AN: Another two chapters. A couple of the reviews skipped a chapter thinking that I only posted one. As this story is already complete, I will continue to post two per day.

The usual disclaimers apply. Don't own Castle or any of it's characters.

Fifteen:

The ride from the airport to the hotel was quiet. Mindy explained that he would be staying at the Great Wall Sheraton – the same hotel Ronald Reagan had stayed in during his historic visit to China. Its location was close to the embassy district, shopping and several restaurants. It also had its own shopping, restaurants, a piano bar and a travel bureau under roof. Castle really didn't care. As long as it had a soft bed, a mini bar, and an internet connection, he'd be fine. Black Pawn had setup the whole trip and made sure that he had a suite on the executive level. Castle checked in and the bell boy loaded his luggage on a cart and asked for his room number. Rick asked the concierge if he could exchange some money which he gladly agreed to do.

Mindy walked with him to the elevator. As the door opened she extended her hand to him and said "Well goodnight Mr. Castle. I'll see you here in the lobby at 7:45 am. I've got a full day of activities planned for you. So get some sleep."

He gently took her hand into his and replied "Please call me Rick, or at least just Castle, no Mister. I'm not that old, am I?"

Mindy replied "Ok Castle. Goodnight."

"Until tomorrow. Miss King." He replied.

The bell boy was waiting in front of Castle's door along with his luggage. Castle handed his key card and he opened the door and gestured for him to come in. He carried Castle's bags into the room and set them next to the dresser. He then showed Castle how the key card was to be kept in a holder by the door. The holder contained a micro switch that controlled all of the electrical items in the suite except the light in entrance. Rick thanked him and gave a generous tip for his efforts.

He kicked off his shoes walking over to the mini bar. It was well stocked with plenty of flight sized bottles of the more popular brands. Reaching into the pockets of his sport coat, he grabbed the extra bottles of scotch that Jenny had so kindly provided him with on the plane. Grabbing a real cocktail glass from the mini bar he opened the remaining bottles and poured them into the glass. Rick strolled over to the bed and plopped down making sure that he didn't spill a drop from his glass. Taking a big gulp, he waited for the scotch to warm him up and numb him so he could sleep – even a little while.

Laying down, he sets the glass on the nightstand by the bed. He closes his eyes and tries to block out the events from five months ago from his mind. How he lost the woman he loved. The events play over and over in his mind and no matter what he does he can't change the outcome. He just couldn't figure out why it played out the way it did. He rolls over to his side and shudders as if he's freezing, grabbing the comforter. If only he could sleep..

He dreams that he's standing by the swings. That Kate is in his arms telling him how she will marry him. Only the birth of Alexis eclipses this as the happiest moment of his life. Then everything starts to fall apart. Five years of his life spent waiting for a woman who never put him at the top of her priorities. He lurches up, now wide awake. Looking at the alarm clock he sees that it's 4:00 am here and 4:00 pm in New York. Grabbing his phone, he decides to call Gina to tell her that he has arrived safely in China. He stops himself thinking that maybe it would be better if he let Paula give his publisher/ex-wife the news.

Adding the country code, he punches in Paula's number and waits. "Richard Castle, where the hell are you?" Paula snarls.

"Good afternoon to you too." Castle replies. "Remember the Asia book tour that you sent me on? Ring any bells?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm in Beijing. It's 4 o'clock. AM." Castle replied.

"Is Black Pawn taking care of you? Do they have someone looking after you while you're there?"

"Yes, mother. I have a babysitter. In fact, she has my whole day planned for me already."

"She?" Paula was now intrigued. "Details, Ricky. Is she young? Pretty? Have you asked her out yet? Tell me everything."

Castle paused. He really hadn't given her a lot of thought other than notice how nice she was to him and he didn't read much into that because most of the people with jobs similar to Mindy's that he's met treat him well. "Well," Castle paused again knowing that it was driving Paula crazy. "She's very tall."

"That's it? That's all you have to say?" Paula was no longer amused.

Castle thought some more about her and smiled to himself. "Yes, I guess you would say she's very attractive. Don't worry Paula, she's way too young for me."

"Why, is she in high school or something?"

"No, Paula, but I'd bet she isn't a day over 30 and I don't know anything about her. Besides, I'm not interested." Castles voice trailed off.

"Why?" Paula quizzed. "Did you take a vow of celibacy that I didn't hear about?"

"You know why."

"Look Rick. You and I have known each other for a long time. I watched you enter into two marriages that you shouldn't have, watched you lose part of yourself when each one failed. Bailed your ass out of jail and lied to the press to keep your image intact while you went out of your way to destroy it. I think that I've earned the right to tell you the truth, no matter how much you don't like it."

Deep down, Castle knew what she was right. Paula has always been there for him. Granted she had a vested interest in keeping him out of trouble, but she could be a pit bull when she needed to. "I don't want to talk about it. Ok?

"What do you want me to tell Gina?" His agent inquires.

"Tell her I'm fine. Tell her I'm doing this book tour that she wanted... Hell Paula, tell her whatever you want to. I'll talk to you later." Rick pressed the end call button before Paula could say anything more. He leans back against the headboard and closes his eyes. He is startled by the ringing of the phone in his room. Reaching across the bed and pulling the handset from the nightstand, he answers: "Hello?"

"G'day, Mr. Castle. This is your wakeup call." He immediately recognized Mindy's thick Australian accent.

Rick looks at the alarm clock. It says 8:00. "Oh shit!" he yelps into the phone. "I'm so sorry miss King. I must have dozed off. Can you give me 15 minutes so I can clean up?"

"Sounds like a plan." Mindy replied and hung up.

Castle hung up the phone and walked into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and waited while the water warmed up. Looking at his face in the mirror before it fogged up, he debated if he should shave or not. Maybe he would grow a full beard, who knows? He opens the complimentary bottle of water and pours it into the glass and inserts his toothbrush to wet it. He brushes his teeth using the bottled water to rinse his mouth and brush. He rushed his shower wanting to just stand there under the warm flow of the water.

Throwing on a pair of jeans and tee shirt, he grabbed a leather jacket from his luggage and rummaged to find his sneakers. He had a feeling that he would do a lot of walking today. Pulling his keycard from its holder and stuffing it into his pocket before he closed the door and made his way to the elevator.

Exiting the elevator he walked to the hotel lobby. Mindy was setting on one of the sofas glancing at her phone when she sees Rick walking towards her. She jumps up and walks to meet him extending her hand. He takes one look at her and fights back a chuckle – she was dressed almost identically to him – jeans, tee shirt, sneakers and leather jacket. He gently shakes her hand still smiling. Puzzled, Mindy smiles back not aware of the joke. "Good morning miss King." Castles says cheerily.

"Good morning to you Mr. Castle. Judging from your smile, I assume that you're in a good mood." Mindy replies.

"I'm just a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. Have you had breakfast Miss King?" Castle inquires.

"I'm not a big breakfast person, but I'll be glad to sit with you while you have some."

"All I really need right now is a double expresso latte'."

"Well, if that's all you want, there's a Starbucks right around the corner. We could stop there on our way to the Forbidden City." Mindy relies.

"Cool, I've always wanted to see it. Lead on Miss King." Castle smiles.

Mindy leads him out of the hotel and into the same car that brought him there. Castle takes in all of the sights and sounds of the city. Everything seems to be in motion at the same time. Seeing first hand how crosswalks and traffic lights are mere suggestions and how pedestrians are at the bottom of the food chain. Soon they were in front of the Starbucks and Mindy was hopping out of the car to retrieve their coffees. A couple of minutes later she returns with their drinks and a small bag containing several scones. Climbing back into the car, Mindy says something to the driver in Chinese and he hurries off. They make good time considering how heavy traffic was and soon the driver was pulling up to the entrance to the Forbidden City adjacent to Tienanmen square. As they exit the car, Mindy once again gives the driver instructions and he speeds off.

It was late October and there was a definite chill in the air. It was overcast, but at least it wasn't raining. "Do you want to wait for a guided tour, or do you wish to explore for yourself?" Mindy inquired.

"Let's go exploring." Castle replies.

Mindy paid the admission and they walked side by side through the Forbidden city, Castle pointing out details that he had learned about the place from research he had done for a Derek Storm novel. "Wow Mr. Castle, maybe you should consider a career as a tour guide for this place." Mindy joked.

"It's one thing to read about this place. It's something completely different seeing it for yourself. Thank you for bringing me here Miss King."

"You're welcome Mr. Castle. This is just the first stop in our whirlwind tourist day in Beijing. If you're done here, we still have a little time before our driver returns for us and there are a couple of other things here that you might want to see."

"Sounds interesting Miss King." They walked back out of the Forbidden City back into Tienanmen square.

"Would you like to see Chairman Mao's body? It's on display over there." Mindy motions across the 8 lane road towards the rather plain building with at least 1,000 people outside standing in line. "It's really not a big deal, but while were here I thought maybe you were curious. Don't worry we have plenty more to see."

"Have you seen him there?" Castle inquired.

"Yes, His body is in a big glass case. He has so much makeup on him that he looks like a wax figure. You're not allowed to take pictures and you cannot stop to get a good look anyway. Who knows, maybe it is a wax figure."

"I'm really not that curious Miss King. Let's go see some of these other wonderful things instead." Castle replied. Mindy pulled her cell phone from her pocket and called for the driver. Castle stood and took in all of the sights while they waited for the car. Mindy just stood there occasionally glancing at her i-phone and glancing at Castle when she was sure he wasn't looking at her. As the car pulled up, once again Castle grabbed for the door and opened it for Mindy before she could get the chance.

"Well thank you Mr. Castle." Mindy smiled. I guess that I'm not used to being around a gentleman."

"What can I say. My mother raised me well. And really, I like being gentlemanly around a pretty young woman." 'Oh Shit. He thought to himself. Did I really just say that? I bet she thinks I'm some kind of an old letch.' Castle's face turned beet red.

Mindy sensing Castle's embarrassment, simply smiled and slipped into the car, scooting across the seat so he could enter. They both sat in silence for an uncomfortable minute or so, before Castle decided to speak first. "Miss King, I hope that I didn't embarrass you with what I said. I would never want to make you feel uncomfortable. If I did, I'm truly sorry."

Mindy looked up at him and smiled. "Mr. Castle. I thought what you said to me was very sweet. There's no need for an apology, unless you didn't mean it." She gave him a sly wink.

Castle thought to himself, 'did she really flirt with me? Maybe it's jet lag. Or maybe it's sleep deprivation.' "Please call me Rick, or Castle. That's what my friends call me."

"Only if you call me Mindy. Miss King is what my teachers used to call me." Mindy replied. "If you would like, we can stop somewhere along the way and grab lunch. It's about a 2 hour drive to the Great Wall and there aren't a lot of western restaurants once we get outside of the city. We still have the scones that I purchased earlier." Mindy picks up the bag and shakes it.

Castle smiles and says "I'm fine. Unless you're hungry, I'm sure I can wait until later. Especially, with those delicious scones that you have there." After another couple of minutes of silence, Castle speaks again. "So Miss K-, I mean Mindy, I'm sure that you know everything about me. Tell me about yourself."

"There's not that much to tell." Mindy replied.

"I'm sure there is, but if you don't want to tell me. I'll understand." Castle giving her his best pout looking more like a 9 year old than full grown man.

Mindy frowned. "What do you want to know, Castle?"

"I am always fascinated by the story. What is the Mindy King story? How did she end up here, babysitting a writer like me?"

"Where do I begin?"

"The beginning is usually the best place." Castle replied.

"Well, I was born in Duston England and my parents emigrated to Australia when I was 2. I grew up in Ballarat. Because of my grades, I was offered an academic scholarship anywhere I wanted to go. I was always fascinated by America because of TV, especially Los Angeles. I enrolled at UCLA and studied international business while playing volleyball. It's while I was there, I fell in love with surfing. Every vacation I take now is really an excuse to go surfing somewhere. Surprisingly, I've never surfed in Australia." Her voiced trailed off for a second as if she was in deep thought. Castle smiled to himself pleased that he had guessed that she played volleyball because of her height and athletic build.

"So how did you end up here?" Castle inquired.

"I was approached by a recruiter for Black Pawn books. They were looking for young aggressive people to establish a base of operations in Asia. Black Pawn was moving all of their paperback printing operations to China. I was transferred to our office in Shanghai. I spent the next 10 years working my way through the ranks until an offer came along to go to New York and work at Corporate headquarters. I thought I had it all, but things just didn't work out. The next thing I know, I'm back in China doing the same job I had when I started there."

"So why did you come back? I'm sure that with your experience you could get a job with any publishing house."

She thought about his question for a few seconds and then calmly replied. "I've pretty much been on my own since I left Australia. I've never really had any friends or relationships that would keep me in one place." Her last remark was tinged with embarrassment that she might have shared too much with someone that she only knew from what her bosses told her about him.

Castle did the math. If Mindy had been with Black Pawn 10 years, she had to at least be in her early 30s. Not only did he not feel like such a perv for his earlier comments, he was impressed with just how young she looked. Glancing over to see the embarrassed look on her face, he debated if he should say something to her, or just leave her alone with her thoughts.

Once they got outside of the city, the driver was able drive as fast as he wanted in spite of the posted speed limit. Soon he could catch glimpses of the wall as it snaked through the countryside. As they pulled into the tourist area, he could see first hand just how massive an undertaking it was to construct the wall. Mindy paid the modest fee and walked with Castle to the entrance. They climbed up to the main portion of the wall and Castle looked out onto the countryside. They strolled along the walkway as it followed the contour of the land. Castle turned to Mindy after a few minutes of walking and inquired. "Are we trying to get somewhere?"

"Not really. You can walk about another kilometer up to another vista, but this is pretty much all there is." She looked disappointed. "We can leave anytime you like."

Sensing her disappointment, Castle replied. "Thank you for bringing me here. You really have to see it to appreciate what an achievement it is."

"Would you like me to take your picture here on the wall? If you hand me your phone, I'll take it for you." Mindy inquired.

Rick looked around and spotted an English speaking couple looking out over the wall. "Excuse me? Could you take our picture?" He gestures towards himself and Mindy. The couple smiles and walks to where he was standing. Castle hands his iphone to the man and motions for Mindy to stand beside him. Mindy is surprised by the gesture, but moves to his right side.

"Say cheese!" the man calls to them. Just as they reply, Castle puts his right hand behind Mindy's head giving her a pair of 'bunny ears'. The couple laughs at the move admiring the picture. Mindy is puzzled until he hands the phone back to Castle and she can see for herself. She blushes and gently pokes Rick in the side with her elbow.

"Ow!" Rick cries out in mock pain. The couple watching them laughs at Rick's animated actions. They smile, and wave goodbye as the two walk away. "I think you look pretty good with bunny ears, and very tall." Castle gives her his best innocent look.

Mindy shakes her head and smiles. "Let's head back to city. There's plenty more to see if you like."

"Lead on then Miss K- I mean Mindy."

They climbed back into the car and the driver wasted no time in getting them back to the city. They made very good time until they got to the outskirts of the city. While Castle was used to New York traffic, nothing can prepare you for rush hour traffic in a city the size of Beijing. It was even crazier than that in Sao Palo which says it all. Rick looked at his watch and noticed that is was nearly 4:00 pm and that he was really starting to feel the effects of the 12 hour time change. His stomach suddenly reminded him that it had been quite a while since he had eaten. He considered eating one of the scones that Mindy bought, but thought better of it. He glanced over at Mindy, who was busy reading her emails. Castled decided to take a look at his own mail, quickly glancing at the senders to see if anything looked important enough to bother reading. 'Did he actually expect anything from her?'

"Mindy, would it be ok if you took me back to the hotel? I'm starting to feel some jet lag." Castle inquired.

She looked up from her phone. "Sure, no problem. Are you hungry?"

"I could eat."

Mindy said something to the driver and he nodded his head in response. "Let's get you back to the hotel. You can eat there , or there are several places to eat that are a very short walk away."

"Will you be eating with me?" Castle inquired.

"I can if you like."

"I'm sorry." Castle replied. "I mean if you don't have any previous plans." He was trying to give her a way out if she wanted one.

"No, I really don't have any plans." Mindy returned her attention to her phone. The remainder of the ride was quiet. Castle just stared out the window taking all of the sights and sounds in. The sun was low on the horizon despite the early hour. As the car pulled up to the hotel, Castle exited and then extended his hand to assist Mindy. She took his hand and he pulled her out. Turning back to the driver she said something to him in Chinese. He grunted, she closed the door and he sped off into the approaching darkness.

They walked together into the lobby when Mindy asked. "Would you like to go back to your room first to freshen up first?" She looked at her phone to see what time it was. "It's 5:00 pm now. How about we meet back down here at 6:00 and we'll figure out where you want to eat."

"That sounds like a good idea. Maybe a quick shower will wake me up for a little while." Castle turned and started walking towards the elevator not noticing that Mindy was right behind him. He pressed the call button and waited for the elevator to return lost in his thoughts about a life that seems like it belonged to someone else now. The door opened and he walked in and he pressed the button for his floor.

"Could you press 22 please?" Mindy asked.

Castle, now startled from his thoughts, turned and saw Mindy standing behind him. He pressed the button she requested and turned to face her. A sheepish grin on his face. "I'm so sorry Mindy. I never realized that you were staying here too." His face now turning red.

Mindy sensing his embarrassment smiled and said "That's ok. I'll forgive you – this time." The elevator stopped at her floor and she exited. Castle got off at his floor and walked to his door while trying to pull his keycard from his jeans. He looked around the room and saw that the maid had been there. All of the clothes that had been strewn across the floor now neatly folded and sitting on top of the dresser. He walked to the bathroom, reached into the shower to turn it on, and proceeded to undress. The jet lag was really starting to kick in now and he debated if he should call off dinner and give in to the feeling. He had travelled enough to know that that was the worst thing to do if you were trying to adjust to the time change, so he hopped into the shower hoping for some invigoration, no matter how little.

Out of the quick shower, he toweled off haphazardly leaving several spots half dry as he returned to the bedroom and rummaged through his clothes for something to wear. Gathering up a pair of jeans and a sport shirt, he quickly dressed glancing at his watch seeing that it was 5:55. He finished dressing and grabbed one of his silk blazers from his garment bag. He wasn't sure where Mindy was planning on taking him and so he went with a middle of the road look.

As he exited the elevator, he looked into the lobby trying to see if he had gotten there before him. He hears a feminine voice behind him growing louder as she approached. "Mr. Castle, are you looking for someone?"

Slightly startled, Castle turns around to see where the voice is coming from. Mindy was smiling at the surprised look on his face. Standing there in well tailored dress slacks, cream colored blouse and blazer, she reminded him of Kate a little too much. With her 4 inch heels, she may actually be a little taller than him. She walked up to him and noticed the sudden sad expression on his face. Not knowing why, she inquired "Is there something wrong?"

"No, not really. Just seeing you dressed like that reminded me of someone." Castle tried to give her a smile.

Mindy sensing that something was amiss tried to make eye contact. "Is it my outfit? I can change if you like. I'll bet it's my shoes. I so rarely get a chance to wear heels as it makes me taller than most men. But I really like to wear them."

Castle looked up and tried to make eye contact. He notices that with her heels on she was looking him directly in the eye, all height difference gone. "No, actually you look quite … lovely Miss King. And please call me Castle or Rick."

Mindy smiled. "Ok Rick, but only if you call me Mindy. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes."

"Yes, who?"

"Yes Mindy." Castle sighed.

"Great. Now what are you in the mood for? Italian? French? Mexican? Chinese?"

"How about a cheeseburger?" Castle inquired.

"I was hoping that you'd say that. There's a Hard Rock Cafe not 500 meters from here. They have a pretty good cheeseburger."

Castle flashed a sincere smile this time. "That sounds like a plan. Lead on Mindy." as they walked out into the cool Beijing evening.