If Only
by Castlefan6
Authors Note: Thisis my AU version of an alternate ending to Love and Die in LA. Some Angst, some canon but mostly AU. All things are the same till the Gantz ending, Previously notes courtesy of Dust Jackets dot com.
I don't own Castle, I use the characters for amusement purposes only
Chapter 15
A/N Remember this is tougher for me to write than for you to read and I am not promising a happy ending, just the possibility of joy, so please hang on. Hate or Reviews that bash ANY character will be deleted.
Previously
I've asked Dan to return this reply, just as you used him to reach me. If you want to meet Text Meet Yes nothing more to my number and I will meet you tomorrow, if you don't agree with the conditions, enjoy the remainder of your stay, and safe travels Detective,
Rc"
She pulled her phone out before she could second guess or blame him for anything and sent the text as instructed, "Meet Yes" and hit priority send on her features option. Less than 5 minutes later she received a short reply, "Meeting Confirmed, Tomorrow 1:00 PM Crystal Lounge Rc"
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The Q Restaurant, Cosmopolitan Hotel
Previous Night, 9:00 PM
Rick and Darlene were one of the 50 guests invited for the inaugural opening of the 5 Star restaurant, The Q. The waiting list for reservations was a preverbal who's who in Tinseltown. Several A List Actors and professional athletes didn't even score a ticket, so Darlene was even more Awe stricken with Rick's status with the hotel.
"Wow Rick, If anyone back in Ohio had ever told me I would be dating the world famous Author Richard Castle and scoring tickets to a grand opening preview for the latest 5 star restaurant that Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Beyoncé, and several professional athletes couldn't get, I would have checked them for drugs."
Rick smiled at her as they walked to their table with flash bulbs going off all around. She looked at him, stopped for a moment, and as he turned, took her free arm, placed behind his head and pulled him in for a deep romantic kiss. The cameras went absolutely crazy with this PDA, and Rick held the kiss for the longest of time, finally coming up for air, and locking eyes for a long time, before stumbling to his seat next to Darlene, rather than across.
"Dar, you know the press is going to go crazy with those photos tonight and tomorrow, I'm sorry I'll call Paula an*
"You'll do no such thing, I want everyone in the world to know, that we are dating, and with dating comes kissing, so they can live with it. Someone reminded me he liked it and he was right, kids in junior high have more sexual activity than we have."
"Darlene, are you sure Hon, I mean I'm used to this, but I don't want your name dragged through a rumor mill of lies"
"Then call Paula, and tell her to put out a statement, that Richard Castle and Darlene Sipos are now an official couple, so all official information about them will be coordinated through her office." She smiles and looks into his eyes with a look that has him melting, "That is if you want to, like I said, I'm proud to be seen on your arm Rick, and I want to serve notice that any woman is going to have to fight me to take you."
He leans in, turns her head and kisses her sweetly and gently, "Would my Lady excuse me while I make a very important call?"
"Of course, I will, Please hurry back to me, I'll miss you"
Rick stood, took a few steps from the table then returned with Paula on Speaker Phone
"Hey Paula, it's Rick and Darlene, look there's gonna be a ton of pictures hitting the airwaves soon, s*
"OH God Ricky, don't you ever learn, I'll get right on it, where are they being taken at?"
"Well if you would let me finish, Darlene and I want to issue an official statement that we are a couple and are announcing it tonight at the preview of The Q restaurant here in Vegas, can you get a statement out before these vultures print any of their crap."
"Darlene are you sure you want to be associated with this crazy man," Paula laughs, and Darlene doesn't hesitate,
"Absolutely, please release the statement."
"Let me go and I'm on it, talk soon kids, Enjoy!"
"What made you change your mind, I mean we're best friends, but you wanted to give me time to get another out of my system, what changed," as he held her hands and looked deep into her eyes, seeing nothing but love and comfort there.
"Well remember when I left you to write the letter, and you called just to make sure I arrived at my suite which is one floor directly above you, I knew how much you cared then, enough to look after me even if I was only one floor away. It's been me since we came to Vegas, and when I rushed that question out, asking you not to kiss her, your answer told me everything I needed to know, that was yesterday, and this is today."
The smile on Rick's face could have lit up a city block, as he pulled her into a quick sweet kiss. They were forehead upon forehead lost in each other's eyes when they finally heard the waiter and then tried to behave themselves during the meal. Just like a couple of High School kids out on a date, they shared dishes, kisses, stories, kisses, looks and kisses. It anyone had doubts that this was the new powerhouse couple before tonight, they removed all doubts.
Kate Beckett's Suite
Cosmopolitan Hotel, 11:00 PM Local Time
Kate had almost recovered from the Rick's response to her letter, she even managed to fall asleep for a few hours, but woke on the couch with a pounding headache. It had to be the cranberry juice because the vodka was out of this world. She popped a couple of aspirins flipped on the TV and grabbed the novel by any author but Rick as her backup book from the flight out, what the hell was it's title, who cared she didn't read it that much anyway.
Turning her attention to TV, she once again saw the TMZ logo come up and thought this could be interesting, let's see what lies they are spewing tonight. As the camera pans in she turns the volume up higher and hears,
"Tonight, we are coming to you live from outside the long awaited The Q Restaurants grand opening, being celebrated by a select few of our finest celebrities. We can tell you many didn't score the coveted invites but one who did was New York Author and creator of Desert Storm and Nikki Heat Series, Richard Castle and his date, the former wife of Las Vegas developer of the year, Wayne Marzano.
We have some film clips from earlier this evening as the new powerhouse couple made their entrance, as they cut to the film of Rick escorting Darlene across the path, nothing wrong with that Kate thinks, then the display of Public Affection or PDA, initiated seemingly from Darlene but Rick didn't struggle or resist. The display is caught and shown from multiple camera angles, and then as the film dies down, the reporter is asked by the host,
"Tell me this is the real deal tonight, we don't want another shit storm by Paula Haas, Castle's publicist and business manager. "
Quite the contrary Harvey, I am quoting from a press release just released jointly by Mr. Castle and Miss Sipos publicist, Paula Haas,
"It's with great pleasure we announce the formal coupling of two of the beautiful people in the world. Rick Castle is off the market ladies, his heart now captured by the beautiful Miss Darlene Sipos, who made this statement though our office"
"Many things have been said and printed about Rick and me during the last several weeks, but tonight, you are getting the story straight. Rick and I are officially a couple, meaning hands off ladies, all of you, I don't share," Darlene laughs a bit, then continues
"Seriously this is new to Rick and I both, we have things to work out but it's a heck of a lot more fun to be with each other when we do, than when we are apart" Please direct any further questions to Paula, and note the only OFFICIAL news will come from her, especially to my friend at TMZ, take a lesson and contact Paula before you air anything.
The reporter is a bit embarrassed by airing the unedited tape but recovers well, and says,
"Proving that we at TMZ take accountability for our actions even when it would be easier not to, Good Luck to the new couple."
Kate rushes to her bathroom and looses her dinner, He hadn't promised anything but a meeting and now it was clear it was going to be her chance to say Goodbye, not take me back or let's finally start our relationship Rick, it was over and Darlene had done what several others had tried and failed, captured his love, and his heart.
Well, she had told him if Darlene made him happy to tell her and she would step aside, looks like tomorrow was her chance to say goodbye and bow out gracefully. He was happy, no one knew that better than Kate, and as much as she wanted to hate Darlene, she couldn't. She knew now that coming to Vegas was the right thing to do, she would at least get the closure that she would have missed had she remained in New York.
She arranged her flights back to New York for the last flight out, 11:00 PM Local time, arriving at JFK at 6:05 AM EST the next morning. The time after meeting with Rick would allow her to re-think her life, her goals, and the sacrifices she had made in this quest for justice or was it vengeance for her Mother.
She would need to re-evaluate cost versus reward, had she given up too much already? What price can you put on your happiness, or better still how can you treat it so callously that you throw it away in a quest that would only bring additional heartache to all you come in contact with.
She had lost Rick, and with him her chance for her one and done, her hope for happiness and the saddest part of all, she had done it all herself. Darlene hadn't had to lift a finger to win his love, just show up and give what she wouldn't, herself.
She found the sad music station that had originally played the song Somewhere in My Broken Heart and tuned to it, as she lay down on the bed, she knew it would be futile but she had no choice, it was still hours till 1:00 PM and her meeting, well her farewell to Rick. The sad songs, replaying Mike Royce's letter in her head, she had read it so many times she knew it word for word, the additional memories that flashed through her mind, and her feeling of hopelessness somehow lulled her to sleep, with Mike's words "If Only" echoing through her head over and over almost on a loop.
Through the night, Kate wept, and mourned, tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.
TBC