For Castle Fanfic Monday (4/6/15)

James Patterson had been asking Rick to play poker with him and three other authors for a while, but Rick hadn't yet. Patterson had called him again yesterday, informing him of their planned Friday night game and insisting that Castle come. Initially, he hadn't planned on going. After all, Kate had just completed her first full week of work, and he'd seen the exhaustion written across her face when she arrived home each evening. He wanted her to be able to rest and not have to babysit Alexis. Kate had overheard Castle's phone conversation with Patterson, though, and insisted that he attend the game. "Don't worry about me," she'd said. "I love getting to hang out with Alexis. You go."

Her reassuring smile did nothing to quell Rick's worries about her stamina, but her persistence won in the end. So here he was, at James Patterson's apartment, playing poker with Patterson, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, and Stephen Cannell. Judging by how the evening had gone so far, though, it was apparent that the card game was actually not the main purpose of "poker nights." The authors seemed more intent on having discussions with each other, about both life and literature.

"So tell me, Rick," Patterson said as he dealt the cards for their first game of Blackjack. "How's the family doing?"

"Great," Castle answered. "Alexis starts first grade soon, and that's all she's talked about for the past week. She can't wait to go to school. She's six, going on thirty," he added, eliciting smiles from the authors.

He decided not to mention that Kate had come to live with him and Alexis. He knew Patterson, but the other three men in the room were virtual strangers, and he wasn't sure what their reaction would be to a young, homeless girl living with his family. Kate was a part of the family, though, adored by all and happy as could be. The change Castle had seen in her since he'd taken her in was unbelievable. He sometimes couldn't believe that she was the same person as the shy, disheartened homeless girl he'd met just over two weeks ago.

Kate often mentioned to Rick that she felt like she'd never be able to repay him for all of the kindness he'd shown her, and he always told her not to worry about it. He didn't tell her, though, that watching her flourish and thrive was all of the reimbursement he needed. He'd helped someone turn their life around, and even though she wasn't fully back on her feet yet, his act of service made him feel happier than anything else ever had.

For years, he'd been relying on external factors, like women, money, and parties, to make him happy. He was always left with a longing in his heart, though, wanting something more. But seeing the difference he'd made in a young woman's life had helped him to realize that serving others was more gratifying than anything else.

"So what's your latest project, Castle?" Lehane asked, bringing Rick out of his thoughts. "Any new novels in the works?"

"Well, yes," Rick answered, clearing his throat. "I just started a new book a few weeks ago. I'm actually hoping to make a series out of it."

"Oh, your first series?" Cannell asked.

"Yeah," Rick answered. "I just really like my main character. I'm kind of attached to her already." This was probably—well, definitely—because she was based on Kate. Of course, he'd never tell the authors that.

"She's a cop, but poses undercover as a homeless woman on the streets of New York," Castle continued. "Her cover allows her to investigate crimes very effectively, and even solve a few murders."

"There are too many boring undercover cop stories out there," Patterson commented off-handedly as he finished dealing the cards. "What's the twist on yours?"

Castle picked up his cards and studied them. He had two kings—twenty points. That very well could win him the round. "Well, one, she's young, and her parents are out of the picture," he said, placing his cards back on the table. "Her dad's a perpetual drunk who never comes to visit, and her mom was murdered a few years back. The crime was never solved, which led to the main character becoming a cop—she has a strong sense of morality, and wants to bring other killers to justice, because no one was able to do it for her mom. And, of course, she's trying to solve her mom's case, too," Rick added.

"So she's driven," Patterson remarked. "Draw, or pass?"

"Pass," Castle said. "And yes, she's absolutely driven, and passionate, too. She really cares about the victims and their families. She even went as far as taking in the seven-year-old daughter of a homeless woman whose murder she'd investigated, because she loved the little girl so much. The little girl has lived with her for about a month when this story begins."

Of course, he'd had to work in Alexis somehow. He'd never written his daughter into a book before, but Kate's relationship with Alexis was so important to them both that he just had to include it in his novel.

"So one night, she and the little girl go home to discover that their apartment is on fire," Castle continued. "It was a small blaze, and only two units in the building were damaged."

"Let me guess," Cannell chimed in. "One of them was hers. Pass," he nodded to Patterson.

"Naturally," Rick answered. "The fire started in her unit and was blamed on faulty wiring, but she has her suspicions that it wasn't so random after all—not after she's been receiving anonymous threats for the past week."

"Interesting," Lehane murmured as he stretched his hand across the table. "Draw."

"She and the little girl go to the precinct where she works, only to be told by her captain that she's being fired," Castle continued as Patterson handed Lehane a new card. "He tells her that they cannot have a rogue cop on the force, but doesn't offer any details. So she knows that someone is intentionally doing this to her—causing her to lose both her home and her job. And now she has to solve the crime while she's actually homeless, and not able to have access to all of her usual resources at her job."

"That sounds like it has potential," Connelly said, glancing at his cards. "Draw."

"I think it does," Rick answered. "Of course, it's still in progress, so I don't have all the details worked out. But I'm feeling pretty confident about this one."

Patterson passed Connelly a new card, then turned to Rick. "So you said you like your main character? Is she inspired by someone?"

Rick felt the heat rising to his cheeks, and he fought to keep his face calm. "A writer never gives away his sources," he remarked as nonchalantly as he could.

Patterson studied Castle for a moment. "Mmhmm," he grunted. "Well, gentlemen, I guess now is as good of a time as any to tell you. We're playing for something special tonight."

He reached his hand into his pocket, pulling out two small slips of paper. "Tickets," he announced, laying them in the center of the table. "To JK Rowling's signing in two weeks."

The men all immediately sat up straighter in their chairs, interested. "Are those real?" Cannell asked, uncertain.

"Of course," Patterson answered. "I bought several, but ended up with two extra. The first man to win five games wins the tickets."

"Excellent," Castle murmured. He was determined to win these tickets—not for himself, but for Kate.

The American release of the third Harry Potter book was in two weeks, and J.K. Rowling herself would be in New York City that day for a book release party. It was an exclusive event, with admission only allowed to ticket-holders. The tickets had sold out long ago, and this would be the only way Kate would get the chance to attend.

He'd found the first two Harry Potter books on the shelf at Goodwill, Kate's neat signature adorning the title pages, and she'd admitted to him that she loved the series. Rick had never read the books and didn't know what they were about; Alexis, however, was a fan. His daughter been helping Kate organize her things after they'd returned from Goodwill, and she'd come running downstairs, shouting excitedly. "Dad! Guess what Kate has? She has Harry Potter! My friend Gracie says Harry Potter is her favorite. And Kate has two of them! Can we read them, Dad? Please?"

Rick had obliged, and for the past several nights, he'd listened as Kate read a chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to Alexis before bed. He had to admit, the book was good. Much as he'd love for Alexis to meet Rowling, the event probably would not be age-appropriate for her. So he and Kate would go, together. He'd get a book signed for Alexis as a present for her upcoming birthday, and he'd hopefully give Kate another reason to smile.

He was going to win these tickets. He was determined to. And thankfully, fate seemed to be on his side. The two kings in his hand would probably secure him a win in this round, at least.

After only seven rounds, Castle was declared the victor. He accepted the tickets with a smile and an apology for having to head home so soon, but the men understood. They knew he needed to return to his daughter so that his babysitter could "go home" at a reasonable hour.

On his cab ride home, he couldn't help but smile as he imagined Kate's face when he told her about the tickets. She'd mentioned to him off-handedly one day that she loved to attend conventions and book signings, and he knew the chance to meet JK Rowling and get a book signed by her would make Kate extremely happy. He'd heard that there was a movie being made out of the first book, which meant that there was a very good chance that the series would become extremely popular in the near future. JK Rowling would probably become a household name, especially if they continued making movies out of the books, and he'd love to get the chance to pick her brain about writing. Maybe I can get Nikki Heat made into a movie, too, he thought.

All told, it had been an excellent day.

It was late when Rick arrived home. Kate always stayed awake until he returned, though, and he couldn't wait to tell her about the tickets he'd won. He opened the front door, calling her name as he walked in, but she didn't respond. Given that all of the lights were on and he could hear the television playing, it was safe to assume that she was awake, but just hadn't heard him. He was about to call for her again when he stepped into the living room and found her.

Kate was curled up asleep on the couch, cuddling with a book as though it were a stuffed animal. The sight was adorable and comical simultaneously, and Castle chuckled softly as he watched her. He imagined her, trying her hardest to stay awake until he came home, eventually thinking I don't have to sit up to read; I can lay down, and finally succumbing to the exhaustion he was sure that she felt.

He would have let her stay on the couch for the night, but he knew Alexis would probably be up early in the morning, and Kate needed to rest. So Castle laid a hand softly on her shoulder and whispered her name, gently waking her. She stirred, taking a deep breath and slowly blinking her eyes.

"Cassle," she muttered thickly.

"Hey," he said softly, grinning. "Did you and your book have a nice snuggle?"

She glanced down at the book in her arms, seemingly surprised at its presence. "Didn't mean to fall asleep," she mumbled, stretching.

"So cuddling with books isn't a pastime of yours? That's good. I was hoping I wouldn't have to teach you what books are meant for." He smiled, amused by his own joke.

Kate rolled her eyes, shaking her head, and sat up, stretching her arms in front of her. "Very funny, Castle," she said, an edge of sarcasm in her voice. She picked the book up and slowly rose. "I'm going to bed. G'night."

"Goodnight, Kate," Castle said, watching her shuffle sleepily from the room. It was adorable, and he couldn't help but smile.

He told her about the tickets during their lazy breakfast the next morning. Watching her face light up in excitement was the perfect way to start his day.

Author's note: It took me nearly three months to get this chapter written. This was my first multi-chapter fic, so I'm learning a lot as I go, and one thing I'm learning is that it is ESSENTIAL to plot out the entire story BEFORE you start writing. I hit a dead end with this chapter, and while I knew the general direction I wanted to go, I hadn't plotted carefully, so I was stuck, for ages. I finally got it done, though, and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long.

Thanks to Laura (chezchuckles) for her encouragement when I was so frustrated that I was ready to quit, to Maribea (shadoweddawn) for letting me talk through things with her and encouraging me to continue, and finally, to Cathey (Trinity Everett) for being my beta, idea-giver, and cheerleader. I couldn't have done this without her.

The good news is that I know what I'm doing after this, so provided that life doesn't get too busy, the next chapter shouldn't take nearly this long to publish.

Reviews are much appreciated! Thank you for all of the kind reviews and encouragement to update.