355The ringing of her phone startles Kate from the final page of her book chapter, just seconds before the amateur detective finds a piece of evidence that's sure to break the case wide open.
She's read enough of these books to know where the story is going, but somehow that doesn't lessen her enjoyment. In her years working homicide, she'd mostly limited herself to reading Castle's books when it came to crime novels, but since taking the job in Evergreen — where there hasn't been a murder in nearly 18 years — Kate's more comfortable diving into a fictional one to see what happens.
Marking her place in the book, she sets it aside and pauses long enough to take a sip from her glass of red wine. Savoring the burst of flavor across her tongue, she slides her hand across the screen to accept the call that's arrived without fail every night for nearly three months.
And at this point, it's hard to pretend she isn't smiling when she says "Castle, you have the worst timing."
There's the slightest inhale over the line, time in which Kate imagines his eyebrows are drawn together as he tries to figure out what she's doing. "I can call you back," he offers quietly, so ready to do whatever she needs that she wishes he weren't several hundred miles away and she could hug him.
"Rick, no," she says quickly. "I'm just on the last page of this book chapter. It was just getting interesting."
His responding chuckle makes Kate grin. "All of my books are interesting," he replies with no small manner of pride, and she can't help but roll her eyes.
"That may be true," she concedes, making herself a bit more comfortable on the couch for one of their long phone conversations. "But this isn't one of yours."
Kate can't tell if the gasp he gives in response is merely to tease her or because he's actually shocked she would read someone else's book, but the sound is closely followed by Rick muttering how she's hurt him with her disregard for his work. It's so overly dramatic that she's sure he's fine. But that doesn't mean she won't twist the knife a little.
"It's your poker buddy. James Patterson. One of the best he's ever written…." she drawls, biting her lower lip when Rick outright groans on the other end. And this time she knows he isn't putting on airs. While he and James are friends, there's a competition between them that's never truly dead - even if Rick is no longer actively writing novels.
"Best he's ever written…." Rick mutters while she tries not to laugh. "I read that book synopsis, and I bet he's just repeating the same plot twist he tried in 2014 when Alex…"
It takes Kate three calls of his name before he snaps out of his reverie, but once he trails off she tucks her tongue against her cheek. "I'm just messing with you. It's not James' book. This is some new author. One of those mystery thrillers where the lonely woman sees something she shouldn't and goes rogue. It's interesting, but only because the characters are good. I already know who the killer is and I'm only halfway through."
She waits for a beat to see if he'll say anything, but when he stays quiet Kate adds. "And that never happened with your books." There's an endearment that curls on her tongue that she wants to end the sentence with, but she holds it in. It might be approaching three months since their talk over Christmas and a mutual agreement to back up and take things slow, but between their nightly phone calls and frequent text messages over both mundane and meaningful topics, she's found it harder than expected to not let their history and her feelings for Rick from wiggling back under her skin.
On the other end of the call, she hears his low rumble thanking her for the compliment and she takes that as an opportunity to change the subject. He's still in the midst of negotiating a graceful exit from Black Pawn and hasn't been shy about his worries that his writing career is indeed behind him.
She's been careful not to step over that line and tip the scales further.
"So how was class? Wasn't today the deadline for their unique crime scene and murder weapon scenarios?"
Opening the door to his loft, Rick watches his phone connect to his home wifi and he quickly presses the button to shift from an audio call to FaceTime. A few seconds later, Kate's staring back at him with a small smile playing at her lips and he feels his own curve in response. "Class was great," he begins, dimly noticing that the lights are off in the living room which means Alexis isn't back from her orientation session. "They turned in those assignments and I'm going to read them in my downtime while I'm visiting you."
Putting his keys in the bowl by the door, Rick awkwardly shrugs off his coat given that one hand is occupied with holding his phone. Rather than fight to hang it up in the closet near the door, he drapes it over his arm to carry to his room. "We talked about the art of a good red herring. Boo Radley set up to be the bad guy in To Kill a Mockingbird, the hopelessness the characters in The Mist feel before they make their suicide pact, Severus Snape being accused in literally every Harry Potter book until the big reveal…."
Smiling at the phone screen, he turns right to walk through his office and into his bedroom. "Agatha Christie was one of the masters of building a red herring, really luring you in until you can't imagine anyone else ever committing the crime. And then she pulls the rug out with such finesse. Murder on the Orient Express is so full of them that I may devote an entire lecture to how she builds them up and breaks them down, but then you discover that all of the…."
He's grinning like a little boy, the expression on his face so animated and passionate that Kate feels something within her smooth out. She'd never really doubted that Rick wouldn't be suited to teaching college kids about mystery literature and how to build a compelling story. But when a friend in the publishing industry had given his name to NYU for a possible guest lecturer he'd been full of worry that they would find him boring, or old, or stupid and his class would be a bust.
The opposite happened. Rick was a natural, and if the feedback from the other professors was any indication, a favorite among many of the creative writing students.
And now, all these weeks later, she can see that he's found his stride. He's brimming with confidence and Kate finds herself again wishing he was close enough that she could reach out and touch him. "I've read it," she says gently, only to stop him before he gets to full speed and delivers the lecture that's better meant for his class. "But it's masterful, you aren't wrong there."
"Sorry, I just…." he chuckles, running one hand through his hair. "I get excited about it."
"And that's wonderful," Kate replies with a grin. "It makes me happy to see you're so comfortable with this now. I knew you'd be great at it. Have you given any thought to the idea of teaching another course over the summer?"
Taking a seat on his bed, he sighs and gives a slight shake of his head. "Some. They said I didn't have to decide until the end of the month, so I thought I'd wait until…" Rick pauses suddenly, pressing his lips together like he's unsure if he wants to keep talking.
"Until what?" Kate asks softly. It's possible the reason is something he's not ready to tell her, and she has to shove aside that rush of worry that follows the realization. There are some things that they both have to come forward with in their own time, and pushing Rick to reveal it won't accomplish anything.
"I," he starts, only to pause a moment later and blow out a long breath. "I want to wait and decide after we've had some more time together. I know we initially planned to see each other more often than we have since this job came up, and if I'm also guest lecturing in the summer then…"
"It'll cut into the time when you can come to Evergreen."
"Or vice versa," Rick nods. "But I know it's easier for me to get to you than for you to drop your job and everything to come to New York. So I don't mind. I just don't want to jump into a teaching gig and then regret it because you and I are….." he shrugs, as unable as Kate is to finish that sentence. They've made great strides, and she knows she misses him, but neither of them really knows what comes next.
Though they're about to find out. Rick's coming to Evergreen for NYU's spring break and they've got a date. Not a pseudo one derailed by a sick six-year-old cuddling with them on the couch while they eat pizza and watch Marvel movies like on New Year's Eve.
"On top of that, Alexis will be 16 this year. She's only got a couple more summers before she's off to college and will want nothing to do with me, and I hate to give those up. We've been talking about finding a place near a beach to spend a few weeks, and spending some time in Evergreen."
"I hate she isn't coming with you this time. Eli and I both wanted to see her," Kate replies, propping her phone on the arm of her couch. It's not the most flattering angle, but she can't imagine Rick cares. He's definitely seen her look worse.
Getting back to his feet, he carries the phone into his closet to retrieve one of his suitcases. "Well, I wasn't about to deny her the chance for this trip. She's had her heart set on becoming fluent in French since she started high school, and it's been such a hard time for Alexis with the move and finding friends. Two weeks for an intensive course seemed a small price to pay - even if it means I'll be home alone to start my birthday week."
"Right, the birthday week," Kate laughs, a dozen different memories of Rick's extensive celebrations - both for himself and her - popping into her head. She'd mostly forgotten that he insisted on starting seven days before a birthday and doing something every day until it arrived. Even if it'd been as simple as leaving chocolate and a note in Kate's coat pocket, not a day would pass the week before Thanksgiving when he hadn't done some sweet gesture for her. "Have any big plans?"
She's unsurprised with he quickly rattles off a couple of things he wants to do, but as Rick talks she finds herself considering if there's a way to adjust her work schedule to spend a few days with him. It'd be the first time she really spent considerable time in New York since Tom died - usually, her trips are to visit his tombstone in Queens and to stop at a couple of her favorite haunts - but maybe it's time to take that leap.
Putting that thought aside to consider later, she nods as Rick details this cool theme bar he read about and wants to visit. "And what about me? Are you excited to see me?" she's mostly teasing with the question, but her heart kicks into double time when Rick's eyes twinkle back at her as he gives a charming grin.
"I'm always excited to see you, Kate," he confirms. "Never, ever doubt that."
Truthfully, she never had but she'd be lying to herself if she tried to pretend the admission doesn't leave her with butterflies in her stomach. "Wow, Castle. You're really putting the pressure on me for this date of ours," Kate drawls. "But I was thinking Chinese food and stale coffee while I do paperwork at the station would have to do. Hope that's okay."
She hears the unzipping of his suitcase and the soft thud of the top being unfolded before he answers with a shrug. "If that's what we need to do tomorrow night, then okay. But you aren't the only one with a plan here," he says with a satisfied smirk. "And I have to tell you; mine is pretty spectacular."
Intrigue getting the best of her, Kate raises an eyebrow at the screen. "Are you going to give me a hint?"
Rick presses his lips together, tilting his head like he's considering the idea. "Let's just say…." he pauses, chewing on his lower lip in a way that forces Kate's eyes down to linger on the action. He doesn't seem to notice, too busy figuring out what to say. "It's an experience you've never had in Evergreen, and one I don't think you'll soon forget."
"I suppose the Chinese and paperwork can wait then."
"Thought you'd say that," he chuckles, carrying the phone back into his closet to sift through various hangers to decide what to pack. "It'll be great, I promise."
Kate has no doubt that he'll take her breath away with whatever he's planned because Rick Castle is the king of romantic gestures, but some part of her does wonder what that means for this holding pattern she locked them in after Christmas. Realistically, how long can they stay in their exploratory bubble before it bursts?
For all her teasing and bravado, she's nervous about the date. Their last one had ended in disaster, and while she doesn't expect to end the night yelling at him in freezing temperatures, Kate won't pretend she isn't a little worried that all the baggage from that experience won't haunt them. She'd agonized over it the week between Christmas and New Year's, only to have Eli inadvertently rescue her with a terrible cold and a plea for them to please stay with him at home.
And it'd been sweet, but her son proved an excellent buffer to any real exploration of what came next for them.
"Rick, I'm…." she starts to tell him the truth, that as excited as she is for their date, she's also terrified, but Kate swallows her words before she can give them a voice. Esposito's name and accompanying text flashes at the top of her screen, but it disappears before she can read the preview. Frowning slightly - it's almost 11 p.m. and he's usually settled down to spend time with Lanie - she touches the bottom of her screen to access the home page and retrieve the text.
'Overheard on the scanner. Assault with a deadly weapon outside Jerry Tyson's. Karpowski responding. On way now.'
"Castle," Kate says, typing out that she'll be there asap to Esposito. And then she's opening up another text, fingers flying over the keys even as she gets to her feet. She hates to ask Jenny or Kevin to come over at this hour, but Eli's asleep in his bed and they're both far closer than her parents. "Something has come up at work. So I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow?"
She really owes Jenny Ryan a million times over for how wonderful she is, because the blonde responds less than a minute after she sends her text. She's on the way over, and Kate promises herself she'll babysit Sarah Grace and Nicholas in repayment for the favor. But she's stuffing her feet into her boots left by the door when Rick says he understands and he'll text her when he gets to town and find a time to pick her up.
"Sounds great, babe. I'll talk to you later."
The endearment is out there in the air before she realizes she's said it, and there's a moment where their eyes meet across the phone screens. Kate knows he heard her because he's trying not to look delighted at the term, and she feels the blush heat her cheeks in response. Capturing her bottom lip between her teeth she sighs and shakes her head. "Don't say anything, Castle. See you tomorrow."
She hangs up before he can get another word in edgewise, half sighing and half laughing at herself for the slip-up. Dropping her phone into her coat pocket, she takes the time to unlock her safe that's hidden in the cabinet by the front door and pull out her gun belt. By the time it's strapped in place and she's ensured her firearm is loaded and the safety still on, Jenny's slipping into the front door with a small smile.
"I'll be here when you get back," the blonde says. "No need to hurry."
"I owe you, Jenny," Kate replies, snagging her keys and pausing long enough to give her a hug. She's out the door a second later, hurrying to her personal car since her police-issued SUV is still at the station. Her phone dings once she's behind the wheel and buckled up, the infotainment screen lighting up with a notification that she has a text from Richard Castle.
Even despite the situation occurring across town, the smile slides over her face and Kate lifts her eyes toward the ceiling of her car. She knew he wouldn't let it go, and sure enough, there's the proof.
'Take care of yourself, honey. See you tomorrow.'
A/N: And that's all she wrote for this story! If you haven't guessed already, there is a sequel planned for this universe. So many of you asked for one in your reviews, and I honestly realized that I wasn't ready to let this version of all our favorite characters go just yet (especially Eli. He's modeled after some kids I know and it brings me a lot of joy). If you are familiar with Hallmark movies, just know the sequel is a little more of the Movies & Mysteries variety than their Christmas fare. Think of it as if Hallmark Mysteries, a Castle episode, and the In Death books had a very attractive baby. That's where we are going, and I hope you all enjoy the ride!
For those of you who aren't interested in more of this universe, I really do thank you for all the kind words and reviews you've left for this story. A few years ago I was so discouraged by the attitudes and fighting in this fandom and I just lost my love of writing fanfiction, but it's wonderful to know that I've found some inspiration again and such a kind group of people to support the endeavor. So, truly, thank you so much. :)