Another Auld Lang Syne

by Castlefan6

Authors Note: Based loosely on the song Same Auld Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg and incorporates scenes from Food to Die For. Beckett meets Brent Edwards at her HS Reunion, delaying Caskett if not derailing it completely. Also, we may take liberties with the events and timeline from Canon and use events to make this a more believable fiction, Warning THIS IS AU, with only brief flashes of Canon.

I don't own Castle; I use the characters for amusement purposes only, except the ones I create.

Previously

She had gone out a few times with a surgeon she had met during Bike Week run, and he had asked to partner with her during the Christmas Teddy Bear run, where the HOG group, (Harley Owner Group) distributed toys and teddy bears to the sick and needy kids.

He was nice, out of the country a lot, which suited her fine, but when it came to the next step, she just froze, she couldn't do it. God, she wasn't a nun but even a good-looking doctor couldn't get her to bed, she finally admitted the reason, Rick. She loved Rick, and told Josh, he was wasting his time, she was in love with someone else. He beat a path from her door and never looked back.

Now all she had to do was bump Gina off, get Rick alone, talk to him, or drag him to bed and fuck his brains out to show how much she cared for him, a great fantasy she thought Kate, keep dreaming. She noticed a new sign-in B&N on her walk this morning, they had announced the date, it was this Friday for Rick to be there from 10:00 Am till 3:00 PM.

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Chapter 10

Castle Loft

New York

Friday, Day of Signing at B&N

Rick, Gina, Alexis, and Martha had enjoyed the week they had spent together, it had been a long time since they were all in the Loft at the same time, and it was apparent to all that there were now 4 adults in the room, Alexis had truly grown from her childhood innocence and had formed strong opinions as she began her own path in life.

She refused to answer to her Dad's favorite nickname for her as a child, Pumpkin, telling him more than once that she was a woman and would appreciate being treated as such. He loved his daughter, but he saw signs of Meredith in her as never before, and he began to wonder how much influence she was having on the adult version of their child. Things became a bit heated, over something as innocent as how the bagels were prepared, with Alexis showing Diva signs that Rick would not tolerate.

One gentle correction led to a spiteful reply, as both Martha ad Gina raised their eyes, Rick boomed out,

"Alexis, may I see you in my office please," it was the only room he had forbidden his mother to touch, and surprisingly she obeyed.

They had just gotten all the way into the office, and Rick closed the door when she started,

"What, I'm entitled to my opinion Dad, and I'm not a child, I'm grown now, and you need to get over it. Let me make my own decisions, without your input. I lived as your little girl for almost 19 years, now it's my time." Alexis was breathing fire in her words, and the look in her eyes.

Rick took a minute, walked around to his desk, looked at a picture he had in his top drawer, it was Alexis when she was 4, long red hair holding on to his pinky finger as they walked through the park when he closed the desk stood up and replied.

"Alexis, you're correct, you are a woman now, I'm not disagreeing with your viewpoints, what I'm disagreeing with is your rudeness. You were never allowed to behave like that before, NOR will you be now. You owe the entire family an apology and I expect it to be sincere when we return. Do you understand?" Rick's tone was one Alexis had only heard used with others, never her.

"I don't think I was rude, and I won't apologize, I have just as many rights in this home as anyone else." She snapped back,

"Well, do you really believe you're an adult, ready for the adult world, or have you been spending so much time with Meredith that you've come to adopt her sense of entitlement? We've invited you over twenty different occasions, the answer was always the same, sorry have plans." Rick said in a controlled tone,

"Why do you bring my Mother up? Just because you hate her doesn't mean I have to, and why did you keep me from her all those years, you cheated me out of my childhood with my mother, and I will never forgive you for that," she half cried, half yelled.

"Is that what you believe Alexis, that I kept you from her because I hated her? Is that your opinion or something she put into your head?" Rick remained calm but it was growing difficult,

"You kept me under your thumb, you controlled everything from my allowance to the hours I was allowed out, everything, I had no say in any of it. Mom wanted to come but she was tired of your control as well, so that's why she always backed out at the last minute, not what you and others told me, I finally got the truth." She was yelling now, hate filling her voice,

Rick turned around went to his desk, opened it, and took out a manilla envelope, and placed it on the corner of the desk.

"Alexis, there is your inheritance, spend it wisely, because as of now, your credit cards, tuition, car payments, insurance, rent, and other expenses are yours, you want to grow up, well, here you go. Now pack your bags and go, stay with a friend, check into a hotel I don't care, since you are an adult you should know what to do.

"I won't stand here and listen to the same crap your Mother throws at me while all the time asking for money. The house she lives in was paid for by me, she still receives monthly support checks so she will be able to live between her acting jobs, and so YOU would have a place to go to visit her, so go, get out of the loft. Your keys will be deactivated in one hour. You will only be allowed back as a GUEST once you have made the appropriate apologies, now leave." Rick was now HOT; Alexis showed a slight twinge of fear for the first time in her life towards her father

She turned, marched out of his office, slamming the door on her way out, and was out of the Loft within five minutes. She never even said goodbye to Gina, or Martha, which was so out of character for her, it was hard for Rick to believe what just happened.

He sat at his desk for about twenty minutes until he heard the soft knocking, he knew was Gina's.

"Come in Gina, I'm OK," he said sadly,

"I'm sorry Rick, I never remember seeing her like that before, I don't know what got into her. She'll come around in a few hours and call you I'm sure." Gina encouraged,

"No, I don't think so Gina, she said somethings that could have only come from Meredith, and it did remind me of something. I did coddle her too much growing up. She has her own money now, so let's see how much she likes being an adult when she must budget the monthly withdrawals she's allowed to make, perhaps she will learn before it's too late.

I see now that no matter how I tried, there was one part of her that would always be wanting a Mother's touch. I screwed that chance up when you came into our lives, and now this is the result, Meredith version Two is not going to happen, at least not in front of me." He tried to smile but Gina knew better than most just how his heart was broken.

Rick called his business manager and informed him that Alexis would now be responsible for her own debts, he did soften the blow a bit, allowing her and overdraft of 15% that he would cover. Next was Eduardo, who was almost as sad as he was when he deactivated the keys.

"I'm sorry Rick, maybe she hated us being so close if so, I can talk to her" Gina was searching for any way to make this better for him,

"No Gina, it's not us, she's been on her own for three years with Dad footing all the bills, she's been lulled into a false sense of security of what life is about, it's time for a wake-up lesson for her. To make it worse, the time she's spent with Meredith has given her the wrong idea about life. Maybe it's good it happened now while she's still got a year left in school." He said, hope in his voice

"Well, maybe a bad time but we need to get to that signing soon, so I'll be ready in 30 minutes, that is if you still want to do it." Gina was offering him an out,

"Of course, we're still going to do it, I mean the fans don't care about our problems they have enough of their own, they buy my books so they can relax, and escape into an alternate world for a short period of time. I'm not going to disappoint them. He swallowed hard, always knowing his little pumpkin would grow up, NEVER envisioning anything like this happening.

Xx

12th Precinct

NYPD

Captain Beckett's office.

Kate had arrived in her office at 5:00 AM, mainly because she couldn't sleep, and because she had no idea how long she would be out of the office for the book signing. She had decided to buy a book, even though she had received her advance copy, and two tickets to the New York book Launch on Saturday, she couldn't wait any longer. She hoped he wouldn't make a scene, the old Rick wouldn't but three years changes people, as she reflected upon her own life.

She had asked Lanie to go to the Book Launch after she told her of this plan, Lanie responded with,

"Girl, if you live through Friday, then I might go with you Saturday, but don't be surprised if they have security remove you from the signing. You are crazy, this could chase Rick even farther from you, are you sure you want to do this?"

"I know Lanie, but I have to see him, look into his eyes, then I'll know if there is anything left at all, he can't hide his feelings from his eyes, I'm just worried that Gina will try to stake her claim in her man." She said sadly,

"Kate, are you crazy, you haven't figured it out yet? Gina loves Rick, he loves her, they're NOT in love, that's not to say they don't make love, I mean what the hell, he's hot and she's beautiful, and her figure still looks as good as it did years ago."

"Thanks for the encouraging words Lanie, here I stand with Non-Geo Modified boobs, nowhere near the size and shape of what he signed for years, and you tell me how hot his ex-wife and bed partner is. God Lanie, I don't want to think about that, I just can't and how do you know this anyway."

"Well, even if I wasn't talking to him and Gina, just look at the evidence, you used to be a good detective Kate. The first clue, she's hot. The second clue, he's hot. The third clue she spends a lot of time in his home, even though she has her own a block away, I don't think they are comparing shades of paint to redecorate Kate. Finally, the biggest clue, even if I had not spoken to either of them, he's a man."

"So, what does that mean, he's a man Lanie?" Kate asked with a dumbfounded look on her face,

"God Kate, how long has it been since you got laid, he's a man, that's all they think about from the first time they get the tool to rise the first time till the day they die, all they think about is fucking." Where have you been, I know you're not a virgin, so don't act like it now." Lanie lectured,

"Do you think Rick and Gina are, well, eh, having sex?" she asked quietly,

Lanie looked her directly in the eye, and said, "Do I think they are? No, she heard Kate let out a breath, then she floored her, I know they are" as Kate's eyes suddenly mist up.

"He told you that, Lannie?" she asked,

"No, Gina did when she asked what you were doing to get your head out of your ass to make things right with him. She told me she loved him and had no doubt the love was reciprocated, but the one thing that she loved about them was the physical touch"

"STOP, Lanie, I heard enough, God how can I get that mental picture out of my head. WAIT, what did you say about Gina asking you what I was doing?"

"Kate, Gina has had her one and done with her husband, Rick was a big part of helping her grieve, it was over 18 months after he passed before they even kissed even though they had been married for years, so don't be thinking she went from one bed to the other, I will tell you things progressed quickly from there.

"She told me, they talked about you, forgiveness, how deeply you hurt him, and would he ever get over it. You got all spastic just thinking about Rick and Gina in bed, imagine how he felt first with Deming, then with Brent, wonder boy.

"You had no claim on him whatsoever, yet, you can fuck a Detective, share the details in front of him, and then drop that one for your one and done. It was really embarrassing for me Kate; I was embarrassed for you."

Kate got quiet, her head low and tears she had been holding back started to fall, Lanie was right, she had flaunted Deming then Brent in front of him, something he never did, even when page six had him sleeping with this beauty or that one, he kept it out of the precinct.

"So, what are you going to do to get your Writer Man back? Believe me, Gina knows how much he loves you, and she's been trying to set the framework for you two to get back together, but Rick is deeply hurt, maybe not hurt as much as disappointed in you.

"Gina said once, he told her that if it had come from anyone else he could have understood, but after all he had shared with you, the close calls, that you could just cut him and his memories out of your life without a word, he could, or would never have done that to you. It was almost like he hadn't mattered at all; wipe your feet and he was gone." Lanie had a tear in her eye,

"I know Lanie, believe me I know, I live with it, every day, every night. I don't know what I'm going to do once I see him, I guess I'm hoping he'll find some time to let me apologize in person, I am praying he does. Speaking of, I got to get out of here just in case he shuts down early, I don't want to miss him.

Xx

Barnes and Noble

36th Lexington

New York, 1:15 PM

Kate had gotten in line later than she wanted, and it was a whopper of a line. She was hoping that she would make the cutoff, as the bookstore coordinator came down the line, and pointed to a lady three persons behind her, "this is the last autograph for today, we're very sorry, no more we hope to accommodate you at another location, thanks for your patience".

The comments coming from those turned away where anything but kind or patient, but she would have felt the same way, she was just lucky to get there when she did. She anticipated another hour at least before she reached the table where he and Gina sat, Rick signing books, and Gina taking care of his every need, coffee, water, or even snacks.

God, Lanie was right, she was beautiful, not a hair out of place, and a body that most women would kill for, hell no wonder Rick was sleeping with her. Clear your head, Kate, none of your business, she chided herself. She tried to keep a low profile from Gina, she wanted to surprise Rick, and if he only had three more signatures after hers, perhaps he would consent to talk with her someplace, but what about Gina? God Damn it why did she have to be there, oh well, here goes nothing she thought. She saw the line diminish till it was almost her turn, five more, now four, oh Christ was this a good idea, no turning back now, three more, now two, now, just the lady in front of her. It was a good thing Rick was keeping his head down till he asked a question then raising to smile, the fake smile, he still had that. The lady giggled and she heard Gina say "Next" as she stepped forward.

"Hi, thanks for coming out, I appreciate it, who should I make this out to?" he asked like he had all morning and afternoon,

"Kate, you can make it out to Kate," she said in her bravest voice,

He looked up, acknowledged that it was her, then signed something in her book, and as he was writing, she seized the moment,

"Rick, can we talk, I promise it won't take long,"

Her answer came as he called, "Next" dismissing her to step aside,

She did, and as she made her way towards the door, she was intercepted by a blonde bombshell,

"So, you're giving up? That's it? If that's all you have then you don't deserve him, Kate, if you want him, fight for him, wait for us outside the side door then don't take no for an answer if you really love him, if not stay away from him. You've hurt him enough"

She stepped outside and made her way to the side door, waiting for them to make their exit she glanced at what he had written,

"Thanks for coming out, All the best, Richard Castle, in his neat scroll,

It was like he was signing it for a stranger, hell maybe he was.

She saw the door open and Gina walk out, then Rick, so she made her move,

TBC