Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe
It had been a little over thirty-six hours since Rick had met Detective Kate Beckett. It had also been for a little over thirty-six hours that he had subsequently been in a bad mood.
Home by himself, he was playing his Xbox in his Batman underwear, immersed in his own self pity. This was stupid. Paula was stupid. Heck, everything was stupid.
Hearing a key being placed in the front door, he considered putting some clothes on, but figured whoever it was who was could simply deal with it. Yes, Richard Castle was sulking and no one was going to ruin it.
"Hey Dad," Alexis called, entering the loft and placing her bags near the stairs.
Sitting up a little straighter, Rick turned his head in attempt to spot his daughter. "Hi, Sweetie. Did you have a good time with Lauren and her family?"
Alexis walked towards him, slightly confused by his state of undress. "Yeah, it was great. Uh, writers block again?"
"No," Rick huffed, returning to his horizontal position and Xbox game.
"Well, what's wrong then?" she questioned, titling her head to the side.
"What's wrong?" he laughed sarcastically. "Detective Kate Beckett, that's what's wrong," he informed her, all seriousness returning to his voice.
"Detective Who? And what happened to your wrist?" she worriedly asked, eyeing his bandaged limb.
"I sprained it."
Glaring at him disapprovingly, "Dad, if you injured your wrist, are you sure playing video games is such a good idea?"
"I'm fine." That was a lie.
"You're clearly not fine," she stated, gesturing to the sight before her. "Please, don't tell me you got in trouble again."
"No. Well, not exactly. I just can't believe Paula would do this to me. I mean, I employ her. I should be the one bossing people around!" he frowned.
"What does Paula have to do with any of this?"
Realising the need to provide an explanation, Rick sucked in a breath. "I guess you could say I had a slight, misunderstanding, with the NYPD the other day." Noticing his daughter's alarmed face, he held up his hands. "Nothing illegal, I promise, but in order to make everyone 'happy', Paula organised a ridiculous arrangement," he scoffed, pausing briefly to cross his arms. "She's making Detective Beckett pretend to be my girlfriend until the book launch party. Apparently to increase the chance of publicity for Storm Clearing," he sneered, tossing his control to the side.
"Right, publicity," Alexis responded, unbelieving of his explanation. Seriously, since when did he turn down a date?
"Oh, trust me. It is purely for publicity purposes."
"So you genuinely don't want to date her?" she queried, placing her hands on her hips.
"Yes," strongly nodding his head, "However, I prefer not to use the term date. I like to look at it more as being forced to spend time with an unlikable acquaintance against my will," he finished with a grumble.
Taking time to absorb all the information, Alexis shrugged. "Well, I don't know what you're complaining about. I mean, you're always going on about the women Paula normally sets you up with, and now she gives you someone different, and you're still not pleased."
"You're damn right I'm not pleased," he glared. "You could make me a chocolate and marshmallow smorlette right now and I would still be unhappy." Okay, it might have made him feel a little bit better, but he would still be extremely miserable.
"Is she pretty?" Alexis questioned, going for a different approach.
"Ye-wait, that's not the point," he recovered, sensing his daughter's tactics. "Kate Beckett is by far the most controlling, unpleasant, hardnosed woman I have ever met in my life. And now thanks to Paula, I have to suffer through the next six weeks pretending to like her."
"Oh, come on, Dad. She can't possibly be that terrible."
"No, you're right. She's worse."
Displeased with his bad mood, Alexis attempted to sway his judgement. "Maybe you shouldn't get too ahead of yourself." Seeming to consider her next words, she paused before continuing. "Do you remember that time when you insisted on bringing home that bird you found with the injured wing?"
"Oh, are you talking about Sir Flaps-So-Not?" Rick replied, searching through his memory.
"Yeah."
"He was a good bird," he thoughtfully reflected, Kate Beckett momentarily forgotten.
"You got so over eager about nursing him back to health, you went and bought him all that stuff."
"Hey, that was very nice of me!"
"Yeah, but when he died two days later, we were stuck with a box full of bird toys and ten pounds of bird seed."
He had to admit, that was a lot of bird seed. "Well, my actions seemed perfectly rational at the time."
"That's exactly my point. Maybe you should try not to rush into a decision, or in this case an opinion. Just take this whole thing one day at a time, like you should have done with Sir Flaps-So-Not. You never know what could happen, especially if you're going to be spending all this time together," Alexis hinted with a grin.
"Yeah right," he scoffed. "Trust me when I say that there is absolutely no chance that this will turn out to be anything more than a business deal."
"Well, when are you seeing her next?" she curiously asked.
"At two o'clock."
"Today?" she gasped. "Dad, that's in half an hour! What are you still doing lazing around in your underwear?"
Looking down at his bare chest, Rick was unfazed. "I'm not going."
"Dad! You can't stand her up! Not if she's expecting you!" Alexis argued, stepping closer towards her father.
"I don't care. I'm not going out of my way to spend time with a woman I don't even like. You know I was handcuffed to her desk and she left to go chase a lead. She just left me! What kind of normal person does that?" Noticing her questioning look, Rick continued, "Okay, so I handcuffed myself, but it was a complete accident. Walking off on me like that was purely cruel. I was lucky the Captain took pity on me and unlocked me. I could have starved!"
Stepping in front of the TV screen, Alexis took control. "Dad, get up and go get dressed. If you survived being married to both Mom and Gina, I'm sure you can survive six weeks with this Detective."
Okay, she had a point.
"Seriously, it doesn't sound like you have much of a choice," she continued. "If she really is as terrible as you keep describing, then the best you can do is go on these dates and get them over and done with. Hopefully, it will all be finished before you know it."
Realising he had little option, Rick regrettably agreed. "Fine, I will do it. But fair warning, if I start to turn into a cold-hearted ice maiden, don't complain to me," he huffed, slowly getting up.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure of it," Alexis noted, as Rick disappeared into his bedroom.
Sitting at her desk with her nose in the latest case file, Beckett was trying to keep busy. Looking up briefly, she caught sight of Esposito, striding towards her with a smirk on his face. Great. She refused to inform anyone about Richard Castle and all the events that took place, but clearly, their Captain had been talking.
Rolling her eyes for what she knew was coming, she returned to her reading.
"So..." Esposito began, as he stepped closer towards her. "I just had a real interesting chat with Montgomery."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she hastily replied, aiming to display disinterest.
"Well, he so kindly filled Ryan and me in on your little arrangement with a certain celebrity author," he continued, amused by her reaction.
"Did he now?" she answered dryly.
Esposito grinned, "Mmm-hmm, and we hear that you're going to be getting nice up-close and personal with him in the next few weeks."
That would be right. Captain Montgomery was probably having a field day with this. He had been pushing her to take some time off work for years, and now he finally got what he wanted.
Shaking her head, Beckett attempted to keep her steel gaze on the words in front of her.
Noticing her discomfort, Esposito continued, "Hey, relax. Look, Montgomery only told us because we are going to be covering a few of your shifts for you. No one else knows, so you've got nothing to worry about."
"Are you kidding me?" she snapped, placing the folder on her desk. "After today everyone in New York City is going to know!"
"What? You're seeing him today?"
"Supposedly," she murmured. "He's meant to pick me up soon, but hopefully he won't even show."
"Ah, well I guess it's not your lucky day then," Ryan informed cautiously, heading towards his fellow detectives.
"What do you mean?" Beckett winced, afraid of his answer.
"Jefferson just returned from downstairs and according to him, your boy is already here."
"He's not my boy," she clarified, rubbing her eyes with her palms.
"Where is he then?" Esposito queried to Ryan.
"Ah, apparently he's on his way up, but he's just getting a few pictures taken first," Ryan informed, letting his gaze drift to Beckett.
"Why does that not surprise me?" she huffed under her breath.
Hearing the elevator ring, she looked over to see a smug looking Richard Castle walking in her direction.
"I'm Detective Esposito, and this is Detective Ryan," Esposito acknowledged, heading towards the author. "And since you are now friends with Beckett, you're friends with us. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Watching the charade play out in front of her, Beckett could do nothing but scoff at the amusement her colleagues saw in the situation.
"Hey, I'm Rick. I must say, it's actually quite refreshing meeting such friendly and respectful police officers," he said, using his left hand to handshake the two men. Giving a dry laugh he continued, "I mean, after meeting Kate over there in all her glory, I was starting to believe all detectives were cranky and uncompassionate. It's good to be proven wrong for once."
That cocky, smug, son of a-
"Nah, Beckett's not bad," Esposito defended.
"Yeah, she's just...committed to her job," Ryan finished.
"Sorry I'm a bit late," Rick began, finally making eye contact with her. "There was a rabid mob of adorning fans who wanted some personal time with their hero. I couldn't really say no," he joked, waving his hand in the air.
Adorning fans? Could his ego get any bigger?
"Sure," she responded, refusing to give him any more attention than he deserved.
"My, aren't we a pocket full of sunshine today?" sarcasm seeping through his tone.
Hearing Ryan and Esposito chuckle between themselves, Beckett looked up and gave them a disapproving glare.
"Anyway, I'm here now," Rick continued, "And my daughter is of the opinion that the sooner we do this, the sooner it will be over. So, are you ready to go?"
"Well, I guess we can only hope. Where are we going, Castle?"
"Castle?" he questioned.
"It's a cop thing, bro. Better get used to it," Esposito intercepted.
"Huh," he sighed, seeming to contemplate his new nickname. "Well, Paula has called in an 'anonymous tip,' informing the press that my new love interest and I are going for a romantic stroll through Central Park."
"Cute," Ryan smiled.
Why were they still standing there?
"Romantic stroll. Through Central Park," she repeated. "You've got to be kidding me?"
"Her words, not mine. Don't worry, I feel the exact same way as you do. Paula is of the assumption that for the best effect, we make this look as real and personal as possible. That means going for walks, heading to cafes, dropping by to each other's places, you know, basic couple stuff, rather than the more flamboyant scenes. We would literally be dangling the relationship carrot out in front of the press so to speak, allowing the attention to draw out all the way to my book launch. Then, about a week or so before the big event, we will go out for dinner to an exclusive restaurant, giving the press exactly what they want and we will be the headline of page six right in time for my party. I hate to admit it, but it's kind of a genius plan."
Okay, she wasn't expecting that. She was certain she was going to be dragged all over town to five star restaurants and attend flashy galas. At least that way they would be surrounded by the company of others. She definitely didn't consider actually having to be alone with him.
"I hate you," she stated.
"Good, cause I hate you too. I mean, you don't even want to know what I have been doing this past day and a half in attempt to get over my misery," he jokingly chuckled with a sigh.
Attempting to come up with some sort of logical excuse, Kate scoured her brain. "This is ridiculous. She's your publicist. Can't you do something?"
"Believe me. If there was any way of getting out of this I would have done it already. When Paula gets an idea in her mind she's like a steam train, and there is no way of stopping her. So, can we go now? I have things to do," he informed, snapping his fingers.
Looking over at Ryan and Esposito, they offered little help.
"Do you want us to go get Montgomery? I'm sure he would have plenty to say," Ryan teasingly questioned.
Looking at the three men awaiting her response, Beckett let out a sigh, before standing from her chair. "Let me grab my coat," she huffed.
He tried to be optimistic, he really did, but she was purely one of a kind. They had been walking for a total of twenty minutes and so far they hadn't spoken a word to each other.
Looking over at her face, he attempted to decipher her hard exterior. Find a hint of a smile, a speckle of happiness, a smidgen of-
"What are you doing, Castle?" Kate questioned, apparently noticing his stare through her peripheral vision.
Narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips, he paused in thought before responding. "I'm trying to imagine you with a personality. I must admit though, I'm really struggling." It was impossible.
Coming to a halt, she drew her eyebrows together in a stern frown. "Are you always like this?"
"Like what?" he responded, stopping next to her. "Ruggedly handsome, enchanting, irresistible-?"
"Like a completely shallow, pretentious, jackass!" she snapped, angrily walking off.
Okay, not where he thought that was going. "You know, that insult was completely unnecessary," he reflected, rejoining her in stride.
"No, it was very necessary actually."
Whilst researching for his books, he had come across many types in his time. Never, had he met someone quite like her. It seriously wouldn't surprise him if she ate small children for breakfast.
"Man, you are such a grouch. Why are you so angry all of the time?" he queried.
"I'm not angry. I'm just...frustrated," she grumbled.
"Sexually?"
"No!"
"It's okay. I mean, it's no surprise. You don't exactly scream people person," he sarcastically continued.
Whipping her head around in his direction, she gave him a scalding look. "I'm not sexually frustrated, Castle!" she yelled, grabbing the attention of the people passing by and feeling the heat rise to her cheeks.
"Jeez, do you think you could shout that any louder?" he whispered under his breath, catching sight of all the couples now staring at them. "You can't go yelling that stuff around. People may get the wrong idea about..." He paused, before averting his eyes downwards, "You know, Big Rick. You're my fake girlfriend, so you're going to have to behave accordingly."
Attempting to hide her embarrassment, she shot him a look of disgust and continued walking.
"Look, if we are being forced to act out this whole fake relationship thing, the least we can do is to do it properly," he stated, hurriedly trying to keep up with her pace.
She turned towards him, and noticing her questioning glance, he caught on to her apparent interpretation. "Oh, gosh no, I don't mean PDA or anything. I simply mean looking like we at least tolerate each other, you know, have a conversation. Imagine if we went through with all of this and it was all a waste because the only stories they," glancing towards the men in the distance with cameras, "could publish, were about our obvious dislike for each other."
Not wanting to suffer through this charade for nothing, Kate answered. "Fine, you want to talk, go ahead."
Talk. Okay, they could do this. It was a basic form of human communication. It couldn't be that hard, right?
Coming up with the best he could, he finally spoke. "So, you're a cop, huh?"
"Whoa, nice work, Einstein. What gave me away? Was it that I solved murders for a living or that my badge has 'NYPD' written on it?" she mocked, stuffing her hands in her coat pockets.
Okay, so maybe it was going to be harder than he thought. "No need to be snarky. I was only asking a question."
"Well it was a stupid question."
She was probably just still angry about her embarrassment earlier.
"Have you ever shot anybody?"
"Yes."
"That is so cool!" he admitted, before noticing her disapproving look, "In a really sad, unfortunate way of course."
Okay, come on Rick, next question.
"Have you ever been out of the city?"
"Yes."
"Have you ever been to a concert?"
"Yes."
"Have you ever smiled?"
"Ye- Castle," she warned.
He really couldn't help himself. "I don't believe you."
"I don't care," she responded, refusing to look at him.
"Well, I do. Prove it," he dared.
"I am not going to smile just because you want me to."
Challenge accepted. "Oh yes you are. Knock-knock," he began.
"Castle," she cautioned.
"I believe the more appropriate response is, 'Who's there?'"
"I'm not playing."
"Come on, it's easy. Let's try again. Knock-knock."
"Seriously!" she shouted, stopping in her tracks. "Do they ever shut up on your planet?"
Pausing to compose herself, Kate looked at her watch. "Look, it's getting late. I'm sure we've been walking long enough for the press to get what they want," she sighed, rubbing her palm over her forehead. "I'm going home."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Look, Paula reckons that for our next meeting, you should come to my house."
Raising her eyebrows in horror, Kate prepared to protest.
"Don't look at me like that!" Rick quickly argued. "I'm not happy about it either, but the best part is that you only have to be seen entering and leaving my apartment building. Once inside, we don't even have to be in the same room as each other."
Digesting his words, Kate shook her head. "Fine," she responded sarcastically, walking off on him.
"So, I guess I will just text you my address then!" he yelled, watching her disappear in the New York crowd.
Great, one date down and there was probably a gazillion to go. He was going to kill Paula.
I was seriously blown away with the response I got for the first chapter so a big Thank you to everyone for your feedback! Your advice and words of encouragement were simply amazing! Once again, thanks for reading, and I can only hope that you continue to enjoy the story.
BareWriter