Sorry for the length. I got on a roll. All those reviews and alerts and favorites - sniff, sniff - motivated me.

SheLearnedtheTruthat17 – by Oldest Man

Chapter 3
For Marine-CO who walked out of the shadows.

Castle's Loft

"Dad, you can't just sit around like this day after day. Get dressed and go do something. Grams should be back from Florida next week so you are free to go out and track down some honey – "

"Alexis Castle, I don't want to hear talk like that coming out of your mouth again. Seriously, it's hardly becoming for a lady to talk like that. And I'm not in the mood for hunting. I don't date, Alexis, you know that. Now, get your stuff and get a move on. You'll be late for school if you don't hurry."

"Daddy, it's Saturday. I'm going over to Becky's later to work on our science fair project but I can stay if you want some company."

"No. I think I need to do some – I thought I turned that damned cell phone off."

It was Gina Cowell, ex-wife and publisher. 'I wish she were my ex-publisher while I'm wishing.'

"Rick, your first four chapters are great. I'm sending back some edits for your approval but basically it's great stuff. Where did you dream up 'Nikki Heat'?"

"I met someone who I used as a template for my character. I spent some time consulting on a case and there was this Detective running the investigation and I just incorporated her into the role of Nikki Heat."

"I sense a change in the character from the first few chapters to the last one. What's going on in your head, Rick? Why is she suddenly guarded and rigid, a real stickler for the rules?"

He knew exactly what Gina was talking about now that it was thrown in his face. He'd written her character in the chapter as he perceived the sudden shift in the dynamic between them.

"Gina, trash it. I'll change the tone and soften Nikki up a bit, make her less rigid. I was shooting for 'stoic' and I guess I missed."

"Okay, I understand. I'll delete chapter 4 but I want a rewrite on my desk before close of business Monday."

She hung up as she always did everything – abruptly.

He went into his study and pulled up chapter 4 and started deleting things. He saved his changes and then began to write Nikki Heat as he often wished she could be.

Thinking back to other conversations, Castle grinned. The detective needed a love interest, someone to soften the hard planes of her face when she took off her mask and armor in the comfort and safety of her home.

He created Jameson Rook, a newspaper columnist who also wrote crime novels. He usually haunted the city desk of the New York Intelligencer, his faithful (and some detractors said smarter) guide dog, Veritas, by his side.

Jameson Rook was blind.

Morgue
Dr. Parrish's office

"So he just walked out? Turned around and walked out? Why? What happened?" Lanie Parrish was sitting at her desk watching her best friend come to terms with the absence of a certain writer.

"He was really upset about the Feds claiming jurisdiction and taking all our files away on the Szedny case. I tried to explain to him that sometimes shit happens but he wouldn't listen so I just told him to find another sandbox to play in."

"Oh, Katie, you really need to learn how to handle men. Well, at least we got the espresso machine out of the deal." She thought about that a minute and then said, "You don't think he'll take it back, do you?"

"What do you think I should do, Lanie?"

"Chain the damned thing to the wall, post a guard 24/7 and run off anyone who even looks like a coffee service guy." She dealt with the really important things in life first.

"No, about Castle. C'mon, Lanie, give me a little help here. We work so well together and I don't want to lose that. I think if we'd have had more time we'd have cracked the Szedny case. We were so close…"

"You and Writer Boy getting close, hmm? He was good for you, y'know? He brought out the 'girl' in you even though it was subtle. You dressed differently, took time with your hair and makeup…"

"Was it that obvious? I mean…"

"It was obvious to me who knows you better than anyone but like I said, it was subtle. Something else – you were comfortable with him invading your personal space and from what I saw, he didn't mind it when you invaded his. Little things, Kate, like the way he placed the palm of his hand in the small of your back letting you know he was there for you. Like I said, subtle."

"Lanie, you make it sound like we're something more than we really were. Yeah, I was comfortable around him because I knew he wasn't judging me, measuring me against some personal standard and I liked that. I could relax around Rick and I miss that."

"Why do you think you feel that way? What's different about him than any of the other guys around you? Is it because he's never made a pass at you?"

"Lanie! Castle's not in the market for anything more than inspiration and research." She sounded sincere, even to herself.

"You never answered my questions, Beckett. You just deflected again. What's different about Castle?"

"He has a daughter. She's 14 and beautiful. She was horribly burned when she was 3 and her mother abandoned Rick and Alexis for her career. Rick's had to be both mother and father and support her through 6 painful operations."

"So her scars are – "

"Still there. It's what he's instilled in her that makes her beautiful, Lanie. He told her that 'Imperfections are God's way of making people notice the beauty.' She said…" She stopped talking, choking up and rapidly blinking tears away.

"Go on, Katie. What did she say?" Whatever the young girl had said to Kate had affected her more than anything she'd seen before. The imperfection comment had almost brought tears to Lanie and she knew how it would affect her friend.

"She said that her dad had told her that I was very pretty but that all the anger inside of me made me ugly." Now she did let the tears fall, unashamed in front of her friend.

Lanie pulled her into a hug and sighed, blinking back her own tears. The man had touched Katie's soul with his words and she was determined to get them back together, at least professionally.

He was good for her. He told it like it was without pulling punches but without the cruelty others would employ in getting their point across.

Loft

Castle had written seven additional chapters over the weekend and emailed the drafts to Gina for editing and comments. The comments were quick in coming. Email wasn't quick enough for Gina. She called him.

"Rick, this stuff is so good it hardly needs editing. This Rook guy is the perfect foil to your hard ass detective and their personal interaction and their private moments at home are such a departure from your normal stuff. More! I want more! I can see us using the Beckett woman as – "

"Leave Kate out of any of your damned marketing schemes, Gina! She's not to be used in any fashion, not her name, her image, nor any references to her existence, do you understand me? Nikki Heat is a fictional character that I conjured up. There is no 'real' Nikki Heat."

"But Ricky…" Gina whined and he remembered another reason for the divorce.

"I mean it. One slip up and I'll trash the novel. One reference from you or any of your 'outlets' and I'll sue you and Black Pawn for whatever Paula can dream up and she's very creative and protective."

"Fine, but you're pissing away a golden opportunity for – Ricky? Ricky? You bastard!" She was talking to dead air. Castle had hung up on her and turned off his cell phone. Bastard!

Gina knew she had a bird's nest on the ground in this Beckett woman and she was feeling very cat-like. She smelled money. Castle would come around. He always did. He had an ego and she'd just stroke it until he came around to her way of thinking. And if he didn't, she had other ways…

12th Precinct

Lanie had waited a few days until Beckett was off testifying in court on a case that had finally made it to trial before implementing her plan.

"Hey there, Detective Javier Esposito, how's it goin'?"

"You'd know, chica, if you weren't so damned stubborn. Dinner, Lanie, just dinner. C'mon, gimme a break here. You know we'd be good for each other. I'm getting discouraged here. You flirt and hint but never take me up on my offers. Just one date, that's all I'm asking for."

She smiled and wondered why she always said 'No' when she wanted to say 'Yes'. It wasn't the race thing. She just wasn't sure how they'd still work together if things got hot 'n heavy and then fell apart.

"Tell you what, Javi, you do me a favor and I'll go to dinner with you. Maybe hit a dance club later and you can show me those Latin moves you keep hinting at."

He was instantly on guard. Whatever favor she wanted was probably illegal. He wondered if she'd carried out her standard threat of 'I'll kill you and no one will ever find the body' on some poor guy.

"Depends. I don't do nothing illegal, chica, not even for you."

"Not illegal, just maybe a bit uncomfortable if your boss lady gets wind of it. I want you to go see Richard Castle and get his dumb Writer Boy ass back here with Beckett."

"He walked out. I heard what she said and I'd have booked, too. He's got pride, Lanie, and pride is sometimes all it takes for a man to do stupid things."

"Just go over to his loft and talk to him. Use that Latin charm and get him to see that Beckett's hurting and misses him. Between us, I think she's got a case of the hots for her shadow but doesn't know how to deal with it. They're good together. You see it."

He did. It was a good idea.

"Okay but forget about the date. I'll do it for Beckett. He is good for her and that makes her easier to work with and he's helped out a lot on some of the freaky cases. Tell Kevin I went to an early lunch."

He got up and left, leaving Lanie speechless. She really wanted to see some of those Latin moves he was always bragging about and figured he'd jump at the opening she'd given him but he hadn't. She didn't know how long it would take her to work up the courage to say 'yes' the next time he asked – if he even asked.

Castle Loft

Esposito parked in front of the double glass doors of Castle's building. A doorman hustled out and told him he couldn't park there but he pointed to the placard on the dashboard that said 'Official NYPD Business' and then asked for Castle.

"Mr. Castle's down in the gym. Take the elevator to the lower level and it's to the right of the elevator. He isn't in any trouble, is he? He's a nice guy and his daughter's a real sweetheart."

"Nah. We did some work together and I just want to go over some notes on a case."

Gym

Castle was purging the anger from his system the best way he knew how. He was attacking the suspended body bag with fist and kicks. He could feel the burn in his thighs and calves and wished he'd done this more often. He was getting older and staying in shape was more important than ever.

He leveled a spin kick at the 'chest' of his assailant and followed it up with several punches to the body. He didn't hear Esposito come in as he loaded all his weight on his left leg and then spun around to deliver a crushing side kick to imaginary ribs when Esposito called out 'Yo, Castle' and it was just enough of a distraction that his kick landed badly.

He felt white hot pain in his knee and fell to the hard gym floor stifling a scream when he looked and saw that his knee cap wasn't where it was supposed to be and that his leg was bending in a manner it wasn't designed to do.

Right before he passed out from the pain, his mind registered Esposito's 911 call for an ambulance.

ER

"Mr. Castle, we're going to give you something for the pain. You'll feel a little pinch and – " but Castle interrupted the nurse's attempts at comforting him.

"No! My daughter's alone. My mother is out of town until the weekend. Just push the damned thing back where it belongs and wrap it in an Ace bandage. She's only 14 and – "

"Sleep, Mr. Castle. We'll have someone from Child Services pick her up."

As his vision darkened and consciousness slipped away, Castle's only thought was 'Alexis, I'm so sorry'.

ER waiting room

Esposito sat on the hard plastic chair waiting for word on his boss' shadow. He hadn't taken to Castle at all at first, figuring he was just some hot-shot playboy using the real cops for research for his novels. As time went by he found himself warming to the friendly and gullible author and now he considered him almost a friend.

"Mr. Esposito, Mr. Castle is scheduled for the OR as soon as the orthopedist get the results of the CT scan. He has a daughter and has no one to watch over her so we've alerted Child Protective Services to pick her up and put her into a temporary foster home."

"No way! He's one of us and his daughter is our responsibility. The 12th takes care of its own. I'll have someone pick her up and we'll watch over her. Call them back and cancel the pickup order."

"I'm sorry, Mr. – "

"It's Detective Esposito, and sorry or not, you will cancel that order. If anyone takes his kid into protective custody it'll be us and not the damned foster care system."

Esposito called Lanie and gave her the situation in as few words as possible. He was keeping one eye on the do-gooder nurse as she talked with a hospital social worker. He didn't trust the system. He knew too many horror stories to allow Castle's daughter to experience any of them.

"Esposito, Beckett and I will be right there. Javi, don't let them take her. We'll think of something. I gotta go, Javi. You watch out for him in the mean time. See ya in an hour, max."

12th Precinct
Homicide Division

Beckett answered the phone and listened, her head forehead braced on the palm of one hand. She asked Lanie to repeat what she said twice. Her heart skipped a beat each time she heard 'Castle's been injured'.

"Okay, I'll meet you out front and we'll go to the ER and see what we can find out. She's in school today at York Academy and she knows me so I guess I'm the one who gets to keep little Castle at the loft until her dad's out of the hospital or his mother shows up."

She explained what she had to do to Captain Montgomery who gave her the go-ahead. He figured he'd carry her as 'casual' so she wouldn't lose any money or time. After all, Castle was almost one of their own.

She met Lanie in the parking lot and told her she was going to pick up Alexis at school and would meet her at the hospital. Lanie filled her in on the nature of the injury and how it happened. Esposito was feeling guilty and was staying until they knew how the surgery went and also to hold off CPS if they should show up.

York Academy
Upper Westside

She waited in the headmaster's office for Alexis to get her things and accompany her to the hospital. She had her homework and class assignments through the end of the week and one of her friends was going to come to the loft with her class notes.

"Okay, Detective Beckett, let's go. I'll bet it was the right knee. He was told to take it easy the last time he tore his ACL sparring but he never listens. Never."

"I know. But it's one of the things that make him who he is. And it's Kate, Alexis. Listen, we're going to have to wing it if we're going to keep you out of the clutches of CPS. I don't suppose Gina could – "

"Oh, God no! I'd rather have foster parents than that – that – that whore! Dad barred here from the loft and I can't stay with her. I hate her for what she did to him."

"Is it okay if I stay with you at the loft? You'll be around familiar things and it'll make visiting your dad easier all around."

"I was hoping you'd suggest it. I know you have your own life but – "

"Not much of one and I do like the idea of having another girl around to talk to."

They parked in the ER lot and went in to find Lanie and Esposito. While Lanie talked with Alexis about what had happened, Beckett grilled Esposito without mercy.

"Why were you even at the loft? He quit. He walked out. Lanie said you feel guilty about something. Did you go there to threaten him or some crazy man-thing?"

"I found him in the building's gym. Man, a classy place, Beckett. I called out to him just as he was bashing the heavy bag with a sidekick and it distracted him. Man, he displaced his entire knee."

She filed her questions about Castle's 'sparring' for another time.

"Doesn't answer my questions, Esposito. Why-were-you-there?"

"Um, well, Lanie said you were too proud to ask him to come back so she asked me to do it. Beckett, you two are good together. You click. He makes you easier to be around and he does good work, too. We wanted you two back together, that's why I was there."

"Okay. We'll talk about this later. Right now my concerns are for Alexis. Back me up, Esposito, or I'll transfer you back to uniform with a strong recommendation for a file clerk position."

"I got your back, boss." He'd seen Castle's daughter's face and knew why his boss felt close to her. He wondered if that was why Castle seemed so at ease with Beckett – because he saw the same thing every day?

The two detectives walked back into the surgical waiting room just as Lanie was pushing Alexis behind her and squaring off to do battle with two large social workers from CPS.

"What's going on here? Where do you think you're taking my fiance's daughter? Alexis, honey, come over here. Look, her dad and I live together. It's not a public thing so none of these people knew enough to call me sooner. We're getting married soon and Alexis is already like a daughter to me so I'm responsible for her."

After a lot of hemming and hawing, the two social workers left. Alexis hugged Kate and muttered 'Thanks, 'MOM' and smiled up at her. Beckett felt like crying for a second. She'd never get a chance to be a mom. This was the closest she'd ever get.

"So, Beckett, you and Castle?" Esposito had a big grin on his face. He was proud of his boss for her quick thinking but wasn't going to let an opportunity to zing her pass.

"Yeah, Esposito, me and Rick. Got a problem with it?" Alexis was still hanging onto her and she felt the girl giggle. "That's my future 'mom'."

"No – no, Beckett. No problem at all." He didn't know what to think. She'd been so adamant and it was obvious that she and Castle's daughter were comfortable with each other. Were they 'Caskett', as Lanie called them behind their backs?

"Shut your mouth, Lanie, before you swallow a fly. Alexis, let's go find our guy, okay?"