This story has reached the point that I can take it either way. Casket or No Casket.
I have received reviews going both ways.
I guess over the next few days I will have to decide
Dr. Josh Davidson has convinced Beckett to go home and try to get some sleep. He tells her that her dad will need her most on the day of the operation. She decided to go back to her old place and then she will come back bright and early tomorrow morning. Outside the hospital she hails a cab and it takes her back to her apartment. The New York apartment that she misses so very much. Roomy, warm. Inviting and her sanctuary.
The second most important place for her to stay. The most important place was Rick's loft. His place that had become home for her.
She put her key in her door and it still worked. She almost wished it did not. She wanted it to not open. She wanted the key to be to Rick's loft and prove to her that the last six months are nothing more than a bad dream. A nightmare that she could wake up from and be in bed with Castle. Then she could go back to the blissful bubble that had been her life with him up until six months ago
Opening the door to her place, she was taken back by all the cardboard wardrobe boxes stacked in her living room. They were not there when she left. At first she wondered where they came from. Who brought them? But she really knew. She knew that they contained all of her clothes that had been moved to Rick's place over the last year and placed in 'her' closet there. Castle had referred to a large section of his oversized walk-in closet as 'her closet'. That special place he had reserved where she had placed all of her best clothes. She had reached the point that it was unnecessary for her to even go back to her own apartment and get anything. Everything she ever wanted in life was at his place.
EVERYTHING
She drops her bag on the bed and starts undressing. She draws a bath and while the tub is filling she goes into the kitchen to see if there is any wine suitable for her to use to try and drown her sorrows. After pouring a large oversized glass, she returned to the tub, finishes undressing, climbs in, and tries to relax.
Moments after her body becomes fully covered in the warm water her cell phone chimes with a message. She picks up the phone from the small table beside the tub and reads the very cryptic message
"DETECTIVE REMEMBER OUR AGREEMENT!"
She speaks out loud "How could I EVER forget!"
She places the cell back on the table, closes her eyes and relishes the cleansing fluid covering her
Richard Castle is the last of the group to leave the Old Haunt. Out front he hails a cab. As he opens the door and is getting ready to step in, he hears a voice
"Rick!"
He looks back to see Crystal Roberts stepping up behind him.
"Hello Crystal. I thought you had already left"
"I actually was waiting for you" She has a shy look on her face "I was wondering if we could talk a little while longer?"
"Of course. You want to take a cab ride with me?" Castle asks while indicating the open door of the taxi
She gets into the back seat and Castle follows her in. Once settled in the back seat, Castle turns toward her "Where you want to go? I can have the cab drop you off at your place"
She pauses for a very brief moment "Why don't we just go back to your place?"
This forward statement catches Rick a little off guard. He is more than a little concerned about where she might be going
"UH….OK." He responds and then gives the driver the address.
During the ride very few words are spoken between them. Once the cab pulls up to Castle's building, the pair get out and walk inside. When they arrive on his floor, Rick opens the door and allows Crystal to enter first
"WOW" she begins while looking around at the roomy living area. "This is nice! I didn't know writers did so well" She takes her jacket off and places it on the arm of the couch along with her bag.
"Derrick Storm has been really good to me and Nikki Heat has far exceeded my expectations as far as her popularity goes"
"Tell me about Nikki. I have often wondered how you came up with her"
Castle walks away from Crystal and toward his kitchen "I started following one of the detectives back about five years ago and I used her as the model for Nikki"
Castle becomes very melancholy talking about Kate
"She uh…showed me how police work really is done and not the fiction I had been writing. She was real and not a figment of my imagination"
"So Nikki was a real cop?"
"Oh yeah. She is a real cop"
"So Castle, what happened to her?"
Rick gets more emotional "She moved on to bigger and better things than anyone here could offer her" Any by anyone he was talking about himself
Crystal walks up to Richard Castle and invades his personal space. "So she's gone now? Where did she go?"
"Castle tries to turn away from her advances "She was offered a fantastic job with the feds and she moved on"
She reaches up and places her arms around his neck "I am so sorry that she's gone. Do you need someone to help you forget about that hurt?"
"Crystal! This is just a little but too soon. Don't you think?"
"Rick I have always had huge fan girl crush on you after reading your books. And now that I have met you I find you very handsome and I know you are attracted to me so why do you think this is too soon?"
Katherine Beckett awakens up from a hard sleep. She has not slept this long since moving to DC. She is not sure if it was how tired she has become working almost 20 hours a day or possibly just being in a familiar bed. But she realizes that she did just sleep 12 hours straight.
After climbing out of bed and getting dressed she goes into the kitchen looking for coffee and something to eat. But 6 month is too long to expect the eggs in the refrigerator to still be good. She chooses to leave the apartment and go to the little corner café in the next block from her building.
After ordering at the counter, she takes her coffee cup and sits down at a table waiting for her order to be prepared.
The previous occupant of this seat had left his newspaper on the table. Kate picks up this morning's Ledger and begins flipping thru the pages. When she reaches page 6, she sees a photograph with several familiar faces.
Reading the caption below the photo brings more tears up in her eyes. She misses these people so much it is hard not to become emotional.
"Pictured above are some of the fine police officers who protect our city relaxing with their dates after a hard day of fighting crime. Also pictured above is the owner of the Old Haunt Mr. Richard Castle along with what appears to be a new woman in his life. Good going Castle. She is a beauty."
When Beckett sees the image and reads the caption her chest tightens to the point she can barely breathe. She feels the blood rush to her head. There is no way she can stop the tears from flowing again. This time bigger than before
This visit to the Big Apple is going to drain every ounce of energy from her