People at the hospital seem to be familiar with the novelist given that they greet him as they walk up to the Pediatric ward.
That's when it dawns on her. Now she knows what they're doing there.
Her suspicions are confirmed when they walk into a colorful playroom full of kids that appear to be waiting for someone.
"Good morning" he beams at the sick children.
"Good morning Mr. Castle" they reply in unison in a singsongy voice. They look like they're familiar with the author, and their eyes have a sparkle that can only mean that they know something exciting is about to happen.
"Ready for a story?" he asks ready to give these kids a good time.
"Yes!"
Castle grabs a book from the shelf. "Come on" he sits on the floor and gestures for the kids to do the same.
Beckett stands in the doorway holding her hands behind her back and watching the scene in front of her.
At the back of the room, some adults – probably the parents – sit and talk quietly with each other. There are also two women in colorful scrubs keeping a close eye on the children, most of who are sitting on the mat in the middle of the room or in wheelchairs. They're all in front of Castle listening intently to the story.
She can't help the smile that creeps onto her face as the kids laugh or gasp as the narrative progresses.
How can this guy and the one who lives his life on page six be the same man?
The bodyguard chuckles when she realizes that he's boosted the story up with his wild imagination, adding fire-breathing dragons and undersized men with superpowers to the classic fairy-tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Castle's in the middle of a very believable reenactment of how Grumpy defeats the dragon with his powers over ice when he hears a beautiful and quiet laugh. A small smile escapes his lips and he throws his bodyguard a sideways glance.
It's not often he hears her laugh so wholeheartedly. When he catches himself staring a little longer than appropriate he goes back to his tale, a sparkle lighting his eyes.
When Beckett notices he's looking at her, she self-consciously bites her lower lip and lowers her gaze to the ground as a light blush appears on her cheeks.
Before she knows it, the children are cheering and applauding at the epic conclusion of the great battle of evil vs. good.
After they have calmed down and patiently wait for the writer to continue, Castle leans forward motioning for the kids to do so as well. "Do you wanna know a secret?" he whispers conspiratorially to which they nod their heads vigorously.
From her spot, Beckett wonders what the secrecy's all about.
"Do you see that girl?" he points his head at Beckett, keeping his voice low. The children nod and giggle, barely containing their excitement.
Beckett furrows her brows quizzically before smiling at the kids who are trying – and failing miserably – to give her a subtle once-over.
"She's a real-life superhero" he nods seriously before looking briefly at her, showing he means it. She's his very own guardian angel.
The younger kids gasp in awe, while the 8 year olds – the oldest children in the room – give him a skeptical look.
"Like superwoman?" he hears a little girl ask.
"Does she catch bad guys?" a boy inquires.
"Superheroes are not real" another boy adds.
"You don't believe me?" he feigns hurt for a second, always keeping his secretive tone. "Let's ask her, then"
The children nod vigorously. "Yes!"
"Okay" he smiles at them before turning to look at his bodyguard. "Beckett, could you come here for a second, please?" he asks dramatically.
She bites her lower lip and smiles before walking towards them. "Yes, Mr. Castle?" she follows the game.
Some of the kids can't contain their excitement as they smile and whisper to each other.
"These guys have a question to ask you"
"Really?" she smiles kindly at them.
Castle looks at them encouragingly, though nobody dares to speak. "You ask her Mr. Castle" a little girl comes up to the novelist and whispers in his ear. He nods and motions for Beckett to sit by his side. "They want to know if it's true that you're a superhero"
"Oh" she acts surprised and sits cross-legged on the floor. "Well, I don't have superpowers, but I do keep the bad guys away" Beckett explains.
"How?" a young boy inquires.
"Well…" the bodyguard thinks about it for a second. "For example, there was this one guy…" she continues by telling a story about an arrest, keeping it suitable for the kids but also interesting.
Castle smiles as he sees not only the youngsters but also Beckett growing interested by the description.
"Did you take him to jail?" a girl wonders.
"We did" Beckett nods.
"That's why you should always be good, and follow the rules" Castle adds the moral of the story.
Beckett resists the urge to roll her eyes. He's the one to talk.
"Allie?" one of the women in scrubs walks towards the children. "Do you want to show Mr. Castle the drawing you made him?"
A 5 year old girl nods and walks to her mother, who hands her a piece of paper. The girl then goes over to Castle and Beckett. She's wearing a pink bandana, covering her shaven head and looks at Castle with a smile and bright big blue eyes.
The novelist grins kindly at the child. "What did you draw for me, Allie?"
"It's you" she shows her sketch proudly.
The drawing is less than realistic, but it's full of bright colors.
"It's beautiful Allie" the bodyguard looks encouragingly at the girl. "You really captured his soul" she throws a sideways glace at her boss, meaning it in the best way possible – all the mixture of colors represents the happiness and hope he lives with – but leaving room for teasing.
"I love it Allie. Thank you" Castle takes the little girl into a quick hug.
"Alright, children" the second woman in scrubs walks to the front as Castle and Beckett get up. "Play-time's over"
"No…" the kids whine in unison.
"Come on, say goodbye to Mr. Castle and Miss Beckett"
"Bye" Castle waves. "I'll be back soon, okay?"
As they sit in a table for two at Remy's once they've ordered, a nagging question circles Beckett's mind. Castle is so engrossed in his phone that he doesn't notice her staring. Finally, she decides to just ask. "So, um- why the hospital?"
Castle lifts his gaze from the screen and tilts his head to the side wondering the reason for the question.
"It's just that…" she shakes her head and gives him a little smile. "I wouldn't have pegged you for the type is all"
"In case you haven't noticed, I don't exactly have a type" he retorts avoiding the question.
She rolls her eyes. Oh, she's noticed alright. He's capable of going from grown-up-who-is-willing-to-do-anything-for-his-family to womanizing-millionaire-who-gets-kicked-out-of-hotels-on-a-regular-basis in 0.47 seconds.
"I don't know…" he leans back in his chair casually. "Being able to bring a smile to those children's faces, even if it's only for a little while… It just feels right"
Beckett nods. She had figured as much. "It's just that I hadn't heard you did that kind of stuff" let's face it, she's a fan. That means that she has pretty much read everything that comes out regarding Richard Castle, and none of that ever said anything about his charity hospital visits. She was actually pretty surprised at the fact that there was absolutely no media present.
People of his stature tend to do things like that only for publicity.
"Yeah, I don't talk about it" he gives her a little smile. "The only people that know are Alexis, my mother and the kids. I told the hospital that I would like to keep this under wraps, so they just talk to the parents so that they know to keep it to themselves. I mean, it's not like it would damage my reputation if it got out, anyway"
Beckett nods in agreement. If anything it would boost his popularity.
"Actually, Gina keeps rambling about how this would do wonders for my image, but that's not the reason I do it" Castle looks at his bodyguard with a sincerity and passion he doesn't show very often, but when he does, she finds herself hanging on his every word, because that's when she knows she can truly trust him. "It's not just a publicity stunt"
"Then, what is it?"
"I don't know…" he shrugs. "I guess that I try to come at least once a month cheer those sick children up, because when I look at them, I can't help thinking about Alexis, and about how lucky I am that she's healthy. I just see at those families and all that they have to overcome…" he's not sure he'd be strong enough to do it.
I mean, in theory, we're all ready to face whatever life throws at us. But when we're actually hit in the face with the cold harsh reality of life… That's when it gets tricky.
That's it. It all comes down to his adoration for his daughter once again. And that's not a bad thing at all.
She stares into the deepness of his eyes and finds them clouded with uncertainty and self-doubt. Does he actually think he wouldn't be able to pull through if something happened? He's the strongest most caring and compassionate man she's ever met!
And this is probably the most vulnerable she's ever seen him… "So you try to make them forget their problems for at least a few minutes" she adds quietly.
"Exactly" he says, the heaviness that covered his features just moments ago now completely gone.
"You know, Castle, sometimes I forget that you have such a capacity for pure innocence in your life" with the stunts he pulls on her it-s easy to forget. But it's really nice to see that side of him.
"Yeah. Plus, the nurses there…" he adds with a cocky grin.
"And then you open your mouth and you ruin it" she rolls her eyes. It's always like that. When she points out the fact that surprisingly he's not being a jerk, he acts like one.
He loves to poke and prod in other people's lives; he's a writer, that's what he does. But when someone else gets too close to him… That's when he gets uncomfortable. It's easier for him to play his bad-boy character than to show his real self to people… Even to her.
If he thinks about it, though… That's the exact same thing she does.
That's how they protect themselves.
After lunch, as they're walking down the street, they hear a woman yell "He has a gun! Help!" from one of the stores that is a few feet away from Castle and Beckett.
The duo immediately stops and his first reflex is to run towards that store, but Beckett stops him by grabbing his coat. She then turns him around so that he's facing her.
"Castle, I am asking you to please stay here" she looks at him pointedly as she takes a hand to her gun. "Because your little Hardy Boy act-"
"-is gonna get me killed," he finishes the sentence. "I know"
She's not sure that'll work – it never has before – so she tries to guilt him into staying put. "More like get one of them killed" she points towards the store. "And I can't have that on my conscience. Understood?"
He simply nods. He couldn't have that on his conscience either.
"Call the cops" she says as she rushes to the store to try to get hold of the situation.
He makes the call and then leans against a wall. He impatiently taps his foot on the floor, itching to go and help.
"Castle" a deep voice – which he recognizes – pulls him out of his thoughts. He looks for the guy but doesn't find him, so he relaxes again.
Adrenaline suddenly starts rushing through his veins when he's grabbed by the coat and yanked into a narrow and dark alleyway, which is adjacent to the store. He becomes hyperaware of his surroundings and looks around for the attacker, but finds himself alone.
After the novelist manages to get his breathing under control, he decides to get out of the alley, though before he can make a run for it he finds himself unable to move as someone presses him against a wall.
Yet again, he finds himself in some deep trouble, and this time, he's not sure why.
Well, actually he knows exactly why.
AN: Who could it be this time? Hit the reviews with your theories! (Or with your corrections, criticism and/or encouragements).
And a heads up... I'll be out of the city for the next three weeks, so I probably won't be able to post, but I should be back with several new chapters.
Thanks for reading!