Once Broken, Considered Sold-7
Hello dear readers! Yes, I'm late. I know. Sorry:( I can guess you guys are pretty mad. *dodges all the flying daggers* okay, make that really mad. I'm really really sorry. I just did a concert on Monday, and have been trying to catch up on life for that past few days before my vigorous studying schedule starts again.
Thanks to everyone who left me some reviews last chapter! They made my day and I am really glad that you're enjoying my story:) this chapter starts off with a bit of background on Adrianna and how Rick and her met. I'm so glad you guys aren't killing me yet;) haha thanks for bothering to read my stories:) it means alot to me^^
Disclaimer- My birthday was a few weeks ago. Can I have Castle as my present? No? Fine..
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The bar was unusually crowded that night. She usually didn't go to this kind of traditional looking bars but tonight was a special occasion. Adrianna had just wrapped up a deal with one of the latest break out star on the web, and she was in the mood for a celebratory drink with friends. Or well, she would have brought her friends, if she had any. In her line of business, there was barely any time for her to open a Facebook account, much less, make any friends.
Any friend or aquaintance she managed to meet, would be abandoned after a few minutes, thanks to her time consuming job. She was the assistant of a magazine editor, who often pushed her to get celebrities to agree for interviews.
She had many flings here and there, that stress had to come out from somewhere right? She had no time for a proper and long term relationship, even though she was getting tired of having different guys appear at her doorstep every week.
So here she was, drinking shots of alcohol while laughing at her own scenario. Alone. As lonely as she will ever be. So far, a total of six guys have walked up to her and gave her their numbers since she walked in. The first casually bumped into her as she sat down, and slipped his number into her pocket. 'The men these days are really getting more creative and bold..' she thought to herself.
Suddenly, a group of three guys waltzed into the bar with smiles on their faces. And to her shock, one of them was none other than Richard Castle, the famous author! Her boss would KILL to get an interview with him. If she managed to surprise her with a special, she could get a promotion, AND score a huge amount of points with her.
The two other guys left after a few hours, at around 9pm. Richard Castle stayed on and moved to the counter to get more drinks. He sat in a seat about two chairs away from her, so she deftly slid over one space and called the bartender to get a drink for him.
"Been here a while, haven't you?" He asked, without looking at her.
"Longer than you have. Mind if i sit?" she gestured to the empty seat beside him.
"You've already moved over one seat, what's another? I know you've been eyeing me since I walked in, anyway." He gave her a lopsided grin as he emptied his drink.
"What I meant was, are you waiting for someone? If not, can I buy you a drink?" She recovered quickly and changed the subject.
'So he's a sharp guy with a keen sense of observation skills, even when he's drinking alcohol. Plus, he's quite straightforward. I like that.' Adrianna thought to herself.
"Actually, I have a girlfriend. So, no, I have to decline your offer." He said with an apologetic glance.
"Oh. At least you're honest. I like that. What about an interview then?" she decided that perhaps being blunt might be the best way to talk to him.
"You'll have to speak to my agent about that, but I think she can squeeze you in somewhere." He smiled promisingly at her and drank a sip of his now full cup, after scribbling down Paula's number on a piece of paper.
"Great! I'll give her a call. Anyway, just in case you suddenly find that you're tired of waiting, give ME a call." She wrote down her number on his hand and stood up to go.
As she left the bar, Adrianna started thinking about the man that had just rejected her offer. Richard Castle's playboy persona that usually over-shadowed his real self had slipped off slightly, allowing her a small glimpse into his real character. The Rick that actually valued relationships and likes making other people smile, the one whose personal life revolves around his daughter, not fame and money.
And she had to say, she was extremely intrigued by him.
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"So Dad, who's this new woman in your life? The one who wrote that interview in this latest issue?" The young girl waved the magazine teasingly in front of her father's face as he drank his coffee.
"Adrianna? Is that her?" She asked as she pointed at the small picture of the reporter at the beginning of the article. At her father's nod, she continued. "She's really hot. Although the picture is really small, I can see why you like her."
"Alexis, darling! You didn't wait for me to start the grilling! We were supposed to question him together, remember? Richard, you've really been holding out on us lately, haven't you?" Martha suddenly made her presence known as she entered the kitchen, sending a reproachful look at the other occupants.
"Mother, what are you doing home?" Rick asked as he rubbed his forehead, wincing at the throbbing pain.
"Ah, I see you have a headache. Alexis, could you be a dear and get him some aspirin? And why can't I come home to see my son and granddaughter? I heard Alexis was back in town for a bit and wanted to catch her before she leaves again." She sat down and took a cup of the steaming hot coffee as Alexis skipped off to the medicine cabinet.
"I ran into Kate." He began.
"That's great, Richard! It should give you an opportunity talk about things." She cut in.
"I wasn't finished. I ran into Kate, while I was on a date with Adrianna."
Martha's eyes widened at his statement. "Well, that's a problem. No wonder you're having a headache."
He flashed her an annoyed look. "Not helping, mother."
"I found them! Sorry it took so long, but really dad, you need to keep the stuff in order when we aren't around. It's supposed to be in alphabetical order, and I found bottles scattered all over the place. I found this bottle of aspirin in the bathroom." Alexis called as she scampered back to table, throwing a short glance at her father. "Dad, I'm leaving again in a few days, so please, PLEASE, take care of yourself. Even if it's just to make me stop worrying about you when I'm so far away."
Alexis smiled gently at her father and wrapped her arms around his middle, leaning her head against him. She had grown a lot since the last time she had been home. She was almost reaching her father's chin now, and she was probably gonna out grow him in a few years.
"My daughter really has grown up. I'm gonna miss you so much, you know that right? Don't worry so much about your old dad here. Have fun okay? But not too much fun." He winked at her as he returned the bear hug that his daughter had enveloped him in.
"Yeah, I will. I love you, dad."
"Love you too, pumpkin."
"Oh, all this drama, makes me want in on it. " Martha suddenly said, making Alexis laugh and pull her grandmother into a group hug. "I'm gonna miss you too, gram."
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Kate sat up in bed clutching her chest. Her heart was pounding after that vivid nightmare. Her breaths were still coming out in short pants and her skin was glistening with sweat.
Kate tried to calm herself down with a cup of water that she kept on her bedside table, along with some of Castle's books. The water spilled onto her hands and dress because she kept trembling, and in the darkness, she was reminded of the blood that was on her hands, HIS blood. The panic rose into her chest and she choked on whatever water she managed to swallow.
After a long bout of coughing, she managed to regain her composure. Her eyes darted to the small alarm clock sitting on the table, and she sighed heavily at the time. 3.25 A.M. Some nap this was, she had overslept and missed dinner too.
She gave a weary sigh and attempted to pull her legs out from under the covers. Her body felt so heavy that all she wanted to do was lie back onto her mattress. However, she could feel the wetness of sheets from her cold sweat under her hands, and that prompted her to summon her energy to push herself off the bed. She would have to remind herself to change the sheets later.
The cold water that she splashed against her face was welcome, but not needed. The nightmare itself had already made her wide awake. She was reliving it, again, and again. The horrifying images kept flashing in her mind, her own hands unconsciously gripping harder onto the sink's edge.
italics: drip drip drip...
The monotonous sound of water dripping made her come to her senses. She glanced down and saw the water dripping onto her slipper clad feet and instinctively reached out to turn the tap off.
"Dammit." she swore softly as she dived her hand into the water-filled sink, to pull the stopper out. As the water started to drain out, Beckett leaned her back against the sink and twirled the ring on her neck aimlessly. She had absent mindedly forgotten to take off her necklace before going to bed in the afternoon. Her stomach growled softly and she placed her palm on her belly. She was starving, since she hadn't eaten for 11 hours.
Kate gracelessly stumbled over to the kitchen and pulled the fridge door open to get some leftovers to heat up. To her surprise, she found a frozen pizza sitting there with a note.
'Lanie called. Thought you might oversleep and miss dinner. So I brought this so you won't have to eat horrible Chinese leftovers. Coffee's on the table. Bon Appetit. -RC.'
At that point, she didn't know if she should thank Lanie or kill her. But for now, she needed to eat. She turned to the takeout coffee cup on her table and smiled to herself as she picked it up and took a sip.
The smile disappeared as fast as it appeared. The coffee was still warm, which meant Rick had been there recently.
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Haha no cliff hanger this time guys:) well, not a very steep cliff, at least. Okay here's some bad news. I may decide to put all my fics on hiatus for a short time so that I can write more chapters. Because, I haven't had much time lately to write, and I've been feeling horrible for not updating my fics. You guys have been wonderful readers, and I am very grateful to have you encouraging me with all your sweet reviews.
Of course, I'm not stopping my stories and so, please keep me on your alerts, because i'll be back soon with more chapters. Hopefully, I will be able to update more frequently by then, and you guys won't have to wait as long for my chapters. I may be posting a few one shots, in a mean time, if I have the time. I already have a few plot bunnies waiting for me.
I will see you guys soon enough, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter:) I will be doing the same for Rewind, Remix, Replay. Thanks again for all the awesome reviews!
See you guys in a few weeks (I hope)
All the best with the Castle hiatus:)
~Lianna