his chest hair. "RIP!"

"I'll pass." But Espo wasn't giving up just yet. "So what makes you think he won't be back?"

"Because he doesn't have a choice, that's why. Don't you have work to do?" Then Kate threatened him with hard work. "If not, you can go down to Archives, pull a cold case, and dedicate yourself to solving it." Cold cases were the worst. That was why they were called COLD.

"I'm going, I'm going." Espo got up and left a smiling-from-victory Kate Beckett behind him.

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"This arrived for you downstairs." An officer dropped this big, round, black box on her desk. There was what looked like a card attached to the top.

The box had to be around 18 inches in diameter, and it said The Million Roses, Los Angeles on the side, all in gold. It was kind of like an old-fashioned hat box, but larger.

The word Roses was a clue. It was just that she wasn't dating anyone. Hell, she hadn't even gotten laid since… since. She'd rather not think about him. He had made his choice, and it sure as hell wasn't her.

Kate started with the card and pulled it; it came off easy enough. She opened the envelope and slipped out a white card with gold lettering. She scanned it while not reading it and saw the name. CASTLE.

"SHIT!" Didn't that jackass ever learn? Kate left the card behind, picked up the big black box, and walked over to Ryan. "Aren't you dating someone? Give her these. Just put a new card on top and take them to her." Kate turned around and went back to her desk. Still seething, she picked up the card and the envelope, walked over to the shredder, and inserted them.

It only took a couple of seconds, and those things were now confetti in the bin below it. Not just lines of confetti either. That was a cross-cut machine, meaning they were now tiny little pieces. Once done, Kate returned to her desk and forgot that the box or the card ever showed up.

"What's in it, bro?" Espo wanted to know. It looked big, and it looked expensive to him.

"Beats me." Ryan looked at how to open this thing, and he realized that all he had to do was pull the top up and off. But it was pretty much held down with suction and didn't come off easily.

"WOW!" The second he had it off, beautiful red roses blossomed over the sides. There had to be over fifty, if not over sixty roses inside that thing. With it came the boxed-up scent of roses that filled his nose with a single breath.

"Damn, bro." Espo stared at the box. The black of the box only made the red of the roses all that more prominent. "Why did Beckett give you those?" Espo turned to look at her, wondering what was going on.

"If you're not dating someone, I suggest you find someone and fast," Espo advised his partner.

Ryan was still in shock as he looked at the box. He was finally to the point where he wondered how to get the top back on so he could take it home while not damaging the roses or the box.

He checked with his partner just to be certain. "You're sure you don't want it, Javi?"

Espo shook his head. "I would if I was dating someone, but I'm not. So do what Beckett suggested – get yourself one of those Hallmark cards and find someone to give it to. Who knows, you might get laid instantly."

"Really!?" Ryan asked him. He didn't understand what she saw when she saw this box? His partner needed to learn the fine art of dating, or he would never find someone.

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Roy stepped off the elevator and headed for his office, only he didn't make it. He saw something on Ryan's desk, so he walked over to it. "Big date tonight, Ryan?" If he did, he was going about it the right way. His wife would love something like this even after all these years.

"No, Sir." Ryan broke it to him. "Beckett just dropped these on my desk. She didn't say much, just left them behind."

"Did she now?" Roy turned to look at Beckett; she was sitting there working on something. "Castle," Roy whispered softly since he knew who exactly had sent them to Beckett.

"Castle?" Espo let his mouth drop open. Beckett had rejected those roses, and Castle had sent them. Now Espo was turning to look at her.

"Do you want these flowers, Sir? I have no use for them. You could take them home to your wife," Ryan told him since he wasn't dating anyone now.

That had Roy looking at the box full of red roses. He hesitated, then accepted, knowing full well that he would score points with his wife. It was just that those were Beckett's roses.

A moment later, Roy was sitting at his desk, trying to get the top back on and not crush all the roses around the edge. He had no idea how they had managed to do it the first time. It was proving to be damn near impossible.

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Rick had given Kate an extra day for the roses to be delivered just to be sure she had time to get them and enjoy them. But he didn't dare call her and ask her if she liked them. So, he called Roy instead.

That was when he learned that Kate had handed them off to Ryan unopened, and no, Roy didn't know where the card he had sent with them was.

"She's not going to give in, Castle. She's far too stubborn to do that," Roy warned him. "You've got to think of something much more personal than that."

Now Roy knew he had indeed scored points with his wife that night. She had even managed to count them. There were sixty-seven roses in total in a nice big, black box. It had also earned him a great night in bed, making love to his wife. Roy wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.