Title: Rock Foundation
Disclaimer: I do not own the Castle characters or their story lines. I just borrow them for fun.
Summary: A Sequel of sorts for my one-shot Rock Solid. Kate and Rick deal with the aftermath of Knockdown and move forward with their lives, learning to balance their partnership with their budding relationship.
Author's note: Here's the second chapter. I'm really enjoying playing around with this story idea now that I've had it, and I hope you like where I take the characters.
Thanks for reading!
Emma
Chapter II:
The ringing of Kate's cell phone jarred them both awake the next morning. Kate groaned and twisted in Rick's arms where she'd fallen asleep.
"Don't answer it," Rick mumbled into her hair.
"It might be a body," she protested. He sighed and loosened his grip so that she could flip over and reach for the phone. "Beckett," she answered groggily.
"Good morning, Detective," Montgomery's sunny voice greeted her.
"Morning, Captain," she replied, stifling a yawn as she sat up, Rick's arm falling to rest over her legs.
"I just wanted to tell you to take the rest of the week and weekend off."
"But Sir…."
"No buts, Kate. You're a damn good cop, but even you need a break sometimes. I've given Esposito and Ryan the same orders. If I so much as see you or your shadow, I'll put you on desk duty for a week."
Kate sighed. "Yes, Sir."
"Enjoy this, Beckett. Take a little time; you deserve it. I'll see you Monday."
"Thank you, Captain." She put the phone down and looked at Rick to find him watching her.
"So you've been banned, huh?"
"We've been banned. He told me that if he catches either of us in the precinct we'll, well, I'll be on desk duty for a week, which means you'd be watching me do desk duty for a week."
He laughed. "Can't have that. I'd drive you crazy."
"At least you admit it."
"What time is it?"
Kate craned her neck to see the clock on the VCR. "It's 10 in the morning." She looked down at him. "Sorry I fell asleep on you."
He nudged her knees with his hand. "Well, the couch may not be the perfect place to sleep, but you're definitely the best blanket ever," he smirked.
They stared at each other for a moment before Kate rolled her eyes and stood up. "Breakfast?" she asked as she twisted her hands.
"Sounds good. Do you want to shower while I cook? We can throw your stuff in the wash while you're in there; I'm sure the sweats you wore when you stayed last year are still in the guest room."
"You gonna be okay cooking with one hand?" she asked as she considered his offer.
"I'll make do. Go take a shower, or a bath, whatever you want. The tub in my bathroom is a bit of a swimming pool, if that's any incentive."
"I'll take the shower for today, but make the right offer some other time and I might just take you up on your pool," she grinned before she whirled around and made her way up the stairs to his room.
Rick watched her go, dumbfounded, before he laughed and set to work making them French toast, which was considerably harder to do with one hand. He welcomed the challenge and grinned when Kate descended the stairs 30 minutes later, pulling down the hem of one of his smaller shirts over her sweats. She made an appreciative sound as she sat down on the opposite side of the counter.
"This looks amazing, Castle."
"Glad to be of service. Now, a plate for you," he handed her a stack of toast with bacon on the side, and grabbed one for himself as he sat down beside her. "And for me."
They ate in companionable silence for a while, both heartily eating away.
"I didn't expect to be hungry after that atrocious display of gluttony last night," Kate said as she reached for an extra piece of bacon.
"Now you're just using big words to impress me."
She simply smiled at him as she ate her bacon. "What are you plans today, Castle?"
"Didn't really have any, honestly," he replied as he brought their plates to the sink, rinsed them, and stuffed them into the dishwasher. "I didn't think we'd close the case yesterday…or…well…" he caught the look on her face.
"It's fine, Castle," she smiled at him. "Don't sweat it."
He nodded. "What are your plans for the day?"
"I want to go visit Lockwood, or the man who said he was Lockwood, but he won't be through processing yet. Otherwise, I guess I should relax?"
"Such a chore," Rick laughed. "Do you want to relax alone, or are you up for company?"
Their eyes met and not for the first time in the past few days, Kate was glad that she had Castle to fall back on. "If you're offering, I suppose I could be persuaded to grace you with my presence for a little longer. You should shower though."
"My smell offending you?" he asked, cocking and eyebrow as he sidled over to stand in front of her and flex his muscles. "Too much man scent?"
Kate laughed. "You usually smell like high-class cologne and ink. Right now, you simply don't have a scent, which wins you some brownie points, actually. But, I'd bet that you could still use a shower."
"Like cologne and ink huh? Been doing a little observing of your own, Detective?"
"Go get clean, Castle," she rolled her eyes again and moved toward the couch, eyeing the new James Patterson novel that was sitting on the end table.
When he returned from his shower, freshly shaved, clean, and wearing that 'high-class cologne,' he found Kate lying on the couch in her clothes from the previous night, her nose buried in Cross Fire.
"Like it?" he asked as he lifted her feet and plopped down on the end of the sofa, letting her legs fall into his lap.
She looked over the edge of the cover at him and raised an eyebrow. "You really want to know what I think of your competition?"
His grin faltered slightly at the predatory look she was giving him before he nodded. "I have nothing to fear."
"Oh really?" She marked her page with the cover and put the book on the floor next to the couch before she sat up and shifted closer so that their faces were merely a foot apart. "And if I told you I like Alex Cross more than Derek Storm, or worse, Nikki Heat?"
"You'd like Alex Cross more than your own fictional counterpart?" he asked, his voice slightly higher than he would prefer it to be.
"Does the possibility bother you?"
"N…no. You're free to like whichever mystery novelist you choose."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I'm not saying I won't put in a bid for myself, but it's your choice," he told her rather seriously, before he averted his eyes and toyed with the hem of her sweatpants.
"Oh Castle, you're such an easy mark." She bumped him with her shoulder and he looked up at her. "You know I've been reading your books long before Nikki Heat arrived and even Derek Storm, for that matter."
"Doesn't mean you like them best," he said, like a child.
"Am I going to have to say it for you to get rid of that face?" she asked as he pouted at her.
"Yes."
"Alright, Castle. My favorite murder mystery novelist is Richard Castle. Happy?"
"I knew you were a fangirl," he grinned as she gave him a punch in the shoulder.
"A fan, Castle, not a 'fangirl,' thank you."
"You're totally a fangirl," he said excitedly.
"Keep that up and you can entertain yourself today." She smirked as he stopped bouncing and gave her a serious face.
"Dedicated fan, and that's all," he said.
"Good. So, what are we going to do today?"
"Anything that tickles your fancy, Detective," he replied as he stretched. "Broadway show, a walk in central park, laser tag, trip to a big bookstore with an unlimited spending guarantee? Anything, everything, nothing, if you'd like."
Kate looked at him. It wasn't as though she hadn't realized that he'd really be willing to do just about anything to keep her entertained and distracted, but he really was offering to cater to her every whim. "A walk and a trip to a bookstore sounds nice, actually," she admitted.
"Shall we stroll over to the nearest Barnes and Noble then?" he asked, springing up and offering her a hand.
"Lead the way, Castle." She took his hand and let him pull her from couch and out the door, his excitement for the simple trip making her smile. He relinquished her hand as they stepped into the elevator, and she was surprised by how much she really wished he hadn't let go.
"Anything you're particularly interested in finding?" he asked when they stepped out of the building and strode down the block.
"Not really, I just like bookstores," Kate replied.
"You like to browse?"
Kate laughed a little. "There was this one time, I must have been about fourteen, and my Dad and I went to the Barnes and Noble near Times Square one afternoon. I sat down in the teen section with a pile of books in a corner, and lost track of time. I didn't even hear the intercom asking for me."
"I bet that terrified your Dad."
"Yeah…he didn't take me book shopping for a long time after that," she laughed. "We've only gone a few times while I've been an adult. I think it actually brings back bad memories for him."
"It doesn't matter how old your little girl is; losing her in a store, or anywhere, for that matter, is always terrifying."
"Is it better now that she has a cell phone?" Kate asked as they turned a corner and made their way down an avenue.
"When she checks it, yeah," Rick replied. "I'm trying to tone that down. Alexis doesn't find it cute anymore if I freak out when she's late getting home from studying or something."
"You're a good Dad, Castle," Kate said quietly. "It may bother Alexis now, but she'll look back on it and be really touched that you still worry as much as you do."
"Promise?" he asked, turning sincere eyes on her.
Kate gave him a smile and threaded her arm through his as they turned onto the next block and made their way toward the Barnes and Noble. "I promise."
They walked the rest of the block and entered the store. "Anything you want, Detective. The world of books is yours to have."
"Thanks Castle, but I think I'll probably only get one or two, and I'll pay for them." She looked over and saw his face fall a bit. "But, you can buy me dinner tonight, and we'll call it even?"
His smile returned in full force and he nodded. "It's a deal. Go, browse, get lost in a corner. Just text me when you're done."
"No intercoms," she said as they parted ways and he laughed.
She spent a good thirty minutes wandering through the Crime novel section, picking up a few of her other favorite authors' newest works. She found an armchair on the isle and sat down to skim through a number of them to choose two to take home. Before she realized it, an hour and a half had passed, and she suddenly felt more than saw someone standing next to her.
"Find anything you like?" Rick asked.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asked as she marked her page in Money to Burn.
"Long enough to decide that you do have taste, Detective," he smiled.
"Glad you approve," she replied as she stood and gathered her books. He followed her as she returned the ones she wasn't planning to buy. "What did you look at?"
"I spent some time over here too, looking at the competition," he gave her a dashing smile. "Then I looked through the fantasy section for new works and spent some time in the classics section trying to find this new edition edit of Beowulf Alexis has been looking at for her lit. class."
"Any luck?" Kate asked as they made their way up to the checkout counter for her to purchase her novels.
"No, but they said they'd get it in for me in a few days."
"I'm surprised they're not going to jet it over on the fastest flight possible. You are, after all, the great Richard Castle, and you've just made a request in a bookstore."
He scoffed and placed a hand over his heart. "Oh Beckett, you wound me!" She laughed. "I like to have a bit of anonymity, and the clerk didn't recognize me."
"Ricky Castle?" a voice squealed out from the side aisle off the checkout line.
"But somebody does," Kate laughed as Rick made a face and then turned a dazzling smile on the little bimbett who was waving a hard cover copy of Naked Heat.
"Hello," Rick greeted her as she sauntered over. Kate rolled her eyes and went to the counter to purchase her books.
"I'm so excited to meet you!" the girl giggled as she handed him her copy and he pulled out a pen. "I mean, you're like the hottest writer alive. I've read all of your works!"
"That's very flattering. It's always nice to meet dedicated fan like yourself..."
"Amanda."
"Amanda," Rick replied as he signed the cover page with a flourish, ignorning his throbbing hand, and gave the book back to her.
"I'm totally obsessed with Nikki Heat right now," she continued, all smiles and chest. "I really like the relationship between Rook and Nikki."
"What did you think of Hell Hath No Fury?" Kate asked as she came up to them, bag in hand.
"I'm sorry?" the girl asked.
"I heard you say that you'd read all of his books. You don't get to meet many people who have. I actually liked Hell Hath No Fury. Did you?"
"Oh…" she stammered. "Yeah, tons!"
Rick put a hand on Kate's lower back and gave her a smile. "Amanda, this is Detective Beckett. She's…"
"The one you shadow to get inspiration for your books! Of course. I'm very pleased to meet you," she stuck out her hand and Kate shook it.
"Nice to meet you," Kate told her.
Rick was still smiling at Kate and Amanda glanced between them for a moment. "Well, I should really pay for this. Thank you, Mr. Castle."
"You're very welcome," Rick replied and they watched her scurry off to join the line to checkout. "Nothing scares them away like a badge and an actual knowledge of my books," he said as Kate looked up at him.
"Then my work here is done," she said. Rick laughed. "You said something about a walk?"
"Certainly," he replied as he guided her out of the store, his hand still resting on the small of her back.
The camera flash that went off in the background went unnoticed by the happy duo and they set off up the street toward the park.