So, since I love Lost and Castle, I decided that I should try my hand at writing a crossover. So, I give you all "What's In A Name", a simple little piece that I got stuck in my head after rewatching all six seasons of Lost.
Disclaimer: Castle and all of its characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC Productions. Lost and all of its characters belong to Damon Lindelof, J.J. Abrams, and Carlton Cruse and ABC Productions.
Castle hoisted the carry-on bag over his head and tossed it into the overhead cargo bin, heaving a sigh and flopping into the cushioned leather seat. He silently threw up a thank you to whoever was listening that he could afford first class. He didn't think that he would be able to go back to flying coach ever again. He had always hated those tiny seats, especially with his long legs.
He flagged down the flight attendant and ordered a scotch, wanting to have the drink in his stomach before they pulled away from the gate and he couldn't get one anymore. It wasn't that he was afraid of flying, per se. It was more of a...healthy nervousness. There was something about the dry, circulated air, the travel pillows and severely undersized blankets that just made him uneasy. Not to mention the moments of turbulence. He could never shake the nagging feeling that the plane was going to crash.
He spun the wedding ring on his finger absentmindedly. He missed his wife, and couldn't wait for the plane to land in JFK. He wanted to kiss her and hold their son for the rest of his life, he used to like going on his book tours, but since they had gotten married and Brock had been born, he had wanted to be home constantly.
He was halfway through his second scotch when a man in a finely pressed suit jacket stopped next to him and hefted his own carry-on into the compartment. The man clicked it shut and gestured to the flight attendant to bring him a drink as well. He scooted past Rick easily and sank into his own seat. The man sighed and extended his hand to Rick. Rick shook the man's hand and smiled.
"Rick Castle." He smiled, releasing the man's hand and downing the rest of his scotch as the flight attendant brought the man a beer.
"Jack Shephard." The man replied, taking a long sip of the beer. He looked at the label a moment before continuing. "So, Rick Castle, what brings you to Los Angeles?"
"Book tour, actually. I'm on my way home."
"I thought you looked familiar. The Derrick Storm series, right?" Jack smiled, holding out his beer for Rick to clink with the bottle the flight attendant had brought him.
"That would be me." The men touched bottles and both took a long drink.
"I love your work. That new series, Nikki Heat? She's brilliant. Much more depth to her than Derrick had." He nodded slowly. "Though, I hadn't thought that was possible. She's an intoxicating character, Rick. Do you mind if I call you Rick?"
"No, please I insist." Rick waved him off and took another swig. "So, what brings you on this flight, Jack?"
"Business. I have a medical conference in New York City."
"You're a doctor? Wow, that's impressive." Rick replied.
"Yeah, I'm a spinal surgeon. My father was a surgeon and I guess I just sort of fell into it." Jack shrugged. "What about you? How'd you become an author?" They both fastened their seatbelts as the plane prepared to take off.
"Well, my mother works in Broadway plays, so I guess the creative, artistic side of things is in my blood. I used to write a lot of short stories when I was younger, so it really seemed like the thing to fall into. It just...fit." Rick shrugged, wincing slightly when his ears popped under the increasing pressure as the plane soared into the clouds. Jack winced as well, shaking his head slightly.
"Man, I hate that feeling." The men both laughed, Rick nodding slowly.
"Yeah, it's not fun." The crackle of the intercom telling them that they were at cruising altitude interuppted the conversation momentarily. "So what's your wife like?" He asked, gesturing to wedding ring on his finger.
"She's," Jack smiled and reached for his wallet, pulling out a photo of a brunette woman holding a small blonde boy. "She's the best thing that has ever happened to me. Her name is Kate. This is Aaron." He pointed to the boy. "He'll be six next year."
"That's a beautiful family you've got there, Jack." Rick smiled as Jack placed the photo back into his wallet.
"Yeah, they're amazing. What about you?" Rick pulled a photo of Kate, Brock and Alexis out of his wallet and handed it to Jack.
"That's my wife, Kate, our son, Brock and this is our daughter Alexis." Jack looked at the photo tenderly, taking in the small family.
"They're beautiful. How'd you meet her?" Rick laughed for a moment before replying.
"It's a completely ridiculous story, actually." Jack let out a chuckle of his own.
"I guarantee you that whatever you have, I can top it." Jack gestured for him to continue.
"She arrested me, at a book launch party, in front of my sixteen year old daughter, because I was a suspect in a murder investigation. I have a pretty close relationship with the Mayor so, after being cleared from the investigation, I started shadowing her for research for my next book series. Three years and about a thousand cups of coffee later, I tricked that wonderful woman to fall in love with me. God knows why she did it, but she did." Jack stared at him for a moment, an amused grin on his face.
"So, that's Nikki Heat?"
"She's much more than Nikki. She's Kate, and Kate is way better than Nikki any day." Rick grinned. "So, come on Doctor Impressive, what's your story?"
"Well, I was on a flight from Australia to bring my dead father back to LA, and the plane crashed. We got stuck on an island that was overrun with crazy militia rejects that were trying to kill us. They attacked us with a Polar Bear, put us in cages, and experimented on our woman. Then, after we finally got back home, we found out that us coming home from the island we decided that we had to go back to the island, set off a hydrogen bomb and reset all of the things we'd done. We got back to LA, then, by some twist of fate, she agreed to marry me." Rick stared at him a moment, his mouth agape.
"Okay. If that story is for real, you win." Rick finally chuckled, draining the rest of his beer. The two men traded idle chit chat for the rest of the flight until they finally landed at JFK. They walked together through the crowded terminal until they reached the baggage claim.
"Daddy!" Brock screeched, bolting into Rick's waiting arms. He spun the boy in a circle, and somewhere next to him Jack smiled. Rick led Kate and Brock to where Jack was watching the baggage circle slowly.
"Jack, this is my son Brock, and my wife, Kate. Kate, this is Doctor Jack Shephard." Kate extended a hand to him which he shook graciously.
"Detective Kate Beckett, it's nice to meet you Doctor Shephard." Kate smiled. "I'm sorry you had to put up with my manchild husband for so long." She chuckled. Jack let out a laugh and shook his head.
"It was no trouble at all. Rick and I had quite a good discussion. And, of course, it's a pleasure to meet the real Nikki Heat." Kate gave him a good natured eyeroll before pinching Rick's ear tightly. Rick yelped and yelled something that sounded like 'apples' before she let him go.
"I hate when he goes around telling people that." She chuckled, lifting Brock onto her hip. The small boy wrapped his arms around her neck and stared at Jack curiously. Jack reached into his carry-on bag and pulled out a small toy airplane.
"Hey, Brock. I've got something for you." He extended the airplane, holding it in front of the boy. Brock took it slowly. "This is what your daddy was riding on today." Brock smiled and whispered a small 'thank you'. Rick nodded his thanks to him.
"Well, we better get home, Mister Castle. Your daughter and Kevin are making penne for dinner." Kate chuckled. "It was good to meet you, Jack."
"Likewise, Kate." Rick leaned towards Jack and whispered.
"Kevin is Kate's junior detective who started dating my daughter when she turned eighteen." Jack chuckled quietly.
"Aaron isn't really our son. He's my nephew who was born on the island from a step-sister that was born of my father's infidelity that I never knew I had that somehow crashed on the same plane." Rick thought a moment before stamping his foot.
"Damn it. You win again, Shephard." They both laughed loudly. Rick clapped him on the back. "We'll have to get together again before you leave."
"Will do, Rick. Hey, maybe next time you're in LA, you can meet my Kate. Guaranteed she'll make you appreciate yours even more, she's quite the handful." The men laughed loudly once more.
"Hell, must just be something in the name. I'll see you soon, Jack." Jack chuckled and watched him walk away, smirking as he lifted his suitcase. There definitely was something in that name, and he knew that neither of them would trade it for the world.
Reviews make my day :) much love,
J. Rook