Private Life
by Castlefan6
Authors Note AU: Beckett and Castle have reached their first If Only moment, which forces Rick to leave the precinct. The episodes Cops and Robbers and To Live and Die in LA have been rearranged to suit this Timeline; please go with it.
I am taking a Literary License to fill in the blanks.
I don't own Castle; I only use the characters for amusement, except the ones I create.
This is COMPLETELY AU and May or May Not Wind Up with a Caskett Ending.
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Chapter 10
The Loft, New York
One Year Later
New York turned out to be just what both Rick and Maddie needed, especially since both had "retired" from the family business. Rick had completed the Nikki Heat Series and was now writing a new character based loosely on two female cops, which was totally different from the Nikki character.
Some say he got the idea from watching Roz Karpowski and Anne Hastings when working at the 12th precinct, but Rick neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, at least to the public. Maddie and he had talked before he pitched the idea to the ladies, then Black Pawn.
FLASHBACK LAST WEEK
"Hey Maddie, do you happen to remember the other two lady detectives who worked at the 12th when our date was interrupted?" he asked one as they lay on the couch together watching the third Heat Movie before its release to the public.
"If you mean Roz and Anne, yes, I remember them. Both were lovely, and well, if I'm being honest, I wondered why you hadn't tried to ask one or both of them out." She said softly and blushed,
"That question is easy: I loved a beautiful lady and wanted to see how far we could take our relationship. Anne and Roz are pretty but no match for my lady." He said as she turned her head to capture a kiss,
"Do you mean that, Rick? I mean, God, both have Ta Tas that drives most men crazy. Weren't you the least bit interested in either one?" She asked, hoping to hear a denial,
"Maddie, two attractive women, working day in and out with me, of course, I noticed them, But, as I said, I wasn't and still aren't interested in either. I loved a young lady who was with me through some tough times, she made it so easy to be faithful.
"She is beautiful and classy and always puts my needs ahead of hers or anyone else. She loves my family, which in itself is a challenge; any idea of who that might be, here's a clue," he laughed as he returned the kiss.
"Really, Rick, I mean, I know how I feel, but we never formalized our arrangement, and we still don't need to. I'm here until you kick me out, just so that is clear. Why the question about Roz and Anne? Are you thinking about your next book and characters?" she asked, smiling, silently hoping it was something along those lines.
"You know me so well," he laughed, and yes, I was thinking about teaming the two up, but not as NYPD, but as Federal Agents. Far enough away from the precinct so I can't get sued for breach of contract, "He said,
"Sued? By whom? I mean, Black Pawn should be counting their lucky stars that you are going to write another series; you've made them a ton of money over the years." She said,
"Well, I'm sure that this won't make you unhappy, but it won't be with Black Pawn. I have had enough of the brow-beating and cheap shots by my ex-wife and publisher, regardless of how good she is at her job. American Publishing is offering a three-book deal with an option for three additional at almost twice the money." He said as she turned and climbed on top of him, kissing him deeply.
"No, that won't make me unhappy at all, as long as you're doing it for you, and not because I'm a jealous bitch, I try to keep those feelings hidden, I mean"
"I know you do, and it's not right. I shouldn't put you through that, I know Gina has given you the business more times than you have told me. I wanted to talk to you, then approach the ladies, perhaps have them over for lunch with the both of us," he emphasized the word BOTH to ensure she knew that she was part of this decision.
"Oh, you sweet man, you never stop worrying about me or my feelings," tears pool in her eyes as he gently wipes them with his handkerchief, which always seems to appear out of nowhere.
"Well, I would say something smart, but all I can say now isn't that what a husband is supposed to do for his wife?" he said, holding a sparkling diamond ring that he must have been holding for the entire conversation. "I mean, I would get down on one knee and ask properly, but I like the position of your body much better where it is.
"So, Maddison Queller, will you make me the happiest man on earth and accept my proposal for marriage? I promise you that I will move heaven and earth to make you happy for the rest of my life."
She managed to get out "YES" before locking on his lips, showing him how much she had loved him since that first date, way back when. She laid on top of him, receiving his small butterfly kisses on her temple, as he slipped the ring on her finger. She pulled back only far enough to see the ring glisten in the sun coming in through the drapes.
"Maddie, if you don't like the ring, I can exchange it. I mean, it was a long time ago when you said you liked that style, "Rick said softly,
"You will do no such thing, Richard Castle. I love it, everything about it, it could be a cigar band, I wouldn't care. I know exactly when I told you I loved this style of ring. We were walking down Hollywood Boulevard, going to lunch after a testy meeting with Jackson, and got caught in a sudden rainstorm.
"I remember you saying "Now I know the world is coming to an end, Jackson is giving in to me, and it's raining in California. We ducked into a store opening, not knowing it was the downtown location of Harry Winston Jewelry, and I remember you asking if I saw anything I liked.
"I picked this ring out, except the stone was much smaller in the window, Rick, you're spoiling me; I love it; you couldn't have made a better choice. How do you remember everything I say, even in passing." She asked,
"You're important to me. In fact, you're the most important person in my life, so I thought, why the hell am I waiting? Alexis was right; I could lose the most important person in my world." He said, tears in his eyes, as she kissed him sweetly,
"Not going to happen, Rick. Nothing will take me away from you; I'm in this relationship for the rest of my life. I hope you know how much I love you. I mean, there are others who do."
"STOP," he said, as he kissed, "There are no others; there hasn't been since we dined together for the first time at your restaurant.
"Rick, please don't get angry, but I am busting to tell someone, and well, Beckett is the only real friend I have ever had. I would love to have lunch with her and tell her face to face. I know she will be upset." She said,
"Of course, Maddie, but why would Beckett be upset?" He asked, completely clueless,
"Rick, for a man who can solve murder mysteries that the best-trained police force can't, you are clueless about women. Beckett loves you, and he has since you first came to the precinct. That's why she broke up our dinner and why I said what I did when she was questioning me." Rick began to laugh,
"Sweetheart, I remember you saying she wanted to make little Castle babies, but I thought you were just yanking her chain." Rick looked somber now. "I mean, how do you know she has feelings for me? I mean, you can't or don't treat people you care about like she did the last two cases I worked on with the NYPD." He said,
"She was trying to make you jealous; it didn't work with Sorenson. She told me about that, but then Demming, well, she really pushed the envelope. I never remember her acting that cruel toward anyone before, so that's how I know she loves you. No matter what she did, she couldn't get you to ask her out, and Becks doesn't take rejection very well." She said,
"Why would she think I would ask her out? I mean, you and I were dating, and, well, we hadn't set any boundaries, but I didn't want to see anyone else and hoped you felt the same way." Rick said,
"Remember, Sweetie, we were keeping our relationship quiet as we worked out what exactly both of us wanted. To Beckett, you were available and not interested, which pissed her off. I know it would have pissed me off if I threw my best lines at you and you weren't a bit interested" She smiled an evil smile and kissed him once again.
Rick ran his hand through his hair, a sign that he was frustrated or confused, "Maddie, I never came on to her. I swear, well, check that I did the first case, which was when she thought I was a playboy, but once she told me she didn't want to be one of my conquests, I dropped it. I mean, are you sure, Sweetie?"
"I'm sure Rick, I know Kate Beckett better than anyone on this planet. She's been in love with you since, well, when her Mom died, she assumed her love for your work. Her dad used to joke with her Mom that you were the only man on the planet he knew could steal his wife away from him," She said,
"You know the Beckett family very well, don't you, Maddie?" he asked, becoming serious as he held her close,
"Probably better than my own family; I mean, during our teen years, I was always over there, and her parents were so sweet. When her Mom was killed, I flew home for the funeral, and well, she needed a friend, and I'm glad I did. Suddenly, the Brent Edwards and high school feuds didn't seem to matter so much anymore.
"I had no idea how she would react, but Mr. Beckett, well, he was glad to see me. I knew he took it hard but never knew that he had sunk as low as he had until Becks, and I were reacquainted during our case. She opened up to me and how hard the struggle had been for her, that's why I want to see her to tell her in person," She said softly,
"Sure, sweetheart, whatever you want. You tell me when you want to publish the announcement in the paper, I mean if you do," he said shyly,
"You're damn straight. We're publishing the fact that Mr. Richard Castle is OFF of the Eligible Bachelor List of New York, PERMANENTLY," She said as they rose to a sitting position, still stealing kisses from one another.
He smiled and held her left hand. The ring made her glow with happiness, and he was sure he had found his final one and was done. She was in her glory, laying her head gently on his shoulder as she kissed him gently on the neck.
"Hey, if you keep that up, well, you know what will happen," he warned her as his eyebrows waggled,
"Show me, my fiancé," she said in her sultry tone. "I want to make love to the man I'm going to marry now." She took his hand and led him to the bedroom.
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Remy's Sandwich Shop
Two Days Later
Kate had left the precinct precisely at the start of her lunch hour. Gone were the extra benefits granted by Roy; now, she was and acted like every other cop in his command. She had become accustomed to this and knew that even though the preferential treatment was gone, the resentment from her co-workers was not.
She and Maddison had been in consistent contact since she had left California, primarily by text but the occasional calls, usually her or Maddie's birthday. One subject they never breached was Rick; he was totally off-limits. She was a little surprised that Maddie had invited her to lunch at Remy's today, but hey, she seldom got out, so it would be good to see her.
She entered the restaurant and saw that Maddie had already got a booth in the back—thank God! It wasn't the booth that she and Rick had used the first several cases, and even though there was nothing between them, it just didn't feel right.
Maddie waved and stood, "Hey, Girl, how have you been? I know, I know, we should have done this when I first got back to New York, but things have been pretty hectic," she said,
"Hi, Maddie. Thanks for the invitation. I try not to bother you, especially now that you and Rick are together. So, what's the occasion for lunch today?" Things are still OK between you guys, aren't they?" she asked, straight to the facts, like Beckett.
"Do I need a reason to ask my best friend to lunch Becks? Things didn't go the way either of us wanted in California, but I'm glad we were able to work through that and stay in touch." She said,
"I know, Maddie, that's on me and my crusader complex, at least that's what my shrink calls it. Only I can fix something, like the old Crusaders spreading Christianity by killing people. She laughed, "I guess if they couldn't convert you, they destroyed you."
"You and your schoolbooks, Becks, you know what I majored in, and I'm just glad I didn't have to post it on my resume," she laughed,
Kate laughed at that, "Well, you're not the one spending weekends taking long rides on your boy toy, which happens to be a Harley Soft Tail. You have Rick, and, from the pictures in the paper, you are really busy. You guys are involved with a lot of things, and seriously, you make a great couple; you look happy, truly happy, Maddie." She said seriously,
"I am happy, Becks, happier than I've ever been. I thought moving into the loft would present a challenge, but God Bless Alexis and Martha, they have been super. Alexis yelled at Rick to treat me better or he would pay, whatever that meant, I really didn't want to know." She said,
They were interrupted by their server, and after quickly ordering the Cheeseburger platter and shakes, they returned to their conversation. "OK, Maddie, if things are good between you and Rick, why did you sound like this was important to meet as quickly as possible," Kate asked,
"Well, you still know me, Becks, after all these years, but you're right. I wanted to talk to you face; this is new," she said as she turned her ring finger on her left hand to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring Kate had ever seen.
"Oh my gosh, you're engaged, Maddie? To Castle, I mean Rick?" she said, the shock all over her face and in her trembling voice.
"As I said, it's new, two days ago, but I wanted to see you and talk to you face to face before we publish the news in the paper and TV," Maddie said; she could tell Kate was rattled,
"Kate, I'm not trying to hurt you, I mean, I thought it would be better if I came to you face to face to talk about it. Before you say anything, we both know you love Rick and have for years. Look, I get it, and I understand.
"Like I said when you were in California, this isn't Brent Edwards; this is my husband-to-be, and well, I want you to stay in my life, but if that's going to be too difficult, I'll understand." She said as she gently took her hand.
"Maddie, how did you know I love Rick? I mean, I hid it so well from everyone at the precinct. They are convinced I think he is a pompous ass, but how do you know?" Kate asked,
"Kate, how did you know that I thought I loved Doug Rollins? I mean, we were in 5th or 6th grade, and you busted me trying to stuff the T-shirt with the bra cups. How did you know?" she asked, waited for a few minutes, then said softly, "A woman ALWAYS knows who is in love with the man they want, you're no different." she said,
"So, what are we going to do about this, Maddie? I promised you I wouldn't interfere, and I've kept my promise, even as hard as it was," Kate said, tears in her voice,
"I know, Becks, I know, but you deserve to be loved as much as you love. I just wanted to tell you that this is it for me. I'm not going anywhere. Maybe you could look elsewhere; I mean, I know it's hard, but you're still my friend, hell, my only friend." Maddie said,
"You're not upset that I finally admitted that I love Castle, eh, Rick?" She looked at her with a shocked look on her face,
"No, because I've known it for a long time. I told Rick about it when he proposed that I needed this meeting with you, and he wanted to know why." Maddie said,
"Oh, God, how much worse can this get, Rick knows? Wait, What? Maddie, you told him. I bet he argued that I hated him; I sure treated him like I did." Kate said, tears in her eyes,
"I told him that, and he reacted like you did, but I know you, Becks. The only way you could be as cruel as you were to Rick was if you were hurting. In some ways, perhaps you were reliving the same hurt you felt when you lost your Mom and then Royce. I mean, I'm not a shrink, but."
"Maddie, you're right. It was almost like that night once again. I'm so sorry. I should never have acted that way. Hell, I'm a grown woman, a cop, for God's sake." Kate fought through her tears,
"Kate, we don't choose who we fall in love with. I mean, I understand. I want you to know that I'll still be your friend. Of course, you know certain topics will be totally off-limits. We'll be announcing it in the next few days, so I wanted to let you know. I'm sorry you're hurting; I really am, but I love him, Kate, and he loves me. I'm sure of that." She said,
They called for two to-go boxes for their meals, never touched and almost forgotten, and Maddie paid the check; they existed and parted with a quick hug. I'll call you in a few days, Kate; tell me when to shut up, but I'm living my dream; I wish you didn't hurt because of it." She said,
"Well, if I couldn't have him, Maddie, I'm glad you landed him. He does love you more than you know, just the way he looks at you. I'll be OK in time, but till then, Thanks for being my friend," she hugged her and quickly turned to make her way to her apartment, colder and lonelier than it had ever been.
TBC
A/N: This concludes the story, which started with To Live and Die in LA; next up, we will incorporate the storyline, abbreviated and modified, of course, for Cops and Robbers. Thanks for the reads and review; I appreciate them all. Again, Please continue to remember Tom and S in your prayers and positive thoughts. Thx, till next time – Tim