On with the story. What I love about fan fiction is that I can play around with styles of story writing. So, what we have here is three, what are defined as, flash fictions, just little self contained scenes, about 1000 words each. There are six total so there will be two chapters of this over the stretch of about six months. They are no means the only meetings in that amount of time.
I don't own Castle accept to borrow them to play with and obsess over, well most of the time.
Chapter 7 – Smattering of Coffees
It was a cute little mom and pop coffee shop in mid-town. The artsy kind that has murals by students on the wall and book selves lined with books for the community to swap with their own collection with. Among the eclectic patrons and the even more eclectic furniture, I saw him sitting at a little table with two high backed chairs and a pair of steaming mugs on the table. "There you are." I told him with a brush of my hand over his shoulder as I rounded the table and collapsed into the chair surprised how comfortable it was.
"I wasn't sure you were going to come?" He looks relieved. Picking up his mug, "How are you, my dear Detective?"
Wrapping my own hands around my mug I inhaled deeply, it smelled so good. "I'm good. Why wouldn't I come?"
This earned me a skeptical shrug, as if he still couldn't believe his luck that I was talking to him. "I figured you'd get called in on a case and forget to let me know or something. It doesn't matter. You're here and that's what counts."
"Not on call today. Baring the end of the world, I'm completely free today. I'm just on call on Thursday." We both took a deep sip from our coffee studying each other over the top of our mugs.
He set his down first, "So how have you been?"
It was such an easy question to blow off that I very nearly just answered, "Fine," before stopping myself thinking about it for a few seconds. "Over all I've been good. Life of a detective it's a lot of up and down."
He studied me a moment and for brief moment I thought he was going ask me what the downs were, but then there was that sparkle in his eye. "Ok, well let's talk about the good or at least the bizarre. What was the most interesting case you've had since I've been gone."
I looked at him with his brilliant blue eyes and the flannel shirt that he must have decide was more than appropriate for this little shop and I just knew there were dozens of cases that would spark his interest. "I don't know Castle where to start, the CIA, mob cases, psychics, magic, or amnesia."
He had this face of pure excitement that I associated with a kid when they've been told that they're going to Disney Land. "Um, all of them." He said biting his lip trying not to smile too much.
"We don't possible have time for that."
"So pick one and next time you'll tell me another one."
"You're supposing there's going to be a next time." I teased, even though the idea of it made me want to grin.
Now the look on his face was more of that of a kid that just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Well if… there doesn't have to…" he struggled with the words afraid that I was going to revoke his cookie privileges.
"Relax, Castle. I'm just teasing you."
His shoulders visible relaxed and the shit-eating grin was back, "Ok. In that case just pick one."
I thought about it for a second and settled on the story of the amnesiac and the missing fifth bullet. Spinning the tale of an art knock-off ring that went very badly for him. He laughed at the appropriate moments, and gasped at others exclaiming, "No way." But he hung onto every word.
I finish the story just watching him. Realizing that my mug had been empty for over an hour, he broke into my thoughts, "You spin quiet the story, Kate."
"Yeah, well it helps when it's all true."
"Hey don't discount yourself. True or not, there is an art to storytelling and you have it. Trust me I'm a bestselling novelist." He tells me looking down at his mug, realizing that his too is empty.
Staunchly ignoring his praise, I glanced at my watch. "How is it that when we have coffee together it seems to just eat hours out of my day without my noticing?"
"It must be the company," he looked at his phone, "but I see your point. Well we'll just have to do this again sometime and you can tell me another story." He stood trying not to look afraid of my answer trying not to be presumptuous.
Joining him on my feet, I pulled my jacket on. "Nope, next you're doing most the talking. There have to be stories of what the infamous Rick Castle has done in the last three years."
"Deal." He grinned sticking his hand out to shake on it, "As long as I get to talk to you again soon."
Sliding my hand it to his much larger warmer one I squeezed, "It's a deal. I don't know when my next day off is though." I told him as we walked out onto the street together.
"Well Detective, they invented this magical device called the telephone. Just let me know when you're free. It doesn't have to be a day off, just when you want a friend." He waved his phone in my face before snapping a picture.
"What was that?"
"I need a contact icon for you. It can't very well be the cover of Nikki Heat anymore." He shrugged sliding the phone into his pocket. Raising a hand to hail a cab, one pulling to the curb immediately.
He opened the door to for me but I shook my head. "I'll walk I'm only a few blocks from here."
"In that case, until next time detective." He climbed in.
"Bye Castle." I told him watching him close the door and cab peel away from the curb with a wave.
"So what was it like writing for double-oh-seven?" She asked as pulling her foot under her as she sat down in the corner of the large couch angling her body towards the arm chair that I'd picked in the quiet coffee shop she'd suggested this morning when she'd told me it was her day off.
Day off meant that it wasn't the hard edge Detective Beckett sitting kitty corner from me. Her hair had been left curly and pulled into a braid draped over the bare shoulder abandoned by the fabric of the over sized sweater she had on over her jeans. Rather than the ass-kicking heels, she wears into the precinct on a regular basis there's a tiny pair of well-loved black ballet flats abandoned on the floor below her. She just looks so soft and pretty. No one would peg her for a homicide detective in this moment.
She was waiting for my answer patiently. "It was awesome and amazing; I mean he was the reason that I became a mystery author." I took a sip deciding that if I was going to confide in any one besides my mother and daughter it was going to be her. "To tell you the truth…"
"Oh please do," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"It was a complete and total pain."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously." I nodded my head. "He's been so over done that any time I tried to give him my own twist it was automatically revoked. First they didn't like my style of writing him, next they didn't like my dialogue, then they didn't like this thing or the other it was horrible."
She giggled her nose crinkling adorably, "Sounds like a nightmare."
"You have no idea." And I went on to regale her with the variety of people that had turned down my ideas watching her eyes sparkle with mirth as I told her about a particularly heated argument with the owner of the franchise over the car I wanted Bond to drive for less than a chapter. "The edit for that first book alone took twice the amount of time it should have," I finished.
We were quiet for a moment as she just smiled at me finally setting her cup down on the armrest. "Well in that case Mr. Castle, what comes next?"
I leaned back in my chair smiling at her, she just watched me and I was struck by the fact that she was huge fan before she brought me in for questioning all those years ago, "You read all of my Bond books didn't you?"
"The two of them that came out in the time we've been separated?" She quirked her eyebrow like it was the most absurd question I could have asked her. I just nodded, "Yes, I read them."
"Well?"
"I believe you're avoiding my question." She teased.
"Did you like them?"
She looked at me and I could just see her contemplating how long she was going to tease me. "Yes I did. Now what's next Castle?"
The three chapters that I'd written bringing Nikki Heat back into the mystery novel world, flashed to the front of my mind. "My own characters again. I don't think I'll ever take on a pre-made character again."
"Any ideas?"
Glancing at my watch, I realized that I needed to go Alexis was meeting me for lunch during her free period today, "A few but you CastleLover1L40 are going to have to wait. Besides there's still a Bond book to come out." I stood taking in her darling blush extending her my hand as she slipped the ballet flats onto her feet and pulled her upright.
She let out a soft gasp as she bumped into my chest pausing right there neither of us sure what to do. Before she got her senses about her and step away to scoop up her jacket and scarf. "Well if you weren't so slow about publishing them I wouldn't have to probe the author in hopes a getting some snippet to share with the other fan girls," she winked at me.
"I knew I had a leak those years we were partners."
She laughed and pulled on her coat, looping her scarf around her neck, following me out of the shop jangling her keys. She was so much shorter than I without the kick ass heels was again I was struck but just how soft and cuddly she looked right now. Shaking those thoughts from my head opening the door watching her bite her lip looking at me as she went through the open door. "So coffee next week?"
"Wouldn't miss it. I believe you owe me another case story."
"I suppose I do. I'll let you know." Unlocking her car, she walked over, "Thanks for the coffee Castle."
"Any time Detective." I told her with a smile as she climbed into the crown vic.
Tomorrow was my day off and I'd promised to spend my dad. Slightly disappointed I'd called Castle and told him. I was reading a book curled up on my couch when a knock echoed through my apartment. I opened the door to find one mystery writer standing on my doorstep holding a bag of coffee beans, "Castle?"
"When did you move here?" He asked poking his head into the entryway as I opened the door further.
"When my old place got blown up." I said with a shrug, "Come in."
"Your place got blown up? That is definitively a story I need to hear." He said striding in, looking around for the kitchen. "But first coffee." He lifted the bag above his head as he started opening cabinets in his search for a coffee bean grinder. I just stood torn between being amused and annoyed that he was making himself at home in my apartment.
I didn't have long though before he was turning around, "Well are you going to stand there and watch me or are you going to help me make the coffee and tell me the story of how your apartment got blown up."
Moving off the door frame, I rounded the island and started pulling the necessary things out of the cabinets. "What is this Castle, we can't meet on my day off this week so you just show up?"
He stopped and looked at me, "Sorry I didn't think I just… I like having coffee with you … I'll go…"
"Castle, you're too easy." I said spooning the beans into the grinder, "Although, I am curious how you found me."
Relief washed over his face, "Well I went to your old place but it's under construction so I called Esposito." He shrugged out of his coat. "So, are you going to tell me how you ended up here?"
"It's your fault actually." I told him as I set the coffee pot to brew.
A cross between mock shock and true worry that I was telling him he was at fault for my apartment getting blown to bits. "No, you're kidding."
"Only sort of. He was crazy and thought that Nikki Heat was a real person and he wanted to prove that he was better than her." I told him fixing the coffee cups just the way we each like them.
He smiled that affectionate smile that I'd come to associate with whenever I was telling a story and he felt like he was learning something new about me, that or he was proud of me. "Well too bad he was actually facing Detective Beckett because Nikki Heat's got nothing on her."
I smiled, "Exactly." I told him pouring the coffee into the cups and handing him his as I made my way over to the sofa. Curling up in my favorite corner I smiled when he chose to sit next to me in the middle of the couch angling his body towards me as I began the story telling him about the messages in the bullets, the arrival of Jordan Shaw and I patiently answered the million questions he had about the federal agent.
He has the best facial expressions when I tell him stories. It's almost as if you could follow the story based on what his face was doing. The best was when I told him about the fact I was in the shower when the bomb went off. He swallowed hard, his adams apple bobbing slowly.
"You got him?" He asked at the end.
"Yeah, I got the jackass."
"Good, I don't want anyone stealing my characters." He said with a smile followed by a huge yawn.
Patting his knee, I stood up grabbing his empty cup going into the kitchen. "I think I've worn you out Castle."
"I just enjoy a good story." He glanced at his watch. "I should get going though." He sighed, pulling on his coat.
I walked him to the door, "Thanks for surprising me tonight, Rick."
"Thanks for the story, Kate." Then before I had a chance to think about it he was pulling me into him for a hug. My body reacted instantly tucking my head under his chin inhaling the soft warm, slightly spice smell that was Rick Castle. And then he was letting me go. "Have fun with your dad tomorrow, I'll talk to you later."
"Night, Castle." I said softly as he let himself out.
What did you think?
The next three will be up soon.
Babyrose