Renaissance of Love
by Castlefan6
A/N: By Request, PRE-Series Hookup, This is the continuation of Diminished Recall ; you must read that first, or this won't make sense. CAUTION: THIS IS NOT CASKETT . It continues on Rick's discussion with Alexis about the night he danced, fell in love, and lost contact with a girl in college; sometimes memories come back at the worst time. COMPLETELY AU, except for the conversation that prompted this and the use of some character's names. This picks up immediately after the conclusion of the original, with no time-lapse.
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I don't own Castle; I use the characters for amusement purposes only
This began as a request from CRed1988; I hope it's close to what you wanted.
Chapter 1
Previously (Courtesy of Dust Jackets Dot Com Suicide Squeeze Episode 2-15)
(CASTLE To Alexis)
"My first year of college, I, uh, went to a party, met this girl- Allison. In the space of six hours, we met, we talked, we danced, we fell in love. The next morning, she was gone. I spent a year trying to find her, but I never learned her last name. There's not a week that goes by that I don't think about her. Your Gram told me that she loved a lifetime the night she met him."
FAST FORWARD TO KYRA'S WEDDING AND THE END OF THE ORIGINAL FIC
He returned to the coffee shop to see Laurie waiting with the same smile he had left her wearing.
"Well, the good news is that we can get out of here. The bad news is that the wedding has been officially postponed for three days." Rick smiled. "Is there anywhere you would like to go? I would be pleased to escort you," he said as she blushed, not believing that after so many years of waiting in silence, the man was here beside her.
"Do you still love Cheeseburgers from Remy's?" she asked, as Rick laughed,
"I have them on speed dial. Would you like to get a burger and a shake?" he asked,
"Well, maybe a burger and diet coke. I still have to wear this dress in three days," he laughed at the face she made,
"It's a deal. Do you want to change into something more comfortable for tonight? Knowing me, I'll be the one to spill something on the dress; I think there's been enough surprises for one wedding." He said,
"Sure, would you like to come up? It won't take me but a few minutes, "she said as he took her hand,
"I'd love to," He smiled.
Ten minutes later, they were crawling into a cab headed to Remy's for a cheeseburger and some more conversation. They had a lot of catching up to do and all the time in the world to do it; past relationships had indeed faded, and he had a very diminished recall of ever being in the day-to-day with either of the two ladies. It was time, time for him to be happy.
THREE DAYS LATER
Rick and Laurie hadn't fallen into old habits of trying to let the other know without communication; this time, they both knew what the other wanted. If the last three days were any indication of how well they communicated, then that would never be an issue.
They had spent the entire time in the Hamptons, away from the city and the revised plans for the wedding, his involvement with the police, and, by default, Lanie, who had been one of his heart's biggest disappointments. They were planning on driving back into the city for the wedding, and the bonus was that Laurie would only be away from him for less than a half hour. The ceremony had been scaled back considerably based on the tragic events that had occurred.
FLASHBACK (Laurie's Backstory)
Laurie was almost a schoolgirl giddy at the thought of Finally having a chance with the man she had crushed on since college. There had always been some obstacles, small ones, like him being hopelessly in love with her best friend, then being in the military thousands of miles away, and the last one: he was married.
She had concluded that he had found his soul mate and decided to make the most of her life, living with just the memory of what could have been, knowing he was happy. She still remembered the ass-chewing she gave Kyra the day she found out what she and Sheila had done.
It had taken a payment plan to pay off just one month of her phone bill; calls to Paris were not cheap, but she got things off her chest and mind, even if it was too late to salvage a chance with Rick. The bill said she had been on the phone for one hour and 58 minutes; she didn't remember it going that long, but she remembered how angry she had been.
After a debate with herself, she finally decided to contact Rick. Only to find out that he and Jordan Bailes had been seen all over campus together, she decided to finish school and stay away from his happiness; God knows he deserved it after the Blaine treatment. She devoted herself to her studies and graduated with honors.
After graduation and learning that Rick was in the Marines and headed to the hot spot of the world, she once again devoted herself to her chosen profession. She decided to return to school for her Ph.D. in Psychology and become a licensed therapist. The Lord knows she had spent enough time in their offices, so why not be the listener rather than the talker? Perhaps she could help someone in a similar situation to her own.
She graduated from Yale and returned to New York to open her practice, which was just a short distance from the home she had inherited from her parents when they died within one month of each other just a few years earlier.
She often thought of Rick and wondered how he was doing. She followed his career from afar and had every book he had written. She was shocked when Kyra called her to meet Gregg, her fiancé. He was a nice man, one that Sheila approved of; it didn't hurt that he came from money, lots of money, she thought.
She was even more surprised when Kyra called and asked her to be her Maid of Honor at her wedding. They hadn't really stayed close, but she suspected that many of the old group had grown tired of Sheila and wanted no part of the control freak, especially at a wedding.
She reluctantly agreed, not holding out much hope that it would be much more than a lovely evening out or a diversion from her boring single life. Little did she know the fate that was about to engulf her, or as Rick said, the Universe had set the events to align with their reunion.
She was just as in love with him as she was the moment she laid eyes on him as she had been when she stood silently by her BFF so many years earlier in college. She noticed his eyes light up when he first saw her, but it wasn't until he invited her to coffee that she began to believe he may feel something for her as well. Now they were on their way to the Hamptons, where finally she could show him how she had felt for so many years.
She hadn't realized it, but she had dozed off during her pleasant memories and plans for her opportunity with Rick. His deep baritone voice brought her fully awake when he said,
"Have a nice nap, Laure?" He smiled as he added, "You must have been thinking about something special because the smile on your face could have illuminated the entire village of The Hamptons," He said as he reached over and took her hand gently,
She blushed, then admitted, "It was a great nap, Rick. Well, it didn't start so well, but it ended with us right here together, on our way to your beach house to really get to know one another."
He Looked over at her, with that look in those blue eyes as she was about to melt; he gently lifted her hand to his lips, kissed it, and lowered it back down, never letting go of his hold on her.
"Well, one reason I wanted to come to the Hamptons, away from everything, is that I owe you my story, all of it, and I know we will get interrupted if we stay in the Loft or even your hotel. I know you know about Jordan; actually, there's nothing to know other than she was a friend, that I thought."
"Rick, why don't you save your story until we get to the house, get comfortable, and talk, looking at each other? You forget my line of work, but I promise I won't go all Therapist on you. I want to know your heart, what you want, and where I possibly can fit in, OK?" She interrupted him with a smile,
"Of course, you're right, and I want you to know all of me before, well, before we can perhaps, well, listen to me, the wordsmith, struggling for the right words." He blushed
She laughed gently, "Remember Rick? I knew you before you were a famous writer, so I have a pretty good idea of what you're trying to say, but we both need to hear the words and come to an agreement. I know you have been hurt tremendously, and well, none of us go through life without getting our hearts broken at least once or twice." She picked his hand up, the one that stood holding hers, and gently kissed the back of it.
"You're right, as usual. "We should be there in about thirty minutes," he said as he pulled her closer to him and drove on, flashing her that big smile and a deep look into her eyes—the eyes that had turned her into a puddle even after all these years.
As she looked into his eyes, the radio began to play a song that was familiar to them both, but not while they were together on campus.
"Try And Love Again"
When you're out there on your own
Where your memories can find you
Like a circle goes around
You were lost until you found out
What it all comes down to
One by one, The lonely feelings come.
Day by day, they slowly fade away
Oh, the look was in her eyes.
You never know what might be found there.
She was dancing right in time.
And the moves she made so fine
Like the music that surrounds her
Should I stay or go?
I really want to know
Would I lose or win
If I try and love again?
Gonna try and love again
I'm gonna try and love again
Gonna try and love
Right or wrong, what's done is done.
It's only moments that you borrow.
But the thoughts will linger on
Of the lady and her song
When the sun comes up tomorrow
Well, it might take years to see
Through all these tears
Don't let go
When you find it, you will know.
Oh, gonna try and love again. Oh,
gonna try and love again Oh,
gonna try and love again
Sometimes lose, sometimes win,
Sometimes you need a friend.
Gonna try, gonna try
Gonna try, gonna try.
The last three verses sounded almost as if Randy Meisner was singing directly to them in the car. Should I stay, or should I go? Both were very aware that it was rare for a romance to work after being apart for as long as they had been. Right or wrong, what's done is done. It's only moments that you borrow. WOW, what a line! It fits this situation like a glove.
They drove on as the song repeated the verse, but it certainly gave both some things to think about. Were they ready to put the past, the entire ugly past, behind them and move on and Try to Love Again, or were the memories too strong and destined to doom any future relationship?
/
12th Precinct
Same Time Frame
Both Kate and Lanie had been very busy. The district attorney personally instructed them that this case had to be airtight, with no errors, not even a misspelled word. The perpetrator was a rich and powerful man who still had some connections. Part of that included a meticulous review of Gregg's finances with Gregg and a Forensic Accountant for the city of New York.
Since they had a prenuptial agreement, Kyra was allowed to be in the examination room as Gregg went through what seemed to be countless transactions that he had to admit he had not authorized or performed himself. The picture began to emerge that Uncle Teddy had a great deal to lose if Gregg had completed his upcoming nuptials with Kyra. The tally so far was just over seven million dollars, which had been withdrawn, and ten million more dollars had been transferred to an account in the Cayman Islands owned by Theodore Murphy, Esquire.
Over the last two days, Gregg's defense of his uncle had been slowly destroyed to the point that he was now actively assisting the accountant with tricks he knew his uncle had played on others he had managed accounts for.
They meticulously documented the facts that emerged from their interviews and the records that Teddy thought he was being so clever in forging, all of which Gregg verified were indeed forged. A handwriting expert confirmed Gregg's notes and bogus signature as that of one Theodore Murphy.
The stronger the case against "Uncle Teddy," the stronger the resentment, disappointment, and yes, even hatred grew for the lying sack who was responsible for looking out for Gregg, not stealing from him. Gregg was turning into one of the strongest witnesses for the prosecution, followed by Kyra, who had grown to hate the man before Gregg realized the betrayal of the worst kind, his trust.
Lanie and Kate had talked, but nothing was mentioned about her time with Rick, and Kate knew better than to probe into the ME's personal life. She had approached the subject of Rick only once when she asked, "Lanie, how well did you know Rick, and how did you know about his tattoo that scared Javi shitless?" she asked,
"Kate, you don't have a need to know that or anything about that period in my life. My personal life is just that, personal. I'm not the one who was shacked up with an FBI Agent for months before any of us knew you were living together. We asked you out several times and got the "Oh, I have this or that to do" when, in reality, you were bonking some Fed.
"I never asked you about your love life. Please do me a favor and stay out of my personal business. I told you about Rick so you wouldn't do something stupid, but you couldn't take the advice and had to push him.
"What the hell were you thinking, and what gave you the right to try and take a personal cell phone out of the hands of the civilian who the Commissioner and Mayor instilled on the case because they didn't have faith in you to solve it? He could have broken your arm if he had wanted to. You need to understand, you might have been the apple of Royce's eye, but sweetie, others have a completely different opinion of you." Lanie blasted her,
"You're right; I don't know. I guess I saw him getting the glory for police work that."
"That he initiated, you would still be looking for a suspect if Rick hadn't identified the tie tack that made the marks on Sophie's back. Don't be so full of yourself that you can't accept help, especially when it comes from your boss's bosses. You're a good cop, but here is a NEWSFLASH for you: YOU DON'T KNOW everything.
"I know Rick well enough to know that he wouldn't set foot into one of any cops, especially your cases, unless he was begged by two people he has been friends with for a long time, Roy, and the mayor. That's all I have to say about that, so next time, listen and don't ask any more questions." She let Kate know the discussion was closed; whatever happened between them, Lanie was still in love with him no matter what she said or how many denials she uttered
"Lanie, you said, especially not one of my cases, I don't know the man, other than reading his books since my late Mother got me hooked on them. Why would he say my cases? What makes me so different from other cops?" Kate asked, now she had to know
"You haven't figured that out yet? He thinks you got the job because of a good word from Royce, and Roy has looked the other way far too many times because of, well, God only knows why, but Rick called him on it.
"I overheard him letting Roy know that, and I quote, "he was to keep his female prima donna the hell away from him, or friends or not, he was leaving and not coming back." As I said, they go back a long way, and you don't know anything about Rick. Even the facts that you could have found on the internet with a quick search of public records.
"He doesn't hate you, Kate; he just doesn't respect you or your tactics, including trying to disarm him of his personal property. He thinks you are in over your head with a simple homicide.
"Girl, you better watch that skinny ass of yours since he wasn't shy in telling Roy or the Mayor about the clues you missed. He wasn't just dissing you; he was calling Roy out about WHY the hell he let you get so far out of control and what the hell you have over him to keep your job.
I think he said, "She's certainly not doing it on her skills, soft or hard; she's pleasant to look at, BUT not beautiful enough to have that much influence over you," Lanie said,
"He actually said that, Lanie? He actually said I'm not beautiful? That pompous ass, I don't care who he's friends with." Kate spat out between clenched teeth,
"Easy Beckett, you'll never see or hear from him again unless the Mayor, Commissioner, or Roy ask for his help and a word to the wise; if they do, adjust your attitude. Men with that much power don't have to flex it to show how important they are.
Lanie left the precinct, knowing that Beckett was finally beginning to see that she wasn't Wonder Cop in the eyes of the entire city, just to Roy. She had to think about what Rick had said, and when she cooled down, hopefully, she would take a learning lesson from the case. Then again, this was Beckett, so who knew what she would do?
TBC
A/N: I have received some very kind words from new readers that prompted me to revisit the original story, Diminished Recall, and read the work with fresh eyes. I left the ending open and had many requests for a sequel, and after reviewing, I agree there is room for a sequel. Just a note: this will NOT BE A CASKETT ENDING, and Updates will be weekly, not daily, as I usually do. I am limited in how many hours I can sit in front of the computer screen, so please bear with me. If you haven't read the original, this won't make much sense to you, so I highly suggest you read it before starting this one. As always, I welcome reviews as long as they are respectful to me and your fellow readers, and I will delete any guest reviews that don't meet those standards. Thx, I hope you enjoy - Tim