Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. (Joey Rimes is mine.)
Character(s): Kate Beckett, Richard Castle, Joey Rimes, Lanie Parrish, and "the guys."
Pairing: Castle/Beckett
Status: Complete
Genre: General
Rating: K
Post Ep: "Almost Famous"
Author's Note: I'll update my other Castle stories as soon as I can get an ample amount of time to o so, but this is to hold you by while I do so. (: This one has been rolling around in my mind for some time now.

On Paper

Richard Castle stared at the magazine cover in utter disbelief. With wide eyes and building fear, he put that magazine back on the rack before turning to the next shelf. Another picture of him. And her. Together. On the front page. He looked over the rack where several of them adorned them. With his two index fingers on his temples, he kept thinking about his now impending doom. She was going to murder him. Someone had actually reported that to the newspapers. Oh, God, he thought. For a moment, Castle was actually grateful that Alexis had already known that he went to the strip club yesterday for a case. At least he didn't have to explain that to his daughter and, inevitably, his mother.

As if on cue, his phone began ringing. He was too afraid to even look at Caller I.D. He knew that he had two choices. One could be him answering the phone call and if it was Beckett listen to the threats and eventually see her and most likely get hurt in some way. Two, he could go home, lock the door, push his sofa against the door, then go curl up in bed waiting and being alert for the moment when she would find another way to get in. Then he got hurt in some way, possibly. Immediately choosing the second opinion (hey, it prolonged his doom), he quickly flagged down the next available taxi, after, that is, buying several of the magazines with the two of them on the cover. He did need something to do while he waited.

Throughout the ride back to his apartment, Castle tapped his foot impatiently. Butterflies filled his stomach as he thought of her reaction. In any other case, he would have laughed and it was most likely hilarious, but he couldn't laugh. The guys probably got a kick out of it and Lanie was probably hysteric at the news. He rubbed his forehead, nervously.

"Is everything all right back there, man?" The cabbie asked, looking back in the review mirror. Castle looked up, confused for a moment, and looked around to make sure it was him whom he was speaking to. "You don't look too good."

The writer sighed. "Well, there's this girl." He began.

"Yep," the cabbie nodded, turning around to look at him at the stoplight. "It's always a girl, isn't it?"

"It seems like it, doesn't this? Well, let me introduce myself, I'm Richard Castle-"

"The writer?" the drive exclaimed excitedly. "My wife loves your books! She is not going to believe this. I'm Joey Rimes, man," he reached back there, shaking Castle's hand. "It's nice to meet you. Now, what're your troubles?"

"There's this girl. Well actually, she's not a girl; she's a woman. She's a full blown woman," with a faraway look, he remembered all the revealing outfits that he's seen her in and the slight glance of her in that tub. Yes, Katherine Beckett was a woman. "We've been partners for a few years now. I'm actually working on my third book about her now-"

"Nikki Heat?" Joey interrupted again.

"Well, her name's Kate really," they slowed to a stop at another red light. "She's extraordinary, but she's going to murder me."

"Why would she do that?" He asked, turned around once again.

Castle frowned and looked out the window as the car accelerated once again, "I assist her on cases, right? She's a cop. We went to a strip club to look for a suspect. There several women came on to me. Very, very desperate women. And I might have called her my girlfriend to get the women to go away. I might have used the word 'honey' and apparently one of them actually wasn't out of their mind drunk and had a reporter connection. Because today, it's on the front page of several magazines." He informed the man and showed him the magazines that he had just purchased minutes before by putting them in the line of vision of his review mirror.

Finally Joey pulled the car to a stop by the sidewalk in front of Castle's building. "Good luck, man," he told him. Castle nodded a grateful thank you before handing him a few bills and sliding out the door.

Soon, the renowned author was getting out of the elevator and walking in the direction of his apartment, but he hadn't prepared himself for the beautiful brunette waiting for him at the door. Her arms were crossed and she was glaring at him.

"Castle," she murmured quietly but threateningly. "We need to talk."

Damn.