Potions of Love

This multi-chapter AU story finds Rick Rodgers going to extremes to attract the affections of Kate Beckett. With help from his friends, he secures a secret potion guaranteed to help Kate fall in love with him. If he only knew…follow Rick and Kate through the ups and downs of their unpredictable romance. Castle and its characters are the property of Andrew Marlowe and ABC. All others are from my imagination.

A/N #1 - The idea for this story came from the movie "Love Potion #9". I did not intend, nor was it my intent, to copy this movie word for word. In fact, it developed a life of its own as I progressed with the storytelling about our favorite characters. Many of the characters named in this story are from the TV series #Castle, which is owned by ABC and Andrew Marlowe. I continue to thank both for creating such an epic series that continues to live on in our hearts and minds. All other characters are products of my imagination. I hope you enjoy my first multi-chapter FF story. dkcfan

Prologue - How it all began

Rick Rodgers was born and raised in New York City and is the only son of Broadway star Martha Rodgers. His life has had many ups and downs. Still, he will always be eternally grateful to his mother for her unconditional love and support, even during the years when Rick's behavior could be politely described as challenging.

Through the hard work and sacrifice of his mother and his high IQ that enabled him to test high on his entrance exams, he was able to earn a few scholarships to help support the costs of attending some of the finest schools in NYC. Rick excelled in his verbal and writing skills all through high school. But he also had an acute mind for math and the sciences, which aided him greatly in receiving a full scholarship as an Advanced Pharmacy Practice student at Mayo Clinic's Alix School of Medicine in Rochester, MN.

Martha Rodgers was stunned to learn that her son wanted to attend medical school out in the middle of the country when he could attend universities in New York that were comparable and possibly even higher ranked than Alix. But Rick was ready for a change of scenery. He had made it through high school, but there had been many struggles, some he had never shared with his mother. Being the son of a single mother drew some very unkind comments and ribbing from a few of his so-called friends. He was ready to take a new lease on life, and Mayo had an excellent pharmacology program that could open several doors after his graduation.

Rick's high school graduation came up sooner than Martha had wanted, but she couldn't deny that her son was happier than he had been for months. She knew there had been other reasons for his decision to move to Minnesota, but she never pressured him to tell her. She had also been the recipient of many of the same innuendos as Rick had received, but she, too, never shared them with her son. Moving day arrived. Rick was shipping the belongings he couldn't squeeze into his 2015 Jeep Cherokee out to Rochester to an apartment he had sublet from another pharmacy student.

Rick and his mother held one another tightly as they said goodbye. Rick had never been away from home for more than a couple of weeks at a time to attend camps during high school, so this was going to be a significant adjustment for both of them. With Martha's performance schedule and Rick's class load, they agreed that he wouldn't be coming back to NYC until Christmas. Martha and Rick shared their final goodbyes, and tears shed as Rick climbed into his jeep and headed west for his new adventure.

Kate Beckett was the daughter of two high-profile corporate law attorneys in San Diego, CA. Being born and raised in San Diego under the spotlight of Jim and Johanna Beckett, many assumed that she would follow in her parents' footsteps. But as happened often, Kate had other ideas. For years since she was in middle school, she had a desire to pursue a career in medicine, especially after watching one of her young friends succumb to a rare brain disorder that was never identified.

Before her high school graduation, Kate had researched medical universities across the country and had finally decided she wanted to apply to a university in Minnesota. Her parents were disappointed she wasn't pursuing a law degree, but they supported Kate in her decision knowing her heart was in this area of medical learning. When "Katie" was born, her parents had set up a college fund to assist in her college education. But Kate, being as independent as she was, had also worked through high school to save funds to help supplement her university expenses.

In addition to saving funds to help with college, Kate also set aside part of her earnings to purchase something she had wanted for years, a Harley Davidson motorcycle. The Becketts weren't excited about this idea, but they knew Katie, and when she had her mind set on something, it was hard to change it, though they tried. They even played the weather card, trying to encourage her to change her mind because who would ride a motorcycle in Minnesota? Kate just laughed and simply said, "me."

So during her final semester of high school, Kate not only finalized her papers for acceptance into Mayo Clinic's Alix School of Medicine for a Medical Psychology Fellowship with an emphasis on neurology; she also researched vintage Harley's and found an enthusiast in western San Diego who had just refurbished a 1994 Harley Softail that had come in from a private owner from Ohio with only 791 miles on it. Kate couldn't believe her find. She researched the shop, Kenny G's, and found it very reputable, and the shop had excellent references. Kate called the owner to set up an appointment and find out some more details about the bike.

Kate was able to speak with Jake, the lead mechanic at Kenny G's, who had done the actual restoration of the motorcycle. Jake explained how they had come to work with the private owner and why he wanted to find a buyer who would take excellent care of the Softail.

It turned out that the owner had originally purchased the bike for his son when he graduated from a community college in Ohio. But then his son enlisted in the military and decided to make it a career, and with his moving from base to base, he could no longer keep the Harley. Then the unforeseen happened. The private owner who owned the motorcycle had it completely refurbished for one purpose. He had it refurbished because every time he saw the bike, it reminded him of his son. It was a sad day when his father learned that his son was involved in a helicopter accident and died on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln trying to land the chopper in less than favorable weather conditions.

Kate struggled to maintain her composure after listening to Jake's story. He asked if she wanted to see the motorcycle, and she nodded her head, silently saying yes. They went to the rear of the shop and into a private room where the bike sat safely under a protective cover. Jake carefully removed the tarp, and Kate's breath caught in her throat. She walked over to the bike and ever so carefully ran her fingers over the seat and handlebars. Kate had never seen such a beautiful machine. Jake told her she could sit on it if she wanted to. She gave him a questioning look, and he said, "go ahead."

Kate carefully swung her leg over the bike and settled onto an unbelievably soft, custom-designed seat. She had always envisioned what it would feel like to have a motorcycle of her own and how that first time riding it would feel. During high school, Kate had friends who owned motorcycles, and she had ridden and driven a few different models, but the Softail was always a favorite. Unbeknownst to her parents, she had borrowed a friend's Harley to use for her motorcycle drivers' test.

Jake was very impressed with Kate and her knowledge of Softails and knew the original owner was more interested in finding someone who would care for the bike in the same way that he and his son had done several years ago than he was in necessarily getting a high price for the sale. Jake and Kate agreed on the price, and Kate was set to pick the motorcycle up the following week.

Kate left the shop knowing that this was more than just a motorcycle. It had a true story behind it, and at that moment, she made a silent promise to herself, the private owner and the son who gave his life in service to our country, that she would treasure the Softail and always take special care of it.

The day for Kate to head to Minnesota crept up rapidly. Her parents were still very uncomfortable thinking of Katie driving halfway across the country on a motorcycle, but she would not change her mind. They had even said they would pay for the bike shipment to Minnesota, but Kate had her heart set on riding it. She wanted the opportunity to see some of the country's majesty and work at getting her mind tuned into what would be her life for the next 4-6 years.

So instead of shipping the Harley, her parents helped her ship her needed belongings to Rochester, where Kate had found an apartment with a small garage area near the Mayo downtown campus. Moving day arrived. Kate had the basic clothes and items she would need for the trip loaded into saddlebags on the back of her Harley Softail and was dressed in full black leathers for protection on her ride. There were some tears shed by her parents, but Kate's excitement about her new adventures was occupying her mind at the moment. After several hugs and "I love yous," Kate was on her way.

A/N #2 - I want to thank Pen to Pen Writer (P2P) for his encouragement and support in planning for this, my first multi-chapter #Castle fanfiction story. Without his assistance, this story would never have become a reality.

A/N #3 - A very special thank you to LordofKavaka for creating the awesome cover art for this story!

A/N #4 - This story will follow a posting cycle of Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

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