Here be Dragons!

Chapter 23

Kate had a body. While she hated seeing dead bodies it was her job to catch who did it. This time she had a naked woman covered in rose petals with sunflowers over her eyes.

Lanie walked in. "At least he gave her flowers. Who says romance is dead?"

"I do, every Saturday night," Kate whispered to her.

"A little lipstick wouldn't hurt." Lanie saw Kate giving her the evil eye. "…Just saying."

"So what did he give her besides flowers?" Kate asked.

"Two shots to the chest. Small caliber." Lanie uncovered the gun shot wounds.

Kate circled the body. "Does this look familiar to anyone?" She could swear she'd seen this before. She just couldn't place it for the moment. It would come to her. "I've seen this before." She knew it and it was starting to come to her.

"You've seen this before?" Espo couldn't remember anything like this in their history together.

Kate gave them a clue and saw two blank faces looking at her. "Naked body covered by rose petals, sunflowers over the eyes. Don't you guys read?" She had it and remembered everything about it now.

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"Mr. Castle?" Kate walked up to him after finding out where he was tonight.

He turned and pulled out a marker. "Where would you like it?"

"Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. We need to ask you a few questions about a murder that took place earlier tonight." She was not impressed by him. All she'd read about him in the paper was probably true just based on these few seconds.

Then she watched a young woman move in behind him and pluck the Sharpie out of his hand. "That's new."

However, there was one thing that she hadn't expected when she'd done her search so she could find him. She was close enough now she could feel him. He was a shifter just like she was! After all this time he was actually her first. Her parents weren't shifters and she'd hidden it from both of them to this very day.

It wasn't just that he was a shifter; she knew he was a Dragon like she was. She'd done a lot of research about Dragons over the years. She knew there were metallic Dragons who were all good and chromatic Dragons that were all evil. Then there were Chinese Dragons, none of which had wings. Most of those were neutral though one or more were good or evil.

She'd also learned that Dragons came in various sizes based on how old the Dragon was.

She stood there staring at him, still in shock.

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Rick really did want something new. Derrick Storm had become predictable. He knew what he was going to do before he even thought about writing it. He was equally tired of these parties that Gina arranged. Yes, he knew it was her job but it was all getting old.

His daughter was listening but not really listening. Then a woman called his name. He put a well rehearsed smile on his face and pulled out a Sharpie. Women expected him to sign something. Yes, signing exposed chests had started out to be a lot of fun. Now it was just one more thing that he was tired of.

"Where do you want?" Rick asked only to see a police badge in front of his face. Yet behind the badge was a truly lovely woman. He ignored her stern look, looked past the badge, and right at her.

However, she was close enough. He knew instantly that she was a shifter. As part of his job he got around a lot and he'd had the pleasure of meeting four other shifters. One was a Grizzly while the other was a Orca. This one was a Dragon. She was his first ever. His mother, as far as he was aware, knew nothing about him being a shifter. He really even had no idea how one person could be a shifter and another wasn't.

Since he never told his daughter a lie no matter what it might cost. He had explained what he was after she'd become suspicious. It had been one of their trips out to the Hamptons. The middle of the night with no other house within close range was when he would risk it once in a while. While he was pretty certain that none of his neighbors would see him. Except his daughter had seen something. She just hadn't seen him doing shifting. Only what he'd shifted into.

Now he had a Dragon shifter standing right in front of him and he was shocked into inaction.

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Kate stepped into the interview room. "Mr. Castle. You've got quite the rap sheet for a best selling author. Disorderly conduct, resisting arrest."

"Boys will be boys," Castle quipped. "Plus most of those were years ago." It only helped Kate confirm she was right about him as were the tabloids and papers.

She kept reading. "Says here you stole a police horse."

"Borrowed," Castle corrected her.

"And you were nude at the time," Kate added.

"It was spring," Castle said. He'd been stupid and he knew it, but it was part of a bet and he had no intention of losing a bet.

"Charges were dropped." Kate slammed her folder down onto the table.

"What can I say, the mayor's a fan. So what have I supposedly done this time? Or did my publisher put you up to this to try and sell more books? I wouldn't put it past her. The things she's locked me into because we have a contract that I didn't read carefully enough would shock you," Rick told her.

"We have a murdered woman that was found surrounded by rose petals and sunflowers over her eyes," Kate informed him.

"Flowers For Your Grave? Only a hard core reader would ever read that book. Not one of my better works. Someone was murdered like in my book? I have an alibi," Rick asserted.

"I haven't even questioned you where or when yet. How can you have an alibi?" Kate asked him.

"Easy, after every one of these book launch parties I go home with my daughter and spend my evenings with her. Even when I go to parties arranged by my publisher with someone my publisher has found I go home to spend time with my daughter. The same for all my local book signing events. Let the papers say what they want. It generates book sales or so my publisher tells me."

Kate really didn't know what to say now. She'd made a predetermined conclusion about Castle before she'd even met him.

"So how long have you known that you were a–" Kate interrupted him.

"Later." And nodded her head at the one way glass.

Rick wanted to talk but he could understand keeping them being shifters a secret. Now he needed to figure out just when they could talk. He had a lot of questions.

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Kate admittedly was both excited and scared out of her mind. She had never in her life ever met another shifter. She wasn't even sure how she knew he was a shifter. She just did. More than that she knew he was a Dragon.

All the rest of that day from the second she had met Castle at his book launch party and learned just what he was, her internal Dragon had been singing and dancing and damn near screaming at her to kiss him.

Since she was a cop she had his address and had shown the doorman her badge so she could gain entrance to his building and take the elevator up. Now she was outside his door. He had an arrest record which told her he might not be the nicest person on the planet. However, none of them showed that he was dangerous. Just incredibly stupid.

Still she had decided to come here. She was armed and well trained. If he got too handsy she would kick his ass then shoot him, followed by arresting him and locking him up.

Kate knocked and waited then knocked again until the door opened. But the person who opened the door wasn't Castle. It was a young lady with long orange hair. She looked a little pale though all of her skin looked a little pale so she guessed it was normal for her.

"May I help you?" Alexis wasn't afraid. They had a doorman who would stop anyone who shouldn't be here.

That had Kate scrambling for her badge. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett with the 12th Precinct." Instantly she saw the young lady get all excited which didn't make any sense.

"YOU'RE KATE!" Alexis was beyond thrilled to meet her. "Come in, come in." Alexis was nearly jumping with joy. She closed the door and locked it behind Kate.

"Is your father here?" Kate had really come here to talk to him.

"Dad's out buying ice cream. He said we needed to celebrate then told me why. There's only one place that sells what he wants so it's going to take him a while." Then she remembered her manners. "I'm too young to drink but would you like something? We have scotch, vodka, and wine. We also have a selection of soda." Alexis didn't want her leaving because her dad was gone.

"Coke will be fine, thanks." Kate had already had half a bottle of wine to get her over here.

"One can of Coke it is." Alexis got two glasses and filled them with ice. She poured the soda in the glasses and gave one to Kate. She sat down on a bar stool and waited for Kate to sit down.

"So where is your mother?" Kate knew Rick was single since it was all in the papers.

"Mom's in California. She so wants to be a world famous actress. …When I was little I kept asking Dad where my mother was. Why didn't my mommy love me? Why my mommy did come like she had promised that she would?"

"I'm sorry. My mother and I were really close so I'm afraid I can't relate." Kate truly felt sorry for her.

"I eventually learned that Mom likes the idea or feeling of being a mom, just not the work at what's required of being a mom. I love her but if I never saw her again it wouldn't hurt me any." Alexis was actually conflicted about just what she felt.

"I'm still really sorry." Kate felt bad for her.

"I'm Alexis, by the way. Grams is out for no one knows how long, but she'll be back." Alexis said.

"Your grandmother lives here?" That sounded unusual.

"Grams' last husband robbed her blind so she lives with us now. It's really cool." Alexis loved it. Her dad might tease her about her being there but she knew he loved her.

"So is your mother famous?" Kate inquired since she hadn't said what her mother's name was. However, she watched Alexis shake her head.

"She divorced Dad because she wanted to have sex with whoever she wanted to so she could get a part in something. She cheated on my dad. He's actually a soft push over and most women can get anything they want from him, but that was the line he wouldn't cross so he threw her out. Her response was to file for divorce." Alexis was basically done talking about her mother.

Alexis switched subjects. "So a Dragon. That is so cool! Dad's a Dragon."

"He told you?" Kate had kept her being a Dragon hidden from everyone, including her parents.

"My dad is my best friend. We tell each other everything. We only tell the truth since telling lies only leads to more trouble. Lies are evil. The truth may hurt but at least it's the truth," Alexis said and watched for her reaction.

Kate challenged her. "Only the truth?"

"I may have a few secrets but no lies. …So what color are you? Dad's Gold. You should see him. He's huge!" Alexis spread her arms wide. "I even got to ride on him once. Ride a Gold Dragon out over the bay the house is next to.

"Dad bought a house out in the Hamptons. It's very private. It's the only place he ever felt safe enough to shift and show me. I was just a kid when he first showed me. Pretty sure I screamed." Alexis laughed at herself which had Kate grinning.

"I can still remember me being little and there was this huge Dragon head that had teeth bigger than I was. I was petting his head which I learned later was his nose. Then suddenly he sneezed and I was standing there covered in Dragon snot." Alexis used her hands to show that she was dripping in the stuff.

Finally she made Kate laugh. It was a laugh she liked hearing.

"Then Dad shifted back and carried me back to the house and put me in the tub. I never did see those clothes again," Alexis chuckled and Kate laughed again.

Kate was learning to really like Alexis. She wasn't scared and she was telling her a lot. Stuff she had no clue about. And she hadn't laughed this much in a long time.

"So who knows that your dad's a Dragon?" Kate needed to make sure she didn't say something she shouldn't.

"Just me as far as I know. Not even Grams. I do remember when I was little that I wanted to know why I wasn't a Dragon, too. I so wanted to be a Dragon. Still do, really. Dad didn't have an answer why. Just my luck." Alexis shrugged.

"And your dad never re-married?" There was nothing in the papers.

Alexis shook her head. "I was an accident, which is fine. A lot of kids are. All Dad would say was that there was never going to be someone for him. He couldn't explain why but he felt that he was waiting for someone. That there was a hole in his heart that only one person could fill.

"Pretty sure his publisher Gina, tried a few times but to my knowledge they never even dated. I keep trying to get him to at least date someone so he could find someone, but he refuses. How is he going to find her if he doesn't at least date someone?" Alexis questions her.

"But he's in the paper with women hanging all over him," Kate said, knowing something didn't quite jibe.

"Gina's dates. Yeah, Dad has his picture taken with them all the time. He never even arrives with them, though. Gina has them waiting for him. There was one at the book launch party you showed up at somewhere.

"If you hadn't taken him away he would have come home with me and Grams. Unless Grams found someone to go home with. She's always on the lookout for her next husband." Alexis smiled since that was one thing she didn't understand about her grams.

Then suddenly the front door opened. "Grab the bowls and spoons, daughter. We're celebrating!" Rick held up his plastic bag that held two pints of ice cream. He locked the door and turned around to try and find his daughter. He did find her sitting at the counter. However, sitting next to her was…KATE! He stood there looking like a fool as his ice cream slowly melted.

Alexis smiled a wide smile. No woman had ever done this to her dad. She got up to take the ice cream from him. "She's nice, Dad. Don't screw this up," Alexis warned him softly or she was going to make his life miserable for him.

Alexis put the ice cream in the freezer and the plastic bag in the trash. "I'm going to go study. You two are on your own. It's been nice meeting you, Kate. Don't be a stranger." Alexis retreated and grinned since her dad hadn't moved an inch yet.

"I've enjoyed it, Alexis." She had learned so very much. Now that she was gone that left her going back to scared shitless.

Rick finally found his legs moving as he walked toward her. Eventually he was close enough to feel that she was a shifter and that she was a Dragon.

"Hi," Rick offered weakly.

"Hi." Kate smiled softly and thanks to her work knew that she was in charge here. "So Gold."

"Alexis blabbed, I take it," Rick said.

"I didn't blab!" Alexis called from the top of the stairs. That got both of them to turn and look at her. "I'm going." The teen retreated to her room and closed the door.

"She's a good kid." Kate knew she already liked her. "She told me about her mother."

"Meredith," Rick stated flatly. He walked into the kitchen, got down a small glass, then found his scotch and poured out a small amount. If they were going to talk about Meredith he was going to need something strong to drink.

Kate saw the alcohol and since Alexis was gone, said, "I'll take a vodka if you have it."

Kate soon saw a glass with some clear liquid in it come from a bottle that she just caught the name of. Grey Goose. He was giving her the good stuff. He placed it on the counter in front of her and sat where Alexis had been.

"Meredith. I was being rejected by every publisher I could find. One after the other. Then I came across Black Pawn and they agreed to publish my book. I started to spend my money just like any young stupid boy would. One night I ran across Meredith and she was all fun and loved my money just as much as I did.

"Two weeks later and I was done celebrating and ready to dump her. Then she shows up at my place screaming at me that she was pregnant. That I had gotten her pregnant. Naturally young stupid boy wasn't using condoms. Her voice cracked as she screamed at me that I had just ruined her career. That no one, literally no one, was going to hire a pregnant actress.

"One massive engagement ring, one house in Somewhere, California, and we were married. I was grateful that she kept the baby instead of getting an abortion."

Kate had had a scare but even then knew she wasn't going to get an abortion. She was half responsible for the baby so she would keep it. Thankfully her period came and went and the scare was over. It was enough that she carried a condom in her purse everywhere she went, just in case.

"I came home to a wailing Alexis to find Meredith in our bed riding someone. I threw both of them out just like they were dressed…naked," Rick related and the picture Kate now had in her head had her grinning.

"Then a week later I got served divorce papers. Meredith didn't want anything to do with Alexis and signed away all rights to her. What happened after that is another long story." Rick didn't think she needed to hear what she had about him and Alexis through over the years.

"So what has Kate Beckett been doing? Tell me about your Dragon," Rick asked her. "I'm betting Alexis blabbed about my Dragon."

They both heard a voice groan which had them turning to look up the stairs just in time to see and hear a door slam closed. Both of them grinned. Though Rick was going to talk to her about privacy a little later.

"I've always heard this voice in my head since I was really young. My parents chalked it up to me playing with my invisible friend. I was never alone even if I was alone.

"My parents have this cabin up in the mountains just outside of a tiny town on a long dirt road. It has a little pond out back that my dad thinks has fish in it even though he's never caught anything there.

"So out in the middle of nowhere was the first time I ever shifted. It was amazing. Suddenly I was so much bigger and I had wings. Only problem with the cabin is all the trees around it. No way to fly. No place to even spread my wings out," Kate said, blushing a little. He and Alexis were literally the only other people who knew she was a shifter. Her Dragon knew he was a Dragon so it was logical to assume he knew she was as well.

"I can fix that," Rick offered.

Kate remembered what Alexis had told her. "Your house in the Hamptons."

"It's really big and very nice. Invite her out, Dad," Alexis called down from the top of the stairs. Both of them turned their heads just in time to see her bedroom door slam shut.

"One more time and you're staying here with Mother!" Rick yelled up at her.

Kate was grinning since Alexis refused to be left out of this conversation.

"So what color are you?" Rick asked her.

"She's Gold, Dad," Alexis hollered through her closed door.

"If she's going to listen in she might as well be down here, Castle," Kate said since her being upstairs wasn't working.

Both of them immediately heard Alexis charging down the stairs and over to the refrigerator to get a can of Coke out. She popped it open and stood there beaming at the two of them.