Monday 10:35 am
"Yo, we got a name on that plate." Esposito announced, as he appeared in front of Beckett's desk.
"It belongs to a Jim Evans. Stockbroker who lives in the Upper East Side." Ryan piped up over his partners shoulder.
Beckett immediately stood up and shrugged on her jacket.
"Text me the address. Castle and I are going to go see if Mr. Evans knows anything. You two dig up any other info on him that you can. If there is any connection here, we need to find it."
The elevator doors of Mr. Evans' building sprang open, inviting Beckett and Castle into its intimate enclosure. Beckett marched in and leaned against the back wall with Castle following her lead. Castle relaxed and rested his hands on the rail behind them not so accidentally brushing his fingers against hers. Beckett immediately noticed but surprisingly didn't shift her hand away from him. Her attention seemed to be focused elsewhere and Castle, once again, found himself trying to penetrate the walls of her mind with his yearning eyes. Knowing better then to attempt deciphering whatever was going through Beckett's head, he decided to do what he did best and lighten the mood.
"You know, if you keep doing that with your face it's going to freeze like that…and as cute as the little furrow in your eyebrows is, it might not be conducive to striking fear in the hearts of bad guys."
As Castles words found their way into Beckett's cluttered mind she snapped out of her thoughts and folder her arms across her chest. He immediately missed the infinitesimal warmth of her hand against his but was relieved by the hidden smile in her eye roll that she cast in his direction.
The moment was lost in the piercing ding of the doors as they sprang open. Beckett's face automatically sank back behind the mask of ambiguity that she wore so often as another layer of protection.
"You coming?"
Castle watched as Kate disappeared and Detective Beckett resumed control. A ponderous smile twitched on his face as an impatient Beckett held back the door from closing the space between them.
"Always."
"I was afraid of that…"
Beckett authoritatively rapped her hand on the door and patiently waited for an answer. Within seconds the door gracefully swung open.
"How can I help you?"
A quant woman in a standard maids outfit stood between Beckett and the Evans foyer.
"Detective Beckett, NYPD"
Beckett flashed her badge and a habitual half smile before continuing.
"We need to speak with Jim Evans, is he home?"
"Sure, I will go get him for you. Make yourself comfortable in the living room."
She gestured towards the couch in the other room before heading in the opposite direction to inform her boss of his company.
Moments later, a tall dark haired man buttoned up in a business suit came waltzing in greeting them with curious smile as he extended his hand for introduction. A sheepish woman that looked like she fell out of Vanity Fair followed behind him and perched on the arm of the nearest chair.
"Hi, I'm Jim Evans, and this is my wife, Sheila. How can I be of assistance?"
"Hello, Mr. Evans, I'm Detective Beckett and this is Rick Castle…"
"The mystery writer!?"
"…Yes, he consults."
She paused and gave Castle a warning look to wipe the goofy grin off his face that always appeared when someone recognized him. He got a kick out of being called a consultant and a mystery writer all in one sentence. Two of his favorite things to be and both recently seemed to be circling around his favorite person to be with.
"Mr. Evans, we were hoping to ask you a few questions about your car. More specifically, where it was parked last Wednesday around 2 pm."
"My car?"
Jim Evans slowly sank down in the chair that his wife was perched on as he searched for any inclination what his car being parked anywhere had to do with anything involving the NYPD.
"Wait, was that the day of the explosion? I remember that. I was in my office when it went off so I didn't see anything, but I heard that a car had been blown up outside my building."
"What does this have to do with my car?"
"Sir, do you know anyone that would want you dead?"
Evans face contorted with Beckett's blunt question and his wife's sheepish demeanor was replaced with concern.
"Me? Are…are you trying to say that bomb was meant for me?"
"It is mere speculation at this point, we are just trying to tie up any lose ends."
Beckett was about to stand up when Castle interjected.
"Did you, by chance, know Mike O'Neil?"
"No, that name doesn't sound familiar. Was he the one who…did he die in the explosion?"
Beckett leaned forward cutting off Castles response.
"Yes, and we believe he had the same make and model car as you. So it is possible that he may not have been the intended target. Until this investigation is closed, you might want to think about hiring some security and being careful about who you trust."
Jim struggled to comprehend everything Beckett had just thrown out in the open and shifted his gaze to his wife who was still silent and carefully holding her composure as if it would shatter should she move the slightest bit.
"Well, thank you for your time. If you think of anything, give me a call."
Taking Beckett's cue, Castle followed her out of the apartment giddy to start spilling his twisted theories.
They soon enough found themselves once again in the tight space of the elevator, both trying to pretend that they didn't enjoy it.
"I don't trust her."
"You don't trust who, Castle"
Excitement took over Castle the second Beckett hinted interest in his speculation and without thinking he swiftly turned in her direction leaving just inches of tensioned space between them. Beckett held her ground and stared at him with an entertaining grimace.
"The misses. Something just seemed off about her."
"Castle, why do you always think the wife did it?"
"Have you met my exes!?"
"Right, Castle, I'm sure it was all their fault."
With every slip of banter, Rick and Kate had inadvertently inched forward to the point that they were nearly touching.
"I repeat. Have you met them?"
"If they were so bad then why did you marry them?"
"I guess it just seemed like the thing to do. If only I had known then what I know now."
Their noses were now in dangerous proximity.
"Oh yea? And what's that, Castle?"
Before Castle could conjure up a charming reply, the elevator doors popped opened exposing them to reality and pulling them from their never ending game of cat and mouse. Castle took the opportunity to flash a mischievous smile and duck out without answering the question leaving Beckett on her toes playfully glaring in his direction.
Monday 7:30 pm
The sun was gracefully falling behind the hills casting a soft glow on Beth's motionless body. She had cried her last tear hours ago and her body was nothing but a hollow shell holding itself together. Her eyes were fixated on the threshold that she was curled up in front of but her mind was lost deep in her bittersweet memories. Flashes of her sons' innocent giggles echoed through her thoughts as images of her husband lingered just out of reach.
Before she knew what she was doing, Beth had whisked herself off the ground and burst through the front door. She needed to be near them, to see them, to feel them. She needed to know it wasn't all a lie.
The overbearing silence that filled the house where laughter once carelessly tumbled brought Beth to a halt. Framed pictures hung on the wall like skeletons of bliss stripped of their innocence and tarnished with truth; truth that those smiles would never be seen again, those hearts would never beat again, and those souls no longer existed in this world. She escaped up the stairs and slid into her sons' room as if they were in there sleeping and she might wake them. The glow of the setting sun leaked in through the window casting an eerie shadow on their abandoned toys. Glimmers of boyhood smiled back at her as she paced around the room taking in every last memory. She could feel them there with her. Their spirit hung in the air engulfing her with intangible hope. She crept back out of the room and gently closed the door, leaving the room undisturbed. She needed Mikes arms wrapped around her to tell her it would be ok. She needed to feel his warmth. She needed to not be alone.
She mindlessly gravitated towards their bedroom where they had made their life. The stillness of the room gave her a false sense of serenity as pure exhaustion enveloped her frail mind. She dazedly strolled to the bathroom and grabbed Mike's pj's from the back of the door where they were helplessly hanging and quickly changed into them. His smell was still clinging to the fabric. There was no emotion left in her. No tear left to shed. No memory left to mourn. And no thought left to think. She curled up on his side of the bed and inhaled what was left of him, filling her lungs with his sweet musky smell. Sleep relentlessly took hold of her instantly and she sank into the abyss of her naive subconscious.
Tuesday 9:30 pm
Castle's head thwapped against the unforgiving floor and his eyes sprang open. Disorientation swept over him lagging his memory. There was an abnormal amount of pressure on his chest and a strange trickling of thick liquid seeping down his side. He slowly lifted his head and almost re-fainted from shock.
"Beckett!?"
Her name escaped his lips before it registered in his mind.
She didn't stir.
"Beckett, wake up!" He pleaded as he quickly assessed her injuries.
How did she get over here? How long was I out? Is that…is that blood!? He found the source of the bright red puddle that was forming on his shirt. She had a gash on the side of her head and was loosing a lot of blood. He delicately slid her off his chest, cradling her as he shifted her to the ground next to him so that he could bandage the gaping hole. Desperate to stop the bleeding, he ripped the bottom of his shirt and secured it tightly around her head to put pressure on the wound. He then gingerly set her broken arm on the ground deciding there was nothing more he could do for it. She looked so peaceful that he almost didn't want to disturb her. She's not peaceful, you idiot, she is concussed! He softly attempted to wipe the blood from her face but just ended up smearing it deeper into her flawless skin like a tarnished work of art. Once again cradling her limp body, he tried to bring her back to consciousness.
"Kate, I need you to wake up. I know it hurts, but I need you here, so be the Kate Beckett I know and open your eyes."
Nothing.
"Beckett!"
His voice started to waver at the realization that this might be it. There might be nothing he can do. Kate Beckett was human. Her invincible superhero façade was nowhere to be found when she needed it most and there was nothing he could do to bring it back. As Castle started to drown in his own pool of doubt, Bekett's eyes twitched with a tease of life. Castles heart stopped in his chest pulling himself to the surface of his doubt with a reprieve of hope.
"Kate, you can do it. Come back to me. I'm right here."
His face was inches from hers and he could feel her warm sporadic breath trace across his skin.
Still no movement.
"Dammit, Kate. Wake up!"
His arms clung tightly to her small but sturdy frame as if he could share some of his heartbeat with hers. Her eyelids stirred once again. Her deep hazel eyes finally glistened to the surface meeting Castle's concerned gaze.
"Morning," Kate groggily murmured as she took in her surroundings.
A fragment of a smile flashed across her face but before it could fully form, it was replaced with a sharp wince as all the pain flooded her system and pulled her full force back into reality. Castle saw the raw tenderness in her eyes and relaxed his grip fearing that he had somehow caused the pain.
"Castle, wha…what happened?"
"You passed out…on top me… you looked pretty comfy too."
His dismal attempt at humor successfully elected as much of an eye roll as Kate could manage.
"Yea, well, don't get used to it."
Kate's eyelids started to fail her once again.
"Hey, no falling asleep. You scared me last time."
"Back at ya."
They both caught the undertone of actual concern in each other's words and their eyes sincerely locked.
Kate snapped out of it first before her emotions could take control.
"So how do you propose we keep each other awake until help comes?"
"Oh, I can think of a few ways…"
A throaty chuckle burbled deep in Castles chest and Beckett saw a twinkle of humor softly dance in his icy eyes.
"Castle, I may not be in the best condition, but I still have a gun."
His grin widened, erasing the marred dishevelment that clung to the surface of his features.
"You certainly know how to sweet talk a man, Detective Beckett."
A smile traced her blood-spattered face. Throwing an effortless punch in his direction, her hand ended up landing in his instead of crashing against his chest as she had intended. Before she could pull it back, Castle gently latched his fingers around hers as if holding her hand was the natural thing to do. They lay facing each other and Kate's head was gingerly resting on Rick's free arm that he had offered up as a pillow when he was trying to wake her.
"Kate"
The sound of her first name embraced by his sultry voice brought unwelcomed butterflies to her stomach. Out of instinct, she wanted to pull her hand back but the subtle comfort of his touch was just too much to let go of.
Castle hesitated before finishing his thought and she couldn't read the swarm of emotions that collided on his face. Not sure she was ready to hear whatever it was he was struggling to say she decided to distract him.
"Why don't you tell me a story, Castle?"
Success.
Another chuckle escaped him as he internally recounted some of his more scandalous endeavors.
"A story, eh? I was thinking more along the lines of truth or dare, but I guess a story will suffice."
Kate was struggling to stay awake and find words so she slightly squeezed his hand encouraging him to go on.
"Did I ever tell you about the time I got the cops called on me for going outside in my boxers to tell some punks to turn down their radio?"
A jolt of life sprang through her as his words pulled her to the surface once again.
"No. I think I would remember that one."
No further coaxing was necessary. Castle immediately jumped into his memory and recounted every last meticulous detail in true novelist form while Kate hung on his every word. Ashes of their shared haven smoldered around them while they lost themselves in each other struggling to stay awake; alive. And there they remained, floating in each other's hopes and muted fears helplessly waiting to be rescued.
Thank you for all the reviews and notifications. Any bit of honest constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated. Hope you are enjoying reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it!