Okay. So because I am a little off my rocker, I have an AU for my AU. I'm pretty sure this is how wormholes are started.
Anyway, I know those of you who read this had a completely different idea of where this was going, but SURPRISE! :)
Bumped the rating for le bad words...
By the time the second month anniversary of Kate's death had barreled into Castle's life, almost nothing had changed. He stopped responding to emails, whether it is from Gina or the boys at the 12th, and had locked himself into his study with too many bottles of Jack Daniels.
Alexis started to get worried. There had already been a horrible nagging thought at the back of her head about what her father was willing to do to end the pain he was in. She knew he would never want to purposely hurt her or himself, but if he kept up living the lifestyle that had gripped him he would end up killing himself. She wanted him to get out of the city, get out of the constant reminder of what he had lost.
She booked him a hotel in Atlantic City with his credit card. There was no threat of him noticing the transaction beforehand, Martha and she had been paying the bills for the last two months. She held off telling her father about her little plan until the day before he was suppose to be at the hotel.
He was angry. He didn't want to leave the loft like usual. Alexis called the 12th to get help, which was given to her willingly. Castle tried to get the reservation canceled, but Alexis wouldn't let him.
"Dad, you need to get out. I can't do this anymore. Either you get out, or I move out. I'm eighteen now, I can legally do this. I didn't want it to come to this, but it seems like I have too. Please don't risk losing everyone in your life."
Rick stared open mouthed at his daughter. She was blackmailing him. Before Kate's death, he would have been proud. Now he was just annoyed. He couldn't risk losing her too, she was one of the only person keeping him alive and as much as he hated to admit it, he was in a needy place.
He agreed to go, and packed quickly. He stopped drinking soon after and tried to sleep. He slept fitfully, dreaming of blood seeping through his fingers and a replay of the gunshot over and over again.
That morning, he looked in the mirror for the first time in weeks. There was a hefty beard growing all over his face, and he shaved it off within five minutes. Besides the bags under his eyes, he looked like he did before. Appearances can be deceiving.
He took the Ferrari and drove quickly down to the city. He had plenty of money to drowned out his sorrows in booze and gambling. He knew that's not what Alexis exactly had in mind, but she couldn't be too picky right now.
The young woman at the front desk flirted with him while he was checking in. She was exactly what he usually went for; blonde, buxom, and beautiful. But it was not what he went now. He rejected her advances and asked for his suitcase to be brought up to the room so he could start his weekend. He stared out across the floor, thinking about what exactly he wanted to do. High stakes poker sounded absolutely amazing. He could either blow or gain money he really didn't need which was exactly what he had been planning all along. His long strides got him across the floor quickly, dodging families, drunks, and the staff.
He did not know how long he sat playing at one table. He had spent more than he had earned, but he didn't think about it. He had refused a drink the first few times the woman came around, but he was not craving one. Something strong that burned as it slid down his throat. He didn't look up when a different woman came around. He could feel her presence as she walked around the table behind him. By the time she was at his table, he had finally looked up from his cards.
His heart fell out of his chest. Either he was seeing a ghost, or Kate Beckett was standing in front of him. Her hair was died black and hung in curls down her back. By the time her eyes had reached his, castle had thrown his cards down and reached toward her. Her eyes grew wide as she muttered "shit" under her breath.
"Kate?" His voice was quite and shaky, filled with raw emotion. He brought a hand to touch her arm to make sure he wasn't seeing her.
"Stop. I can't do this now. I'm off in twenty minutes I'll meet you in your room." She walked quickly away, not glancing over her shoulder to look at him.
"What. The. Fuck." Castle thought to himself. He was confused, sad, upset, and angry all at the same time. Was this actually happening? Or was he just passed out in his room and dreaming?
He went back over to the table, apologized, folded, and took the little pile of chips that he still had left. He tried to find Kate in the sea of people, but couldn't. Why was she working here? Why? Just why?
He sat in his suite on the large king bed. The cream colored walls that were suppose to be soothing were angering him. All the sadness he had felt for the past two months were turning to rage. Complete and total rage filled him until he thought he was going to burst. He wanted to strangle something. He needed to take out his anger on someone and there was only one person in the entire world that deserved it.
How the hell could Kate do this to him? She was standing in front of him twenty minutes ago, walking away after he though she was dead. Dead. She had to be the most selfish person he knew.
A small knock at the door sounded and he stopped the pacing he had begun a moment ago. He walked to it and threw the wood open to see Kate standing there, curled hair now up in a pony tail high on her head but still in the red dress uniform.
"Hey."
He was silent. The rage in his eyes scared Kate like nothing else.
"I…can I come in?"
"Fine."
She walked slowly into the suite, and spotting a chair, sat.
"What the hell Kate? What the fucking hell? I thought you were dead! Do you know what that did to me! I loved you Kate and I never got to truly tell you! This is the first time I've been out of the house since your funeral and you are fucking here?" He was yelling at the top of his lungs, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as Kate sat rigidly. She knew they would be angry at her when they figured everything out. She just never thought that day would come so early.
"Castle. Rick. Please. Let me explain!"
She tried to get his attention while he was till yelling at her. Instead of stopping, Castle whipped around and punched the wall nearest to Kate. She jumped and stared in horror at the large gaping hole.
"What gives you the right to have time to explain? I loved you Kate and you pretended to be dead for two months. TWO MONTHS. I never thought I could get over you Kate. Never."
He sat back on the bed and rubbed his hand across his face, wincing from the pain shooting up his entire hand. He had probably busted a few knuckles.
"I didn't want to! I heard what you said when I got shot Castle! I know how you felt! Did you not think how much it ate me inside to pretend I was dead? I had no choice Castle. None."
He blinked in surprise. What did she just say?
"Castle, the FBI came in right during surgery and made a cover-up. I am here helping them, strongly against my will, to catch the man who shot me. It was Agent Shaw's idea, not mine. She asked for resources and put in time off and her own money to help me. I can't give you details Castle, even though I know it's what you are dying for. I was going to come back next week and deal with the blow back. I'm so close, Rick, so close to finally closing this and moving on with my life. Do you really think I'm cold enough to want to run away from the only people I truly care about?"
Castle sat on his bed, stunned. It took him a moment to get his thoughts clear.
"I don't know Kate. I don't know anything anymore. Right now, I think you are completely capable of it."
Did I surprise you enough? :D
R&R lovelies!
p.s. I might post the AUAU when I finish my other story, Interlude. It's getting close to a wrap up (like 5 more chapters, which I guess isn't actually close at all so nevermind).