Alternative Route Taken
by Castlefan6
Authors Note: Another What If based on the episode, A Deadly Game, what happened if Rick didn't return to the precinct after leaving and this was really their last case. What would each other's lives have looked like? The story starts with Canon dialog, courtesy of Dust Jackets Dot Com, then goes quickly and completely AU. The journey continues with a new Kate and Rick, hope you enjoy!
I don't own Castle; I use the characters for amusement purposes only, except the ones I create.
A/N This may or may not end up as a Caskett fic, if that bothers you, please wait for updates to see which direction the story goes. Respectful comments are always welcome, trolls will be deleted.
Also, we may take liberties with the timeline from Canon and use events to make this a more believable fiction, thanks.
Previously
"Pleased to meet you, Kate, I'm Paul the quiet one, Josh does most of the talking but I got the first hit, then the idiot slowed and sideswiped us to be sure we both went down. I think my arm is broken, but like they say Doctors make the worst patients." He smiled a shy smile and Kate thought wow, a Doctor who isn't into himself,
"Well here comes the ambulance, here's my card, I already called the Highway Patrol Investigation Unit so Sherriff Posay will be reporting to them, we'll be sure the two jerks that did this pay for it. Two guys in the same truck almost hit me a few minutes before they got you. Call me if you need anything" She handed her card to Paul, over Josh's outstretched hand, clearly indicating who she was more interested in. Paul took the card in his good hand, and smiled a shy smile, "Thanks Kate" he said quietly as Josh looked on in shock.
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Chapter 7
Sunday, May 24th, 6:00 AM
Memorial Day Weekend
Beckett's Apartment
Kates POV
Kate couldn't sleep, she had tossed and turned most of the night, but from 4:37 AM she had listened to the damn clock in the kitchen tick-tock, it's way to the current time. She decided to quit fighting the distraction, she needed to go for a run, work some tension and anxiety out of her body.
Her mind kept flashing back to Shirley Jonas and her Dad, kissing in front of the wishing pond her Mom had wanted him to build so badly, then she got flashes of how close the idiots in the blue truck came to her, then the mangled mess of two Harleys and the two doctors lying in a heap rushed into her mind.
It had been a hell of a day, to say the least, at least the two doctors weren't hurt seriously, Paul and Josh, well nice guys but hey not for me, I have to concentrate on getting my partner back she thought. As she completed that thought she had visions of Roz and Ann in their two-piece excuse of bathing suits, well band-aids more like it, showing off their assets, and she got jealous.
She knew she had no right, but hey Castle was her partner, she knew he had been into her, but now, well, something was going on with him and she wanted to know what. She thought back to the last words he had said when she asked.,
"When will we see you again Rick? Will we see you in the fall?"
He turned, looked down, and sadly said, "I don't know, I really don't, Goodbye Detective"
She could still see his back walking away from her with quick steps to reach the stairs, not even waiting for the elevator, to escape the precinct, hell escape her she thought. She hadn't realized just how much hurt she had caused, until, well no one likes to be shunned but not being invited to the Hamptons really hurt, especially now that the entire precinct knew about Deming and her poor judgment.
Ann and Roz both told her several times they would be more than happy to give Rick anything he wanted, just say the word, Well, maybe he was collecting on some of their fruits, hell who knew, he had the reputation. STOP, you know that's a lie and it's not helping she admonished herself.
She grabbed her gun, phone, and gear and headed out the door to run as long as she could, she needed to release the hurt, anger, and yes, fear, the fear that maybe she had just lost the best thing in the world that would ever come her way. She headed opposite of her normal route, this would at least take her by Castle's loft, about as close to him as she would be for quite some time, if not forever.
She noticed a moving truck in front of his building, that was strange, it was Sunday of a long holiday weekend, who the hell would be moving today? She ran past the two men preparing to take a very expensive bedroom set of the truck, then stopped to pretend to tie her shoe.
"Ricardo, Miss Gina warned you, one scratch on her furniture and she would cut your boy toy off. Mr. Castle is paying us triple our rate to move this, so be careful."
Kate had to fight back a gasp, Gina, her furniture, moving into the loft, Castle was paying for it? Something was very wrong. It would make sense, Rick was back with Gina, no wonder he cut off contact with her, it wasn't a secret that neither Paula or Gina could stand her. Actually, she had no friends left at the loft, Alexis despised her and Martha was only polite, but who could blame them.
She pushed herself up and reversed tracks to return home. She needed to think, things just got a lot more complicated in getting Rick to talk to her, much less return to their partnership. She had to do something but what?
Her thoughts returned to the journal she had found from College Psychology; well she was desperate and needed to do something but still not ready to bite the bullet and write something. She rushed into her apartment, showered, dressed, and then retrieved the paper she had tossed on the counter when she had left for her run. She poured herself a cup of coffee and started with the Entertainment section as she always did.
The pictures and headlines were like a smack in the face, there was the headline, "Where Is the Missing Muse?" Then the article went on to explain how Richard Castle was holding his annual Memorial Day cookout extravaganza, this year almost the entire 12th Precinct of the NYPD was attending, it even showed pictures of the limo bus and the crew boarding, all smiles.
"Richard Castle is rewarding the entire 12th precinct with a party of such for their help with his new book Heat Wave, being launched next week according to reliable sources. He even closed his bar and grill, The Old Haunt, to host a party in the city for the remaining Homicide Detectives and all patrol officers and their families on Saturday, at no cost to the attendees. This isn't unusual for Mr. Castle, but what is unusual, is reports have it that Detective Kate Beckett was not in attendance at either event, even though she was off duty.
Our sources indicate there has been a split between Mr. Castle and his muse, leaving us to wonder, is Nikki Heat and Heat Wave going to be a one-hit-wonder? Only time will tell."
The paper had also published photos taken from a distance with a telephoto lens of Rick's back yard, Roz, Ann, and Gina could be made out very clearly, hell who wouldn't focus on the big boobs. There was also a picture of Captain Montgomery, Rick, and LT as the Captain weighed and measured the fish he had mounted, they all were smiling and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Great, she thought, just fucking great. Now I have to read about what I'm going to hear about next week, she crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash.
It took her a few minutes to cool down, then she retrieved the paper, and carefully refolded it and placed it in the large jewelry box that contained the little trinkets, even the first coffee lid Rick had bought her. No one knew she kept such junk, well it wasn't junk to her, his doodles, an IOU for a bear claw when he ran late and didn't bring her one, the only card she had received for her last birthday other than from her Dad, he never forgot. She closed the box and pushed it into the far corner of her closet, she wouldn't be seeing it again for a long while she thought.
The journal was lying on the table, and as much as it hurt, Kate decided to bare her soul in a letter. The professor had even included a template to use, "Never start with I'm sorry, that's the best way to get your letter tossed, make them want to read more. Use something clever, shocking, embarrassing, it doesn't matter, just hold their attention for the first three lines, if you can do that you have a good chance, they will finish your letter.
"Be sincere, and admit your wrongdoing, don't blame anyone else, accept your faults and then finally ask for forgiveness, or a path of action you can take to earn forgiveness. Many people felt that it was something that came automatically upon an apology, but as the Professor had pointed out, forgiveness must be earned, if possible.
"Sometimes no matter how valiant your attempt is, forgiveness won't come, and that must be accepted and move on. Once you have apologized, asked for forgiveness, or action to earn it, you have done everything possible, and now must wait, accept or move on."
Kate thought, well, I have nothing else to do for 39 hours, what can it hurt.
Xx
Sunday, May 24th, 11:30 AM
Memorial Day Weekend
Hampton's Beach House
Rick's POV
Rick had sent Ann the number of Officer Dana Fryer, and a message in his text, call him Ann, he's been nuts about you for over a year, and I think you like him as well, Be Happy, Rc
He had walked into the master suite to take a shower but was greeted by Gina, with a smile.
"Rick, we weren't spying, well not exactly, but we saw Ann and you finish your run. Alexis was so proud of you for not disappearing behind a secluded location, and for staying a gentleman." She smiled, "Well I was as well"
"Gina, you and Alexis saw me and Ann on the beach running, how do you know she was trying to come on to me, I mean we were running," Rick said innocently,
"Sweetie, in the first place if she were a runner, she would have worn her sports bra, not the one that allowed her ta ta's to bounce out and into public view a few times, and secondly, a woman knows when another woman is on the prowl." She smiled,
"I know you looked but you still didn't touch, looking means you're alive and a man, touching would have made you the dirty old man you are trying hard to protect Alexis against, so she saw it. You had two doses of temptation, 36C's in your face, and didn't waver, it just proved to her what I told her."
"What did you tell her Genes?" Rick asked, quietly,
"That I never worried for a moment when we were in a relationship, even before we were engaged, you were faithful to me, that I would go to my grave defending that." She said smiling,
"How could you be so sure Gina, I mean I had to travel, how could your faith in me be so strong?"
"Because I tested you, those dates that came on to you were told to see if you would but if they touched you, they would never work in the city again, even as a street hooker. So, you see Rick, I was worried at first, but one of them gave me my money back, and told me, 'he's the most married man I have ever met. I was so sick of hearing Gina this, or Gina that, or my wife is this, or that" as she laughed,
"Well, I'm glad I passed those tests, I was and am faithful to anyone I commit to, I have felt the pain and I would never do that to anyone else. I even told Ann that Officer Fryer wanted her number, she's going to call him later, I think she's just following Roz's lead who is just trying to rub it in Beckett's face."
"Well, I'm glad you helped Ann out, but you're way off on Roz, she wants you, any part of you, and rubbing it in Beckett's face would just be a bonus. Watch yourself Doll," she kissed his cheek and opened the shower door, "I have to leave, if I don't, I'll do something I know you and I will be sorry for later, well you will, I won't." She raised up on her tiptoes, kissed him and pulled his towel off as she walked away,
Xx
The remainder of the day was open to the guests for what activity they wanted to take part in. Rick had Ski-Doo's, paddle boats, wakeboards, surfboards, he even had the machine that would lift a man out of the water using air propulsion, the only thing was no one other than Rick had ever seen one, much less played on it.
The crowd gathered to see Esposito sign the waiver for injury and suit up with the apparatus, the instructor reminded him several times, 'DON" T LET GO of the controls, turn both all the way clockwise for full power, reverse it to slow the power down. If you let go, it would be like a water hose under pressure, it will choose the path it, along with you attached will travel. The idea was to apply equal power to each side to raise you out of the water, too much on either side would make the highlight reel of bloopers and what not to do.
Javi tried to hang on, but one side slipped and he was bounced against the waves up and down like a rag doll until the instructor cut the power. He had to try it again, and on the fourth try, he succeeded in getting out of the water, straight up, then got cocky and took a nose dive back into the water that actually knocked him out. He was drug to the shore by the three lifeguards Rick had hired and was just coming around by the time Lanie reached him.
"Javi, Javi, are you OK?" Lanie was out of her mind with worry, until she heard him respond,
"I'm fine Lanie, just got the wind knocked out of me, I'll be OK," he said and he was much more conscious now than when he was drug from the water.
"Are you sure, Javi, don't lie to me, we can get you to the hospital if you need to go" she was talking loud and fast,
"Lanie, I'm fine, see I can even stand on my own," that lasted less than 30 seconds till Lanie took a swing and connected with his jaw sending him square on the seat of his pants,
"That's for scaring me to death, you stupid show off, you think I didn't see what you were doing," as she walked away with chants from the crowd of Go Lanie Go. Espo sat on his butt, sore from the beating the water had given him, and now his jaw was aching but he knew better than say anything."
The ladies went shopping, and the guys decided to help Rick build the huge bond fire they were having tonight, everyone would be leaving tomorrow to get home for work on Tuesday. It had been a wonderful three days, filled with fun, food, and a lot of laughter. It was exactly what the precinct needed, and Roy knew Rick had done it for him as much as anyone else.
When they went to pick up Roy's mounted fish, Rick had surprised Roy with 4 copies of the picture, in beautiful solid brass frames, one for his work office, one for home, one to hang in the lobby and one for LT to keep to remember the day. Rick already had a copy stashed away for his collection.
"Now when someone says I'd like to see that, just show the picture Roy" Rick laughed,
Roy smiled, and pulled him into a bro hug, "we're really going to miss you Rick, any chance at all, I mean I respect your decision but you're welcome back anytime" as he saw Rick sadly shake his head no.
The remainder of the time spent was capped off by the huge bond fire, then an 18-minute-long firework display that could compare to Times Square production. The last bursts spelled out in huge letters Thank You 12 Precinct Love Rick.
As the last embers began to die down, Rick was greeted and hugged by both male and female members, thanking him for all of the help, the extras he gave, that only he and the recipient knew about, all saying the same thing. IF you ever need anything, call, they would be there. There were a lot of tears shed as they made their way to their rooms, the bus would be leaving sat 9:00 AM after everyone had breakfast and one last goodbye.
Roz approached Rick, and just fell into his arms, "Rick, thank you for everything, Ann told me and I'm sorry I tried so hard to land you out here in front of your daughter, BUT if you ever get an itch and need it scratched, then call me, anyplace, anytime and I'll light your candle. I'm sorry, but I'm a street girl, and I tell it like I see it and want it. Take care of yourself, and let us know that you are OK, text, call, something please?" She leaned in and kissed him, long and hard. "That has to last me, so sorry, but I'm not then she was off to her room, Rick could hear her crying.
Suddenly he felt two arms around him and looked back behind, it was Gina. He smiled and said, "OK, you told me so, I'm blind and gullible but nothing is going to happen, I have to get myself straightened out, and who knows how long that is going to take."
"See, I told you, Rick, you are loved by so many, so if you want to call this whole thing off, I mean"
"Genes, too late for that, take care of our girl, please? You two are the only thing I have I give a damn about, "
She fell into his arms into a warm embrace, knowing that he loved her, but this was as far as he would take it,
"I will, I promise, you stay safe for us, you have to promise. I know there's more to your story, but I won't push, someday when you feel safe, you'll tell me, you're my best friend as well Rick."
TBC